"So, you're saying Yuan Benchu is preparing to consolidate his internal power? That makes sense. If Gongsun Bogui is pushed back to Youbeiping, Yuan Benchu only needs to lock down Yuyang County, and he can effectively ignore Gongsun Bogui," Jia Xu said with a nod.
"That seems to be the case. Yuan Benchu has fought continuously for two years. Even though Jizhou is prosperous, without proper restoration and rest, it could damage his foundation," Chen Xi contemplated. "The biggest problem for both Jizhou and Bingzhou is the Black Mountain Army, entrenched in the Taihang Mountains."
"Defeating the Black Mountain Army could allow him to capture their population and expand his domain, while also eliminating internal instability—similar to how you dealt with the bandits in Mount Tai. However, the Black Mountain Army is larger, and the benefits are greater," Jia Xu frowned. If Yuan Benchu successfully integrated the Black Mountain Army, it would indeed be troublesome for Qingzhou.
"It's clear that Yuan Benchu won't engage us directly until he's consolidated his forces. Meanwhile, we're cautious about Jizhou's power, as any conflict could escalate into a decisive battle," Chen Xi sighed. Based on the intelligence, Yuan Benchu was displaying great ambition and strategy, except for his emphasis on noble birth; otherwise, he was a leader who treated talents with respect.
"Although we've been preparing for a final confrontation in the north, it seems that two years of preparation is still too short. Despite incorporating the forces from Mount Tai, the Yellow Turbans still lag behind Jizhou's natural wealth. Fortunately, we've caught up," Chen Xi remarked as he looked through the documents Jia Xu had handed him, feeling somewhat resigned.
It's remarkable how, in an agricultural era, it only took two years to catch up and even surpass. In an industrial age, this would be impossible without a decade or more.
"Yuan Shao also understands that we're intent on securing Qingzhou and Xuzhou, so he's using this time to strengthen his own position. The biggest problem with the Black Mountain Army is their lack of unified command. They consist of twenty-five different forces, with numbers ranging from three to five thousand for the larger groups to just one or two thousand for the smaller ones. Even if we wanted to help, it would be difficult. Although they're all Yellow Turbans, they lack the cohesion that Qingzhou's Yellow Turbans have," Jia Xu said, frowning. Without a unified command, Jia Xu had little faith in the Black Mountain Army.
Chen Xi couldn't help but smirk. This was the very issue that led to Ju Yi's death in history. Dissatisfied with Yuan Shao's rewards, Ju Yi had helped the Black Mountain Army capture Yecheng, keeping the spoils for himself—a move that ultimately led to his downfall.
"Forget it, let Fengxiao handle this. He seems to be good at dealing with these matters," Jia Xu concluded after some thought.
Although the Black Mountain Army was disorganized, the key difference between Yuan Shao and Liu Bei was that Yuan Shao lacked the people's support among the Black Mountain Army. Over the past two years, Liu Bei had fully gained the trust of the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou. When Liu Bei marched out of Qingzhou, he would likely encounter little resistance. However, when Yuan Shao moved against the Black Mountain Army, they would fight to the death, even if they knew they couldn't win.
"The Black Mountain Army is not weak in combat. Zhang Yan is also a capable commander, and the terrain there isn't suitable for large-scale battles. If Zhang Yan can unify his twenty-five forces, he could command around 500,000 troops..." Chen Xi's eyelid twitched at the thought. Half a million troops? That's more than all the other warlords combined. The Yellow Turbans truly lived up to their name.
"Their offensive capabilities are limited, but they're more than capable of defending. Does Xuangaogong have any writings or tactics from the great chieftains of the past?" Jia Xu asked curiously. While the Yellow Turbans might not know it, Jia Xu and the others had long suspected that the entire situation was a trap.
"Even if they do, it won't matter. We need to find a way to create a hero among the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans, similar to the great chieftains, so that their indomitable spirit can disrupt Yuan Shao's internal consolidation efforts," Chen Xi suggested, already plotting how to build a hero for the Black Mountain Army.
"Your approach has too many flaws. It might work against the Yellow Turbans, but it won't fool Yuan Benchu. If Xun Youruo or the others expose the truth, the Black Mountain Army, which still has some fighting strength, will completely collapse," Jia Xu immediately dismissed Chen Xi's idea. While it might deceive the Yellow Turbans, it wouldn't stand up to scrutiny from the other warlords who knew the truth.
"...Alright, I'll leave it to Fengxiao," Chen Xi said, resigned.
In Xuzhou, at Xiapi, Tao Qian was nearing the end of his life. Within a short period, even Chen Deng hadn't fully grasped what was happening as the Cao family was exterminated, the Zhao family was stripped of power, the Zhang family was exiled, and only the Chen family, confined to Donghai, remained among Xuzhou's major families.
At the same time, over a dozen smaller families had been wiped out, leaving the entire region of Xuzhou in a state of fear, with everyone dreading that Tao Qian's blade might turn toward their own families.
In this climate, even before Liu Bei arrived at Xiapi, nearly all the families in Xuzhou had sent letters of praise and support, with some even openly expressing their desire for Liu Bei to take over Xuzhou.
At this point, Chen Xi fully understood what it meant to be welcomed with open arms. Liu Bei had already garnered the support of the common people through his actions during the massacre in Xuzhou and the subsequent plague, and now he had won the loyalty of the aristocracy as well. Xuzhou was practically within his grasp.
"Jia Wenhe, I'm increasingly convinced that you had a hand in all of this," Chen Xi remarked as they neared Xiapi. The situation in Xuzhou was becoming clearer, and it was obvious that Jia Xu had played a role. Tao Qian couldn't have acted so decisively on his own, but the fact that no one noticed Jia Xu's involvement was a testament to his skill.
"Tao Gongzu already had plans to deal with certain families in Xuzhou. I merely went along with it. However, the short-sightedness of the Xuzhou aristocracy is remarkable. Their internal infighting and mutual accusations expanded what should have been a limited purge into something much broader. Even the Chen family has been implicated," Jia Xu explained calmly. He had simply planted a few agents at the right time, and the resulting accusations had snowballed into the current situation.
"The Chen family? What did they do?" Chen Xi asked, curious.
"Ballistae. The Chen family has fully functional ballistae, and they possess the complete technology to produce them," Jia Xu said, his expression emotionless.
"...I'm at a loss for words. Ballistae? Possessing even crossbows is a capital offense, but ballistae, and the ability to produce them? The Chen family is something else," Chen Xi said, feeling a mix of admiration and disbelief.
"Is the intelligence reliable?" Chen Xi asked.
"It is. We've already seen the evidence," Jia Xu replied, a cold glint in his eyes. "And where do you think the ballistae used by Zhang Kai to ambush Cao Ju Gao came from?"
"The Xuzhou aristocracy is quite something," Chen Xi said, raising his thumb in acknowledgment. It was clear that even those families not directly involved in the assassination of Cao Song had added fuel to the fire.
"I've already sent messages to Chen Yuanlong and Chen Hanyu. We'll need those craftsmen for our purposes," Jia Xu said calmly. Ballistae, even without the enhancement of cloud energy or internal energy, were more than capable of taking down a general.