NOVPUBChen Xi said nothing more; the Lu family’s gift was, in effect, supposed to be the design of a warship for Xu Sheng. Of course, if it weren’t for Xu Sheng, the first warship would naturally be given to Gan Ning. After all, once the shipyard was established in Donglai, Liu Bei’s policies would favor them.
The first ship, naturally, served as a trial model. Liu Bei’s side would provide the materials, and besides the Lu family getting practice, there was also an implication of reciprocating favors. After all, during this period, only a handful of families possessed the core technology for shipbuilding, monopolizing the key craftsmen. The Lu family was indispensable. The first ship was meant to show other Feudal Lords that the Lu family was not to be trifled with!
"Xingba, speed up, and head to Chaohu Lake as quickly as possible. Our goal has been achieved; let’s retreat to the Yangtze River, and flow downstream back to Mount Tai. We have no reason to continue fighting," Chen Xi instructed Gan Ning.
At the same time, Jiangh Qin had already led over five thousand Jiangxia Navy troops down the Yangtze River, preparing to meet up with Zhou Yu near Jiujiang and then intercept Chen Xi and his group.
"Is that so?" Li Youu, in Xiapi, eyed the group of meek aristocratic family heads standing in the Government Office and listlessly waved his hand indicating they could leave. The previous arrogance of the Xuzhou Aristocractic Family had completely vanished, and even Chen Deng couldn’t help but feel a measure of fear in front of Li Youu. Li Youu’s methods were ruthlessly efficient, and yet, no one dared to disobey.
"Yuanlong, do you have any other matters to report?" Li Youu asked calmly as he placed the military orders sent by Zhao Yun and Chen Dao on the desk.
Not long before, Liu Bei’s missive had arrived in Xuzhou, directing Zhao Yun and Chen Dao to move towards the border of Xiapi and Jiujiang, to gather intelligence about Chen Xi. Should there be any sign of trouble, Zhao Yun was permitted to lead troops into Jiujiang for a rescue operation.
"The Yuzhou informant reports that Sunx Bofu has dispatched the Jiangxia Navy into the Yangtze River, flowing downstream. By now, they’re almost entering the Lujiang waters," Chen Deng said, keeping his head down, not daring to look at Li Youu. The brilliance with which Li Youu outmaneuvered everyone left Chen Deng not only shocked but also filled with fear.
"Oh, is that so? Has there been any new message from Zichuan, and do they require our assistance or anything else?" Li Youu inquired calmly, aware that his previous actions might have been a bit too ruthless. Nearly every Xuzhou Aristocratic Family had seen bloodshed, and most importantly, they had gained virtually nothing from it, instead creating deep enmities among themselves.
"Marquis Chen has ordered us to patrol the Xiapi and Jiujiang area only. Should anyone pry into our affairs, they are to be captured immediately," Chen Deng said with his head lowered.
"Yuanlong, do you also think that I went a bit too far before? Harsh measures can only subdue them; they don’t win their genuine allegiance, right?" Li Youu said with a smile.
Truth be told, the strategies proposed by Ju Shou and Xuu You were traps in themselves, ones that deeply troubled Xuzhou. But after carefully considering them, Li Youu adopted a far more ruthless extension of Ju Shou’s and Xuu You’s strategies.
Anyway, when Ju Shou and Xuu You saw the outcomes, they could only comment that Li Youu was eager to show loyalty, which might arouse suspicions from people like Jia Xu and Guo Jia. But such behavior was consistent with the incompetence expected of Li Youu’s ’fool teammate’ role.
Ultimately, Li Youu’s actions were very detrimental to Liu Bei. At least 95% of the Xuzhou Aristocratic Families harbored resentment against Liu Bei, especially when the latest orders were issued, pushing their resentment to the extreme. However, unfortunately for them, considering Liu Bei’s overwhelming power, none wished to stand out as the leader. At best, they would wait for a future opportunity to rebel.
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However, there’s a benefit to being ruthless—at least now that Li You is here, no one dares to oppose what he does. His blood-red reign of terror is even more cruel than the final stage of Tao Qian’s rule. He doesn’t even permit families to move out, forcing these now powerless aristocrats to silently endure it all, seething with anger they dare not express.
"Yes," Chen Deng spoke with a grimace after hesitating for a while.
"I gave them a chance. Well, how about this—I’ll give them one more chance," Li You said carelessly, "I can allow the local officials to avoid serving in Qingzhou, but they better not sabotage our military efforts."
Chen Deng looked at Li You, utterly baffled. At this point, why would Li You suddenly develop a woman’s kindness? Either he should eradicate them all, leaving the aristocratic families, including his own Chen Family, utterly disheartened, or he should never have started such actions. Now that it’s all done, could such minor grace really save the situation?
Chen Deng felt he could no longer understand Li You. The brutal way Li You had acted before, his grasp of timing, had inspired awe in Chen Deng. But now, this womanly mercy, this self-righteousness, made Chen Deng question whether the previous schemes indeed originated from the man before him.
"It seems you don’t understand either, so let it be. Go and inform all the noble families to stay calm. I don’t want to become enemies with them. It’s better for everyone if we can get along, instead of being at such an impasse—it’s bad for all of us," Li Ru said, conveying a sincere smile to Chen Deng.
Without waiting for Chen Deng to respond, Li You waved his hand and walked into the inner hall, leaving Chen Deng standing alone in the middle of the central hall, his expression one of bewilderment.
[Ju Shou, Xuu You, I’ve done better than you could imagine, laying a solid foundation among the people for when you attack Qingzhou. As long as you strike Qingzhou, the current state of Xuzhou will surely erupt into internal chaos, rallying to your cause,] Li You thought to himself with a smile.
[Unfortunately for you, someone will soon inform Yuan Shu of your schemes. All your planning will have been in vain, dressing Yuan Shu in bridal robes. And Yuan Shu has already been surrounded by a plethora of our pawns. This Xuzhou rebellion will finally enable us to cleanse Xuzhou internally, shifting the disorder to combat against Yuan Shu.] Li You silently plotted the current situation, for he too knew how to play the game of using others to eliminate one’s enemies.
[After this, Xuzhou should be firmly under control, and all the schemes will have been designed by Ju Shou and Xuu You. Despite the unexpected developments, surely no one will suspect a thing.] Li Ru scanned the surrounding state of affairs and felt completely at ease. After this affair, any dissent within would be aligned, and there would be no one to hamper progress. Also, the burden of public disgrace would no longer rest on his shoulders.
[Hmm, some things are still not quite right. What I need to do next is put up a facade, at least to cover up my tracks. I’ll have to make a gesture, plant a seed of hope in the nobility, and once they’ve grown reliant on it, I’ll be ready for the reaping.] Li You could not help but return to the perspective of harvesting the noble families.
[Enough, no more dwelling on these matters. What remains is to inform Ju Shou and the others about the current situation and keep them on the hook. It’s truly a pity—they are indeed intelligent, but they’ve been mistaken from the very beginning.]
Li You picked up a pen and paper from the side, his face wearing a scornful smirk, and began to write feverishly, updating Ju Shou on the current affairs. Continuing to lead them into the trap was the best choice, after all, as surprises kept occurring! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please vote for it at Qi Dian (qidian.com) and cast your monthly vote. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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