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Chapter 708: Worrying Too Much
🕑 Added 2024-10-05 05:06:16 +0000 UTC"Yes, now all we lack is a core unit with an army soul. The other forces, such as the Qingzhou soldiers and the Danyang soldiers, are already well-trained. The only thing left is to determine which aspect they enhance when united. The ten thousand Qingzhou soldiers, for example, are the culmination of Wen Ze's hard work," Chen Xi said with a reflective expression.
The grand plan of conquering the world, which was laid out when they first entered Mount Tai, was now gradually being realized under Chen Xi's careful planning.
"Jizhou is indeed a powerful region," Fa Zheng said after a long period of contemplation.
"Do you think the best place in the world is a joke? It's the largest grain-producing area in the land, and one of the four major horse-producing regions. Aside from the many noble families and the lack of unity among the people, it has no flaws. The preparations I made in the first two years were just to catch up, and the last two years were to surpass them in accumulation," Chen Xi remarked, recalling how Han Fu must have been out of his mind to hand Jizhou over to Yuan Shao.
"So now, we've completely surpassed Yuan Shao in all areas where we can accumulate strength?" Zhuge Liang, who had just arrived, heard Chen Xi's words and chimed in.
"Yes, in all areas where accumulation is possible, we've surpassed Yuan Shao. But..." Chen Xi sighed helplessly, "geographical advantage is what it is, and there's nothing I can do about it."
"A northern war inevitably involves cavalry battles," Zhuge Liang sighed. "Luckily, it's not the Xiliang Cavalry; otherwise, we'd suffer even greater losses in large-scale battles."
"Exactly. How are things at the Jishui crossing?" Chen Xi nodded. He had never denied Yuan Shao's advantages, but his long-term efforts were not in vain. At least, aside from cavalry, he had leveled the playing field wherever possible and surpassed Yuan Shao wherever he could.
"We’ve captured it. As expected, you didn’t attack Chiping," Zhuge Liang reported with a nod. "I’ve already sent word downstream to Qingzhou to activate the new supply route. Xu Ziyuan is indeed formidable."
"Yes, at least he knew to burn the grain at Feicheng and then strike at Chiping and the Jishui crossing. But it doesn't matter—I prepared three supply routes. He only cut off two, so let him be. In this life, anyone who tries to cut off my supply lines will be the unlucky one," Chen Xi said with a yawn.
Zhuge Liang was visibly startled. "Are you saying you prepared another supply route?"
"Of course. How could I not prepare for such a major flaw? Anyone who tries to scheme against me will regret it. Yesterday was an exception, though—the power of cavalry shouldn’t be underestimated," Chen Xi said proudly. "The title of 'Always Prepared' isn’t for nothing."
"You should be careful not to get caught off guard by someone. That wouldn’t end well," Zhuge Liang replied with a bit of irritation. "So, you’re certain we’re not attacking Chiping?"
"Chiping would be difficult to take, and don’t forget our primary objective," Chen Xi said nonchalantly.
"Yes, I agree. We shouldn’t attack Chiping," Zhuge Liang nodded. "However, I think we should consider what Xu You is really trying to do. Don’t you think there’s something off about last night’s battle?"
"What’s off?" Chen Xi smirked. "It was just a matter of killing two birds with one stone—Xu You’s plan targeted me, but that was secondary. His real goal was to weaken the Yuan family in Yuzhou and drag Yuan Shu into our war with Yuan Shao."
"Oh, I see," Zhuge Liang nodded, finally understanding why something had felt off. "So, last night’s battle was entirely about drawing our attention?"
"Exactly. If they could eliminate our forces, all the better. If not, they’d settle for provoking the noble families under our command, leading them to retaliate and draw Yuan Shu into the conflict with us," Chen Xi mused.
"In essence, it’s not even about weakening the Yuan family. Whether the plan succeeds or fails, it benefits Yuan Shao. If it works, the two Yuans will join forces against us. If it fails, Xu You sees it as a way to weaken both our army and Yuan Shu’s, paving the way for Yuan Shao’s unification," Fa Zheng added, shaking his head. He had a better grasp of human nature than Chen Xi.
"So, even if Xu You suffered a major defeat last night, it wouldn’t matter much to him," Chen Xi realized after hearing Fa Zheng's analysis. Xu You had clearly intended to kill two birds with one stone; he just hadn’t anticipated that Chen Xi would crush their army, turning what was supposed to be a perfect ending into a humiliating rout.
"Shouldn’t we do something about it?" Zhuge Liang frowned. Although he knew that Fenggao still had Li You, Jia Xu, and others, his habit was to give his all, making it hard for him not to want to help.
"We’re not in charge, so we don’t interfere. It’s not our concern. Our task is to establish Linyi's new city. As for the matters of Mount Tai, those senior officials can handle it themselves. Kongming, do you not have confidence in them?" Chen Xi asked, his expression revealing a hint of unease.
"I have great confidence in Master Li and Mr. Jia," Zhuge Liang shook his head. "My point is, shouldn’t we do something extra to make this situation easier to handle?"
"No. Kongming, you need to learn to delegate. Just because you’re in a high position doesn’t mean you should do everything below that level. Instead, you should delegate tasks to the right people and let them complete them," Chen Xi sighed.
After spending so much time with Zhuge Liang, Chen Xi had come to understand that Zhuge Liang’s issue wasn’t a desire for power but rather a lack of trust in others. This led to Zhuge Liang constantly worrying unnecessarily.
To put it simply, most of what Zhuge Liang did wasn’t his job. Many tasks should have been delegated to subordinates, but Zhuge Liang’s lack of trust meant he handled even minor issues himself, essentially doing the work of everyone under his command.
"..." Zhuge Liang remained silent. "I’ve been too cautious."
"Being cautious isn’t wrong, but a leader must trust the talents they’ve selected. More importantly, a leader must assign their valued talents to appropriate positions, allowing them to shine, and then manage them, not do the work themselves while the others watch," Chen Xi said, shaking his head.
"Indeed, Kongming, you really don’t need to be so busy. The six commandants, including Chen Zhen, were assigned to assist you, not to have you do their work for them," Fa Zheng added, knowing full well how hard Zhuge Liang worked.
"I’ll be more mindful from now on," Zhuge Liang said after a moment of deep thought.
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