Chapter 377: Water Strikes Three Thousand Li

To be honest, Li Jingxuan was much more at ease.

He originally thought that Wang Yang would become the person most relied upon by the Prince of Badong, and from then on he would rise to the top, under one person. But now it seems that this is not the case.

Logically speaking, this is in line with his expectations, but I don't know why, he didn't feel much happier hearing this. Instead, there was some depression.

Perhaps it is the master's jealousy of the minister, and the object hurts the kind?

Or perhaps it is because the Prince of Badong's mind is not enough, not a hero master.

It may also be that he is instinctively regretting. Regretting that Wang Yang has such great talent but cannot be used greatly, and may still be immersed in the fantasy of "wind and cloud meeting," thinking that one day he can show his ambition like the Martial Marquis Zhuge, but he doesn't know that this is fundamentally impossible to achieve.

Using his strategy without giving him power, using his talent without locking his potential, then even if he has the ability to cover the sky and the earth, he can only stand by and point out, which is no different from being shelved, and it really made him say it before.

Regret is regret, but the words that should be said still have to be said.

"Although Your Highness is on guard against Wang Yang, the vital point of Wang Yang's strategy is not on whether the army is gathered or scattered!"

The Prince of Badong was curious:

"Then what is it on?"

"May I ask Your Highness, in today's situation, what is the vital point?"

The Prince of Badong said: "Naturally, it is the aristocratic families."

"I think otherwise.

Those who take the world are originally based on swords and soldiers, not others.

Now that I have swords and soldiers in hand, if the aristocratic families are willing to attach, it is solid help; if they are not willing, it is not enough to fear.

If you take the world, the aristocratic families will have to attach even if they are not willing. If you can't take the world, the aristocratic families will rebel even if they attach!

Now we are in a hurry to conquer the aristocratic families, not to rely on them to compete for the world, but to suppress them to consolidate Jingzhou.

Jingzhou is solid, then our rear is solid, and if the rear is solid, we can compete for the first.

Therefore, conquering the aristocratic families is not the vital point, competing for the first is the vital point!

Competing for the first should be fast!

The top priority is to quickly raise the army, and with the momentum of thunder, go down the river and go straight to the capital! The reason why it has been delayed is firstly because Wang Yi has not been pacified, and secondly because the aristocratic families have not surrendered.

The border defenses of Yingzhou are currently abnormal, as the situation in Jingzhou has already been detected. By the fastest calculation, the court will receive the report within these few days! Perhaps at this very moment, in the Secretariat, the yellow-paper (imperial edict) has already been drafted, and the axes of war are about to fall! (TV dramas often feature scenes of using carrier pigeons to transmit messages, but at this time, there were only tamed pigeons, not carrier pigeons. The use of carrier pigeons was first seen in the Tang Dynasty and gradually spread in the Song Dynasty, but even in the Song Dynasty, it was only used by commoners in individual regions to send family letters, with almost no examples of it being used to transmit government affairs, let alone military reports. However, pigeons were used as signals on the battlefield. Until the Ming and Qing Dynasties, their mainstream use remained for amusement rather than message transmission.)

If we follow Wang Yang's strategy, circle around the aristocratic families, and check the retainers, by the time the court's crusade army arrives and the imperial edict is widely issued, we will become rebels! In this way, the name is not right and the time has been lost, sitting and waiting for capture, people are panicked! The newly attached masses and surrendered counties in Jingzhou will definitely repeat!

I have lost the first opportunity, and I have already lost three points before the battle! Even if I am lucky enough to win a small victory, I fear that what Your Highness can control at that time will be no more than the city of Jiangling! And the court has the general situation in hand, can adjust and send from ease, we will definitely lose!

So the harm of Wang Yang's strategy is not on gathering or scattering troops, but on dragging!

He wants to drag us in Jingzhou and buy time for the court!

Once the retainers are conscripted, the Taiwan army will arrive, and then inside and outside will attack together, suppressing the rebellion and making merit, and Jingzhou will disintegrate!!!"

The Prince of Badong's face changed suddenly, and he sat up straight with a splash, bringing up a waterfall of water!

But after a while, he leaned back slowly.

Li Jingxuan:?

"Alarmist talk. Conscripting retainers to fight, one increases my military strength, two weakens the aristocratic families, and three controls the vital points of the aristocratic families. This is a solid good thing! You can't say that people have bad intentions just because a good thing might have some bad consequences. If you follow this statement, then if someone advises this Prince to drink water to quench thirst, another person says: 'Your Highness, be careful! Water can choke people! This person has bad intentions, he must want to choke you—'"

Li Jingxuan couldn't hold back:

"Your Highness—"

"And most importantly, Wang Yang has no benefit in doing so! He took the initiative to join this Prince! Don't talk about saving people or being forced, the court doesn't care about this or that for this kind of rebellion! Furthermore, this Prince let him enter the staff, and will use him heavily! Let everyone know that Wang Yang is the talent this Prince relies on most! If this Prince really loses, do you think he can run away? The things here are not just a matter of enduring humiliation and pretending to surrender to make merit. Such a smart and transparent person, don't you think he can see this truth? From the moment he offered the strategy to this Prince, he has already got off the boat! If this Prince succeeds, he is a meritorious minister of the dragon; if this Prince loses, he is a fellow party of the chief culprit—"

Li Jingxuan said unwillingly:

"If he was instructed by others from the beginning of his surrender, and he was a spy, just like he was with the Donggong before—"

"Before, he was with the Donggong, that was because he had the Langya family lintel to rely on. Even if this Prince knew, I couldn't do anything to him. But now this Prince has rebelled, who cares about you? His return to Jing this time is equivalent to handing his life to others! Don't forget, this Prince almost chopped him..."

Li Jingxuan didn't think so, thinking: You didn't chop him...

"... And don't forget! He is the Langya Wang clan!"

The Prince of Badong saw Li Jingxuan not saying a word, and was a bit dissatisfied, patting the bathtub:

"This Prince asks you! If you were the Langya Wang clan, would you be a spy for others? Then carry the crime of rebellion and make merit to atone for your crimes? Finally, live or die depends on heaven? Even if your head is not chopped off, you will be moved to Jiaoguang!" (Jiaozhou, Guangzhou)

Li Jingxuan couldn't refute this point. The Langya Wang clan really didn't need to risk their lives to be spies. Coupled with that amazing talent, it was even less of a person to be a spy. If he said he was to save people, he also put himself in. Assuming he didn't show his talent and didn't offer strategies, he might still have a turning point, but now isn't it the meaning of running to the end of the road? Really want to have changes in the future, and can't get rid of the relationship.

Want to use making merit as a retreat? That's not very likely. After joining the staff, he is the chief culprit of the rebellion. How much merit does he have to make to offset it? He has no soldiers and no power, and he can't blow his breath to flatten us directly...

Li Jingxuan couldn't figure out what Wang Yang's plan was, but for the public, this strategy was hidden with danger, and he had to clarify it; for the private, although the Prince of Badong clearly stated that he would not give Wang Yang heavy power, Wang Yang's status in the staff was obvious. Kong Zhangyu had dealings with him and pleaded for him, and the two were on the same path. This was not a good thing for himself.

Besides, the Prince of Badong's words might not be true. Who said before "Wang Yang is bound to die. People who betray this Prince, this Prince will not keep"? Now not only kept, but also gave twenty thousand, and even gave twenty thousand for betrayal—eh?

Li Jingxuan was unwilling, changed his angle and continued to persuade:

"Wang Yang's talent cannot be measured, and his actions cannot be measured by common sense—"

"Alright, this Prince knows, I will be careful. You go down first, let the maids come in, the water is cold..."

The Prince of Badong was lazy and directly dismissed Li Jingxuan.

Li Jingxuan didn't move:

"Does Your Highness want to bet?"

The Prince of Badong turned back in surprise:

"You also want to bet?"

"Yes, Your Highness will summon Wang Yang to discuss matters tomorrow, and ask him if he should raise the army to go east now. I bet that Wang Yang will definitely use rhetoric to delay and advise Your Highness to plan slowly."

The Prince of Badong pondered silently.

Li Jingxuan added:

"Your Highness already feels that Wang Yang has no two hearts, so why not bet with me. I am willing to use two... two thousand coins as a bet."

The Prince of Badong was happy:

"It seems you don't have much confidence..."

Li Jingxuan bowed and arched his hands:

"My family is poor and cannot afford a heavy bet. However, this matter concerns the safety of Your Highness's great cause, so I boldly use a meager asset to express my sincere heart! Although the bet is light, the heart can be verified."

The Prince of Badong put away his smile, thought about it and said:

"Good, this Prince will bet with you, and give you a profit. If you lose, you give this Prince two thousand, and if this Prince loses, I will give you twenty thousand. But say it beforehand, we are betting on what Wang Yang will suggest, not betting on other things. Because even if he advises this Prince to delay sending troops, it cannot explain that he has two hearts. Maybe it is out of some consideration."

Li Jingxuan was stunned:

"What consideration?"

"How would this Prince know what consideration?"

"Then Your Highness said—"

"You said it yourself, 'Wang Yang's talent cannot be measured, and his actions cannot be measured by common sense.' Since you can't measure it, then what are you measuring..."

It makes sense...

Li Jingxuan was speechless for a while!

You say the Prince of Badong believes in Wang Yang, he really doesn't believe it! Otherwise, he wouldn't plan not to let Wang Yang hold power for a lifetime?

But if you say he doesn't believe it, he really believes it! No rhetoric can move him!

Li Jingxuan knelt and requested, his voice solemn:

"Please Your Highness limit Wang Yang with time. Conquer the aristocratic families within three days, gather retainers within seven days. Anyone who cannot arrive within seven days does not need to be conscripted. Seven days later, boats and oars are ready, the army leaves Jing, and wind and rain cannot change!"

The Prince of Badong hesitated:

"Too fast, right?"

Li Jingxuan's face was firm, and his words fell to the ground:

"The army values speed, and there are clear teachings in ancient times. Seven days later is still too late, why does Your Highness say it is too fast?!"

The Prince of Badong closed his eyes and thought, his fingers tapped lightly on the barrel, and when he opened his eyes again, the hesitation in his eyes faded away, and he slapped the water surface, the waves jumping like excitement:

"Good! That's it! Seven days later, claim fifteen thousand troops, water strikes three thousand li!"

(In ancient times, the number of troops claimed when starting a war was different from the actual number, and the actual number was different from the number of troops actually capable of fighting. In the Southern Dynasties, claiming over 100,000 troops when raising an army was considered a massive show of force, but it was not rare. For example, when Liu Zixun, Prince of Jin'an, raised an army during the Liu Song Dynasty, he claimed, "I personally lead the troops, over 100,000," and this did not include other responding units. Emperor Little Xiao Wu, Liu Jun, also claimed to "personally lead 100,000 elite troops" when he raised his army, and other routes also claimed 100,000. Xiao Yingzhou claimed to personally lead 150,000, while Xiao Yan dispatched 300,000 at once.)

Li Jingxuan's eyes were burning:

"Your Highness is wise! However, there is one more thing: when the army goes east, Wang Yang must be brought along! Absolutely cannot leave him in Jing!"

The Prince of Badong was heroic, waving his hand:

"Of course. If this Prince sits in Jingzhou, Wang Yang can temporarily go; now that I am planning the world, how can I allow separation?!"

Li Jingxuan:...

"My meaning is to guard against—"

"You don't need to say this again in the future. This Prince tells you clearly, this Prince is not easily trusting him, but his life is held by this Prince, so he can't rebel, and he can't escape. You suspect he has two hearts, being a spy, and being a counter-spy, but why don't you think about it, a person who is firmly held in this Prince's palm, what waves can he turn up? Taking a step back, even if this Prince loses the battle, this Prince will chop him with one knife, what can he do? Wang Yang is a smart person, knowing that only by being of one

That is also true; Wang Yang came to defect alone, how could he dare to have ulterior motives? Unless he wants neither his own life nor the life of the hostage...

Li Jingxuan had no words to answer, so he had to bow and take his leave.

Before he even left the room, he was stopped by the Prince of Badong:

"You are now colleagues with Wang Yang, so you should work together with one heart. Now that a great war is imminent, put away your crooked thoughts, focus more on proper business, and stop always trying to sabotage your own people."

Li Jingxuan trembled all over! He wanted to try to defend himself, but as the words reached his throat, what flashed through his mind was the secret he had previously realized about why Wang Yang was favored! The scene of Wang Yang's handsome response to the Prince of Badong was vivid in his mind, and a bold thought grew like a poisonous vine, instantly seizing his heart and mind!

Li Jingxuan took a deep breath, straightened his back, lifted his face, and tried to squeeze out a complex expression mixed with "openness" and "sorrow," his voice also deliberately suppressed to be slow and heavy:

"I am wholeheartedly loyal to the Prince, yet I did not expect the Prince to say such things. Hah!"

Li Jingxuan sneered:

"Since ancient times, those who are trusted are suspected, and those who are loyal are—"

An angry roar suddenly exploded:

"Who the hell are you talking to?!!"

The Prince of Badong rose abruptly, his long hair flying loose, bringing up a waterfall of water! A muscular leg had already stepped out of the bathtub, his large foot stomping on the ground, crushing a puddle of water, like a beast that had been completely enraged and was ready to pounce on someone at any moment! He pointed at Li Jingxuan and roared:

"Try saying that one more time, damn you?!!"

Li Jingxuan was so scared that his whole body shivered, his knees went soft, and he knelt down directly, kowtowing to the ground, his voice trembling:

"This subject spoke out of turn! This subject was mad and spoke out of turn! This subject was momentarily confused! I offended the Prince's tiger-like majesty! I beg the Prince—"

The Prince of Badong's breathing was heavy, his voice chilling:

"If you do this one more time, I will skin you alive!"

Li Jingxuan was so terrified that his heart and soul were shaken; he just pressed his forehead firmly against the ground, not even daring to breathe loudly,

"Get out."

As this word fell, Li Jingxuan felt as if he had been granted amnesty! He scrambled away, fleeing in a panic!

The Prince of Badong walked around the screen and stretched his neck to peek outside. Immediately—

He burst into belly-aching laughter!