Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 441 - 417 Trouble Comes

After this battle, Yuan Shu had suffered a great blow to his vital energy. It wasn’t that he had lost many soldiers, but rather because his son, Yuan Yao, got overly excited during the battle. While charging into the enemy ranks, he got injured. After Du Xi diverted the Yuh River, flooding Yuan Shu’s position, Yuan Yao didn’t escape quickly enough. His wound came in contact with the water, and since then, he has been suffering from a continuous fever.

Yuan Yao was Yuan Shu’s only son. Between his son being in such a condition and the considerable losses of his forces, Yuan Shu lost any interest in continuing his fierce struggle with Cao Ren. So, he ordered his troops to retreat to Shouchun. Along the way, they fed his son all sorts of tonics like ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms, and even stopped at a Taoist temple to make donations for him, but Yuan Yao’s condition showed no signs of improving...

Going back to the topic at hand, there were quite a few unreliable doctors in ancient times. Did they really think one could just consume millennium-old ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms recklessly?

If it weren’t for Sunx Ce’s inner qi serving as a foundation for Yuan Yao, putting aside other things, just the fact that his body was too weak to take tonics would have been enough to finish him off. This poor kid, I really don’t know what to say about him.

Moreover, due to Yuan Shu’s anxious love for his son, he would often demand that if the doctors couldn’t cure him, they should go die. As a result, none of them dared to try any treatment methods other than tonics. Anyway, giving tonics to someone with inflammation, fever, and a body too weak to handle them, it was already lucky not to be killed by the treatment. This goes to show that the doctors Yuan Shu was encountering were basically all quacks...

But thinking about it, it makes sense. In an era when being a doctor was considered a lowly profession, high-born families hardly trusted them at all. When they fell ill, they would just donate some money and then seek out a despised doctor for treatment. This naturally led to poor outcomes, and thus a vicious cycle ensued, reducing doctors to a practically nonexistent status...

When Chen Xi, sitting in the Fenggao Administration Hall, saw these reports, he felt extremely pleased. Other than the fact that Cao Cao was still alive, the rest of the news was quite satisfying to him. However, his feelings towards Yuan Yao were somewhat complicated. If he remembered correctly, Yuan Yao should have lived until the establishment of Eastern Wu, yet the current reports suggested that Yuan Yao could die at any moment.

As for the reports on Sunx Ce, it seems there wasn’t much to say except for the addition of Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao. What surprised Chen Xi, though, was that the Two Qiaos were indeed related to Duke Qiao, not his daughters, but as per Qiao Xuan’s dying message to Cao Mengde: "I entrust the care of my family to you from now on, including my daughters," it seemed that Cao Cao had the proper claim...

In this period, some noted scholars, either out of boredom or because of their own death, or even to arrange a marriage for a friend, would entrust the women or even daughters of their clan to their friends, usually as concubines. Qiao Xuan’s intentions were pretty clear...

In any case, it seems that Sunx Ce and Zhou Yu have eaten the dish that belonged to Cao Cao, and though Cao Cao doesn’t know it now, he surely will in many years. The phrase "taking the Two Qiaos to the southeast" couldn’t possibly be the roar Cao Cao let out upon learning the truth, could it?

Of course, all of the above were just Chen Xi’s wild speculations. What he was curious about at the moment was what Zhou Yu might be thinking to actually attack Lujiang. Shouldn’t the real strategy be to attack Yangzhou? After taking Yangzhou, they could easily force Lujiang into submission just by turning around. The current situation seemed quite irrational; could there be a conspiracy?

"Zijing, what do you think of this?" Chen Xi’s mind was a bit unclear, but he still habitually asked Lub Su, who was continuing to process civil registrations by his side.

"What?" Lub Su raised his head and then took the item from Chen Xi’s hands, "Attack Lujiang? Lul Family? This is bad!"

"The Lul Family? I had completely forgotten about the Lul Family matter!" Chen Xi’s brain, which had not yet recovered from the pleasures of love, suddenly became clear, "The Lul Family is extremely important to us; they cannot be taken down by Sunx Bofu and Duke Zhou Yu like this!"

"Send a message to Lord Xuande immediately, and order Gan Xingba to lead the navy to bring the entire Lul Family to Qingzhou." Chen Xi said with a slight urgency in his voice, then, after seeing the time the intelligence was sent, his face turned ashen, "It’s too late! Zijing, you write the order, and dispatch it to the North Sea with the utmost haste, ensure Lord Xuande gets this message. I’ll go directly to the Qingzhou port and command Gan Xingba to proceed to Lujiang!"

After the matters in Xuzhou were concluded, Liu Bei and his entourage went back to Mount Tai and received an urgent letter from Guan Yu. Guann Hai naturally sent it to Gan Ning’s location, and then it definitely needed to be sent to Yiizhou, accompanied by Cao Army prisoners. However, the newly acquired Qingzhou, though its people’s hearts had already been won over, still required Liu Bei to demonstrate his benevolence.

To pacify Chen Lan and Fan Jian, Chen Xi did not head to Qingzhou, nor did Liu Bei insist on it, merely asking Chen Xi to oversee the affairs of Mount Tai of Qingzhou and Xuzhou, as before. Then Liu Bei, accompanied by Jia Xu, went to the North Sea.

After returning to Mount Tai, Chen Xi didn’t come to the Political Office for the first five days. Today was the first day he had returned, and such a major event had occurred! The military situation was dire, but not because of Lu Xun, rather because of the Lul Family’s shipbuilding technology. If it were just for Lu Xun, they wouldn’t need to bother since he could make his way over. But Lu Xun, taking up residence in Mount Tai without the Lul Family’s shipbuilding technology, lost ninety percent of his value!

It was not a matter of underestimating or overestimating Lu Xun, but the most crucial aspect of the Lul Family was their shipbuilding technology. Without that technology, the difficulty of confronting Eastern Wu would increase by two stars.

"We can only do that, but you better be careful with such actions, Zichuan." Lub Su understood the urgency but still took care to add, "Privately mobilizing military power is a sensitive issue. Even if it’s a matter of necessity, it can leave a lasting bad impression in the mind of your lord, an impression that lasts a lifetime. This is something all people in authority are wary of."

"Don’t worry, don’t worry. Just send the order to the North Sea. I still have Lord’s sword with me. As long as you can dispatch it to the North Sea ahead of time, that’s all that matters." Chen Xi waved his hand, aware of how such actions are frowned upon, especially for someone in his position who should be particularly cautious. The saying goes, "Where there is no offense, there lies merit!"

"Then I shall write the order." Lub Su stared at Chen Xi for a moment, then took out a scroll of paper and began to write. He hesitated before finally adding his own name to it; having known Chen Xi the longest, he understood Chen Xi’s lack of desire for power.

"Good, after you finish writing, dispatch it to the North Sea with all speed, I’m off to command the troops," Chen Xi said, and then dashed out of the Political Office. If only he hadn’t taken a five-day leave, if only he hadn’t assumed there wouldn’t be any major incidents lately, it wouldn’t have come to this. Only heaven knows whether Sunx Ce has already dismantled the Lul Family. It would take at least ten days to get a report from Lujiang.

Having said this, Chen Xi ran out, but after a few steps, he came back, then flung the seal ribbon and other items to Lub Su, "Zijing, during the time I’m not here, you’ll temporarily handle the affairs of the two provinces. This time, it might take a considerable amount of effort. Once Ziyang and the others return, just implement the plans as previously decided."(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian ) to cast your recommendation and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)