Mythical Three Kingdoms

... Competing with a group of renowned officials from the Han Dynasty who didn't understand economic circulation, Chen Xi was confident that he could turn all these officials into stepping stones, because no one in this era understood both the necessity and the destructive power of commerce. Therefore, Chen Xi felt very confident. As long as nothing unexpected happened, with his help to recruit renowned generals and officials, slowly infuse his ideas, develop the economy, and accumulate strength, he might amass enough power to crush all the Feudal Lords before they even gained momentum. From the very beginning, Chen Xi had established his position. He wouldn't go to the battlefield. His military strategies were purely theoretical, deskbound musings. Being a subpar Strategist relying on historical strategies might not be a problem, but actually going to battlefields, he would probably be even less capable than Zhao Kuo. Chen Xi saw himself as part of the logistics, someone as harmless as Zhang Liang would do, but unfortunately lacking the capacity to secure victory from a thousand miles away. Thus, he could only look up to Xiao He, hoping to approach his level of logistical prowess. Looking into Chen Xi's sincere eyes, Liu Bei hesitated. In his view, this was Chen Xi's test. Since ancient times, sovereigns choose their subjects, and subjects also choose their sovereigns. Didn't Li Si flee from Chu Territory to Qin State because he favored the King of Qin over the King of Chu? Naturally, to Liu Bei this issue became very significant. After Chen Xi appeared, many things had become easier for him, and many changes had occurred. A Feudal Lords' Coalition intended merely to play a supporting role had been turned by Chen Xi into the main act. Furthermore, given the strategies previously revealed, Liu Bei knew that he might not find such an opportunity again. ["Did he explicitly explain his plans bit by bit for me to hear just so I would consider them carefully? Is it really my ambition to restore the Han Dynasty? I've told Chen Xi numerous times. Then why is Chen Xi asking again? Is he dissatisfied with that ambition? Why am I questioning my own ambition now?"] Liu Bei thought quietly without speaking. He considered his original aspiration, having repeated it so many times that he had forgotten what it was initially. ["I am to be the Emperor, and under this great tree, I must take this chariot canopy."] Liu Bei remembered his earliest desire, the words spoken while pointing at the great tree—the very beginning of his wish to become the Emperor! Liu Bei laughed heartily, with complete disregard for status, not minding that Chen Xi was beside him. His unrestrained laughter finally ceased, and he looked at Chen Xi and said, "I, Liu Bei, am loyal to the Han Dynasty, determined to restore its glory. The Han Dynasty may be assisted, but never replaced! Being of the Han Imperial Kinsman, possessing this bloodline demands setting an example. The glory of the Han Dynasty shall not be tarnished; all who dare to defile it are my mortal enemies!" Chen Xi was taken aback, as Liu Bei's words were not about restoring the Han Dynasty but about loyalty to it, yet he did not conceal his ambition. Indeed, having such lineage entails that responsibility. For the first time, Chen Xi felt in Liu Bei the intermittent Aura of Domination that he had sensed in Yuan Shao. Unable to withstand Liu Bei's gaze, Chen Xi spoke helplessly, his voice trailing along his forehead, "I might as well continue to follow you; at least for now, I see no one more suitable than Lord Xuande." Liu Bei was a bit disappointed, but then he felt somewhat relieved—after all, Chen Xi hadn't left. Besides, his overt statement that there was no one else suitable meant that Liu Bei was the most suitable. Considering this was the Feudal Lords' Coalition, a gathering of well-known figures under the heaven, and of all these people, he, Liu Bei, was deemed the most capable, which surely attested to his ability. "If so, Zichuan must not slack off!" Liu Bei said with a smile on his face, exuding a proud and boastful aura that was worlds apart from the Liu Bei Chen Xi had first met in Gongsun Zan's camp. "Even if I do slack off, no one in this world would notice," Chen Xi laughed heartily, his confidence radiating so strongly that Liu Bei was taken aback. He had always thought of Chen Xi as low-key and steady, never expecting him to show such boldness. ``` "With those words from Zichuan, I can rest assured!" Liu Bei said with a smile, "Let's go, let's go receive our Xiliang elite forces!" On the other side, Cao Cao was desperately fleeing for his life, first ambushed by Lyu Bu while cooking, which almost caused his entire army to collapse. If it weren't for his capabilities, they would probably have been scattered by Lyu Bu and the Xiliang Iron Cavalry. Even so, Lyu Bu persistently continued the pursuit until, in a last-ditch effort, the Xiahou brothers laid down their lives to hold off Lyu Bu, giving Cao Cao a sliver of breathing room. Fighting and retreating, the Xiahou brothers were beaten half to death within minutes. They had finally understood just how formidable Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and that Zhao Yun were. Facing Lyu Bu was no job for mere humans! Cao Hong led a hundred or so remnants, guarding Cao Cao as they ran towards Xingyang; there was no other way, no path left to take, so they just went where they could! "Elder brother, flee quickly!" Seeing the plume from Lyu Bu's helmet on the horizon, Cao Hong didn't hesitate a moment longer, turned his horse around, and charged back into the fray. He could die, but Cao Cao couldn't; that was his belief! Watching Cao Hong get hacked down after barely twenty moves, Cao Cao despaired. It was the kind of situation where one dies before achieving success. Lyu Bu, however, was preoccupied with the words of that letter; after all, everything it had stated previously had come true. The letter mentioned that the Coalition Army might launch several pursuits. The thought alone sent shivers down Lybu Bu's spine. Typically, after repelling the first pursuit, all the soldiers would relax. If there were another attack, they might all be annihilated, so Lyu Bu was on his guard now. As Cao Cao was left as the only one, Lyu Bu, eager for a great accomplishment, pursued him, unaware that he had become isolated from his own forces. [Kill Cao Cao, and whether there's another attack or not, rush back! You can't disregard that letter!] Lyu Bu felt that his fellow countryman was quite reliable, and that his advice was for his own good. "Bandit Cao, meet your death!" Lyu Bu, laughing wildly, spurred Red Hare towards Cao Cao, aiming to take him down in one fell swoop. Just then, from afar came a shout, "Lyu Bu, meet your death!" Lyu Bu focused his gaze and saw Guan Yu; then he looked at Cao Cao, whom he could catch up to in less than a minute. "Lyu Bu, meet your death!" Another shout rang out, and looking over, Lyu Bu spotted Zhang Fei. He hesitated briefly before continuing his chase after Cao Cao. He believed killing Cao Cao was a matter of one round. After catching up to Cao Cao and slaying him, he could turn Red Hare around, and those two would be left eating dust. But why did he feel a sense of danger? Glancing sideways, Lyu Bu cursed loudly; Zhao Yun was already not far from him, and the most outrageous part was that the man hadn't shouted at all, coming directly for the rear. No more hesitation; the letter his fellow countryman had sent was very clear. If he got tied down, he could very well die there. Killing a nearly recovered Guan, Zhang, and Zhao might be difficult, but to delay them until the Coalition Army's experts arrived would indeed be no problem! ```