NOVPUBFor Li Youu, Chen Deng was at a loss for words. If things were as he suspected, then Li Youu’s mind and abilities could be said to be unmatched in this era. Despite his ruthlessness, one could not deny his capabilities. Paired with the possibilities that might come to pass, Chen Deng had nothing but admiration for Li Youu.
"Could it be a transfer of blame? I feel like this trick seems familiar." Chen Deng couldn’t help but think about Li Youu’s background, just like when Chen Xi first showcased his extraordinary talent. Other noble families also pondered Chen Xi’s origins. After all, no genius appears out of thin air; even late bloomers leave traces in their past. Yet, Li Youu seemed to have emerged from nowhere.
"I’ve heard that Li Wenru is a good friend of Cai Bojie, and indeed Cai Zhaoji was brought out of Chang’an and placed in Mount Tai by Li Wenru. She also refers to Li Wenru as ’Uncle,’ so there seems to be no issue with his identity. Perhaps he was in seclusion somewhere, deeply cultivating his skills." Chen Deng sighed. The Great Confucian Scholars of this era all had some substance, and friends recognized by such a Confucian Scholar would definitely possess exceptional virtues and abilities. He saw Li Youu as one of these figures.
"I should avoid Li Wenru for now; he’s ultimately too ruthless. Although in the end, he managed to shift all the blame onto others, cleansing himself of any culpability, it’s still hard to escape the discernment of perceptive people." Chen Deng silently thought and finally decided to wait and see what the next few days would bring.
Elsewhere, Gan Ning and his group had already left Chaohu Lake by boat. During the time Gan Ning and Chen Xi besieged Lujiang City, Taishi Ci had not done much other than decimating the already sparse population of lake pirates. Zhuge Liang, on the other hand, kept a low profile as he pondered the current situation. With Chen Xi’s reminder and the help of maps, it was easy for Zhuge Liang to realize what they were up against—the fact that Lujiang and Jiangxia were adjacent to each other!
The strongest force under Sunx Ce was undoubtedly the Jiangxia Navy, and it was basically a smooth sail downstream from Jiangxia to Lujiang. In other words, if Sunx Ce decided to deploy the Jiangxia Navy to help, it wouldn’t be difficult at all—guaranteed speed and combat power while going downstream.
Because of this, Zhuge Liang had almost figured out that if they weren’t fast enough, there was a high chance of encountering the complete Jiangxia Navy. If they were quick, a battle with the vanguard of the Jiangxia Navy on the Yangtze River was inevitable. In short, once they left Chaohu Lake, a battle on the Yangtze River was unavoidable.
Of course, Zhuge Liang had not considered the actual number of the Jiangxia Navy. In his view, the entire Jiangxia Navy, even if stronger than Gan Ning’s naval forces, couldn’t be too outrageous. After all, Liu Xuande had granted autonomy to Gan Ning’s navy, whereas Yuan Shu would never do such a thing. That was the difference.
Regrettably, Zhuge Liang hadn’t anticipated that Zhou Yu would be so bold. While incorporating the Yangtze River Pirates, he also reported an increase in banditry on the Yangtze River thanks to the death of Huang Zu, causing many Jingzhou Navy men to become pirates, necessitating increased defensive forces to combat these roving enemies. The Yangtze River was immense, and it wasn’t so easy for Zhou Yu to crush the pirates—at least, that’s how people like Li Feng saw it. In this way, Zhou Yu took on both the underworld and the legitimate fronts.
After some time, Zhou Yu not only brought the river pirates under his control but also strengthened his rule over the navy; he energetically managed Jiangxia County and the Yangtze Water Route, and when necessary, even resorted to piracy on the river. Somehow, he was managing to keep the entire navy afloat. In other words, Sunx Ce’s hidden strength was far greater than what Zhuge Liang had come to understand.
As for Chen Xi, he always thought from a historical perspective and combined it with his current mindset to analyze the situation. Although he guessed that Sunx Ce’s power was not weak, he had not considered that Zhou Yu could amass such a formidable force. The extent to which Zhou Yu could ’make an omelet without breaking eggs’ was a level in its own right!
Although Chen Xi knew that Sunx Ce had accumulated significant strength, he never worried that Zhou Yu would send out more than eight thousand troops. The reason was simple. Yuan Shu was still alive, and Sunx Ce was still a subordinate under Yuan Shu. Zhou Yu could not reveal his strength openly, at least not before Sunx Ce became independent.
Chen Xi looked at Zhuge Liang, who was still deep in thought, "What’s wrong, feeling pressured by Lul Boyan? Have a good chat with him, you two will be spending a lot of time together in the future."
Every time Chen Xi thought about Zhuge Liang and Lul Xun possibly serving as officials together, he couldn’t help but smirk, for in the past life, Lul Xun had shattered Zhuge Liang’s life-long hopes. If it hadn’t been for the Battle of Yiling, which obliterated the second generation of Shu’s elite and most of its veteran soldiers, Zhuge Liang’s Northern Expeditions wouldn’t have been so arduous.
"It’s nothing; he’s alright. But unless something unexpected happens, he won’t be able to catch up with me," Zhuge Liang said, raising an eyebrow as he turned his head. He was keenly aware of Lul Xun’s excellence—and not much younger than himself. Unfortunately, as Zhuge Liang had said, without any unexpected events, it wouldn’t be possible for him to catch up.
"Ah, you, always trying to find playmates for yourself. Make sure you take good care of him. He’s rather proud; seize any chance to cut him down," Chen Xi said unabashedly, fanning the flames of conflict between the two, unbothered by the thought of two geniuses clashing. To Chen Xi, that was a spectacle worth watching.
"Boring," Zhuge Liang said calmly. His thought process was exceptionally mature. He wasn’t like Fa Zheng, who was tormented by Guo Jia and needed to prove himself against other talents. Zhuge Liang recalled inadvertently suffering at Fa Zheng’s hands when he first arrived, but he had swiftly returned the favor.
Initially, Zhuge Liang was somewhat annoyed with Fa Zheng, but upon learning the truth, his gaze softened with pity, which only aggravated Fa Zheng further. Fa Zheng then left for Qi State to prove himself with his achievements. Now, having been promoted, he’d probably be too lazy to bother Zhuge Liang when he returned for the new year.
"Show some vitality; don’t be so mature. Look at Lul Boyan, even after encountering great upheaval on his life’s journey, he didn’t become like you. Give us a smile," Chen Xi teased, seemingly even more immature than Zhuge Liang.
"He just encountered great upheaval. I got lost on life’s path reading your books until I lost my home," Zhuge Liang narrated calmly, nearly choking Chen Xi.
"Boyan, I’ll give you a book on military strategy," Chen Xi gasped, still recovering. After a moment, he grabbed the gunwale with both hands, leaned back, and yelled toward the cabin.
"I don’t want it; this one is enough," Lul Xun said without lifting his head from the cabin door.
It wasn’t that Lul Xun didn’t want Chen Xi’s book on military strategy; he had already encountered Zhuge Liang’s prowess and didn’t wish to provoke further. Astronomy, geography, military strategy, tactics—he understood them all, which was in itself alright. But Zhuge Liang had told him a story and derived five contradictory principles from it, and the more brutal fact was that he could argue all of them successfully.
Was this meant to make his head explode? Zhuge Liang was barely a year older than him! Lul Xun had begun to doubt whether he was a genius, as he observed Zhuge Liang’s indifferent gaze towards the horizon, that sense of loneliness and melancholy unique to a master. Lul Xun deeply felt the pressure. (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
