Chen Xi was way too leisurely. When people saw him idly spending his days, they all sensed that something was off. Therefore, Liu Bei, in an effort to maintain harmony among his civil officials, had to curb Chen Xi, preventing him from going too far. Didn’t they see that Lu Su and Liu Ye had already been working frantically for more than ten days, day and night? Whereas Chen Xi sat across from them, sipping tea every day, wasn’t that stirring up internal strife?
"Wen Ru, why do you think Zichuan is so lazy?" Liu Bei asked Li Youu, somewhat downcast.
"It’s human nature," Li Youu responded in his usual calm tone.
"Then why are Zijing and Ziyang so diligent?" Liu Bei asked from outside the Political Office.
"Because they have unfinished government affairs," replied Li Youu, in his unvarying tone, which only increased Liu Bei’s gloominess, and the answer left him even more at a loss for words.
"Then why is it that Zichuan’s government affairs are always completed?" Liu Bei became even more curious.
Standing behind Liu Bei, Li Youu indifferently said, "Because for the vast majority of government affairs, even before they arise, Chen Zichuan has already pondered them. So by the time the affairs reach his hands, he can deal with them right away."
Li Youu looked straight ahead, utterly indifferent to Liu Bei squatting at the entrance of the Political Office, peering cautiously inside. "Not seeming like a sovereign," aptly described Liu Bei’s behavior at the moment.
However, such remarks had no impact on Li Youu, who by now had nearly seen through the ways of the world and could be akin to a Buddha. What does a sovereign look like? You find one. Aren’t they all just boasting? To look like a sovereign, according to some, simply means a higher likelihood, but isn’t the template of a sovereign’s likeness also just built up through boasting? Take, for instance, Liu Xuande, who is right now peering over the wall, the famous Dominator of the Central Plains. Could you believe the current situation?
"Hmm, that makes sense. Zichuan does things that way, always likes to plan ahead," said Liu Bei without even raising his head. "Wen Ru, let’s take a walk around and see if there are any issues in Fenggao."
Li Youu turned his head and nodded at Xu Chu. For these straightforward, valiant generals, all the civil officials were very fond of them, especially after confirming Xu Chu was indeed not the brightest, Li Youu grew even fonder of keeping him nearby.
Xu Chu shook the flesh on his body and scratched his head as he followed the two, always feeling that Li Youu intermittently exuded a dangerous aura.
Chen Xi was still in the Political Office, frantically researching how to spend the least amount of time to get the most accurate situation in Jizhou as well as in Yanzhou and Yuzhou. Current affairs and politics really weren’t Chen Xi’s favorite; after all, he genuinely disliked these matters because they required constant attention to the situation across the land, too wasteful of time in Chen Xi’s view.
"Ah!" Chen Xi collapsed onto the table with a loud thump that even Lu Su and Liu Ye, who ordinarily kept out of worldly affairs, looked up to see Chen Xi striking his head on the tabletop.
"Zichuan, what’s wrong?" Lu Su hesitated but still asked, after all, he could be considered a gentleman. Although Chen Xi had teased him many times, at crucial moments, he would still help instinctively, not minding that he had fallen into many traps already.
"Zijing, how about we swap jobs? I’ll take care of the Qingzhou political affairs, and you can keep an eye on the situations in Jizhou, Yanzhou, and Yuzhou," Chen Xi looked at Lub Su with hopeful eyes.
"...Ziyang, let’s continue," Lub Su said, bowing his head to continue working. No matter how much noise Chen Xi made, he pretended not to hear. Left with no choice, Chen Xi began to kick the table like a disruptive child, making it impossible for Lub Su and Liu Ye to work.
"What on earth do you want, Zichuan?" Lub Su and Liu Ye gritted their teeth and asked. They were in a rush to work, yet Chen Xi was making a ruckus.
Dispelling his previous flippancy, Chen Xi spoke with a solemn expression, "Let’s make a bet. If you lose, you two will take care of monitoring the situations in the three prefectures—Ji, Yan, and Yu. I’ll sort out your political affairs, which you’ll never finish at this rate. To be precise, you will never achieve the conditions you require in your lifetimes. How about it, will you take the bet?"
"You’re saying we’ll never complete it in our lifetimes?" Lub Su was taken aback, then stared directly at Chen Xi.
"In Qingzhou and Mount Tai alone, under Lord Xuande’s administration, the population has exceeded two million. The potential disputes that may arise from such a large populace can’t possibly be tabulated by just two people. While it’s true that both of your intellects are exceptionally high, your life spans are not long enough to undertake such a monumental task. Moreover, disputes evolve over time, as the saying goes, ’The path shifts with the times,’" Chen Xi said with a smile, having caught a glimpse of the political affairs Lub Su and Liu Ye were arranging, which made him realize their task was not unfinished due to incompetence but because of their overambitiousness.
"We are merely compiling the common disputes and organizing them, not as you suggest, taking all disputes into account," Liu Ye shook his head and spoke, somewhat incredulous.
"Ah, never mind. I won’t discuss this further. Just tell me if you want to take the bet or not. Regardless of who wins, I will help you finish this task and do it more thoroughly than what you have managed so far. How’s that?" Chen Xi, not bothering to explain further, continued to ask.
"Since Zichuan has such refined aspirations, it would be rather discourteous for Su to decline to accompany you. Zichuan, state your wager," Lub Su said after a brief contemplation, and although Liu Ye was still pondering, after Lub Su spoke, he too quickly concurred.
"When do you say Yuan Shao will switch from defense to offense? Let’s bet on that, shall we?" Chen Xi said with a smile.
"How shall we wager on that?" Lub Su furrowed his brow. At this time, the war between Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao had just begun, and Gongsun Zan was in a considerably advantageous position. The formidable reputation of the White Horse Righteous Followers was not to be underestimated. How could one guess this?
"And what about you, Ziyang?" Chen Xi turned to ask, only to see Liu Ye shaking his head repeatedly as well.
"In that case, I’ll state my estimate, and you can judge whether it’s right or wrong," Chen Xi said with a confident glint in his eye. Unfortunately, although he had only recently accessed information on Ji and You provinces, it was just a while ago that he saw something about the battle at Jieqiao. This shocked Chen Xi—he hadn’t expected that after all the dragging, it would still come to the battle at Jieqiao.
Later, after combining other pieces of intelligence, he had a clearer understanding of the current situation. Yuan Shao’s forces, who were advancing northward into Youzhou, while not as numerous as Gongsun Zan’s, weren’t much fewer either. There was quite a difference compared to the historical disparity of forces at the battle of Jieqiao, so the battle that should have started earlier hadn’t begun at all. To put it simply, there wasn’t enough space at Jieqiao for both sides’ troops to effectively deploy.
Feeling pressured by Liu Bei’s presence, Yuan Shao had taken the risk of splitting his forces to attempt to seize Bingzhou. Naturally, having fewer troops led to a contracted defense line. As a result, the battle was steered toward Jieqiao. After all, the territory there wasn’t open, which favored Yuan Shao’s defensive strategy. However, given Gongsun Zan’s pride during this period, he wouldn’t notice that he couldn’t deploy his cavalry there...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you’re welcome to vote and contribute monthly tickets at . Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)