Chapter 190 The Art of Controlling People
The warm breeze on a sunny day makes people feel more cheerful.
After running non-stop all the way to the gate of his own city, Li Chengxiu ordered Qiao Yuwu to send the things he had just exchanged back with Lord Liu first.
He and his wife, each riding a horse, took a break to go for a walk outside the city, while the guards followed them from a distance.
They found a place near the mountains and water and let the horses wander around on their own. The couple took a rare leisure time, got a branch, dug some bait, and then sat on the shore to fish.
Whether you can catch fish or not is not important, the important thing is to enjoy the leisure time of half a day.
"Wife, you have a really good brain. What did you say to Miao Laowu that she could convince him to give up the Baibao Pill?
I've tried everything before, including threats, bribes, pleading, and even tough tactics, but nothing worked. Lao Miao was adamant and refused to exchange the Baibao Pills. The few pills in my hand were the ones that saved his life, so he had to come over.
So how did you do that? I'm really curious, it's amazing!"
Li Chengxiu squatted in front of his wife and flattered her for a while, and the other party's beautiful eyebrows curved into smiles.
"That's because you can't think flexibly. I once heard someone say that there is nothing in this world that is impossible as long as you find the right method.
Who would be willing to give you the family treasure if you want to take it from them for no reason? Even if you use force to pressure them, can you guarantee that what they give you is genuine?
I just changed my approach.”
"I'm all ears. Please, Princess, give me a live lecture. If not, I can just kneel and listen."
"Don't just learn a few witty words and use them randomly. We are the local tycoons of Dongling Prefecture now, and we need to maintain our image in public."
"I know, I know. Tell me in detail. If I learn it, it will be easier to deal with people next time. We have the same goal, so why did you do it?"
Jiang Wan turned his head to look at the guards in the distance, then turned back to look at Li Chengxiu.
This young face is no longer as silly as it was when he was a child, but it is obvious that he has not received as careful education as his brother, the prince, and is slightly inferior in calculating people's hearts.
"Li Chengxiu, you know what your reputation is like in Dongling Prefecture, right?"
"Cough cough cough."
The guy who was tapped on the face coughed several times in embarrassment, his eyes looking guilty and unnatural.
"I know, but wasn't there really nothing we could do at the time?"
"Of course there's no way. It's just that you're used to being straightforward and do things too roughly."
Putting down the fishing rod, Jiang Wan sighed.
"Back then, you thought of borrowing military pay from the wealthy families in the city to support the troops and provide shelter for those orphans, widows, and veterans. This was absolutely the right thing to do.
But why can't you think about how to use the limited resources at hand for long-term development? Didn't you learn the saying "It's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish" as a child?
“I have learned it, but I don’t know how to use it.”
Scratching his head with a frown, Li Chengxiu always told his wife everything he knew.
"I've thought about doing business with these foreigners, but the court won't allow it. I've also thought about having my people farm or do some other business, but the farms can't grow much decent food, and the shops are struggling.
I really don't know what to do. Honestly, being in charge is much more troublesome and difficult than fighting in a war. Two hundred thousand soldiers, and behind them are families, young and old, waiting to eat.
The little military pay the court gives each year is good enough to support the soldiers themselves, but what about their families?
He really felt that he had been wronged over the years.
"Asking the Ministry of Revenue for money over and over again is like asking for their lives! The people of Dongling Prefecture have a hard time, and it's not easy for officials and businessmen either.
If they hadn't sold everything they had to help me raise funds, who knows what these impoverished men under my command would have done. What's the point of defending one's country and family? Who wouldn't put family first? Who would care about the country when their family is starving to death?
Why do you think Qiao Yuwu and Liu Yitong sided with me so quickly? Whoever takes over this mess will know what will happen. Alas!
Whenever Li Chengxiu mentioned the mess on his side, he would feel like a child without a mother, feeling very aggrieved. Fortunately, his wife could understand his hardship.
"I know you're having a hard time, so aren't you trying to figure it out? Let's get back to the point. You asked me how I did it, so I'll explain it to you."
She picked up a small stone and drew several lines and circles of different sizes on the ground. She pointed at one of the circles.
"This large circle is us, the two adjacent circles are Dali and Linyue, and the three-point area in the middle is home to a variety of small tribes. Although the Tongren are closest to us, they're not too far from Linyue either.
Didn't you tell me that the Tong people only fought fiercely with the Li people, but maintained a certain degree of friendship with the Liao people? This is the way they left themselves a way out.
So your previous method was wrong.
You can't be too transactional with them, but you can't be too sentimental with them either. Previously, your relationships with the children were straightforward: they paid you to help, a purely transactional affair. They wouldn't feel any gratitude or desire a deeper connection. In their eyes, you're no different than anyone else trying to steal their stuff. By associating with you, they're walking alongside a tiger, so they'll naturally be wary.
Li Chengxiu, someone once taught me that the best way to control people is to conquer their hearts.
"How do you say that?"
"Yesterday I dueled with Miao Yue and humbled her arrogance. However, I never neglected her, letting her know that I was willing to treat her as an equal.
Since we were both women, we could barely be considered friends, which made it possible for us to have a more peaceful conversation. And all kinds of relationships between people are built on conversation.
Even you know she wants to compete for the position of Young Clan Leader, and she does have the ambition and ability, but she lacks the opportunity. The cooperation I propose is her best option for advancement."
Jiang Wan curled the corners of his lips.
"I didn't ask for her prescription, but asked her to find someone to teach me how to grow herbs. I would then exchange the herbs for Baibao Pills and food, and she would make Baibao Pills out of the herbs and give them to me in exchange for other things.
The recipe is still in her hands, and her people can make huge profits from it. How could this not impress her father?
This isn't just an exchange of goods; it also involves the possibility of protection in the future as the relationship between the two sides grows. If the old Miao leader had a normal mind, he wouldn't have any reason to refuse, right?
Li Chengxiu lowered his head and looked at the water, thinking over his wife's words in his mind, and muttered a little worriedly.
"The imperial court won't allow us to open a trade market."
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