He took a sip of soup and suddenly said, "Huangfu Yue is dead."
Qi Qi: "!!!" Was it the Ninth Prince who did it?
Gu Siyan said, "The one who died last night, news came today that he died from a knife wound. Before things get chaotic over there, we should withdraw everyone back first. Those who can't be withdrawn should be hidden... I need to go to Sifang City. This matter was not done by the Zhenbei Army, but after the news spread, they pinned the blame on our army. In the short term, our army will be less affected."
Mr. Chen fell into deep thought: "Was it the Seventh Prince or the Ninth Prince who did it? These three have never gotten along."
Gu Siyan shook his head: "My intelligence reports that these two people haven't had a chance to make contact with Huangfu Yue yet."
"Cough cough cough... cough cough cough..."
Qi Qi covered his mouth, coughing until his skin turned a blush.
Brother Beard patted him on the back.
Mr. Chen: "You little rascal, you choked on your soup. Couldn't you have taken it a little slower?"
Qi Qi lowered his head, his eyes filled with astonishment.
The intelligence from over there... Gu Siyan has people around the Ninth Prince?!
No... I need to find a way to leave as soon as possible.
...
After the small dinner, Mr. Chen and Gu Siyan had tea alone. There were some things that couldn't be discussed in detail at the dinner table, so they had to talk about them privately.
Let's talk about troop deployment and resource allocation first...
Then we talked about recruiting talent, which is of utmost importance.
"We have enough people to lead troops, but just knowing how to fight is not enough. We still have too few strategists to plan for the Zhenbei Army."
Gu Siyan corrected, "We lack everything, but we are even more lacking in food."
Mr. Chen sighed: "Of course there isn't enough food. The land needs to be cultivated, and people need to be fed... Sooner or later, these prosperous lands will be seized. The common people are starving to death from farming for the powerful families. They can barely eat a few grains of rice in their entire lives..."
You have too many roughnecks there; you and the current few simply can't manage them all. You need to keep recruiting. The Zhenbei Army's reputation is only strong in a few states of Youdu, but those states value martial arts over literature. The people there can't even afford to eat, let alone study. There are plenty of aristocratic scholars who control the books, but they're too cunning and their power base is still there. They're unwilling to truly submit, wavering back and forth. No amount of calming measures can quell their wolfish ambitions. If you hadn't intervened, these people would have already established their own faction. They're the ones who most want the Great Xia to be in chaos. Don't they realize that if they wanted to sit on the throne, it would be easy, but who would guard the borders?
Gu Siyan's eyes hardened: "If you can't be used by me, don't even think about being used by others."
Mr. Chen sneered: "Killing them all would be best. In chaotic times, harsh measures are necessary. I come from a prominent family, and I understand best what these people are thinking. They think you're short of talent and won't touch them. They're really arrogant. We should mainly look for scholars in the interior. There are plenty of poor families there. A hundred or a thousand, we're bound to find a few useful ones."
Go back and train them. These are the most useful people, given power, money, influence, and fame. Don't just focus on leading troops; pay more attention to these other aspects as well.
Look, that poem you wrote the other day was quite good. I've heard that many people in Jiangnan are already inquiring about it. You've cultivated your pen name quite well these past few years. In a few days, post your General Gu's name everywhere and let the world be truly astonished, so they'll understand who the capable ruler is who truly brings good fortune to the people.”
He laughed as he spoke, and Gu Siyan laughed too. He was not as good at writing as he was at martial arts, but he didn't need fancy words. Simple words were enough to move people's hearts.
At the prime of his life, he had already reached this point at the tender age of twenty. Apart from those years of slavery, who else in the world could be as dazzling as Gu Siyan? Born with a golden dragon by his side, he treads on purple clouds, always overcoming disasters and smoothing out difficulties. He has suffered a lot, but he has also gained more and more.
Anyone who dares to make him a supporting character will surely be scorched by his brilliance.
Mr. Chen then asked, "How's the contact with the Luoyang Academy going? Have they written to you? Are these old fogies really going to be cowards, hiding in their shells forever?"
Gu Siyan suppressed his smile again: "You think I'm just a martial artist?"
Mr. Chen chuckled: "They probably treat you like an ordinary martial artist. Well, there are quite a few people who have gone to them. Everyone knows that scholars are highly sought after. No rush, no rush. It's not easy to develop such a business in just a few years. My scouts will be back in a few days. If there is really a powerful force behind this academy, then we can make plans later."
Gu Siyan: "Thank you for your trouble. However, many people have inquired about it, but none have succeeded. The academy has strict rules and doesn't easily let people in. They conduct thorough investigations. Is it possible for your people to get in?"
Mr. Chen: "I'm different."
Gu Siyan: "Oh?"
Mr. Chen stroked his long beard: "I just learned a few days ago that Master Chen at the academy is a distant cousin of mine."
Gu Siyan asked in confusion, "Then why didn't you contact me before?"
Mr. Chen sighed: "It's all because of poverty. His family is even more impoverished than mine. We are both very poor. Although we are distant relatives and live far apart, we only met twice when we were young. Later, our hometown suffered a disaster, and we lost contact. I didn't know anything about his situation until recently when I heard his name and did some digging."
Gu Siyan took a sip of tea, and for some reason, suddenly thought of that silly boy Qi Laibao: "I also knew a kid before. His teacher was also surnamed Chen and was also an official in the court. A few years ago, I lived near where he worked and we met a few times."
Later, when Lai Bao came, he spoke with the teacher a few times because of him.
Mr. Chen laughed heartily: "My Chen family members are indeed all over the world, but my cousin is no ordinary person. He was the second-ranked Jinshi in the second list of the Yongyuan era. He is no ordinary person. If my Chen family had not yet declined at that time, he would have made it to the first list at least."
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