The general said, "We can assassinate him. Isn't he coming to visit? We can select loyal soldiers to stop this treacherous banquet."
"No," the strategist objected. "First, Marquis Dingshan's personal martial arts are unmatched; killing him is extremely difficult, almost impossible. Second, even if we could kill him, what would happen afterward? Killing him would incur public wrath; the people would immediately erupt, and the army would mutini, making us the target of everyone's anger. Moreover, avenging Marquis Dingshan would win the hearts of the people, and not only would the army from Bingzhou attack, but other warlords would likely seize the opportunity. Risking our lives to kill Marquis Dingshan, regardless of success or failure, would almost certainly result in certain death."
Upon hearing this, the general angrily asked, "We can't kill them, and we can't resist them, so what can we do? Is there really no way?"
Gongsun Zan also looked at his strategist.
“There is a way,” the strategist said. “My lord, I think that since Marquis Dingshan wants Youzhou, we should hand it over to him.”
"You..." Gongsun Zan's general opened his mouth to curse.
"Quiet." Gongsun Zan waved his hand to stop his general and asked, "Tell me your reasons."
"My lord," the strategist said, "we are no match for Marquis Dingshan now. It can be said that he won the hearts of the people years ago. Although we don't know why he doesn't seize the whole country, we are not without a chance. Now that Marquis Dingshan has come to Youzhou, we cannot stop him no matter what he does. That's a fact. Rather than fighting a losing battle, we should first go along with Marquis Dingshan's wishes. This way, we can protect ourselves and at least retain some of our power. We can also gain some of Marquis Dingshan's trust. Only in this way can we have a chance to make a comeback."
"A comeback..." Gongsun Zan pondered for a moment upon hearing this, and said, "The Marquis of Dingshan is no ordinary person. Even if all the feudal lords in the world joined forces, they could not deal with him. How easy would it be to make a comeback from the Marquis of Dingshan?"
“Indeed, it is very difficult to deal with Marquis Dingshan.” The strategist shook his head and said, “But that doesn’t mean we have no chance. No matter how powerful Marquis Dingshan is, he is still a human being. Humans make mistakes, are careless, and eventually die.”
As he spoke, the strategist whispered something in Gongsun Zan's ear.
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