Chapter 1068

The Eldest Prince's words finally made Great General Xu a bit more spirited; he rubbed his face twice, then said: "Da Yu indeed has such a precedent; not to mention the princes who command troops abroad, even a general has the authority to act expeditiously to alter the rulers of vassal states."

"But this sort of thing is just talk. They've controlled the vassal state's royal family, so naturally they get to say it; but if they haven't controlled it, who would listen to them?"

"Your Highness, you couldn't have been startled by this news and come to my place in the middle of the night, could you? No need to worry about it; no one in the court will treat this as a matter."

Hearing General Xu's light, offhand words as if he didn't care at all, the Eldest Prince finally could not contain his emotions; his voice grew somewhat resentful, and he said in a low tone: "General Xu, have you ever considered that someone might take this matter seriously? For example, Lao San and his faction?"

"Who would be so foolish…" He trailed off mid-sentence, unable to continue.

Seeing General Xu finally react, the Eldest Prince forcibly suppressed his boiling anger and said in a muffled voice: "If no one pays attention, Chen Wuji's imperial edict is just a scrap of paper—but will anyone really ignore it? I fear that while everyone pretends not to care on the surface, everyone has their own schemes behind the scenes."

Lao San's faction will celebrate and try to make this a reality; my father will suspect and guard against Lao San's people. What will my several restless brothers think? Will they also see an opportunity here for themselves?

Here we are fighting desperately against Chen Wuji, but I fear someone is already plotting to meet with Chen Wuji, discuss some benefits, kick Lao San out, and take that position for themselves!

All things considered, we are a vassal state of Da Yu—something my father has never denied. Chen Wuji, acting as Marquis Zhenyuan, issued this edict on behalf of the Dayu Court, and there is evidence for it; nominally it's correct, it seizes the moral high ground!

The Eldest Prince blurted out everything he had been thinking, then let out a long sigh of exhaustion, leaned back in his chair, and looked at General Xu, waiting for him to think.

General Xu's face gradually grew grave; after a long while he muttered, "This is an open plot!"

The Eldest Prince knew full well this was an open plot, but what he wanted now was how to respond, how to resolve it, how to remain invincible within this open plot, rather than just hearing those two words.

"Your Highness, send for help quickly!" General Xu suddenly shouted.

The Eldest Prince blinked, "Seek aid for what?"

"Your Highness, this open plot cannot be resolved; the only thing you can do now is to grip more military authority in your hand. As long as you hold the military authority, it doesn't matter who occupies that title or even sits in that position—you'll be fine."

General Xu's gaze sank, a ruthless intent flashing in his eyes; he slowly raised his left hand a few inches, then brought it down sharply, saying word by word: "As long as Your Highness holds the military authority, you can remain invincible; no one can help."

"In this matter, Your Highness need not waste time thinking of other countermeasures, which would only drain your energy for no reason and affect your mood. As long as reinforcements arrive, you can just eat, sleep, and sit back to watch the show."

The Eldest Prince's eyes narrowed slightly, "Really, is that all it takes?"

"Your Highness, you don't trust me?"

The Eldest Prince lifted his gaze and glanced over.

Those words sounded so familiar, as if I'd heard them just a few days ago.

"It's not that I don't trust you, General; I'm just a bit worried," the Eldest Prince said.

General Xu let out a long yawn and said perfunctorily, "I understand your worry, Your Highness, but my strategies are lacking; I truly can only think of this far."

Having said that, he suddenly raised his head and asked, "Your Highness, have you found Xu Huaizhi?"

"We've turned up some recent traces of him, but we haven't found the man himself!"

"If he were here, he could devise a more comprehensive and thorough countermeasure for Your Highness; you need to speed up your actions, striving to bring Xu Huaizhi here before any commotion erupts in the capital."

The Eldest Prince nodded, "I'll send more people to investigate. In that case, General Xu, get some rest—I'm heading back."

"Your Highness, while you're at it, draft the request for aid; if it bears only your signature, it may not succeed, so it needs to be cosigned by the Deputy General and you." General Xu said lazily as he rose.

"Good!"

……

Chen Wuji had never fought such a leisurely battle; it was as relaxed as going on an outing.

He didn't need to charge into battle himself, nor did he need to overthink; he only needed to listen to everyone's opinions after Xu Chengyi and the others produced the charter, then make the final decision.

This feeling finally gave him a sense of being a lord.

It was much like a startup finally getting on track, no longer requiring the boss to work day and night.

Thirteen days had passed since that edict; there was quite a commotion inside Uyghur territory, and Chen Wuji learned a bit through the spy camp and Kong Fang's side, finding it quite amusing to watch.

It's worth mentioning that Kong Fang became even more impressive and generous.

This guy actually dispersed in northern Uyghur, integrating into the cities like a stream merging into a river without any incident, leisurely gathering intelligence and plotting assassinations.

He even found time to open a shop, selling the loot he'd grabbed in southern Uyghur.

When Kong Fang proposed this plan, Chen Wuji was still uneasy about it, still uneasy.

Looking back, it was clear they had a clear objective, knowing they could pull it off, which is why they were so determined and their ideas so forceful.

Inside Uyghur, things were quite intense, and the fighting at Modu Mountain was also quite intense.

Under the remote command of Xu Chengyi and these few members of the Think Tank, the seven armies fought in a remarkably varied fashion, like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea—each displaying their own strengths and gaining their own rewards.

Currently, most of the Nan Jun troops have crossed Modu Mountain, pulling the battlefield to its east.

The Uyghur forces have contracted their troops to hold the Modu Mountain defensive line.

Although this line now seems to have lost its meaning, they are still holding it.

Moreover, they appear to be holding it more seriously than before.

However, the current situation might be better described as them being troop‑trapped at Modu Mountain.

If their troops don't sally out, they can only watch helplessly as the Nan Jun forces seize their livestock and relocate their people.

But if they do sally out, they will instantly face encirclement by at least three Nan Jun armies.

Chen Wuji greatly enjoys the current situation; every time he sees the battle reports, his eyes crinkle with a smile—he has never fought such a contented battle.

He finally understood why Cao Cao loved gathering strategists so much; with the Think Tank, things truly feel different.