Chapter 896: The Thoughts of Each Person

Chen Xi wanted to tell this group of stern-faced warriors, who looked so serious because of the war, that there was far more work ahead than just fighting battles. In the past, they had only dealt with smaller matters, but soon they would be handling much larger projects, including various epic undertakings!

While these people were enough to conquer the world, governing it would be much harder and more energy-consuming. Achieving greatness beyond their ancestors was not just a matter of ambition but involved countless overwhelming details.

However, now wasn’t the time to pour cold water on the group’s enthusiasm, so Chen Xi silently resolved to prepare himself to think ahead when the time came.

The group did not move quickly, but since the main camp wasn’t far, it only took a short time for them to arrive. By then, Liu Bei and others were already waiting for them.

"Greetings, my lord."

"Greetings, Lord Xuande." A chorus of voices sounded, but there was one discordant note among them. Without realizing it, all of Liu Bei’s subordinates, except for Chen Xi, had begun addressing him as "Lord Xuande." The only one still calling him "My lord" was Chen Xi.

"Wenru, why have you come here from Taishan? I thought you were stationed there," Liu Bei asked Li You, clearly puzzled by his presence.

"I was Jia Xu’s backup plan," Li You said with a smile, pointing at Jia Xu.

This scene sent a chill down the spine of Hu Zhen, who was one of Hua Xiong’s deputies. When had Li Ru (Li You) ever smiled like this? Even when celebrating Dong Zhuo’s birthday, he wore a cold expression that looked more like a funeral mask.

Upon seeing Jia Xu as well, Hu Zhen felt completely reassured. With the two men who ensured the survival of the Xiliang troops still alive and well, there was nothing left to worry about. They could simply continue following Hua Xiong, just as they had done for the past decade.

"Please forgive me, my lord, but we had a spy from Yuan Shao in our ranks, so I had to resort to this measure," Jia Xu explained calmly, picking up where Li You left off. The whole "backup plan" was just Li You being modest and not taking credit.

"Let’s not pursue the matter of spies any further. Yuan Shao had a large army, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, so it’s normal for him to have eyes everywhere. Is he dead?" Liu Bei asked quietly.

"Yes, he’s dead. General Huang has already shot him down," Li You replied calmly. If his ambush had failed, it would have been a disgrace to even mention.

"Nanyang’s Huang Zhong, Huang Hansheng, greets my lord!" Huang Zhong saluted Liu Bei, and just at that moment, Gan Ning entered the main tent after having sent Xu Sheng to the Yellow River’s mouth to prepare the ships. He had just learned that Guan Yu and the others had returned.

"The White-Haired Demon King!" Gan Ning stepped in, saw Huang Zhong, and reflexively jumped back with a shout. Of all the battles Gan Ning had fought, none was as humiliating as the one early on when he had just left Yizhou, thinking he was invincible, only to encounter the white-haired old monster in the middle of the Yangtze River.

Chen Xi immediately covered his face, and the others who remembered Gan Ning’s story of being defeated in ten moves burst into laughter.

"What White-Haired Demon King? This is General Huang!" Liu Bei laughed, pointing to Gan Ning, who was still on guard. Clearly, Gan Ning had been thoroughly defeated back then, enough to develop a conditioned reflex.

"Greetings, General Gan," Huang Zhong said with a smile. It was indeed him who had beaten Gan Ning all those years ago. At the time, his son was critically ill, and Huang Zhong had been fishing by the river to calm his heart when Gan Ning, freshly promoted to the rank of Internal Qi Detached, crossed paths with him. Naturally, Huang Zhong wasn’t about to let him off easily.

"Hmph!" Gan Ning huffed, turning his head away in frustration. Back then, without using any weapons, Huang Zhong had beaten him with just a fishing rod. It had only taken ten moves—ten moves! While it was true there was a gap in strength, Gan Ning had also been completely unprepared...

"Come now, Xingba, everyone was young and reckless once," Liu Bei said, coughing lightly to defuse the situation. He had already heard from Li You about Huang Zhong’s capabilities and didn’t want one of his key generals to harbor any grudges.

"Xingba, don’t be so petty. You lost once, so what? Be generous. If you’re still unsatisfied, you can have another go later," Xu Chu chimed in. He and Gan Ning had once fought a fierce battle, which had earned them mutual respect.

"Fine, since our lord is asking, let’s put the past behind us. But I wasn’t happy with that loss back then. Part of it was due to my youth, and part was my carelessness. We’ll have a one-on-one rematch in the barracks later!" Gan Ning said, tossing his head with an air of defiance, clearly implying that while he was letting it go, he still expected a fight to settle things properly.

"We can settle it in a match later, then," Huang Zhong replied with a smile.

Huang Zhong was keenly aware of the strength of those around him. Apart from Guan Yu, whose presence made his skin tingle with unease, he was confident in defeating anyone else present.

As for Guan Yu, standing next to Huang Zhong, he too felt a twinge of unease, similar to how he had felt when facing the mighty Lu Bu. Thus, he was more than happy to let Huang Zhong fight Gan Ning, as it would help him gauge Huang Zhong’s full strength.

Among the group, however, Li You, Jia Xu, and Guo Jia—who were the most attuned to human nature—picked up on something else. While Gan Ning’s initial reaction had indeed been a reflex, his later behavior seemed more calculated.

"Gan Xingba is quite the man," Li You thought to himself. If Gan Ning had truly wanted to fight Huang Zhong, a private duel would have been the best choice. By making it a public spectacle, Li You didn’t believe Gan Ning was certain of victory.

"He’s helping Huang Zhong build momentum. Wenru (Li You) already helped him kill Yuan Shao, giving him a step up. Now Zichuan (Chen Xi) clearly wants to promote Huang Zhong, and Gan Ning is setting the stage for a public duel to further elevate his status, making it easier for him to take over a full legion," Guo Jia mused, though he had no intention of interfering.

"This is amusing. Huang Zhong’s side is settled, and I don’t even need to say anything," Jia Xu thought with a lighthearted smile, clearly on a different wavelength from the others.

After this, they proceeded to record the merits of those involved in the battle. As expected, Huang Zhong was awarded command of a legion, likely with the rank of "General Who Conquers the Rebels," although the official title would have to wait, as they did not yet have control of the emperor.

Hua Xiong, meanwhile, earned the highest merit, as his actions were key to defeating Yuan Shao. Jia Xu and Li You had played their parts perfectly, with Jia Xu creating a battlefield suited to Hua Xiong’s strengths and Li You providing the tactics and equipment that allowed Hua Xiong to shine.

Thus, Hua Xiong, who hadn’t appeared before Liu Bei in quite some time, delivered a great surprise upon his return.

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