Tao Qian didn't hold on for long. A few days after Liu Bei successfully took over Xuzhou, Tao Qian passed away in his sleep. Liu Bei personally handled the funeral and warned the Xuzhou aristocrats that if anything happened to Tao Qian's two sons, he would make the Xuzhou families pay the price.
The Xuzhou families tacitly accepted this, as they sought peace rather than confrontation with the authorities.
After that, Chen Xi and the others didn't stir up the Xuzhou families too much. They merely announced their plans to restructure the Xuzhou military, something the local aristocrats neither had the power nor the desire to oppose.
Liu Bei had already made concessions in previous matters, but if the issue of military power was also compromised, he would not hesitate to take a harder stance.
In the eyes of the Xuzhou families, this was all part of the game. As long as the game had rules, they were content. Liu Bei's rules, though not particularly lenient, were far better than Tao Qian's indiscriminate killings.
Thus, the Xuzhou families were more than satisfied, especially when Liu Bei announced that he would return to Mount Tai, leaving Xuzhou's affairs in the hands of Li You for the time being. He also left Zhao Yun and Chen Dao to guard Guangling and Xiapi, to recruit and train Danyang soldiers, and to defend against Yuan Shu in Yuzhou. This decision delighted the Xuzhou families, including Chen Deng.
"Father, is Liu Xuande really just leaving like this?" Chen Deng asked his father, Chen Gui, as he stood atop the city gate tower, watching Liu Bei's entourage depart.
"Yes, just like that..." Chen Gui's beard trembled as he too found himself puzzled by Liu Bei's actions. Though Liu Bei had left behind the famous Zhao Zilong and Chen Shuzhi, as well as Li You as acting governor of Xuzhou, it was still quite different from what Chen Gui had expected.
"Just like that?" Chen Deng echoed, confusion written all over his face. "It shouldn't be this way!"
Meanwhile, as Liu Bei rode his horse, he too was puzzled. Hadn't they agreed to weaken the Xuzhou families before leaving? Why were they returning to Mount Tai so soon? And why had Li You, his advisor, stayed behind?
"Lord Xuande, now is the time for us to firmly grasp military power before addressing other matters. With Wenruo in charge, you don't need to worry—everything will be fine," Chen Xi reassured him.
Jia Xu gazed silently at the sky, thinking that if Li You didn't stir up some bloodshed in Xuzhou, he might as well change his surname. Chen Xi had deliberately left Li You, the "harmless" advisor, behind to stoke the flames among the Xuzhou aristocrats.
"Master, you must trust Wenruo. He will govern Xuzhou well," Jia Xu said, though the hint of a smile on his face made it clear he was mocking the Xuzhou families.
"It's not that I don't trust Wenruo. It's just that it feels premature to leave before things are settled. And Chen Xi's idea of rotating officials hasn't even started yet. Has Chen Xi really become this easy to deal with?" Liu Bei sighed.
"We don't need to rush. Step by step, Wenruo will find the right moment to implement these plans. What we seek is control of Xuzhou, not shared governance with the aristocrats. Wenruo will successfully handle this," Chen Xi said with a yawn. This was Li You after all—though he had no public achievements to his name, his record behind the scenes was already towering.
"I suppose. Without Wenruo, things feel a bit strange," Liu Bei admitted. He had grown accustomed to Li You's presence, where many matters were effortlessly handled. Without him, Liu Bei found the absence unsettling.
"Oh, I'll find someone else for you later," Chen Xi sighed. "Getting used to Li You does make one complacent. He's like the ultimate secretary—handling administrative, military, and political affairs with ease."
"Forget it. Leave Wenruo's position open until he returns. Since you say it won't take long, we'll wait," Liu Bei said, waving his hand. He really didn't want anyone else taking Li You's place.
Chen Xi glanced back at Xuzhou City with a smile.
Li You had requested to stay. Originally, Chen Xi had planned to hand the position to the relatively unknown Lu Su, promoting him from his role as the Chancellor of Mount Tai to govern Xuzhou. However, when Li You volunteered, Chen Xi quickly agreed and, together with Jia Xu, recommended him to Liu Bei. Compared to Lu Su, Li You was more inconspicuous, yet equally capable and experienced. He would have no trouble dealing with the Xuzhou aristocrats who might try to undermine him.
Chen Xi wore a look of sympathy that made Jia Xu roll his eyes. Stroking his beard, Jia Xu said, "Chen Xi, I can't help but feel that Wenruo has more in mind than just dealing with the Xuzhou aristocrats."
"He's probably trying to mislead Ju Gongyu of Jizhou. I remember he mentioned something about a scheme against Ju Gongyu," Chen Xi replied, shaking his head.
"Oh, now that you mention it, I'd forgotten. With Wenruo away from your side, Ju Shou might think we've been pushing for this. And with the current situation in Xuzhou, Jizhou's intelligence network could easily conclude that we're trying to sideline Wenruo, leaving him no way back to Mount Tai," Jia Xu nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. Chen Yuanlong and Chen Hanyu are both renowned ministers, and with local aristocratic support and the favorable conditions we've given the Chen family, Jizhou might believe we're using them to isolate Wenruo and block his advancement," Chen Xi said.
If you're going to play the game, play it all the way. With multiple strategies in place, and Ju Shou's preconceived notions, Liu Bei's situation in Jizhou would become more concrete. Then, all Li You had to do was hint that he still had influence in Liu Bei's camp, and the game could continue.
"This plan is tricky. Are you sure Wenruo can trick Jizhou into giving us the strategy we need for governing Xuzhou?" Jia Xu sighed. The success of this plan hinged on Li You's performance.
"It should work. Jizhou is currently consolidating its own forces and is reluctant to start a large-scale war. If they see an opportunity to weaken us, they won't pass it up. More importantly, if they believe they can dismantle Xuande Gong's power from within, I think Yuan Benchu wouldn't mind giving it a try," Chen Xi reasoned.
"Then let's think of something for our lord to do that will surprise everyone," Jia Xu suggested, furrowing his brow. "That way, we can emphasize how crucial Wenruo is to Jizhou. Any ideas?"