Compared to Zhuge Liang's first encounter with such matters, Fazheng was already accustomed to Jia Xu's unconventional ways.
"Master Jia, what brings you here?" Fazheng was spending time with Jiang Ying at home when the doorkeeper informed him that Jia Xu had come to visit. Fazheng immediately prepared for trouble; having dealt with Jia Xu before, he knew that if Jia Xu was coming to see him, it had to be something serious.
"Apologies for interrupting your time with your lovely wife and concubines," Jia Xu said, though his tone lacked any genuine remorse.
Fazheng rolled his eyes and invited Jia Xu inside. He was used to Jia Xu's style by now. "Aren't you busy tutoring Lu Zijia? What brings you here?"
Based on his years of experience, Fazheng knew that trying to outmaneuver Jia Xu would only lead to getting outplayed, so he decided to get straight to the point.
"Zijia is learning well on his own now; I don't need to watch him all the time," Jia Xu replied with a hint of a smile as he thought about how Lu Yu had seamlessly integrated with the other young talents in Taishan, even getting along well with Lu Xun, whom he had previously tricked.
Fazheng couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Lu Yu was definitely playing the other young talents like puppets, showing a natural talent for it. He had already absorbed quite a bit of Jia Xu's cunning.
"Why are we talking about him? I'm here to assign you a task. You're familiar with Gan Xingba, right?" Jia Xu asked.
"Yes, quite familiar," Fazheng nodded. Gan Ning was an easy-going person who got along well with almost everyone in Taishan, and Fazheng had interacted with him frequently due to various matters.
"That's good. Your task is to assist Gan Xingba in suppressing Yuzhou and to establish contact with Yizhou to bring out Gan Xingba's family," Jia Xu said, outlining the mission.
Fazheng paused, confused by the vagueness of the task. What did he mean by establishing contact with Yizhou? With Liu Bei's current power, Gan Ning could easily retrieve his family from the timid Liu Zhang without any trouble.
After thinking it over for a while, Fazheng finally said, "I'll take the task, but I'll need your help with my remaining administrative duties. As for Yizhou, the Land of Abundance… Heh."
Fazheng wasn't stupid. Even though he hadn't been to Jia Xu's place to catch up on the latest intelligence over the past couple of weeks, the mere mention of Yizhou suggested that something significant had happened there. A little thought was enough to understand what might have occurred.
He silently pondered the situation.
Fazheng couldn't understand why Liu Zhang, whom they had assessed as someone who would just stay in Yizhou and wait for his demise, suddenly decided to launch a military campaign. But since he had made a move, Fazheng would seize the opportunity to thoroughly understand Yizhou's strength, laying the groundwork for future conquests.
"Don't worry. I'll find someone to handle your duties while you're gone," Jia Xu said with a nod. He knew Fazheng would grasp the essence of his assignment.
Fazheng froze, then half-jokingly exclaimed, "Please don't let Lu Zijia and Lu Boyan handle my duties. That would be a disaster waiting to happen!"
Jia Xu's expression darkened. He wasn't that irresponsible—leaving such tasks to a couple of twelve or thirteen-year-olds. He glared at Fazheng, "I have other candidates. Zichuan recommended someone, meaning Wenru should train them first, and then pass them on to Zijing for further development."
"That sounds promising. Another civil administration talent, huh? But with that training process, could it be another Zhuge Kongming?" Fazheng was initially excited, but then he realized that this method was precisely how Zhuge Liang was trained. Just thinking about Zhuge Liang's demeanor made Fazheng want to punch something.
"Possibly," Jia Xu said vaguely, as he hadn't met the candidate yet—he had only heard about them through a letter Chen Xi had sent to Liu Bei, which was then passed to Li You. "But this is good news. The stronger our foundation, the easier our work will be."
Fazheng scoffed. He had always wanted to tell Jia Xu that being too comfortable would lead to complacency, but he had never voiced it. He didn't believe for a second that Jia Xu couldn't see the reality of the situation.
In Fazheng's view, Taishan's military strength was already sufficient. There was no need to continue stockpiling more forces—there wasn't an enemy they couldn't defeat at this point. This wasn't like a year ago when they had to worry about the Yuan family's potential unification. Now, even if the Yuan family united, they wouldn't be able to hold them back.
"Xiaozhi, there are too many interesting things in this world. Don't let your vision become too narrow. This time, as Gan Xingba's advisor, I want you to broaden your perspective. Don't just focus on the Central Plains—our lord's ambitions are beyond what the Central Plains can contain," Jia Xu said with a smile, patting Fazheng's shoulder.
Fazheng frowned, wanting to ask for clarification, but ultimately held back. "Alright, I'll go and see what's out there. But let me be clear—I'm guessing my real mission is to help the two imperial relatives in Jingzhou and Yizhou keep Yuan Shu in check and curb his influence in the South."
"It's no longer about Yuan Shu. You've been spending so much time at home with your lovely wife and concubines that you're out of touch with what's happening outside. Yuzhou, Jingzhou, and Yangzhou are now under Sun Ce's control," Jia Xu said with a sigh.
Although Jia Xu had long anticipated Sun Ce's rise to power, he hadn't expected it to unfold in such a dramatic way. His original plan was to force Sun Ce into a conflict with Yuan Shu, making Sun Ce carry a stigma, diminish his reputation, and significantly reduce his appeal to talent.
But the current situation was entirely unexpected for Jia Xu. He realized that he had been too hasty when questioning Zixu, but unfortunately, that wild encyclopedia was no longer around.
"No way," Fazheng said, his face filled with disbelief.
"I wish it weren't true, but it is. Otherwise, I wouldn't be sending you to handle it," Jia Xu replied helplessly before recounting the entire sequence of events to Fazheng.
The story of how Sun Ce inherited Yuan Shu's forces was so bizarre and convoluted that it left Fazheng stunned. He finally understood what it meant when people said reality was stranger than fiction. How could everything have turned so absurd in just a little over ten days without him keeping up with the news?
"And it gets even crazier. Missing out on the latest intelligence was a major blunder on your part," Jia Xu said, smirking. "We've taken Yanzhou."
"Pfft, that's impossible! It hasn't even been a month!" Fazheng exclaimed in disbelief. "What on earth have I missed these past few days?"