Mythical Version of Three Kingdom
Chapter 679: I Will Face Him
In a secret letter, Cui Jun had included some speculations, but due to limited contact with Tian Feng, many of these could not be confirmed. Nevertheless, the information provided enough insight for Chen Xi and Guo Jia to be cautious. If they had encountered Tian Feng without any prior knowledge, they would have been severely disadvantaged.
Upon receiving this secret letter, Chen Xi breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that he hadn't attempted to directly scheme against Yuan Shao before. Otherwise, things could have ended very badly.
"It seems Tian Feng's spiritual gift has significant loopholes," Chen Xi remarked after analyzing the entire situation. "He may be able to foresee the outcome of a plot, but counter-plots are still effective."
"The human heart is always the hardest to predict," Guo Jia said with a smile. "If he can't grasp the intentions of people, he can't definitively identify the enemy. In that case, the simplest way to deal with Tian Yuanhao is through sowing discord. Rebellion against superiors is such a convenient excuse."
"Yes, that's true. But even so, defeating him on the battlefield won't be easy," Chen Xi nodded. "So, I'll leave Xu You to you, and I'll handle Tian Yuanhao."
So far, Chen Xi had never encountered a perfect spiritual gift. They all either focused too much on one aspect or were well-rounded but not particularly powerful. Whenever a spiritual gift had an astonishing effect, there was always a significant drawback. To this day, Chen Xi had yet to see a truly comprehensive and flawless spiritual gift.
Of course, even though some spiritual gifts weren't overly powerful or were limited in scope, their possessors were usually geniuses who had mastered their abilities to the fullest.
Some individuals, upon identifying their spiritual gift, continuously explored its potential. For instance, Cheng Yu had managed to evolve from a mere strategist into a commander, fully utilizing the effects of his spiritual gift.
Others, like Tian Feng, upon understanding the nature of their spiritual gift, focused on complementing their natural abilities, using the gift as a tool to fully realize their innate talents.
Clearly, Tian Feng belonged to the latter group. Because he could foresee the outcomes of enemy schemes, he found it relatively easy to avoid them, if not outright counter them.
As a result, Tian Feng concentrated all his efforts on overpowering his enemies in direct confrontations, focusing on large-scale warfare and how to systematically defeat his opponents.
After studying this for a long time, Tian Feng realized that some strategies were impossible to counter, even if you knew the outcome. Sometimes, by the time you figured out the enemy’s plan, they would have already moved to eliminate you.
Understanding this, Tian Feng stopped wasting time on countering schemes and instead focused his energy on how to crush opponents through overwhelming force and strategic positioning.
This was also why Tian Feng had a good relationship with Ju Shou. Besides their similar temperaments, Ju Shou's spiritual gift amplified Tian Feng's strengths, making his already extensive experience even more formidable.
In essence, when Tian Feng and Ju Shou were together, they were nearly impervious to schemes, forcing opponents into head-to-head confrontations. Even more troubling was that both Tian Feng and Ju Shou were masters of large-scale warfare, with extensive experience in military formations, troop deployments, and relentless offensives.
This was why Chen Xi had assigned Guo Jia to handle Xu You while he took on Tian Feng. As long as Tian Feng was alive, a head-to-head confrontation was inevitable.
In a direct confrontation, Chen Xi believed his strengths would be more advantageous. It would come down to hard power—massive armies clashing head-on, where strategy and individual prowess would matter less.
Although Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun were exceptionally powerful, in large-scale battles involving tens of thousands of troops, individual martial prowess had limited value. Especially when both sides had equally brave soldiers, without the ability to ignore the effects of morale and formation, even Lu Bu could be at risk in such engagements.
This was similar to stories of old—if Xiang Yu faced Han Xin with only a hundred soldiers each, Han Xin would surely lose. With a thousand soldiers, Han Xin would still lose. But with ten thousand soldiers, Han Xin might struggle, though he would still likely lose. However, as the numbers increased to a hundred thousand or more, Xiang Yu's chances of victory would begin to plummet.
This illustrates the balance between personal valor and command ability. Up to a certain point, valor can replace command, and in small-scale conflicts, it might even be more crucial. But as the scale of war increases, personal valor diminishes, and the importance of command rises exponentially.
So far, most generals led by sheer force, their personal martial prowess directly influencing the combat effectiveness of their troops.
This is why, in the early Han dynasty, when the population was still large, most generals struggled to command forces exceeding ten thousand men; they typically managed around three to four thousand. But as the population decreased, more commanders emerged who could lead tens of thousands in battle.
Generals like Guan Yu, who occasionally studied military tactics, would gradually increase the number of troops they commanded, shifting from leading by force to leading by command, from a charging warrior to a battlefield commander, and eventually to a supreme commander.
After considering Chen Xi's suggestion, Guo Jia spoke up, "Let me deal with Tian Feng. You handle Xu You. If you stay in Linyi and don't move, Xu You won't be able to do anything to you. Meanwhile, let me test Tian Feng's mettle."
Chen Xi frowned, puzzled by Guo Jia's proposal. Engaging an opponent on their terms is not something a wise person would do, especially when there are better options available. Why would Guo Jia want to jump into this fight?
"I know you're confused, but I want to see what Tian Feng's spiritual gift is really about. Can it truly avoid all strategies?" Guo Jia explained, looking at Chen Xi seriously. "Cui Zhouping's intelligence isn't complete. Let me test it out—what if some parts aren't accurate?"
"Even if some details are off, the general direction is likely correct," Chen Xi sighed. "You're at risk of getting hurt if you charge in like this."
"It might not turn out that way. Let me try first," Guo Jia insisted, shaking his head. "I suspect Tian Feng's spiritual gift has other weaknesses. Otherwise, certain events shouldn't have occurred."
"Lu Bu's sudden assault on Jizhou was more like brute force," Chen Xi said, shaking his head. "That was all about overwhelming strength, and Chen Gong created the right opportunity for Lu Bu..."
As Chen Xi spoke, he suddenly looked up sharply, and Guo Jia met his gaze.
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