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Chapter 642: The Wisdom of Chen Gong
🕑 Added 2024-09-29 07:48:04 +0000 UTC“Indeed, we will win.” Chen Xi smiled and said, turning to look at Guo Jia with a hint of coldness in his eyes. Considering Guo Jia's previous plan and the current appearance of Yuan Shao having completely subdued the families of Ji Province, Chen Xi knew that Guo Jia's plan had also succeeded.
“Zichuan, I will draft the next military report. Inform the lord as soon as possible. The quicker we annex Yanzhou, the greater our advantage will be, though some will inevitably be taken by Yuan Shao since Ji Province borders Yanzhou completely, and we can only move troops from Mount Tai,” Guo Jia said, exchanging a smile with Chen Xi.
“Before that, we need to create some momentum. However, I hope the words I wish to convey can come from the other side’s mouth,” Chen Xi nodded.
“Trust me, Chen Gongtai will not give up this amulet of protection,” Guo Jia said confidently.
Chen Xi rolled his eyes. Chen Gong was considered a top strategist by division, and although he was often rather dull, his abilities were still at a strategic and tactical level.
“Let’s see what we can gain,” Chen Xi sighed.
“Probably only goodwill or future benefits. It’s unlikely to gain much now. They are too poor; aside from the civil and military officials we might find useful, the rest is quite average,” Guo Jia sighed. “But this is something that must be done. Only national righteousness can wash away other colors, and only national righteousness can protect them in such a place.”
“Indeed,” Guo Jia nodded. “So we just need to wait for Chen Gongtai to come over.”
The next day, at the Chen hour, Chen Gong personally came to Chen Xi's location for a meeting. Some matters needed to be addressed directly.
“Greetings, Lord Chen. Military Advisor Guo,” Chen Gong greeted warmly. “First, congratulations to both of you for repelling Yuan Benchu’s southern forces from the north.”
“Gongtai, please sit. Although this is our first meeting, since we both share the Chen surname, we must be kin from five hundred years ago. Let’s dispense with formalities and discuss the matters directly; it will benefit us both,” Chen Xi said with a smile, instructing someone to serve tea to Chen Gong.
To be honest, this was Chen Xi’s first time meeting Chen Gong. Chen Gong was dressed in a green robe, slender, with slightly dark skin, and his eyes were not as attention-grabbing as Guo Jia’s. Without the green robe, he looked like an ordinary farmer.
“I am flattered by Lord Chen’s high regard. Perhaps we were indeed one family five hundred years ago,” Chen Gong said with a smile. “Since Lord Chen managed to launch a strong attack on Tian Feng’s camp yesterday, you must already know why I am here today.”
“Indeed, I nearly got killed by Wen Hou yesterday,” Chen Xi said unhappily.
“Then let me apologize for yesterday’s events and offer Yanzhou as compensation. How does that sound?” Chen Gong, seeing Chen Xi mention yesterday’s events, quickly changed the subject back to Yanzhou.
“Enough of the pretense,” Chen Xi waved his hand. “Chen Gong, although you are quite clever, your manners are too meticulous. I don’t believe you don’t understand the current situation. Discussing this point is a waste of time and effort.”
Chen Gong felt awkward. Noticing that Chen Xi seemed uninterested in small talk, he took a deep breath and went straight to the point. “Lord Chen, my friend Lü Fengxian plans to withdraw from Yanzhou, return to Bingzhou, retake the five commanderies of Bingzhou for the Han Dynasty, recover the Hexi region, and defeat the Hu people. How does Lord Chen plan to handle the Yanzhou region?”
Chen Xi and Guo Jia exchanged glances, then Chen Xi sighed and said, “Retaking the five commanderies of Bingzhou is a matter of great righteousness. There is nothing more to say about it. State your demands directly; we will not wait beyond the deadline.”
“Righteousness, resources, and rear support!” Chen Gong stated succinctly.
“No problem. I can offer you righteousness and we have accepted the resources. You can also write to Yuan Benchu; under the banner of righteousness, he will also assist you. As for rear support, that’s Yuan Benchu’s concern, but he won’t obstruct it. With your wisdom, the rest should be no issue,” Chen Xi nodded.
“How long will it take to prepare?” Chen Gong asked.
“Within fifteen days, the resources and righteousness will certainly meet your satisfaction. The condition is that you must open up Jibei and Dongping. Frankly, this is merely a precaution,” Chen Xi said calmly.
“Not a problem,” Chen Gong replied calmly, without even furrowing his brow.
Leaving Yanzhou, a place fraught with trouble, was highly desirable for Chen Gong. As for fighting in Hexi and against the Hu people, Chen Gong felt he had a three out of ten chance of winning, five out of ten to hold his ground, and only two out of ten to be defeated.
In the Central Plains, Chen Gong felt he had a fifty-fifty chance of survival; the other half was a game over. It was simply not a place for ordinary people to stay!
“I will give you the collected information on Hexi, including the power comparisons between Qiang, Hu, Xianbei, Han people, and Xiongnu, as well as the strength of various tribes and their conflicts. However, you must ensure that the information is destroyed after review,” Chen Xi said with a serious expression.
Chen Gong furrowed his brows, slightly puzzled. He thought about it for a while but couldn’t figure out the intricacies. However, he sensed there might be deeper meanings and thus activated his positive spiritual talent.
After a long while, Chen Gong picked up his teacup, his hand trembling slightly. “The Zhen family is Liu Xuande’s pawn. Liu Xuande’s faction has essentially ended Yuan Shao’s plans for the north and has entered the planning phase for unifying the Central Plains.”
“No wonder I always felt something was off. It turns out that Liu Xuande has the strength to annex any warlord. What he is doing now is merely reducing losses for the Han Dynasty and preserving its vitality,” Chen Gong’s hands shook uncontrollably. At this moment, he realized that Liu Bei of Ji Province was powerful enough to conquer the world on his own.
Once Chen Gong activated his positive spiritual talent, he immediately understood the implications of Chen Xi’s earlier words. If such a detailed investigation into the Hu people was conducted, it indicated that Liu Xuande intended to deal with the northern Hu people.
The glaring issue was that if Liu Xuande could think of dealing with the northern Hu people, what about Yuan Shao in between? Yuan Shao had to be defeated before dealing with the northern Hu people.
If Liu Bei could undertake this investigation, there were only two possibilities: either Liu Bei had secured victory and dealing with the Hu people was inevitable, or Liu Xuande had enough strength left after dealing with Yuan Shao, indicating Liu Bei’s strength far surpassed Yuan Shao’s.
Chen Gong, having understood Chen Zichuan, Jia Wen, and these individuals, knew they were not merely boastful. Therefore, Liu Bei must have a solid chance of defeating Yuan Shao.
With this conclusion, Chen Gong reviewed all the nodes and determined that the only force capable of delivering a fatal blow to Yuan Shao was the Zhen family. Although it seemed extremely unlikely, it was the most reasonable scenario.
Having reached this conclusion, Chen Gong’s hands shook as he held the teacup. Everyone was being manipulated by Chen Xi. This was not about seeing three steps ahead but seeing the final outcome directly with every step taken.
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