Chapter 5: Going to Meet the Various Lords of the Realm

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Chen Xi clearly saw Liu Bei freeze in surprise and laughed inwardly. At this time, basically no one knew Liu Xuande. Liu Bei was not yet an Imperial Uncle, let alone the King of Hanzhong; as a commoner, who would recognize him?

"Since you are a scholar, is there anything you need help with before coming to my camp?" Liu Bei, delighted, readily offered Chen Xi an out.

"I have merely been traveling for a long time. Seeing smoke in the distance, I wished to stay the night, not realizing this was the encampment of the General's subordinates." Chen Xi casually flattered Liu Bei. Since he couldn't hitch a ride with Cao Mengde, Liu Xuande would have to do.

How could Chen Xi not know Liu Bei's current situation? It was obvious he was mixing with Gongsun Zan's forces to make himself a familiar face to the various lords of the realm. He had no soldiers, no men, no territory, and no money—a jobless wanderer who lacked everything. To be honest, Chen Xi estimated that at this stage, Liu Bei might not even have the ambition to rule the world; after all, ambition grows alongside strength.

"I am unworthy of the title 'General,' truly unworthy," Liu Bei said with a self-deprecating laugh, though a look of joy was clearly visible on his face.

"Xi has heard that Mengde has issued a manifesto calling upon the righteous men of the world to collectively attack the traitor Dong Zhuo. I wish to witness it. For me, traveling the world requires seeing the various figures of the realm," Chen Xi said with a smile.

Liu Bei was somewhat bewildered by Chen Xi's smooth talk. Looking at the two brothers beside him and the two thousand soldiers behind him, he figured there was no reason to fear a single scholar causing trouble. He nodded and said, "In that case, Zichuan may bring his own provisions and follow us. My soldiers will not cause any disturbance to the people."

"Many thanks, Xuande-gong." Chen Xi bowed with a smile. "I shall return shortly." After speaking, Chen Xi bowed once more and withdrew.

"Third Brother, do not make such a scene over trivial matters in the future," Liu Bei said, looking at Zhang Fei, who was still standing by the edge of the pit, after Chen Xi had departed.

"Brother, if you ask me, why let that kid follow us? The army is clearing the way; it's a miracle we didn't just arrest him. I say we should have just driven him away. We're going to the coalition meeting at Suanzao; even if we take him, he won't be allowed in. Why let him work for nothing?" Zhang Fei said in a muffled, gruff voice while scratching the back of his head.

"Nonsense!" Liu Bei rebuked him. "There are very few literate people in this world. Why should we offend such people over trifles?"

"I can read too..." Zhang Fei mumbled softly after being scolded, but compared to his usual booming voice, his "soft mumble" was still heard clearly by everyone.

"Sigh, Yide, you must remember: we are currently living under someone else's roof. Although Brother Bogui treats me very well due to our shared studies, there is no need to cause him trouble over small matters. That youth was a scholar from the Chen family of Yingchuan—one of the most renowned aristocratic families in the world." Seeing that only the personal guards who had helped him suppress the Yellow Turban Rebellion remained nearby, Liu Bei whispered the explanation to Zhang Fei.

"Sigh, Brother, you possess the ambitions of a great swan, yet you are constrained by petty men." Guan Yunchang felt a sense of heroic frustration. In the five or six years since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the three of them had seen their burning passion for serving the country repeatedly dampened by the harsh realities of the Han Dynasty. Even the once-naive Liu Bei had become quite tactful; at the very least, the next time he encountered a corrupt official, he would restrain himself from whipping them.

"Sigh, enough, enough. There will come a time when the world needs us. Second Brother, Third Brother, do not lose heart." Liu Bei gave a bitter smile, but then, as if remembering something, his fighting spirit surged once more.

On the other side, when Chen Xi returned, Chen Lan was already somewhat worried, though she was still startled when he suddenly appeared by her side.

"The Young Master has returned." Steward Chen, holding a horse whip, quickly hid his hand behind his back upon seeing it was Chen Xi.

"There's no need to worry so much," Chen Xi said with a smile. "It's alright, we've encountered good people." He casually gave Liu Bei a "good person" credit in his mind. "We'll just follow the troops ahead; they are also part of the Suanzao coalition."

"Is this wise, Young Master?" Steward Chen had experienced more of the world and naturally understood the destructive power of armies in this era. When an army passes, it combs the land; when bandits pass, it razors it. In short, an army in this era was only slightly better than a band of bandits...

"It should be fine. After all, the other party is quite a capable man. Let's go, don't worry about it. We'll just follow. If we're lucky, we might follow the various armies to see Dong Zhuo. I want to see this warrior of Xiliang for myself; in his youth, his sheer presence won over many people," Chen Xi said with a strange expression.

Speaking of which, whether it was the young Dong Zhuo, or the young Yuan Shao who dared to point his sword at Dong Zhuo, or even the middle-aged Cao Mengde who swept through the Central Plains to defeat Yuan Shao, they all actually possessed the aura of great lords. Unfortunately, the moment the grand momentum of the world fell into their hands, they seemed to lose their wits and chose the paths they least should have.

If history could be chosen, Dong Zhuo would have brought forth his original ambitions and youthful heroism. To be blunt, defeating the eighteen lords would not have been overly difficult given Li Ru's ruthlessness, the overwhelming strength of the world's greatest warrior, the ferocity of the Xiliang cavalry, and the elite Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry. For the eighteen lords who were unprepared, merely returning alive would have been a blessing.

Thinking of this, Chen Xi felt a surge of excitement. The world's greatest general, Lu Bu; the world's greatest steed, Red Hare; and comparing them to the Zhang Fei he had seen earlier, Chen Xi felt that Lu Bu, as a "human missile," would pose no problem at all. He absolutely had to witness that grand spectacle at Hulao Pass—that would be a battle beyond human limits!

Chen Xi followed Liu Bei's troops leisurely. Aside from the occasional bout of madness from Zhang Fei running over to ask questions, he had no further opportunity to interact with either Liu Bei or Guan Er-ye.

With such a safe environment and leisurely time, Chen Xi felt it necessary to contemplate the future. After all, this was a chaotic era; if one were caught unprepared, nothing would remain. Many people in this era focused on fame, but history had taught Chen Xi one thing: if you didn't want to be wiped out like the great scholar Kong Rong, choose a good team to join. Fame cannot buy food; only strength can.

*I'll just follow a strong group,* Chen Xi thought as he watched the troops ahead. Aside from the three families of Cao, Sun, and Liu, the others weren't worth considering. Those three had been tested by time, while the others were still far behind.

Just as Cao Cao had once evaluated: "Yuan Shu of Huainan is but a withered bone in a tomb; Yuan Shao of Jizhou is fierce in appearance but timid in heart, good at planning but lacking decisiveness, cherishing his life when undertaking great matters and risking his life for small gains; Liu Biao of Jingzhou is unworthy of his reputation; Sun Ce relies on his father's name; and though Liu Zhang is of the imperial clan, he is nothing more than a dog guarding his territory. The rest are merely mediocre!"

In a single sentence, he had looked down upon all the lords. Later, when Sun Quan rose to power, Cao Cao's evaluation became: "If one is to have a son, he should be like Sun Zhongmou." This could be interpreted in two ways: first, that a son should be like Sun Quan; and more deeply, that Sun Zhongmou was merely "son-level" talent—stronger than the sons of Yuan Shao or Liu Biao, but still lacking when compared to a predecessor like himself.

(End of Chapter)