Mythic version of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 7120 Follow-up Arrangements
Chen Xi never doubted Yang Hu's aptitude and talent. Those who could enter the Martial Temple were all ruthless people, let alone Yang Hu, who was a very special existence in the Martial Temple.

Other famous generals who entered the Temple of Martial Arts all had various brilliant battlefield performances, but Yang Hu basically had no performance on the battlefield. The only time he led an expedition, he fought a very poor battle, roughly the same level as a roadside battle that Huangfu Song thought it was.

Despite his poor performance, Yang Hu was still admitted to the Temple of Martial Arts and has never been removed from it since its establishment. The reason for this is Yang Hu's completely unreasonable strategic planning ability.

The strategy of pacifying Wu was the pinnacle of Yang Hu's strategic thinking. What made it so extraordinary was that it devised a systematic approach to unifying the country by crossing the Yangtze River from the north. In other words, as long as you followed this plan and completed the first phase, the rest was just a formality.

What's even more outrageous is that, even though this thing is already so outrageous, there's still a way to skip class in the first phase. In other words, once the strategy to pacify Wu is released, as long as the rulers in the north aren't idiots and don't act recklessly, they can stabilize the northern border, accumulate a wave of output, and that's enough to wipe out the south.

What's even more absurd is that with the strategy of pacifying Wu, if you manage to conquer the Wu kingdom in one phase, or use a 'skip-class' approach to get down from Sichuan, you can conquer the Southern Dynasty in three or four months. That's ridiculous. And yet, this ridiculous thing can still be replicated.

After Yang Hu devised the strategy to pacify Wu, the Sui dynasty directly copied it when conquering Chen, the Yuan dynasty copied it when conquering Song, and even the later Qing dynasty and the battlefields of the Liberation War drew on this strategy.

This is why Yang Hu has never been removed from the Temple of Martial Arts; his strategies were truly outstanding. If the Temple of Martial Arts were to rank its strategic figures, Yang Hu would certainly be among the top contenders.

Therefore, Chen Xi had no doubt about Yang Hu's qualifications and judgment, but there was really no way to say that Yang Hu didn't have claws. What's worse, in war game simulations, you can't tell whether a person has hands or not.

To be honest, Chen Xi suspected that the Marquis of Huaiyin still didn't know that Yang Hu didn't have hands, because it couldn't be shown in war game simulations.

This is quite frustrating. What's even more frustrating is that Chen Xi can't say some things too obviously. A living military genius is actually beneficial to everyone. As long as Yang Hu doesn't reveal that he has no hands, he can pretend to be a military genius even better than Zhuge Liang.

The strategy of Zhuge Liang's military farming system along the Wei River was replicated in later generations. The problem is that Yang Hu's strategy for pacifying Wu incorporated this system, creating a comprehensive and integrated approach.

Therefore, if one wants to pretend to be a military genius, as long as Yang Hu himself doesn't participate in the battle and relies solely on words, he can maintain the facade and it will be very difficult to expose him.

Chen Xi felt that Li You's direct approach of paving the way was a no-go. If Yang Hu suddenly decided to go up there himself, the golden body would be broken. To be honest, if Yang Hu hadn't fought the Battle of Xiling and hadn't held any sit-ins, his ranking in the Martial Temple would have risen even higher.

As a result, the battle at Xiling was so humiliating that it was impossible to watch. Even though there was the strategy to pacify Wu later, and even though the strategy to destroy the Jiangnan separatist forces was later developed and everyone copied it and thought it was good, Xiling's idiotic performance made everyone truly despair of Yang Hu's practical abilities.

The actual situation in the Battle of Xiling was that even if you found a general who really couldn't command to lead the charge, the situation wouldn't be that bad. In that battle, Yang Hu's performance was so bad it was almost unbelievable. He did absolutely nothing and just watched the opponent's actions.

So when Chen Xi heard Zhuge Liang say that Li You was preparing to pave the way for Yang Hu, he couldn't help but take a deep breath. Don't let my prepared military genius, who doesn't give orders but only focuses on strategy, tactics, and breaking the deadlock, kill me. There are only a few military geniuses in this era who can act like one. I want one to scare people!
Chen Xi's assessment of Yang Hu is actually quite simple: he is a military god who can hold up the scene. More importantly, unlike others, Yang Hu can hold up the scene. As long as he doesn't leave the field, he is a military god. If you let Han Xin and Yang Hu at his peak have a verbal battle, Yang Hu might even win the argument.

What's even more outrageous is that Yang Hu's rhetoric wasn't like Zhao Kuo and Ma Su's empty talk; the things he came up with were very practical and could be used directly by ordinary officers. The incredible thing about the strategy to pacify Wu was that after completing the first stage, ordinary officers would basically not lose unless they faced a god of war.

Do you even know what an amplifier is? This is an amplifier. Although I'm not a god of war, I can make ordinary officers directly clash with a god of war after receiving my strategic and tactical buffs. Anyway, as long as the first stage is completed, my ordinary officers can clash with the god of war on the other side.

Therefore, under these circumstances, it is perfectly acceptable for Yang Hu to act like a military genius. The stronger the opponent, the more outrageous Yang Hu will appear. If he can suppress Huangfu Song by taking on generals of the Xiahou brothers in a head-on confrontation, then everyone has to think twice about what kind of person is the one making the strategic decisions above him. The problem is that Yang Hu can actually do this kind of absurd thing.

Based on this logic, although Chen Xi let Yang Hu roam freely, he still had to check on his progress from time to time, lest the child break his golden body. Having a military god in the court was much more stable than not having one.

As for the claim that this military genius is very young and might have some impact on imperial power, let's not even mention that after Liu Shan married Chen Qian, Yang Hu was Liu Shan's cousin. The civil and military officials of the Xian'an court alone were not easy to deal with.

Moreover, even if Yang Hu were to go mad one day and actually rebel against his cousin-in-law, he would definitely take matters into his own hands and then discover that once he takes matters into his own hands, he can't even beat a dog on the roadside. Isn't that an excellent, extremely good setting for a military god?
But what is this now? Chen Xi feels he has to stop Li You's actions.

"What, Zichuan, are you somewhat opposed to appointing Yang Hu as the commander of one of the routes in the thirteenth year of Yuanfeng?" Zhuge Liang said with a faint smile. Zhuge Liang had always been happy to see Yang Hu as the commander. Although Yang Hu was young, only fourteen years old in the thirteenth year of Yuanfeng, participating in the war to destroy Kushan would bring him great experience.

More importantly, if Yang Hu were to become the commander of one of the routes, then there would be a way to deal with some of Liu Bei's older subordinates who lacked ability but had enough seniority and were obedient.

This would also boost the reputation of the recommender, which would be a win-win situation for Zhuge Liang. It's just unclear how Chen Xi views this matter.

"I can generally understand what you're thinking." Chen Xi nodded, indicating that he also understood why Li You and Zhuge Liang sent Yang Hu to participate in the war to destroy Kushan. To put it bluntly, it was to give Xu Chu a chance, as well as to give generals like Yin Li and Wu Anguo, who had followed Liu Bei for a long time but whose abilities were indeed insufficient, a chance to be ennobled.

Moreover, because Yang Hu is young, he will definitely not serve as the commander-in-chief, but as a military advisor. However, he will actually perform the duties of a commander. Given Yang Hu's performance, as long as Xu Chu and others follow his orders, it should not be a problem for Xu Chu to perform no less well than the commander of the evil army.

Similarly, others also have a high probability of being directly granted the title of Marquis.

Logically speaking, Li You and Zhuge Liang's actions were not problematic. More importantly, they were able to help Yang Hu build up a stronghold. Unlike in later generations, having a stronghold was not considered a bad thing in those days.

"Actually, it's not a bad thing. The only downside is that Yang Hu is too young, even younger than I was when I first served as a strategist." Zhuge Liang said with a touch of emotion, even a sense that the older generation is surpassing the younger.

"Let me think about it, and there are some things I also need to consider." Chen Xi lowered his head and thought for a moment. Chen Xi wasn't looking for trouble, but he felt that Li You's way of paving the way was a bit too aggressive.

"I can understand your concerns, but I can't really say what the situation will be like then. Judging from the current situation, you probably still intend to send me to the Ganges as commander." Zhuge Liang said with a touch of emotion. According to the current situation, Chen Xi will probably be ruthless and keep Xun Chen, Chen Qun, and Zhang Zhao in Chang'an for three to four years.

The three of them have just arrived in Chang'an and only need to take on the work left behind by Chen Xi after he left. Zhuge Liang feels some pressure, but not much. Once they adapt, the three of them will not only be able to handle things well, but also help with other tasks.

After all, these three brothers are all outstanding individuals. The reason they can't handle Chen Xi's work well now is mainly because they are not used to it. Once they are used to it, even if only one of them is able to handle most of Chen Xi's work.

In Zhuge Liang's opinion, these three people were not actually prepared for Chen Xi alone, but for both of them.

In other words, Zhuge Liang believed that Chen Qun, Zhang Zhao, and Xun Chen, after three years of training, should be able to take charge of Chang'an in the thirteenth year of Yuanfeng, replacing him and Chen Xi.

"I do have this idea." Chen Xi nodded, without denying it.

After much deliberation, Chen Xi concluded that Zhuge Liang must participate in the Battle of the Ganges. As the future prime minister, he needed not only governing ability but also sufficient military performance. The former determined whether he could stabilize the country, while the latter determined whether he could negotiate with veteran generals.

Chen Xi's ability to suppress the world actually relies on his exaggerated governing ability and his repeated battlefield victories.

If Zhuge Liang is unable to gain military merit in the campaign against the Kushans, Chen Xi is somewhat worried that Zhuge Liang will not be able to suppress the Ganges people using conventional methods later on.

If conventional methods cannot be used, then unconventional methods must be employed, and once such methods are used, turmoil becomes inevitable.

Why did problems easily arise in the second generation of core leaders during the first two or three decades after the founding of the nation? To put it bluntly, it was because the second generation couldn't deal with the first generation who hadn't fallen yet using conventional methods.

Therefore, after much consideration, Chen Xi finally decided to take the risk of sending Zhuge Liang to the Ganges River. In this way, when Zhuge Liang faced those first-generation leaders, at least their seniority and status would be equal.

Politically, as long as both sides are equal in qualifications and status, they can rely on conventional means. It all comes down to brains and tactics. Chen Xi never doubted Zhuge Liang's brains and tactics.

"Then who will be the core leader?" Zhuge Liang hesitated for a moment before asking the question, as it was also a huge question of seniority.

“I actually prefer Zhang Zibu because he is politically weak and compromising, but to be honest, because of this weakness and compromising nature, I think it’s highly likely that my cousin will end up in that position,” Chen Xi said with a sigh.

In terms of domestic affairs, Zhang Zhao is definitely reliable, but that's just how things are these days. Being reliable is actually not very useful, and Zhang Zhao will definitely not be able to get that position.

As for Xun Chen, he is overly cautious in this matter. Moreover, in his current position, Xun Chen's spiritual talent can exert an amazing effect. He sees many things clearly, but he dares not do them. Therefore, the final choice is most likely Chen Qun.

"I understand." Zhuge Liang nodded. "That's about what I estimated."

There are only so many people suitable for domestic affairs, and even fewer who are qualified to try their luck at the position of prime minister, given that Chen Xi and Zhuge Liang have relinquished their positions. Under these circumstances, everyone knows who is who and who is not. Doesn't Chen Qun know this?

No, Chen Qun actually knew that when Chen Xi invited him in person, he had a vague idea of ​​what was going on. That's why Chen Qun was conflicted, but he also agreed. He understood that this was a gesture of goodwill from Chen Xi, considering their backgrounds and Chen Qun's abilities.

To reiterate, if both parties are suitable, Chen Xi will choose his own family member. And Chen Qun is indeed suitable and capable of taking on this position. When Chen Xi nodded in the absence of Xun Yu, it was tantamount to tacitly approving Chen Qun's appointment to the position.

As for Zhang Zhao, Chen Xi genuinely favored him, but it was meaningless. Zhang Zhao had refused three invitations back then, and if he were to sit in the core position of Liu Bei's faction now, even if it was only temporary, do you think Guo Jia, Li You, and Liu Ye, who remained behind, wouldn't skin Zhang Zhao alive?

I never enjoyed this kind of treatment back in the day, so get out of here and be a dog!

This is also where Chen Xi's helplessness lies; these days, seniority and status are very important.

"Actually, there is another option, but I think it's unlikely." Chen Xi thought for a moment and then mentioned it. Zhong Yao was the biggest option. Li You could no longer be used at such a high intensity at this stage. Although Zhong Yao was only slightly younger than Li You, for some reason, Zhong Yao seemed very robust and durable. So theoretically, Zhong Yao could be brought to Chang'an as a temporary replacement.

As for Zhong Yao's work on the Ganges, Lu Su can temporarily take over, which is equivalent to adjusting Chen Xi's original plan.

But given Zhong Yao's current situation, Chen Xi felt it was best to let it go. With Zhang Changpu around, Zhong Yao's mind started wandering again. This guy always acts recklessly; world affairs have never been his top priority.

“Zhong Yuanchang.” Zhuge Liang glanced at Zhong Yao. He was aware of Zhong Yao’s abilities and had heard of his character. He was indeed an elite among elites. The two had even met before. However, Zhong Yao was somewhat of a frivolous person.

Of course, even if Zhong Yao didn't treat serious matters as serious matters, the things he handled were still much better than most people's; it's just a matter of attitude.

"So I've been thinking about it and we'll see. After the New Year, I'll let Changwen and the other two practice with them. Their abilities are not a problem. They just need to adapt and also understand the gap between them." Chen Xi said expressionlessly. "Also, Kongming, strengthen the intelligence gathering in the impoverished areas of the Northwest and Southwest. Fengxiao gave me some information, and I'm a little worried about the situation there."

"Aren't you going to those places at the end of next year?" Zhuge Liang asked, frowning. What's going on? Can't you even wait this long? What must be happening in the Northwest and Southwest?

"Chen Yuanlong also came to this grand court assembly. He told me some things about the impoverished areas in the southwest. Of course, he also talked about Gongyou, since he's always building roads in the southwest and has seen many impoverished families there. That kind of poverty is completely different from the poverty in the east. Sigh, people live off the land, and people live off the sea, but some places really do have geographical problems, they don't even have roads." Chen Xi sighed and said, "Anyway, you should pay attention to that too."

Zhuge Liang nodded upon hearing this. From Chen Xi's words, Zhuge Liang could roughly imagine what the situation was like there. He had no doubts about it. In his opinion, Chen Xi had done a very good job. As for certain details, well, those were the little things that Chen Xi himself couldn't take care of. Besides, in the deep mountains and forests, even if Chen Xi were a god, he wouldn't be able to pay attention to them.

"Actually, when I said I needed to inspect the southwest and northwest, it was because there were some things I had to see in person to confirm. The things sent up from below, how should I put it, were inevitably embellished, and I couldn't be sure whether those people were deliberately deceiving us. After all, bureaucrats, once they form an organization, will have their own will," Chen Xi said helplessly.

"So there's a ton of stuff to do next year too, sigh!" Zhuge Liang said with a hint of regret.

Liu Bei knew many veterans, and indeed some who had traveled all over the country, so Liu Bei and Chen Xi had some understanding of the grassroots level.

However, as times have progressed to this point, Chen Xi has realized that when the veterans faced Liu Bei and Chen Xi, they were somewhat secretive, only reporting good news and not bad. In addition, the seriousness of some things they thought was completely different from the seriousness of Chen Xi's opinion. This is a matter of perspective.

Some seemingly minor things were actually quite serious in Chen Xi's eyes, but the veterans were unaware of them!

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