Chapter 336: Reaping the Benefits

Western Liang King Wei Wenlie looked at Si Wushuang beside him and said: "Mr. Si helped this King pacify the Southern Barbarian rebellion, and the strategy of 'using barbarians to control barbarians, dividing and disintegrating' offered is very much to this King's liking."

"Those idiots in the Southern Barbarians have now become the vanguard for this King, saving this King a lot of effort. Sir has great talent, and this King admires it."

Si Wushuang bowed slightly, his tone flat: "The King praises me too much. The Southern Barbarian tribes were not an impenetrable block to begin with. With profit and coercion, they naturally fell apart. Wushuang just followed the trend, and dare not take credit."

Wei Wenlie was nearly fifty, and his voice was full of energy: "Following the trend also requires a pair of eyes that can see the 'trend' clearly, and the courage to bet."

Wei Wenlie said this, staring at Si Wushuang with silent eyes: "Sir abandoned the Si family's foundation, abandoned the prosperity of the Central Plains, and came to cast yourself into my bitter and cold Western Liang. It wouldn't just be to show your ambition, right? Does Chancellor Si... know you are here?"

This sentence carried undisguised probing. After all, logically speaking, the current Si Gui and the Western Liang King were mortal enemies on the surface.

Si Wushuang's tone had no waves: "Does the King think that if my father knew Wushuang was here, Wushuang could still walk here alive?"

Of course, this was just Si Wushuang's excuse. If he really wanted to topple his stupid father, he wouldn't need to spend so much effort.

He came to assist the Western Liang King just to compete with that Northern Frontier Lord Jiang Jinshi on an equal footing.

Moreover, Da Qian is now stuck in the middle, which is like a pool of stagnant water. The time and energy spent saving Da Qian are too much, far less cost-effective than coming to Western Liang.

However, in order to dispel the Western Liang King's dissent, Si Wushuang still had to "disguise" a bit.

"The Si family is not Wushuang's Si family. In my father's eyes, there are only the Scholar-Gentry and his own interests. Western Liang, the Northern Frontier, and even the Imperial Court are just tools for him to profit, not to mention the common people of the world and the suffering of the people."

Wei Wenlie asked back: "So, Sir came to find a 'pure land' that can truly display your talent and pacify the troubled times?"

"Then do you think my Western Liang will be this pure land?"

"Whether Western Liang is a pure land depends on the King." Si Wushuang was neither humble nor arrogant: "The King occupies the Northwest, has strong soldiers and horses, and has the ambition to advance to the world. This is the first. The folk customs of Western Liang are sturdy, less bound by the corrupt Confucian etiquette of the Central Plains, and have strong plasticity. This is the second."

He changed the subject: "But if the King wants to take the world, having only strong soldiers and fierce generals is not enough to accomplish things. You need a name for righteousness, governance strategies, a stable rear, and to disintegrate opponents. Wushuang is not talented, but perhaps I can do a little bit for the King in these aspects."

Wei Wenlie laughed: "Good! Sir is straightforward! Then in your opinion, what should this King do in the current situation?"

Si Wushuang had already made up his mind and said in a deep voice: "King, the key to the current situation lies in the Northern Frontier."

"Northern Frontier?"

Wei Wenlie's smile faded: "That Jiang Jinshi who just raised the Jade Seal and shouted to 'follow heaven to crusade against thieves'? Sir wants this King to take advantage of the Imperial Court's fury and desire to send troops to crusade against the Northern Frontier to take the opportunity to go east and take Guanzhong directly?"

This was the view of many generals in Western Liang, who thought this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Although Wei Wenlie was also very jealous of the Jade Seal, they were separated from the Northern Frontier by part of Da Qian's territory, so this matter was really not that easy.

With his identity, if he added the Jade Seal, most of the world would probably worship him as orthodox, and it would not be too much to proclaim himself Emperor in Western Liang immediately.

It's just that he had been planning in Western Liang for so many years, and he still had this patience, and he was not in a hurry for the moment.

First break Tongguan, point directly to Jingcheng, and take advantage of the fact that the Imperial Court's rear is on fire. This is a rare opportunity.

Si Wushuang shook his head: "Not so. Attacking Tongguan at this time seems to be an excellent opportunity, but it is not. First, although the Imperial Court is angry, it will inevitably stabilize the defense line first, and may even temporarily deal with the Northern Frontier and concentrate its strength to deal with the King first."

"Second, Northern Frontier's Jiang Jinshi holds the Jade Seal and raises the banner of 'following heaven to crusade against thieves,' which has become the focus of world attention. If the Imperial Court launches a large-scale crusade against the Northern Frontier, no matter the outcome, it will inevitably suffer great damage and lose the name of righteousness."

"Third, if the King goes east at this time, it is a death battle with the Imperial Court. Whether it is the Northern Frontier or the Jiangnan Scholar-Gentry, they can all sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, and wait for both sides to suffer, and then take action."

Tongguan has 300,000 troops of Da Qian. It is really not that easy to break. This part of the troops will not be mobilized by the Imperial Court no matter what, used to prevent Western Liang.

And after breaking Tongguan, pointing directly to Jingcheng, you have to face the last trump card of Da Qian, the Forbidden Army. If Western Liang King's men suffer too much damage on this, it will be cheaper for the Northern Frontier.

Si Wushuang is not willing to make wedding clothes for his "opponent," so the current attack is not the best time.

"Then what does Sir mean..." Wei Wenlie pondered.

"Watch the changes, and see how the Imperial Court responds to the Northern Frontier." Si Wushuang said word by word: "Even, you can secretly send envoys to contact the Northern Frontier."

"Contact the Northern Frontier?"

Several aides under Wei Wenlie immediately spoke out against it, and even Xuanji was among them: "King! That Jiang Jinshi is arrogant and rude, actually daring to hide the Jade Seal, he is a national thief! How can we deal with him?"

Wei Wenlie raised his hand to suppress the noise, looking at Si Wushuang with sharp eyes: "Sir, please explain in detail."

In his view, attacking Jingcheng while taking advantage of the opportunity is indeed the best choice. Although what Si Wushuang said has some truth, it is not enough to convince him.

Si Wushuang said calmly: "King, the Northern Frontier and the Imperial Court have become a situation of life and death. Jiang Jinshi shows the Jade Seal, which is completely cutting off the path of reconciliation with the Imperial Court. The Imperial Court will inevitably try its best to crusade against it. This is the snipe and clam fighting."

"If the King marches east at this time, he is the fisherman who can't wait, fearing that the snipe and clam will join forces to counterattack. It is better to watch from the sidelines, or even... secretly give the Northern Frontier some convenience, so that it and the Imperial Court fight longer and consume more."

Wei Wenlie frowned. That's what he said, but if the Northern Frontier swallows Da Qian, or the Northern Frontier is just a paper tiger and is attacked by Da Qian, wouldn't it be more unfavorable for him?

Si Wushuang continued to explain: "If the Northern Frontier is defeated, the Imperial Court will inevitably deal with the King with all its strength. If the Northern Frontier wins, or is in a stalemate with the Imperial Court, the King can take advantage of the emptiness of the Central Plains, go south to take Bashu, and then take Jiangnan Luoyang and other places. The initiative is all in your hands."

"And secretly communicating with the Northern Frontier can make the Imperial Court suspicious and disperse its energy. This is the best strategy to drive the wolf and fight the tiger, and reap the benefits."

Wei Wenlie was silent, carefully considering Si Wushuang's analysis.

Directly clashing head-on with the Imperial Court, even if he can win, it is a tragic victory. If he can sit and watch the Imperial Court and the Northern Frontier fight each other...

"Will that Jiang Jinshi accept this King's 'good intentions'?" Wei Wenlie asked.

"No need for him to accept."

Si Wushuang said: "Just let him know that Western Liang has no intention of being an enemy with him at this moment, and can even provide some convenience in intelligence sharing. Between smart people, just stop at the point. The current great enemy is the Imperial Court, not each other." ===== CHAPTER 337 =====