"What does our lord an by this..." Lub Su only realized what was happening after Liu Bei had left.
"Is he trying to expand the military power and influence of the Elder Faction?" Mann Chong murmured to himself, in disbelief, sowhat puzzled by Liu Bei’s actions.
"Indeed, Lord Xuande’s thods are completely different from others, but the outco should still be favorable." Chen Xi glanced at Xun Yue who had already chased after him, then looked at Mann Chong and said.
"Speaking of which, the Elder Faction within the army already holds considerable military power." Jia Xu gazed at the sky and said, given Liu Bei’s confidence, it was a good thing for him. Being able to tolerate the Elder Faction in the military made it safer for soone like him.
For soone like Jia Xu, who was naturally insecure, Liu Bei’s openness was reassuring. Yet, for so unknown reason, Jia Xu felt worried for Liu Bei as he spoke, considering it was military power they were discussing!
"Huh?" Chen Xi rolled his eyes, "Haven’t you noticed how the negative effects of your Spiritual Talent have lessened? More and more people are coming to recognize Lord Xuande."
"No lord who can personally know every military officer above Centurion in rank would mind sharing military power." Chen Xi spoke indifferently, "Lord Xuande is probably the first lord in history to achieve this level."
"What?" Lub Su and the others were shocked as they looked at Chen Xi. They hadn’t paid attention to such things before. Although Liu Bei’s familiarity with lower-ranked military officers surprised them occasionally, they never expected the reality to be like this.
"You didn’t know?" Chen Xi raised an eyebrow, "You seriously didn’t know? Haven’t I ntioned this to you before?"
"If he’s really achieved this level, then it doesn’t matter who holds the military power." Li Youu said with a faint hint of amazent. The workload must have been enormous, which explains why Liu Bei seldom visited the Political Office, as just recognizing people took considerable ti.
"No wonder during the year-end festivals, our lord could call out the nas of every lower-ranked officer coming to receive rewards. So, that’s how it is." A tone of shock appeared on Mann Chong’s previously indifferent face. While they were making efforts, Liu Bei was doing the sa.
"Exactly, so let’s act as if we haven’t seen Lord Xuande directly grant military power to the Elders in the army." Chen Xi said with a smile, "You guys focus on handling administrative matters, I’ll go engage with Miss Lyu and understand the situation a bit better."
"Go ahead, we’ll be on our way too." Li Youu nodded, then retreated into the carriage. Chen Xi had spoken very calmly earlier, indicating that this was sothing Liu Bei had been doing for a long ti, or rather, it was Liu Bei’s only formal task.
"With this, the greatest hidden threat under our lord has vanished without a trace." Jia Xu, also retreating into the carriage, said admiringly, "Such a simple thod, yet no one had thought of it before."
"That’s why I say Zichuan’s way of thinking is vastly different from ours." Li Youu said calmly, "Originally, we couldn’t even ntion the independent army under the Elder Faction and Xingba, which numbers just over forty thousand combined. Now it’s no longer an issue."
Speaking of which, Guan Yu is said to command a legion, but as it stands, he has nearly nine thousand experienced troops. anwhile, Gan Ning’s navy has expanded to ten thousand, Zhang Fei’s troops number eight thousand, Hua Xiong’s seven thousand, and Zhao Yun leads six thousand cavalry; it all adds up to just over forty thousand.
Besides Gan Ning’s navy, these soldiers are considered the most elite under Liu Bei. Although everyone trusts their loyalty, it remains a hidden risk. Zhao Yun was the first to realize this and has been consistently declining offers.
The issue is that even while declining, Zhao Yun is still in command of a mixed regint of six thousand Tugi Cavalry and Mounted Archers. A force like this is the top combat power in any nation during this era. Unlike others, Zhao Yun’s troops exclusively consist of cavalry.
As for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, perhaps they haven’t realized this aspect yet. Although Hua Xiong, advised by Li Youu, is aware and exerts restraint, no amount of restraint can change the fact that his legion has been overstaffed from the beginning.
Furthermore, with the Xiliang Iron Cavalry arriving at Ye City, Liu Bei intends to use these cavalry in unison. However, deciding on the leader is a tough issue, as only Zhao Yun and Hua Xiong can lead the cavalry effectively under Liu Bei’s command.
The problem is that giving command of more than ten thousand troops to Zhao Yun is less favorable than handing them to Hua Xiong. Zhao Yun’s cavalry route follows the speed of White Horse Soldiers, while Hua Xiong is the true successor of the Tugi Cavalry penetration route. Liu Bei has a vivid mory of the crucial blow dealt to Yuan Shao’s advancing war chariots during the Yuan Liu conflict.
Therefore, entrusting command to Hua Xiong aligns with Liu Bei’s nature, and although Hua Xiong’s Legion Talent is at tis inconsistent, it naturally integrates with the Xiliang Iron Cavalry. Besides, the soldiers of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry already hold Hua Xiong in high regard.
These are essentially hidden threats. Even if the Elder Faction’s loyalty to Liu Bei remains unwavering, as things move forward, even soone as suprely level-headed as Zhao Yun would eventually beco increasingly overburdened, and this is inherently unavoidable.
The path of overstaffing keeps extending further, and ultimately, leading to difficulties in disentanglent. By that ti, even if Guan Yu and others wish to relinquish power, their subordinates may no longer agree.
However, Liu Bei’s current actions have effectively put a complete stop to this situation, successfully halting the potential of it getting out of hand.
"Let’s return to handling administrative matters. The current situation in the North is sowhat troubling. Sheni Pei seems to have gone mad and plans to disregard the Xianbei and confront us head-on." Lub Su said with a face of dejection. Sheni Pei’s actions certainly made people like Lub Su hesitant for quite so ti.
"Let the North remain unprotected. In the end, it’s just a matter of who can be more ruthless. Once the Xianbei invade at their peak, we’ll throw all our weight against them. Until then, let’s focus on preparing dicines and provisions first." Li Youu said coldly. He’s engaged in acts of cruelty countless tis.
"It seems that’s our only option." Lub Su sighed. He did not propose to halt the plan. Although reluctant, he understood that this was the fastest way to pacify the entire North, whereas other thods had various shortcomings.
"Sheni Pei is indeed soone noteworthy, but when it cos to ruthlessness..." Jia Xu rarely revealed a smile, and seeing him, Li Youu also smiled knowingly.
"Let’s see if we can have Chen Gongtai’s side accept so citizens. Save who we can, and we’ll discuss other matters later." Lub Su felt a bit uneasy. Compared to the likes of Li Youu and Jia Xu, who have experienced nurous hardships, Lub Su hasn’t witnessed many disastrous situations.
"That would work, it’s just a matter of sending a letter." Jia Xu nodded to indicate he would handle it.
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