Chapter 42

In the reception hall, a scene of peaceful music and dance, Liu Bei sat upright in the chief seat listening to Feng Ji's grandiose words, but he merely nodded absentmindedly, seemingly not taking Feng Ji's words to heart, which greatly angered Feng Ji.

I, Feng Ji, am also a renowned scholar famed across Hebei! Liu Xuan De, why do you treat me like this?

Compared to Liu Bei's enthusiasm for Xu Xu, Feng Ji instantly felt unbalanced; it's all because you, Xu Xu, snatched the old man's limelight.

Listen to Liu Bei's enthusiasm for Xu Xu—it's as if they're two different people; I feel like an outright outsider now!

You like this strong liquor, Zi Yuan? Simple, bring a few jugs when you leave.

Fengxian, Wen He, have a few more drinks with Mr. Zi Yuan on my behalf.

……

Lu Bu, Jia Xu, Mi Zhu and other prominent figures of Xuzhou kept toasting Xu Xu, who now felt elated; what is the point of scholars entering officialdom if not for fame?

Feng Ji felt utterly miserable, alone in a corner with no one paying attention, almost wishing to hide his face and flee.

After three rounds of drinks, Liu Bei set down his wine cup and asked the drunken Xu Xu,

"What are your thoughts, Mr. Zi Yuan, on sending troops to Qingzhou?"

Xu Xu stroked his beard and laughed unrestrainedly.

"Lord Xuan De, Qingzhou is currently ownerless; Cao Mengde, you, and our lord, the Yuan alliance chief, are the three most likely to seize it—but Cao Mengde has just taken Sili, his conflicts with the Western Liang folks are deep, and he has no leisure to advance eastward. Moreover, our lord has long held a grudge against Gongsun Zan, so Qingzhou ought to be divided and jointly administered with you, Lord Xuan De."

Liu Bei gave Feng Ji a sideways glance; this old man dressed as a deity also stepped forward at this moment.

"Lord Xuan De, let us ally with our lord, seize Qingzhou and govern it together; thereafter we shall aid each other—wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Liu Bei snorted inwardly, 'Ally with Yuan Shao? Yuan Shao is no good thing—but this Qingzhou! Just take it in stride; later we can lure Yuan Shao's main force over, which would also ease some pressure on Gongsun Zan's side.'

Liu Bei immediately scanned the two men's information.

"Xu Xu, martial 50, intellect 92, governance 71, leadership 51, health 93, loyalty to Yuan Shao 82."

"Feng Ji, martial 10, intellect 78, governance 75, leadership 20, health 90, loyalty to Yuan Shao 95."

"Additionally, the system detects Xu Xu's favorability toward the host at 88; the host may consider recruiting Xu Xu to their side."

Liu Bei felt speechless; this Xu Xu, a little flattery and a few gifts and he'd be bought off?! Later, Xu Zi Yuan, you'll still be useful in Jizhou—don't come running to my Xuzhou now.

And you, Feng Ji, you act as if you're the pillar of Hebei—Ju Yi and Tian Feng don't have half your swagger, do they?

In fact, you're just a small-time operator, your intellect doesn't even match mine, Liu Bei—you're just glib-tongued; otherwise, how could an old coot like you get anywhere in Hebei?

Besides, it's handy to use your silver tongue, Feng Ji, to sow discord between Yuan Shao and Xu Xu—hehe, if Xu Xu hadn't wavered at the last moment during Cao Mengde's Battle of Guandu, Cao Mengde might have ended up getting his teeth kicked in……

"Mr. Zi Yuan truly has far‑sighted insight; then I, Liu Bei, will follow your advice and soon send troops to Qingzhou to jointly pursue great endeavors with Brother Benchu."

Feng Ji beside him turned ashen‑faced; 'This plan was my idea! No way—I must let Xu Zi Yuan know how formidable I am when I get back, you little‑person, you little‑person…'

Two days later, Liu Bei sent the reluctant Xu Xu out of the city, and gave him many personal gifts—even more than the presents he returned to Yuan Shao.

Xu Xu looked at the fine wine and jewels Liu Bei had given him, instantly feeling proud; to someone like Liu Bei, he thought a true friend was hard to find, and for a moment he even wanted to just follow Liu Bei and fight alongside him.

But Yuan Shao treats me well enough for now; he is the realm's foremost warlord, with better prospects, and my wife and children are in Jizhou—so never mind, I'll just speak well of you, Liu Xuan De, when the time comes.

Feng Ji watched the two parting at the long pavilion, snorted coldly, and thought, 'Xu Xu, just wait till you get back!'

After seeing off Yuan Shao's envoy troupe, Liu Bei summoned all of Xuzhou's civil and military officials; they lined up in the hall, and Liu Bei stared intently from the commander's desk.

"Given Yuan Shao's proposal just now, how should we respond, everyone?"

Jia Xu stood at the front of the civil officials, heard Liu Bei's question, stepped forward and said with a smile,

"My lord, Xuzhou is now stable, troops strong and supplies ample; we certainly must take Qingzhou, but… we should do it ourselves, letting Yuan Shao tangle with Gongsun Zan in the north."

The senior general at the front, the Second Brother, stroked his beard and pondered.

"I think the strategist's words are most appropriate; Yuan Benchu has wolfish ambition, so we should now contend with him for Qingzhou. Once he seizes Qingzhou and Youzhou, wouldn't we just be watching his power grow? Elder brother, I volunteer to be the vanguard and take Qingzhou straight away."

The Third Brother stepped forward and laughed,

"Second Brother, this time you have to let me have it—last time you sliced Cao Cao's general Che Zhou in half with one blow. Let me handle the vanguard duty this time!"

Liu Bei looked at the fifth man in the military lineup, Lu Bu, and thought, 'I can't leave this brat in Xuzhou to stab me in the back!'

Lu Bu's standing is low now; in Liu Bei's army he ranks after Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun and Xu Huang, feeling slighted, he has lately been gloomy.

"Fengxian, what's your view? Speak up."

Lu Bu felt it was a good opportunity when Liu Bei called his name, and he eagerly stepped forward, clasping his fists.

"Foster father, I was originally the vanguard; I took the heads of Yan Liang and Wen Chou from Hebei for you."

"Heh heh, Fengxian my nephew, let uncle me take the vanguard; don't go running off somewhere later and ruin my elder brother's plans."

The Third Brother, always sharp‑tongued, spoke with extra bite now as he vied for the vanguard; Lu Bu's face flushed red as he strongly argued,

"Foster father, your kindness to me is weightier than mountains; how could I disappoint you? Don't try to drive a wedge between our father‑son bond……"

Liu Bei gave Chen Gong in the civil officials a cold look; under the Dark Net's surveillance he's been fairly honest lately—hmph, Duke Gong, you can't stay in Xuzhou, or who knows what trouble you'll stir up.

"All right, Third Brother, this time Fengxian will take the vanguard. Fengxian, lead your 20,000‑strong Bingzhou troops as the vanguard force."

Lu Bu stepped forward excitedly and gave a loud assent.

Liu Bei rose from the commander's desk and kept issuing orders.

"Besides, Yun Chang leads the Jing'an army of 50,000 as the center; Yi De leads 10,000 surrendered troops as the left wing; Zi Long leads the Snow Dragon cavalry and another 10,000 surrendered troops as the right wing."

"Wen Yuan and Gao Shun lead the Molin army into the center force; this is your first battle as a newly formed unit—march forward bravely, seize the initiative, and achieve merit."

The generals assented in turn; Xu Huang saw he had no combat assignment, and as one of the two army group commanders he grew anxious, about to step forward to request a post, when Liu Bei smiled and indicated,

"Don't worry, Yin Gong; this time all of Xuzhou's elite troops will be sent out, and we need a steady commander to guard Xuzhou's gate—no one but you fits the post. Take the remaining 30,000 surrendered troops to hold the rear, and we'll draw you forward as needed depending on how the fighting goes."

Having said that, Liu Bei left Xu Huang no choice but to comply and withdraw.

"Mr. Wen He will serve as strategist; Duke Gong and Sun Qian as scribes, following me to allocate personnel in the center; Mr. Yuan Long will be the clerk in charge of provisions and logistics. Zi Zhong, your duty is the greatest—together with Yin Gong you must cooperate to safeguard Xuzhou."

The civil officials came forward one by one to assent; Liu Bei looked at the crowd below and felt his heroic spirit rise.

I, Liu Bei, now also have strong troops and ample supplies; Yuan Benchu, you want to scheme against me—let's see who ends up laughing last!