Mythical Three Kingdoms

”See? The soldiers are noticeably more stable now and no longer as indifferent toward us as before,” Chen Xi said with a smile to Fa Zheng. ”What remains is for them to understand over time. At least when it comes to military welfare and stipends, we won’t lose to anyone. Next comes bringing the families of these soldiers over.”

”That is the real problem,” Fa Zheng said, rolling his eyes.

”Quite the contrary—this is the key to solidifying our position in Guanzhong. Even if only one soldier’s family is being held back, we can use that as leverage,” Chen Xi said, opening his folding fan and covering his mouth as he chuckled. Then, noticing Fa Zheng’s expression, he added, ”But this is merely a joke. Once victory in the northern battle is secured, we won’t need any excuses.”

”Henghengheng, now that’s more like it!” Fa Zheng nodded arrogantly. ”The only thing we’re lacking is time. Everything else is trivial.”

”Finally, you’ve come to understand,” Chen Xi said, patting Fa Zheng on the shoulder.

”With time, these things come naturally,” Fa Zheng sighed. ”It’s just a pity—what’s past cannot be pursued.”

”I didn’t expect you to get sentimental, mourning the spring and autumn. But it’s midsummer now!” Chen Xi said with a chuckle, clearly understanding Fa Zheng’s thoughts. ”Anything you want, go fight for it yourself. You have the qualifications and the ability—it’s only your heart that holds you back.”

As Chen Xi pointed a finger at his own face, Fa Zheng said nothing, realizing he’d unconsciously started paying attention to these small details. ”As Mencius said, ’The place shapes the spirit; nourishment shapes the body.’ With changes in status, I’ve naturally grown somewhat different from before.”

”So just follow your heart. Do whatever you wish,” Chen Xi said, patting Fa Zheng on the shoulder again and refrained from saying more. Fa Zheng was just reluctant to swallow his pride. Having achieved greatness at a young age, he was naturally touched and secretly delighted when Jiangg Ying suddenly appeared in front of him, but his feelings for the other woman were entirely different.

”Follow your heart,” Fa Zheng muttered, pulling out a document from his robes that had yet to be filled with names but was fully stamped. With a sigh, he tore it apart silently. ”I’ve given up on the blessings of the Qi people. In this life, I will marry only you.”

After shredding the document, Fa Zheng turned and walked away without any lingering thoughts. Truth be told, he had chosen a path completely contrary to what Chen Xi had suggested. But it didn’t matter; as Chen Xi had said—just follow your heart.

Years later, if Fa Zheng were to meet again with his childhood sweetheart, the Wang Family Woman, he would likely only sigh over life’s fickleness, yet he would not hesitate. Whether to bring her in as a concubine or record her in the court as a Beautiful Lady, her fate differed immensely from that woman who waited inside the Inner Court.

The Xiliang Soldiers, after being well-fed and seeing their wounded comrades receive proper treatment, all showed expressions of great joy.

It must be said that in the realm of medical care, Mount Tai’s military was most proficient in battlefield rescue, treating sword wounds, and addressing infections. There had simply been too many opportunities for practice—after training on tens of thousands of cases, expertise naturally followed.

As such, for injured Xiliang Soldiers, three hundred-plus medical officers spent the morning treating the severely wounded, leaving most of them in stable condition. Those who weren’t hardy enough likely passed away during Hua Xiong’s relocation efforts. Among those treated, aside from a dozen who couldn’t be saved, the rest mostly came out missing a few minor parts.

Because of this, when the Xiliang Soldiers were sent to the Wounded Soldiers Camp, they found a place that reeked heavily of alcohol but had nothing but positive outcomes. Some were on the verge of hugging the legs of the medical staff in gratitude.

”Once the injuries are stable, transfer them to Juye City in Shanyang Commandery to recuperate. They can be counted as part of the cavalry unit; after all, they’re elite cavalry soldiers. Once they have horses, there’s no need for further reorganization—they can directly join the cavalry,” Chen Xi said to Chen Chi during a camp inspection.

Chen Xi was slightly dissatisfied with the previous oversight by Chen Chi in handling issues between Xiliang Soldiers and Qingzhou Soldiers. Of course, this could only be chalked up to a mishap—Chen Chi likely brought the Xiliang Soldiers to the Rear Camp to collect armor and briefly explained things to the soldiers before leaving, which was somewhat normal.

In fact, the injuries sustained by Xiliang Soldiers weren’t severe. It was only due to the high summer temperatures and improper handling that many wounds had become infected, giving the impression of high numbers of wounded. Under such conditions, without these medical staff, surviving even a fraction of the ten thousand soldiers during summer should be considered lucky.

The following day, Liu Ye, having gathered giant logs and small boats, started constructing the pontoon bridge. This bold and unabashed behavior seemed like sheer provocation to Yuan Shao’s Army across the Yellow River. Unfortunately for them, with Hua Xiong paddling his small boat for defense on the river, Guo Yuan—whose naval skills were far inferior—was utterly helpless.

However, Guo Yuan soon responded by placing crossbow carts along the opposite bank, while also dispatching forces to the east, west, and north for reinforcements. Though his performance wasn’t particularly exceptional, it could be considered steady.

”Oh, it seems we’ve been too overt in our actions,” Chen Xi remarked, dressed in black as he stood next to Liu Ye across the Yellow River.

”Attacking halfway across the river is a well-known principle of military strategy. Even an average student of strategy would be aware of this, not to mention Guo Yuan, who happens to be Zhong Yao’s nephew. He must have at least learned a bit,” Liu Ye said casually. ”So, this is entirely predictable.”

”Tomorrow, I plan to cross the river,” Chen Xi said, dismissing Liu Ye’s ramblings. He only cared about crossing the river; how Liu Ye constructed the bridge was his business. As long as he could cross tomorrow, everything else was irrelevant.

”Oh, I sent a swift rider yesterday to inform Xingba,” Liu Ye said with a calm expression. ”To build a pontoon bridge without detection, we would need to be far away. But given the scout cavalry roaming around, we might bump into them. It’s better to just use the navy to advance while the pontoon bridge tests their vigilance and strength.”

”That works too. As long as we cross,” Chen Xi remarked, shrugging. Rowing across the river would be faster than riding. Since Liu Ye mentioned he’d sent someone yesterday, Gan Ning was likely already in the river. Speaking of Gan Ning roaming along the Yellow River, Hebei really didn’t have anyone to deal with him right now.

”When the time comes for a frontal assault, I estimate Xingba will ferry around two thousand troops across,” Liu Ye pointed at the pontoon bridge, which was already mostly constructed. Beyond this point, any further construction would surely invite enemy attack, though that wouldn’t matter at that stage.

”Leave it to your arrangements. By tomorrow, the bulk of our army must establish a foothold across the river. Even if the enemy counterattacks with everything they have, we must hold our ground,” Chen Xi said, staring meaningfully at Liu Ye. ”Make sure no one gets pushed back into the river. That would be disastrous.”

Liu Ye gave Chen Xi a deep look, sensing some underlying intent in his words. However, since Chen Xi didn’t fully explain, Liu Ye carefully considered before choosing not to ask further questions. Instead, he silently vowed to be extra cautious to avoid falling into a trap.