Mythical Three Kingdoms

After Sun Jian left, almost everyone came to know that the Jade Seal was in his hands, and there wasn’t much to say about it. Many started to covet what Sun Jian had, including Yuan Shao among them.

”Alas, it’s a pity, Sun Jian is doomed to die by a hail of arrows, such a wasted talent,” Chen Xi said with a lonely expression upon returning to Liu Bei’s main camp after leaving the tent.

”Zichuan, what are you talking about?” Liu Bei stared blankly at Sun Jian. Why was Chen Xi so certain that Sun Jian would die, especially by a hail of arrows? Even though Liu Bei was furious and wanted to deal with Sun Jian, after all, the ’Tiger of Eastern Wu’ wasn’t so easy to handle—how could he be certain of his death?

”Heh, Sun Jian’s death is certain. Who asked him to talk nonsense and covet the Jade Seal? If he wants to return to Eastern Wu, he would have to pass through Liu Jingzhou’s territory—that’s Han Imperial Kinsman commanding a hundred thousand armored troops. Carrying the Jade Seal through there, if nobody knew it would be one thing, but once they do, they would inevitably intercept him,” Chen Xi said with a cold laugh.

Others may not understand Liu Biao’s thoughts, but Chen Xi could grasp some of it. Whatever oath of death Sun Jian made, that was how he would die. As a Han Dynasty Clan Relative, Liu Biao strictly abided by Han laws and wouldn’t leave his own territory, but to maintain the dignity of the Han Dynasty, he would certainly make Sun Jian’s death match his oath—you swear you’ll die by a hail of arrows after taking the Jade Seal, then that’s exactly how you’ll die. Letting these rebels understand that divine will still exists!

”That may be true, but the ’Tiger of Eastern Wu’ isn’t so easily killed, and his troops are full of valiant generals. Even if Liu Jingzhou takes action, he may not necessarily succeed,” Liu Bei shook his head, not quite buying into Chen Xi’s theory. It was believable to say Sun Jian could suffer losses, but killing him seemed improbable—after all, Sun Jian was a chief commander of an army.

”Liu Jingzhou, knowing this information, will naturally be prepared. As for Sun Jian’s bravery, to someone on the level of Lyu Bu, there really isn’t much difference from an ordinary person, especially in the case of a direct surprise attack. I completely believe Sun Jian has no chance of survival, even if he had Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Hann Dang replaced with Yunchang, Yide, or Zilong,” Chen Xi shrugged and said, ”Basically, Sun Jian is already dead. We just have to wait for the news.”

”Let’s not even talk about whether there is a valiant general like Lyu Bu. Even if there is, they probably wouldn’t resort to such methods. Think about Lyu Bu’s character—he still maintains the pride of a martial artist,” Liu Bei shook his head and said.

”Hahaha, we’ll know the truth soon enough. Let’s hurry back to Mount Tai and leave this place of trouble,” Chen Xi laughed heartily but didn’t bother to argue. Sun Jian was a dead man, no matter how he tried to escape. Liu Biao would never allow anyone to touch the Jade Seal, which is also why later on, even if Liu Biao couldn’t send out troops, he still opposed Yuan Shu.

What does it mean to be a Han Imperial Kinsman? Put simply, they’re the best choice for emperor if the current one falls. All these people scrambling for the Jade Seal are essentially infringing on someone else’s property. So, it’s a perfectly good reason for them to fight to the death with other feudal lords, and it’s only right for them to be among the first to be ousted by other lords.

Liu Bei departed, with very justified reasons. He was going to his post at Mount Tai, without any need for further explanation. Liu Bei himself hadn’t done anything to make himself unwelcome; on the contrary, he often played the peacemaker alongside Kong Rong. Therefore, when Liu Bei left, both Kong Rong and Tao Qian saw him off for ten miles, and the feudal lords that couldn’t make it provided Liu Bei with ample provisions, estimating he could make it to Mount Tai and back.

”Big brother, it’s the first time I’ve seen us with so much provisions and supplies! The coalition has been really generous to us!” Zhang Fei excitedly circled the supply train after leaving the main camp, eventually running up to Liu Bei and exclaiming with enthusiasm.

”Indeed, military supplies and food rations were always tight before, but this time they’ve actually allocated food for twenty thousand people for three months. If we manage it tightly, it can last for almost half a year with no problems; and if we only have infantry, it could last for the better part of a year!” Liu Bei said cheerfully, clearly pleased with the situation.

”Though cavalry consume more, cavalry are still better,” Guan Yu interjected.

”Whether the coalition is good or not, I don’t know, but I do know that these supplies are far from enough. Three months’ worth of food is not bad, but in Mount Tai, we’ll have to rely on borrowing for at least the first year’s supply,” said Chen Xi helplessly. ”With five hundred thousand starving people, and the Bandits of Mount Tai, we need to eliminate the bandits on one hand and manage the region on the other. There’s no question about eradicating bandits—as long as they step out of Mount Tai, any one of us present here could handle them. As for the administration...”

Chen Xi looked helplessly at Liu Bei, ”Lord Xuande, you are proficient in administration. Actually, you don’t even need to be proficient in administration; the question is, do you have a way to quickly raise money?”

Liu Bei gave a wry smile, choosing not to respond. Ever since Chen Xi started telling him about the severe need for money in Mount Tai, his head had been in a spin. He realized that everything required money, and that managing the whole of Mount Tai would probably cost enough to pile up a mountain of gold.

”This is really troublesome. Does Lord Xuande have any friends who are merchants?” Chen Xi said dissatisfiedly. To be honest, this remark was a bit impolite because at this time, trade was considered a lowly profession; it might indeed be lucrative, but it carried very low social status, and many people were ashamed to talk about commerce.

”Speaking of this, before we defeated the Yellow Turbans in Youzhou, we received assistance from Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping, two Zhongshan State horse traders. If Zichuan needs help, I can write letters to invite them to come over and assist,” Liu Bei said, unashamed of Chen Xi’s suggestion. Having originally made a living weaving mats and selling shoes, he didn’t hold commerce in contempt. The offer to invite the two men was sincere, as his current status would make it an honor for them to be called upon by him.

”Hmm, since they are righteous philanthropists who funded Lord Xuande, it is only natural to entrust this to them. But I fear they might not be able to handle it. Lord Xuande, have someone write down what I’ve said and send it directly to them. I presume they will bring the people and goods we need,” Chen Xi said with a smile. Since there was not much time, they would have to work on it as they went along; it would be ideal to have the money and grain secured by the time they reach Mount Tai. Borrowing might be an option, but it is best to use our own resources.

”Zichuan, can we really produce salt this way?” Liu Bei asked, astonished, aware of the huge profits in such an essential commodity.

”Just need to dry it in the sun. I remember something about checking saturation with lotus seeds, or something like that; I’ve forgotten, let them study it... Seven pits, ten centimeters for each, right? Okay, write it down as three inches, whether it’s more or less, they will figure it out...” Chen Xi frowned as he continued writing, having forgotten too many details.

”Then purification, I seem to remember that part, write it down. This technique could be applied to both well salt and rock salt,” Chen Xi mumbled half to himself.

”Done. Lord Xuande, just find someone to deliver it. The information is true, there may be some inaccuracies or omissions, but they can easily work it out with a bit of research,” Chen Xi said casually, handing the document to Liu Bei. His brain was full of such lucrative ideas, but he only knew the rough outlines; the details would need to be worked out by the craftsmen...