Mythical Three Kingdoms

Liu Bei, leading Chen Xi and the others, returned with full satisfaction, only to come upon an infuriated Cao Cao about to leave.

”Lord Cao, I hope you are well.” Liu Bei dismounted and saluted Cao Cao, admiring him for his loyalty and bravery in pursuing Dong Zhuo, given that his own allegiance to the Han Dynasty was still resolute.

”Lord Xuande, alas, to think that I, Cao Mengde, with one heart for the public good, would end up in such a plight,” Cao Cao lamented. ”Inside the tent, they are now reveling in song and dance, with wine banquets in full swing. Who still remembers the covenant we made before!”

”Lord Cao, better to address me by my style name. You and I should indeed exchange more, as for the scene inside the tent, frankly, if Zichuan hadn’t insisted I witness this drama, I would have already been on my way back to Mount Tai Commandery,” said Liu Bei with much grace.

”Indeed, but this is not the place for such discussions. Let us go to the rear camp to deliberate further,” Cao Cao said with a bitter smile. Previously, he had been mocked for returning in defeat after chasing Dong Zhuo alone, and in a huff, he left. Now having encountered Liu Bei, he calmed down after their exchange, naturally eager to witness the liveliness Liu Bei had mentioned.

Chen Xi sat reluctantly on the ground behind and to the left of Liu Bei, listening absently to the conversation between Cao Cao and Liu Bei. These two seemed to feel an immediate bond, as if lamenting not having met sooner and ready to swear brotherhood at a moment’s notice. It must be said that before becoming heroes, they shared many similarities, and even after each had done so, their ambitions and interests still aligned in many ways...

”I didn’t expect Xuande to have such capable people under him, who could even take control of Lyu Bu’s Xiliang Iron Cavalry,” Cao Cao commented jealously, having heard that Liu Bei had quickly taken care of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry that had left him in such disarray.

”Hahaha, Meng De has indeed overestimated me. This was not my doing, but Zichuan’s ability,” Liu Bei laughed heartily, surprised to be perceived as having a formidable military force. He then explained to Cao Cao the strategies Chen Xi had devised.

The more Cao Cao listened, the more astonished and delighted he became, ultimately unable to resist applauding. The plan was incredibly simple, yet it tightly exploited the distrust among Lyu Bu, Dong Zhuo, and Li Ru, pressuring Lyu Bu into a corner step by step until his suspicions exploded.

”I have indeed underestimated Zichuan,” Cao Cao said with a hearty laugh, though with a hint of bitterness on his face. He remembered how Chen Xi had behaved at the beginning of the alliance and the look of someone searching for a new patron when Chen Xi roamed the Feudal Lords’ Camp. Clearly, at that time, Chen Xi seemed to be looking for another master in Cao Cao’s view.

”Lord Cao, you are too kind,” said Chen Xi with a calm expression, curious about the current bizarre situation. Maybe next time they met, they would be at war. He wondered whether any goodwill would remain. Chen Xi actually admired Cao Cao and would have chosen to join him if it weren’t for his inability to be sure he could avoid arousing Cao Cao’s suspicions.

”Big brother!” Just then, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei burst in, shouting, ”Big brother, come quickly to the main tent, something serious has happened!”

”What causes you two such panic?” Liu Bei asked with some frustration.

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Just when Liu Bei felt like showing off, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei charged in, clearly demonstrating a lack of strict control. However, Liu Bei didn’t mind at all regarding Guan and Zhang, for if he had a bite to eat, he would share half with his brothers. So, there wasn’t the slightest dissatisfaction, only a bit of gloominess.

”Big brother, it’s not good! Rumors are spreading in the camp that Sunx Jian has obtained the Imperial Jade Seal and is now hiding it. The Alliance Hierarch is sending people to notify Sunx Jian to go to the main tent. Big brother, you should hurry over as well!” Zhang Fei said in a panic.

”What?” Liu Bei was startled and stood up abruptly, then remembered Cao Cao was by his side. Turning to look at Cao Cao, he found him standing up in both surprise and anger. Well, in this way, it seemed everyone was in the same boat; apologies were not necessary, as no one had caused offense.

”Meng De, you must also want to know the truth of the matter. Let’s head to the main camp and see what exactly is going on!” Liu Bei took a deep breath to calm his own fury before speaking.

”Good, but please wait for a moment, Xuande. I will return shortly!” Cao Cao said, bowing his hand in salute before quickly leaving.

”Lord Xuande, don’t be annoyed.” Chen Xi said with a smile, ”The matter of the Imperial Jade Seal must be true, and the reason for not notifying you is that among everyone, you are the only Han Imperial Kinsman. To pocket the Jade Seal secretly wouldn’t be possible in front of you.”

”Zichuan, you can still laugh about this? What are they trying to do! To swallow the Jade Seal privately! Do they even consider the Great Han Dynasty and the Emperor anymore?” Liu Bei said angrily, ”The Jade Seal is a national treasure. How could it fall into the hands of outsiders? It must be turned over to the state and returned to the hands of the Emperor!”

”Returned to the Emperor’s hands? Isn’t the Emperor still under Dong Zhuo’s control? Even if it were returned, the Jade Seal wouldn’t reach the Emperor’s hands. Lord Xuande, please calm down a bit. The Jade Seal is just Li Ru’s second bait. If Luoyang is to make the Coalition Army fulfill the previous oath of alliance by halting their advance, then the Jade Seal is there to cause division, forcing the Coalition to splinter and inevitably to turn swords against each other! And to conveniently strip away the Han Dynasty’s fig leaf!” Chen Xi said frankly.

Liu Bei was stunned, then sat rigidly on the couch. After a long while, he turned to look at Chen Xi and asked, ”Zichuan, is there any chance that I could obtain the Jade Seal?” Then, as if realizing something, he quickly clarified, ”I mean, is it possible for me to take custody of the Jade Seal until one day when the Emperor is rescued?”

”Impossible, at least not now,” Chen Xi shook his head and said, ”Sunx Jian will definitely not hand it over, and Sunx Jian might even lose his life because of this. The Jade Seal is just a lure, a seemingly sweet temptation.”

”Li Ru sees further than everyone else in the main camp because he knows that the Jade Seal is just an official seal. If one day he sweeps over the Guandong Lords as the Qin Emperor once did over all under heaven, then the Jade Seal is nothing more than the Jade Disc of Weeping Willows in Duke Xiann’s hand and will inevitably return. If someone else were to sweep over everything, it might be taken by others. It’s better to cast it aside now and squeeze every bit of value out of it. Moreover, even if the Jade Seal were destroyed, when he conquers the world, a new Hee Clan Jade would be offered, and another Jade Seal would be created!” Chen Xi explained, seeing that Liu Bei was still struggling. He couldn’t understand why they were so desperate over a piece of broken stone. Was it really worth the fight?

Is the Jade Seal really that important? Chen Xi didn’t think so at all. At most, he felt it was a pity that the legendary Jade Disc from the Land of the Fallen Phoenix was carved into a seal; a beautiful piece of jade should have been properly preserved, and turning it into a seal was truly a waste.

Did the First Emperor of Qin really lack such a seal? That was a joke. The Ying Zheng, who declared himself the First Emperor after unifying all six states, needed a seal to prove his deeds and identity? That was laughable; even if he made one out of brick, everyone would have to acknowledge it.

If possessing the Jade Seal meant owning the world, then what was Dong Zhuo’s struggle for? Also, how could the Second Emperor of Qin, the owner of the Imperial Seal, have been overthrown by Zhao Gao? The Imperial Seal did not represent the whole world; it was more like a token. When your identity no longer required any prefix, it didn’t matter whether you had it or not. If lost, it would simply be remade. Why strive so hard for a fallacy? Chen Xi did not understand.