Chapter 43: Surely Able to Replace It!

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With a single sentence, Liu Bei shifted the responsibility for previous events onto Lu Bu. After all, these men were essentially Hua Xiong's personal troops, and Hua Xiong's performance had satisfied Liu Bei greatly—both in terms of loyalty and martial prowess. Thus, Liu Bei would not offend Hua Xiong over such trivial matters.

"Zijian, are you confident that you can fully command these men?" Chen Xi asked with a frown. Although he had previously considered how to handle Hua Xiong's troops after his capture, he hadn't expected Lu Bu to actually bring the entire unit along this time; they would be difficult to divide.

"There is no need for concern, Excellency. Since they have pledged allegiance to the Lord, their former status as my personal troops no longer counts separately. Captives shall be treated as captives, and military merit shall be military merit. I cannot grant them special treatment simply because they were once my men," Hua Xiong said solemnly. In this regard, the man was quite rigid and dogmatic.

Chen Xi and Liu Bei exchanged a glance. Seeing Liu Bei nod, Chen Xi turned to Hua Xiong and said, "Select your former troops and reorganize them as your own unit. Given how long you have worked together, it would take more than a moment to regain combat effectiveness if they were disbanded and reorganized from scratch. As for the rest, leave them to Lord Xuande. However, if your unit's quality remains at this level after being returned to your command, do not blame me for stripping you of your rank."

"Understood!" Hua Xiong replied loudly, though his voice clearly betrayed his joy.

After all, military law is military law, and personal sentiment is personal sentiment. While Hua Xiong could uphold military law when the two conflicted, it was even better if he could balance both; after all, since ancient times, China has been a society built on personal connections.

Soon, Hua Xiong had selected his former troops. It was evident that these men were perfectly accustomed to his command. Under Hua Xiong's leadership, the reorganized unit instantly coalesced into a dense, swirling cloud of energy, resembling the vibrant colors of a sunset cloud.

Similar to Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, this sunset-colored aura centered around the commander, Hua Xiong, enveloping his troops. It appeared even more imposing than that of the three men, proving that Hua Xiong, as a fierce general of Xiliang, was indeed a highly capable cavalry commander.

Once Hua Xiong had sorted out his four thousand men, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were practically salivating. They had previously thought the Xiliang Iron Cavalry to be a disgrace, but as soon as Hua Xiong took charge, their elite essence was immediately revealed.

Chen Xi looked at Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun—who was off to the side, seemingly indifferent while cleaning his spear—and sighed. There simply wouldn't be enough to go around. Although these troops were intimidating enough for a minor warlord, given the future performance of the men present, even giving them all to one person might be insufficient.

"Allocate five hundred men to Zichuan as guards. The rest: one thousand five hundred each to Yunchang, Yide, and Zilong. Give any surplus to me," Liu Bei issued his "spoils distribution" orders.

It was expected that there wouldn't be much left after Guan, Zhang, and Zhao took their shares. However, Liu Bei himself did not command troops; he only had a thousand personal guards brought from the Yellow Turban Rebellion, all of whom were led by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Now, by assigning cavalry to Guan and Zhang, he could once again bring those veteran guards back under his direct control, serving as a different kind of reorganization.

It must be said that although Guan, Zhang, and Zhao had not yet experienced many fierce battles, they already possessed the foundation of great generals. They quickly stabilized the Xiliang Iron Cavalry. While they could not yet project the overwhelming, murderous aura of Hua Xiong, they no longer looked like captives of a recent defeat; they already showed the spirit of elite troops. It was likely they could be sent to the battlefield again after a proper reorganization back at camp.

Watching Guan Yu and Zhang Fei joyfully running laps across the plain with their respective fifteen hundred cavalrymen, Chen Xi didn't know what expression to make. *Second Brother, aren't you living a bit too pitifully? It's just fifteen hundred cavalrymen; is there a need to be this happy? Don't you know the good days are still ahead?*

Well, Chen Xi didn't bother with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. He wasn't ignorant; this was still the era of Dong Zhuo's tyranny. In the entire world, the only ones with significant cavalry units were Dong Zhuo, Gongsun Zan, and Ma Teng. But Ma Teng, where did your cavalry come from? Xiliang is weak; isn't that Dong Zhuo's territory?

In short, cavalry was very scarce at this time. Of course, whether it was Cao Cao before the Battle of Guandu or the Sun-Liu alliance after the Battle of Red Cliffs, horses were always in short supply. It couldn't be helped; both Yuan Shao and Cao Cao knew that horses were strategic resources that could not be traded excessively. Because of this, even though there were vast numbers of wild horses on the grasslands, the warlords' cavalry remained minimal.

"Lord Xuande, notify Generals Guan and Zhang that we must return to camp. We shall return to observe the faces of the various warlords, and after that, we must walk our own path. However, if Li Ru could use Luoyang as bait, it stands to reason he will leave other baits to divide the warlords. I wonder, will the bait be delicious enough?" Chen Xi said to Liu Bei, watching Guan and Zhang gradually establish their formations below.

"Zichuan, is Li Ru truly as terrifying as you say?" Liu Bei asked, somewhat confused by Chen Xi's words.

"When facing this man, one must never harbor any illusions of luck at any time. Otherwise, a great situation could easily be thrown into chaos by him. It is a pity he chose the wrong lord. If someone with a more steady mind sat in Dong Zhuo's position, the world would have already changed hands!" Chen Xi said without hesitation.

Seeing that Liu Bei still didn't quite believe him, Chen Xi sighed and said, "Zijian, from Xiliang to Luoyang, before Dong Zhuo became corrupt, has there ever been a mistake in Li Ru's schemes?"

"Huh?" Hua Xiong was stunned. He had never expected Chen Xi to turn the topic toward him, but as he thought about it, his expression grew increasingly solemn. Finally, he said in astonishment, "No... there have been no mistakes. I never even noticed. It's as if he has always been concealing his tracks, retreating entirely into the shadow of the Chancellor!"

"See? Terrifying, isn't it? Zijian has followed him for so many years and enjoyed the benefits of his schemes so many times, yet he never realized that Li Ru has never made a mistake. Therefore, Lord Xuande, do not underestimate him," Chen Xi said with an innocent expression, spreading his hands.

Chen Xi had known all along that Li Ru's schemes had never failed before coming to Luoyang. This was partly because Dong Zhuo could distinguish right from wrong at the time, but also because Li Ru was exceptionally powerful. Furthermore, during the period from Xiliang to Yongzhou, no true strategists had appeared; those facing Li Ru were merely minor players.

Liu Bei sighed. "How many talented people are there in this world! Even a mere Dong Zhuo has Lu Bu, and a talent like Li Ru follows him!" He then looked at Chen Xi's innocent face, which made him feel a bit better, and then looked at his four great generals, feeling his inner gloom lift.

*Lu Bu was defeated by the hands of my second brother and third disciple, Long. Li Ru has also been outmaneuvered by Chen Xi and will eventually break with Lu Bu. I possess civil officials stronger than Dong Zhuo and martial generals better than his. One day, I shall surely replace him!* Liu Bei thought silently.

(End of Chapter)