Chapter 35: We Need to Recruit Talent

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun were currently being treated as absolute heroes. One moment, the alliance leader was offering them a seat; the next, a warlord was pouring them wine; and soon after, someone was handing them a massive slab of meat.

All three of them, including the seemingly delicate Zhao Yun, accepted everything without hesitation. Zhang Fei, covered in bandages, chugged wine by the mouthful. Sometimes, in his boisterousness, the liquid spilled directly onto his wounds, yet the man didn't even furrow his brow, continuing to blather on. When the meat arrived, he shoved it into his mouth, stripped the bone clean in one motion, chewed twice, and washed it down with a hearty gulp of wine.

"Three bottomless pits," Chen Xi muttered, rolling his eyes. How could they eat so much? They threw caution to the wind, accepting everything with a hearty, uninhibited air.

"Lord Xuande, your subordinates are truly a generation of heroes!" In the wake of such a great victory, even a grand scholar like Kong Rong was letting his guard down. After all, in this era of martial valor, no civilian merit could compare to military achievement.

"You flatter me, Brother Wenju. Xuande has chosen the path of a military commander; I shall need your guidance in matters of civil governance," Liu Bei said, holding his wine bowl. He looked genuinely delighted, draining the bowl in one go without a hint of pretense, and smilingly pulled Kong Rong down to sit beside him.

"Easily done, easily done!" Kong Rong stroked his beard with a smile, then turned to the sturdy general behind him. "Anguo, go and offer your thanks to Generals Guan, Zhang, and Zhao."

Kong Rong then turned back to Liu Bei. "Lord Xuande, this man is one of my generals. He once owed me the debt of a single meal, and he swore to repay it with his life. I have owed him much over the years; today, I thank you for saving his life."

"A man of loyalty and righteousness—saving him was but my duty. Why must you be so formal, Wenju?" Upon hearing that the man had sworn to repay a single meal with his life, Liu Bei felt an immediate fondness for Wu Anguo. "Heaven surely protects those who are loyal and righteous."

Well, upon hearing that, Chen Xi couldn't help but shrink back. Was Liu Bei starting to sound like a mystic?

Inside the tent, cups were clinking, and amidst the euphoria of victory, everyone had forgotten their earlier anxieties. It was as if Luoyang were already within reach and the mission to rescue the Emperor had succeeded. Even Yuan Shao, who had been weeping over his uncle’s death just days prior and swearing an oath to the heavens that he would never coexist with Dong Zhuo, was being flattered to the point of losing his senses.

[As expected, this situation confirms that Yuan Shao is not to be relied upon.] Watching Yuan Shao, who was already lost in fantasies of unparalleled glory, Chen Xi lost all interest in him.

He looked around the tent. Cao Cao was clearly not intoxicated; he had already begun chatting with Guan, Zhang, and Zhao. The Xiahou brothers were also sitting nearby, clinking glasses with the three of them, drinking with great enthusiasm.

He turned his gaze toward Sun Jian. Like Chen Xi, he was watching the expressions of the various warlords with a blank face. Or perhaps, he was already considering whether it would be better to strike out on his own rather than follow a Yuan Shao who made his blood boil—only for Yuan Shao’s recent behavior to act like a bucket of cold water, chilling his passion.

He looked at Liu Bei. True to form, aside from interacting with Kong Rong and Tao Qian, Liu Bei’s eyes were constantly scanning the other warlords, though his gaze lingered most frequently on where Guan, Zhang, and Zhao were drinking.

Chen Xi barely remembered how he had returned to Liu Bei’s camp. Thinking back, he estimated that nine out of ten people in the main tent had been carried out. If Lu Bu had launched another surprise attack last night, the Allied forces would have been finished. Most of the top generals were drunk, and with the exception of Cao, Sun, and Liu, the warlords were mostly incapacitated.

Cold sweat broke out on Chen Xi’s back. [Yuan Shao, if you want to die, don’t drag me down with you!] He realized, [Drinking truly, truly ruins things. From now on, I must remember never to get drunk while in camp. As long as I stay sober, my mind remains clear, and even if trouble arises, I can at least put up a fight. If I were to die inexplicably in the chaos...] Chen Xi’s face turned as dark as a pot bottom.

"Is Zichuan awake?" Shortly after Chen Lan finished grooming him, Liu Bei’s voice came from outside.

"Lord Xuande, I drank too much last night and neglected my duties. Did I act inappropriately?" Dressed in a flashy, moon-white silk robe, Chen Xi asked, looking somewhat weary.

"Even while drunk, Zichuan still insisted on reminding me to organize the camp defenses," Liu Bei said with a laugh.

Hearing this, Chen Xi breathed a sigh of relief. Indeed, a person who fears death fears it at all times; even while drunk, he hadn't forgotten that Li Ru and Jia Xu were dangerous.

"Good, that's good. Lord Xuande, please be sure to have Generals Guan, Zhang, and Zhao take turns on patrol. We cannot afford any lapses. If Lu Bu were to attack again, there are very few in the entire Allied force who could sound the alarm in time," Chen Xi said with a bitter smile.

"Zichuan need not worry about Lu Bu anymore. Zilong mentioned last night that Lu Bu’s 'invincible' state of mind has been shattered. It will be difficult for him to recover in the short term. He might even regress if he doesn't overcome the shadow of this defeat. Of course, Zilong also said it is possible he could break through to an even higher level." Liu Bei explained, but the last sentence terrified Chen Xi.

Lu Bu was already strong enough. It had taken a grueling gauntlet of challengers and a group brawl just to barely hold him off. If he grew even stronger, how were they supposed to survive?

"I hope Lu Bu regresses. Even if he just stays at his current level, that's fine—let him not grow any stronger. That guy is just too powerful," Chen Xi sighed. "I think we need to recruit some top-tier generals, form a luxury lineup, so that every time Lu Bu shows up, he gets beaten down—and we can rotate the people beating him!" Chen Xi said, gritting his teeth. He had impressions of all the famous generals of the Three Kingdoms and knew roughly where to find them.

Liu Bei didn't understand every word Chen Xi said, but he grasped the general meaning. Recruiting talent was indeed crucial, especially after seeing a super-warrior like Lu Bu defeat Guan and Zhang head-on. Liu Bei’s desire to recruit grew even stronger, though now was not the time.

When Dong Zhuo learned of Lu Bu’s current state, his disappointment and dissatisfaction were written all over his face. He had valued Lu Bu because Lu Bu was an invincible myth. Now that Lu Bu had been defeated—and once a first defeat happens, a second is sure to follow—Dong Zhuo’s esteem for him naturally plummeted.

Thinking of those three fellows on the other side, Dong Zhuo felt that the supposedly impregnable Hulao Pass was not safe at all. He suddenly felt that the territory he had been trying to expand was worthless; instead of providing security, these lands were bringing him endless trouble.

As he pondered, Dong Zhuo suddenly thought: Why not move the capital from Luoyang back to his home base? His home base was as secure as an iron barrel, with the natural defenses of the Xiao and Han mountain passes and the strength of Western Qin. Why suffer here? Once back home, he could do whatever he pleased—it was all his own territory!

Acting on the thought, Dong Zhuo trotted off to find Li Ru. "Wenyu, if we empty out Luoyang now and return to Chang'an, sitting behind the defenses of the Xiao and Han passes, will I be able to live even better than I do now?"

Li Ru was stunned. Looking at the towering Dong Zhuo standing before him with such hopeful eyes, all his irritation vanished.