Chen Xi didn't pay much attention to Zhuge Liang's behavior. The young man was simply engrossed in something he was passionate about. Speaking of military formations, Chen Xi's current level of expertise was limited to the basic wedge formation. As for the more advanced formations, after reviewing them, Chen Xi realized that mastering them would require a significant investment of time and effort.
Chen Xi had asked others about formations, and it turned out that most generals only knew a few standard ones. As for the high-level formations, like the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, even Liu Ye only had a rudimentary understanding. Of course, this didn't apply to people like Guo Jia, who had specialized knowledge in such areas.
Learning these formations was no easy task. First, you needed a teacher, and that alone eliminated over 99% of people. Very few knew these formations, and even fewer were willing to teach them since these were often their ultimate secrets. Unless someone was foolish enough to show off right after learning a new formation, most people would keep such knowledge well-guarded.
That's why Chen Xi found it so surprising that Li You was willing to teach Zhuge Liang the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, including all its variations and subsequent deductions. It was almost as if Li You was passing down his entire legacy to Zhuge Liang.
With all this material, along with the Qimen Dunjia techniques Chen Xi had obtained from Guo Jia, Zhuge Liang would likely be able to deduce the Eight Formations Diagram on his own eventually. So, Chen Xi decided it was best not to disturb him.
After walking a few steps toward Guo Jia's residence, Chen Xi was informed by the steward that Guo Jia had gone to see off Xi Zhicai. Finding this odd, Chen Xi borrowed a carriage and headed toward the western gate of Fenggao. By the time he arrived, Guo Jia was already on his way back.
"Hey, why are you drinking again?" Chen Xi jumped off the carriage, snatched the wine jug from Guo Jia's hand, and scolded him as he saw Guo Jia slouching and sipping wine while leading his horse.
"Zhicai has left," Guo Jia said with a sigh.
"What? Wasn't he fine just a few days ago?" Chen Xi was puzzled.
"..." Guo Jia stared at Chen Xi in silence.
"You should have been clearer," Chen Xi replied awkwardly. "Why didn't you bring me along to see him off? After all, I should have at least thanked Chen Changwen for his help in getting us so many capable mid-level civil officials."
"He wrote in his letter that he didn't need me to see him off. I realized he had already left by the time I received it. I chased after him for more than ten miles but couldn't catch up with his carriage. He really didn't want to see me one last time, huh?" Guo Jia muttered bitterly, feeling dejected that Xi Zhicai hadn't even wanted to meet with him.
"He probably didn't want you to see him as he was leaving. You two were close friends, after all," Chen Xi said, handing the wine jug back to Guo Jia.
Meanwhile, in another carriage, Xi Zhicai was casually chatting with Chen Qun and Sima Lang. After recovering enough to get out of bed, Xi Zhicai had found the letter he had written to Cao Cao before his collapse but decided not to have Chen Qun send it to Yanzhou. Instead, he entrusted it to a guard to deliver.
Once he was certain that his health wasn't in immediate danger, Xi Zhicai visited Hua Tuo for further treatment. After confirming that he only needed to rest and avoid overexertion, Xi Zhicai decided it was time to leave Taishan. Staying any longer without being able to acquire the spiritual talents of Taishan's people would be a waste of time, especially when there was still much to do in Yanzhou. Moreover, he didn't want Guo Jia's ominous remarks hanging over him any longer—if something truly happened, he would die feeling deeply wronged.
Having secured Sima Lang's loyalty and identified two potential talents, as well as gaining access to an extensive collection of books through Cai Yan, Xi Zhicai felt that his trip had been highly successful. Although he had coughed up blood twice, Cao Cao's ambitions had advanced, and that made it all worthwhile.
As for intelligence gathering, Chen Qun had already collected all the information they could. Taishan had been relatively open about many things.
In short, Xi Zhicai's objectives for his visit, aside from copying the spiritual talents of Taishan's people, had been achieved, and then some. Though it wasn't a perfect outcome, Xi Zhicai felt satisfied with what he had accomplished. There was nothing more to regret.
"Changwen, you've collected all the intelligence on Taishan. Compared to Yanzhou, what are we lacking?" Sima Lang asked, steering the conversation back to serious matters after some lighthearted banter. Sima Lang had recently been persuaded by Chen Qun to join Cao Cao's forces.
"Our biggest gap with Taishan is in reserves. Chen Zichuan has stockpiled every resource he could think of. Taishan's reserves are vast enough to handle a drought, snow disaster, or plague across their entire territory," Chen Qun said with a bitter smile. "It's no exaggeration to call him the master of foresight."
"Natural disasters can be ignored. Chen Zichuan's spiritual talent allows him to alter the weather across Liu Bei's domain. Talk about something else," Xi Zhicai said, dismissing the advantage Chen Xi had in this area due to his spiritual talent.
"Altering the weather across the entire domain?" Chen Qun was stunned but quickly adjusted. "What we need now is money and grain—a lot of it—to expand our army, train soldiers, maintain stability, and establish a new household registration system. We also need to build a library and improve the treatment of our soldiers."
"All of that requires money and grain," Xi Zhicai said with some frustration. Although Cao Cao had some savings, they were still far short of what Chen Qun was proposing.
"While you were unconscious, I sent intelligence back to Yanzhou and recommended that our lord absorb the Wei family of Hedong. Just because we lack money and grain doesn't mean some families don't have plenty," Chen Qun said with a smile. He had already made contact with the Wei family of Hedong during his time in Fenggao. This family had been ranked second among the top five wealthy merchant families for over two hundred years and had been battling the Zhen family constantly.
"That would be helpful," Xi Zhicai nodded. He had witnessed the wealth of top-tier merchant families in Taishan. The Wei family of Hedong, being one of the most powerful, would have more than enough resources to support Cao Cao's ambitions.
In response to Chen Qun's letter, Cao Cao had been actively engaging with the Wei family in Chenliu, who had strong ties with their cousins in Hedong. Thanks to the efforts of Wei Zi, who had survived unexpectedly, the Wei family of Hedong had decided during their New Year gathering to fully support Cao Cao. Among the leading figures of the time, only Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Liu Bei, and Cao Cao had the power and momentum that made them worth considering.
Yuan Shao was out of the question due to the deep-seated feud between the Wei and Zhen families. Joining Liu Bei's faction was also unappealing, as Mi Zhu's brilliant financial maneuvers had nearly crushed the Zhen family. The Wei family wasn't confident they could withstand Mi Zhu's strategies, especially since they had clashed with him in the past.
That left Cao Cao and Yuan Shu. Given the strong connection between the Chenliu and Hedong branches of the Wei family and the relentless efforts of Wei Zi, the Wei family quickly decided to align with Cao Cao.
On the day of the banquet celebrating the Wei family's alliance with Cao Cao, a messenger burst in with urgent news.
"My lord, terrible news!"
Cao Cao's face darkened as he glared at the messenger. Today was supposed to be a joyous occasion, welcoming the Wei family into his ranks, and this interruption was highly unwelcome.
"Speak!" Cao Cao's eyes flashed with cold fury.
"My lord, your father was killed a month ago near the border of the state of Lu and Xu Province by Zhang Kai, a general under Tao Qian!" the messenger reported swiftly, keeping his head down.
The room fell silent. Cao Cao's vision darkened, and he collapsed onto the table. Xun Yu and the others rushed to his side, desperately trying to revive him.
After a while, Cao Cao regained consciousness. His eyes were bloodshot, and he roared, "Tao Qian let his soldiers kill my father—this is a grudge that cannot be forgiven! I will mobilize my entire army and drown Xu Province in blood! If I do not avenge this, I am no longer human, no longer human!"
All the military officers in attendance immediately knelt before Cao Cao. With bloodshot eyes, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, and the others shouted, "We volunteer to lead the vanguard and annihilate Xu Province!"