“Imperial Teacher, I must speak up,” Huangfu Xing couldn’t hold back any longer and stepped forward. “The grain reserves in the three counties were already low, and we have over ten thousand soldiers.

If you return the money and grain to the wealthy families, the remaining supplies won’t last long. The people in the counties need to live, and if you drain the pond to catch the fish, there will be instant chaos in the three counties…”

“General Huangfu is right. You just focus on the battle,” Du Ge smiled and put away the cane. “I’ll handle the rest, and in fact, it’s already been taken care of. Our soldiers who follow us into battle won’t be shortchanged.”

“Taken care of?” Huangfu Xing was stunned.

Luo Shuang also looked over.

“When we were collecting grain from the public, I already sent people to the Beihai Kingdom and the Kingdom Chu to seek their support and inform them of the Fourth Princess’s current power and ambitions.”

Du Ge smiled confidently, “Those two countries border Chongming Kingdom. As long as their rulers aren’t foolish, they’ll be happy to see a fractured Chongming Kingdom and a Qingwu Kingdom on the brink of war.

Now that they have the opportunity, they’ll be more than willing to support us with money and grain. They might even send us some talent.

With their money and grain, we can repay the wealthy families with silver at above-market prices, without having to return the grain.

We can also pay the public who donated money and grain in advance to ease their minds and win more support for the Fourth Princess. In the future, when there’s another chance to donate grain, those who hesitated before will be more eager.”

He looked at Luo Shuang and smiled, “How could I let the princess’s reputation truly suffer? I won’t let the rumors of a seventy-thirty split spread. At most, it will be known that we bought the grain from the wealthy families at a high price, right?”

Luo Shuang let out a long sigh of relief, her eyes filled with gratitude as she looked at Du Ge.

Indeed.

Master had thought of everything. Master still cared about her.

“…” Huangfu Xing felt a chill run down his spine and stood up abruptly. “How can you do this? He Xu, are you really planning to throw Chongming Kingdom into chaos? If you do this, I won’t help you even if it costs me my life…”

“Chaos?” Du Ge looked at Huangfu Xing in confusion. “I haven’t harmed a single hair in the three counties we seized. There was no burning, killing, or looting. The people are living in peace, taxes have been reduced, and even girls have the chance to receive an education.

I borrowed some money and grain from them, but it won’t be long before I repay them double.

General Huangfu, the soldiers’ provisions are secured; the public and wealthy families’ money and grain haven’t decreased at all, and the Fourth Princess has her own territory. Everyone benefits. Where’s the chaos in Chongming Kingdom?”

“…” Huangfu Xing was dumbfounded. He vaguely felt something was wrong, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

According to Du Ge’s explanation, everyone indeed benefited.

Moreover, the Beihai Kingdom and Kingdom Chu, thousands of miles away, willingly provided money and grain support.

Why is it like this?

How can it be like this?

“General Huangfu, are you worried about the treasuries of Beihai Kingdom and Kingdom Chu?” Du Ge looked at Huangfu Xing mischievously.

Huangfu Xing’s face turned red, and he cupped his fists towards Du Ge, “Imperial Teacher, I apologize for my outburst. The Imperial Teacher’s strategies are beyond my reach.”

“General Huangfu, I am a man of my word. You needn’t worry about the future,” Du Ge smiled. “By my calculations, the people from Langping Pass should be arriving soon. I don’t understand military matters, so go and assist General Gao in securing Langping Pass as quickly as possible. Holding only Yutang Pass is too dangerous. Controlling both fortresses will give us a strategic buffer zone.”

“Yes.” Huangfu Xing cupped his fists and retreated.

“Thank you, Master.” After Huangfu Xing left, Luo Shuang looked at Du Ge with a flushed face. “Without you, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

“Princess, there’s no need to be so formal. This is my duty,” Du Ge sighed. “Our time is running out, and we have no choice but to take risks!”

The princess wanted to say more, but Du Ge interrupted her, looking towards the door, “Mr. Liu, since you’re back, why not come in?”

A hearty laugh came from outside the door, “It’s only been two days, and Mr. He, your cultivation level has improved significantly.”

You don’t know the trouble I’ve stirred up.

Gender equality has gone from a slogan to actual implementation, and my attributes have skyrocketed.

Unfortunately, despite the significant increase in attributes, I’m still ranked second.

Wasting over ten days allowed that guy who took over the prime minister’s body to boost his attributes too high.

Thinking about his ranking, Du Ge sighed again. Not being first really feels uncomfortable!

Liu Yi’an pushed the door open and bowed to the princess, “Greetings, Princess. Greetings, Mr. He.”

“Mm.” Luo Shuang nodded at him and asked indifferently, “Do I need to step out?”

“No need,” Du Ge said. “Princess, you will be a ruler one day, and you should be aware of all the movements of your subordinates. Last time, after my secret discussion with Mr. Liu, you didn’t even ask, which was somewhat irresponsible. Later, please come to my quarters to receive two canes to deepen your memory.”

“…”

Luo Shuang’s eyebrows twitched as she looked at Du Ge curiously.

She now had every reason to believe that the King-Beating Whip her master created was meant to be used on her.

Is this… a fetish?

Luo Shuang swallowed lightly and involuntarily shifted her body.

Growing up in the palace and training at the Qinglan Sword Sect, she had seen and heard of many people with unique preferences.

Perhaps she should make small mistakes from time to time to satisfy her master’s fetish. After all, her master had always been helping her, and she should give something in return…

“Mr. He, the Fourth Prince has agreed to your conditions,” Liu Yi’an glanced at Du Ge and got straight to the point. “He agreed to secretly support you with some money and grain, and Dragon Fang is also at your disposal.”

“The Fourth Prince is indeed a wise man,” Du Ge smiled. “Mr. Liu, the things I’ve done these past few days, I’m sure the Fourth Prince has seen them. Is he satisfied?”

“Not very satisfied,” Liu Yi’an replied. “The Fourth Prince said that Mr. He is too restrained. There are no signs of chaos in the three counties…”

“That’s because the Fourth Prince hasn’t seen the bigger picture,” Du Ge looked at Liu Yi’an and shook his head. “It’s said that you cast a long line to catch a big fish. Even if the three counties under the Fourth Princess’s control turn into a mess, Chongming Kingdom won’t be fundamentally harmed. But if the Fourth Princess builds a good reputation and occupies more territory, once it gets out of control, even the Fourth Prince won’t be able to handle it!”

“The Fourth Prince isn’t afraid of being unable to handle it; he’s afraid the chaos won’t be thorough enough,” Liu Yi’an said.

“Mr. Liu, you might as well tell the Fourth Prince that the temporary calm is to give him more time to prepare,” Du Ge smiled and said. “Currently, we are taking great risks, borrowing and deceiving for grain, robbing Peter to pay Paul. One day, when we can’t plug the hole anymore, we’ll take all the money, grain, and troops and march back to Qingwu Kingdom, leaving a mess behind. At that time, the public resentment in Chongming Kingdom will be boiling over, and that will be the Fourth Prince’s opportunity to strike.”

“Will there be public resentment?” Liu Yi’an asked.

“There will,” Du Ge nodded. “In the territories governed by the Fourth Princess, gender equality will be promoted. When we withdraw, those who oppose gender equality will surely push back, and those who benefit will defend the reforms. The conflict between the two sides will be irreconcilable, and chaos will be inevitable.

And I have prepared two plans for the Fourth Prince to resolve the chaos and ensure he can achieve success in one fell swoop. Even if he can’t overthrow the current emperor, he can smoothly take over the Fourth Princess’s territory and stand on equal footing with the emperor, dividing the kingdom.”

“What plans?” Liu Yi’an asked.

“One plan is called ‘Bottom Line’; the other is called ‘Shifting the Conflict,’” Du Ge smiled. “The specific execution methods will be detailed in a letter to the Fourth Prince when the first batch of resources arrives. For now, just tell the Fourth Prince that the larger the territory the Fourth Princess occupies, the more stable his future will be.

With the Fourth Prince’s wisdom, he will surely understand. Mr. Liu, please make another trip. Our time is running out, and the sooner we get the support, the better.”

“Alright, I’ll report to the Fourth Prince immediately.” Liu Yi’an glanced at Du Ge again and then turned to leave.

In the room.

Only Du Ge and Luo Shuang were left.

Luo Shuang looked at Du Ge in surprise and said, “Liu Yi’an is the Fourth Prince’s man? The Fourth Prince wants to rebel?”

“Yes. The Fourth Prince is our final piece of the puzzle. Distant water can’t quench our immediate thirst. The money and grain support from Beihai Kingdom and Kingdom Chu are too far away. The supplies from Gu Shiming are what we urgently need!”

Du Ge chuckled, thinking to himself that if he had a feather fan, he would definitely wave it a few times. Being a strategist isn’t that hard after all!