Mythic version of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 7133 Finalized
Chen Xi didn't have any good solutions for the situation on the Ganges. Since things had come to this, all he could do was to do his own logistical work. As for how to fight on the front lines, that was up to the front lines to decide. As for the rest, he could only wait and see.

"Then so be it. I will pass on everything I need to to Wenze, so that he can be on guard," Liu Bei said after a moment's thought, with a sigh.

To be honest, even Liu Bei himself was not optimistic about the fate of Zhao Yun's army in their desperate defense of Balayaga. Perhaps they could achieve good results in the early stages by relying on their courage and bravery, but the disparity in troop strength between the two sides was obvious, and the Han Dynasty was already at a disadvantage in the strategic situation. Under such circumstances, it was frankly impossible for Zhao Yun's army to break through the strategy with tactics.

Of course, if you're saying that Zhao Yun's army could be like Huo Qubing's 10,000 men single-handedly defeating the peak Xiongnu main force, or like Dou Xian's 7,000 men breaking through the Northern Xiongnu royal court, then disregard what I said.

The latter kind of thing is, how should I put it, a typical example that is basically impossible to replicate. It places extremely high, even incomprehensible, demands on the officers and their subordinates.

"As for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, I plan to keep their news under wraps, but I will urge them to complete the smelting of the metal element as soon as possible," Liu Bei said after thinking for a moment. At least one of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had to go, otherwise their armies would be difficult to command.

"If I remember correctly, Yide is about to complete the smelting?" Chen Xi said with a hint of reminiscence. A few days ago, Zhang Fei came over to show off to Chen Xi, saying that he would absorb all the metal element in a month at most. At that time, even on the battlefield, he would have a certain indestructible aura. Except for a very special and powerful will that might break through this aura, other attacks could be considered harmless to him.

In short, Zhang Fei was extremely arrogant when he said this. Chen Xi remembered it and said that when the sword was really smelted, he should let Zhang Fei try it out by slashing it a couple of times. Zhang Fei laughed and said that Chen Xi could try it out right now.

To be honest, Chen Xi wanted to transform into Breaker and use the double-edged sword that Liu Bei lent him to let Zhang Fei experience it properly. In short, there's not much to say about this.

"Hmm, I asked Yide how long it would take a couple of days ago, and Yide said it would take about the same amount of time as Yunchang. I thought it would really take half a year." Liu Bei was taken aback when he heard this, and then quickly realized that Zhang Fei just didn't want to show that he was too much better than Guan Yu.

"Then I'll take Yide with me when I go, so that Yunchang can rest for a while," Liu Bei said after thinking for a moment. He added that taking either Guan Yu or Zhang Fei was enough, there was no need to take both. As for who would command Guan Yu's army, he was looking down on Liu Bei!
“That works too.” Chen Xi nodded. He could understand Liu Bei’s idea. As for Liu Bei sitting in Guan Yu’s army to command, Chen Xi thought it was normal. Liu Bei was going to Han Gui’s final battle anyway, so it would be good for Liu Bei to experience commanding a large army on the Ganges River now.

While he might not be able to command a large army well, to be honest, given Liu Bei's ability to control his soldiers, maintaining the army's combat effectiveness shouldn't be a problem.

"I will take Wenru to the front lines then," Liu Bei said after thinking for a moment.

“Isn’t this what we were talking about before?” Guo Jia, who hadn’t spoken until now, slowly said, “But I still have to say something: Wenru is actually somewhat unsuitable.”

In Guo Jia's view, many of the current practices involve investigation and even purges, which are necessary. However, if Li You is to carry out all the purges, considering the premise that every temple has its drowned ghosts, Li You will eventually suffer a backlash.

If you do too much dirty work, one day the knife will fall on your own body, and others may not be willing to be sympathetic to you. After all, over time, the relatives and friends of those people you purged back then will have reached a point where they can threaten you. Maybe one or two won't matter, but if there are many, it can really be fatal. Therefore, Guo Jia had some reservations about this matter.

“Wenru is indeed not suitable.” Chen Xi said with a hint of helplessness, but in the end, he didn’t say anything. Among them, only Wenru could do this, and Wenru didn’t have any moral fastidiousness when doing this. If it were someone else, Man Chong could do it, but Man Chong would be too inefficient. What they needed now was to get things done quickly. If they dragged it out for too long, there would be trouble later.

Therefore, the only option is to let Li You take charge, let Li You directly crush the problem, and then quickly defeat the Kushan Empire. In this way, the subsequent problems will be resolved before they can fester.

"As for Yuanzhi, I will appoint him as my advisor, and Wenru will handle these matters. That should be enough," Liu Bei said thoughtfully. This move was essentially giving Xu Shu a platform to showcase himself to Liu Bei, and it could also be considered the final test for the twelve elders. However, Chen Xi and Guo Jia thought it wouldn't be a problem.

Both of them knew Xu Shu's abilities and were certain that Xu Shu was perfectly capable of serving as Liu Bei's advisor, so neither of them expressed any opinion on the matter.

"When the time comes, Zhongkang, you'll still have to come with me to the Ganges. You'll be my bodyguard, but this time you'll need to command troops," Liu Bei said to Xu Chu beside him. Xu Chu just chuckled when he heard this. Although he wasn't very good at commanding troops, he was still capable of leading several thousand strong men clad in fortifications to charge into battle if Liu Bei needed him.

To be honest, the Shield Guard unit is indeed very friendly to generals like Xu Chu who are not good at commanding. On the contrary, those legions that require skill to unleash their true combat power are somewhat unsuitable for generals like Xu Chu who are not good at commanding.

"There's nothing else I can prepare for you in terms of supplies, but I've already asked General Huangfu and General Zhu to help perfect the legion we agreed on. Although it's not a fully-fledged legion, with your legion talent, it should be able to unleash tremendous combat power." Liu Bei suddenly remembered something and instructed Xu Chu.

At the time, it was said that a legion would be custom-made for Xu Chu, and Liu Bei kept this in mind. Moreover, unlike when they had no money or manpower, the Han Dynasty now had both money and manpower; the only problem was the custom-made legion.

So after realizing that this thing was indeed suitable for Xu Chu, Liu Bei instructed Zhu Jun to help train a shield guard legion with the two talents of warming and disintegrating.

This task wasn't too difficult for Zhu Jun, especially since Liu Bei provided ample logistical support. Zhu Jun actually completed the task in a short time. However, Liu Bei had requirements regarding the height and weight of the soldiers, which limited the scale of Zhu Jun's training. Even so, it was still quite satisfactory.

"Has my legion finally arrived?" Xu Chu blurted out his thoughts without thinking. The three people present exchanged glances and immediately burst into laughter. Xu Chu, not understanding why, also laughed along.

"Yes, it is indeed your exclusive legion. You will definitely achieve excellent results leading this legion. Moreover, unlike other legions that may require strategic thinking, with this legion, you only need to leverage your own strengths." Chen Xi nodded gently. He had also participated in the training of this legion, and besides, he was present when the idea was first proposed.

Moreover, Chen Xi also felt that it was indeed necessary to arrange a legion for Xu Chu, after all, he was one of the earliest generals to follow Liu Bei, and he had made a lot of contributions and worked hard over the years.

Therefore, when there is an opportunity, Xu Chu should be given some dignity. As for not being able to command and only being able to serve as a guard, it doesn't matter. As long as he is assigned a suitable legion, even if he can't command, he can still exert combat power no less than that of a normal commander.

Doesn't that solve all the problems?

Xu Chu was actually quite pleased to hear this. After all these years, Xu Chu had realized that he and Zhang Fei were completely different. It wasn't that Liu Bei had sworn brotherhood with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, while he, Xu Chu, was merely a bodyguard.

In reality, the person who has been by Liu Bei's side the longest over the years is definitely Xu Chu. Even Liu Bei's wife has not been by his side as long as Xu Chu.

Basically, wherever Liu Bei went, Xu Chu went too.

Therefore, the real difference between him and Zhang Fei lies in their command abilities.

Zhang Fei was capable of commanding troops, and his command ability was quite good. Moreover, he often had a flash of inspiration and would do amazing things. In addition, on large battlefields, Zhang Fei did not need to use his brain. He could seize opportunities for battle by relying entirely on his intuition and randomly find weaknesses in the battle line that he could break through by relying on his own martial prowess and leadership skills. Therefore, Zhang Fei could often achieve amazing results on large battlefields.

For example, in the Battle of Norse mythology, Zhang Fei, Zhang Liao, and Zhang He joined forces. Zhang Fei, just like Zhang Liao, managed to seize Odin's weakness in an extreme situation and then rushed in to kill Odin.

These all demonstrate Zhang Fei's command, leadership, and battlefield analysis abilities, which are the foundation for becoming a renowned general.

This is also an important reason why, despite Zhang Fei's recklessness and lack of intelligence, he was still relatively reliable on the battlefield.

Xu Chu was different. He was just as reckless as Zhang Fei, and his brains were about the same, but Xu Chu had no command ability and his battlefield analysis skills were terrible. This is why Xu Chu could only serve as a bodyguard, while Zhang Fei could serve as a general and command an army.

Although Zhang Fei was somewhat tyrannical and sometimes very harsh on his soldiers, this did not prevent him from being able to command troops in battle. This is the biggest difference between generals and guards.

The upper limit for bodyguards is like Dian Wei and Xu Chu, who can become marquises by sharing the merits of their lord, and there is little possibility of them going any higher.

This is also why Xu Chu was very satisfied with becoming a marquis. He knew that it was basically impossible for him to become a marquis on his own. Moreover, after the reform of the military system and nobility system in the Han Dynasty, the difficulty of becoming a marquis increased dramatically, and the benefits also increased dramatically. Under such circumstances, if you wanted to become a marquis without commanding troops, you would basically have to kill the Xiongnu Chanyu on the battlefield or become a wise king.

Otherwise, don't count on it.

The problem is that nobody knows where the Xiongnu are now, which is very frustrating.

This is why many people privately spread rumors that Xu Chu's title of marquis was rather weak. After all, everyone knows that in the battle of Balayaga, it was Liu Bei and Yu Jin who set up the stage for Xu Chu. Even without Xu Chu, there would have been a group of people, but in the end, Liu Bei and Yu Jin specifically chose Xu Chu, allowing him to gain sufficient merit.

Therefore, even though Xu Chu was very satisfied with his current situation, he still hoped to have the opportunity to achieve some more convincing merits.

However, Xu Chu also knew that his ability to lead troops was only so-so, and he would rather not harm the veterans if he could avoid it, so he only thought about it in his heart at most.

Unexpectedly, a legion exclusively for him suddenly appeared, which meant that he would have another chance to go to the battlefield and earn convincing merits, which made Xu Chu very happy.

After enjoying himself for a while, Xu Chu scratched the back of his head and said somewhat awkwardly, "Um, my lord, Marquis Chen, and Mr. Guo, I actually don't know how to lead troops. Even my legion talent was formed for me by General Huangfu. If I command such a legion, won't I suffer heavy losses?"

Although he longed for a legion that would allow him to achieve great things, Xu Chu still felt that it was better not to harm others when he was not capable enough. They were all born of mothers and fathers; it was not good for them to achieve great things by following others but die on the battlefield by following him.

"Don't worry, this legion is specially designed for you, taking your situation into consideration. You just need to bring your explosive talent and lead the charge head-on. Play to your strengths and specialties, and when you're unleashing your full power, no one else will be able to defeat you." Liu Bei and Chen Xi exchanged a glance, feeling that one of their achievements over the years was finally making those in high positions treat their subordinates as human beings, instead of as dispensable livestock.

“The previous Shield Guards were also suitable for you to lead, but overall they could only exert their regular strength and did not perform beyond expectations. But this time is different. This legion is very suitable for you. Remember to thank Xiaozhi later.” Chen Xi said with a smile. When the talent of warming and disintegrating was introduced, it was Fazheng who first mentioned it in the Political Academy. Although others noticed it, to be honest, no one thought of it in this direction.

It was precisely because Fazheng spoke up that this thing was a perfect match for Xu Chu that others began to discuss it, which led to a conclusion and the formation of this legion.

“Okay, I’ll get Xiaozhi’s son a bearskin outfit then.” Xu Chu said, patting his chest. He had a very good relationship with Fazheng.

If you think about it carefully, Fa Zheng actually had a good relationship with all the veterans and all the army group leaders, and even cooperated with most of them.

"That's good, that's good," Liu Bei said with a smile. Others might think that the good relationship between civil and military officials was a form of collusion, but Liu Bei was different. He hoped that his people could continue to get along like this and not cause a repeat of what happened with Lu Su.

"After I go to the Ganges, I plan to meet with Zijing and have a formal talk with him," Liu Bei said to Chen Xi with a serious expression.

"It's a bit of a waste to leave Zijing's abilities there, and besides, Zijing himself is partly to blame for this incident. This can be seen as Zijing atoning for his sins," Liu Bei said with a touch of emotion.

Before the events of that year, Liu Bei always considered Chen Xi and Lu Su to be his right-hand men. Even though Li You and Jia Xu were also very capable, Liu Bei relied most on Chen Xi and Lu Su, because they had arrived early, were highly capable, and had good temperaments.

Who could have imagined that it would end up like this?

"Alright." Chen Xi lowered his head and thought for a while before slowly nodding, which could be considered as agreeing to Liu Bei's idea of ​​giving Lu Su a chance.

However, Chen Xi agreed, but he knew it would be difficult. Even if Lu Su seized the opportunity, it was basically impossible for him to come back.

"Alright, that's all for now, Zichuan, you should continue to rest." Liu Bei patted Chen Xi's shoulder with a smile and said, "Don't overdo the conquests. If it gets too much, I'll have my wife come and talk to your wife."

Chen Xi was quite helpless upon hearing this. Every time Zhen Mi's matter was mentioned, Liu Bei would have a half-smile. After all, after marrying Zhang Shi, as long as Liu Bei was willing to acknowledge her, Zhen Mi would be like half a daughter to him, and Chen Xi would be like half a son-in-law to him. So, arranging for Zhang Shi to suppress Zhen Mi was essentially sending Chen Xi's mother-in-law to help him.

Just thinking about it made Liu Bei feel pretty good.

"No need for that. I had some things to deal with last night." Chen Xi sighed, then waved his hand to signal Liu Bei not to make fun of him; he had a tough time too.

"Alright then, remember to go to bed early tonight, we have to offer sacrifices at the temple first thing tomorrow morning." Liu Bei said with a teasing expression, completely disbelieving what Chen Xi was saying.

"Hmm, isn't the procedure for this grand court assembly a bit off?" Chen Xi paused for a moment upon hearing this, then looked at Liu Bei with some curiosity and asked.

"There are Xiongnu people here, so the rules of the Grand Court Assembly have been changed a bit. After all, compared to offering sacrifices to the Xiongnu at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, making a slight adjustment to the Grand Court Assembly is acceptable. In short, tomorrow at sunrise, all members of the royal family will go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices." Liu Bei said very seriously, and he didn't think there was any difference in making it this way.

"Should we also solve A Dou's problem while we're at it?" Chen Xi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, take A Dou with you. After the temple ceremony, the ceremony will be held in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Of course, I will also take your daughter with me. As for the marriage, it will take time, but we need to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to let our ancestors see it." Liu Bei said happily. He was pleased to see Liu Shan and Chen Qian get married, after all, he had watched both children grow up and knew them well.

It's completely dead, beyond saving. I haven't checked the backend in a long time, but I checked it today. There are still a little over 10,000 new subscriptions in the last 24 hours, but new readership has plummeted. In other words, no new readers are coming. It's all over!