Chapter 53: Strive Toward Your Goals!

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Chen Xi had truly steeled his resolve. Since the great aristocratic families looked down on them, he would make them look up in awe. Having already completed his initial outlines, Chen Xi began once again to identify and fill in the gaps.

A persistent person is a terrifying thing, especially when that person possesses long-term vision, precise planning, phased objectives, and a final goal—and even more so when they have a host of helpers. This wasn't just terrifying; it was a breathtaking force.

"Still not good enough!" Chen Xi scratched his head and tossed the cloth aside. Even now, his ability to write on bamboo slips was still amateurish.

"Zichuan, you look quite worried lately. What is the matter?" Liu Bei asked curiously, looking at the melancholy Chen Xi.

"Lord Xuande, take a look and see if there are any other issues. If there aren't, let's proceed like this—it's just a bit slow." Chen Xi handed his semi-finished plan to Liu Bei. "Let them act arrogant for another two years. Once we have the capacity, we'll deal with those scumbags."

Liu Bei took the piece of white cloth, which was covered in scribbles and corrections, and the more he looked, the more amazed he became. Finally, he let out a long sigh. "Heaven has not treated me poorly. According to this method, I might be able to strike fear into the hearts of the world's warlords within three years. What is there to complain about?"

"It's too slow," Chen Xi said, scratching his head. "It takes too much time. Primarily, pacifying the people and winning their hearts will take at least a year. Otherwise, this plan is excellent; it's just slow."

"Zichuan!" Liu Bei raised his voice, calling him with uncharacteristic solemnity.

"What is it?" Chen Xi asked, looking at Liu Bei in confusion.

"Three years is not a long time. By then, you will only be in your twenties, and I will only be in my thirties. What is there to regret?" Liu Bei said earnestly. "Why must you alter your plans for the sake of one or two aristocratic families? Are they more important than the general trend of the world?"

"It just rubs me the wrong way. I feel I can manage these guys while simultaneously suppressing the Yellow Turbans and annexing Qing Province," Chen Xi said indignantly. "If I don't show them a bit of color, they won't know who can be provoked and who cannot. Doesn't Lord Xuande want to see them looking utterly defeated?"

"I do, but Zichuan, you must remember that human energy is limited. Spreading your focus across too many fronts, especially at such a high level of intensity, will affect your lifespan. I do not want you to consume your life for such trivial matters. It is not worth it." Liu Bei's expression was grave; he was not joking.

"This likely won't affect my lifespan, but since Lord Xuande wishes it so, I will set them aside for now," Chen Xi said with a smile.

Since Liu Bei was worried about him overworking, Chen Xi found it difficult to explain that he wasn't actually in any trouble. He was now a superhuman with enhanced mental faculties; not only was his thinking broad, but his reactions were lightning-fast. What used to take a day or two to formulate into a detailed plan now took less than an hour—his speed was more than ten times faster.

Because of this, Chen Xi was not at all worried about working himself to death. Most of what he was doing had essentially been done by people in history; he didn't need to overthink, he just needed to refine the details. Thus, what appeared to be a massive, grand plan to Liu Bei was actually not that difficult for Chen Xi to execute.

In fact, if Chen Xi weren't afraid of scaring people, he would have wanted to draft a comprehensive conquest plan for the thirteen provinces of the Han, a talent cultivation and recruitment plan, and a development plan for the north and south. Imagine how grand those plans would be—their sheer execution capability would be staggering. But then again, just the expanded conquest of Taishan Commandery and Qing Province, along with the plan to deal with the Yingchuan clans, was enough to make Liu Bei worry that Chen Xi would work himself to death. If he actually presented those other things, Liu Bei might die of fright, perhaps even mistaking them for Chen Xi's last will and testament...

To avoid being treated as a monster, Chen Xi planned to act more normally. One must eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time. He would take it slow. After all, Liu Bei was right—in three years, he would still only be in his twenties, and Liu Bei himself would only be in his thirties. What was there to fear? Everyone was young. Even Liu Bei intended to take thirty years to sweep the world; why should he be in a hurry? It wasn't as if he was already halfway in the grave.

Stabilizing his restless heart, Chen Xi began to build steadily. He still intended to create his "Dream Team." First, he had to strengthen the "Dragon and Phoenix" and the "Five Tiger Generals." For instance, Xu Shu and Lu Su would be excellent additions to the Dragon and Phoenix duo. If Cao Cao had five strategists, then Liu Bei would have six!

Xu Chu, Gan Ning, Taishi Ci, and Zhang Liao were also good candidates for the Five Tigers. If Old Cao had the Eight Tiger Cavalry, it would be a disservice to Old Liu's status not to have nine! Furthermore, he would aim for perfection in everything from military strategy to martial prowess, from aura to appearance—he wouldn't even lose in a waistline competition!

As for Sun Quan, that fellow who was only fit to be a son, he could be left alone. He could stay nestled in Yangzhou. After Sun Ce's death, Sun Wu had lost its ambition and was being manipulated by the aristocratic families; it was destined to be just that.

"Is that the village of the brave man Xu that you mentioned, Zichuan?" Liu Bei pointed toward a small mountain village in the distance.

"It should be," Chen Xi turned to the guide. "Old man, is that Xu Family Village?"

"I cannot be called 'old man,' I cannot!" the little old man said fearfully, though he regained his composure and began to speak again after being reassured by Liu Bei and Chen Xi.

"Within a hundred miles of Yangdi, there is only this Xu Family Village. I have also heard of this Xu Chu you ask about; he has defeated mountain bandits several times, preventing them from running wild in the area." The old man's hair and beard were white, making him look as if he were mostly in the ground, but he was actually only forty years old. Such was life in the late Eastern Han.

"Yide, I'm counting on you!" Once Chen Xi entered his working state, he would formally use people's courtesy names rather than calling them "brother" or similar terms.

"Leave it to Old Zhang!" Zhang Fei replied loudly, thumping his chest. He then slapped his horse and galloped ahead of the group, his serpent spear clattering as he raced toward Xu Family Village, shouting as he went, "Xu Chu, come out and face me!"

Xu Chu, who was currently gnawing on a pig trotter, felt the ceiling beams vibrate, causing dust to fall into his food bowl. Then, he heard a voice from outside: "Xu Chu, come out and face me." He was instantly enraged. He had finally managed to skip his books to enjoy a good meal, only to have it ruined by some trash outside.

Standing up, Xu Chu grabbed a large saber from the side and jogged out through the main gate, cursing as he ran. "If you've got guts, don't run! Grandfather Xu is going to make you pay for provoking me today!" As he spoke, he grabbed a nearby boulder. His entire arm swelled rapidly, becoming as thick as a thigh. With a sidestep, Xu Chu threw the massive stone toward the source of the voice as if he were tossing a pebble.

The giant rock seemed to pause for a moment in front of Xu Chu, and then, with a sudden crack, a white ring of smoke appeared before Xu Chu's hand. The massive stone then flew toward Zhang Fei's direction, traveling almost perfectly parallel to the ground like a missile.