Chapter 49: The Yinchuan Homeland

The main army camped outside the administrative seat of Yingchuan Commandery. To be honest, Liu Bei's arrival scared the Administrator of Yangdi nearly out of his wits. Although this was the administrative seat of Yingchuan, having over ten thousand elite infantry and cavalry camped right outside the city walls would terrify anyone, especially in these turbulent times when the situation remained unclear.

Chen Liang, the Administrator of Yangdi, directly ordered the city gates to be sealed and mobilized all defensive forces within the city to guard against a potential siege by Liu Bei. After all, the Great Han Dynasty had not yet collapsed, and marching a force of over ten thousand within the territory without a formal mobilization decree meant entering the city was strictly forbidden.

Once Liu Bei used the General-in-Chief's decree to signal the city wall from below, Chen Liang finally realized it was a false alarm. Naturally, he also figured out that no matter how one traveled to Taishan, the route should not have led through his territory. However, anyone with half a brain would not dwell on such a minor issue at a time like this. He had zero desire to provoke this powerful regional governor, who clearly wielded supreme authority over both military and civilian affairs. Such a man was in a completely different league compared to a commandery administrator with no real military power.

To put it bluntly, if Liu Bei were to launch a siege right now, kill him, install a puppet in his place, and then report it to the central government, nobody would even care in this chaotic era.

"You are too kind, Administrator Chen. It is already improper for me to pass through your lands, but for the sake of peace within my jurisdiction, I had to come to a spiritually vibrant and talent-rich place like Yingchuan to seek out a wise talent or two," Liu Bei said, giving Chen Liang plenty of face. Seeing the latter standing behind the city gates, Liu Bei showed no arrogance whatsoever; instead, he offered a polite bow, throwing Chen Liang a graceful lifeline to step down.

"You flatter me, Lord Xuande. Governing a region naturally requires a balance between civil governance and military might. Taishan Commandery is plagued by bandits, yet your men are fierce and your soldiers robust—suppressing bandits will be no problem at all. The only deficiency is a lack of civil officials, whereas our Yingchuan is renowned for producing generations of scholars," Chen Liang replied, seizing the opportunity to step down smoothly. Moreover, having developed a keen interest in Liu Bei's massive force of cavalry, he laughed and dropped a heavy hint.

Since the other party chose to exchange pleasantries with laughter, Liu Bei simply laughed along. These soldiers were his lifeblood; Liu Bei did not even have enough of them to spare, so did Chen Liang actually expect to carve some out from his ranks? You must be joking. Throwing you a bone so you could step down gracefully did not mean handing you a ladder to climb higher. To actually dare covet his troops—Chen Xi genuinely wondered what was going on inside this clansman's head.

A banquet was held to welcome the troops and wash away the dust of travel. Whether Chen Liang had lost his mind or genuinely held high hopes for Liu Bei, the hospitality offered was beyond reproach. He even specially invited the prominent families of the city to attend the welcoming banquet for Liu Bei. Strangely enough, among them was even Chen Xi's father-in-law.

"Zichuan, why are you here?" After eating and drinking to his full, Chen Xi caught a subtle eye-signal from Fan Liang and nodded, quietly slipping away from the banquet. Liu Bei displayed an extraordinary level of tolerance toward the few core subordinates currently under his command.

"How is Uncle keeping? I have already been to Hulao Pass to witness the lords of the realm. Their ambitions are practically laid out on the table; the dynastic fortune of the Guangwu lineage has run out. I am now following Lord Xuande, intending to carve out a wealthy and honorable future for myself," Chen Xi said with a smile. Fan Liang was trustworthy, so he did not mind uttering some earth-shattering words.

"Watch your tongue!" Fan Liang scolded.

"It is only because it is you, Uncle; I would never say such things to anyone else. How do you view Lord Xuande, Uncle?" Chen Xi asked with a smile.

"His nobility is beyond description," Fan Liang said after a long silence. "He bears the portents of a king or a duke."

"Merely the portents of a king or a duke?" Chen Xi wore a playful expression, showing little excessive reverence. Regarding Fan Liang, his memories were filled more with familial warmth than distant formality; true family did not require elaborate etiquette, which was reserved for outsiders.

"The portents of an emperor. However, it should have been marred by the misfortune of losing a wife, yet something now seems to have suppressed it. The original wandering life of destitution and success achieved late in life have been forcefully thrust onto a smooth, broad highway. This is not the physiognomy of an emperor who founds a dynasty; without sufficient trials and tribulations, it is utterly impossible to establish a nation!" Fan Liang said after another prolonged silence.

"Uncle's eyes remain as sharp as ever," Chen Xi said with a smile. A family spanning a millennium naturally possessed knowledge distinct from ordinary people; even in decline, they were incomparable to common clans.

"Your physiognomy..." Fan Liang frowned.

"Uncle should speak of Fan Jian instead; let us leave my physiognomy unread," Chen Xi said with a smile.

The topic was instantly diverted. Physiognomy could never be more important than his own daughter's marriage. If she were not married off soon, he would have to pay a double poll tax. It was not that Fan Liang could not afford it, but he could not afford to lose that kind of face!

"Jian'er is doing well, simply waiting for you to come and marry her. It is clear that Liu Xuande holds you in extremely high regard. Since you have already chosen your path, I will say no more. Take Jian'er away with you; just notify your uncle and aunt when the wedding takes place, and I will travel to Taishan then. As for you, Zichuan, to be honest, I underestimated you." Fan Liang first wore a gentle smile, then his expression gradually calmed as he offered Chen Xi words of praise.

"Take her away directly? That hardly conforms to ritual and propriety," Chen Xi said with a frown. "As for whether you underestimated me or not, it matters little. As long as I know my own capabilities, that is enough."

"Just take her. Since you intend to build a career, you ought to settle down and establish a family first. When Cao Mengde casually let slip about you, how do you think the various warlords view you?" Fan Liang waved a hand, indicating that Chen Xi need not fret over such minor formalities. The Fan family was no longer the prestigious noble house it once was, and since the betrothal had long been settled, spiriting her away was entirely acceptable.

"It is nothing. Lord Cao has acquired a fine subordinate; I suppose he intended for Lü Bu to eliminate Li Ru and Dong Zhuo, directly thrusting the mutual distrust among the three of them out into the open. Normally, at a time like this, as long as they were open and honest with one another, future alienation tactics would struggle to have any effect. What a pity—Li Ru is deeply resourceful, Lü Bu is brainless, and Dong Zhuo is tyrannical. Dragging it out into the open will only make them even more distrustful of each other," Chen Xi said with a shrug. This was pure open strategy—classic bullying through absolute advantage.

The moment Chen Xi heard Fan Liang's words, he realized that Cao Cao's first capable strategist had appeared. Xi Zhicai—a figure absent from *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* but recorded in *Records of the Three Kingdoms*—had finally emerged. Cao Cao was formally beginning to hoard his strength; similarly, Zao Zhi, who had also thrown in his lot with Cao Cao right from the beginning, had essentially perfected the ultimate weapon of agricultural colonization, and would likely put it into practice very soon.

"Zichuan, you seem thoroughly well-versed in these matters. Unlike that sickly youth of the past, you have grown to this degree. If Elder Chen were still around, he would surely be immensely astonished," Fan Liang said, listening to Chen Xi's commentary and watching his nonchalant expression with deep satisfaction, sighing with emotion.

Seeing that Chen Xi remained silent, Fan Liang pondered for a moment and said, "Zichuan, I imagine your coming to Yingchuan, aside from visiting me and Jian'er, also carries the intention of seeking out wise talents for Liu Xuande. However, remember not to approach the Chen family. Unless one day the Chen family comes looking for you, hoping to use your connection to hitch themselves to Liu Xuande, pay no heed to them otherwise. Great families have their own ways of conducting themselves. Until you possess sufficient capability, you had best avoid touching these matters."