บท 5: Chapter 5: Meeting with the Various Feudal Lords Under Heaven
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Chen Xi clearly saw Liu Bei's momentary pause and chuckled to himself. At this time, basically no one recognized Liu Xuande. Liu Bei was not yet known as the Imperial Uncle or the King of Hanzhong—in fact, as a mere commoner, who would recognize him?
"Since you are a scholar, is there anything you need help with before coming to my camp?" Liu Bei happily offered Chen Xi a way out with a nonchalant gesture.
"I've been traveling for a long time and, seeing smoke in the distance, I hoped to find shelter for the night here; I didn't expect it to be the encampment of a general's men," Chen Xi deftly complimented Liu Bei. Having not hitched a ride on Cao Mengde's bandwagon, he thought it wouldn't be so bad to join Liu Xuande either.
Was Chen Xi unaware of Liu Bei's current situation? Clearly, he was a drifter in Gongsun Zan's horde, aiming to familiarize himself with the Feudal Lords. With no troops, no followers, no territory, and no money, he was an unemployed itinerant who, in truth, Chen Xi guessed, probably had yet no aspirations for conquest; after all, ambitions grow with one's power.
"I don't deserve the title of general, truly I don't," Liu Bei said with an embarrassed smile, but his face clearly showed a hint of pleasure.
"I have heard that Lord Mengde issued a proclamation, calling upon righteous scholars from all over the world to join in the campaign against Dong Zhuo the traitor. I wish to witness this event. For me, traveling the world necessitates meeting people from all walks of life," Chen Xi said with a smile.
Liu Bei was so bewildered by Chen Xi's buttering up that he was at a loss for words. Glancing at his two brothers by his side and the two thousand soldiers behind him, he thought he had little to fear from a scholar causing trouble and nodded, saying, "If that is so, Zichuan may bring his own provisions and follow me. I believe my soldiers will cause no trouble to the civilians."
"Many thanks to Lord Xuande," Chen Xi said with a smile, bowing in gratitude. "I shall return shortly." Having said that, he bowed once more and then withdrew.
"Younger brother, do not stir up such commotion over trivial matters in the future," Liu Bei said to Zhang Fei, who was still standing at the edge of the pit, after Chen Xi had left.
"Big brother, if you ask me, why should we let that kid follow us? The army is on the move, and it's already kind of him not to be detained. I say we should just drive him off. We're headed for the Sour Jujube Alliance, and even if he comes along, he won't be able to get in. Why bother having him go through the fuss for nothing?" Zhang Fei said, scratching the back of his head with his booming voice.
"Nonsense!" Liu Bei scolded, "In this world, there are but a few who can read and write. Why should we offend such people over trivial matters?"
"I can read too…" Zhang Fei mumbled under his breath, shrinking his head a bit after being reprimanded by Liu Bei. However, given his usual loud voice, everyone clearly heard his quiet grumbling.
"Sigh, Yide, remember, we are now relying on the grace of others. Brother Bogui is extremely kind to me because of our shared schooling, but we need not create unnecessary trouble over petty affairs. The young man from before is a scholar from the Yingchuan Chen Family, one of the world's prominent families," Liu Bei said softly to Zhang Fei, now that only the trusted aides who had been with him since the campaign against the Yellow Turbans were around.
"Sigh, big brother has the ambition of a lofty swan, yet is constrained by petty men," Guan Yunchang said with a sense of heroic frustration. Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, in the span of five to six years, the three of them, full of patriotic fervor, have been drenched in the cold water of the Great Han Dynasty, turning the once naive Liu Bei into a far more cautious man, least of all, the next time he would restrain himself from whipping the Supervising Envoy.
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"Ah, let's not talk about this anymore. There will always be a time when they need us, second brother, third brother, don't lose heart," Liu Bei said with a wry smile, and then, as if struck by a thought, he regained his fighting spirit once again.
When Chen Xi slipped back, Chen Lan was already somewhat worried, but still, she was startled when he suddenly appeared by her side.
"The young master has returned," Butler Chen, holding a horsewhip, quickly hid the hand that was grasping it behind his back when he saw Chen Xi appear.
"There's no need to worry so much," Chen Xi said with a smile, "Alright, we've come across some kind people." He casually slapped a metaphorical 'good person card' on Liu Bei's back, "Just follow the troops ahead. They are also part of the Sour Jujube Alliance forces."
"This isn't appropriate, young master," Butler Chen, having experienced more things, naturally knew the destructive power of armies in this era. When troops passed, they would comb through everything; when bandits passed, they would pick through everything. In short, the troops of this era were only slightly better than bandits...
"It's fine. After all, the other party can be considered capable. Let's go, no need to worry. Just follow them. With some luck, we might even get to meet Dong Zhuo, and I can witness this Xiliang warrior for myself. In his youth, he won over many with his imposing presence," Chen Xi said with a strange expression.
Speaking of which, whether it was the young Dong Zhuo or the audacious Yuan Shao who dared to challenge Dong Zhuo in his youth, or even Cao Mengde who in middle age swept across the Central Plains and defeated Yuan Shao, they all had the air of mighty lords. Unfortunately, the moment the grand trend of the world fell into their hands, they became like fools, choosing the least appropriate paths.
If history could be chosen, Dong Zhuo with his original ambition and young heroism could realistically defeat the Eighteen Feudal Lords without much difficulty. The ruthlessness of Li Ru, the strength of the world's number one military general, the dominance of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, along with the elite Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, would have left the unprepared Feudal Lords lucky to return alive.
At this thought, Chen Xi felt somewhat eager. For the world's number one renowned general, Lyu Bu, and the world's number one steed, Red Hare—not to mention having previously seen Zhang Fei—Chen Xi believed that Lyu Bu, as a human-shaped missile, would have no issues whatsoever. He was determined to witness that great battle at Hulao Pass, a fight beyond that of mere mortals!
Chen Xi followed behind Liu Bei's troops leisurely. Except for the occasional inquiries from Zhang Fei, who seemed a little neurotic, Chen Xi had no opportunity to interact with either Liu Bei or Lord Guan again.
With such a safe environment and leisurely time, Chen Xi felt it necessary to ponder the future. After all, this was an age of chaos, and if one wasn't prepared, they could be swept up in it and not even remain in traces. Many in this era valued reputation, but history taught Chen Xi one thing: if he didn't want to end up like the Great Confucian Scholar Kong Rong, eliminated from the world, it was better to choose a good team to join. Fame couldn't feed you; only strength could.
He would just follow along. Chen Xi glanced at the troops ahead, thinking that aside from the Cao, Sunx, and Liu Families, there was no need to consider the others. These three families were battle-tested, while the rest were quite a bit inferior.
Just as Cao Cao once said: Yuan Shu of South Huai River, dry bones in a high mound; Yuan Shao of Jizhou, fearsome in appearance but faint-hearted, good at planning but indecisive, aiming for great things yet fearing death, seeing small gains yet forgetting life; Liu Biao of Jingzhou, fame not matched by capability; Sunx Ce riding on his father's coattails; Liu Zhang, although of the Imperial Clan, merely a dog guarding his territory; the rest are just mediocre and unremarkable!
With one sentence, he scorned all the Feudal Lords. Later, when Sunx Quan came to power, Cao Cao's remark became, "To have sons like Sunx Zhongmou;" this carried two interpretations: firstly, that a son should be like Sunx Quan, and secondly, that Sunx Zhongmou was but a child in comparison. He was stronger than the sons of Yuan Shao and Liu Biao, but that was it. He still had a large gap compared to a predecessor like Cao Cao.
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