Chapter 791: Return to Service

"Was there any serious injury?" Chen Xi asked, frowning.

"It was just a fistfight. After you left, some of the old veterans were watching the Qingzhou soldiers train from their camp and started arguing. A brawl broke out, and it escalated into a full-scale fight involving more than a hundred men," Jia Xu said helplessly.

Jia Xu’s casual tone left Chen Xi speechless. A brawl involving over a hundred people seemed to be no big deal to him.

"I’m guessing the result is that the veterans came out unscathed and knocked down their opponents?" Jia Xu nodded calmly, as if it were nothing unusual. Afterward, the veterans were challenged to a proper fight by the Qingzhou soldiers. The veterans were initially reluctant, but eventually, about two hundred of them joined in the scuffle.

Chen Xi didn’t need to hear the rest. Two hundred battle-hardened veterans against five hundred well-trained but inexperienced recruits—there was no question about the outcome.

"After that, those veterans were beaten by half a regiment of the new Qingzhou soldiers," Jia Xu added, his tone showing slight frustration. Clearly, the situation was getting more troublesome.

"So, these veterans and the recruits ended up fighting each other? And those three thousand new recruits managed to handle them? How was it resolved? Don’t tell me the veterans completely crushed the recruits. Wen Ze’s soldiers aren’t that fragile; they were wearing armor, and military rules forbid them from using weapons against each other," Chen Xi asked, his headache worsening.

"The veterans gathered in sufficient numbers, and without any command, they automatically formed a cloud of qi and executed coordinated, tactical-level maneuvers," Jia Xu replied, giving Chen Xi a knowing look. This revelation left Xu Shu stunned. Veterans acting without a commander to perform complex tactics was unheard of.

Chen Xi turned to Liu Bei, who was deep in thought. These battle-hardened veterans, though older, were still very capable. Initially, Chen Xi had ordered their retirement because of the era's low life expectancy. At thirty-five, they were considered old by the standards of the time.

However, thanks to Mount Tai’s superior medical care and living conditions, these veterans had retained most of their strength. They were at the peak of their experience, and their physical abilities remained near their prime.

"In that case, why not allow them to return to service?" Liu Bei suggested, glancing at Chen Xi. When Chen Xi had proposed retiring soldiers over the age of thirty-two who didn’t hold higher ranks, Liu Bei had understood the reasoning. After all, in Liu Bei’s experience, soldiers in their thirties were already considered elderly.

However, during the selection process for the City Management Corps, Liu Bei had realized that, thanks to Chen Xi’s improvements in nutrition and training, his thirty-something soldiers were still in excellent shape. His army, well-fed and healthy, didn’t include weak, malnourished soldiers who couldn’t wield weapons.

This had left Liu Bei conflicted about the four thousand veterans who were dismissed. He couldn’t simply reverse the decision at the time, so he reluctantly let them go. Now, he saw an opportunity to bring them back.

"Return to service?" Chen Xi nodded, agreeing to the proposal. It was clear he would need to revise some regulations regarding this.

"Let Wen Chang be the commander, and Yuan Zhi serve as his advisor. How about that?" Liu Bei smiled. He had high hopes for Xu Shu. Although Xu Shu’s strategic ideas during the earlier conversation were close to what Chen Xi and the others had already planned, they lacked the same grand scale. However, his competence was undeniable.

Xu Shu was momentarily taken aback. Although he could feel Liu Bei’s appreciation, being directly appointed as a military advisor was beyond his expectations. He had thought he would have to work his way up from a lower position to gain experience, not be given such a significant role right away.

"An advisor? This is indeed a recognition of talent," Chen Xi nodded subtly toward Liu Bei.

Jia Xu, however, glanced at Chen Xi with a slight frown. Such a leap in rank—especially in an already structured and stable organization—could cause dissatisfaction among others.

"Don’t worry about it," Chen Xi gestured under the table, signaling Jia Xu to let it go. As for any potential unrest caused by Xu Shu’s promotion, Chen Xi was confident Xu Shu could handle it. If Xu Shu couldn’t manage a bit of internal conflict despite his skills and backing, he might as well return to his life as a street thug.

Jia Xu’s eyes narrowed slightly, a look of understanding crossing his face. He had no qualms about throwing Xu Shu into the fire. After all, rapid advancement often required some risk.

"Wen Chang, how about this advisor I’ve chosen for you?" Liu Bei asked, turning to Wei Yan with a smile.

"I’m satisfied, very satisfied!" Wei Yan replied quickly. He had already been impressed by Xu Shu’s words and strategies during the banquet.

"Take my letter and recruitment orders, and go to the camp outside the city to gather your troops. You’ll know which are veterans and which are new recruits. As for your officers, once I and Zi Chuan assess the soldiers trained at Mount Tai Academy tomorrow, I’ll assign them to you," Liu Bei instructed Wei Yan.

Clearly, Liu Bei still had some concerns about Wei Yan and Guan Ping, or else he would have integrated the veterans with the new recruits, allowing the experienced soldiers to train the fresh ones.

However, Wei Yan didn’t notice the subtle implication. He was too excited about having an excellent advisor and the prospect of leading a well-trained army.

Having just turned twenty-two, Wei Yan was still youthful and a bit impulsive. He could barely contain his excitement and was eager to get started, fearing that his army might be reorganized by someone else in the meantime.

"You both seem restless, unable to sit still. If you’re so eager, go ahead," Liu Bei waved them off with a smile, allowing the two to leave.

Liu Bei, who had no heirs, cared deeply for his nephew, Guan Ping. As for Wei Yan, his feelings were somewhat more complicated.

Both Wei Yan and Guan Ping, feeling a bit embarrassed but eager to leave, rushed off with a hundred City Management Corps soldiers, not wanting to linger any longer in front of Liu Bei.

"Yuan Zhi, this is Jia Wenhe, our military intelligence officer. If you ever need anything, feel free to seek his help," Chen Xi introduced Jia Xu to Xu Shu, to which Jia Xu responded with a rather forced smile.

"I’ve long heard of Master Jia’s great reputation," Xu Shu said, immediately standing to offer Jia Xu a respectful bow. Seeing this, Jia Xu had no choice but to return the courtesy.

"Alright, Wenhe, let’s skip the pleasantries. What else do you have to report? The previous matter was just something to keep Zi Chuan busy; it wasn’t a serious military concern," Liu Bei interrupted, seeing that Jia Xu was about to offer some self-deprecating remarks.

If Liu Bei let Jia Xu continue, it would devolve into pointless banter. Both Chen Xi and Jia Xu were masters of talking in circles, leaving others bewildered yet convinced they made sense—a common occurrence!

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