Chapter 360: The Pattern of the World Initially Set

Yan Shining was dumbfounded, almost thinking he had misheard: "Head of the Family! This... this is too risky! If by any chance..."

"There is no 'if by any chance'!"

Yan Chonggu said decisively, "Investment is gambling by nature! Betting on Western Liang, the victory lies in stability but the profit is thin, and the competition is brutal. Betting on Beijiang, the risk lies in danger but the profit is thick, and perhaps our Yan Family can stand out through 'practical affairs'."

I have been cautious my whole life, but now I want to place a big bet! I bet on him, Jiang Jinshi, that he can truly create a world that is different! Go quickly!"

Yan Chonggu did not explain in detail, but he knew in his heart that this was not gambling at all, but Jiang Jinshi's "open hand"!

He had just suddenly had a bold thought: why would this King of Beijiang, Jiang Jinshi, propose such conditions at this time?

He could have completely secured the support of the scholar-gentry first, and after unifying the world, slowly carry out reforms!

Could it be that he couldn't think of it?

NO!!!

Even if he couldn't think of it or had some oversight, the strategists under him were not just sitting around doing nothing!

That means these conditions were not meant to be negotiated with you, the scholar-gentry!

He never intended to cooperate with the scholar-gentry from the very beginning; he only wanted the hearts of the people!

Does that mean Jiang Jinshi has the confidence that even without the help of the scholar-gentry, he can still seize the world!

This thought was very bold, but Yan Chonggu had to believe it!

The reason Jiang Jinshi waited for everyone to gather before announcing it was not to wait for a better price, but because he never intended to cooperate with the scholar-gentry from the start!

Wait until the scholar-gentry all stand on the opposite side of Beijiang, then wipe them out in one fell swoop, completely cutting off the hidden dangers of the scholar-gentry, and establish the world of his ideals!

By the time that happens, if these scholar-gentry want to turn around and defect to him, he will not accept them; they will only face the butcher's knife of the Ming Army!

Because the prosperous age of his ideals does not need the existence of noble families.

Thinking of this, Yan Chonggu broke out in a cold sweat. He did not know where Jiang Jinshi's confidence came from, but the confidence displayed by such an ambitious hero did not allow him to ignore it.

Therefore, betting on Beijiang was actually the most suitable choice for the Yan Family. Even if Beijiang were truly defeated, his Yan Family would not be completely wiped out by the Western Liang King; at most, they would just go from being a famous noble family to a small, obscure household.

At the same time, at the ancestral home of the Qingling Cui Clan, Cui Yan's decision was unanimously passed by the Council of Elders.

Completely break with Beijiang and turn fully towards Western Liang.

The matter of the marriage alliance was also quickly conveyed to the Western Liang King through secret channels.

Wei Wenlie was naturally overjoyed to be able to marry into the world-famous Cui Clan; this was of great benefit to him in winning the hearts of the Central Plains scholar-gentry and improving his own image. He immediately replied in agreement and promised generous gifts.

What's more, Cui Wangshu was a young and beautiful girl; Wei Wenlie couldn't even think of any reason to refuse.

Since they had already decided to bet on the Western Liang King, the Cui Family also began to exert their strength against Beijiang. They had the ability to control public opinion.

They did not directly announce Jiang Jinshi's shocking three rules; after all, these rules were a bad thing for the scholar-gentry, but for the common people, they were a great thing.

Spreading them out would just be accumulating a good reputation for Jiang Jinshi, and they would not do such a losing business.

"I hear that the Duke of Ming in Beijiang, although good at fighting, comes from the grassroots, is ignorant of civil administration, and his subordinates are mostly crude warriors, making it hard to accomplish great things."

"The victory at Guansongling was nothing but luck. Great General Yang is old and prudent, temporarily taking a defensive posture; Beijiang is already at the end of its rope."

"Beijiang's land is barren and its people are poor, relying entirely on plundering merchants and travelers and harshly treating the gentry to maintain itself; it is definitely not a place for long-term peace."

"That Jiang Jinshi holds the Imperial Seal and claims to have the Mandate of Heaven, but he is actually a monkey wearing a hat, ignorant of etiquette, and cannot win the hearts of the scholarly community."

"If you want to defect to a wise master and create a great career, you should choose one with a deep foundation who knows people, assigns them well, and treats scholars with courtesy. The Western Liang King has great talent and bold vision, and his might shakes the Northwest; he is the true hero."

These embellished messages, true and false, began to circulate in the Central Plains, Jiangnan, and other places through the Cui Family's vast network of students and old acquaintances, friendly literati, and even some local officials inclined towards the Cui Family.

The Cui Family's goal was very clear: to weaken the prestige Beijiang had just gained from the great victory at Guansongling, strike at the confidence of potential investors in Beijiang, and divert the flow of talent and resources towards Western Liang.

Playing this hand of cards made the Western Liang King's confidence increase greatly; having obtained the help of these scholar-gentry, he already held at least half of the country in his hands.

And Si Wushuang also did not expect Jiang Jinshi to make such a move. After a brief shock, he thought of the other party's intention.

"Are you truly that confident in yourself?"

Si Wushuang looked up and gazed into the distance towards the north, attempting to see through all of Jiang Jinshi's deployments.

The Western Liang King laughed loudly and asked, "Now that our momentum is established, why not strike directly at Tongguan and break through Jingcheng, how about that?"

A trusted aide patted his chest and roared, "In my opinion, we should go directly out of Longshan, fight past Tongguan, occupy Chang'an, and become Emperor!"

"Right! Fight past Tongguan!"

"Occupy Chang'an!"

Several generals clamored one after another, their eyes flashing with greed for the wealthy Central Plains.

"No."

Si Wushuang's voice was not loud, but it made the noise quiet down.

He now had quite a bit of prestige in the Western Liang Army, especially since the rapid pacification of the Southern Barbarian Rebellion had proven his ability.

"Tongguan is a natural barrier. Although the Imperial Court is weak, it still has tens of thousands of elite troops guarding the pass to the death. If our army attacks by force, the casualties will surely be huge. This is a poor strategy."

Wei Wenlie looked at him: "Then according to your opinion, Sir?"

Si Wushuang smiled confidently, "Your Highness! Our army should take Chuanshu!"

"Chuanshu?"

Si Wushuang had mentioned this matter before, but Beijiang had not yet fought with Yang Jiye, so they had not taken action.

"It's just that..."

A staff member hesitated, "The road to Shu is difficult, more difficult than ascending to the blue sky. For a large army to enter Shu, the transport of grain and fodder, and the transport of equipment, are all difficult problems. And although the Shu army is weak, they hold the dangerous terrain to defend; I fear it cannot be taken in a single day."

"This is precisely where we need to rely on the strength of the Cui Family."

Si Wushuang turned to the Cui Family personnel who had just joined and bowed slightly.

A Cui Family member stood up and returned the salute neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Mr. Si overpraises. Since the Head of the Family has formed an alliance with the Western Liang King, we should naturally do our utmost to assist.

As for the land of Chuanshu, although it is not where our Cui Clan's foundation lies, we have several merchant caravans that travel back and forth all year round. We have some grasp of the roads into Shu, the checkpoints and sentry posts, the temperaments of the defending generals, and even the details of the few great clans in Shu. The relevant maps and rosters can be presented later.

In addition, for the salt, iron, cloth, and even some military equipment needed in Shu, our Cui Family's trade routes can perhaps find ways to 'assist' in transport, to solve the difficulty of Your Highness's initial grain transport."

He spoke subtly, but the meaning was clear! The Cui Family could provide key intelligence support and even use their commercial network to provide material supplies for the vanguard troops of Western Liang entering Shu.

Another Cui Family accountant added: "The powerful clans in Shu, such as the Zhang Clan of Langzhong and the Fei Clan of Chengdu, all have intricate connections with the Jiangnan scholar-gentry.

If Your Highness's army enters Shu, our Cui Family can perhaps act as a liaison to explain the pros and cons. If we can make them internal responders, or at least maintain neutrality, then we can achieve twice the result with half the effort."

This is the power of the top-tier scholar-gentry! ===== CHAPTER 361 =====