Three Kingdoms, Myth

Regardless of what Manxiang Lou used to be, now that Chen Xi had decided to conduct business there, everyone had to comply, whether they liked it or not!

"Tsk tsk, this design is really well done," Chen Xi remarked as he placed a bundle of invitation cards on the table and pulled one out to examine it.

Mi Zhu chuckled softly. His sister was indeed talented in calligraphy and painting, and these invitations certainly looked beautiful.

"Zizhong, I'll leave these to you. Distribute them as you see fit. Just make sure that by the time this stack of property deeds is dealt with, everything is in order," Chen Xi said with a yawn. Recently, no one had been bothering him, which made him even more relaxed and carefree.

Mi Zhu knew very well that Chen Xi had no idea which merchants belonged to which faction or who should receive the invitations. Delegating tasks to professionals had always been one of Chen Xi's strengths.

Mi Zhu moved quickly, and by noon, all the invitations had been delivered to the eligible parties without missing anyone. The only thing left was to wait at Manxiang Lou for those people to arrive. If anyone neglected to check their invitation and missed the event, well, that was their loss. Chen Xi wasn't going to send a second invitation—ignoring it would be seen as disrespectful.

From Chen Xi's perspective, it was unlikely that any merchant would forget to check their invitation. Even if it was a daily habit, any merchant who didn't specifically instruct their staff to bring invitations to them probably wasn't worth paying much attention to.

Chen Xi prepared the property deeds for the afternoon sale, getting everything ready in advance to earn some extra money.

Just as Chen Xi was arranging things, a guard rushed in. "Strategist, Mr. Jia has requested your presence at the administrative office for a meeting."

Chen Xi, who had been sorting through the property deeds, paused and looked up at the guard. It was Ruan Yuliang, one of Guo Jia's trusted bodyguards.

"Is something wrong?" Chen Xi asked calmly as he set down the stack of deeds. If Jia Xu had sent someone to summon him, it must mean that the new intelligence brought serious news.

Chen Xi furrowed his brow in thought. Whatever the case, if Jia Xu had sent for him, he would have to put aside his current tasks. After all, Mi Zhu could handle the property sales without him.

"Zizhong, it seems I won't be able to stay here to oversee things personally. The rest is up to you. Remember, Lord Xuande's properties can only be rented, not sold. And only those with the proper status can buy the properties allocated to you all," Chen Xi instructed, handing the stack of deeds to Mi Zhu. He gave a few more reminders before preparing to leave. After all, he had already set the general direction; Mi Zhu handling the details would only affect the financial outcome.

Just as Chen Xi was about to depart, he remembered a few more things that needed attention.

"Zizhong, make sure the money is collected in full. If they're paying with grain, livestock, or other materials, accept them at 90% of their value. Medicines should be valued at 95%, and raw materials like cloth, silk, and hemp should be the same. You can adjust accordingly, but don't reveal too much. Store the goods in the west warehouse, and send the money to each family's accounts," Chen Xi hurriedly added. These matters were crucial for his plans for the coming year.

"Understood!" Mi Zhu replied, though he didn't quite understand why Chen Xi wouldn't just discount the prices on the spot, or why he valued raw materials more. However, he didn't question it further.

Chen Xi could guess why Mi Zhu was puzzled, but he didn't bother explaining. After all, Mi Zhu hadn't yet considered the need for strategic reserves. If they could barter, many merchants would feel more at ease and spend more freely. Not every family had twenty billion in strategic funds like the Zhen family.

More importantly, in Chen Xi's view, tangible goods were more valuable than currency. Instead of converting assets later, it was better to build up reserves now, while there were plenty of merchants around.

"Alright, the rest is up to you. If you mess it up and fail to bring in the money, I'm sure Zijing and the others won't mind having a word with you," Chen Xi teased, seeing Mi Zhu's embarrassed expression. "I'm off. The rules and the merchant guild matters are in your hands now."

News of Chen Xi leaving Manxiang Lou for the administrative office soon reached the desks of all the major merchants. They were all closely watching his movements, but unfortunately for them, by the time the scheduled event arrived, Chen Xi hadn't left the administrative office. It seemed he wasn't the one handling this matter after all.

"That's the situation," Jia Xu concluded after reading out the latest intelligence report on Youzhou and Jizhou. Chen Xi didn't even have the energy to tease Lu Su and the others anymore.

"Although we knew early on that Gongsun Bogui would lose, did he have to lose so completely?" Chen Xi covered his face with his hands, a wry smile on his face. This defeat was too decisive—there wasn't even a chance to mount a rescue.

"Yuan Benchu won too easily. Unless Gongsun Bogui can retreat to Youzhou, regroup, and fight again, there's no way for him to recover. And even returning is uncertain!" Liu Ye said with a bitter smile.

Everyone in Qingzhou knew Gongsun Zan would lose, but did he have to lose so swiftly? Ten thousand White Horse Cavalry, blocked by the Great Spear Guards at the front, their center cut down by Yan Liang and Wen Chou's heavy cavalry, and their rear trapped by Gongsun Zan's own infantry—finally, Qu Yi's elite soldiers annihilated them.

Chen Xi looked at the intelligence report on the Battle of Jieqiao and didn't know what to say. Although Gongsun Zan's infantry didn't suffer heavy losses, his elite White Horse Cavalry was nearly wiped out. That night, despite being gravely wounded, Qu Yi led a daring charge into Gongsun Zan's camp, scattering his remaining troops and preventing any chance of regrouping.

Seeing this, Chen Xi could only say, "Qu Yi, are you trying to become a god? You lost half of your three thousand men, but you wiped out the White Horse Cavalry and crippled Gongsun Zan. What did you eat for breakfast?"

It wasn't just Chen Xi who felt this way—even Yuan Shao himself thought it was a dream. As for generals like Ma Yan, Jiao Chu, Zhou Ang, and Zhu Ling, they were utterly stunned. The man they had mocked earlier turned out to be a monster. They immediately prepared gifts to apologize.

Before Gongsun Zan could reach the location Xun Chen had calculated, he had already been defeated. Tian Feng and Xun Chen immediately revised their plans and launched an attack from Bingzhou's Lufan region, striking directly at Youzhou. Meanwhile, Ju Shou in Bohai also mobilized troops to pressure Zhuo County and Guangyang, putting Youzhou in a dire situation.