With this battle, Yuan Shu suffered a severe setback. The reason for Yuan Shu's loss wasn't due to the number of soldiers killed, but rather because his son, Yuan Yao, was overly excited during the battle and got injured while charging into the fray. After Du Xi flooded the region by diverting the Yu River, Yuan Yao couldn't escape quickly enough, and his wound became infected. Since then, he has been burning with fever.
Yuan Yao was Yuan Shu's only son, and with his son's condition worsening, coupled with the considerable losses of his army, Yuan Shu decided to withdraw to Shouchun. Along the way, he fed his son various potent tonics, including ginseng and lingzhi, and made donations to temples to pray for his son's recovery. However, Yuan Yao's condition showed no signs of improvement.
In hindsight, it's evident that ancient doctors were often unreliable. It wasn't wise to indiscriminately feed potent tonics like thousand-year-old ginseng and lingzhi to a patient.
Had it not been for the internal energy that Sun Ce infused into Yuan Yao, the boy might have succumbed to the tonic-induced overload. It's hard to say whether Yuan Yao was fortunate or unfortunate.
Furthermore, Yuan Shu, out of love for his son, threatened to kill any doctor who couldn't cure him. This made the doctors hesitant to try any treatment that didn't involve tonics. In the end, feeding potent tonics to someone with a severe infection was a terrible idea, but Yuan Yao's survival so far could be considered lucky. This situation demonstrates that Yuan Shu was surrounded by incompetent doctors.
However, it's understandable. In this era, doctors were considered lowly professionals, and the trust wealthy families had in them was minimal. When they fell ill, they'd rather donate money to temples and reluctantly consult doctors they looked down upon, leading to a vicious cycle where medical practitioners had no real standing.
Sitting in the administrative hall of Fenggao, Chen Xi felt quite pleased when he received the reports. Everything seemed to be going well, except for the fact that Cao Cao hadn't died. But the news about Yuan Yao left Chen Xi puzzled. According to his memory, Yuan Yao should have lived until the establishment of the Wu Kingdom, yet now it seemed that he was on the brink of death.
As for the intelligence on Sun Ce, aside from the mention of the two Qiao sisters, there wasn't much new. However, what surprised Chen Xi was that they weren't daughters. According to the deathbed instructions of Qiao Xuan to Cao Mengde, "I entrust my family to you, and my daughters as well," Cao Cao was supposed to be the original match...
In this era, it wasn't uncommon for prominent figures to entrust their daughters or female relatives to trusted friends, often as concubines. Qiao Xuan's intentions were clear.
Given this, it seems Sun Ce and Zhou Yu might have taken something that was intended for Cao Cao. Years later, when Cao Cao learned the truth, perhaps his famous quote about "taking the two Qiaos from the southeast" might have been his expression of rage.
Of course, all of this was just Chen Xi's wild imagination. What concerned him more was why Sun Ce and Zhou Yu decided to attack Lujiang. Shouldn't attacking Yangzhou be the more strategic move? Conquering Yangzhou would allow them to turn around and force Lujiang into submission. This move seemed illogical—was there some hidden scheme?
"Zijing, what do you think of this?" Chen Xi's mind was a bit clouded, but he instinctively asked Lu Su, who was still handling household registrations beside him.
"What?" Lu Su looked up and took the document Chen Xi handed him. "Attacking Lujiang? The Lu family? This isn't good!"
"The Lu family? I completely forgot about them!" Chen Xi's somewhat foggy brain suddenly cleared up. "The Lu family is crucial to us. We can't let Sun Bofu and Zhou Gongjin take them down!"
"Quickly send word to Lord Xuande, and instruct Gan Ning to lead the navy and bring the entire Lu family to Qingzhou," Chen Xi said urgently. Then, as he glanced at the date on the intelligence report, his face turned grim. "It's too late! Zijing, you write the orders, and we'll send them as fast as possible to Beihai. We must ensure Lord Xuande receives this information. I'll head to the Qingzhou port myself to instruct Gan Ning to go to Lujiang!"
After handling affairs in Xuzhou, Liu Bei returned to Taishan with urgent news from Guan Yu. Guan Hai was sent to Gan Ning, and later to Yizhou, along with Cao Cao's captives. However, with Qingzhou newly acquired, and although the people's hearts had settled, Liu Bei still needed to demonstrate his benevolence to win their trust.
Chen Xi, meanwhile, had stayed behind to take care of Chen Lan and Fan Jian, so he hadn't gone to Qingzhou. Liu Bei didn't press him either, leaving Chen Xi in charge of overseeing the affairs of Qingzhou, Taishan, and Xuzhou. Liu Bei, accompanied by Jia Xu, went to Beihai.
Chen Xi hadn't been to the administrative hall for the past five days, and when he finally did, he was hit with this major issue! Military matters were urgent, and it wasn't just about protecting Lu Xun. While Lu Xun could likely find his own way out, the true value of the Lu family lay in their shipbuilding technology. If they lost that, it would significantly raise the difficulty of future campaigns against Jiangdong.
It wasn't about underestimating or overestimating Lu Xun, but the fact that the Lu family's greatest asset was their shipbuilding knowledge. Without that, the challenge of attacking Jiangdong would increase significantly.
"That's the best we can do. But Zichuan, be cautious with this decision," Lu Su reminded him. He understood the urgency but added a word of caution. Taking command of the military without proper authorization could leave a lasting negative impression on one's lord, a concern for any leader.
"Don't worry. Just make sure the order reaches Beihai. I still have Lord Xuande's sword, so as long as you can send the order ahead, everything will be fine," Chen Xi assured him. He was aware of the risks but felt the situation warranted swift action.
"Alright, I'll write the order now," Lu Su said, casting a glance at Chen Xi before picking up a scroll to write on. After some hesitation, he added his own name to the document. He and Chen Xi had been friends for a long time, and he knew Chen Xi had little interest in power.
"Good. Once you've finished, send it to Beihai as quickly as possible. I'm off to gather the troops," Chen Xi said before dashing out of the hall. If it weren't for his five-day break and his assumption that nothing significant would happen, this mess might have been avoided. Who could have predicted that it would take over ten days for the intelligence from Lujiang to arrive?
After a few steps, Chen Xi turned back and handed over his seals and credentials to Lu Su. "Zijing, you'll handle the administration of these two provinces while I'm gone. This might take some time. Once Ziyang and the others return, proceed with the plans as discussed."