Mythical Three Kingdoms-Chapter 728 - 692: Opportunity Has Arrived
Just like Xuu You had guessed, the situation was indeed as he speculated, but Chen Xi hadn't deployed troops in Chiping simply to guard the river crossing; rather, he had prepared three food supply routes from the start.
Chen Xi was well aware of how many defeats have been caused by food shortages, and he absolutely wouldn't tolerate losing to such a basic tactic. Therefore, anyone who knew of his arrangements for the food supply routes would definitely not consider disrupting them—an attempt would be nothing but a trap.
Afterward, Zhuge Liang asked a few other questions. Once sure there were no significant oversights, and that Chen Xi had indeed made all the necessary arrangements well in advance, they discussed nothing further, focusing instead on how to respond.
In such a situation, there was no need to specifically consult Chen Xi. Zhuge Liang and Fa Zheng would handle things themselves. After all, one could easily guess that the person following up would be none other than Xuu You, who had previously vanished into thin air.
"Xuu Ziyuan ah, how on earth did this guy manage to get behind me?" After Zhuge Liang left, Chen Xi no longer maintained his nonchalant demeanor. Instead, he looked quite wary.
Chen Xi's air of nonchalance was merely to give Zhuge Liang the confidence that everything was under control, plus he had truly anticipated this development.
Under these circumstances, as long as Chen Xi remained sufficiently composed, Zhuge Liang and Fa Zheng would naturally take care of Xuu You, who was coming up behind. There was no need to worry—Chen Xi's confidence stemmed from his trust in the wisdom of Zhuge Liang and Fa Zheng.
"What's going on with my rear? To say that it's been cut off just like that, and then there's Xuu You who circumvented it—how did I not get the slightest hint of it? Has Jia Wenhe's intelligence network completely died?" After Zhuge Liang left, Chen Xi cursed inwardly, relentlessly blaming Jia Xu.
Considering Chen Xi had established the intelligence network himself and usually did not interfere, it didn't mean he had relinquished his power. For such crucial intelligence that concerned him to have not been delivered was unforgivable, causing Chen Xi to furiously curse Jia Xu's lapse in judgment. Had Chen Xi not been well prepared in advance, he might very well have had his rear cut off and been utterly crushed.
In reality, Chen Xi was simply muddled. Xuu You had taken a direct line, riding fast with a pair of horses and without attempting to hide his movements. Intelligence reports would have had to travel faster than Xuu You's march and could only take the same direct line; but expecting the reports to beat the marcher's speed was as if thinking oneself to be Lyu Bu. Such a method, like Xuu You's approach, was purely aimed at exploiting cognitive blind spots.
"Achoo..." Jia Xu sneezed, then collapsed headfirst onto the desk. However, Lub Su, sitting at the head of the table, did not make any move to help Jia Xu for a long time. Out of helplessness, Jia Xu silently lifted his head and continued to deal with political affairs as if nothing had happened.
"Report..." A prolonged, urgent report suddenly resounded outside the Political Office.
Without waiting for the messenger to bring the intelligence report inside, Jia Xu stood up promptly, "Read it, what's the urgent report from the front?"
Lub Su cast a displeased look at the excited Jia Xu, knowing well that he was truly fed up with Ma Zheng and education. The annoyance with political affairs wasn't with how to handle the framework, but the constant need to revise after practicing it. With amendments being made three times in a ten-day period, Jia Xu felt he could no longer tolerate such an insult to his intelligence.
"Urgent report from Fann County. Feicheng has been attacked by an unidentified force; the intelligence comes from the sixth day of the third month," the messenger said after opening and quickly skimming the report.
"Feicheng has been occupied by an unidentified force?" Lub Su jumped to his feet, "Is there any news of Zichuan?"
"No," before the messenger could answer, Jia Xu had already spoken up, a frown on his face as he looked at the man across from him, "Wen Ru, it seems that the other side doesn't trust you all that much either."
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"As long as they believe enough to bite, that's all that matters. I don't need their complete trust," Li Youu tossed his pen aside with an air of arrogance, "They're not making a move, and if we were to strike first, we'd be at somewhat of a disadvantage."
"Hahaha, since when did you, Li Wenru, start to care about reason?" Jia Xu laughed heartily.
"To shut the endless criticisms of the Aristocratic Families Under Heaven," Li Youu said nonchalantly. He was no longer the same Li Wenyou who had been in Xiliang, free to do as he pleased without caring for others' opinions. Now that he had left that place, he needed to be somewhat mindful of his actions.
"So, let them take the blame. My God, we've finally made it through. When this is over, we won't have to devote the majority of our efforts to dealing with these families anymore. What's the plan?" Lub Su had also come to realize what was happening, his face beaming with joy as he rubbed his forehead.
The realization made Lub Su visibly relieved as well; his recent focus had been mainly on the ultimate strategic reserves in the North. He had almost forgotten why the three of them had refrained from leaving Mount Tai.
"The time has finally come. We can't really free up our hands without resolving the internal conflicts. Get ready, Zijing, you've said you can command troops, this time it's all on you," Jia Xu also expressed with a sigh of relief – the final counterstroke from the aristocratic families of Qingzhou and Xuzhou was about to emerge.
"By then, Qingzhou and Mount Tai will depend on you guys," Lub Su said with a smile.
Having resolved the internal issues, Liu Bei was now unshackled at this stage. They could accept the aristocratic families, but these families must comply with the laws under Liu Bei's rule. They could have privileges, but these must be restricted.
To most aristocratic families, such laws were harsh, but honestly, the fact that Jia Xu and the others weren't stripping the families of all their private soldiers was already quite accommodating.
What's more, not stripping the aristocratic families of their private soldiers didn't really equate to eliminating their privileges; even under Liu Bei, the aristocratic families still maintained private forces, albeit on a less exaggerated scale than those of other Feudal Lords.
Chen Xi had once considered completely eradicating the bizarre private army class, but later realized that without a private army, the families would truly become a piece of fat meat – given the current legal climate, a family without a private army could be exterminated.
If a class holding wealth and wisdom lacked corresponding strength, it would be a miracle if they were not overthrown. In reality, although the existence of aristocratic families had significant issues, their presence indeed served a purpose.
This was why Chen Xi always talked about limiting or splitting the families or gradually phasing them out of history, but never about simply wiping them out entirely. Such a move would cause massive turmoil, and besides, if one class were to vanish, another would need to fill the gap – therein lies the trouble!
Instead of directly annihilating the class of aristocratic families and triggering a myriad of consequences that could become unmanageable even for Chen Xi, it was preferable to implement a gradual policy. To take time to grind down this overly high-standing class without enduring the insanity of societal upheaval, allowing its dissolution over a century or so.
To accomplish these tasks, one point was unavoidable; every aristocratic family had to understand who truly reigned supreme. Only then could they proceed step by step! (To be continued. If you like this novel, you are welcome to vote with recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian ). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)
