Chen Xi tugged at the corner of his mouth but did not respond. This wasn't a question of confidence - he was extremely confident in his understanding of the general trends. However, when it came to the details and the abilities of certain people, he truly had no solution at all.
Seeing Chen Xi remain silent, Liu Bei didn't continue on the topic. For Liu Bei, he had already started moving toward the goal he had dreamt of in his youth, and the series of arrangements made by Chen Xi had greatly bolstered his confidence.
"Report!" A messenger ran towards Liu Bei.
"What is it?" Liu Bei asked, looking up.
"General Gongsun has sent over three hundred White Horse Soldiers, and also allocated another three hundred horses. He requests that you take charge of the transfer," the messenger said loudly.
"He really is a tycoon..." Chen Xi murmured under his breath.
Yesterday, during the battle at Sishui Pass, Liu Bei's troops suffered some casualties. Gongsun Zan, who had replenished his own forces, also allocated some men and horses to Liu Bei. As a tycoon of the time, second only to Dong Zhuo in terms of cavalry, Gongsun Zan had acquired many fine horses from his perennial battles with the Xianbei and Wuhuan.
"Gongsun Bogui..." Liu Bei sighed. He had no way to repay Gongsun Bogui at the moment and could only keep the saying "If ever I should rise to a position of wealth and honor, let us never forget each other" in mind.
"They've already sent them to our camp, there's nothing more to say. Just accept it. Sooner or later we'll flourish, and by then, as long as we don't forget the friendship of this moment, we'll be fine," Chen Xi said with a smile. He appreciated Gongsun Zan's actions - he was fond of this pure nationalist, and this series of friendly gestures had made a great impression on Chen Xi.
One must know that Liu Bei was nothing more than a minor figure at the time, and while others might not be aware, how could Gongsun Zan not know? Yet he never looked down on Liu Bei because of his status. Even as their statuses diverged from classmates to a governor and a commoner, Gongsun Zan never disrespected Liu Bei, but instead maintained the friendship from their earlier days.
"The Capital Chief under General Gongsun pays his respects to General Liu." A young, beardless officer bowed respectfully upon seeing Liu Bei approach.
"Dispense with the formalities, dispens with the formalities. Is General Gongsun well?" Liu Bei reached out to help the man up, gathering from his actions that this Capital Chief was also part of the handover, and likely an able cavalry leader.
"The Northern Barbarians are planning an invasion again. Last year's heavy snow killed many, and come spring the barbarians will likely head south. General Gongsun hesitates over whether to go back to assist, he is somewhat worried about Youzhou," the Capital Chief replied clearly, evidently delivering a message from Gongsun Zan.
As Liu Bei pondered what to do, Chen Xi spoke, "If General Gongsun is worried, he can head back to Youzhou first. The task of dealing with Dong Zhuo in Luoyang can be left to Lord Xuande; as for the issue of Liu Bo'an in Youzhou, Dong Zhuo can handle that."
Gongsun Zan didn't grasp the overall situation of the Coalition Army, but he cared deeply about the people of Youzhou. Upon hearing that the northern barbarians intended to invade, he thought of returning to Youzhou to crush those degenerates. Unlike the majority in the Great Han Dynasty, the word 'appeasement' was nowhere to be found in Gongsun Zan's vocabulary!
The White Horse General, whose reputation with the White Horse Volunteers was built on the blood of the Hu People!
This was also why Gongsun Zan nearly came to blows with Governor of Youzhou, Liu Yu. Liu Yu was of the orthodox Han Imperial Kinsman, and in the Great Han Dynasty, it was essential to maintain the dignity of the Liu Clan. However, in the end, Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu directly in 193 A.D.
Liu Yu, as a Provincial Governor capable of governing a region, was one of the few competent officials of the Late Eastern Han Dynasty. He managed the barren land of Youzhou well enough to compete with Jizhou. However, he had one significant flaw: his policy of appeasement towards the Hu People. While Youzhou was well-governed, it was continually raided due to his conciliatory stance, causing the people to be torn from their families.
Gongsun Zan believed that the only good Hu People were dead ones, while Liu Yu believed in transforming the Hu People into his own. Naturally, their political views clashed, leading to an unpleasant split. Ultimately, Gongsun Zan, now as General Ma, defeated Liu Yu.
The reason why Yuan Shao later received substantial help from the Hu People during his battles against Gongsun Zan was that they bore the banner of avenging Liu Yu. From this perspective, it's clear that Liu Yu did earn some prestige among the Hu People.
It could be said that if Liu Yu hadn't kept pulling Gongsun Zan's leg, interfering without cause, the Hu People would have been driven out beyond the Great Wall by Gongsun Zan long ago. He might even have crossed the Changbai Mountains to deal with the Hu People in Bingzhou.
Chen Xi's current idea was to convince Dong Zhuo to bring Liu Yu back to Luoyang, or, seeing that Gongsun Zan had left, to appoint him to a high position, at least higher than Liu Yu. This way, they could have a moral upper hand against Liu Yu's obstructionism. Once back in Youzhou, a liberated Gongsun Zan could easily kick the barbarians out of the Northern Frontier.
As for returning home to deal with the Hu People and thus damaging the greater cause by withdrawing from the Eighteen Feudal Lords, ha! Who said anything about withdrawing? General Gongsun has gone back to protect his homeland and defend the borders. The soldiers who remained within the Coalition Army, committed to supporting the King, were placed under the command of Lord Xuande. Who says he has quit? General Gongsun has simply been compelled to return to Youzhou to fulfil his duty to defend the frontier.
Chen Xi rambled on to the Capital Chief, who listened with increasingly bright eyes.
Those living in the Central Plains could scarcely comprehend the sufferings of the frontier people, which is why Gongsun Zan held such prestige in the North. This also explains why Lyu Bu, despite his widely condemned character, did not lose the loyalty of the Bingzhou troops, including Zhang Liao and Gao Shun. It was also the reason why, after leaving Bingzhou, Lyu Bu never set foot in the North again despite having multiple opportunities.
"Zichuan, is it really okay to do this?" After the Capital Chief left, Liu Bei voiced his hesitation.
"There's nothing wrong with it," Chen Xi answered with a smile. "Honestly, General Gongsun probably really wants to return now. Having spent years in Youzhou, Lord Xuande must understand General Gongsun's stance towards the Hu People, as well as how Liu Youzhou feels towards General Gongsun."
Chen Xi could guarantee that, following Gongsun Zan's way of thinking, if someone could prevent Liu Yu from holding him back, he wouldn't care about such a sliver of tarnish. To such men, an award from above mattered less than the well-being of the common people. After all, historically, when the order from above strictly forbade engagement, yet upon witnessing the displaced commoners fleeing to Liaoxi Commandery, Gongsun Zan eventually couldn't resist and took action.
He led his forces into battle against the orders of capital punishment for unauthorized military action. After repelling the invading Hu People, he returned and killed the intolerable Liu Yu. From then on, no one held him back, and no more large-scale Hu People raids were heard of. But the troublesome part came next. Gongsun Zan's governance of Youzhou was genuinely inferior to Liu Yu's, and his earlier success in battle proved embarrassingly futile in managing the region.