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Chapter 729: The Grassland War Begins
Chapter 729: The Grassland War Begins
2017-09-25
Changsun Hong's abilities were not to be underestimated. In this world of the Three Kingdoms, politics and strategy represented more than just intelligence and administrative skills; they were part of a different power system. If we were to compare him to a typical Three Kingdoms game, his IQ would be at least 90, making him a top-tier existence among both outsiders and NPCs. However, he had the misfortune of choosing the wrong opponent.
In the context of a standard Three Kingdoms game, Xi Zhicai's IQ would be at least 98, placing him in the same top-tier category as Changsun Hong. Despite both of them surpassing 90, the gap between the two was like the difference between heaven and earth.
More importantly, the resources at their disposal were also vastly different.
Xi Zhicai enjoyed the full trust of Lu Hai Kong, and he could mobilize all of Lu Hai Kong's forces. Changsun Hong, on the other hand, was in a different situation. Although he was sent by He Jin, he couldn't rely much on He Jin's power. He could only depend on his own capabilities.
Under these circumstances, Changsun Hong's defeat was inevitable.
Xi Zhicai, however, didn't share Lu Hai Kong's penchant for cruelty. He didn't come to personally humiliate Changsun Hong.
Xi Zhicai didn't have the time or inclination to do so. If it weren't necessary, he wouldn't have bothered meeting Changsun Hong, as he was busy and aware of the risks involved.
As it turned out, if it weren't for 'Gungung', Xi Zhicai might have suffered a setback. Of course, Xi Zhicai wouldn't have come unprepared if it weren't for Gungung.
Xi Zhicai's arrival had another purpose—to meet the person who was supposed to meet with Changsun Hong.
According to Xi Zhicai's understanding, the Xianbei forces on the grassland had been in frequent contact over the past few months, and they seemed to have formed an alliance. Currently, outside of Bing Province, the Xianbei and Wuhuan clans had united to form a formidable anti-Lu coalition.
All signs pointed to the young man who was supposed to meet with Changsun Hong as the catalyst for this alliance.
To be able to unite the scattered Xianbei and Wuhuan clans within a few months was no small feat. It not only demonstrated Lu Hai Kong's influence among the Xianbei and Wuhuan but also highlighted the young man's capabilities.
If things proceeded as expected, this individual might become a significant obstacle to Lu Hai Kong's conquest of the grassland. As Lu Hai Kong's intelligence chief, Xi Zhicai had to keep a close eye on this potential threat.
Lu Hai Kong's campaign on the grassland was of utmost importance. On the one hand, it was to bring back the third princess of the Han Dynasty, and on the other, it was a crucial step in Lu Hai Kong's grand plan.
Regardless of the perspective, this obstacle had to be removed early on.
So, shortly after meeting with Changsun Hong, Lu Hai Kong set up a web of safety to capture him. Xi Zhicai even deployed Yue Ying, but the young man still managed to slip away right under their noses.
Xi Zhicai naturally took this person seriously and sought more information about him from Changsun Hong.
Apart from this obstacle, Xi Zhicai also needed to gather some intelligence from Changsun Hong.
To be precise, he wanted to uncover Changsun Hong's secret schemes.
In reality, although Xi Zhicai had crushed Changsun Hong, he hadn't completely dominated him. While Changsun Hong's overt plans were under Xi Zhicai's control, the hidden strategies were beyond Xi Zhicai's grasp.
After all, Changsun Hong was no ordinary man. With his skills and secret maneuvers, it was too challenging for Xi Zhicai to fully comprehend.
Moreover, Xi Zhicai didn't have the time to spare. He had his own matters to attend to.
Xi Zhicai's intelligence work alone was a massive undertaking, not to mention his responsibilities in managing the Academy of Talents and assisting in the governance of Bing Province after Lu Hai Kong's departure. How could he possibly keep a constant watch on Changsun Hong and thoroughly understand his every move?
Therefore, after capturing Changsun Hong, Xi Zhicai needed to extract the desired intelligence from him, eliminating any hidden threats.
With Gungung pinning him down, Changsun Hong's plans had completely failed, and he appeared particularly vulnerable. He answered all of Xi Zhicai's questions without hesitation.
However, his willingness to answer didn't necessarily indicate honesty. During his responses, he often slipped in other information, trying to outsmart Xi Zhicai, but these attempts invariably ended in failure.
Xi Zhicai spent over three hours with Changsun Hong, gathering almost all the information he sought.
Changsun Hong revealed all his hidden strategies, but regarding the young man, he only provided a simple name, Xu Zifu, without any further details.
After the interrogation, Xi Zhicai wanted to question Chang Sun Hong further, but the latter had fainted from excessive blood loss due to his severed arm. This marked the end of Xi Zhicai's interrogation.
Following this interrogation, a series of actions commenced within Bing Province.
Xi Zhicai oversaw these actions, and his approach differed from Lu Hai Kong's domineering and forceful style. Instead, Xi Zhicai's methods were generally gentle, akin to the spring breeze nurturing all things without a sound.
Aside from the dangerous hidden moves arranged by Chang Sun Hong that required forceful elimination, Bing Province seemed to have no other significant activities. Those unaware of the situation might not even know if Xi Zhicai had taken any action.
In reality, after Chang Sun Hong was captured by Xi Zhicai, Lu Hai Kong's control over Bing Province gradually increased.
This was a positive development for Lu Hai Kong, but not necessarily for his administrative team.
As Lu Hai Kong's grip on Bing Province tightened, his administrative team had to handle more tasks.
Currently, Xi Zhicai managed intelligence and talent cultivation while overseeing the overall situation. On the other hand, Wang Jun and Tian Feng were entirely responsible for administrative affairs.
Although Tian Feng was a top-tier civil official with exceptional administrative skills, he faced the challenge of having few direct subordinates. Most of his followers were from aristocratic families who had attached themselves to him.
Xi Zhicai was well aware of the character of these aristocratic families. It was already a significant achievement if they could be trusted to fulfill their duties without causing major issues. Expecting them to accomplish substantial tasks was nearly impossible.
If Lu Hai Kong had kept Xun Yu, his expertise in administration, combined with Tian Feng's skills, could have created a new situation.
In the 1619 version of the book!
Currently, with Li Xiong also busy, Lu Hai Kong's administrative team could only gradually assert control over Bing Province.
Lu Hai Kong, or Xi Zhicai, ultimately chose to control Bing Province by manipulating the aristocratic families. In the short term, his control over the province would increase significantly, but developing Bing Province would still require a long journey.
Nonetheless, within a year of becoming the Governor of Bing Province, Lu Hai Kong had slowly begun to grasp the region, which was rightfully his.
Once Bing Province was fully under his control, even without developing it, Lu Hai Kong would still receive a substantial income from the province's taxes each month. It's worth noting that this Bing Province was not the same as the one in the historical Three Kingdoms. In terms of territory and population, it was ten times larger than before, with millions of people and vast lands.
This vast territory and population indicated a significant potential and also implied that controlling such a region would be far more challenging than in historical records.
Fortunately, Lu Hai Kong wasn't alone in facing this issue, and his current focus wasn't on Bing Province.
From the outset, Lu Hai Kong's attention had shifted away from Bing Province. His sole concern was the war before him, and he was confident about Bing Province, believing that with the foundation he had laid and Xi Zhicai's abilities, no opponent could create significant trouble. Instead, Lu Hai Kong's own side seemed to face considerable challenges.
Under Xu Zifu's orchestration, the tribes outside Bing Province had united and retreated hundreds of miles beyond the border.
This situation presented Lu Hai Kong with two significant problems.
First, he couldn't concentrate his forces to defeat the scattered tribes individually. Second, as the enemy retreated, Lu Hai Kong's supply lines would become longer.
In warfare, logistics are crucial. If the supply lines were extended, transportation issues would arise, making it extremely challenging for Lu Hai Kong as the attacking force.
Lu Hai Kong had been aware of these challenges since the beginning. From the moment he prepared for action, he had continuously gathered intelligence on the tribes and had a good grasp of the situation. If he didn't have this understanding, he wouldn't have taken such decisive action.
Lu Hai Kong, accompanied by Wang Ti's second army, departed from Beifeng and traveled through Yunchong Prefecture to Xianyang within two days.
After a brief rest in Xianyang, Lu Hai Kong's 60,000-strong army, each carrying ten days' worth of dry rations, marched directly towards the grasslands.
As Xi Zhicai's negotiation concluded, Lu Hai Kong's war officially began...
(End of Chapter)
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