"To the Crown Prince's Mansion!"
The driver acknowledged as he turned the carriage around. Pei Zi Yun's heart calmed down as he looked out the window. He could see smoke rising from the houses along the way. It was time for breakfast.
He had received news early in the morning that the Emperor had given him a reply. The Crown Prince wanted Pei Zi Yun to leave immediately. Pei Zi Yun was deep in thought. After some time, the carriage stopped and the official said, "Dao Master, we've arrived at the Crown Prince's Mansion!"
Pei Zi Yun acknowledged and alighted from the carriage. He looked at the majestic Crown Prince's Mansion and saw several guards standing there. One of them led the way to a study and said, "Dao Master, please enter."
Pei Zi Yun stepped out of the door and said, "Your humble subject Pei Zi Yun requests an audience!"
Immediately, a voice replied, "Enter!"
He stepped in and saw the Crown Prince seated. One of them was a middle-aged man, and the other was young. He was certain that they were Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun. This twelve year old Prefecture Prince wore a crown with a golden hairpin and a red tassel. There were seven Eastern pearls embroidered on it. His collar was long and narrow, and there were dragons embroidered on both his shoulders. Pei Zi Yun looked at him curiously. Pei Zi Yun returned his gaze. Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun was startled and averted his gaze.
"You're here." The Crown Prince said as Pei Zi Yun bowed. When he was done, the Crown Prince pointed at him and said, "This is Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun and Count Zhong Qin."
Pei Zi Yun bowed again.
The Crown Prince did not speak further, "Whatever you wanted, I've gotten it for you."
As he spoke, he waved his hands and ten guards walked out. The two in the middle were dressed in fifth ranked official robes. They were holding something in their hands. One of them was holding an order token, while the other was holding a treasured sword with a dragon embroidered on it.
Pei Zi Yun knelt down three times and kowtowed nine times. When he was done, the Crown Prince said, "I've fulfilled all your conditions. However, I can only win. If I win, I will not go back on my word and give you the title of True Sovereign. If I lose, there will be no more friendship between us."
"Yes, Crown Prince!" Pei Zi Yun acknowledged, his face was solemn.
Hearing Pei Zi Yun's acknowledgment, the Crown Prince then said, "Now, you shall listen to Dao Master Pei's orders."
"Yes!" The ten guards stood behind Pei Zi Yun. Pei Zi Yun looked at the token and saw the words inscribed on it, "I'm here!"
On the other side, there was a long sword with bright yellow tassels and a dragon pattern on its scabbard.
This was his authority. Seeing that the transfer was complete, the Crown Prince waved his hand, and the palace maids, eunuchs, and guards immediately tiptoed out.
There were only a few people left in the study. The Crown Prince stood up and paced a few steps. He looked out of the window and said in a heavy voice, "Now that Daoist has a good plan, don't hide it anymore!"
Upon hearing the Crown Prince's words, Count Zhongqin and Commandery Princess Cheng raised their heads.
Pei Zi Yun bowed slightly and said, "Yes, I've said it before. Even if Ji Bei Hou manages to seize the capital city, with these ten thousand soldiers, it's nothing."
"The imperial court's army is as vast as the mountains and the seas. How long can these few people last?"
"That's not scary. What's scary is that there's a system in place. Ji Bei Hou has swept away all the officials. The frontlines are at war, and the soldiers are collecting taxes. This is very important. We have to deal with this in order to confuse them."
As Pei Zi Yun spoke up to this point, Count Zhongqin's eyes lit up. He then said, "That's true. But everyone knows this. How do we deal with it?"
When he saw Pei Zi Yun walk in, he saw that he was very young and had some suspicions. This person was well known throughout the world. It was true that he had passed the Top Scorer Exam.
It was also true that he was an expert in poetry, and many of his works had been passed down.
It's been said that he was proficient in Dao cultivation, sword techniques, and politics. He even had achievements in military affairs. The last time, he even managed to wipe out the pirates.
But how could the pirates compare to the tens of thousands of rebels?
He was secretly dissatisfied with the Crown Prince and the Emperor's orders. Now that he heard these words, he reluctantly nodded his head.
When the Crown Prince heard Count Zhongqin's words, he looked down from his seat. Beside him, Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun looked as if he understood, but didn't.
Pei Zi Yun stood up and stared out of the window, his eyes gleaming. After some time, he said, "This is actually very simple. First, I shall announce that in Ji Bei Hou's territory, the officials who have forsaken the dark and turned to the light shall be spared from death."
When Count Zhongqin heard this, his face fell as he stood up, "No, these traitors and traitors. These officials have already followed Ji Bei Hou. That means they are traitors. How can we let them off? If everyone follows their example, what will happen in the future?"
Pei Zi Yun paused as he looked at Count Zhong Qin in astonishment. Count Zhong Qin's reaction was somewhat unexpected. However, he quickly understood. Count Zhong Qin was loyal and diligent. Loyalty was the most important word, and it meant that he had to be loyal to those who were unfilial. This was Count Zhong Qin's foundation.
Pei Zi Yun laughed, "Master Count, there's no need to get angry."
The Crown Prince had seen Pei Zi Yun's actions before. He then turned to Count Zhongqin and said, "Count Zhongqin, let the Dao Master finish what he has to say."
Since the Crown Prince had given the order, Count Zhongqin was dissatisfied and sat down.
Pei Zi Yun laughed out and said, "Military affairs are a continuation of politics. What we need to do now is not to clean up these traitors. Instead, we need to use the speed of lightning to pacify the chaos in Ying Prefecture."
"Let the Crown Prince comfort the Emperor, and calm the hearts of the people."
As soon as these words were spoken, Count Zhongqin was enlightened. The Crown Prince was the new Regent of the Empire. Ying Prefecture was like a touchstone. If he were to fail, not only would the court be uneasy, even King Lu would find it hard to control the situation.
Even if this dragged on for too long, not only would it waste the country's troops and money, it would also cause the people to feel uneasy. This would damage the Crown Prince's reputation.
Only by using the speed of lightning to pacify the chaos in Ying Prefecture would the Crown Prince be able to stabilize his position. At the same time, the people would be at ease, and the Emperor would be at ease.
'Military affairs are a continuation of politics. This man is really talented.' At this point, Count Zhongqin's heart froze as he gulped. Compared to the Crown Prince's position and the stability of the court, pardoning a few people wasn't even worth mentioning.
He then heard Pei Zi Yun speak out slowly, "Your Highness, Count Zhongqin, these officials who have been coerced by Ji Bei Hou, have a rule. If they continue to serve the officials, they will be treated as traitors, and will be killed without mercy."
"If the heavenly troops arrive, and they are able to communicate with each other and report back to us, then they will be pardoned."
"If they are able to rebel and open the gates, they will be able to retain their positions."
"If they are able to achieve great feats, they will even be rewarded."
The Crown Prince nodded his head. When Duke Cheng Shun heard this, he seemed to have understood something. He wanted to say something, but swallowed his words.
"Your Highness, this is an open plot." Pei Zi Yun laughed.
"Oh, there's a plot? Speak your mind. "The Crown Prince felt that this plan was feasible. When he heard that it was an open plot, his interest was piqued.
Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly, "Send people to contact them secretly, and spread rumors that certain officials are waiting for the Emperor's army to arrive, and will rebel."
"Ji Bei Hou isn't an idiot, and won't believe everything. However, as long as there are one or two examples, for example, Ji Bei Hou has just been appointed, and he's a rebel. What will happen if he hears this? Will he be able to trust these officials? "
"There will be suspicions from top to bottom, and the spirit that he's slowly forming will crumble."
"This in turn will encourage the rebels to rebel."
Count Zhong Qin was initially looking down on Pei Zi Yun, but when he heard this, his expression changed. This was a clash of yin and yang, and everyone had their own intentions. This magnified the gap between them, and immediately disrupted Ji Bei Hou's foundation.
The Crown Prince glanced at Pei Zi Yun and sighed. Pei Zi Yun had been like this a few times. Although the situation looked complicated, the moment he analyzed it, it was as if even an ordinary person could see through it. The Crown Prince had been groomed for ten years, and understood that this was what it meant to be an unfathomable person.
If an ordinary person felt that Pei Zi Yun was unfathomable, he would be the one who was half-baked.
If that wasn't the case, the Crown Prince wouldn't have placed all his bets on Pei Zi Yun. He then calmed himself down and took a sip of tea, "Mister Pei, you're indeed a Nation Scholar. Although you haven't gone to war yet, I feel that Ji Bei Hou's situation is already half under control!"
Hearing the Crown Prince's praise, Pei Zi Yun bowed, "Thank you for your praise, your highness. This humble subject does not deserve it."
The Crown Prince was initially worried, but relaxed at this point. He leaned back in his seat and saw that Count Zhong Qin was hesitating to speak. He then said, "Count Zhong Qin, if you have something to say, just say it."
Hearing the Crown Prince speak, Count Zhong Qin looked at Pei Zi Yun, "Dao Master Pei, that's how it is with the political matters. What about the military?"
Count Zhong Qin's tone was not one of dissatisfaction, but one of inquiry.
"Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. It's the same when attacking a large enemy. The first step is to use defense as offense, and cast a net to catch the fish." Pei Zi Yun retracted his smile as he spoke coldly.
When Count Zhong Qin heard this, he seemed to have understood something, but he didn't think it through. Pei Zi Yun didn't explain further. He looked at the Crown Prince and said, "Would your highness please bring me a map of Ying Prefecture and the nearby counties. You can look at the map and explain it more clearly."
Hearing this, the Crown Prince's heart was burning with passion. He stood up and shouted, "Men, bring me a map."
A eunuch held onto a map as he rushed in. The map was seven feet long. When the eunuch left, Pei Zi Yun picked up a stick and pointed at the map, "The bandits are like a fire. Extinguishing the bandits is like extinguishing the fire. If the fire is small, it can be extinguished in one fell swoop. But if the fire is big, the first step is not to extinguish it, but to isolate it."
As soon as he said this, everyone present understood.
"If the fire cannot spread, the bigger the fire, the faster it will be extinguished." Pei Zi Yun said plainly.
As he said this, the Crown Prince was somewhat confused. However, Count Zhong Qin understood, "Dao Master Pei's words are true. You're not an armchair strategist."
Pei Zi Yun saw that the Crown Prince still had some doubts, and drew a circle on the map.
"When the bandits rise, the fire starts. But the fire can only be ignited by firewood. What is firewood? It's the people, it's the rations. Even if Ji Bei Hou controls Ying Prefecture, there's a limit to the amount of firewood."
Pei Zi Yun said plainly, "Hence, the first step is to set up a blockade. As long as we can seal the area, the bandits' manpower and rations will be limited. Before the soldiers and horses can move, the rations will have to move first. Who knows how much will be expended. Furthermore, if there's a war, there will be thorns everywhere.
"Besides, there's a limit to the number of soldiers in the bandits' territory. If one dies, there'll be one less soldier. If we were to recruit more soldiers, the fields would be barren. How can we compete with the entire country?" Pei Zi Yun returned to his seat and took a sip of tea, "I've requested for the navy, and even asked for the Emperor's Sword. Although it's to intimidate the officials and generals, the real killer is the merchants."
"The navy isn't going to fight a war. It's to seal off the seas. The moment I reach Ying Prefecture, my first order is to sink all the ships."
"It doesn't matter if they're officials or bandits, foreign ships or not. As long as they appear on the shores of Ying Prefecture, they'll be sunk. Not a single grain of rice or cloth will reach the bandits' territory."
"As long as the fire burns within the prefecture, it will burn Ji Bei Hou's roots."
As he said this, Pei Zi Yun sighed. It was true that a single spark could be ignited, but how could there be any military strategy that couldn't be broken?
This plan was specifically designed to deal with the raging fire.
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