"Lord Xuande, don’t you think your troops are a bit few?" Chen Xi said playfully, "We all know what the most elite soldiers in the world are today. Instead of borrowing the strength of others, we might as well strengthen ourselves."
"After all, we are like a tree without roots; it is already a mercy of heaven to have this many troops. Could Zichuan be referring to the Xiliang Iron Cavalry as the world’s most elite soldiers?" Sparkles flickered in Liu Bei’s eyes.
"Yes, this is a gift I’ve prepared for you. It’s time to leave this place, and we should take them away while we’re at it. If Zijian can demonstrate the commanding ability of the foremost warrior of Xiliang, I estimate there won’t be any problem in recruiting about ten thousand Xiliang Iron Cavalry this time," Chen Xi laughed and then gestured to Hua Xiong, "It’s all on you now. After all, you’ve been in Xiliang for a long time. If you have enough renown, the road ahead will be much easier."
"Before Lyu Bu, I was the foremost military general of Xiliang, and I still am after his arrival. He is the War God, the invincible War God." Hua Xiong said with a wry smile, conveying that if it’s just about leveraging his fame among the Xiliang Elite Cavalry, there should be no problem, "But, Zichuan, are you so confident about capturing so many of the Xiliang Elite Cavalry? You should know they are considered the most elite in the world."
"It’s nothing. We’re just going there to take over. It is most likely Lyu Bu who will be covering the rear of the Xiliang Elite Cavalry, and he is probably about to defeat Cao Cao. Now is the time when he has the greatest doubts. Upon seeing our arrival, his first thought will be the words I wrote in that letter, and he will turn around and leave. The rest is up to you," Chen Xi said indifferently.
Seeing the confusion among the crowd, Chen Xi slowly explained the reason, "The letter I wrote to Lyu Bu didn’t seek to recruit him. I gave Lyu Bu a few hints in the capacity of a person of Bingzhou who had received Lyu Bu’s favor, warning him that Li Ru would make him plunder the Imperial Mausoleum, how this would harm him, and later set fire to Luoyang, then asked him to ambush the Coalition Army from the rear."
"Uh, Zichuan, isn’t that scheming on behalf of Lyu Bu?" Liu Bei asked, puzzled.
"Not really. It’s just about gaining Lyu Bu’s trust and incidentally making him understand the situation better. Anyway, Li Ru would instruct him to ambush the Coalition Army. However, I deliberately hinted that Li Ru would only brief about the ambush without telling there would be several pursuits, and the first pursuit might be a bait from the Coalition Army. If he pursues deep, he might be ambushed himself and even fall into his own trap," Chen Xi stated casually.
"Zichuan, if you do this, won’t Lyu Bu plan a second ambush on purpose?" Zhao Yun asked, frowning.
"Lyu Bu doesn’t have the time for that. Besides, he won’t put himself in danger. Everything I told him before is true; Lyu Bu will definitely pay attention to the last hint, especially if Guan, Zhang, and Zhao, who can take him down, are all present. He won’t hesitate to turn around and go. As for his Xiliang Soldiers underneath, he won’t care at all, as long as they are not the Bingzhou Troops. I have confirmed this with General Hua," Chen Xi explained with a smile to Zhao Yun. He was well-practiced in these matters.
"That’s true," Hua Xiong said with a bitter smile, "Apart from the Bingzhou natives, Lyu Bu has never cared about the life and death of the Xiliang Soldiers. That’s also why the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry and the Xiliang Iron Cavalry have remained incompatible to this day."
"Zichuan truly has exceptional talent!" Liu Bei beamed as he looked at Chen Xi.
"I wouldn’t say that," Chen Xi said, spreading his hands in resignation, "After this, Lyu Bu, Dong Zhuo, and Li Ru won’t have such a good relationship. He will always suspect that Li Ru and Dong Zhuo want to get rid of him. This thorn will remain lodged in his mind until one party falls. Of course, I’m not optimistic about Dong Zhuo, he no longer has his former ambition, and I guess Li Ru won’t be willing to assist Dong Zhuo without ambition."
"How ruthless!" Guan Yu and Zhang Fei said in unison.
"There’s nothing ruthless about it. I didn’t kill anyone, nor did I ask them to kill anyone. What I said was all true, not a single lie," Chen Xi rolled his eyes as he started to justify himself, "Besides, look, I didn’t instigate any discord. As a fellow countryman, it’s only right to think about my own people. If Lyu Bu really trusted Li Ru, none of this would have happened."
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun were rendered speechless, yet they couldn’t deny that what Chen Xi said was incredibly accurate. The entire letter contained not a shred of malice, purely goodwill, but that goodwill comes across as the greatest malice to Lyu Bu.
"Alright, enough said. It’s time for us to go and take control of our forces. They are our foundation for the future, so if we can avoid killing, let’s try not to kill," Chen Xi said, reassuring everyone with a smile. To him, these matters were all too familiar – sometimes kindness in the wrong place is, in fact, the greatest malice!
Guan, Zhang, and Zhao each returned to their camps to lead their private troops, ready for a big fight. From Chen Xi’s words, they had already understood that acquiring eight to ten thousand Xiliang Iron Cavalry was a certainty. Chen Xi wasn’t planning on taking command himself, so naturally, they would divide them among the four of them. As expected, the lion’s share would go to Liu Bei, but the rest would be divided amongst themselves. Each of the four leaders could receive at least a thousand!
"Lord Xuande, may I know your aspirations?" Chen Xi asked seriously after sending Hua Xiong aside, but he could not hide a hint of amusement in his eyes. He wouldn’t mind any answer given by Liu Bei. What he needed was a reliable Monarch, not one with grand ambitions and ruthlessness.
What Chen Xi desired was stability. In these chaotic times, any ambition could only be realized by ensuring one’s own survival, whether it was to restore the Han Dynasty or to revive the Huaxia, or even to re-establish the spirit of martial valor; all these required Chen Xi to survive.
With eighteen hundred years of additional knowledge than this era, Chen Xi had gained far more insight and intelligence. There might be a natural gap in intellect, but wisdom is the experience accumulated over time.
Chen Xi was acutely aware that his intelligence might not match those of the illustrious ministers of bygone ages, but his perspective, knowledge reserves, and wisdom would outclass theirs by far.
The simplest way to put it was that Chen Xi knew exactly what policies to implement at this time for benefit and what the long-term drawbacks would be. He didn’t even need to patch any holes – he knew the effects such policies would have centuries later. How could Zhuge Liang, even if he were here, know of the Tang or Song Dynasties? That was a joke!
So to speak a bit unpleasantly, as long as Chen Xi could hold on to the big picture of politics and economy, had a few capable subordinates, and had a Monarch who could let Chen Xi take the reins, then under the same conditions, he was confident that he could dominate the famed ministers of the Three Kingdoms era in the short run. It wasn’t about intellect anymore; it was purely about knowledge reserves and experience.