Mythical Three Kingdoms

The eleventh hour is no time for dislikes; look, I have updated...

Chen Xi had become determined, wasn’t it the aristocratic families that looked down on them? Then let them gaze up in admiration. With plans already well-prepared, Chen Xi began to check for any omissions and fill in the gaps once again.

An obstinate person can be frightening, especially when that person has a long-term vision, meticulous plans, staged goals, and an ultimate purpose, not to mention a group of helpers. This isn’t just frightening, it’s an awe-inspiring force.

”It’s still no good!” Chen Xi scratched his head and tossed aside the cloth in his hand. Up to now, he was still a novice in writing on bamboo slips.

”Zichuan, you’ve been looking quite worried lately. What’s wrong?” Liu Bei asked curiously, noticing Chen Xi’s gloomy expression.

”Lord Xuande, take a look and see if there’s anything wrong. If not, let’s go ahead with the plan. It’s just a bit slow,” Chen Xi handed his draft plan to Liu Bei, ”Let them be arrogant for two more years. Once we are ready, we’ll deal with these wretches.”

Liu Bei, holding the white cloth in his hand that was scribbled and altered, grew more amazed the longer he looked, finally he let out a sigh, ”Heaven has not been unfair to me, Liu Bei. Following this method, I might make all the feudal lords fear me within three years. What issues are there that can be discussed?”

”It’s too slow,” Chen Xi said, scratching his head. ”It takes too much time, especially calming the populace and winning over the people’s hearts, which will take at least a year. Otherwise, the plan would be excellent; it’s just slow.”

”Zichuan!” Liu Bei raised his voice unusually, calling out earnestly.

”What is it?” Chen Xi asked, puzzled, looking at Liu Bei.

”Three years is not a long time, and by then you would only be in your early twenties, while I would just be in my thirties. What do we have to regret?” Liu Bei spoke gravely, ”Zichuan, why should you change your own plans for the sake of one or two aristocratic families? Are they more important than the world’s general trend?”

”I just can’t stand them, and I think I can take care of these guys while dealing with the Yellow Turbans and annexing Qingzhou,” Chen Xi said indignantly, ”Without showing them some colors, they will not learn who they can provoke and who they cannot. Doesn’t Lord Xuande want to see them with ash-covered faces?”

”I would like that, but, Zichuan, you must remember that a person’s energy is limited. Spreading your attention in many directions, and achieving very high standards in all of them, will affect your lifespan. I don’t want you to waste your life over such a trivial matter. It’s not worth it,” Liu Bei said seriously, with no trace of jest.

”These likely won’t affect my lifespan, but since Lord Xuande does not wish it so, then let’s not deal with them for now,” Chen Xi said with a smile.

Since Liu Bei was concerned about him overworking himself, Chen Xi felt it wasn’t right to assert that it wouldn’t be a problem for him. Currently, he was a superhuman with enhanced spirit, not only was his thought process extensive, but his responses were quick. A detailed plan that would take one or two days to make, now took him less than an hour, a tenfold increase in speed.

It was precisely because of this that Chen Xi was not at all worried about overworking himself to death due to handling too many affairs. The things he was doing now had basically been done by others in history. There was no need for too much thought; all he needed to do was to check for omissions and make amends. So, the grand plan that seemed immense to Liu Bei was genuinely not very difficult for Chen Xi to implement.

In fact, if Chen Xi were not afraid of frightening others, he would have already wanted to establish a grand strategy plan for the Thirteen Provinces of Great Han, a talent cultivation and recruitment plan, as well as plans for the expansion and development of the northern and southern regions. Look, what high and mighty plans those are; if brought out, they would still be shocking in their execution. But think about it, merely an expanded strategy for Mount Tai Commandery and the Qingzhou region, along with a convenient plan to deal with the Aristocratic Families of Yingchuan, was already enough to worry Liu Bei about overworking Chen Xi to death, let alone if he brought out those other plans—Liu Bei might literally be frightened to death, perhaps even treating those plans as Chen Xi’s last words...

In order not to be regarded as a monster by others, Chen Xi planned to act more normally. One must eat one bite at a time, and walk step by step; thus, he would take it slow. After all, Liu Bei was right—as the saying goes, ’At thirty, I stood firm.’ And as for himself, he was merely in his twenties. What was there to fear? They were all young; Liu Bei was even planning to take thirty years to pacify the world, so why should he be in a hurry if he wasn’t already halfway buried in the earth?

Having calmed his restless heart, Chen Xi started to move forward steadily but resolutely. He still had to establish the Fantasy Faction, first strengthening ’Dragon and Phoenix Together’ and ’Five Tigers at the Side.’ For instance, Xu Shu and Lub Su would fit nicely; forcefully inserting them into Dragon and Phoenix – if Cao Cao had five strategists, then Liu Bei must have six!

Xuu Chu, Gan Ning, Taishi Ci, and Zhang Liao were also not bad, slotting them into the Five Tigers. If the Cao Family had the ’Eight Tiger Cavalrymen,’ the Liu Family would unashamedly field nine. They had to outperform in everything from military strategy to martial force, from spirit to appearances, aiming for an explosive superiority all the way down the line – they couldn’t even lose in waist size!

As for Sunx Quan, who was only fit to be a son, let him stay holed up in Yangzhou. After all, Sunx Wu, who had lost his drive after Sunx Ce’s death and was manipulated by the aristocratic clans, would just stay as it was.

”Is that the village of the valorous Xu where Zichuan spoke of?” Liu Bei asked, pointing toward a small fortress nestling against a mountain.

”It should be,” Chen Xi responded, turning his head to ask their guide, ”Old sir, is that Xuu Family Village over there?”

”I am unworthy of the title ’old sir,’ truly unworthy,” the old man said with trepidation. Following Liu Bei and Chen Xi’s reassurance, he resumed normalcy and began to speak.

”Within a hundred miles around Yangzhai, there’s only this one Xuu Family Village. As for the Xuu Chu you gentlemen inquired about, this old man has heard of him indeed; he has beaten mountain bandits and thieves several times, preventing them from wreaking havoc in the vicinity.” The old man, whose hair and beard were white as though he was mostly in the grave, was actually only forty years old—a person from the Late Eastern Han Dynasty.

”Yide, it’s up to you now!” Once Chen Xi entered his official mood, he would formally address the others by their style names, not by monikers like ’brother’ or such.

”Leave it to Old Zhang.” Zhang Fei patted his chest loudly in response, then with a slap on his horse, he bolted out of the procession, rushing toward Xuu Family Village with his Serpent Spear while shouting, ”Xuu Chu, come out and see me!”

Xuu Chu, who was gnawing on a pig’s trotter, only felt the beams of the house shake, dust raining down into his rice bowl. Soon after, he heard the words from outside, ”Xuu Chu, come out and see me.” Instantly infuriated, his rare chance to enjoy a meal without reading was disrupted by the rascal outside.

Standing up, Xuu Chu grabbed a great sword from the side, scurrying out of the front door while cursing, ”Have the nerve to not run; Grandpa Xuu is going to show you the price of provoking me today!” As he spoke, he grabbed a rolling stone beside him, his arm quickly swelling, becoming as thick as his thigh, and then with a pivot, he hurled the massive rock like skipping a stone toward the source of the voice.

The giant rock seemed to pause before Xuu Chu, followed by a loud boom. A white smoke ring appeared in front of Xuu Chu’s hand and then, like a missile, the rock shot almost parallel to the ground towards the direction of Zhang Fei.