Chapter 1217: After Lü Bu's Ascension

Lu Su had nothing more to say. If even Chen Xi, as the head of the Chen family, didn’t mind, how could he, an outsider, have any further opinions?

"Alright, let’s leave it at that. There’s not much issue with the Yuan clan. While they present some problems, we are still in a strategic offensive, so we don’t need to worry too much," Chen Xi shifted the conversation from the Chen family’s relocation back to the next enemy in the north that needed to be dealt with.

Jia Xu, catching Chen Xi’s glance, sighed and nodded, "If the Yuan clan has any schemes or tricks, I’ll handle them first. But it would be best if you all assist when needed. I have a feeling something’s off. Better to be cautious and avoid failure at the last step."

"Hmm..." Chen Xi looked at Jia Xu skeptically, "Are you saying you could be outmaneuvered by someone?"

"No, it's just that something doesn’t feel right. I used my mental ability to analyze all the connections of the Yuan family, but I still sensed something amiss," Jia Xu explained after some thought.

"That’s strange. Could there really be an issue with destroying the Yuan clan? Zhang He and Gao Lan have been exiled to Bingzhou, and the Yuan family no longer has any generals of significance," Chen Xi frowned as he looked at Jia Xu. "Though Shen Pei, Xu You, and Xun Chen are intelligent strategists, the gap between a capable general and an ordinary one is massive."

"There’s just something unsettling," Jia Xu admitted, unable to pinpoint exactly what was wrong despite having all the intelligence.

"Alright, I’ll stay vigilant then. How’s the contact with Zhang Wenyuan and the others progressing?" Chen Xi asked after a moment of consideration, deciding to trust Jia Xu’s instincts.

When reconnaissance eagles brought information from Jiuyuan in Bingzhou to Ye City, Liu Bei’s side immediately dispatched many spies to Bingzhou to make contact with Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, Chen Gong, and others.

To be honest, aside from Lü Bu’s troublesome character and his lack of personal virtue, his subordinates were quite remarkable. Whether it was the invincible Formation Breaker Camp, Zhang Liao, who became famous at Xiaoyao Ford, or Chen Gong, who once outmaneuvered five strategists and escaped unscathed—they were all elites of the land.

Additionally, there were generals like Cheng Lian, Cao Xing, Hao Meng, and Song Xian, all of whom were respectable lieutenants with cultivation at the Lianqi Chenggang level. Especially Cao Xing, Gao Shun’s deputy, who, bolstered by the Formation Breaker’s military spirit, could pose a threat even to Neiqi Liti cultivators with his arrows.

These talents weren’t easy to come by. Whichever warlord could secure their allegiance would see a significant boost in strength. So when Lü Bu ascended to immortality, leaving the Bingzhou army leaderless, many warlords rushed to recruit them.

Cao Cao and Yuan Tan had the geographical advantage, being closest. Unfortunately, when Cao Cao tried to strike two birds with one stone by eliminating both the Western Xianbei and Lü Bu, he only succeeded in killing the Xianbei, while Lü Bu ascended in front of the world.

Afterward, Cao Ren conducted a probing attack but found that, without Lü Bu, the Bingzhou army’s wild aggression had shifted to a more cautious and steady approach. The assumption that the Bingzhou forces would be easier to deal with in Lü Bu’s absence was proven false.

Zhang Liao was no pushover. Although Cao Ren only engaged in a probing skirmish before retreating, he still highly praised Zhang Liao’s ability.

What Cao Ren didn’t realize was that he had only managed to retreat because Zhang Liao prioritized stability. In terms of military strategy, Zhang Liao surpassed Lü Bu, though his martial prowess didn’t match Lü Bu’s legendary level.

Afterward, every faction tried to win them over. Cao Cao sent emissaries with an imperial decree from Emperor Liu Xie to persuade Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, and Chen Gong. Yuan Tan, despite exiling Zhang He and Gao Lan out of anger, knew that the Yuan family couldn’t go without notable generals, so after Lü Bu’s ascension, he also sent envoys.

Naturally, Liu Bei’s forces also sent people to recruit them, though Zhang Liao had yet to give a firm answer. But compared to Cao Cao, whom he completely ignored, he at least responded to both Yuan Tan and Liu Bei.

"Based on the responses from Gao Shun, Zhang Liao, and Chen Gong, as well as the information from our spies, it seems that after Lü Bu’s ascension, his subordinates are beginning to develop their own plans," Jia Xu said calmly.

"Oh? So, which ones are leaning toward us?" Chen Xi asked curiously.

"For people like Cheng Lian and Hao Meng, joining us doesn’t provide much of an advantage. After Lü Bu’s ascension, they’ve had more contact with Cao Cao’s side," Jia Xu explained. The Lianqi Chenggang level was not uncommon under Liu Bei’s command, where there were now around four to five hundred such soldiers.

Although Cheng Lian, Hao Meng, and Song Xian were relatively strong within the Lianqi Chenggang level, if they joined Liu Bei’s forces, due to the military structure, they would still have to start from the rank of battalion commanders.

To advance, particularly for cultivators who had just achieved Neiqi, strength grew rapidly with more training and adequate nourishment. However, after years of war, reaching the Lianqi Chenggang level placed one among the top thousand individuals within Liu Bei’s population of twenty million.

Excluding the injured, those who refused to join the army, and the private soldiers of noble families, Liu Bei’s army likely had around four to five hundred active Lianqi Chenggang soldiers. Most were recent advancements, and only those who had achieved the rank during the Yellow Turban Rebellion were truly formidable.

The increase in Heaven and Earth Qi had indeed made it easier to reach the Lianqi Chenggang level, but with this ease came a decline in average capability. A veteran Lianqi Chenggang soldier from the Yellow Turban era could easily defeat three to five of the current ones.

"I see. That makes sense. What about the three I’m most interested in?" Chen Xi asked, folding his hands under his chin and looking slightly more serious.

Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, and Chen Gong were the ones Chen Xi had been eyeing from the start. Even when Lü Bu was alive, Chen Xi paid more attention to these three than to Lü Bu himself.

"Chen Gong has his own considerations, but Zhang Liao and Gao Shun have expressed that they do not want to get involved in the wars of the Central Plains, especially Gao Shun. Before ascending, Lü Bu left something behind for him, and now he’s pushing to reach the peak of Neiqi Liti," Jia Xu said with some admiration.

Back when Li You served under Lü Bu, he had a high regard for Gao Shun and Zhang Liao. However, because of their close ties to Lü Bu, Li You couldn’t act, though he remained mindful of them. Gao Shun had always been one to build strength slowly but steadily.

"This complicates things," Chen Xi sighed, feeling slightly troubled. With Tian Yu’s earlier refusal, there were now three truly capable individuals uninterested in Central Plains warfare.

Unlike Lü Bu’s coerced involvement, Zhang Liao and Gao Shun’s reluctance was genuine. There was a strong chance that, like Tian Yu, who was now stationed north of Youzhou to defend against the nomads, these two might ignore the chaos of the Central Plains and focus solely on external threats.

"Indeed, Zhang Liao might still be swayed, but Gao Shun will likely dedicate the rest of his life to defending the borders. From the intelligence I’ve gathered, it seems Lü Bu left him with a strong sense of duty to guard the frontier," Jia Xu speculated quietly.

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