Chapter 24: Researching How to Deal With the Opponent

“...

“Why are you all looking at me like that?” Hua Xiong said with a look of disdain. Right now, he was perfectly fine.

“Zichuan told me to capture you alive. You are truly lucky. Your loyalty and righteousness afterward moved me deeply; otherwise, you would have died long ago,” Guan Yu said indifferently, casting a glance at Hua Xiong.

“Stop, both of you, calm down first. We should think about how to deal with Lu Bu. If we can't defeat him, the allied forces have no hope at all. Lu Bu alone is enough to reduce the morale of the coalition to zero,” Chen Xi urged quickly. If he really let Guan Yu and Hua Xiong start fighting again, it would be endless—especially since Hua Xiong was the type who would rather lose the fight than lose face; even if he were knocked down, he would stubbornly hold on. It would be an incredibly frustrating fight to watch.

At the mention of Lu Bu, everyone fell silent. That was already beyond their capabilities; that guy was simply not human.

“How about a war of attrition through successive battles?” Chen Xi suggested.

“Not a great idea,” Hua Xiong was the first to object.

“You don't have a say in this, Second Master. What do you think of this proposal?” Chen Xi glared at Hua Xiong and turned to the Second Master.

“No. Lu Bu cannot be worn down by just one or two people,” Guan Yu was no fool. He naturally knew when to be proud and when to be restrained. When facing a master like Lu Bu, one had to stay low-key; if you didn't, you'd die!

“A group fight?” Chen Xi continued to guide the conversation.

“I'm not doing it!” Zhang Fei glared at Chen Xi.

“Fine, Yide will lead the charge tomorrow. It's settled,” Chen Xi said, glancing at Zhang Fei.

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhang Fei immediately wilted, but then he forced himself to shout, “If I have to lead the charge, then I'll lead the charge! Second Brother, remember to support me from the sidelines!”

Chen Xi rolled his eyes. Despite his reckless appearance, Zhang Fei actually had quite a few tricks up his sleeve. “I never said you couldn't have support, Second Master. We will all go to support you tomorrow. Hua Xiong, are you coming?”

All four men looked at Hua Xiong. Three super-experts and one man full of schemes—Hua Xiong immediately broke into a cold sweat, especially with Zhang Fei staring at him with those bull-like eyes.

[You said we're all going together. If I don't go, how will the Big Beard look at me in the future! Disgusting!] Hua Xiong looked at Chen Xi with dissatisfaction.

“I'll go!” Hua Xiong steeled himself. “But give me a change of clothes and a few more short spears. It's a deal—I absolutely will not go against Lu Bu. If I'm exposed, my concubines and singers back home are finished.”

“Now that's what I call a brother! Come, drink!” As he spoke, Zhang Fei grabbed a wine jar from the side and filled their bowls. After swallowing a bowl, he wiped the wine from his beard. “Tomorrow, watch how Old Zhang takes down Lu Bu for you!”

Chen Xi smiled but did not respond. From what he had learned previously, the gap between Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Lu Bu in this world was much larger than in his memory. If, in his memory, the combined strength of Guan and Zhang could slightly surpass Lu Bu, then in this world, even together, they could not defeat him. An equivalent level of amplification could only make the strong even stronger!

While holding his wine, Chen Xi thought. He seemed to have grown accustomed to this life. Although there were no computers, no internet, no forums, and no pop stars, this lifestyle gave Chen Xi a sense of ease.

[Liu Xuande is indeed a good choice, but Cao Cao is the one with the most potential. It's a pity they aren't compatible. Forget it, forget it. If one day I actually have to face these guys who drink with me and remember to carry me home, could I ever bring myself to strike them?]

Chen Xi thought helplessly. Using his mental strength to suppress his emotions, he realized one thing: he had unconsciously begun to think from the perspective of Liu Bei's faction.

[Sigh, let it be. It's fine. I'll follow Liu Bei. Currently, Liu Bei is quite promising. As long as we defeat Lu Bu next, he will surely catch Dong Zhuo's eye, and then there will be many opportunities to maneuver. Hehe, I might not be great at strategy, but I have vision!]

Chen Xi slowly closed his eyes and continued his thoughts. Perhaps Liu Bei wasn't the best choice, but as someone entering the fray through Liu Bei's faction, Chen Xi understood this was the choice most suitable for him.

[If there's a chance, I'll scout some great generals... Huang Zhong, Gan Ning, Taishi Ci, Wei Yan, Chen Dao... they are all fierce men. Let me think where they are, so I can form a dream team when the time comes.] As he thought, Chen Xi's mind drifted further and further away.

While Liu Bei was living quite freely, Lu Bu had arrived at Hulao Pass with even more swagger. At this time, Li Ru was already waiting in the manor within the pass for Lu Bu's arrival.

“Greetings, Chancellor. Greetings, Strategist,” Lu Bu and his men bowed to Dong Zhuo in the main seat, and then bowed to Li Ru.

“How was it?” Li Ru asked calmly.

“At least fifty thousand troops became deserters after tonight. As for casualties, they shouldn't be too severe.” Lu Bu signaled to Zhang Liao, who stepped forward to speak. Lu Bu was not skilled at such detailed reporting.

“A banquet is granted. Did Fengxian achieve anything?” With a wave of his hand, Dong Zhuo had the pre-arranged banquet quickly set up. After Lu Bu left, Li Ru had ordered the preparations. Regardless of success or failure, it was necessary to win Lu Bu over. Even if Dong Zhuo was muddled, Li Ru was not.

Lu Bu felt somewhat awkward, but he did not lie. “Nothing. Although I encountered Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, Yuan Shao had two men protecting him desperately. I felt a momentary itch to fight but didn't specifically target him, so he escaped. As for Cao Cao, he arrived only after the enemy general who fought General Hua was slain.”

“Oh? Someone can actually block Fengxian?” Dong Zhuo was immensely curious.

Li Ru pulled a roll of white silk from his sleeve and handed it to Dong Zhuo; all the intelligence regarding Liu Bei and the others from the past few days was recorded on it.

“A pity, it turned out to be those three. We had a brief encounter before, and they even 'saved' me once. Wenyou, can this man be recruited?” For some reason, after seeing this intelligence, the originally debauched Dong Zhuo—who had lost his desire to make friends with the world's heroes after entering Luoyang and gaining Lu Bu—regained his interest, revealing the heroic aura of the man who once dominated the Western Liang region.

Li Ru was stunned, then felt a surge of secret joy. His greatest fear was Dong Zhuo losing his ambition. He hadn't expected that before he could give Dong Zhuo a wake-up call, the man would regain his former momentum upon seeing this intelligence.

[Fortunately, fortunately. He was just momentarily blinded. As long as he has ambition, it's fine. As long as he has ambition.] Li Ru instantly regained confidence. As long as his leader had ambition, he could subdue the heroes of this world.

“This matter is not easy. It won't be simple to make this man completely join our side, but dividing and conquering them will be as easy as turning a hand. The eighteen lords are, after all, just eighteen separate factions. But now is not the time. Once we let them understand our strength, people will naturally turn to us.” A sharp light flashed in Li Ru's eyes. The decadent, gloomy air from the Luoyang period was swept away, and he became revitalized.

(End of Chapter)"