Chapter 91

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After a cup of wine, the atmosphere suddenly became lively. Lu Jun and Gan Ning reconciled over their drinks, and their relationship instantly grew closer. One praised the other for remaining calm in the face of trouble, while the other modestly claimed it was just cowardice. Another complimented the other's martial prowess, and the other humbly said he still needed more practice.

Lu Jun was not a fool; he could sense Liu Bei's sincerity and was naturally willing to get closer to him. He would not offend Liu Bei here. The biggest obstacle between them was what Gan Ning had done, but Lu Jun naturally glossed over it, which greatly pleased Liu Bei. Gan Ning himself had a deep liking for the calm young man he had kidnapped, and now, with the other party's deliberate flattery, the gathering was filled with joy.

Soon, the fake fragment of the book was brought over by Yu Jin. He handed the fragment to Chen Xi, who then smiled and passed it to Lu Jun, saying, "Although the matter has been resolved between you and Xingba, the words spoken by Lord Xuande still stand. This gift is for you, Jicai."

"Zichuan, there's no need for this. As you said, the matter between me and Xingba has been resolved. There's no need for a gift. Please take it back, Zichuan," Lu Jun declined without even looking at the item in Chen Xi's hand.

"Ha ha ha, once given, how can it be taken back? Besides, you haven't even seen what it is," Chen Xi said, handing the entire book to Lu Jun. "Take a look first. I'm sure the gift chosen by Lord Xuande will suit you, Jicai."

Lu Jun took the book and opened it. He was initially surprised, then began to read the stories within. The more he read, the more he found them exquisite. Soon, he had finished the eighteen short stories and looked at Chen Xi with a furrowed brow. "Jicai cannot refuse such a gift. I will accept it. Please, Zichuan, pay attention to finding the second half of this book. It would be a pity if such a wonderful book were missing half of it!"

"Of course, of course," Chen Xi smiled. "I told you that the gift chosen by Lord Xuande would suit you, Jicai."

"Ah, what a wonderful book, the Thirty-Six Stratagems. It's a pity that it's missing half," Lu Jun said with regret, but his actions were swift. He wrapped the book in silk and put it in his chest, fearing that Chen Xi might take it back because of his earlier words.

"Ha ha ha..." Chen Xi laughed, saying nothing. After all, the TV series he had watched was about Sun Bin's life, and he had turned Sun Bin's life into thirty-six stratagems. He remembered this version clearly, so he naturally wrote it down.

However, because of this biographical style, others could easily guess it was an autobiography without even seeing the author's name.

The banquet was a success, and the guests and hosts were all happy. The leftover food was naturally cleared away by the maids. Chen Xi shivered and ran home. It was clearly Lu Su who had used magic to bring the rain, and it had been drizzling non-stop, with a tendency to get heavier. If this continued, the originally pleasant autumn weather would be turned into a cool autumn by Lu Su's rain.

As for Gan Ning, he naturally pledged allegiance to Liu Bei, who gave him the position of Doorkeeper and Inspector of Bandits. There was no choice; Liu Bei's own rank was limited, and his current position as General of the Eastern Army was fully staffed, so he had to place Gan Ning under Chen Xi, the Prefect of Shanyang.

When Chen Xi was about to arrange military affairs for Gan Ning, Lu Su gave him a bamboo slip with a bitter smile. Chen Xi was momentarily stunned; Gan Ning was still the Deputy Prefect of Shu Commandery, with a salary of 600 stones, equal to Lu Su's rank.

"Is this a mistake?" Chen Xi asked Lu Su, but his mind had already pieced everything together. He understood why, despite the Three Kingdoms era not valuing a general's background, and Gan Ning being a top choice in bravery and courage, no one had taken him in.

"It's true," Lu Su said with a bitter smile. "Xingba has been away from his post for two years and nine months, but Shu Commandery has still kept his position as Deputy Prefect." Lu Su had already made his point clear without saying more.

"I see," Chen Xi nodded.

"How should we handle this? A conflict with Yizhou is not a good thing. Even if they can't reach us because of the distance, they will definitely make things difficult for us. Moreover, he was once the Minister of Clan Affairs, and if he mobilizes the imperial clan's power, we will find it hard to resist," Lu Su said.

"No problem, call Xingba over. This matter is easy to handle," Chen Xi said without looking up. Since the situation had changed, the original naval training plan had to be rearranged. Fortunately, Liu Yan's days were numbered; otherwise, the entire plan would have to be scrapped and redone. Now, it was much better.

"Okay, that's the only way," Lu Su nodded. Compared to the current situation in Taishan, Gan Ning's importance was relatively low. After all, Taishan was neither near the Yellow River nor the Yangtze River, and the Grand Canal by Yang Guang had not been built yet. Setting up a navy would be quite troublesome.

"Just call him over," Chen Xi raised an eyebrow. "Don't say anything unnecessary. Gan Ning is an important general under Lord Xuande, especially in the future. Don't talk about giving up."

Lu Su sighed. How could he not see Gan Ning's importance? After all, Taishan now had cavalry, infantry, and training, and a commander. The only piece missing from the puzzle was a navy, which was essential for a southern campaign.

Soon, an excited Gan Ning arrived. "I have come to see the Prefect. May I ask why the Prefect has summoned Xingba?"

"I have two tasks for you," Chen Xi looked up at Gan Ning. "First, this task is very dangerous and requires a general who is both wise and brave, with excellent water skills and the ability to lead troops..."

Before Chen Xi could finish, Gan Ning patted his chest and said, "Prefect, just tell me what it is. You can rest assured about Xingba's abilities."

"Alright, as you know, there are no major rivers or lakes near Taishan, so training a navy is difficult. I plan to send you to the coast of Qingzhou for training. As for the ships, don't worry; the Lu family has seagoing vessels, and the Mi family has money," Chen Xi said quickly.

Ignoring Gan Ning's excitement, Chen Xi continued, "Since we don't have enough people, I won't assign you any. You can take your own men to the coast of Qingzhou. There, you will be the commander, and your men will be the core. You can do whatever you need to do there. I will give you twenty million coins! I want you to build a decent navy within a year."

"Zichuan, a year is a bit short. The people in Qingzhou are all landlubbers..." Gan Ning, in his excitement, had forgotten to call Chen Xi "Prefect" and directly used his courtesy name. However, excitement aside, failing to complete a military order would be fatal, and he wasn't that foolish.

"I didn't say you can't recruit and rehabilitate river pirates, Yellow River bandits, or pirates. Listen carefully, once you get there, you will be the commander. You can even attack other commanderies if you want. I'm giving you the maximum authority! Just train the navy I want!" Chen Xi roared, almost saying, "Are you an idiot? Do I need to tell you to rehabilitate pirates?"

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