"Well, well, isn't this the grand leader himself?" Chen Xi greeted Zang Ba with a teasing smile as he entered the tent. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others also laughed heartily.
"Mission accomplished without fail!" Zang Ba said, clasping his hands in salute.
"Good. I've already had Fazheng prepare a coffin, a body double, and a eulogy. Your substitute will be buried as a hero," Chen Xi said with a broad smile. They had been searching for a suitable substitute for half a month; after all, they couldn't actually bury Zang Ba.
"Ah, the Yellow Turbans haven't had it easy," Zang Ba said, tossing the yellow cloth wrapped around his head onto the table and sighing.
"Rebellion forced by oppression. What we did is a good deed; at least I won't harm them. For now, you should stay out of sight. Let your skin lighten, gain some weight, and grow a beard. Don't show up until you're unrecognizable," Chen Xi said with a smile.
The new grand leader of the Yellow Turbans left the camp for Taishan's main camp. Shortly after, Taishan soldiers brought a coffin with the substitute's body, along with a large amount of grain and clean water. They announced that, moved by the grand leader's spirit and loyalty, any Yellow Turban except those with severe crimes could come to Taishan and be given a fresh start, with their past misdeeds forgiven.
"It's done. From now on, Qingzhou is our backyard. Once we free up some resources, Qingzhou will be ours! Let's drink to this!" Chen Xi poured some alcohol for everyone, filling his own cup with rice wine, and spoke excitedly.
"This is all thanks to you, Zichuan!" Guan Yu praised, drinking the strong liquor, his face unchanged despite the burning sensation in his stomach.
"Good wine!" Zhang Fei downed his cup in one gulp, then looked longingly at the wine jar by Chen Xi's feet.
"Alright, that's enough. This kind of wine is okay occasionally, but it's too wasteful of grain to drink regularly. Once we have more food, I'll get you some. For now, don't even think about it," Chen Xi said with a laugh, then ordered the wine jar to be taken away. The wine was mainly for disinfecting purposes.
"I'll wait until then," Zhang Fei said joyfully.
"The Qingzhou-Yanzhou border is secure. I no longer need to lead these soldiers. Zilong, Ziyi, hear my orders!" Chen Xi set down his cup and spoke seriously as the others finished their drinks.
"At your command!" Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci stood up and saluted.
"I order you two to take your respective troops, select ten thousand Yellow Turbans, and garrison them in Licheng to guard against Yuan Shao. Zilong, you will also continue overseeing the Qingzhou-Yanzhou farming affairs," Chen Xi handed them their prepared orders.
"Understood!" Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci responded loudly.
"Zhongtai, you will lead Botai and Wenhou to assist Qingzhou's refugees in farming. Accept all refugees, and if you have any questions, consult Zilong. You may select up to fifty thousand troops for farming, treating local people equally," Chen Xi handed another set of orders to Sun Guan, Sun Kang, and Wu Dun. The internal affairs of Qingzhou would be managed by these three, with no government established until after the summer harvest, as food was the priority.
"Understood!" The three stood and bowed.
"Yunchang, Yide, lead the troops north with me to pressure Jizhou!" Chen Xi's eyes gleamed. Though they couldn't challenge Yuan Shao directly yet, their forces were strong enough to influence the balance of power in the land. With their recent victory, they could pressure Jizhou. Even Yuan Shao would have to reconsider his strategy, as Gongsun Zan was currently on the offensive.
"Understood!" Guan Yu and Zhang Fei stood up and responded loudly.
"Grand Leader, what about me?" Zang Ba stood up and asked, seeing everyone else assigned tasks while he had none.
"Xuanga, return to Fenggao with three thousand cavalry. If Cao Cao makes any moves, attack Chenliu directly and show him our strength. We don't need to worry about his feelings now, and he won't be on our side anymore. Warn him not to cause trouble. If Cao Mengde stays put, just keep him under pressure," Chen Xi handed Zang Ba his final orders. It would be best if Zang Ba stayed out of Qingzhou for the rest of the year to avoid complications.
"Understood!" Zang Ba said excitedly, clasping his hands. Suppressing a rival warlord sounded very appealing.
After distributing the tasks, Chen Xi patted Fazheng, signaling for him to bring in the performers. As for the rules against drinking and women in the camp, as long as they kept winning, such regulations could be flexible.
The next day, the army split up. Chen Xi led Fazheng, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Taishi Ci north. If this lineup were in place during their later fame, Yuan Shao would be terrified. For now, Yuan Shao didn't yet grasp the situation. However, news of Chen Xi's victory over the Yellow Turbans would soon spread throughout the Han.
Meanwhile, Hua Xiong had been learning an obscure formation for over ten days. Despite his efforts and those of his soldiers, Jia Xu could arrange ants into an Eight Trigrams diagram on the carriage shaft, creating a yin-yang energy shield. Watching this made Hua Xiong want to slit his throat out of frustration. He still hadn't mastered the formation.
"Sigh, my two-part yin-yang isn't bad," Jia Xu said, arranging the ants into the Eight Gates Golden Lock formation, then switching to the Heavenly Lock and reverse-engineering it into the Five Elements before forming the Yin-Yang Head-Tail Great Kill.
"What do you think?" Jia Xu asked Li Ru, who was resting with his eyes closed.
"Useless. Besides you, who can use it, and who will pass it on?" Li Ru said, not even opening his eyes. "Pour me some tea."
Jia Xu poured tea into a white porcelain cup and handed it to Li Ru.
These white porcelain cups were tributes originally intended for Emperor Xian. During the chaos in Chang'an, Hua Xiong happened upon the tribute convoy and offered to help, keeping the cups for Li Ru's use. These flawless, white porcelain cups were now a rarity.
As for Li Ru, he had completely disregarded the imperial authority. Being near death, he had nothing to lose. He wasn't opposed to offering tributes to Emperor Xian, but for now, he intended to enjoy them first.
However, Hua Xiong secretly sent a letter to Chen Xi, asking him to prepare a set for Li Ru. He dared not tell Liu Bei, knowing he would be furious. Chen Xi, however, likely had some stock and could send a set either for Li Ru's use or as a tribute to Emperor Xian, saving face for everyone involved.