Chapter 329 - - 327 I will tell you what is called a win-win situation_1

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"Imperial Master, there's something I must say," Huangfu Xing couldn't stand it any longer and stood up, "The three county towns have always had little grain stockpiled, and we have over ten thousand soldiers.

If you return the money and grain to the gentry, the remaining supplies will hardly last long. The people in the towns need to live, and once you have exhausted their resources, I fear the three towns could erupt into riots at any moment..."

"Huangfu General is right, you should just concern yourself with waging war," Duge chuckled and put away the rattan, "As for the rest, I will take care of it, and in fact, I have already taken care of it. I will not let down the soldiers who have followed us into battle."

"Already taken care of it?" Huangfu Xing was stunned.

Luo Shuang also looked over.

"While levying grain from the people, I had already sent envoys to North Sea Country and Dachu Country, seeking their support, and have made clear to them the current force and ambition of the Fourth Princess."

Duge chuckled, an expression of having everything under control, "Those two countries border Chongming Country, and as long as their rulers are not fools, they would certainly be happy to see a fragmented Chongming Country, delighted at the prospect of a Qingwu Country on the brink of war."

"Now that there's an opportunity, surely they are also more than willing to support us with money and grain, and perhaps even send some talented individuals our way.

With their money and grain, we can use Silver Tael above the market price to repay those wealthy families, eliminating the need to return the grain to them.

We can also pay some money to those commoners who have donated grain to us, to comfort them and simultaneously garner more popular support for the Fourth Princess. I believe those who were hesitant before will be more proactive next time opportunities arise for donations."

Saying this, he turned to Luo Shuang and smiled, "How could I possibly allow the Princess's reputation to be truly tarnished? I won't let rumors of dividing the spoils three-seven get out. At most, what will spread is that we bought the gentry's money and grain at high prices, right?"

Luo Shuang let out a long sigh of relief, her gaze towards Duge filled with gratitude.

Indeed.

The Master had thought everything through, he still cared about her.

"..." Huangfu Xing was genuinely horrified and suddenly stood up, "How could you do this? He Xu, do you really plan on throwing Chongming Country into chaos? If you do this, even at the cost of my life, I will not assist you..."

"Thrown into chaos?" Duge looked at Huangfu Xing strangely, "I have not wronged the three counties we took, no burning, killing, or looting. The people live in peace and happiness, taxes have been reduced, and even girls now have the opportunity for education.

I did borrow some money and grain from them, but it won't be long before I return it to them in double.

General Huangfu, the soldiers' provisions have been sorted; not a single coin or grain has been lost by the commoners and the wealthy, the Fourth Princess now has her own territory, everyone benefits, where is the chaos in Chongming Country?"

"..." Huangfu Xing was stunned, he felt that something was of wrong but could not put his finger on what exactly it was.

According to Duge, indeed, everyone was benefited.

Moreover, North Sea Country and Dachu Country miles away, had willingly extended financial support.

Why was this happening?

How could this be?

"General Huangfu, surely you're not also worried about the treasuries of North Sea Country and Dachu Country?" Duge looked at Huangfu Xing with a teasing tone.

Huangfu Xing's face turned red, and he gave a fist-and-palm salute to Duge, "Imperial Master, I've been impertinent. You orchestrate strategies behind the scenes; I am no match for you."

"General Huangfu, I am a man of my word; you need not worry about the future," Duge chuckled, "Checking the time, the people from Wolf Ping Pass should be arriving soon. I do not understand the matters of war; you should go and defend with General Gao. Secure Wolf Ping Pass as quickly as you can, to only hold Yutang Pass is too dangerous. If we control both fortresses, we'll have a strategic buffer zone."

"Yes," Huangfu Xing saluted and withdrew.

"Thank you, Master." After Huangfu Xing had left, Luo Shuang, with a flushed face, looked at Duge, "Without you, Master, I really wouldn't know what to do."

"Princess, you are too kind; this is my duty," Duge sighed, "We are running out of time, and we must make bold moves!"

The Princess wanted to speak, but Duge interrupted her, looking towards the door, "Since Mr. Liu has returned, why doesn't he come in?"

From outside the room came the hearty laughter of Liu Yian, "After two days apart, Mr. He's cultivation level has become even more refined."

Without considering the big mess I've made.

Gender equality had progressed from a mere slogan to actual implementation, so it would have been surprising if attributes hadn’t increased significantly.

Regrettably, even though his attributes had risen a lot, he still ranked second.

He had wasted over ten days, allowing that guy who had taken over the Prime Minister’s body to boost his attributes too high.

Thinking of his own ranking, Duge sighed inwardly once again, not being number one felt so unfamiliar!

Liu Yian pushed the door open and bowed to the princess, “Greetings to the princess and Mr. He.”

“Hmm,” Luo Shuang nodded slightly to him and asked indifferently, “Do I need to leave?”

“No need,” Duge said, “Princess, you will be ruling a country in the future, you ought to have control over all movements of your subordinates. Last time, after Mr. Liu and I conducted a secret investigation, you didn’t even ask, which was somewhat irresponsible. Later, please come to my place to receive two rattan strips, to deepen the memory.”

“…”

Luo Shuang’s brows twitched a few times, looking at Duge strangely.

She now had every reason to believe that the Hit King Whip her master had created was intended for her.

Is this… a predilection?

Luo Shuang swallowed hard and couldn’t help twisting her body slightly.

Having grown up in the palace and trained at the Qinglan Sword Sect, she was aware that many people had their unique hobbies.

Perhaps she should occasionally make small mistakes to satisfy her master’s predilection. After all, her master had been aiding her all along, and she should give something in return…

“Mr. He, the Prince has agreed to your terms,” said Liu Yian, glancing at Duge and getting straight to the point, “He has agreed to support you with some money and grain in secret, and the Dragon Teeth are at your disposal.”

“The Prince is indeed a wise man,” Duge smiled, “Mr. Liu, I presume the Prince has seen what I’ve been up to these days. May I ask if the Prince is satisfied?”

“Not entirely,” Liu Yian said, “The Prince commented that Mr. He is too law-abiding, there aren’t signs of chaos in any of the three counties…”

“That’s because the Prince hasn’t looked deep enough,” Duge shook his head as he spoke to Liu Yian, “There’s a saying that goes, ‘Long line catches the big fish.’ Even if the three counties under the Fourth Princess’s control were plunged into chaos, it wouldn’t hurt Chongming Country’s vitality. But once the Fourth Princess has built a good reputation and seized more territory, if that gets out of control, even the Prince might not be able to withstand the fallout!”

“The Prince isn’t afraid of not being able to withstand it, he’s afraid that the chaos isn’t thorough enough,” Liu Yian replied.

“Mr. Liu, you might as well tell the Prince that the temporary calm is to provide the Prince with more preparation time,” Duge said with a smile, “At present, we are taking risks with our operations, borrowing and deceiving for grain, robbing Peter to pay Paul. When the day comes that we can no longer plug the hole, we will take all the money and grain and the army, and make our way back to Qingwu Country, leaving behind a mess. By then, Chongming Country will surely be in turmoil, the perfect opportunity for the Prince to make his move.”

“Will there really be such an uproar?” Liu Yian asked.

“There will be,” Duge nodded, “The territories under the Fourth Princess’s control will implement gender equality. Once we pull out, those who oppose gender equality will certainly push back, and those who have benefited will defend the reforms. The contradictions between the two sides are fundamentally irreconcilable, and chaos will be inevitable.

Moreover, I have prepared two plans for the Prince to resolve the chaos and ensure success in one fell swoop. Even if it is not possible to overthrow the current emperor, it will ensure a smooth takeover of the territories secured by the Fourth Princess, confronting the emperor as equals, splitting the land by the river.”

“What are the plans?” Liu Yian asked.

“One plan is called the safety net; the other is called shifting conflicts,” Duge replied with a smile, “The specific execution methods will be communicated to the Prince when the first batch of resources arrives. For now, you only need to tell the Prince. The larger the areas secured by the Fourth Princess, the more stable the Prince’s retreat will be, that’s all.

With the Prince’s wisdom, he will surely understand. Mr. Liu, I’ll have to trouble you to make another trip. Our time is running out, and the faster we get support for money and grain, the better.”

“Okay, I will go and report back to the Prince right away,” Liu Yian gave Duge another look and left once more.

In the room.

It was once again just Duge and Luo Shuang.

Luo Shuang looked at Duge in surprise and asked, “Is Liu Yian the Fourth Prince’s man? Is the Fourth Prince planning a rebellion?”

“Right. The Fourth Prince is the final piece of our puzzle. Distant water can’t quench immediate thirst. The support of money and grain from North Sea Country and Dachu Country is too far away, only the supply from Gu Shiming can quench our urgent needs!”

Duge snorted with amusement to himself, thinking that if he only had a feather fan, he would surely have waved it a few times. It turned out that being a strategist wasn’t that difficult!

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