Chapter 43

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Liu Bei shifted the blame for the previous events onto Lu Bu with just one sentence. After all, most of these people were originally part of Hua Xiong's troops, and Hua Xiong's performance had greatly pleased Liu Bei, both in terms of loyalty and bravery. Therefore, Liu Bei would not refuse Hua Xiong over such trivial matters.

"Zijian, do you have the confidence to fully control these people?" Chen Xi asked, frowning. Although he had considered the disposition of Hua Xiong's troops after Hua Xiong's capture, he did not expect Lu Bu to bring all of Hua Xiong's troops this time, making it difficult to divide them.

"Sir, there's no need for such concern. Since we have already pledged allegiance to the lord, the former troops should no longer be treated separately. Captives are captives, and military achievements are military achievements. They should not be treated specially just because they were once my troops," Hua Xiong said solemnly. In this regard, he was quite rigid and dogmatic.

Chen Xi and Liu Bei exchanged glances, and seeing Liu Bei nod, Chen Xi turned to Hua Xiong and said, "You select your former troops and reorganize them as your own. I believe that after so much time together, it would take a while to reorganize and regain combat effectiveness if they were dispersed. As for the others, they will be handled by Lord Xuande. However, if your troops still perform at this level after returning to your command, do not blame me for disbanding your unit."

"Understood!" Hua Xiong replied loudly, his voice clearly showing joy.

After all, military law is military law, and personal feelings are personal feelings. Although Hua Xiong could adhere to military law when it conflicted with personal feelings, it was better to consider both. After all, China has always been a society that values personal relationships.

Soon, Hua Xiong selected his former troops, and it was clear that these people were not at all uncomfortable with Hua Xiong's command. Under Hua Xiong's leadership, the reorganized unit instantly coalesced into a dense cloud of fire-like mist, similar to a burning cloud.

Similar to Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, this cloud of fire-like mist enveloped Hua Xiong's troops, looking even more impressive than that of the three. This showed that as a fierce general from Liang, Hua Xiong was also an excellent cavalry commander.

After Hua Xiong selected four thousand troops, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were almost drooling. They had previously thought that the Liang iron cavalry was a disgrace, but now, with Hua Xiong in command, they immediately showed their elite nature.

Chen Xi looked at Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, who was seemingly indifferent and polishing his spear, and sighed. This is not enough to divide, even though these troops are already quite intimidating for a minor lord. However, considering the future performance of these few people, giving all of them to one person would still be insufficient.

"Assign five hundred men to Zichuan as guards, and the rest to Yun Chang, Yi De, and Zilong, each getting one thousand five hundred. Any remaining will be under my command," Liu Bei issued the order to divide the spoils.

After Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun received their shares, there wouldn't be much left. However, Liu Bei himself did not command troops; he had a thousand personal guards from the Yellow Turban Rebellion, but they were led by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Now, after assigning cavalry to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, he could reclaim these veteran guards, which was a form of accountability.

It must be said that although Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun had not yet experienced many fierce battles, they already had the makings of great generals. They quickly stabilized the Liang iron cavalry, although they could not match Hua Xiong's intimidating presence, they no longer looked like defeated captives and already had the appearance of elite troops. With a bit more reorganization, they would be ready for battle.

Seeing Guan Yu and Zhang Fei each leading one thousand five hundred cavalry galloping joyfully on the plain, Chen Xi didn't know what expression to show. Second Brother, you've suffered too much, haven't you? It's just one thousand five hundred cavalry, is it really that joyful? Don't you know better days are ahead?

Well, Chen Xi didn't bother with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. He wasn't ignorant; this was still the period of Dong Zhuo's tyranny. Apart from Dong Zhuo, only Gongsun Zan and Ma Teng had cavalry units. However, Ma Teng, where did your cavalry come from? Liang was so weak, wasn't it Dong Zhuo's territory?

In short, cavalry was still quite rare at this time. Of course, before the Battle of Guandu and after the Battle of Chibi, both Cao Cao and Sun Liu had very few horses. It was impossible to buy or sell too many horses, as they were strategic resources. As a result, despite the vast herds of wild horses on the grasslands, the lords had only a limited number of cavalry.

"Lord Xuande, inform Generals Guan and Zhang that we need to return to camp. We'll go back and see the faces of the various lords, and then we will take our own path. However, if Li Ru can use Luoyang as bait, it is reasonable to assume he will use other baits to divide the lords. I wonder if these baits are tempting enough," Chen Xi looked at Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who were gradually mastering their formations, and turned to Liu Bei.

"Zichuan, is Li Ru really as terrifying as you say?" Liu Bei asked, somewhat unconvinced by Chen Xi's words.

"Facing this person, one must never have any侥幸 (侥幸 means侥幸, but in this context, it means '侥幸' or '侥幸') thoughts, or it could ruin a good situation. It's just a pity that he chose the wrong lord. If a more steady-minded person were in Dong Zhuo's position, the world would already have a new ruler!" Chen Xi said without reservation.

Seeing that Liu Bei still didn't fully believe him, Chen Xi sighed and said, "Zijian, from Liang to Luoyang, before Dong Zhuo's corruption, did Li Ru ever make a mistake in his plans?"

"Ah?" Hua Xiong was taken aback, not expecting Chen Xi to turn the topic to him. However, after hearing this, he began to think, and the more he thought, the more serious he became. Finally, he said with surprise, "No, he never made a mistake. I never noticed it before. He seemed to always cover his tracks, completely hiding in the shadow of the Chancellor!"

"See, isn't that terrifying? Zijian has followed him for so many years and enjoyed his strategies so many times, yet he never noticed that he never made a mistake. So, Lord Xuande, do not underestimate him," Chen Xi said, spreading his hands in an innocent manner.

Chen Xi had long known that Li Ru had never made a mistake before coming to Luoyang, partly because Dong Zhuo could discern right from wrong at the time, and partly because Li Ru was very powerful. Of course, it was also because there were no true strategists in Liang and Yong during that period, and those who faced Li Ru were minor figures.

Liu Bei sighed, "There are so many capable people in the world! Even a minor figure like Dong Zhuo has followers like Lu Bu and Li Ru!" He then looked at Chen Xi, feeling a bit better seeing his innocent face, and then looked at his four great generals, feeling a bit more relieved.

[Lu Bu was defeated by my second and third brothers and Zilong, and Li Ru has been outsmarted by Chen Xi. He will eventually break with Lu Bu. I have more capable civil servants than Dong Zhuo and better generals. One day, I will replace him!] Liu Bei thought to himself.

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