"Strategizing really is troublesome, and I wonder if Zijian has brought back my two friends yet?" Chen Xi saw that Fa Zheng remained silent and smiled. He was very clear about how much shock this great victory would bring to the people of the world, as well as how much fame it would bring to himself. At the very least, after this, he wouldn’t be at any disadvantage standing before members of great aristocratic families like Xun Yu and Chen Qun.
In this era, he had lineage, ability, and background; the distinction between branch families and direct lineage wasn’t very clear in times of chaos. When everyone had a noble lineage, what mattered was ability. After April, under Chen Xi’s planning, Liu Bei would possess the strength to rival any feudal lord of the land, and Chen Xi’s status would rise accordingly. Looking down on Chen Qun then would be quite possible.
"You still have two friends!" Fa Zheng instantly snapped back to reality.
"Who doesn’t have one or two friends? Don’t you have any?" Chen Xi scoffed at Fa Zheng and asked, "Guo Fengxiao, this prodigal son, has friends like Xi Zhicai, Xun Wenruo, Xun Gongda, and Cheng Zhongde, who he gets along well with. Can’t I have two or three as well?"
Did Fa Zheng not know that everyone had one or two close friends? What he was worried about was that with Chen Xi’s friends coming over, his own future prospects would become even more uncertain.
A friend is what? A friend is one of your own kind, someone with a similar level of ability that you can get along with. In other words, those who could be friends with Guo Jia were all individuals on a similar level to Guo Jia. Even if they were lacking in some areas, they would surpass Guo Jia in others; otherwise, they would not mesh well together.
Now that Chen Xi mentioned he was bringing his friends over, Fa Zheng felt like the whole world had grown dark. There were too many ruthless people above him—where would his chance to shine come from? As for the abilities of the two who would arrive in the future, Fa Zheng already had a rough estimate. Looking at Chen Xi’s caliber, it was very likely the newcomers would be similar to Guo Jia.
Guo Jia’s calculations had caused the Yellow Turbans to split into three major waves, which then fragmented into many smaller groups. These smaller groups were the foundation for Zang Ba to start his snowballing tactic; the snowball grew bigger and bigger, and by the time they confronted the Yellow Turbans’ main forces, they were similarly snowballed, rendered powerless to resist.
Although Guo Jia hadn’t expected Chen Xi to use this snowballing method to defeat the Yellow Turbans, splitting up the group had always been the correct choice; otherwise, it would have been quite difficult to deal with over a million Yellow Turbans gathered together.
"Xiaozhi, you can rest assured that each of us will guide you for a while. You must learn from several families and then surpass us. We are mostly set in our ways now, with little room for growth. You’re still young, and the future belongs to you~" Chen Xi, with the morning light washing over his back, laid his hand on Fa Zheng’s shoulder and said earnestly.
In this moment, Fa Zheng’s chest burned with confidence, and his eyes sparkled with determination. Unlike Guo Jia, who teased him all the time, Chen Xi was always there to soothe his fragile heart. Fa Zheng once again established his resolve to learn from several families, to strive forward vigorously, not to waste the efforts Chen Xi had made on his behalf.
"Alright then, Xiaozhi, keep up the good work. I’m going to check whether the grains, seeds, and tools sent by Ziyang are sufficient. The cattle from the North, Zhang Shiping and the other guy actually can’t turn them into oxen for plowing. It’s such a hassle that someone has to teach them how to put a ring through their noses. Eastern Wu is really wealthy, being able to buy so much grain." Chen Xi patted Fa Zheng on the shoulder and then spoke with a helpless expression.
In Chen Xi’s view, Su Shuang and his ilk were extremely weak. Isn’t it normal for oxen to have ropes through their noses? How come a whole bunch of cattle brought from the North all lacked them? It was such a pitfall to have to do it all over again. Don’t they know it’s almost time for summer planting? You need oxen to work the fields, not as food. How can you plow the fields without ropes through the noses of more than three thousand fat and robust cattle? Pulling them by the head—do you think you’re Xu Chu? If you had that strength, why would you need oxen at all?
In this regard, the Lu Family was indeed more reassuring. Previously, there had been no grain delivered, but just when it was about to be needed, the Lu Family shipped grain load after load, and there was no stopping them. Moreover, the grain was good and cheap, rice selling for a mere 150 coins per stone, practically the same price as the millet from Mount Tai.
Since that was the case, Chen Xi had no more reservations. Trading with the Lu Family did not amount to taking advantage of them. As for Tao Qian’s strategic investment, it was better to use it sparingly. Taking the initiative oneself was the king’s way. How could one always depend on others? After all, Liu Xuande now ruled over more than two million people among the feudal lords—it wasn’t great to be constantly reliant on others.
Unlimited grain purchasing—whatever amount they have, we want it. Bartering books for grain, Liu Bei’s generous spirit deeply satisfied the Lu Family, who directly handed over three thousand books to them without discussing the price, just telling them to keep bringing the grain!
The Lu Family was very pleased with this level of trust and naturally didn’t want to let down Liu Bei’s righteousness. They enthusiastically gathered grain from Jiangnan, Jing-Yang, and Yuzhou. The reputation of the five great families of Eastern Wu wasn’t for nothing. With the massive incentive of trading books for grain, the southern families, one after another, brought out their reserves. They weren’t short of grain!
"Eh? Are you saying that Zichuan bought those bullocks not to eat?" Hearing Chen Xi’s words, Fa Zheng came to his senses and quickly asked.
"Do you think I need to do that just to eat beef?" said Chen Xi, rolling his eyes, "Wasn’t I buying the cattle for farming?"
"Bullocks from the North can plow fields?" Fa Zheng asked with a strange expression. If the pastoral cattle from the North could plow, then they wouldn’t just be worth around three thousand coins. One should note that an ox from the Inner County sold for twenty thousand coins each, and in the Border Commandery, no one minded if you slaughtered bullocks for meat. Try killing a plowing ox in the Inner County and see if people don’t fight you for it.
"Keep your disbelief to yourself. I am Chen Zichuan, and you are Fa Xiaozhi. We should always look at things with skepticism, but never with surprise. Even if you don’t know, you can ask in private, but in public, you must always appear wise. If a strategist panics, on whom can the commanders rely? Besides, when it’s necessary, we must appear inscrutable even if we have no plan, so as not to shake the morale of the troops," Chen Xi said, casting a sidelong glance at Fa Zheng, then slowly turned his head to continue his lesson.
"You are Chen Zichuan," Fa Zheng said sternly, "Just saying that would have been enough; forget the rest."
"…I’m off," said Chen Xi, giving Fa Zheng a glance, thinking to himself, [It’s still not the time; I’m too young still. Maybe right now, Zang Xuangao is cursing me out. If only I were thirty and could call myself an ’old man,’ after this time, I could say that line when necessary. But then again, by that time, I probably wouldn’t have that kind of edge anymore…]
At the same time, Liu Bei had already received the complete battle report, and Cao Cao, at a similar distance away, had also received the same report—Chen Zichuan led thirty thousand Soldiers of Mount Tai to engage three hundred thousand Yellow Turbans at Zhangqiu. In one battle, they routed the Yellow Turbans, pursued them for hundreds of miles, decisively defeating Chen Bai, Fuyun, and Hou Qian’s forces, slaying fifty thousand enemies, capturing a million, with virtually no losses on their side.