Chapter 1215: The Impending War

Xun Yue was left speechless. It was really bold of Chen Xi to say such things so bluntly. However, it was also a relief that Chen Xi understood the situation clearly. Even a family as upright as the Xun clan had its share of unscrupulous elements, and other families would undoubtedly have their own share of shady characters running rampant.

"Now, let's discuss who will oversee the operation and which family will be relocated. Since this is the first time, there's a significant element of experimentation, and many unforeseen issues may arise," Chen Xi said, calmly scanning the room.

"Do we need to come to a decision right now? Shouldn't we give this some careful thought?" Jia Xu asked with a frown. "The choice of personnel and which family to send must be considered very carefully."

"Let Kongming go, and as for the family, the Chen clan is the most suitable," Li You said, turning to Chen Xi. "We can also send Hua Tuo’s medical team, along with Kongming's fiancée."

Everyone frowned and pondered Li You’s suggestion. It was hard to deny that it was a good proposal.

Li You then explained his reasoning, "Everyone here knows about Kongming's political skills. Although he is still young, he has already achieved about ninety percent of my level of proficiency in governance, and he has learned everything he needs to know. It’s time to let him spread his wings. As for military strategy..."

Li You turned to Chen Xi, "I believe Kongming also has great potential in military strategy. Limiting his talents to administrative duties would be underestimating him. He can become an outstanding commander, not just a skilled statesman."

"Kongming, huh?" Jia Xu gave Zhuge Liang a thoughtful look. Most of his interactions with Zhuge Liang had been related to administrative matters, but he decided to support Li You’s proposal, knowing the mentor-student-like relationship between them. "I second that."

The soldiers of Xiliang were both remarkably powerful and notoriously unruly, which was typical of elite veterans. However, they were also the easiest to command once their respect was earned.

Even if Liu Bei were to send someone like Liu Ye, it would take considerable time to establish rapport with the Xiliang forces. Worse yet, it might lead to long-term conflicts between commanders. Zhuge Liang, however, would not face this issue.

Li You would certainly write a letter to Li Jue and the others, urging them to give Zhuge Liang the proper respect. With Li You’s backing, as long as Zhuge Liang displayed sufficient competence, commanding Li Jue and his troops wouldn't be too difficult.

"I second that as well," Fazheng said with a smile. He didn’t want to take advantage of Zhuge Liang by keeping him grounded. Competing on equal footing with Zhuge Liang was already hard enough; sending him away would make it even more unfair.

"As for the Chen family, considering they raised someone like Zi Chuan, setting up a military and political framework should not be too difficult for them," Guo Jia added with a grin.

"What about you, Kongming? What do you think?" Lu Su, who had formed a friendship with Zhuge Liang through their late-night work sessions, asked with a hint of reluctance, not wanting to see him sent so far away.

"The Western Regions, huh? How would I even get there?" Zhuge Liang asked, turning to Chen Xi, which was essentially his way of accepting Li You’s proposal.

"The battle in Youzhou is inevitable now. In no more than ten days, our last army, led by General Zhang, will head toward Liaodong," Chen Xi said, taking out a pointer and directing it to the map, pointing from Jizhou to Liaodong over the sea.

"In another month, the ice on the sea will melt. Kongming, you’ll accompany General Zhang to Liaodong, but your role will be to stay in the rear and coordinate logistics," Li You added, taking the pointer from Chen Xi and pointing at the sea on the map.

"This..." Zhuge Liang's expression grew serious as he studied the map. "Are you suggesting I travel across the northern grasslands to reach the Western Regions?"

"Why not?" Chen Xi said with a smile. "The Xianbei of the north were defeated by the forces of Bingzhou and failed to secure much grain. Last year, heavy snow trapped the Eastern Xianbei, preventing them from raiding the south. After the snow melts, if they don’t move south, they’re doomed."

"With no other option, they will inevitably take action. Having learned their lesson from the Battle of Bingzhou, their only targets are Jizhou and Youzhou," Chen Xi sighed. "This will be a battle of desperation."

"Last year, Yuan Tan built beacon towers and fortresses along our shared borders, but the north has seen little fortification," Guo Jia chimed in.

"Exactly," Chen Xi said with a smile. "With the abilities of Shen Pei, Xu You, and Xun Chen, even without robust fortifications, they can still hold off the northern barbarians. The real question is how many people they’ll lose in the process."

Chen Xi's eyes flashed coldly as he spoke. In this era, the ruling class and noble families had little regard for commoners. Most of the elites thought of the people as an expendable resource, to be replaced as needed, with no real empathy for their plight.

"That's why I plan to eliminate the Yuan family this year," Chen Xi said with a chilling laugh. He intended to use the barbarians to simultaneously weaken the Yuan family and the northern populace, achieving a dual purpose.

Chen Xi realized that he had become less compassionate than he once was. The thought of using the barbarians to attack Yuan’s northern territories, thereby consuming both the Yuan family’s resources and the lives of the northern commoners, would have been unthinkable to the old Chen Xi.

But as his power and influence grew, so too did his understanding of the concept of "necessary sacrifices." Using the barbarians to strike the Yuan family, minimizing his own losses while draining the Yuan family’s strength, was now an acceptable strategy for him. As for the loss of northern lives, Chen Xi could only console himself by ensuring that those who survived would live better lives. The dead? They would receive sacrificial offerings at most.

"No wonder you didn’t disband the troops after the Yuan campaign during the New Year festival," Lu Su said, frowning slightly. He wasn’t usually involved in military affairs but could see now that something was up.

"Some of the troops have already been sent to Liaodong. Before the new year, we lent forces to support the Gongsun family. Gongsun Gong and Liang Mao have returned to Liaodong, and they’ve already retaken Xiangping," Chen Xi explained, though no one had expected Gongsun Du to fall so quickly.

"However, it won’t be that easy. There are still a large number of northern barbarians. Even if we can sweep through them in one campaign, fully crushing them will be difficult. At best, we’ll make it so they can’t threaten us for a few decades. And even if we do defeat them completely..." Zhuge Liang, sensing the weight of the matter, rarely spoke up on such grand affairs, but this time, he couldn’t stay silent.

"After we clear the north, I will deal with the rest. Xiaozhi will go north to finish off the barbarians. How did the task I gave you before the new year go?" Chen Xi asked, turning to Fazheng.

"Not well. We'll need to adjust depending on the situation," Fazheng replied, shaking his head.

"Alright, it’s up to you then. Your job is to defeat the barbarians and capture as many prisoners as possible. The more, the better," Chen Xi instructed Fazheng.

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