Chapter 41: The Original Wish

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To fight economically against a group of famous ministers in the Han Dynasty who fundamentally did not understand economic circulation—Chen Xi was confident he could turn all these famous ministers into his stepping stones, because in this era, no one understood the necessity and the destructive potential of commerce.

Thus, Chen Xi was very confident. As long as nothing went wrong, with his help in gathering famous generals and ministers, and by slowly infiltrating his ideas to develop the economy and build up strength through accumulation, he might gather enough power to squeeze all the other warlords to death before they even had a chance to rise.

From the very beginning, Chen Xi had positioned himself. He would not go to the battlefield; his strategic intellect was purely theoretical. Being a mediocre strategist might not be an issue based on the tactics he learned from history, but if he were truly on a battlefield, he might not even be as good as Zhao Kuo.

Chen Xi's self-positioning was that of a logistics officer. Being a harmless strategist like Zhang Liang would also work, but unfortunately, he lacked the ability to decide battles from a thousand miles away. Therefore, he could only look at Xiao He from afar, hoping to emulate this logistics expert.

Looking at Chen Xi's sincere gaze, Liu Bei hesitated. In his view, this was Chen Xi's test. Since ancient times, a ruler chooses his ministers, and a minister also chooses his ruler. Did Li Si run from Chu to Qin simply because he saw potential in the King of Qin rather than the King of Chu?

Naturally, in Liu Bei's eyes, this question was vital. Since Chen Xi appeared, things had become much easier for him, and many things had changed. An original "background character" event—the coalition against Dong Zhuo—had been forcefully turned into a starring role by Chen Xi. Coupled with the schemes Chen Xi had previously revealed, Liu Bei knew that if he missed this opportunity, it would never come again.

*【Did he specifically explain his plans to me bit by bit just to make me consider this carefully? Is my ambition to restore the Han Dynasty? I have told Chen Xi many times, so why does he ask again? Is he dissatisfied with this ambition? Why am I also doubting my own ambition?】* Liu Bei thought silently without speaking. He was contemplating his original intention; by saying too much, he had forgotten what he had first intended.

*【I shall be the Emperor and ride this carriage.】* Liu Bei remembered his very first wish, the words he had spoken while pointing toward that distant great tree. His original wish was: I shall be the Emperor!

Liu Bei laughed loudly, a laugh of complete disregard for status. He showed no hesitation in having Chen Xi present, laughing wantonly until he finally stopped. Looking at Chen Xi, he said, "I, Liu Bei, am loyal to the Han House and am determined to restore it. However, the Han House can be assisted, but it cannot be replaced! I am a kinsman of the Han; since I possess this bloodline, I must lead by example. The glory of the Han shall not be defiled; anyone who lays hands upon it shall be my mortal enemy!"

Chen Xi was stunned. Liu Bei was not saying he would "restore" the Han, but that he was "loyal" to it, while simultaneously refusing to hide his own ambition. Indeed, since he possessed the bloodline, he had to bear that responsibility. For the first time, Chen Xi felt a flicker of that intermittent, kingly aura from Liu Bei that he had once seen in Yuan Shao.

Liu Bei's gaze made Chen Xi feel somewhat uncomfortable. He said helplessly, rubbing his forehead, "I suppose I will follow you for now. At least for now, I see no candidate more suitable than Lord Xuande."

Liu Bei felt a hint of disappointment, but then his heart felt much lighter. At least Chen Xi wasn't leaving. Moreover, Chen Xi had clearly stated there was no suitable candidate, implying that he, Liu Bei, was the most suitable. One must realize this was the coalition of warlords—the most famous people in the world, including all the kinsmen of the Han, were here. For Liu Bei to be the most suitable among so many people was proof enough of his capability.

"In that case, Zichuan, do not slack off!" Liu Bei wore a smile, exuding a flamboyant pride. He had changed immensely from the Liu Bei Chen Xi had first seen in Gongsun Zan's camp; it was as if they were two different people.

"Even if I do slack off, no one in this world will notice," Chen Xi laughed heartily. The confidence radiating from him surprised Liu Bei immensely. He had always thought of Chen Xi as low-key and steady; he hadn't expected him to have such a flamboyant side.

"With those words from you, Zichuan, I am at ease!" Liu Bei said with a smile. "Come, let us go and receive our Xiliang elites!"

On the other side, Cao Cao was running for his life. He had been ambushed by Lu Bu while preparing food, nearly causing the entire army to collapse. If not for his own competence, he likely would have been scattered by Lu Bu's Xiliang iron cavalry. Even so, he had been subjected to a relentless pursuit by Lu Bu. In the end, it was only because the Xiahou brothers fought to the death to hold Lu Bu back that Cao Cao gained a moment to breathe.

The Xiahou brothers, who had been fighting a retreating battle for only a few minutes, were beaten half to death by Lu Bu. They finally understood just how monstrous Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and that man named Zhao Yun were; facing Lu Bu was simply not a task for humans!

Cao Hong led a hundred or so remnants to protect Cao Cao as they fled toward Xingyang. There was no other way; they could only run until they couldn't run anymore!

"Big Brother, hurry!" Seeing Lu Bu's silhouette appearing on the horizon, Cao Hong did not hesitate for a second. He turned back to fight. He could die, but Cao Cao must not; that was his conviction!

Watching Cao Hong being cut down after barely twenty moves, Cao Cao fell into despair. The phrase "dying before the campaign is even successful" described men like this.

However, Lu Bu was currently preoccupied with the words in that letter. After all, everything mentioned previously had come true, and the letter stated that the coalition's pursuit might occur several times. The mere thought of such a thing was terrifying to Lu Bu. Generally, after repelling the first pursuit, all soldiers would relax; if another pursuit came, they might all be wiped out. Thus, Lu Bu was being very cautious.

Seeing that only Cao Cao was left, Lu Bu pursued him all the way, hoping to claim a great merit, but he failed to notice that he had become separated from the main army.

*【Kill Cao Cao, and regardless of any ambush, head back immediately! That letter cannot be ignored!】* Lu Bu felt that his fellow townsman was quite reliable, and after all, he was doing it for his own good.

"Die, Cao Thief!" Lu Bu laughed wildly, spurred his Red Hare toward Cao Cao, intending to kill him in a single strike.

Just then, a voice came from afar: "Die, Lu Bu!"

Lu Bu focused his eyes and saw Guan Yu. Looking back at Cao Cao, he calculated he could catch him in a minute at most.

"Die, Lu Bu!" Another voice rang out. Lu Bu looked again and saw Zhang Fei. He hesitated, then continued to pursue Cao Cao. He felt that killing Cao Cao would only take one round; once he caught him, Cao Cao would be dead, and then he would simply turn Red Hare around—those two fellows would be left eating dirt. But why did he feel a sense of danger?

Lu Bu turned his head to look to the side and cursed loudly. Zhao Yun was already close. What was even more outrageous was that this guy hadn't shouted at all; he had simply taken a flanking route.

He no longer hesitated. The letter from his fellow townsman was very clear: if he were held back, he might very well die here. It might be difficult for Guan, Zhang, and Zhao to kill him while he was mostly recovered in a short time, but to hold them off until the experts from the coalition arrived—that was no problem at all!