Chapter 819: Strategic Planning

At this moment, Yuan Shao's efficiency and Liu Bei's efficiency were roughly the same. On Yuan Shao's side, after Shen Pei received information about building a floating bridge, it didn’t take much time to find professionals, gather materials, and begin selecting a site, although the site selection was somewhat haphazard.

Similarly, on Liu Bei's side, upon learning that Yuan Shao might construct a floating bridge, they immediately strengthened their defenses. As for the professionals and materials, there was no need for preparation; neither did they need to worry about the site selection or the hydrological conditions.

For years, Sun Qian had almost perfected his skills in bridge and city infrastructure construction. As for materials, Sun Qian had already prepared everything in advance.

As for hydrological data, Jian Yong had in his hands a complete set of water flow data for the major river basins from the past hundred years. During his travels, Jian Yong hadn’t been idle, always conducting investigations and collecting information, though even he didn’t know why Chen Xi had instructed him to gather such data. However, it was clear that Jian Yong trusted Chen Xi’s judgment implicitly.

"Should we also build a floating bridge?" Sun Qian asked, turning his head. He was confident that constructing a floating bridge would be an easy task for him.

"Not yet," Chen Xi laughed and quickly dismissed the idea before Sun Qian could proceed with it.

"However, it does feel somewhat passive. Gongyou, you’d better hurry and finish the county road leading to Ji Yin. The project timeline is only about two months. I've already given you the troops. If you still can’t get it done, I don't know what else to do," Lu Su said, patting Sun Qian on the shoulder.

For Lu Su, who was always managing governmental affairs, Sun Qian's current tasks seemed like distractions. The critical project of road construction had yet to be completed, and here Sun Qian was meddling in other matters. Lu Su urged him to focus on building roads, as the development of the country and its convenient transport systems depended on him.

With a stern look, Lu Su's authority sent Liu Yan, Sun Qian, and Jian Yong—who had been lazily following the army—scrambling back to work.

"It sounds reasonable," Chen Xi commented, acknowledging Lu Su’s words. "You’re right, the road to Ji Yin needs to be completed quickly."

"I’ve handed over the entire transportation network plan to Gongyou. It's up to him now," Lu Su sighed. "Given the current situation, we’ll have to abandon part of the original plan and prioritize the road to Ji Yin."

"I’ve said it before, the failure of the Xuanyuan Cauldron has messed up many of our plans. But at least the general framework hasn’t changed much," Chen Xi waved it off, confident that Yuan Shao’s plans had been disrupted as well. Otherwise, the situation wouldn’t be as chaotic.

"Do you think Yuan Shao will attack tonight?" Jia Xu asked calmly as he sipped a bowl of chicken soup.

"Who knows? I hate these kinds of battles," Chen Xi said helplessly. "The truth is, we aren’t even sure if they’re building a floating bridge, yet here we are eating and drinking while waiting for something to happen."

"Isn’t it because we’re idle?" Guo Jia said with a yawn. "We don’t have much work, and there’s no need to worry about the rear. Wen You is managing it all excellently. He’s not only versatile but excels in every aspect. All we need to focus on is defeating the enemy. He’ll take care of everything else." Guo Jia was the most frail among them, frequently feeling tired.

"Report!" Just as Chen Xi was about to joke about Guo Jia’s poor health, a messenger hurriedly entered the tent to deliver a report. "Scouts have spotted Yuan Shao’s army constructing a floating bridge thirty miles upstream of our camp."

Chen Xi and the others immediately turned to Guo Jia, who lowered his head, trying not to speak, and coughed lightly. Chen Xi asked the messenger, "How far along is the construction? Are they building floating bridges elsewhere as well?"

"According to our scouts, the construction has just begun, but they’ve deployed a large number of craftsmen. It’s estimated that they will complete the bridge in a few days," the messenger quickly replied.

"Good. Keep the scouts patrolling both upstream and downstream, and make sure nothing is missed," Chen Xi instructed, waving the messenger away. His habit was to eliminate threats in their infancy. If Yuan Shao wanted to build a floating bridge, Chen Xi was ready with barrels of oil to burn them down wherever they were built.

"Well, my predictions really are unfortunate. I jinxed it," Guo Jia said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"It’s not such a bad thing. I’d actually prefer if they crossed over using the floating bridges. I’m not afraid of them," Chen Xi said with a smile. "Let’s see how many bridges they can build—I'll burn as many as they construct."

"It won’t be that easy," Lu Su said casually. "But it’s a valid strategy. Still, Yuan Shao won’t be able to attack tonight. They don’t have the technical, material, or personnel reserves to match ours."

"I’m heading back. Hopefully, by the time I wake up, Yuan Shao’s forces will have crossed the river," Jia Xu said as he stretched lazily. Since Yuan Shao wasn’t coming, he had no intention of wasting any more time.

The messenger’s report made it clear: even if Yuan Shao’s construction of the floating bridge was a diversion, it would take more than one night to complete. Jia Xu was already planning to rest and conserve his energy.

"Let’s all head back. Yuan Shao won’t be coming tonight," Guo Jia added with a laugh. Staying up late wasn’t good for anyone, especially not for someone else’s benefit.

"You go rest first. I’ll head to the rear camp and issue orders for an early meal tomorrow, at the second quarter of the Yin hour," Chen Xi said cautiously. It was always better to be prepared—who knew, maybe Yuan Shao’s forces would launch a surprise attack at dawn.

"Alright, it’s all up to you. We’ll go rest," Lu Su nodded. By this time, Liu Bei had likely already retired for the night, so Chen Xi was the only one left with the authority to issue commands. Lu Su understood Chen Xi’s intentions clearly.

The next morning, the camp bell rang earlier than usual, and Liu Bei’s army began breakfast an hour ahead of schedule. The meals were noticeably better than usual, and the seasoned veterans, having experienced many battles, ate quickly and silently, without their usual chatter.

After finishing their meals, the veterans instinctively began warming up, preparing their bodies for action. They carefully inspected their weapons and armor, tearing cloth from their garments to use as bandages if needed, and tucking away any emergency medicine in easily accessible spots.

Previous Chapter | | Next Chapter