Chapter 372: Planning Strategy

Wang Yang thanked the Prince of Badong calmly and added:

"Besides the reward, Your Highness also promised me one request—"

The Prince of Badong said heroically:

"Just ask!"

"I returned to Jing alone without guards. I wish to beg for a few experts from the Prince's Mansion to serve as my bodyguards."

The Prince of Badong was stunned.

"You... your request is this??"

"Yes, I am not Your Highness, with a sword in hand, ten thousand men cannot approach. Now is the time for action; if I don't have capable martial artists by my side, how can I be at ease?"

The Prince of Badong was immediately overjoyed!

This joy even surpassed the previous one!

Getting Kongming is joy. Getting a Kongming who is not guilty and can make people feel at ease is joy upon joy!

Kong Zhangyu couldn't help but feel more at ease when he heard this.

The Prince of Badong put his hands on his hips and called out with satisfaction:

"Someone! Pass the order to Jiao Shirong! Transfer a team of guards for Wang Yang to use! They must be experts!"

After finishing, he paused slightly, turned his back to Wang Yang, looked at Kong Zhangyu, and his eyes had deep meaning:

"You handle it personally."

Kong Zhangyu understood and stood up to respond:

"This official will go now and will definitely select elite and reliable men to be at Young Master Wang's disposal."

Wang Yang said:

"Then I will trouble Mr. Kong. However, my residence is small, and the place to live..."

"Young Master, rest assured, I will definitely arrange it properly."

After Kong Zhangyu left, the Prince of Badong patted Wang Yang on the shoulder:

"Think the residence is too small? Do you want this Prince to give you a new one?"

Everyone in the hall was jealous!

Wang Yang didn't refuse: "That would certainly be good!"

The Prince of Badong laughed:

"You kid really know how to climb the pole! But that's right, with your talent, what is a residence? But I am a Prince, after all. Being a Prince, rewards and punishments must be clear. You have just joined the staff and haven't made any merit. With so many people watching, this Prince shouldn't be too biased—"

Wang Yang said as a matter of course:

"With Your Highness's prestige, who would dare say you are biased? Besides, you can send it privately..."

Everyone's faces turned black, only the Prince of Badong laughed heartily:

"Stop trying to set me up! If you keep setting me up like this, one day the Prince's Mansion will be emptied by you!"

Wang Yang looked righteous:

"If it's really emptied, Your Highness can live at my place!"

"Get out!"

The two joked and teased, as if no one else was around, leaving the staff in the hall stunned.

Everyone sighed or envied, all feeling that Wang Yang was an anomaly, whether in terms of talent or his relationship with the Prince of Badong.

"Speaking of which, I happen to have an opportunity to make merit and get a residence here. Do you want it?"

The Prince of Badong still had a smile on his lips, but his eyes were a bit more solemn, and his gaze swept over Wang Yang's face as if unintentionally.

Wang Yang had no strange expression on his face, and there was no hesitation in his mouth:

"Of course I want it! What opportunity?"

The Prince of Badong gave Wang Yang a rough idea of the situation where the aristocratic families were not cooperating, and then said:

"Now they are all clinging to Yu Yi, and Yu Yi is a stubborn stone that needles cannot pierce and water cannot splash, eating neither soft nor hard. You have a friendship with the Yu family, so you go and persuade him, and at the same time help this Prince bring a message: This Prince has given him enough face. If he doesn't nod again, this Prince will use the sword. Once this Prince uses the sword, blood will definitely be seen. If heads don't roll, the sword won't return to its sheath. If he thinks this Prince doesn't dare, then let him try."

Wang Yang smiled:

"I won't bring this message."

The Prince of Badong's face suddenly turned cold:

"Do you want to plead for the Yu family?"

"Yu Yi is not refusing to surrender, so what is there to plead for?"

The Prince of Badong's brain didn't turn for a moment:

"You mean, Yu Yi is still likely to surrender?"

"If I am the lobbyist, Yu Yi will definitely surrender."

Everyone was shocked!

The Prince of Badong's pupils shrank, and then wild joy instantly dispelled the coldness between his brows! His tone was full of urgency and excitement:

"Is this true?! Are you sure?!"

Wang Yang said calmly:

"How could I speak recklessly? Wang Yang believes that Yu Yi is not a stubborn stone, but a bright mirror, only covered by dust, waiting for someone to wipe it clean. I am untalented, but I am willing to gently wipe it for Your Highness, wipe away its dust, and make the bright light reappear, reflecting Your Highness's heart."

At this moment, the aura of the whole hall was captured by Wang Yang's words.

Now no one doubted that Wang Yang was boasting. They had seen with their own eyes the Prince of Badong go from "None of the Langya Wang clan are good things" to "Happy to have Zhiyan, not happy to have Jingzhou."

Compared to manipulating the Prince of Badong and reversing life and death, making Yu Yi change his stance was not so unbelievable.

Although everyone was jealous, they asked themselves that no one had this ability. Not to mention persuading Yu Yi to surrender, just this rhetoric of "dust covering the light" and "mirror reflecting the Prince's heart"—who could think of it in an instant? Yu Yi was arrogant and self-righteous; without Wang Yang's unrestrained talent, he really couldn't be suppressed!

The Prince of Badong was in a great mood, washed by waves of joy! The wild joy in his eyes almost overflowed:

"Good! What a 'bright light reappears, mirror reflects the Prince's heart'! Zhiyan's talent and strategy are unparalleled! This Prince really didn't misjudge the person! You handle this matter tomorrow. If it's done, this Prince will personally choose a residence for you!"

"Thank you for your trust, Your Highness! I wonder if Your Highness wants a five-point surrender? Or a seven-point surrender?"

The Prince of Badong showed a look of novelty:

"Eh? This saying is quite interesting! Tell me, what is a five-point surrender? What is a seven-point surrender?"

"A five-point surrender is surface submission but inner doubt, respectful appearance but divided intentions. Although they bow their heads and show loyalty on the outside, they are actually watching the wind and waiting for the situation on the inside. If the left wins, they help the left; if the right wins, they help the right. Saving themselves is the priority; they change when the situation changes.

A seven-point surrender is body surrendered and will bound, with no way to advance or retreat. Once they enter the game, it is like boats tied together with ropes, interests are shared. If they win, they share the merit; if they lose, they share the disaster. They can only go forward, and there is no way back. They want to watch but have nothing to watch; they want to change but cannot change. They can only share the beginning and end with the Prince.

The aristocratic families today are not deciding between obedience and rebellion, only using Yu Yi as an excuse. This is showing the same direction on the outside while leaving a way out on the inside. If the matter succeeds, everyone shares the merit; if it fails, they blame the leader. Even if they really surrender with Yu Yi, it is nothing more than being two-faced, a five-point surrender! Once there is a change, they will definitely cause harm. Your Highness must be on guard."

The Prince of Badong nodded repeatedly:

"Well said! Well said! Tell me again, how should this Prince guard against it?"

"If Your Highness wants to guard against their change, you must first cut off their retreat.

In my view, what the families hope for today is nothing more than the court's idea of not blaming the masses.

If things don't go well in the future, they will definitely say they were coerced by the Prince and it was not their original intention.

To cut off this heart, one must grasp the vital point.

Make them commit a great taboo that cannot be regretted!

The situation today, the vital point is the army!

This is what the families fear most, and what Your Highness needs most!

If you order the surrendering families to each contribute their retainers to fill the army, and then open the Ever-Normal Granaries to supply the army with the families' grain, saying that after victory, they will be repaid with double interest.

Then the families cannot escape the crime! They cannot bear to cut off the profit! They will only follow the Prince..."

Everyone was shocked, secretly thinking that this Wang Yang was not old, but his methods were truly ruthless! The aristocratic families understood the aristocratic families best; once they grasped it, they grasped the lifeline. (This strategy proposed by Wang Yang can be compared with what Lady Le said in Chapter 354, 'Between Advance and Retreat')

"In this way, a five-point surrender can become a seven-point—"

The Prince of Badong asked doubtfully:

"How can it become ten points?"

Wang Yang said:

"A ten-point surrender requires a perfect situation, and Your Highness has not reached that point yet. And even if there are people willing to offer a ten-point surrender, Your Highness should still view it as seven points. Leaving three points is not only to guard against people, but also to guard against oneself. Guard against oneself relying on sincerity and forgetting danger, relaxing in vigilance."

The Prince of Badong was thoughtful.

Chen Qiming wanted to say that this remark was also suitable for Wang Yang to surrender, and the Prince should not trust him completely! But Wang Yang's momentum was too strong, and he didn't dare to say it clearly in public, fearing that he would become a sacrifice for the Prince of Badong to appease Wang Yang.

However, he could hide his own intentions in the name of discussing the matter.

Wang Yang continued:

"This strategy still has one benefit—"

Before Wang Yang finished speaking, Chen Qiming interrupted loudly:

"This strategy must not be used! If the families have different intentions, gathering their private soldiers will cause changes in an instant, and they will turn their backs on the battlefield! I fear that the flags will still serve the Prince's order during the day, but by midnight, the swords and soldiers will have surrounded the Prince's Mansion—"

Wang Yang laughed:

"You hear one and hold on to one, and holding on to one is not enough to infer the other three. Truly a talent for documents, not enough to discuss major events."

Chen Qiming already had a deep-seated shadow. As soon as he heard "talent for documents," it was like a branding iron on an old scar, and he trembled all over!

Li Jingxuan's psychological construction had been completed, and at this time he pondered:

"Now is the time to use troops, and using retainers to assist the army is the right way, which can increase our military strength. Zhi Kang's words also make sense, but it is not difficult to guard against. The key lies in the two words 'divide' and 'control.' First, the families' retainers cannot be gathered in Jiangling, nor can they stay in Jingzhou; they should be completely under the army to go on distant expeditions. Second, all aristocratic families must be detained in Jiangling city as hostages. With them in hand, how can the retainers rebel? At that time, the soldiers are outside and the heads are inside, so the soldiers have no heads and the heads have no soldiers. In this way, after our army goes out, even if they have different intentions, they will have no claws or teeth to show. I guess this is the benefit of what Young Master Wang called 'this strategy still has one benefit'."

Wang Yang nodded happily:

"This can be called 'lifting one corner and inferring the other three'."

Guo Wenyuan also agreed:

"The two words 'divide' and 'control' are correct. Retainers filling the army must also be divided and controlled; they can be scattered and incorporated into various battalions."

Xue Shao added:

"Scattering is fine, but they cannot be scattered too much. Firstly, retainers are private soldiers of each family and will definitely not allow others to divide them. Forcing them will be no different from forcing them to rebel. Secondly, even if the aristocratic families agree, how can the retainers' commanders be willing? Rashly dissecting them will cause resentment! If it provokes a mutiny, it will become chaos instead. Thirdly, the way of the army values the harmony between soldiers and generals. Each family's retainers are originally organized; suddenly scattering them will disrupt the ranks and hinder the battle. It is better to preserve their organization, but forbid them from combining into one army, and divide each family's retainers into our army's various departments, appearing combined but actually scattered. In this way, even if there is chaos in the future, each department can calmly suppress it, and it will not be a disaster."

Tao Rui also greatly agreed with Xue Shao's proposal. Although his family had few retainers, having few now didn't mean having few in the future. Especially since this matter touched the taboo of the aristocratic families, if one could take other people's retainers and scatter them at will, that would be terrible! Therefore, although he agreed with Guo Wenyuan's statement of scattering, the word "scatter" must have a sense of proportion. This was not only from the consideration of selfish motives, but also from the reality of the situation.

Everyone was originally worried about the aristocratic families rebelling after the troops were sent out. Now with Wang Yang's strategy, they could both pull the firewood from under the cauldron and get fresh troops. How could they not be happy? So except for Chen Qiming, everyone offered their own wisdom and discussed it, focusing on how to control the overall situation and how to prevent the aristocratic families from taking the opportunity of gathering troops to counterattack and cause changes.

After discussing for a while, they pulled the focus back, because not to mention how to operate later, just the most critical first step—letting the aristocratic families agree to use retainers to fill the army. Even if everyone present added together, they couldn't do it. If there was really someone who could do it, it could only be—

Everyone looked at the noble young master who had not said a word after initiating the proposal.

Wang Yang said:

"Leave this matter to me. I will talk to Mr. Yu first. If I can persuade Yu Yi, then the matter is half done."

The Prince of Badong was so happy that his face was glowing red. The more he looked at Wang Yang, the more he liked him, and he sighed again with a sense of "historical lens":

"With Zhiyan here, this Prince can sleep on a high pillow!"

Wang Yang took the opportunity to propose that when he went to see Yu Yi tomorrow, he hoped to be able to bring Yu Yuling home directly as a gesture of sincerity:

"If Yu Yi does not follow, once the Prince's sword moves, even if his son returns home, he will not be able to protect himself; if he follows, he should be released. Rather than releasing him later, it is better to let Wang Yang do a favor first. Firstly, it will help me show off and wipe the mirror, and secondly, it will show Your Highness's breadth of mind."

The staff thought that Yu Yuling was really worth making this friend, and all believed that the Prince of Badong would definitely give Wang Yang this face, not to mention that what Wang Yang said also made sense.

But no one expected that the Prince of Badong thought about it and refused.

"This is not urgent. You can tell Yu Yi that his son is doing very well in the Prince's Mansion, so don't worry. If he surrenders, father and son will be able to see each other soon."

Wang Yang mentioned Liu Zhao and Zong Ce again, but the Prince of Badong waved his hand to interrupt:

"They are all doing very well, and this Prince will release them sooner or later, but these things should wait until the aristocratic families surrender."

Wang Yang pretended to be silent.

The Prince of Badong smiled, stretched out his arm, and put his arm around Wang Yang's shoulder:

"Rest assured, this Prince knows your thoughts and won't let you down. How about this, the favor of Yu Yi is not urgent to send. This Prince will send you a fragrant big favor today! Do you know who this Prince is talking about? Hmm?"

The Prince of Badong's eyebrows flew, and his smile was lewd.

————Main text 3483 words

The physical book "Langya Surname, Volume 2: Jingzhou Chaos (Part 1)" will be on the market at 19:00 on January 16th, which is tomorrow.

The publisher is still Hunan Literature and Art. The sales channels are the same as the first volume. They are available on all platforms, and also in the Tomato Mall. The chapters are from 106 to 226. The first batch is a special edition with a seal, using another seal of mine. The surrounding products are also quite beautiful. Here are a few pictures:

Gifts with the book: Double-sided menu of ancient and modern times, author Q&A booklet, exclusive coded bookmark (attached to the special edition with seal, one signature and one code), tear-off paper wind chime.

The surrounding products are different in each store. This is the publisher's, eight items in total. If you are afraid of buying fakes, go to the flagship store of Hunan Literature and Art.

The front is the poem "Rain at the Window for a Long Time" in Chapter 188.

Actually, it should end here, but I'll say a few more words.

This time it is a two-volume set (the upper part is two volumes, the lower part is also two volumes). The official price with gifts is 69.8, and without gifts is 59.8. The publisher explained a lot, saying that the number of words doubled, the unit price of printing sheets has been suppressed to before 2010, the paper standard, the cost of making my book far exceeds other books, etc. I learned about it through other channels, and it is indeed the case, but I am still unhappy. Even with coupons, it did not reach the price standard of the first volume, and my intention is not smooth.

Publishing in multiple volumes can lower the price, but it makes no sense. The publisher regrets that I do not participate in marketing or operate personal accounts, thinking it affects popularity and sales, but fortunately everyone respects my wishes, so let's do it the same as the first volume—

Students and those who are tight on money don't buy it to support me. Those who are well-off don't need to buy it to support me either. Firstly, the first volume has already been supported, and secondly, seeing words is like seeing people, meeting friends with literature. Do friends need to spend money to support each other? No need. Pushing others with one's own heart, one can naturally get peerless sympathy (the same feeling), the traces of snow and mud, the fate of calligraphy and ink, it is enough to agree, and intentions have always been the most priceless.

There is an author Q&A booklet in the surrounding products and gifts, which is the text version of the Q&A when Tomato held activities before, which is not here. There is also a gold and silver ticket stub, which is the preface to the Qu Shui joint poem written by Le Zhan, which is not here either. It doesn't matter. I will send it out in the form of photos after I get the physical object, so don't buy the book just for these two. The only standard for whether to buy or not is whether you need paper. ===== CHAPTER 373 =====