Chapter 2377 - 2100: One Mountain Surpasses Another

"Ziyi, after the competition, gather those at the Qi Refining to Gang Peak for so-called intensive training." Chen Xi said with a smile through voice transmission. Originally, he planned to delay it, but looking at the current situation, Chen Xi was quite satisfied and decided to give Cao Cao and Sunx Ce a shock at that time.

"What does Qi Refining to Gang Peak intensive training mean?" Zhou Yu casually inquired.

"Hey hey hey, eavesdropping on others’ voice transmissions is unethical," Chen Xi said unhappily.

"You yourself were careless, and now you won’t let me listen?" Zhou Yu closed his arms and leaned back with a cold smile.

"Just admit your lack of etiquette, eavesdropping on others’ voice transmissions and you think you’re justified," Chen Xi said, looking at Zhou Yu with displeasure at his arrogant, bossy demeanor leaning back in the chair.

"You were the careless one, just admit it. Is this even considered voice transmission?" Zhou Yu didn’t bother to respond to Chen Xi, always feeling like this fellow is just like a child sometimes, seeking excitement for no reason.

Taishi Ci raised his hand, unsure whether he should respond to Chen Xi’s words, as the previous sentence was directed at him, but then he was cast aside as Chen Xi started debating with Zhou Yu.

"Let me know when the plan is initiated, I’ll keep all those at Qi Refining to Gang Peak here. Speaking of which, how many can we include in a batch?" Guan Yu, though proud, was quite concerned about his soldiers.

"One or two thousand should be no problem," Taishi Ci said, not too confidently.

"Just don’t exhaust the resources." Guan Yu asked two questions and then fell silent.

"Ziyi, give me ten spots. I think this seems reliable!" Zhang Fei said cheerfully through voice transmission to Taishi Ci, everyone knew the breakthrough of Guann Cheng, so naturally, they were optimistic about this activity, even if this boost fails, it would have significant benefits for the future.

"No problem," Taishi Ci said casually, ten spots were a piece of cake.

"I’ll take seven spots," Zhao Yun counted the number of people under his command at Qi Refining to Gang Peak, and considering his two wives, decided to take these seven fellows over to see if they could succeed.

"Xuangao, how many do you need?" Taishi Ci began voice transmission to Zang Ba.

"I have quite a few at Qi Refining to Gang, but only three at Qi Refining to Gang Peak. I suddenly realized that most of those at the peak are under General Guan and General Hua!" Zang Ba complained helplessly, "Give me five, leaving two as awards!"

"Zijian, what about you?" Taishi Ci transmitted to Hua Xiong.

"..." Hua Xiong gave no response. "Can I join for the next round?"

"Uh, sure," Taishi Ci looked at Hua Xiong puzzled, recalling Hua Xiong had been actively inquiring about this matter earlier, yet now seemed disinterested.

[I sent my best fighters to the Western Regions, Hu Feng, Wux Xi, Duan Wei, and Zhiran, they are the ones with the most potential. As for the people under me, none of them are here.] Hua Xiong thought awkwardly.

Afterward, Taishi Ci asked various generals, and Huang Zhong similarly didn’t have many at the Qi Refining to Gang Peak, so requested five spots, including one for his son, and didn’t forget to ask for one for Ma Zhong.

After that, Xuu Chu and others were requesting three to five spots each, and by then Taishi Ci realized he might have overestimated the number of those at Qi Refining to Gang Peak with Yu Jin.

Moreover, it ended up that Li Youu requested a batch of spots, comparable in number to Guan Yu, but Li Youu also asked for a delay in execution which made Taishi Ci feel he might have discovered something suspicious.

The final statistics left Taishi Ci feeling awkward, as it seemed this time the total count from everyone added together didn’t even reach a hundred people, and it was uncertain if they could get ten to reach Inner Qi Manifestation.

Actually, Li Youu was now unconcerned about others knowing his identity, as he had pretty much fully cleared his name, and even if someone could prove he was Li Ru, Li Youu could prove he wasn’t, with a very simple method.

Both Lady Tang, the Grand Empress Dowager, stated that Li Youu was not Li Ru, and as for anyone else, hey, how can you prove that Li Youu is Li Ru, where is your evidence? You wouldn’t be presenting false evidence, would you? Tell me, what are your intentions in forging evidence, and who dares to accuse this official?

The greatest evidence, Liu Bian, was dead, Liu Xie had also passed away, and anyone qualified to bring up this matter was now only left with the Grand Empress Dowager.

Thus, Li Youu no longer needed to be as cautious as before, continuously verifying things to ensure he wasn’t discovered by others.

With Liu Xie’s passing, this matter for Li Youu equated to having made an ironclad case, besides his own people, no one could overturn it.

Naturally, some unresolved issues from the past could now be dealt with.

If anyone doubts that the Yellow Turbans possess the most Qi Refining to Gang experts, perhaps only Li Youu can speak now.

Before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Li Youu was only in his twenties, and at that time Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were only in their teens. Even then, he had already started battles with Dong Zhuo, Tao Qian, Huangfu Gui, and Zhang Huan in places like Liangzhou and Shuofang.

Can you imagine young men in their twenties, or even seventeen or eighteen, reaching the Qi Refining to Gang level at that time? They were practically the valiant generals among the fighters.

Unfortunately, back then, the importance of such talents wasn’t recognized. At the level of Qi Refining to Gang, once oppressed by Cloud Qi, a group could easily kill each other. The warfare in Liangzhou was especially brutal, and without the comprehensive medical measures we have now, wounds had to be endured, and death was inevitable. Only the living had a chance to advance.

What’s that, your Hundred-Man Squad is reduced to just a few of you after battle deaths and desertion?

Alright, the one who made it back to report is the new Centurion. Tomorrow, we’re fighting so-and-so. If you come back alive, I’ll advance you ten days of stipends.

You actually did come back, oh, and brought a few newcomers too. Good, I’ll give you a few spearheads. The timber in that northern forest is nice, take them to make spear shafts and arm the newcomers. Keep up the good work, and here’s your advanced stipend.

Oh my, you actually survived and returned again. What’s your name? You now have the right for me to know your name.

Oh, you’re Guo Si? That’s a nice name. Oh, you still have a group of bandit brothers, let them all come. No worries, we won’t hold it against them. Serve well as soldiers; this world is not one for good people, everyone is forced into it. Serve well and the world will improve.

At that time, Li Youu, still young and unweathered, faced those bandits, mountain bandits, and outlaws who were industrious during farming periods yet resorted to banditry in idle times. He pondered if, in a region where doing evil becomes a part of life, as a local magistrate, how should one save these people, or is there even any meaning to saving them!

Of course, these are general issues. More complex questions arise after broader exposure. If the reason for doing evil is compelled by the times, where lies the blame—on the individual or on the times?

After Li Youu’s horizons broadened, the questions grew harder: if it’s the times at fault, what exactly is the error? Are all within the times at fault?

After arriving at this conjecture, Li Youu had a new question: if everyone is at fault, is it genuinely a fault?

Universal morality was directly dismissed by Li Youu. When the times are at fault, everyone bears fault, and universal morality is entirely flawed. Are the ones drawing conclusions wrong, or is everyone wrong, or is it the world itself that’s wrong?

Ultimately, after reaching this stage, Li Youu essentially entered the Ultimate State. Since the times were flawed, and everyone in those times bore flaws, then the flaw must be the world, or the so-called system. One shouldn’t pursue personal errors but rather choose to overthrow the system!

Thus, from then on, Li Youu started working on the system. Since much needed doing, he learned everything, but back then, Li Youu was inexperienced compared to now.

Therefore, the thought process was: the system is flawed, so overthrow the system, then build a new one on its ruins. As for what the new system should be, let’s talk after the old one is toppled.

Back then, Li Youu’s thought pattern was to grow strong, then stronger—until toppling the world. This is a pattern a straightforward person could conceive, but Li Youu possessed an impeccable foundation for his theories, enough to attract the likes of Jia Xu and Cai Yong with similar ambitions.

Thus, what Li Youu chiefly did was—those errant citizens, the evil bandits, and the struggling beggars, come, I will teach you hand-in-hand how to topple the system.

At that time, Li Youu couldn’t remember how many bandits who couldn’t survive, or how many citizens, sought refuge with Dong Zhuo, nor how many perished as a result.

The numbers were immense, and truly, During Emperor Ling’s Reign, it wasn’t an era where humans could survive.

Many talented and diligent soldiers reached Qi Refining to Gang over a decade ago and fell on the battlefield. In such a scale and years-long war, survival couldn’t be guaranteed for any Qi Refining to Gang.

Back then, Dong Zhuo was well-beloved by the Liangzhou people because, unlike other generals, who schemed while drinking military blood, Dong Zhuo promised by patting his chest, that as long as you’re alive, even if there’s no stipend from above, he’d sell his estate to provide grain for you.

A simple pledge, yet for the threatened and precarious Liangzhou people, it was the greatest promise.

When pacifying Liangzhou, Dong Zhuo achieved a great feat and was rewarded with nine thousand rolls of silk and coarse fabric by the state, which he distributed entirely to his soldiers, taking none for himself.

Remember, when Dong Zhuo tried pleasing Zhang Huan, all he could gather was a hundred rolls of silk...

Fann Ye’s biography of Dong Zhuo, along with the Book of Later Han, clearly records that phrase when the Liangzhou soldiers were preserving Dong Zhuo: "The servants shall not fall, nor shall the gifts cease, for a wife and children should not starve and freeze."

In plain terms, the situation in Liangzhou was dire. Dong Zhuo couldn’t offer much to his soldiers, but expending his family fortune and never embezzling the salary, fighting alongside the soldiers, truly secured the army’s loyalty.