NOVPUBWhen Chen Xi was at his wits’ end, Hua Tuo’s research on Artemisia Soup had also nearly reached its conclusion. Indeed, Hua Tuo himself could treat epidemics, but the persisting problem was that the prescription couldn’t be widely disseminated. Now that Chen Xi had provided him with an abundance of various medicinal herbs, Hua Tuo had the opportunity to experiment, which is why he was able to create three different prescriptions in such a short period.
"Physician Hua, how is the prescription coming along?" Chen Xi asked as he entered Hua Tuo’s felt tent, a thick scent of medicine enveloping him.
"I have made some headway with the Artemisia Soup. In a few days at most, I should have it ready, although it might be completely different from what you remember," said Hua Tuo with a wry smile. He had discovered that with the abundance of herbs, there were more varieties he could substitute; many peculiar situations had arisen with herbs he had never encountered before.
"That’s great, that’s great," Chen Xi let out a sigh of relief. "Then I won’t disturb you. Remember to inform me once you have finished your research. As for the sand pots you requested for boiling the medicine, I’ve already produced a large number on-site. Just instruct your guards to fetch them as needed. Focus on the prescription first, everything else is trivial. If there’s anything you’d like to eat, just tell the cooks." Chen Xi once again reminded Hua Tuo, fearing a repeat of the previous incident. 𝘯𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
In the past, Hua Tuo used to resolve everything by himself. Since coming to Chen Xi’s side, he clearly hadn’t adapted to the change. The last time he ran out of sand pots for boiling medicine, he went to find pots by himself—it was a matter of life and death. How could such an issue be tolerated?
"Alright, I will inform you once I’ve made progress," Hua Tuo said without looking up, engrossed in his work. The more herbs he worked with, the more he started to see patterns in their effects, although not always accurate. It was by relying on this sometimes effective, sometimes not pattern that he could assure he’d handle it within a number of days.
"It seems the situation isn’t as bad as I thought, but the consumption of medicinal herbs is quite large. It’s time to purchase them again," Chen Xi muttered to himself with a hint of pain as he watched carts of herbs being hauled out of the rear camp.
Chen Xi had a peculiar way of looking at things, simply put as "indifferent if it’s someone else’s problem, but chaos if it’s his own." Although not always that severe, sometimes this attitude led him to overlook many issues. For instance, this time he only noticed that people from Pengcheng in East Sea Commandery’s Yinping County and Changlu County had migrated. In his concern for their well-being, he failed to consider whether there were migrations of people from other areas.
Unbeknownst to him, Pei State, which was adjacent to Yuzhou and Xuzhou Pengcheng, had also seen a large influx of epidemic-carrying refugees due to the war between Cao and Liu, driven out by Cao Cao. The officials of Yuzhou turned a blind eye to this influx as usual, and soon after, a small-scale epidemic broke out, worsening with the warming climate.
Similarly, a small number of people from Xuzhou entered Yanzhou through Faan County. However, because Wei Xu and his men tightly secured Yanzhou and did not allow the people to pass, Yanzhou avoided the disaster.
As for Mount Tai, anyone entering now had to wait at the border for a period, which was why, as the migrating populace began to show symptoms of illness, Lub Su immediately locked down the routes in all four directions. He no longer allowed the people to enter or leave Mount Tai and began a comprehensive inspection of Mount Tai based on the epidemic prevention book.
Xun Yu’s face darkened as he read the intelligence from Xuzhou. Rumors were rampant throughout Chenliu that Cao Cao had died, and his army of sixty thousand perished in Xuzhou. Furthermore, with Lyu Bu fiercely attacking Yanzhou, most of it had already fallen into his grasp. The land under Cao Cao’s rule was already in a state of panic. If not for Xun Yu still handling affairs calmly and dispatching troops to fend off Lyu Bu’s attacks, Cao Cao’s territory would have already plunged into chaos.
"Huber, what are you doing?" Xun Yu asked with a dark expression, looking at Fan Qin who was packing up.
"Cao Meng De is dead; of course, I must find a new worthy lord. Liu Xuande seems like a good man, and my brother-in-law is also there. Besides, he is truly loyal to the Han Dynasty. Wen Ruo, why don’t you join me in pledging allegiance to Liu Xuande?" Fan Qin said shamelessly. Truth be told, he was actually considering switching his loyalty to Liu Bei.
"The Lord has not yet died," Xun Yu said with an iron complexion. "As for the current situation, it hasn’t come to that yet!"
"Impossible, the intelligence from Xuzhou indicated that Guan Yunchang has already obtained Cao Mengde’s body and has sent someone to bring it over. Not to mention anything else, Guan Yunchang’s eyesight would not mistake such a thing," Fan Qin said with a frown.
"That was Qin Bonan, who bears a seven-tenths resemblance to the Lord. As long as he wears the Lord’s armor, mounts Claw Yellow Flying Lightning, and takes up the Yitian Sword, even I could be deceived," Xun Yu said with dissatisfaction.
"How can you be so sure that it wasn’t Cao Mengde?" Fan Qin asked with a frown. "If this is speculation, I don’t believe a person like you would make such a claim without any basis."
"My Spiritual Talent can only be effective with the presence of my Lord, and it is still in operation now, which means my Lord has escaped unscathed," Xun Yu said feelingly. He needed to have a Lord to bring out his full strength; otherwise, he wouldn’t be much better than others.
Fan Qin furrowed his brow, thinking to himself, "Cao Mengde hasn’t died. If this guy died, I’d be ninety percent certain I could pull Xun Yu over to Liu Xuande’s side. Anyway, I can mix in well on either side, but Liu Bei’s strong support suits me better."
Then Fan Qin’s eyes shifted as he looked at Xun Yu with an efficacious smile and said, "However, it’s a disaster this time. The Lord has already suffered a crushing defeat up front, and there are people in the rear who have gone out of their way to deliver money and grain to others!"
Upon hearing this, Xun Yu’s face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He had learned of Cao Cao’s slaughter in Xuzhou and knew that the situation was dire, so he prepared to pull Cao Cao back. Eastern Yanzhou was but an insignificant place for Cao Cao – flavorful enough to covet but too petty to fret over. As long as Cao Cao kept needing Xun Yu’s strategic advice, Xun Yu was content to turn a blind eye and let Chen Gong create chaos.
Additionally, recent correspondence from Zhong Yao about the situation in Chang’an revealed much to Xun Yu, which led him to promote an earlier plan. After all, compared to infantry, the undefeated Xiliang Iron Cavalry was the real capital for contending for the world in Xun Yu’s eyes.
Now, just great, Xun Yu had set the stage perfectly, even arranging beforehand for the person who would block Liu Bei in Yanzhou. All that was missing was Cao Cao returning with his army, and they could plan how to subdue Sili, obtain the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, and welcome the Emperor. Yet Cao Cao truly gave him a surprise!
He had painstakingly built up such a good hand, which he has now completely handed over to others. Now, never mind subduing Sili, obtaining the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, or welcoming the Emperor. If they didn’t find a way to check Lyu Bu, chaos was inevitable!
Thinking of this, even the always gentle and refined Xun Yu wanted to curse. He had accounted for everything, except the possibility of Cao Cao leading the entire army to its demise in Xuzhou. To hell with it, Cao Cao, you might as well change your name to Logistics Head! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendations and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)
