Mythical Three Kingdoms

Liu Bei, leading an army with Zhao Yun, set out toward Xiapi in Xuzhou with more than twenty thousand Danyang troops. It’s said that Liu Bei had already returned the Danyang soldiers’ weapons and equipment back to them. As for the gear of the fallen Danyang soldiers, Liu Bei didn’t keep it but directly handed it over to the various private troops of the Danyang.

Speaking of which, the Danyang troops should be considered the most unique force in the Han Dynasty. Other forces lack low-ranking officers, but it’s quite the opposite with the Danyang troops; there is an abundance at every level. However, they often lack a commander-in-chief. Is it because the recruitment in Danyang is done village by village?

”Zichuan, are you sure there won’t be any trouble doing this?” Jia Xu frowned and said, ”This approach is completely inciting public anger. If things go wrong, we might be attacked en masse. Although we haven’t faced many adversaries yet, our biggest trouble remains Yuan Benchu, who also rules over two provinces, but he has two horse-producing regions and one grain-producing region.”

”I didn’t say we should do this right now,” Chen Xi shook his head. ”At this time, we can’t withstand an attack from the feudal lords in all four directions, especially if Yuan Shao opens Bingzhou to Lyu Bu and the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry gets reinforcements. With our cavalry that is hard to replenish, it’s basically impossible to defeat Lyu Bu leading the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry. At most, we could maintain a stalemate.”

”I am somewhat interested in Chen Gongtai’s thinking. If we could win him over, many things would be much easier for us,” Jia Xu sighed. ”After all, we have laid many plans in Yuzhou, partly to take control of it and partly to avoid being attacked en masse by others after successfully moving north.”

”We can try to make contact, but Lyu Bu as a person...” Chen Xi frowned, ”When I was at Hulao Pass, I wrote him a letter as a fellow townsman. Generally speaking, there was some kinship, but his personality is somewhat fickle, and I find it hard to grasp. Wen He, what do you think?”

”Kill him,” Jia Xu said ruthlessly. ”Bringing him into our fold is not only difficult to arrange, but also hard to control. As commanders of cavalry, both Zilong and Zijian are adept. We might as well do without the versatile Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry.”

Chen Xi frowned slightly. It was undeniable that Lyu Bu’s sheer strength was unmatched, and even now, Guan Yu would not dare claim he could defeat Lyu Bu. Zhao Yun clearly had a great speed advantage—it looked good on the field, but to defeat Lyu Bu, frankly speaking, Guan Yu might have a slightly better chance, although Guan Yu might not be able to beat Zhao Yun right now...

”His personality is too peculiar, beyond our control,” Jia Xu continued without lifting his head. ”Zichuan, have you forgotten Ding Yuan and Dong Zhongying? Also, your tea is getting stranger.”

Jia Xu clearly did not wish to delve deeper into the matter of Lyu Bu, so Chen Xi didn’t ask further. Following Jia Xu’s comment, he went on, ”Kudzu root, that’s all. Drink up, this is something I used to...”

He stopped there, recalling the kudzu root tea he used to drink daily. In this lifetime though, he had not had the chance to drink it.

”A treasure that can cure plague,” Jia Xu remarked as he sipped from his teacup, feeling nothing special. ”Tao Gongzu really seems on his last legs, and looking at the current situation, he’s paving the way for our Lord.”

”Yes, I’ve noticed that too. The entire Cao Family has been eliminated. All families associated with them, whether the evidence is conclusive or not, have been completely exterminated. Now the entire Xuzhou aristocratic family is living in fear,” Chen Xi sighed.

Seeing this intelligence, Chen Xi was also startled; Tao Qian did not act, but once he did, it was a bloodbath.

Frankly speaking, although Chen Xi had planned to restrict the Xuzhou Aristocratic Family after taking over Xuzhou, he had never thought about being so ruthless. Apart from eliminating the Cao Family, the plan for other families was mostly about imposing restrictions. After all, to stabilize Xuzhou, the support of these aristocratic families was needed. To destroy them all outright could provoke a rebound that might be more troublesome than the current situation.

”It’s for the best, saves us the trouble,” Jia Xu said with a calm expression.

”...” Chen Xi looked at Jia Xu speechlessly, ”Why do I always feel that things are going too smoothly? How did all those detestable aristocratic families get taken down by Lord Tao so easily, with irrefutable evidence no less? Was Lord Tao preparing to take down these people so early on?”

Jia Xu was silently flipping through the papers in his hands, creating opportunities for Yuan Shu. He truly felt a chill down his spine when thinking about the spiritual talent of that sinister Cao Cao. Since he wasn’t on their side, it was best to take him down as soon as possible – he was just too dangerous.

”Zichuan, when you have time, you should also look into the situation in Jizhou and Youzhou. Although the current plight of the Zhen Family is causing Yuan Shao to be in a difficult position and not able to pay attention to the Zhen Family’s arrangements, I really don’t have high hopes for Gongsun Bogui. The performances of Juo Zhengli, Xun Youruo, and Tian Yuanhao are a bit too outstanding,” Jia Xu said as he leafed through his documents. As for Yuan Shu, he also didn’t have a good solution. The man was notoriously unpredictable, and even if Jia Xu wanted to take the chance to lend a hand, it was not easy to do so.

”Do you mean to say that Xun Youruo might have suspicions about the Zhen Family?” Chen Xi asked with a frown.

”That shouldn’t be the case. The current situation for the Zhen Family is clearly dependent on Jizhou – it’s a shared fate in both prosperity and decline. Although they are on bad terms with Yuan Shao and have enmity with the entire Aristocratic Families of Hebei, they still need Jizhou to be stable. Hence, even if the Zhen Family took some unreasonable action, for Yuan Shao, it would merely be a way to vent frustration – making them the least likely suspects,” Chen Xi said, puzzled.

”It’s not about that, given the current situation of the Zhen Family, Yuan Shao would probably want all of the daughters of the Zhen Family to marry into his own family. What I’m saying is, Yuan Shao might have sent out troops.” Jia Xu looked at Chen Xi, emphasizing the last sentence heavily.

”The Vanguard and Great Halberdiers? So Xun Youruo and Tian Yuanhao have also disappeared?” Chen Xi was momentarily startled then quickly understood. Hebei, and further north was Youzhou, an exceedingly cold place, especially during the Han Dynasty when it could still be snowing in April or May. To send troops now meant launching an attack on Youzhou in temperatures around negative ten degrees Celsius.

”Yes, relatively speaking, the Vanguard Death Squad and Great Halberdiers indeed possess sufficient strength, but their numbers limit their ability to operate. At best, they can seize the land of one prefecture and fortify the Prefecture City. The problem now is the disappearance of Xun Youruo and Tian Yuanhao as well,” Jia Xu said with a sigh.

Setting aside the matters pertaining to Yuan Shu, even if their lands now bordered each other, Jia Xu did not regard Yuan Shu as a concern. From the beginning to the end, the only one who caught Jia Xu’s eye was the northernly situated Yuan Shao, whose presence and power commanded Jia Xu’s respect. Moreover, up till now, Jia Xu had not seen a trace of incompetence or senility in Yuan Shao.

”Which other officers have disappeared at the same time?” asked Chen Xi, seeming to think of something, ”What is the Black Mountain Army doing right now?” (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian ). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile readers, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)