Chapter Six: Come Join My Big Brother, Chen Xi

These three houses each have their own merits and flaws. The Sun family has the most significant drawbacks, plagued by internal conflict, but the advantage is that if you are looking to coast through life, they are the undisputed choice. Their strategy seems inherently chaotic, making them the ideal warlords for a slacker, and the level of safety is quite high.

Cao Cao is a formidable leader, though his excessive paranoia is a pity. The upside is that before he reaches the zenith of his power, as long as you possess talent, he will tolerate almost any level of arrogance. If one could strip away his paranoia, he would undoubtedly be the best candidate.

Crucially, aside from those who died of illness or were forced to commit suicide, there is no record of Cao Cao’s strategists being captured or executed by enemies. While it may seem dangerous, Cao Cao’s protection of his subordinates is actually quite effective; even after the catastrophic defeat at Red Cliffs, no strategist was ever captured.

However, Chen Xi lacks the confidence that his own behavior would escape Cao Cao’s suspicion. No matter how he tries to adjust his words and deeds, there is always a subtle difference compared to the people of this era, and he could easily cause offense inadvertently.

Ultimately, it comes down to a gamble: either end up like Xun Yu, forced to commit suicide over an empty box for no apparent reason, or end up like Guo Jia, where Cao Cao turns a blind eye to everything and offers absolute trust. Which would you choose?

Then there is Liu Bei. To this day, he remains an enigma. You could say he is just putting on an act, but if one can act for a lifetime, it becomes indistinguishable from reality. As the saying goes, when you first start pretending to be something you are not, you might feel uncomfortable, but once you get used to the pretense, you truly become that thing.

In short, whether Liu Bei is pretending or expressing his true feelings, it makes little practical difference; the outcome is essentially the same. The problem is that following Liu Bei offers no guarantee of safety, and the first dozen years are incredibly stifling.

Xuzhou is a good place, but it lacks defensible positions. Jingzhou is also a good place, but it is held down by Liu Biao from above. By the time one gains the capability to defend that strategic crossroads, Jingzhou is already lost, and the land of milk and honey is devastated by a single war—the whole situation is just a stroke of bad luck.

Thinking of this, Chen Xi is speechless. Following Liu Bei, unless one possesses the combat prowess of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, or Zhao Yun, disaster will strike sooner or later. The problem is, he lacks that strength. With Zhang Fei’s ability to leap over ten meters and leave a crater in the ground with a single stomp, he could take on a whole platoon without any trouble at all.

"Sigh," Chen Xi sighed. None of these options seem like good news.

"What is the matter, Young Master?" Chen Lan, who was sitting quietly to the side reading, looked at her master with curiosity.

"I am just thinking about who to throw my lot in with," Chen Xi said with a smile. There is no need to hide anything from his personal maid; in this era, such is the convention—a maid is often more trustworthy than one's subordinates.

"Why not join my elder brother?" Before Chen Lan could speak, Chen Xi heard the booming voice of Zhang Fei.

"Can you stop appearing out of nowhere? You are a giant of a man, yet you walk without a sound—what are you trying to do?" Chen Xi rolled his eyes. Among the group, Zhang Yide is the one he is most familiar with.

"For those of us who practice martial arts, reaching this level means walking without sound is perfectly normal. On the contrary, if one were to deliberately make noise, wouldn't that be inviting trouble?" Zhang Fei chuckled. "Zichuan, if you are looking for a master to serve, join my elder brother. He is, after all, a member of the Han imperial clan."

The boorish Zhang Fei has a delicate side; he did not give Chen Xi a chance to change the subject and immediately brought out Liu Bei’s greatest calling card—the same one that would be emphasized throughout his career.

"Lord Xuande is indeed among my considerations," Chen Xi said, feeling unable to refuse. He hesitated for a moment, but fortunately, Zhang Fei is not as arrogant as Guan Yu. If it were Guan Yu, Chen Xi would never say such a thing; he has no desire to leave a thorn in the heart of the Second Master.

"What is there to consider!" Zhang Fei’s massive hand clapped onto Chen Xi’s shoulder. "My elder brother is a man of the highest caliber, determined to restore the Han Dynasty. Since you have such aspirations, Zichuan, why not work toward that goal with us?"

"You have said it all," Chen Xi rolled his eyes. "Let me put it this way: Lord Xuande currently has no men and no territory. Restoring the Han Dynasty is not something you can just talk about. First, you need people—by which I mean the governed populace. Then, you must be able to turn those people into soldiers, select officers from those soldiers, and once you have a framework, you need to build momentum so that talented individuals will come to join you. Only after all that do you have the qualifications to compete with the heroes of the world."

After saying this, Chen Xi realized Zhang Fei might not grasp his meaning, so he gestured with his hands. "Look, this is roughly the height at which the noble clans stand. They have wealth, grain, and people. Once an opportunity arises, they can transition from powerful local clans to official power holders. Lord Xuande is barely at this level; he has nothing. His only title, member of the imperial clan, has not even been recognized by the Imperial Clan Court. You could say the situation is extremely difficult."

Zhang Fei’s face darkened, but he did not refute Chen Xi’s words. He is not stupid; he is merely hot-tempered.

"Then tell me about the others," Zhang Fei asked, looking at Chen Xi with curiosity.

"Very well. Let us start with Cao Mengde, who issued the manifesto this time. I hold him in high regard. After failing to assassinate Dong Zhuo, he issued a manifesto to unite the righteous men of the world against him. Regardless of whether he wins or loses, he will be famous throughout the land. From that point on, as long as he seizes the opportunity to rise, the world will be shaken."

"Will the campaign against Dong Zhuo fail?" It was clear that Zhang Fei’s mind was not on Cao Mengde, but on the phrase "regardless of whether he wins or loses."

"What is the goal of the campaign against Dong Zhuo?" Chen Xi did not explain, but instead asked a question.

"To rescue the Emperor and put an end to the chaos in the world," Zhang Fei replied righteously.

"And if Dong Zhuo is defeated and carries the Emperor away with him..."

"He wouldn't dare!" Zhang Fei roared.

"Go ask him if he dares. My ears are already ringing—your voice is too loud, it’s going to be the death of me," Chen Xi said, feeling a headache coming on.

Zhang Fei laughed sheepishly, but a shadow had fallen over his heart. Intuition told him that what Chen Xi suggested was highly likely to happen.

"Let’s talk about other things. A snake cannot function without a head. With so many different factions of righteous men, there must be a commander. Who will lead? Who will manage the grain, the horses, and unify the orders of all parties?" Chen Xi threw out more questions. "Most importantly, if Luoyang is taken and Dong Zhuo drags the Emperor to Chang'an, what then? Do we pursue or not? Can the grain supplies support it? If the pursuit leads to the Emperor’s harm, who will take responsibility? And the most important point of all: everyone has their own selfish motives."

Zhang Fei fell silent. He had never thought about these things, but once Chen Xi pointed them out, Zhang Fei realized how fatal they were.

"According to you, the Emperor cannot be saved," Zhang Fei said with a look of disappointment.

"It is absolutely impossible. To rescue the Emperor, first, there must be imperial troops inside Luoyang capable of protecting him from harm. Second, the rescue force must be able to completely suppress Dong Zhuo's troops to prevent them from acting out of desperation. These two points are the absolute minimum, and we cannot achieve either of them." Chen Xi shrugged. Trying to save the Emperor at this stage is nothing more than a pipe dream.