"Alright. Letâs not worry about whatâs happening in Taishan anymore. Weâve blocked Xu You, and that means weâve completed our mission. Focus on our tasks and let those guys handle their own. Taishan will be just fine," Chen Xi said, no longer trying to persuade Zhuge Liang. Some things needed to be understood on oneâs own.
While Chen Xi and Zhuge Liang could still find time to chat, the situation on the walls of Chiping was much more complicated for Xu You. Although he had achieved his strategic goal, the devastating losses from last night weighed heavily on him. Almost 90% of his infantry was lost, and those who made it back were only the lucky ones. Even more painful for Xu You was the fact that his Wolf Cavalry had been halved, leaving only a little over three thousand.
When they counted the troops in the morning, Xu You nearly coughed up blood from the shock. The losses were simply too great. If not for leaving behind a thousand men to defend Chiping, he wouldnât even have enough infantry to hold the city.
This was why Xu You was glaring resentfully at Chen Xi, who was laughing and chatting below the city walls. He regretted not leaving immediately after accomplishing his strategic goal, even though it might have led to some losses. But there was no medicine for regret in this world.
"Order the soldiers to hold the city firmly. Iâve already sent a request for help to both Tian Yuanhao in Yanzhou and our lord," Xu You sighed, feeling utterly embarrassed. Originally, he could have left after achieving a minor victory, but now things had turned out like this.
"Last nightâs defeat was simply too bizarre..." Wen Chou nodded, looking at the exhausted Xu You. Their cavalry had attacked like tigers descending a mountain, only to be forced into retreat.
"I didnât foresee this," Xu You sighed. Taking responsibility was a must. He then took a deep breath, trying to pull himself together. "But itâs better to discover such an issue now than during a major battle. We must find a way to solve this problem."
"Why could they see?" Wen Chou sighed. Although he had a temper, he understood that the reason for last nightâs failure didnât lie with Xu You. In fact, Xu Youâs plan had been excellent; it just failed due to unforeseen circumstances. Who could have guessed that the enemy could see in the dark?
"Iâve sent word of what happened here to Jizhou for our lord to decide. As for the relevant issues, weâll need to consult Doctor Hua," Xu You said with a grim face. "If anyone can do something like this, itâs Doctor Hua."
Hearing Xu Youâs words, Wen Chou agreed with his analysis. After all, Hua Tuo had recently performed a feat that made him famous across the landâusing mugwort to eradicate a plague that could have killed seven or eight out of every ten people. This showed that Hua Tuo had a knack for tackling widespread illnesses, and he had the skill to do so.
"Why didnât he announce the prescription this time?" Wen Chou asked, sounding somewhat clueless.
"Because this condition isnât fatal and doesnât have a significant impact, unlike the plague that kills most of its victims," Xu You replied with a dark expression. "When we return, weâll also need to establish a medical system. Taishanâs soldiers rarely suffer deaths from infected wounds because they have excellent military doctors."
"In the past, we didnât value soldiers much, but now I realize that preserving three trained veterans is more cost-effective than recruiting three new ones. Thereâs no need for funeral expenses, and theyâre better fighters. When we return to Jizhou, weâll copy the entire Taishan medical system!" Xu You said with determination. Losing wasnât the issue; the real priority was identifying weaknesses and fixing them.
[This noble familyâs probing will provide enough information for the noble families to transmit all relevant data from Liu Beiâs administration to us. This will give Jizhou and places that have long sought reform, like Yizhou, a template to follow. Transplanting Taishanâs advantages onto Jizhou will make Jizhou even stronger,] Xu You pondered.
Taishanâs prosperity was now evident to all the lords under heaven. But how Chen Xi had achieved this from nothing was not something that could be explained by simply saying he was exploiting the nobility. If it were that simple, Xu You wouldnât hesitate to be ruthless.
Xu Youâs march on Feicheng wasnât just to signal Jizhouâs arrival, to alert the noble families of Qingzhou and Xuzhou, or to prepare Yuan Shu in Yuzhou for attacking Liu Bei. It was also to conduct a comprehensive assessment of Liu Beiâs administration and compare it to Jizhouâs.
Although Xu You and Ju Shou managed Jizhouâs intelligence network, their biggest rival, Taishan, had always been shrouded in mystery. They had never seen it clearly. Therefore, conducting a comparison before the war was essential, and this comparison would influence Yuan Shaoâs strategy against Liu Bei.
More importantly, Ju Shou needed a more practical political strategy to increase the power of Jizhou, Bingzhou, and Youzhou. In Xu Youâs view, Taishanâs rise was the perfect model. He needed this model, and the noble families of Qingzhou and Xuzhou were the pawns to obtain it. To Xu You, it was worth the trade.
[But I still need an explanation. The commotion I caused this time was too big, and to have it end in such a humiliating way... Now, I can only hope for turmoil among the Qingzhou and Xuzhou noble families and for Yuan Shuâs forces in Yuzhou to march out. This is the only opportunity before the final showdown to accurately assess Taishan and our last chance to perfect our strategy.]
As Xu You considered these matters, his expression was extremely serious. He was already prepared for the possibility of being sidelined by Yuan Shao for a while after returning. After all, this mess needed someone to take the fall, and it certainly couldnât be Wen Chou. That left only himself.
Xu You didnât realize that after receiving that piece of fine jade, his intelligence peak had started to decline. Although still higher than usual, it was no longer at the same level, and his thinking was not as meticulous as it had been. Otherwise, his considerations would have been even more thorough.
"Strategist, are we just going to let them dig trenches outside the city?" Wen Chou asked, noticing that Liu Beiâs troops were digging a trench two hundred paces from the city in three directions simultaneously, leaving only the side near the Yellow River untouched.
"Weâll dig inside the city as well. Donât let them tunnel in. But arenât you going to try shooting at their soldiers?" Xu You shook his head. Their mission was complete; they just needed to hold Chiping and wait for reinforcements.
"Heâs been watching me, and his archery is better than mine," Wen Chou said, pointing to Gan Ning, who stood below the city with his body wrapped in bandages, holding a ten-stone strong bow. Although he appeared casual, Wen Chou knew that if he made a move, Gan Ning would undoubtedly retaliate.
"At this distance, neither of us is suppressed by the internal energy. Although both armies are protected by cloud energy..." Wen Chou said as he pulled an arrow from his quiver and shot it towards Gan Ning. However, Gan Ning didnât move an inch, and the arrow lodged itself in the ground at Gan Ningâs feet.
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