Mythical Three Kingdoms

”Indeed. If he takes the route through White Horse and Yanjin, the battlefield can only be in Jiyin. If that’s the case, Xiaoo Zhi and the others returning to Yanzhou will absolutely deal a heavy blow to Yuan Shao,” Lub Su said with a smile. Setting the battlefield in Jiyin would be a definite disadvantage for Yuan Shao unless he could seize Cao Cao’s last remaining territory in Yanzhou—Chenliu!”

”Don’t be overly optimistic. If Yuan Shao is ruthless enough, marching through Jiyin might actually be a brilliant move!” Jia Xu suddenly lifted his head and said.

”I’ll bet that Xun Wenruo will knock Yuan Benchu’s teeth out,” Guo Jia, well-acquainted with Xun Yu, said as he raised his hand, even before Chen Xi could respond.

”Now that you mention it, I start to worry about Cao Cao’s side,” Chen Xi said, massaging his temples, clearly showing some apprehension.

”That guy Xun Yu has always seemed incredibly dangerous in my mind. But come to think of it, I’ve never met him. I should seize the opportunity if one arises. Previously, I met some prominent figures from Hebei, but I didn’t find them particularly impressive—quite a few were from Yuzhou,” Chen Xi remarked with evident curiosity about Xun Yu.

”That being said, it’s not easy for Yuan Shu to have muddled through to this point,” Guo Jia remarked helplessly. Presently, many of the top civil officials under Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and Liu Bei hail from Yuzhou, while Yuan Shu, who occupies Yuzhou, is ironically left with no capable men to use. How pitiful is that?”

”Everyone, arrange your deployments and intensify patrols tonight,” Liu Bei commanded his subordinates. ”Even though the Yellow River serves as a barrier, we must remain vigilant.”

”Understood!” Guan Yu stood up and replied. He was primarily in charge of such matters, overseeing numerous military officers. Many of them received half-level promotions during recent troop movements, with exceptional Yellow Turban talents like Liaoo Hua having successfully risen to deputy general rank. As for Guann Hai, he remained stationed in Yiizhou.

After issuing a command for the rear camp to provide extra rations for the soldiers that evening, Liu Bei instructed everyone to handle their duties. Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and others led their respective units to patrol the camp. Liu Bei himself didn’t remain idle either, taking Wuu Anguo with him to inspect the rear camp, while Xuu Chu had already gone earlier to have his wounds treated by the medical officers.

”Zichuan, come, drink with me,” Guo Jia said lazily. Among all, only Guo Jia could live this carefree. While others hesitated to drink in the military camp, Guo Jia would indulge in it as long as the overall situation wasn’t too severe, and nobody stopped him.

”Fine,” Chen Xi replied, shaking his head but saying nothing more as he followed Guo Jia back to his tent.

After three cups, Guo Jia picked up a strip of meat with his chopsticks, sighed, and said, ”It’s been so long since I’ve been back to Mount Tai. How are things there now?”

”Not too bad,” Chen Xi answered casually. ”Why do you bring it up all of a sudden? Is there something on your mind?”

”Nothing in particular, just feeling sentimental. I’ve heard about what you’ve accomplished there. In terms of governance, I have no criticism—you’re definitely more capable than me. But you’re too soft-hearted; sometimes being ruthless is better,” Guo Jia said with a slight headache. Though he didn’t elaborate, the two of them understood implicitly.

”I think those people can still be saved. Besides, when I refrained from eliminating them, I had confidence in rendering them thoroughly powerless afterward,” Chen Xi sighed. ”If fewer people need to be killed, then so be it. Within the scope of the Central Plains, I’m trying my best to restrain the urge for slaughter. I’ve even devised some unique methods to minimize population losses among the Feudal Lords.”

”Suit yourself. I’ve said before that I won’t meddle in governance; this is just a reminder. Although slaughter may provoke resentment, you can’t deny that it is the quickest way to solve problems. We’ve progressed too rapidly—from having nothing to where we are now, it’s barely been four or five years, including your planning period,” Guo Jia said, glancing at Chen Xi before dismissively leaving the subject.

”Alright, I understand,” Chen Xi nodded, though he knew his temperament all too well; in critical moments, he might not act as idealistically as he claimed.

”By the way, don’t count on us successfully forcing a crossing over the Yellow River. In my view, both Yuan Shao’s likelihood of succeeding in a crossing and his determination to do so far exceed ours,” Guo Jia remarked, swirling a small cup of liquor as he looked at Chen Xi. ”Based on what you’ve described, his likelihood of taking offense is quite significant. After all, Jizhou is the foremost among the Nine Provinces!”

Chen Xi froze, puzzled by Guo Jia’s seemingly cryptic comments.

”Yesterday’s conversation with Gong Youu, combined with what I read today, reminded me of some things mentioned in ancient texts: ’With culture, one secures blessings; wading through Wei River, constructing a pontoon bridge—subtle and radiantly effective.’ Do you recall this line?” Guo Jia asked solemnly, gazing out at the westward-setting sun.

”Uh...” Chen Xi blinked in confusion. He hated these references to classical texts. Back in the day, he had crammed on such knowledge just to maintain his scholar’s image but had forgotten most of it by now.

”Ah, isn’t that from the *Classic of Poetry*, ’Great Elegance,’ *Great Ming*?” Chen Xi discreetly wiped away sweat, narrowly avoiding embarrassment. Luckily, it was from the *Classic of Poetry*, a subject he had crammed for intensely. Disaster averted.

”I’m asking about its meaning, not its source,” Guo Jia replied with an exasperated expression, clearly having underestimated how poorly Chen Xi had mastered classical knowledge—something that children of aristocratic families typically learned in their early years.

”Oh,” Chen Xi finally caught on after a moment of adjusting and immediately adopted a grave expression.

”Exactly. Given our abilities and those of the enemy, achieving this should be straightforward. In fact, judging by our capacity, the enemy should be capable of launching a nighttime raid as early as tonight,” Guo Jia concluded, tilting his head with confidence as he gazed at Chen Xi.

”I really underestimated them,” Chen Xi sighed, realizing he’d overlooked such a plausible tactic. Pontoon bridges, after all, had been utilized as early as King Wen of Zhou’s era. Though rare, the instances were well-documented. Despite the challenges, as Guo Jia noted, their expertise made completing one overnight entirely feasible!

[Damn it, the materials in this world are ridiculously advanced,] Chen Xi cursed silently, immediately planning to leave and order his army to enhance patrols and defenses to guard against a potential nighttime assault by Yuan Shao’s army.

”No need to rush,” Guo Jia waved his hand casually. ”I’m not even certain they’ll think of this. If you hadn’t brought it up, I wouldn’t have remembered pontoon bridges myself. Consider that I only recalled this because I happened to come across that phrase in the *Classic of Poetry* today. With a preconception of bridge-building, I noticed it. All that’s needed is to strengthen defense.”

Chen Xi felt slightly embarrassed. For someone like Guo Jia, immersed in classical texts as part of daily life, flipping through works like *Poetry*, *Rites*, *I Ching*, and *Spring and Autumn Annals* was second nature. For Chen Xi, however, that was far from the case.

This led Chen Xi to recall a sarcastic question: For a transmigrator, is it harder to govern a country or to pass the imperial examination? Ultimately, the answer was reversed—governing a Great Power was like cooking a small dish, but passing the imperial examination was as insurmountable as scaling the heavens. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian.com to cast recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)