Mythical Three Kingdoms

”Why do I feel like if I leave it to you, something will go wrong? You can’t just mess around with this,” Chen Xi sighed and said, ”This is about mediation, not like you beating everyone with fifty strokes each in Yuyang and Jingxiang. It needs to be convincing for everyone, you can’t just wing it.”

”Don’t worry, don’t worry,” Yuan Shu assured, patting his chest, ”I’m an expert at this kind of thing. I can absolutely make all families convinced. If you don’t believe me, I can lead and organize a mediation group now.”

Chen Xi looked suspiciously at Yuan Shu’s chest, which he was patting with a thumping sound, feeling that if the matter was handed over to Yuan Shu, it would likely lead to some sort of trouble.

”Chen Zichuan, you don’t trust me, do you?” Yuan Shu looked at Chen Xi with a face full of discontent. Chen Xi paused, shook his head.

”Look at how I’ve done things before?” Yuan Shu retorted.

”Better than I did,” Chen Xi wouldn’t usually speak recklessly when facing facts, so he silently nodded.

”Then why? This is the same as the previous matter. Why not let me continue handling it? You look down on me?” Yuan Shu asked back.

”True, one shouldn’t trouble two lords with one task, okay, I’ll rely on you, Gonglu,” Chen Xi nodded, agreeing that Yuan Shu made a good point, ”So the mediation and distribution are up to you. I’ll give you the accurate map later, then you can divide the areas according to the map.”

”I already have the map, back then I personally led people to investigate,” Yuan Shu said proudly, lifting his head slightly.

”Your map is far inferior, mine is more accurate,” Chen Xi waved his hand, saying Yuan Shu’s map, only a foot square, was no match for the precise map Li Youu had, which was a yard square, with completely different scales.

”Oh,” Yuan Shu replied dismissively, ”I’m leaving to prepare the team for the mediation group, I’ll find some reputable individuals to join, and then we can handle it together.”

”Hey, don’t run off yet,” Chen Xi called out quickly as Yuan Shu was about to take off after accepting the task. If Yuan Shu left now, Chen Xi couldn’t imagine what the mediation group Yuan Shu formed would be like.

”I’ve already taken on the task, why waste time here when I should hurry to form the mediation group and prepare for the future?” Yuan Shu replied irritably after being stopped by Chen Xi.

”I’m here to tell you to invite Sili’s Ci Ming Lord, my Duke Yuanfang, and Yang Taipu of the Yang Family to the mediation group. They’re older and won’t take the initiative, but you can use their banners. Do you really think your family’s banner can command the aristocratic families in Guanzi?” Chen Xi said to Yuan Shu in exasperation.

Did Yuan Shu really think Chen Xi didn’t know that back in the day, the Sili Zhang family aggressively went against the Yuan Clan of Runan? Although the Yuan family’s banner was useful, it didn’t mean its power was limitless.

”Uh, don’t worry, I can handle it by myself,” Yuan Shu chuckled. Could he admit he almost hacked Yang Biao to pieces a few days ago?

”Are you trying to provoke the Yang family? The Chen and Xun families don’t care about this kind of situation, but the Yang family and your family have been at odds for so long; doing this is no different from starting an internal war between the two families. Although in Chang’an the Yang appear to have declined, their old base in Hongnong has not weakened at all,” Chen Xi admonished Yuan Shu in frustration.

Even though the Yang family had been severely suppressed several times, west of Hongnong, most families still regarded the Yang family as the leader. Moving forward into the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties periods, the Yang Family of Hongnong continued to oppose the Two Cuis. Had it not been for the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, where the Yang Family reached the top, the Yang Family of Hongnong could have continued their escapades.

So Chen Xi never underestimated the Yang family, nor did he underestimate the Yuan family. If the Yuan family had not divided into only two branches during the Three Kingdoms period, with both branches entering the stage but sparring internally before confronting others, the outcome would have been uncertain.

When Cao Cao was attacked by Lyu Bu at his hometown, if Chen Xi had been an elder of the Yuan family, he would have surely detained Yuan Shu, then united Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao. Wouldn’t you believe that Xuzhou in the middle, Cao Cao occupying a few Yanzhou counties, and Lyu Bu occupying most of Yanzhou, would instantly surrender?

Afterwards, Liu Biao, who had just entered Jing-Xiang, would absolutely be unable to withstand the chaos from the lower aristocratic families, kneeling in no time. The Yuan family, occupying the lands of the Eight States, would face Li Jue, Guo Si, Ma Teng, and Liu Yan.

Although Yuan Shao’s ability might not match Cao Cao’s, holding all the grain-producing lands and half of the horse-breeding lands, Yuan Shao could definitely make those weaklings yield and sing conquest.

One could say the reason the Yuan family faltered was due to their own strategic internal failures, with concubine’s children doing better than the legitimate, and the clan elders unwilling to admit their blindness, watching the Yuan family steadily march towards destruction.

In Chen Xi’s view, a single head of the family could bring the Yuan family the world; what else was there to consider, just off with it, wasn’t self-sacrifice by the family head for the family normal to the point of mundanity?

Chen Xi’s words did not evoke any discontent from Yuan Shu. Instead, they reminded Yuan Shu of something rather odd, causing a puzzled expression to appear on his face.

”What’s wrong now?” Chen Xi turned to Yuan Shu and asked.

”I recently noticed something unusual, the Yang family doesn’t seem to be reacting at all,” Yuan Shu stated with a puzzled expression.

”Do you expect the Yang family to have a specific reaction? The Yang family gave you face and let you finish this task, isn’t that a good thing?” Chen Xi looked at Yuan Shu with exasperation.

”That’s not what I mean. I mean, what’s up with the Yang family? I haven’t seen them mourn recently,” Yuan Shu waved his hand repeatedly, expressing confusion.

”Huh?” Chen Xi looked terrified, why would the Yang family suddenly mourn?

”Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” Yuan Shu turned towards Chen Xi and asked back.

”Why would the Yang family mourn for no reason?” Chen Xi asked puzzledly.

”I killed that beardless guy Yang Dezhu,” Yuan Shu commented nonchalantly, leaving Chen Xi utterly stunned; you’ve pulled off such a massive stunt in just a few days.

”I... say that again?” Chen Xi, struggling to catch his breath, forcefully swallowed the air he breathed in, looking at Yuan Shu with his voice raised by eight octaves.

”Oh, I killed that Yang Dezhu guy,” Yuan Shu replied with indifference, ”That day, I almost took out my father-in-law too.”

”And the Yang family didn’t go crazy on you?” Chen Xi felt he was about to lose his mind.

”Oh, they went crazy. My father-in-law sent over three hundred private soldiers to deal with me, who were all slaughtered by my generals like cutting melons and vegetables, right in front of him, and only then was the matter settled. The documents from the Yang family were also dealt with at that time,” Yuan Shu recounted indifferently.

At this time, even Zhou Yu, who was sitting to the side managing official documents, couldn’t keep his seat anymore. He always knew that when Yuan Shu was involved, if something strange didn’t happen, then it would indeed be seeing a ghost.