Chapter 616

Chen Wuji almost forgot, he, like Boss Cao, both started their fortunes relying on the clan.

Within the clan there are many big and small, trivial matters, and there are also those who betray from within, but these are only a tiny fraction; the entire Chen clan is still extremely united, especially the MainVein side, united to the point that Chen Wuji once wondered whether these were really true.

With these people as his base, he really doesn't need to worry about Hu Bu Gui stirring up any trouble at all.

Chen clan

Probably even the Wise One must slip once in a thousand considerations; thinking too much, he ended up making the problem more complicated.

Attributing his momentary oversight to not having slept well these past few days, Chen Wuji smoothly moved on to the next topic: "I think Hu Bu Gui's attitude suggests there shouldn't be any major trouble here in Dingzhou; next we should still consider how to take Yushan Prefecture."

Xu Zengyi, pondering, asked: "My lord, are you really planning to entrust the land survey and such to Hu Bu Gui?"

"Letting him command troops is no problem; these are even less of an issue." Chen Wuji said.

Xu Zengyi again held a different opinion from Chen Wuji: "My lord, I actually think this is a matter that deserves attention. Dingzhou's situation differs from other places; Hu Bu Gui put it well—Dingzhou is a prefecture entirely supported by powerful clans and great surnames."

"Precisely for that reason, wouldn't it be even easier for Hu Bu Gui to handle it?" Chen Wuji asked. "If we dispatch personnel there, in an unfamiliar situation, the difficulty of this matter would be great."

Xu Zengyi pondered a moment, nodded slightly, and said: "This matter… has its pros and cons; we need to guard against it."

Chen Wuji said: "When the time comes, we'll take him as the lead, employ a few local Dingzhou officials, and fill the rest with our own people. Actually, even if Hu Bu Gui doesn't voluntarily take on this task, we still need to rely on the influence of local Dingzhou forces."

"We have no available personnel; I have no candidate for the Prefect of Dingzhou. If worse comes to worst, perhaps only Jiu Shu can go."

Three individuals from the Book of Wei

The prefect of a prefecture must be someone sufficiently trustworthy and mature and steady.

Chen the Mule, that Li family kid

Before Chen Wuji could say anything, Xu Zengyi first rejected Chen Luozi's suggestion: "Hezhou is our major rear base, truly our main stronghold; governmental affairs cannot be entrusted to a single person."

"How is that just one person?" Chen Luozi retorted. "Xu Zhang and Zhang Xun are both capable of standing alone; if we pull Li Run out, having Zhang Xun and Xu Zhang assist Qin Feng would be enough."

"These two are indeed promising talents, but their experience is still somewhat lacking, far less thorough than Li Run's handling of affairs." Xu Zengyi said. "Perhaps after another two years they might be alright, but for now they are not."

Chen Luozi shouted: "Then I'm even less capable! Whether in civil or military affairs, I'm as far behind those two as a mountain's distance. Please, think again; if really impossible, appointing a military officer to hold Dingzhou would also work."

Chen Luozi shouted: "My abilities are lacking; I've been out of Xishan Village for how long already? I want to see more of the world, not be stuck in one place, unable to do anything, with nowhere to learn; in the future I'd truly become a useless waste."

Chen Wují

His Jiu Shu, though young, can really spin out a whole set of little verses when he gets going.

But if he says that, he still insists on keeping him.

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Chen Luozi's modesty—Chen Wuji doesn't believe a word of it.

As one of the two contemporary Chen family leaders who openly take the lead, if he had no ability, who would believe him?

Chen Wují, old brat

"Having such a humble Jiu Shu is my honor." Chen Wuji joked with a smile. "But for this task, looking at it from any angle, only Jiu Shu seems capable; there's really no one else, so Jiu Shu, please bear the hardship and take on this burden."

"Once the various prefectures of Nan Jun are recovered, our next focus will surely be on the war with the Qiang people; Dingzhou, as a key border city, holds especially important strategic value. Entrusting this place to someone else would really be hard to put my mind at ease."

Chen Luozi wore a bitter expression: "I… I… can I really do this?"

"Jiu Shu's lack of confidence makes me suddenly doubt myself a bit." Chen Wuji said.

Some people, ah, really pretend to be the real deal.

Chen Luozi, unwilling to believe it, thought it over earnestly again, then resignedly accepted this fact.

He also couldn't think of any other usable candidates.

Under Chen Wuji's command, the people are now basically one radish per hole—there are hardly any extras.

"How about I take on this for half a year? In half a year, Li Run should be able to come out and shoulder the main responsibility." Chen Luozi asked. "Given my abilities, I reckon I could probably hold out for half a year; any longer and I definitely couldn't manage it—how could I, as a person, be able to garrison such a vast prefecture?"

Chen Wují

Self-taught performance is the true performance.

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Xu Zengyi smiled and said: "Don't shout anymore, just get to work."

"You, a member of our own family, when faced with a situation, why don't you charge forward instead of constantly shrinking back? Learn from that Qian family kid. That kid, I originally didn't think he could ever command an army, yet he actually stepped up."

"I tell you, even if you have all kinds of talent, constantly shrinking back will sap your courage and ability. A person cannot be lax; once lax, they'll be like a knife buried underground—sooner or later rust will corrode it, and it will be completely scrapped."

Chen Luozi snorted, "Mr. Xu, you've certainly seen our Chen family MainVein's heirloom precious knife before—how can you still say that? That knife is basically dug out of the dirt; look how sharp it is now."

Xu Zengyi paused, then said: "Your family's knife cannot be lumped together with ordinary knives."

"People of our Chen Family also cannot be lumped together with ordinary people." Chen Luozi said confidently.

Xu Zengyi lightly laughed, "That's hard to say; I can only admit my analogy wasn't very good, but I still don't deny the viewpoint I just expressed. Lao Yang has been forging iron for these years, and he no longer has the sharp spirit he once had; back then, he was truly an invincible warrior who could slay gods and Buddhas alike."