Chapter Twenty-Six: The Road Ahead

"Indeed. Aside from the glory inherited from my ancestors, until not long ago, I had nothing. But now, I have five thousand elite troops, the reputation of a feudal lord, and a foundation upon which to restore the Han Dynasty!" Liu Bei’s initially somber tone gradually swelled with fervor, his eyes gleaming as he gazed at Chen Xi.

"Yes, you have achieved much. Yet it is not enough—far from it. You are still a long way off. Not to mention the Yuan family, with their four generations of high-ranking officials, even compared to some local magnates, you possess nothing but your reputation," Chen Xi said, a sardonic, indelible smile on his lips. *Too naive,* he thought. *Liu Bei is still far too naive!*

"I humbly ask for your guidance, sir," Liu Bei said, straightening his posture with a solemnity he had not shown since the day Chen Xi helped him ascend to the ranks of the feudal lords.

"There is no need for such formality," Chen Xi waved his hand dismissively. "Reputation may seem important, and it may appear to grant you many things, but reputation is merely an illusion. Only strength is truly paramount."

"During the time of Duke Xiao of Qin, the State of Qin was so weak that the other feudal lords did not even invite them to their alliances, and no man of talent in the world would seek service in the West. But then, Shang Yang came to Qin. He defeated the Wei Wu-z卒 at Hexi, established the most powerful army in the world, and from then on, the world branded Qin as tyrannical! Yet, after that, men of talent flocked to Xianyang, and the lords of the East feared Qin like a tiger," Chen Xi said, his face alight with a fervent intensity.

"When lords contend for the throne, they seek substance, not reputation. For three hundred years during the Spring and Autumn period, there was no 'righteousness'—only self-interest!" Chen Xi sneered. In a chaotic age, the prize for which men fought was something he had seen written clearly throughout thousands of years of history.

Liu Bei remained silent, slowly closing his eyes. When he opened them again, there was not a trace of hesitation left. "Zichuan, to be honest, I never imagined anyone could see through all of this so clearly, so lucidly."

"It is nothing. These things are quite simple. A monarch may not need the art of imperial manipulation, but there is one thing he must master: how to forge his own strength. When one's power reaches a certain level, the rules of the world shift according to the monarch's every word and deed," Chen Xi said, his voice laced with a seductive influence. "A ruler who relies solely on imperial schemes to control his subordinates is simply not up to the task. A true monarch would never deign to play such games."

"Zi... Zichuan," Liu Bei stammered, looking at Chen Xi with wide, rigid eyes. *The art of imperial manipulation*—he was shocked that such a thing had been laid bare so casually, and with such open disdain.

"Lord Xuande, what is there to fear?" Chen Xi asked calmly. "If the mandate were truly as the Imperial Seal claims—'Having received the mandate from Heaven, may you enjoy longevity and eternal prosperity'—then how did the chaos of Dong Zhuo arise? One can only say that the mandate was originally received from the people, but the rulers eventually detached themselves from the people and were ultimately destroyed by them. The people are like water, and the monarch is the boat. Water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it. It is an immutable cycle since ancient times."

Chen Xi’s words rang in Liu Bei’s mind like the tolling of morning bells and evening drums. Many problems that had long plagued him suddenly became clear. He had witnessed the people trading their children for food during the famine; he had seen the decadence of the noble houses in Luoyang; he had watched soldiers fight to the death just for a full meal, while generals indulged in wine and music in their camps. He had seen these things with his own eyes.

"Zichuan, never speak such words again!" Liu Bei, having regained his composure, looked deeply at Chen Xi and spoke with grave seriousness.

"Did I say something?" Chen Xi let out a drunken hiccup. "If Lord Xuande has questions, you may ask them now."

"How do I take Taishan Commandery? How do I become stronger? How do I..." Liu Bei gritted his teeth, "...how do I pacify this chaotic world?"

Chen Xi smiled faintly. "Pacifying the world is not something that can be done right now. Before that, you must become strong—sufficiently strong. Taishan is a good place; Qing Province is a good place. Among the three million bandits, thirty or forty percent are able-bodied men. If you take them and train them, even if you cannot achieve the dominance of the Qin state, you can at least, like the Tian-Qi state, sit back and watch the flames of war consume the world."

"If you put it that way, it is indeed a good place, though pacifying it will be difficult," Liu Bei sighed.

"On the contrary, pacifying them is not difficult at all. If you can persuade Tao Gongzu to lend us grain and take Taishan, then swallowing Qing Province will not be hard. Those people would not have turned to banditry if they had a path to survival. The most crucial point is that, aside from Bing Province and Qing Province—which has already been shattered by the Yellow Turbans and bandits—the magnates and noble clans in other regions are not something you can deal with yet," Chen Xi said, his eyes narrowed. He had a clear direction for handling Qing Province; in fact, he had a clear direction for handling all thirteen provinces of the Han!

"Since you have such confidence, Zichuan, I am willing to try!" Liu Bei made the decision almost without hesitation. His thirty years of experience had taught him one truth: the power of the noble clans and local magnates was immense, enough to sway the imperial throne. They were not something a minor, unestablished lord like him could touch. One wrong move would trigger a chain reaction, inviting the hostility of these powerful families and making his path impossible to traverse.

"Very well, let us try. One must try to know what is possible. If we do not attempt, who can say it cannot be done? Before Xiang Yu broke Zhang Han, who knew that battle could be won? We must always make the attempt."

"Noble clans, magnates... alas," Liu Bei sighed, lost in thought.

"They are also the foundation. While there are certainly dregs among them, it cannot be denied that ninety percent of the Han's elite come from this class. Until we have absolute superiority, we should not think of opposing them," Chen Xi said, shaking his head. In truth, he held no deep malice toward the noble clans. In this era, aside from land annexation, this class was beneficial to the state.

The grassroots administration relied on these magnates rooted in the land. While there were indeed scoundrels among them, condemning the entire class would be a grave error. If he were to uproot them and establish an entirely new system, the mere thought gave Chen Xi a headache.

For this reason, Chen Xi’s strategy for the noble clans was only to constrain them and to play one faction against another. If he truly wanted to destroy them, he would have to start with his own family first. If he were to be consistent, there were things within the Chen family that he himself could not tolerate.

Since he could not lead by example, Chen Xi extinguished the thought of warring with the noble clans. However, to prevent them from seizing Liu Bei’s lifeline while he was still weak and forcing him into a corner, Chen Xi had chosen Qing Province from the very beginning—a place where the noble clans had essentially been wiped out!

This was why, when Liu Bei asked his questions, Chen Xi had answered without a moment's hesitation. Even if Kong Rong and Tao Qian did not recommend him, Chen Xi would have had Liu Bei petition the throne for the governorship of Qing Province after the campaign to save the capital. Every problem had already been calculated long ago.