The army was encamped outside the county seat of Yingchuan, and truly, Liu Bei’s arrival had frightened the Governor of Yangdi half to death. Although this was the administrative center of Yingchuan, the sight of over ten thousand elite infantry and cavalry stationed outside the city would scare anyone, especially during such chaotic times when nothing was certain.
The Governor of Yangdi, Chen Liang, immediately locked down the city gates and gathered all the defensive forces within the city to prepare for a possible attack by Liu Bei—after all, the Great Han Dynasty had not yet fallen, and moving more than ten thousand troops within the borders without official orders would definitely not be permitted.
After Liu Bei had sent the Great General’s dispatch order up from below the city walls, Chen Liang finally understood that it was just a false alarm. Of course, he also realized that even if Liu Bei wanted to return to Mount Tai, he wouldn’t pass through his territory. However, no one in their right mind would fuss over such details at this time. He had absolutely no desire to provoke such a border official, who clearly had a grasp of both military and civil governance—someone of his stature couldn’t be compared to a mere Prefectural Governor without military power.
To put it bluntly, if Liu Bei wanted, he could attack the city now, kill him, then put someone else in his place, and report to the Central Government later. In this period of chaos, no one would really care.
"Governor Chen, you flatter me. Passing through here was not my intention, but in order to ensure peace in the areas under my control, I had to come to Yingchuan—this land of outstanding people and spiritual grace—to seek one or two virtuous talents," Liu Bei said to Chen Liang, giving the governor face. Upon meeting him at the city gate, he was not at all arrogant but instead very polite, offering a bow and giving Chen Liang a way out.
"Lord Xuande is too kind. Governing a place should indeed balance civil governance and military prowess. Mount Tai Commandery is rife with bandits, and the soldiers under Lord Xuande’s command are brave and robust, more than capable of crushing the bandits. The only thing lacking is civil officials, and Yingchuan is known for producing many scholars," Chen Liang smoothly took the hint, showing great interest in the large cavalry under Liu Bei’s command, hinting around with laughter.
Since Chen Liang laughed it off, Liu Bei did the same. These soldiers were the lifeblood of his forces—Liu Bei himself didn’t have enough to spare, and yet Chen Liang wanted to extract some? What a joke. He gave you a way out, not a ladder to climb up. How dare he even think of laying a hand on the soldiers? Chen Xi genuinely wondered what his relative was thinking.
A banquet was prepared to welcome and honor the visitors and reward the soldiers. Whether Chen Liang was dizzy in the head or simply saw something promising in Liu Bei, his hospitality was sincerely without fault. He even went out of his way to invite the leading households of the city to give Liu Bei a proper welcome, and surprisingly, among them was Chen Xi’s father-in-law.
"Zichuan, what are you doing here?" After a satisfying meal, Chen Xi caught Fan Liang giving him a meaningful look and nodded. He slipped out of the banquet, as Liu Bei was exceptionally lenient with the few people he had under his command.
"How are you, uncle? I have been to Hulao Pass to witness the ambitions of the feudal lords, which are now almost fully exposed. The vitality of Guangwu’s lineage has run out, and now I am following Lord Xuande, hoping to mix in some prosperity," Chen Xi said with a smile, confident in Fan Liang’s trustworthiness and not minding sharing some astonishing opinions.
"Speak cautiously!" Fan Liang reprimanded.
"It’s just you, uncle. I wouldn’t say this to anyone else. What do you think of Lord Xuande?" asked Chen Xi with a smile.
"Such fortune should not be spoken of," Fan Liang said after a long silence, "The bearing of a prince."
"’Just the likeness of princes?’" Chen Xi said with a playful sneer, showing little respect. In his memory, Fan Liang was more of a relative than anything, and formalities weren’t necessary for kin. Honestly, formalities were mostly for strangers.
"The likeness of an emperor, but what should have been marred by the misfortune of losing his wife is now suppressed by something else. The original turmoil and late blooming of potential have been forcibly lifted onto a prosperous path—this is not the appearance of a founding emperor; without enough tribulations, it’s simply impossible to establish a nation!" After a long silence, Fan Liang finally spoke.
"Uncle’s eyes are still as sharp as ever," Chen Xi said with a smile. A family that’s been around for a thousand years inevitably has some knowledge beyond that of ordinary people, fallen or not, incomparable to that of an average family.
"Your physiognomy…" Fan Liang frowned.
"Uncle, let’s talk about my sister Fan Jian instead; my physiognomy isn’t worth examining," Chen Xi said with a smile.
The topic was abruptly changed. What did physiognomy matter compared to his daughter’s marriage? If he didn’t marry her off soon, he’d have to pay double the poll tax. Fan Liang could afford it, but he couldn’t afford to lose face!
"Jian’er is fine, just waiting for you to come and marry her. It’s evident that Liu Xuande treats you extremely well. Since you’ve already chosen your path, I won’t say much. Just take Jian’er with you when you leave. Notify us at the time of the wedding; that’s all. I will go to Mount Tai then. As for you, Zichuan, to be honest, I underestimated you," Fan Liang first said with a smile, then his expression gradually became serene as he praised Chen Xi.
"Just take her with me? That doesn’t seem very proper," Chen Xi frowned and said, "Whether you underestimate me or not is not important; I know my own worth."
"You can just take her with you. Since you intend to establish your own career, it’s time you started a family. Cao Mengde let slip your intentions when he was idly chatting; how do you think the feudal lords will view you?" Fan Liang waved his hand, indicating that Chen Xi need not worry about such trifles. The Fan family was no longer the noble household it used to be, and since the marriage had already been agreed upon, he could just take her away.
"It’s nothing. Lord Cao has gained a good subordinate. It seems he intends for Lyu Bu to eliminate Li Ru and Dong Zhuo. He simply brought the distrust between the three into the open, which would ordinarily lead to candidness, rendering any estrangement strategy ineffective against them in the future. Unfortunately, Li Ru is too cunning, Lyu Bu is unwise, and Dong Zhuo is tyrannical, so raising it in the open will only increase their mutual distrust," Chen Xi shrugged as he said, considering this a clear case of open strategy, essentially taking advantage of others.
Upon hearing Fan Liang’s words, Chen Xi understood that Cao Cao’s first capable subordinate had emerged. Xi Zhicai, an individual not featured in Romance of the Three Kingdoms but noted in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, finally made his appearance. Cao Cao had officially begun to accumulate his own power, and Zao Zhi, who had also initially flocked to Cao Cao, had by now mostly implemented a significant agricultural militarization strategy and was about to bring it to fruition.
"Zichuan, it seems you’re quite well-versed in these matters. Not at all like the frail youth you once were. You’ve already grown so much; Elder Brother Chen would surely be amazed if he were still here," Fan Liang said with satisfaction, listening to Chen Xi’s remarks and observing his casual demeanor.
Seeing Chen Xi remain silent, Fan Liang thought for a moment and then said, "Zichuan, besides coming to find me and Jian’er in Yingchuan, I believe you also intend to seek out worthy individuals for Liu Xuande. But remember, don’t approach the Chen family unless someday they seek you out, hoping to connect with Liu Xuande through you. Otherwise, do not concern yourself with the Chen family. Noble families have their ways of dealing with things; it’s best not to engage with these matters until you’re sufficiently powerful."