"What are you doing, Wenru?" Jia Xu curiously asked as he leaned over to see what Li You was writing and drawing on the paper.
"I'm adding some fuel to Yuan Benchu's fire, trying to push him into borrowing Yuan Shu's hand to attack Xuzhou, and then we'll counterattack Yuzhou, completely severing the relationship between Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao!" Li You replied nonchalantly.
"It won't be easy. Xu You and Ju Gongyu won't act so hastily. It's not yet time for them to prepare for a decisive battle," Chen Xi chimed in as he also leaned over to look at the Xuzhou defense map that Li You was drawing.
"Sometimes, when you're riding a tiger, it's hard to get off. Even if they don't want to act, the Xuzhou aristocratic families have shown signs of revival after I left. Once Zilong leaves, those aristocrats in Xuzhou will surely be eager to try something. Why not give them an opportunity and let them collude with Yuan Shao?" Li You's face showed a chilling smile.
Zhuge Liang, watching the three scheming individuals across from him, sighed helplessly. He reached out to pull the plate of dried fruit closer, ate a couple of pieces, then downed a large gulp of an extremely strong, bitter tea. His face scrunched up instantly, but after finishing the cup, he felt fully awake and returned to his work.
"Zhuge Liang, you really don't need to work so hard. Going to bed at the hour of Xu (around 7-9 PM) and coming to work at Mao (around 5-7 AM) is enough. There's no need to burn the midnight oil. You and Zijing seem to be competing to see who goes home later," Chen Xi remarked with a helpless expression as he watched Zhuge Liang gulp down his tea. He felt it was entirely unnecessary to work so tirelessly.
While Chen Xi had instilled a laid-back atmosphere in the administration hall, some members of the staff were trying to curb this lazy trend. With Zhuge Liang joining the ranks, the number of diligent workers had significantly increased, making even Chen Xi feel embarrassed to arrive too late.
Sure enough, as you influence the world, the world influences you in return.
"Oh, what's that?" Chen Xi curiously looked at the diagram in Li You's hand. It seemed to resemble a formation. "A military formation?"
"Yes. Zijian said he lost to Xian Deng and asked me to help him get revenge, so I'm working on it," Li You sighed. Hua Xiong had proposed using Xiliang cavalry to spearhead an attack on Xian Deng, and Li You agreed. It made sense to recover from a fall where one had stumbled.
"I'm currently devising a new military formation tailored for Zijian, but it's quite challenging. Wenhe is assisting me," Li You explained as he noticed Lu Su also leaning in.
"Devising a new military formation?" Lu Su couldn't help but smirk. While others were busy learning, Li You was directly innovating. Truly impressive.
"Yes, Wenru has been pushed to the brink and is now determined to create a custom formation for Zijian. I've been roped in as well—couldn't refuse after all the favors he's done for me," Jia Xu added with a helpless expression.
"Do you need any help, Master Li?" Zhuge Liang stood up and asked.
"Just focus on your own work. Don't go looking for trouble," Li Ru glared at Zhuge Liang, who had a tendency to pile more work on himself, much like Lu Su. They were both the type to create tasks where none existed.
Zhuge Liang wisely remained silent, while Jia Xu, resigned to his fate, continued helping Li Ru with the military formation calculations. He knew that the massive losses among the Xiliang soldiers had been a heavy blow to Li Ru, and even if Hua Xiong hadn't sought revenge, Li Ru would have found a way to teach Ju Yi a lesson.
"Boyan!" Fa Zheng suddenly burst into Lu Xun's room with a loud shout.
"Prime Minister Fa, what brings you here?" Lu Xun asked, somewhat resigned. After spending some time with Fa Zheng, he finally understood why Zhuge Liang had that look when he left.
By now, Lu Xun had stopped resisting. He simply wasn't a match for Fa Zheng. The age gap was just too significant. Any thoughts of "baptism by fire" seemed like distant dreams.
"Pack your things. We're heading back to Taishan," Fa Zheng said with a yawn. He'd been in a good mood lately since the new city of Linzi in Qi was finally fully planned, and having the great scholar Wang Lie overseeing it provided a balance in Qi's political landscape, even though Wang Lie refused to take office.
"Back to Taishan?" Lu Xun was momentarily stunned, but then overjoyed. He could finally return to follow his master and, of course, catch up with Zhuge Liang. As for competing with Zhuge Liang, he had long since given up. The more he learned, the more he realized how terrifying Zhuge Liang was—an unfathomable depth of knowledge.
"Yes, back to Taishan. I've finished planning Linzi in Qi, and the rest can be handled by others. My presence is no longer needed. I should return now," Fa Zheng said calmly. "When we get back to Taishan, you'll meet many people, some of whom even I find challenging."
"Oh, I understand," Lu Xun replied calmly. He now knew his place. Although praised by Chen Xi, Zhuge Liang, and Fa Zheng, he realized he still had a long way to go.
"Don't worry. When we return to Taishan, there will be many people interested in you. And of course, you'll also encounter that guy from the Lu family. I've heard he's learning from Master Wenhe," Fa Zheng said, clearly showing respect when mentioning Jia Xu. Fa Zheng had great admiration for Jia Xu.
"Hmph, I won't lose to him," Lu Xun said confidently.
"Don't underestimate him. If Zichuan handed him over to Master Wenhe, he must have exceptional talent. And the fact that Master Wenhe is willing to teach him only further proves that," Fa Zheng warned seriously. "Don't take him lightly."
"I won't, but I still believe I won't lose to him," Lu Xun replied proudly.
"That's good. After we return, the intensity of our skirmishes with the north will increase, and the campaign to unify the north will hinge on this. A chaotic world is the best time for people like us to achieve great deeds. If you miss this opportunity, it will be hard to achieve the rank of marquis and prime minister before the age of twenty," Fa Zheng said, rarely revealing his ambition. His goal was to become a marquis by the age of twenty-three.
"Marquis and prime minister by the age of twenty?" Lu Xun was stunned. How many people in history had achieved that? And how many could say it with such calm confidence as Fa Zheng did?
"Does that surprise you?" Fa Zheng asked calmly. Lu Xun nodded. Who wouldn't be shocked by the prospect of becoming a marquis and prime minister by the age of twenty?
"Why be surprised? We already have a marquis in our ranks who wasn't even eighteen yet!" Fa Zheng replied matter-of-factly. "I'm confident that I can earn enough merit on the battlefield to be granted a marquisate. If I miss this opportunity, who knows when the next one will come?"
Lu Xun was at a loss for words. Fa Zheng's confidence was overwhelming. He couldn't comprehend what drove Fa Zheng to make such bold claims, but if Fa Zheng truly achieved the rank of marquis at twenty, he would undoubtedly be a symbol of early success.
"Pack your things. We'll be leaving soon," Fa Zheng said casually, waving his hand before heading outside.