Chapter Twenty-Five: Before the Move Was Made, a Strategic Plan Was Quietly Set Up
"I wholeheartedly agree with your intention to establish diplomatic relations with Jiangnan and conquer Xiao Yan. However, my lord He Yuan has too many advisors, each with their own opinions, making it impossible to reach a consensus."
Cen Fei's face was full of worry. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Jiangnan is a vast region with a complex web of hidden forces. Some important officials even have the intention to pledge allegiance to Xiao Yan." He gave a bitter smile. "Such a situation is truly difficult to handle."
Bai Ming pondered for a moment, then looked up at Cen Fei, "Sir, what is Lord He's opinion?"
Upon hearing this, Cen Fei looked up, smiled, and shook his head. "What objections does our lord have now? It's impossible to please everyone, and he's indecisive. No matter what we say, there will always be people dissatisfied. I'm afraid our lord is more worried than we are right now."
Upon hearing this, Qi Kun exchanged a glance with Yang Xiao, who smiled and sighed, then nodded slightly to Qi Kun.
She turned to look at Cen Fei, "Sir, I have lived in Jiangnan for so many years, and I am naturally familiar with the situation there. Jiangnan is vast and prosperous, and its reputation is well-deserved. Given this, what reason does Lord He have to abandon this fertile land and listen to slander to submit to Xiao Yan?"
"Could it be that you, Lingyu, have already guessed what I mean?" Cen Fei looked at Yang Xiao and couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, I won't stand on ceremony with you all. What I want to ask of you is to help my master clarify his position."
Yang Xiao looked up at Cen Fei with a smile, "You've known me for so many years, how could you not know that I have a good eye for people?" She turned to look at Qi Kun and chuckled, "It would be difficult for me to handle this alone, but with Master here, this matter should not be a big problem."
“Is that so?” Cen Fei smiled at the master and disciple. “Then I can rest assured.” He looked up at Yang Xiao with kindness, and then nodded to Qi Kun. “Lingyu is a clever and quick-witted child with superb martial arts skills. She will surely have a bright future. Mr. Qi, you have been teaching in this field for many years. You must also be a rare talent in this world.”
"How dare I?" Qi Kun stood up and clasped his hands in greeting to Cen Fei. "I am but a humble man from the mountains and fields, far inferior to someone from a scholarly family like yours. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will definitely seek your guidance."
“You’re too modest. There are talented people everywhere in the world.” Cen Fei sighed with a smile, patted Cen Xun’s shoulder beside him, and looked at the three people sitting opposite him with a smile. “Seeing that the country has such ambitious young people like you, we old ministers can rest assured.”
"You flatter me, sir," Bai Ming sat up, clasped his hands in greeting to Cen Fei, and looked at him earnestly. "However, we don't know much about Magistrate He. How should we prepare for our conversation with him tomorrow?"
“It’s definitely not going to work out like a regular envoy would.” Cen Xun sat down, holding a teacup, and pondered for a long time with his eyes downcast. “We need to present the advantages and disadvantages to him in some unique way.”
"A different approach?" Yang Xiao turned her head to look at her, and couldn't help but rest her chin on her hand and ponder. "Just as Mr. Cen said, Jiangnan has already been divided into several factions. One faction is willing to submit to Xiao Yan, another faction is willing to form an alliance with us, one faction even wants to fight my lord and Xiao Yan together, and there is another faction that is hesitant with He Yuan."
As Yang Xiao spoke, she couldn't help but laugh, then sighed softly, "What we say tomorrow is not only for He Yuan, but also for the four groups of people under his command."
Cen Fei nodded upon hearing this, "Lingyu is absolutely right. Currently, the ministers have differing opinions, and they argue endlessly every time they hold a meeting, while our lord remains indecisive..."
"Alright, Father," Cen Xun patted Cen Fei's arm with a smile, "Don't even think about saying good things about He Yuan. Since we have the same goal, there's no need to hide anything. You may not know him, but don't you trust Ling Yu's character?"
Yang Xiao tilted her head with interest upon hearing this. "Oh? Tongxi, do you mean there are other forces lurking in Jiangnan?"
Cen Xun smiled and shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I just couldn't stand He Yuan and wanted to say something sarcastic to him." She put down her teacup and looked up at Yang Xiao. "As for influence, he does have it, but I won't say it now."
Yang Xiao couldn't help but laugh. "Haven't you always disliked him? You didn't hold back in criticizing him when I was in Yangzhou." She sighed with a smile and leaned back comfortably. "So, what kind of hidden force is this? Since you're asking me to guess, it means they have nothing to do with the current situation, right?"
Cen Xun poured himself a cup of tea, nodded, and looked up at the group seriously. "Getting back to the main topic, I plan to put on a show with you all tomorrow. What do you all think?"
"Staging a play?" Bai Ming asked, puzzled. "If we just lay out the pros and cons directly to them, the other ministers will definitely fan the flames, but with Mr. Qi's abilities, he should be able to suppress them, right?"
Qi Kun looked at Bai Ming and gently shook his head. "Zhao Qing, no. This will only change his mind temporarily. If others stir up trouble in the future, it will be difficult for Magistrate He not to waver." He turned to Cen Xun. "Miss Cen, we would like to hear the details."
Cen Xun chuckled softly, set down his teacup, and looked up at everyone with a smile, "Everyone—"
"I understand." Cen Xun had just opened his mouth when Yang Xiao interrupted him. Cen Xun tilted his head and smiled at Yang Xiao, waiting for her to continue.
Yang Xiao held her teacup, leaned down and looked up at Cen Xun, smiling, "Don't you want us to come all this way for nothing?"
"That's right."
Cen Fei smiled as he looked at the two people arguing beside him, then glanced at Bai Ming, who was completely bewildered, and Qi Kun, who seemed to know everything. He shook his head with a light laugh and said, "These two kids are both so unruly."
Yang Xiao looked at Qi Kun and Bai Ming with a happy expression, "Look, it's only been half a year since I joined the lord, and it's only been two or three months since you joined the lord, Master. In such a short time, we have been able to help the lord conquer three states. The three of us have never lost a battle, and Master's military tactics are also very unexpected."
She paused, then looked at the two of them with a smile in her eyes, "Tell me, in the entire Jiangnan region, besides the Cen family father and daughter and Mr. Cheyan, who else could do this?"
Bai Ming tilted his head and thought for a moment, then looked at Yang Xiao inquiringly, "Does this mean we should show our strength at the table and convince He Yuan with our abilities?"
Yang Xiao nodded slightly, "Our strength has never been inferior to Xiao Yan's, so why can't we change their minds?"
“Lingyu, that’s a bit off,” Cen Xun said with a smile, shaking his head and looking up at Yang Xiao. “If we argue like this, it will be difficult to reason with those unreasonable people.”
Qi Kun nodded and smiled at Cen Xun, "So this is what Miss meant by 'putting on a show' for He Yuan, right?"
"You have come by small boat with no more than twenty attendants, which already demonstrates your sincerity in negotiating peace with Jiangnan. In that case, why not show your will and spirit at the table?"
“Only those who are sincere and have confidence can be worthy of being called envoys.” Yang Xiao rested her chin on her hand and looked at Cen Xun. “Tomorrow, we must refute the fallacies of the others one by one in order to get He Yuan to form an alliance with our army. If the surrendered party is desperate and tries to fight back, with General Bai and me here, I don’t think they can cause any trouble.”
Cen Xun smiled and nodded. "If they get impatient and turn against you with swords and spears, it will only show that they are powerless to argue anymore. No matter how indecisive He Yuan may be, he will have to trust you more." She picked up the teapot and poured tea into the teacups. "Moreover, as envoys, you have already done everything you should. It is they who have lost their manners and are no longer in the right."
“Miss Cen is right.” Qi Kun nodded upon hearing this, then sighed with a smile, “Truly, one cannot judge a book by its cover. Such a pure and beautiful person, yet sharp and insightful, is truly rare in this world.”
Yang Xiao smiled and nodded at Qi Kun, "I told you before, Tong Xi is much more capable than me."
"Hahaha, alright, alright," Cen Fei laughed as he looked at the group of people who were being so polite and courteous. "You are all exceptional young talents. You were able to make Lord He understand everything clearly with just a few words. You will surely achieve great things in the future."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ming looked approvingly at Yang Xiao and Cen Xun, saying, "I am foolish and not as quick-witted as you two. Please give me your guidance in the future."
"What kind of talk is that?" Yang Xiao laughed and sat down next to Bai Ming. "If you're stupid, what will happen to Yu De?"
The group couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. Yang Xiao shook her head and looked up at Bai Ming, "Under the lord's command, there's no room for you to belittle yourself."
Cen Xun looked at Bai Ming and smiled gently. "General Zhao Qing has made outstanding military achievements, is unparalleled in martial arts, and is also good at using military strategies. Apart from Ling Yu, I'm afraid no one in this world can rival him."
"Oh, no," Yang Xiao waved her hand with a smile, "I can't beat him."
Bai Ming glanced at Yang Xiao, then shook his head with a helpless smile, "It's just a difference in strength, why bother about it?"
“That’s right,” Yang Xiao said, mimicking Bai Ming’s earnest tone as she looked back at him. “We each have our strengths, so why worry about it? Besides, we’re not going to be enemies, so what does it matter who’s stronger or weaker?”
"Okay." Bai Ming sighed helplessly, then looked back at Yang Xiao and nodded.
Cen Xun smiled as he rested his chin on his hand, looking at the two people in front of him. He then looked up at Yang Xiao and said, "I thought that after all these years, you would be able to defeat General Bai."
"Oh?" Yang Xiao looked at Cen Xun with interest. "What's the reasoning behind that?"
"Ever since you met General Bai once, you've regarded him as your role model and trained with him day after day for so many years. How could you not be able to beat him?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao crossed her arms and said reproachfully, "Hey, Tongxi, you really are..."
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore." Cen Xun chuckled and shook his head, his gaze involuntarily falling on the slightly flushed cheeks of the two people opposite him. He sighed with a smile and took a sip of the still-warm tea.
Cen Fei looked at the laughing and joking juniors, and breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had forgotten all about the current state of affairs. "I understand the relationship between you young friends now." He looked at Bai Ming with affection, "General Bai."
Bai Ming raised his eyes and bowed to Cen Fei, saying, "This junior is here."
"You're all at the prime of your lives, so let loose and have some fun. Don't hold back, or you'll regret it later."
Bai Ming was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded as if he had compromised with himself.
“Alright,” he said, bowing to Cen Fei. “Thank you for your guidance, sir.”
-
Amidst laughter and conversation, the banquet came to an end, and night quietly fell. Every undercurrent in Jiangnan was gearing up for tomorrow's negotiations.
Yang Xiao, already confident of victory, watched as Na Yue swallowed the last cup of tea and waved goodbye to Cen Xun.
The moon sets and the sun rises; dawn quietly descends.
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