Compared to Zhou Yu's ease on the Yangtze River, Kuai Yue was far more cautious. Even with Liu Biao's most capable general, Huang Zhong, on his side, Kuai Yue in South Commandery still waged war with extre prudence.
As Liaoo Li, positioned in Jing-Xiang, locked horns with Kuai Yue, the two grew steadily more familiar with each other's strategies. In Liaoo Li's eyes, while Kuai Yue's sches were ruthless and deeply wounding, they were ultimately hindered by one unchangeable fact: Liu Biao himself was too weak. All of Kuai Yue's plans seed insufficient and unable to land a decisive blow.
Similarly, in Kuai Yue's assessnt, Liaoo Li was undeniably worthy of Jing-Xiang's reputation for brilliance. He learned remarkably fast and was difficult to fool twice with the sa trick. However, his prideful temperant always drove him to repay slight with slight, leaving behind nurous openings in his defenses.
For this reason, Kuai Yue had targeted Liaoo Li as the breakthrough point for his campaign against Fan Xiang from the very beginning, rather than focusing on the more versatile but unimpressive Gu Yong or the slightly diocre Yuy Fan.
Compared to others, Liaoo Li's character flaws were glaringly apparent. Kuai Yue had been waiting for the right mont—a chance to deliver a fatal blow to Liaoo Li.
"A letter from General Zhou, delivered by the soldiers?" Liaoo Li stared at the letter in his hands, looking puzzledly at the soldier who brought it. What could Zhou Yu possibly want in writing?
"Present it; let take a look," Liaoo Li said casually. There was no other deeper aning to his words; it was standard practice for soone like him, a city governor, to personally review intelligence brought by the soldiers.
The soldier hesitated for a mont before decisively handing the letter to Liaoo Li, who gave it a cursory glance. With each passing line, his dissatisfaction grew.
[Hmph, Zhou Gongjin actually has such high regard for that brat Pang Shiyuan? He's just a snot-nosed kid, barely out of diapers, but sohow he's won our lord's complete trust!] Closing the letter with displeasure, Liaoo Li silently fud. He held so respect for Sun Ce, but he had never felt inferior to any of the others!
[Gongjin, you think pulling back to Xiangyang and giving up Yi City is the fastest way to resolve this? Well then, let show you how I, Liaoo Li, will defeat Kuai Yue in South Commandery! Hmph, I am the greatest Sage of Jing-Xiang!]
The more Liaoo Li thought, the more indignant he beca. Folding Zhou Yu's letter, he dismissed the soldier, deciding to completely ignore the contents of the correspondence.
[How could Zhou Yu, who knows nothing about the situation in Fan Xiang and hasn't set foot there for so long, presu to issue orders to from the Yangtze River based rely on his own conjectures? Fine, let's see how my small maneuvers will show him my true brilliance.]
As this thought crossed his mind, Liaoo Li's anger suddenly gave way to satisfaction, and new ideas began to form. [Zhou Gongjin thinks he's close to our lord because of their sworn brotherhood. Our lord, being a man of loyalty, would never mistreat his subordinates. But if I were to capture Kuai Yue and Liu Biao, avenging our lord's father in the process...]
Liaoo Li's eyes brightened at the realization of his strategic advantages in Jing-Xiang. His path to achieving his goals suddenly seed clearer. [Kuai Yue is insignificant. I spared him a chance at survival earlier when he was hiding in the shadows. Now that he has erged with everything he's got, capturing him will be as easy as flipping my palm. Liu Biao, on the other hand, is a whole other kind of problem.]
At this point, Liaoo Li frowned deeply. [If I only manage to capture Kuai Yue without achieving full success, my abilities won't truly shine. Could I really let that upstart brat benefit from this? Never mind, if that's the case, I'd rather take a gamble—it might just help capture Liu Biao too.]
Consud by jealousy, Liaoo Li ultimately decided on a reckless course of action: he would attempt to take both Kuai Yue and Liu Biao down by himself, completely forgetting the nurous defeats he had previously suffered at Kuai Yue's hands. He wholeheartedly believed himself to be Jing-Xiang's foremost Sage.
anwhile, setting aside the chaotic battles of Jing-Xiang, in Yuzhou, after Zhou Yu's departure, Yuan Shu issued a widespread Talent Recruitnt Order, blatantly disregarding the scorn of the Aristocratic Clans. Even the ddling Elders of the Yuan Family had been ruthlessly put in their place by Yuan Shu.
It must be understood—though Yuan Shu often appeared erratic in his deeds, once he committed himself to a task, his resolve was unshakable, surpassing the willpower of ordinary n.
Just as he had once sworn an oath under Hulao Pass to protect Sun Jian's family regardless of any threat, he kept his word unwaveringly. No temptation or formidable enemy could change him!
Now, Yuan Shu had resolved to reform the Aristocratic Clans. He intended to restore them to the image of ancient nobles who held power not due to lineage or ancestry but because they bore responsibilities and upheld noble ideals, compelling ordinary people to bow—not in fear, but in reverence!
It was on account of such responsibility that even when the Xuanyuan Cauldron radiated its dominion over the land, Yuan Shu remained unbowed, his spine straight as he laughed unabashedly at the heavens. His convictions could not be shaken by re external pressures.
Call him a madman lost in his fantasies or an obsessively driven lunatic; Yuan Shu possessed the strength and determination necessary to see his ideals through.
Moreover, while his ideals seed extravagant and nearly impossible to realize, he clung to them with the stubbornness of a fool. Even if the whole world judged him wrong, Yuan Shu, once resolved, would never waver—not even unto death. He remained unrepentant!
The rits and failings of the Aristocratic Clans were impossible to discern, not even by Chen Xi. But Yuan Shu's conviction was beyond reproach. For soone like him to give birth to ideals as radiant as those of a Saint was puzzling, but history had always been full of such marvels!
Using his vision of a noble aristocracy, one carved through hardship and glory to build Huaxia Civilization, Yuan Shu held the current Aristocratic Clans to account. If history recorded their virtues, they had a duty to uphold that fla of unyielding spirit. Huaxia Civilization was built by their ancestors, so it was their responsibility to ensure that its legacy was preserved intact. Anyone who defied this creed would face execution!
Calling Yuan Shu a madman wasn't wrong. He could unsparingly raise his blade for his convictions. A man like him, when moved to action, spared no second thoughts. One mont he might be laughing with you over a glass of wine, and the next, he would sever ties and bring down his sword without hesitation.
If you disobeyed his ideals, Yuan Shu cared not about so-called morality or public perception. To him, the process was irrelevant—all that mattered was the outco.
Where others might feel guilt after taking a life, Yuan Shu was unaffected. To him, killing or sparing hinged solely on whether soone had violated his accepted virtues.
Anyone who betrayed the ethics Yuan Shu held dear was no longer seen as an equal noble but rather as a base creature, unworthy of his regard.
In such cases, Yuan Shu would execute without hesitation, as he was doing now. Overwheld with disdain for the Aristocratic Clans that had strayed from the honor portrayed in history, he unleashed mass purges, leaving rivers of blood in his wake. Yet his conviction did not waver in the slightest—for this was the difference in perspectives. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian) to support it by voting with recomndations or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian for more content.)
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