Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1537: Chapter 1480: Fine, Righteousness Above All—If You Have the Guts, Come

Upon hearing these words, Kan Ze frowned slightly, but said nothing. He knew he would face difficulty when Zhou Yu informed him of this matter, so he didn’t make any promises.

”Whether or not Marquis Chen intends to cause trouble, you still need to hear me out,” Kan Ze said with a smile, slightly lowering his posture.

”Please proceed, if Sun Bofu plans to march north to quell the Huns, there’s no problem. Not only would I open a path for them, but I could also make the decision to provide them with provisions,” Chen Xi said casually. ”As for the so-called ’borrowing a path to destroy Guo,’ well, go back and tell Gongjin, I would be pleased for him to do so.”

”That is one matter,” Kan Ze nodded. The idea of ’borrowing a path to destroy Guo’ was really a joke in light of Liu Bei’s current power.

”And what about the second item?” Chen Xi inquired curiously. ”However, speaking of which, your eagerness to march north and quell the Huns is a bit too enthusiastic. Could it be that Sun Bofu has already run away?”

Kan Ze’s expression didn’t change, but there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes. Only about a dozen people in the south knew of Sun Ce’s escape, and the others had no idea. Surely the issue doesn’t lie within those few individuals, does it?

However, Kan Ze quickly suppressed these doubts, having full trust in those dozen people—they absolutely had no problems.

”Although my lord often acts strangely, he wouldn’t go to such lengths,” Kan Ze smiled as he replied to Chen Xi.

Chen Xi shrugged; he was merely speaking on a whim, feeling that with Sun Ce’s nature, not causing a significant uproar wouldn’t be like him.

”Let’s discuss the second matter, shall we?” Chen Xi urged. ”Concerning the campaign against the Huns in the north, it’s already inevitable under the current circumstances. We can’t possibly obstruct it, and even if we’re not willing to facilitate it, Cao Mengde will.”

”Going northwards against the Huns isn’t something just a couple of individuals can do. Our army is situated in the Jingchu region and thus finds it challenging to get there quickly. Hence, we hope Marquis Chen will lend a hand,” Kan Ze stated calmly.

”Hmm, no problem. You all trust me, why wouldn’t I trust you? Tell Sun Bofu that when he arrives, I’ll lend him thirty thousand soldiers,” Chen Xi said, completely causing mischief. Even if he lent Sun Ce thirty thousand troops, it remained a question whether Sun Ce dared to command and could effectively lead them.

”My forces in the Jingchu region number no less than two hundred thousand. Why would I need Marquis Chen to lend troops? My lord’s intention is to ask Grand Commandant Liu to lend us ships to transport our army to the north,” Kan Ze shook his head, dismissing Chen Xi’s mischief as inconsequential.

”My lord, General Sunx, trusts Grand Commandant Liu’s integrity and believes in Marquis Chen’s righteousness, willing to set aside our differences to personally head north to campaign against the Huns,” Kan Ze grandly said to Chen Xi.

”Hmm, that indeed sounds like Sun Bofu’s reckless tone,” Chen Xi nodded, ”But if he dares to board our ships, if he’s not afraid, why should I be? Go back and tell him, no problem, as long as he’s not afraid to die, let him come and board the ships.”

When Chen Xi mentioned ”not afraid to die,” he deliberately adopted a ruthless expression, leaving Kan Ze somewhat speechless.

”However, our navy is not nearby at the moment and cannot fetch Sun Bofu. If Sun Bofu and Gongjin have the courage, they can lead their troops to Donglai and exchange ships there,” Chen Xi calmly suggested.

However, Chen Xi wasn’t just speaking nonsensically. All their warships were taken by Gan Ning, and they had no idea whether Gan Ning was dead or alive at the Strait of Malacca now.

Kan Ze’s face darkened; he genuinely was unaware of Liu Bei’s army’s situation, so he assumed Chen Xi was making excuses. Hence, he politely said, ”In that case, I won’t trouble Marquis Chen any further.”

”Just relay my words to Gongjin; he’ll understand what I mean,” Chen Xi observed Kan Ze’s displeasure but paid it no mind.

Furthermore, providing Zhou Yu with a batch of sea vessels for coastal use was no issue, given that Gan Ning’s ships had already been updated to version 6.0. Offering version 2.0 ships to Zhou Yu could be considered support for Sun Ce’s northern campaign against the Huns. The shipping guild still utilized 2.0 vessels for coastal transportation, anyway.

After all, with Cao, Sunx, and Liu together heading north to campaign against the Huns, it served to remind the entire world that this was still Han Dynasty’s era. After the three families convened, Chen Xi would be in a position to determine the tone of future wars.

Though a final battle was inevitable, it was crucial for all three sides to unify their mindset. Whether this ultimate battle would be a conquest akin to the Spring and Autumn Period or a nation-destroying war similar to the Warring States Period remained to be decided.

To this day, even the most rebellious Sun Ce hadn’t overtly claimed not to be a Han official; he still acknowledged the Han Dynasty’s grants, and both Cao Cao and Liu Bei were likewise Han officials. Though this fact might seem insignificant, it was fundamentally the keystone of the entire plan.

Without Yuan Shu’s self-proclamation as emperor, the Han Dynasty’s legitimacy hadn’t been shaken. Although it had declined a few years ago, recent times suggested a resurgence, reflecting elements of a flourishing era. The four-hundred-year legacy had profoundly etched itself into the populace’s ethos.

So long as no one openly raises the flag of rebellion, the people of the Central Plains Land would unquestionably uphold the Han Dynasty.

No matter the extent of warfare and calamity endured, as long as a banner of rebellion wasn’t raised, everything Cao Cao and others did would eventually consolidate back to the Emperor.

This was why Xun Yu believed Liu Xie had a chance at restoring the Han Dynasty. As long as the Emperor made his intentions clear and showed willingness to accommodate worthy figures, many would be prepared to defend him with their lives. The Emperor’s title was inherently righteous; it merely depended on whether Liu Xie intended to capitalize on it.

Preserving the identity of all three parties as Han officials similarly set the upper limit for future warfare to that of a conquest, rather than a war of annihilation.

Losing to a clansman and losing to an enemy were entirely different matters. If both Cao and Sun boldly declared their own reigns, even if Liu Bei possessed supreme capabilities, defeating Cao and Sun wouldn’t bring Cao and Sun into the fold; it’d instead lead to countless others becoming martyrs under them.

A founding monarch could never allow himself to be captured. If they couldn’t turn the tides, they’d rather end their own lives than surrender to capture. This was their pride as founding monarchs, setting them apart from their descendants.

Similarly, there’d always be those willing to die for even the weakest of founding kings. With the likes of Cao and Sun, who possessed considerable appeal, their demise would likely lead to the disappearance of numerous significant ministers.

Paradoxically, the tag of Han officials provided an avenue for mutual conquest, introducing a cap on their battles. Simply put, a Spring and Autumn-like conflict championed by the Zhou Royal Family sought to suppress insubordination; the prosecution rights rested with the Emperor, and not with the conquerors; face needed to be preserved.

Of course, this was merely a title, but sometimes what was needed most was such a title. To modern people, the ancients’ pursuit of faith and righteousness surrounding Han seemed utterly inexplicable; yet, it was precisely this inexplicable conviction that retained a foundation for various endeavors of the era.