NOVPUBNo matter what Liu Bei said, those people believed that he indeed was a magnanimous and exceptional person. He didn’t possess the unpredictable nature of other sovereigns, allowing people to feel secure without worrying about being resented in the future.
Liu Bei tugged at his lips, totally ignoring the flattering comments from Jia Xu and others. What he really wanted to say was that the little knowledge imparted to him by Chen Xi was truly useful. Why feign inscrutability when unity among his subordinates could be achieved, significantly bolstering his own strength? Why bother with seeming mysterious and ultimately leading to growing misunderstandings when no chance remains for open communication, and one side must perish?
Zichuan’s methods are always special, as he said, if those above disclosed everything clearly and talked openly about right and wrong, many misunderstandings that could have arisen would never occur, nor would the relationship deteriorate to the point where it was hard to return to the initial mutual support of monarch and minister.
Liu Bei slowly exhaled, admitting that what Chen Xi said made a lot of sense given the current situation.
The mind of a monarch is inscrutable, and the consequence of an inscrutable mind is that no one can understand the emperor; there can never be harmony between the sovereign and his ministers, with the latter always worrying about dying inexplicably, and the monarch occasionally wondering if his subjects have their eyes on his throne. Jia Xu thought to himself as he watched Liu Bei’s retreating figure.
Liu Bei’s actions deeply touched Jia Xu, who was paranoid about being harmed. Rather than being adept at self-preservation, he was always anxious about being unexpectedly eliminated. Liu Bei’s willingness to be open and honest about such issues greatly relieved Jia Xu, if not eliminating his strange fears, at least easing his mind and allowing him to focus less on self-preservation.
In Yanzhou, Chenliu, the situation for Cao Cao did not get much better after Lyu Bu retreated. Though Yuan Shu had lost interest in contending with Cao Cao for Nanyang due to his son’s near-death, Cao Cao was well aware that neither Lyu Bu nor Yuan Shu would give up on him.
Once Lyu Bu had sufficient supplies, Chen Gong would certainly suggest to Lyu Bu to eliminate Cao Cao. With the current situation, there was simply no room for reconciliation between Chen Gong and Cao Cao—one must fall.
Similarly, on Yuan Shu’s front, Cao Cao was utterly disappointed with Liu Biao. Despite having the valiant generals Huang Hansheng and the astute minister Kuai Yidu of Jingzhou, and an empty Xiangyang after the removal of its grand general Jii Ling, the city suffered a resounding defeat, losing countless supplies and provisions. It was like having a pig for a teammate; Yuan Shu’s losses from previous defeats were mostly recovered through Liu Biao.
In fact, Cao Cao, greatly weakened and attacked from all sides by Lyu Bu and Yuan Shu, lacked the means to obtain accurate intelligence from Xiangyang. Otherwise, he would have understood that Liu Biao’s defeat was not unjust—the skill was simply lacking.
Although Liaoo Li was not extremely skilled at military strategy, he was quick-witted. Taking advantage of an unsuspecting Kuai Yue, he played him from start to finish. After a victory, even those who initially did not respect him, such as Zhang Xun, Li Feng, and Jiangh Qin, had great admiration for Liaoo Li!
Just as Zhou Yu had estimated, Liaoo Li, with this splendid victory, effortlessly won the respect of the guard generals of Xiangyang as a commoner, and Jiangh Qin earned recognition through martial force. The checkerboard strategy Zhou Yu had envisioned for connecting the world was showing signs of feasibility.
Fan Qin sat in the government office, watching Cao Cao issuing orders above. He knew that Cao Cao was feeling extremely vexed. The initially favorable situation had been completely destroyed because of one false move. Now, if the Cao Clan couldn’t restore their strength quickly, Cao Cao’s life’s work might crumble, and the Cao Family might even have to live the rest of their lives incognito.
After Cao Cao left, Xun Wenruo began handling government affairs with a group of strategists after everyone else had dispersed. No matter how bad the situation, life had to go on. They couldn’t start crumbling internally even before the enemy attacked, right? Although many in the Cao Army had developed strange notions due to Cao Cao’s defeat, these core individuals had not wavered in their resolve.
"Huber, you seemed quite composed earlier, do you have any good ideas?" Xun Yu asked as he walked over to Fan Qin, who was dozing off.
"No, I was just daydreaming about when my nephew will be born," Fan Qin spoke nonchalantly. He was essentially a mascot for Cao Cao’s side, collecting his salary on time, arriving late if he could, leaving early if possible, and taking naps when there was no work. Being a direct subordinate to one of Xun Yu’s civil officials, even if someone didn’t like his attitude, they couldn’t go over Xun Yu’s head to reprimand him.
Xun You, Cheng Zhongde glared at Fan Qin, outraged. Of the high-ranking civil officials that remained, the two had the least tolerance for Fan Qin, but out of respect for Xun Yu, they had not taken their grievances against Fan Qin any further.
"Gentlemen, please take your seats, I have a matter to discuss with you all," Xun Yu shook his head helplessly. He knew Fan Qin’s mind better than anyone and knew no one could force him.
Xun You, Cheng Yu, Chen Qun, Sima Lang, and Fan Qin calmly took their seats. Time had passed and seeing Xun Yu round them up so solemnly after the meeting suggested he might have a solution to break the deadlock.
"You are all aware of the current situation. Our army lacks not for valiant generals, but for soldiers. Should Lyu Bu return with a vengeance, I fear we would find it hard to hold him off. Preparing troops is something that can’t be accomplished overnight," Xun Yu stated serenely.
Xun Yu was quite frustrated with their predicament, akin to Zhao State’s plight after the Battle of Changping—there were good generals and civil officials, but no soldiers left. Chenliu was only holding fast, as Handan once had, for the simple fact that the enemy had run out of provisions.
However, a plus for Cao Cao compared to Zhao State was that at least there were still civilians in the homeland, who could be trained into an army in a year’s time. Unfortunately, time was a luxury that Cao Cao could ill afford, surrounded as he was by enemies who wished for nothing more than his demise, seeing that from the beginning, Cao Cao had won his position by subjugating his neighbors.
"The issue of food is not that severe for us. The Weii Family has already acquired grain from Sichuan and Shu, shipped via river. As long as we hold onto Wancheng, the food problem won’t be significant," Xun Yu presented this good news, which instantly uplifted everyone including Xun You and the others. As long as they had provisions, everything else seemed solvable, especially given the severe damage the locust disaster had done to Yanzhou this year.
While saying this, Xun Yu too felt a hint of helplessness in his heart. The Weii Family had forgiven Cao Cao largely because Cao Cao had paid them a personal visit, and with Weii Zi being an ardent fan of Cao Cao, the earlier massacre was somewhat glossed over.
Nevertheless, the Weii Family made it clear that if there were any more such groundless slaughters, no matter the reason, they would relocate. It was apparent that the Great Aristocratic Family held their reputations in high regard.
It was precisely because the matter had been smoothed over that the two Weii Family branches joined forces to dispatch the grain from their commercial food stores in Sichuan and Shu via waterways to Wancheng, and from there conveyed to Chenliu, to alleviate Cao Cao’s grain shortage. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to support it by voting for it on Qidian (qidian.com), buying monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
