Mythical Three Kingdoms

"All right. Don't worry about the situation on Mount Tai; if we block Xuu You, our mission will be complete. Focus on our own tasks and forget about those guys; Mount Tai will definitely be fine," Chen Xi no longer persuaded Zhuge Liang, understanding that some things needed to be realized independently.

Compared to Chen Xi and Zhuge Liang, who still had the leisure to chat, Xuu You on the walls of Chiping City was much more troubled. It's true that his objective had been achieved, but the defeat the night before had been too dire. Ninety percent of the infantry had been decimated, and only those who had been lucky enough had managed to retreat with him. What pained Xuu You even more was that over half of the Wolf Cavalry had been lost, with just over three thousand remaining.

In the morning, when counting the number of people, Xuu You had almost spat out a mouthful of blood—the losses were too great. If it were not for the fact that Chiping still had a thousand troops left behind for defense, he wouldn't even have infantry to guard the city.

This was also the reason why Xuu You, watching Chen Xi talking and laughing casually below the city, felt such resentment. Right now, he wished he could tear his own foolish mouth; had he mocked Chen Xi less and simply led his troops away, even if there had been losses, they wouldn't be this severe. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as Regret Medicine in this world.

"Order the soldiers to strictly guard the city. I have sent out distress letters to Tian Yuanhao in Yanu and our Lord, Liu Bei, simultaneously," Xuu You sighed, feeling disgraced. Originally, after completing the strategic objectives, a small victory followed by a withdrawal would have sufficed, but the result had turned into the current disaster.

"Last night's defeat was just too bizarre..." Wen Chou nodded and, looking at the exhausted Xuu You, said, "During the cavalry's forceful assault, it was like a tiger descending the mountain, yet in the end, it fled in defeat."

"It's something I hadn't anticipated," Xuu You sighed, acknowledging that it was his responsibility to accept the blame, then took a deep breath and tried to rally himself, "Yet, receiving such news at this time is far better than during a major battle. We must find a solution to this problem."

"How could they have seen it?" Wen Chou sighed. Although he was known to be hot-tempered, he understood that the failure of the previous night was not on Xuu You. In fact, Xuu You's plan had been excellent. It was the unexpected turn of events that had led to the defeat—who could have guessed that the enemy would be able to see?

"I've also sent word of what happened here to Jizhou, for our Lord to judge. As for who was involved, it must be Divine Doctor Hua," Xuu You said with a dark face, "Under the heavens, he is the only one capable of such a thing."

Having heard Xuu You's words, Wen Chou also acknowledged Xuu You's analysis. After all, in this lifetime, Hua Tuo had already achieved something quite famous. Not long ago, using mugwort, he had cured a typhoid outbreak that could have killed seven or eight out of ten people across the land, proving that he liked treating such widespread diseases, and that he was capable of doing so.

"Why didn't they make the prescription public this time?" asked Wen Chou, with the naivety of a fool.

"Because this condition doesn't kill people, nor does it have much impact, unlike typhoid which left seven or eight out of every ten dead," Xuu You said with a dark expression. "After we return, we too need to find a doctor and establish a medical system. The reason there were so few cases of infected and dying soldiers at Mount Tai is that they had excellent military doctors."

"I always used to think that soldiers were worth little, but now I realize that preserving three well-trained veterans is more cost-effective than recruiting three new soldiers. There's no need for funeral expenses, and their combat quality is superior. Once we return to Jizhou, we will copy the entire Mount Tai medical system!" Xuu You said with a solemn expression. Losing wasn't what he feared, but rather identifying the gaps and finding one's own shortcomings was the priority.

[This trial of the noble families has provided ample information to let them transmit all relevant details of Liu Bei's governance systems. With this information, a template is available for Ju Gongyu and other regions looking for reform, allowing them to graft the advantages of Mount Tai onto Jizhou and make Jizhou even stronger.] Xu You reflected.

The prosperity of Mount Tai is now widely recognized by the Feudal Lords, but how Chen Xi achieved this level of development from scratch isn't something you can explain away by simply saying he leeched off the noble families. If that were all it took, Xu You certainly wouldn't mind taking drastic measures.

One might say that Xu You's military pressure on Feicheng, besides making it clear to the noble families that Jizhou is emerging and sending a signal to the Qing Xu Families, as well as preparing the Yuan Family in Yuzhou for an attack on Liu Bei, entails even more. It's about giving an overall assessment of Liu Bei's territory before the war and comparing it with Jizhou.

After all, although Xu You and Ju Shou hold control over Jizhou's intelligence, they have never had a clear picture of their greatest enemy, Mount Tai; they've only seen glimpses through the fog. Therefore, a comparison before the war is unavoidable, and this comparison will influence Yuan Shao's strategic approach to Liu Bei.

What's more important is that Ju Shou needs a more realistic and feasible political strategy to enhance the strength of Jizhou, Bingzhou, and Youzhou. In Xu You's opinion, the rise of Mount Tai serves as the perfect template. He needs this template, and trading these Qing Xu Family pawns for it, in his view, is worth it.

[Nevertheless, an explanation is needed. I've made too much of a commotion this time, and the way things ended was so unexpected. Now, we can only hope for the turmoil with the Qing Xu Families and the deployment of the Yuan Family troops from Yuzhou. This is our only chance in Jizhou to accurately evaluate Mount Tai before the final battle, and also our last opportunity to complete our own political strategy.]

Xu You was extremely cautious as he pondered these matters. He was already prepared to be put on ice by Yuan Shao for a while, as this time's trouble required a scapegoat. Wen Chou was certainly not an option, which left only himself.

Xu You hadn't noticed that his intelligence had begun to decline since the moment he received that piece of Beautiful Jade, which had temporarily sparked a pinnacle period in his intellect. Although still above his usual level of intelligence, he was no longer capable of concocting triple-plans as before. Otherwise, his current deliberations would be even more meticulous.

"Strategist, are we just going to let the enemy dig trenches outside the city?" Wen Chou observed Liu Bei's Army collectively digging a trench about two hundred steps from the city in three different directions, although they hadn't started on the side nearest the Yellow River.

"We're digging inside the city as well. Make sure they don't get in from underground. But don't you try to shoot any of their soldiers?" Xu You shook his head; their task was completed, and all they needed to do was to defend Chiping and wait for reinforcements.

"He's been keeping an eye on me, and he's a better archer than I am," Wen Chou pointed at Gan Ning below, bandaged and nonchalantly holding a Ten-Stone Strong Bow. Wen Chou knew that once he made a move, the enemy would assuredly do the same.

"At this distance, neither my Inner Qi nor his is suppressed. Although both our armies are protected by Cloud Qi, but..." Wen Chou interrupted himself, pulling out an arrow and firing it in Gan Ning's direction. Gan Ning didn't move an inch, and the arrow struck the ground right in front of his feet. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations, monthly tickets on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)