The Grandmaster Strategist

After sorting out my thoughts, I asked the book boy named Li Xin to inform him that I wanted to see His Highness King Yong after he got up. Unexpectedly, within a moment, I saw King Yong and Shi Yu walking in in a hurry. They were neatly dressed and looked slightly tired, as if they hadn't slept all night. I was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly realized, it seems that King Yong is waiting very anxiously?

I invited King Yong to sit down and chatted for a few words casually. Seeing that King Yong's expression had calmed down, I then said, "Excuse me, Your Highness, why do you want to ascend the throne?" '

King Yong was stunned. He had long regarded ascending to the throne as something he had to do. In addition to thinking that he deserved such a reward, he also felt that no one but himself could make Dayong unify the world. For the sake of the world, Yong Sheji himself had to ignore reputation and reputation, but when Jiang Zhe asked him this question, he suddenly found it difficult to answer. Normally, he and his subordinates took this matter for granted, but they didn't know how to explain it to Jiang Zhe.

I smiled slightly. This is something I have discovered a long time ago. When King Yong persuaded me to surrender, he did not explain his philosophy at all. This only shows that King Yong’s own aspirations are not clear and his position is not firm. The tall buildings are flat on the ground. Starting from the beginning, if there is no such concept as the basis, then King Yong's great cause will ultimately be a castle on the water.

I continued: "Judging from the current situation, Dayong's foundation is quite stable. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince occupies the position of eldest son, and there is no obvious misconduct. So why should the civil and military officials have to go against the emperor's will and support his highness?" Well, His Highness has military power and responds to every call. If he seizes the throne by force, he will not be immune to material criticism, saying that His Highness is treason and usurping the throne. His Highness is indeed wise and powerful, but if he leaves a wrong example for future generations, he thinks that as long as he has power and merit, it will be enough. After ascending the throne as emperor, rebellion can be carried out legitimately. The monarch's power is questioned. The role of a stable system is better than that of a sage monarch. Therefore, although His Highness's achievements are world-class, they cannot be the reason for His Highness to seize the throne. '

Li Zhi said thoughtfully: 'This is probably the reason why the elders in the court, although they value my achievements, are unwilling to actively support my succession? '

I nodded and said: 'If I were those elders, watching Dayong come into being from scratch, I would definitely not want Dayong's power to be reduced due to civil strife, so they would not be able to support His Highness's succession, even if His Highness is a better prince in their minds. They will not categorically support the candidate. At this time, most of the people who are willing to support His Highness are for future glory and wealth. Only a few people can see clearly that only His Highness ascends the throne can the Dayong State be preserved. Those ordinary people do not understand the reasons behind His Highness's succession. importance, then His Highness should tell them. '

After hearing what I said, Li Zhi asked: 'To be honest, I just feel that I cannot hand over the throne to my brother. He is too close to Fengyi Clan, but the reason is not clear yet. '

I said seriously: "So the first policy I propose to Your Highness is the Mingzhi Policy. Although Dayong is prosperous now, there are many hidden worries. This hidden worry is Fengyi Sect. The worry of Dayong is not the powerful enemies from all directions, but Within the Xiao Qiang, Fengyi Sect takes benevolence and righteousness as its outer garment, and power and strategy as its inner core. It controls the harem and subordinates hundreds of officials. As time goes by, Fengyi Sect will sooner or later become the Supreme Emperor who listens to politics behind the curtain. His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, is a prince who does not know how to cultivate virtue. Instead of being respectful and filial to win over the officials, he colluded closely with the Fengyi Sect in order to secure his position. If His Highness allowed the Crown Prince to ascend the throne, not only would his own life be in danger, but he would also destroy the pillars of the country, and would also cause the Great Yong Sheji to be enslaved by his wife. If His Highness the Crown Prince eliminates the sycophants around him and cuts off all contact with the Fengyi Sect, even if His Royal Highness has no soldiers to defend himself, Your Highness will not dare to raise a finger against the Crown Prince. This is the Crown Prince who has lost his virtue first, not Your Highness. Intentionally plotting rebellion. What's more, to put it bluntly, the world does not belong to one family. If Fengyi Clan is really a good choice, then I don't have to eradicate it, but in my opinion, the disciples of Fengyi Clan are arrogant and do not know the world. Suffering, only focused on fighting for power and profit. Although I am from Chu, Liang Wan has been in Southern Chu for many years, and I know him well. Such a group of short-sighted people,

I don’t know the importance of it. If an arrogant and arrogant woman takes power, I am afraid that all the people in the world will be affected by it. Maybe the master of Fengyi Sect was really for the country and the people at the beginning, but now Fengyi Sect has degenerated into a tool to seize power. Your Highness If the power of Fengyi Sect cannot be eradicated, I am afraid that not only will Dayong not be able to unify the world, but he will also fall into the hands of women. As the Prince of Dayong, how could His Highness see the country fall and the people suffer? Since His Highness the Crown Prince is ignorant of the temptation of power and cannot fulfill his responsibilities as the Crown Prince, it is natural that His Highness should take his place. '

Hearing this, Li Zhi's eyebrows were filled with joy and he said: "Sir, you really revealed my king's thoughts. I think so too, but I have never been so clear and clear. Yes, if it weren't for the existence of Fengyi Sect, I would just be a peaceful prince and have nothing to do with him." Nothing bad. '

I smiled slightly and did not care about the truth or falsehood in Li Zhi's words. It was not important anyway.

I said calmly: "A clear plan can make your highness firm up. Please let Rong Chen explain the current situation to your highness first. The reason why your highness feels besieged on all sides now is because of the close relationship between the emperor, the prince, the prince of Qi, and the Fengyi clan. Let's Your Highness has no idea how to start, but in my opinion, first of all, they are not integrated. The Emperor, Prince, and Prince Qi are not as defenseless against Fengyi Sect as Your Highness imagined. They only condone the existence of Fengyi Sect because of their own selfishness. Your Majesty If there is no fear, then Concubine Ji will not have any heirs. Over the years, the emperor's harem has been quite pampered and has given birth to more than a dozen concubine princes and princesses, which shows that the emperor is in good health, but Concubine Ji has no heirs. I don't think the emperor wants to. After Concubine Ji has a prince, let's fight for the throne. Although the prince dotes on his concubine, he loves his eldest son very much. As the saying goes, a mother is more valuable than her son, and a son is more valuable than his mother. Since ancient times, there are many people who have killed their wives and children because they doted on their concubines. If not for the fact that His Highness the Crown Prince was also afraid of Fengyi Sect , I am afraid that the prince has fallen out of favor a long time ago, and there is also His Highness King Qi. Although His Highness married a concubine, he treated her indifferently. I have met King Qi once. Judging from his appearance, although King Qi has a romantic nature, he still neglects his concubine like this. It's a little weird, so the emperor and the others don't trust Fengyi Sect very much, but if there is no Fengyi Sect, they won't have the capital to fight against His Highness. '

'Secondly, although the emperor prefers the prince, if the prince harms the country, no matter how much the emperor prefers the prince, he will not tolerate the prince. Therefore, although His Highness King Yong has encountered many dangers over the years, he is still as stable as Mount Tai, because His Highness is the pillar of Yong's sky, and the emperor is absolutely The Crown Prince will not be allowed to harm His Highness. As long as His Highness does not violate the Emperor's bottom line, His Highness's safety is guaranteed. As long as His Highness removes the Crown Prince, no matter how angry the Emperor is, he can only pass the throne to His Highness, so His Highness must be there. If the emperor controls all power when he is on the throne, then His Highness can legitimately ascend the throne. '

'In the end, the prince relied heavily on the King of Qi, and the King of Qi supported the prince. His Highness may have thought that they were an inseparable alliance, but it seems that there may not be no dissatisfaction between them. Judging from the intelligence collected by His Highness, the prince is not a tolerant person. The king's personality is domineering and domineering, even in front of the prince. It is only in order to deal with His Highness that the prince wins over the king of Qi. I learned from the intelligence that the prince once ignored the king of Qi for many days because of the ineffectiveness of the defeat of the king of Qi. But recently, It was because of His Highness that he began to show his favor to King Qi again. His Highness the King of Qi is as clear as a mirror, how could he not know the prince's unkindness, but the King of Qi has no choice, because His Highness himself is the general who leads the troops in battle, so in the King of Qi's view, if His Highness ascends the throne, then he will no longer have any There is room for full play to one's strengths. In fact, I have to remonstrate with His Highness on this point. The so-called son of a rich man cannot sit down in the palace. Your Highness has already made outstanding military achievements and should be training generals. Why should he compete with his subordinates for credit? What's more, His Highness will rule in the future. The world cannot just focus on military affairs. If there is no one who can conquer the four directions on behalf of His Highness, why should His Highness go and conquer it himself? '

Having said this, I saw Li Zhi looking at Shi Yu with some embarrassment, and Shi Yu's face was filled with approval. It seemed that he had also given advice like this before.

After a pause, I saw that Li Zhi already showed an expression of agreement, and I continued: "I have already explained the situation to Your Highness. Your Highness, please listen to me explain the second strategy - the strategy of digging out the heart. Although Your Highness is currently in a critical situation, the enemy still has suspicions." , In my opinion, the biggest weakness of the alliance formed by His Highness’s enemies is His Highness the Crown Prince, because His Highness the Crown Prince cannot make mistakes, otherwise the Emperor will doubt his decision, King Qi will be worried about his future, and Fengyimen will also lose The basis for confronting His Highness, so as long as the Crown Prince makes a mistake, His Highness can cause the alliance to fall apart. However, His Highness the Crown Prince is not a fool, and he has advisers admonishing him. It is not easy to make the Crown Prince make a mistake, so we must start from two aspects. One, is to place one of our people next to the prince. This person must be able to gain the prince's trust and make the prince obey his words. Second, His Highness must let the prince have a superficial advantage, so that the prince will get carried away and destroy the Great Wall. '

Li Zhi frowned and said: "We still have ways to show weakness, but how can we insert such a person next to the prince? The prince is still very careful about this matter. Although we have several people around the prince, none of us can participate in the secret." '

I chuckled and said: 'Since I have said it, I will naturally have a way. As long as His Highness can provide a suitable candidate, I will naturally be able to make the prince trust him and even obey him. This person must be good at pleasing the prince, and he must be able to solve problems for the prince. In short, he must have the talent to replace the position of the prince's think tank Lu Jingzhong. Under the plan of the minister, this person will become the prince's favorite who can never leave. The minister's confidant, and His Highness can control the prince. If the prince is in control, His Highness can clear the sky and shake up the court, so there is no need to worry about inheriting the throne. '

Li Zhi looked shocked and confused at the same time. He thought for a while and said: 'Controlling the prince is not easy. Not to mention that Lu Jingzhong should not be taken lightly. Even Fengyi Sect will not let us succeed easily. '

I smiled and said, "When I say that I control the prince, I don't mean to control the prince's life and death, but to control the prince's thoughts. As long as the prince is allowed to act according to our plan, no matter what the prince originally thinks, it has nothing to do with your highness. Don't worry, your highness, I already have it." It is a feasible plan, although there will inevitably be some twists and turns along the way, but as long as our goal is achieved, His Highness will be safe and worry-free. '

Li Zhi said: 'We will discuss the details later. Since Sir is confident, Li Zhi can rest assured. But after controlling the prince, what should we do? '

I smiled and said, "I didn't do anything. I just made the prince jealous of King Qi. People like the prince are suspicious by nature. If they are jealous of His Highness's achievements today, they will inevitably be jealous of King Qi in the future. I just let such a thing happen early. As long as The prince thinks that he has suppressed His Highness, so his true colors will naturally be revealed. I will arrange to lure the prince to do something arrogant and wrong. In less than two years, the prince will become a tyrant and a fool in the eyes of the world. The prince has lost his morality, and there is still someone to fight with. Your Highness is competing for the crown prince. Fengyi Sect will definitely be in a difficult situation by then. When the ministers and Your Highness discuss it carefully, they will make sure that Fengyi Sect can no longer influence the government. '

Li Zhi was very excited when he heard this, and thought to himself, Jiang Zhe is really talented. Why didn't I think that the enemy's strongest point is his weakness? The prince is the core of their alliance. If something goes wrong with the prince, then their alliance will naturally collapse. , although Li Zhi didn't know the specific plan yet, Li Zhi had already swept away all the worries and worries in his heart. He stood up, bowed and said, "Listening to your words is worth ten years of reading. Thank you very much, sir, for your teaching." '

I stood up and returned the courtesy and said, "Your Highness has given you too much praise. I would also like to ask Your Highness to listen to my third policy - the policy of recruiting talents. Although Your Highness has a reputation for being virtuous and has many civil servants under his command, in my opinion, there are still some shortcomings. Your Highness" Since you have ambitions for the world, you must consider how to manage the government. Nowadays, many officials in the court are involved with Fengyi Clan. If His Highness still appoints these people after he takes the throne, then there is a possibility that Fengyi Clan will resurrect. '

Li Zhi frowned and said: 'I also know this, but if there is a sudden change, I am afraid that the government and the public will be turbulent, the wealthy families will rebel, and my country, Dayong, will be destroyed in an instant. '

I said calmly: "His Highness regards the civil and military officials as so important, but ignores the morale of the army and the people. Over the years, His Highness has been invincible and invincible in every battle. He has repeatedly opened the eyes of the people. No one in the world knows that, but in the early days of the founding of Dayong, , relying on many local tycoons. At that time, this approach certainly accelerated the process of unification, but now these tycoons have occupied people's fields and do not pay taxes. As far as I know, many civilians have lost their fields and have to rely on powerful powerful people from aristocratic families as slaves. Everyone hates the tyrants to the core, but His Highness allows civilians to open up wasteland and cultivate fields on the pretext of strengthening the army. The fields belong to the army in name, but in fact belong to the people. Therefore, many young and strong men are willing to join the army so that their families can obtain the fields. This is also the rule of the DPRK. One of the reasons why the powerful people in China tend to favor the prince is that if His Highness tolerates this situation, Dayong will one day fall into a situation where the princes are divided. It is better to take advantage of the current competition for the throne to involve these powerful people. His Highness takes this as an excuse. Cleanse the world's wealthy families, appoint talented people from poor families, and rebuild Dayong. As long as His Highness plans properly, these wealthy families will never have the chance to rebel. Although this will inevitably weaken Dayong in the short term, it only takes a few years to transform Dayong. , becoming the truly most powerful country, when the time comes, it will be easy to pacify the Southern Chu, destroy the Northern Han, and drive away the Northern Barbarians. '

Li Zhi listened with rapt attention. He also knew about these shortcomings, but he tried to propose reforms many times, but was suppressed. This was also one of the reasons why he wanted to get the throne. Originally, he wanted to slowly find ways after he ascended the throne. Although Jiang Zhe's plan was ruthless, but But it can not hurt Dayong's bones. After all, the fight for the throne involves hundreds of thousands of people. As long as you do it skillfully, you can eliminate most of the wealthy families and add your own talents to the court. Within ten years , so that Dayong can no longer be controlled by wealthy families.

After thinking about it, Li Zhi stood up again and saluted: "Although the first two strategies can allow me to ascend to the throne of God, I just admire them, but this strategy can make Dayong Sheji safe and healthy. I, on my behalf, will help the Dayong royal family and the people of the world." , thank you sir. '

I stood up and returned the courtesy and said: "Your Highness is willing to listen to the arrogance of the minister. I should thank you on behalf of the people of the world. I am a common people and know the sufferings of the people. It is a great blessing for all people that your Highness is willing to open your eyes for the people." '

After sitting down, I said: "Eradicating wealthy families is only part of this strategy. If there are no talented people to assist and the court is empty, how will your Highness govern the world? Therefore, Your Highness must recruit talented people to govern the world. If you are worried about the suspicion of the emperor and the prince, , His Highness can request territory from the Emperor. At that time, His Highness will appoint talented people and reserve talents within his own territory. After His Highness ascends the throne, he can let them take over all government affairs. '

Li Zhi said: "I have been away at war. Although my father gave me a fiefdom in Youzhou, and Pei Ji, the general manager of Youzhou, is my confidant, and he manages the territory in an orderly manner, but cultivating talents is probably not his specialty. Sir, I think it should be." How to deal with it. '

I smiled and said: "Your Highness is worried that if Pei Ji is replaced, it will hurt the hearts of his subordinates. In fact, there is no need to worry about it. Your Highness can ask Your Majesty to send the crown prince to Youzhou to guard it, and then you can send Mr. Shi to assist the crown prince. Mr. Shi is the commander-in-chief." Shi, His Highness can promote Pei Ji's position. It is best to transfer Pei Ji back to His Highness. Then, Mr. Shi can recruit talents for His Highness. His Highness meets talented people and will easily be jealous if they stay with him. It is better to send them They are temporarily sent to Youzhou to familiarize them with government affairs. Of course, Mr. Shi will give them good guidance so that they can immediately take over the government affairs in the future. When His Highness gives the order, they can enter Beijing as officials. '

Li Zhi suppressed the excitement in his heart. Although he was very happy with Jiang Zhe's submission, Jiang Zhe's temptation a few days ago still made him feel a little resentful. Now, the three strategies of clarifying one's ambitions, gouging out one's heart, and recruiting talents made him feel that those days ago All the pains I have endured have been rewarded. If I had not been pious and respectful to the Magi, how could I have heard such a plan? He tried his best to calmly say: "In this case, I will entrust everything to you, sir. Ziyou will go to Youzhou to establish the foundation for this king. This matter is of great importance, and no one can help but Ziyou." '

Shi Yu naturally understood that he had a heavy responsibility, but he was a little worried. If this happened, almost all of the new emperor's courtiers would be his disciples. Then he would have too much power. He glanced at Jiang Zhe worriedly. After all, it’s not easy to tell King Yong clearly.

I was well prepared and said: 'Your Highness, Mr. Shi has a heavy responsibility, and the Crown Prince has no one to take care of him. Why don't Your Highness select talented people to be responsible for assisting and teaching the Crown Prince, so that Mr. Shi can be more relaxed and avoid delaying the Crown Prince's studies. '

Li Zhi thought for a while and said: 'Well, the prince's uncle Gao Rong is smart and capable, and Chu Wenyuan, the son of Taifu Chu Ping, has good character and talents, and can assist the prince. In this way, Zi You can concentrate on recruiting talents. '

Shi Yu felt relieved and said: "Ziyou will definitely do his best. Your Highness, please rest assured. Once Your Highness's decree arrives in Youzhou, Ziyou will definitely come back at night. All affairs in the capital will be entrusted to Suiyun. Please take care of Suiyun." '

I also solemnly said: "Mr. Shi, don't worry. Suiyun has made up his mind and will definitely implement it. Otherwise, I will not only be sorry for His Highness, but also sorry for Sir's hard work in Youzhou." '

Li Zhi smiled and said: 'Okay, we have been talking for so long, and I feel hungry. Why don't we go to eat first, and then the two gentlemen have a good rest. Otherwise, we will be exhausted, and who will give me advice? With Ziyou, I have no worries, and with Suiyun, I no longer have to be afraid of those monsters. '

I shook my head and said: "Your Highness is not right." Looking at the surprised expressions of Li Zhi and Shi Yu, I said: "Your Highness is so bright and graceful, how could you ever be afraid of those villains? He just has no way to clean up the filth. I just have some conspiracy, gentleman." What I can't deal with, I can do it. '

Li Zhi looked at me with a sincere face and was touched, but he didn't know what to say. Hee hee, I guess he wouldn't have guessed that although some of my words were truthful, some of them were just flattery. If Li Zhi were a pure gentleman, I'm afraid he wouldn't be qualified to ascend the throne and become emperor.