"My Lord, you are an outsider. Even if you are a brilliant strategist and peerlessly brave, can you defeat all the Xiongnu armies and dominate the grasslands?" Ye Guanting asked Zhou Fugui. "Gaining their trust is not a matter of one or two days. Moreover, can you stay here long-term? My Lord, don't forget, you are a general of Yan. If the Yan court summons you, would you dare not return? If you leave, what will become of them?"
"This is also your doubt, isn't it?" Zhou Fugui asked upon hearing this.
Ye Guanting nodded.
Regarding the doubts of Ye Guanting and others, Zhou Fugui was currently unable to answer.
Ye Guanting was right. Zhou Fugui was currently a general of Yan. As a general of Yan, he had to obey the Yan court's decrees, unless he were to rebel now and raise the banner of resistance against the Great Yan Kingdom on the grasslands.
But if he did so, Zhou Fugui would face two powerful enemies: the Great Yan Kingdom and the Xiongnu. He would be caught in a pincer attack, with both sides wanting to kill Zhou Fugui and completely annihilate his forces to eliminate future trouble.
Regardless of which opponent it was, with only the few thousand ragtag soldiers under Zhou Fugui's command, it was simply wishful thinking to defeat them. There was not the slightest possibility of victory.
In the end, Zhou Fugui and his White Tiger Battalion would likely be annihilated and slaughtered. At the same time, if Zhou Fugui were to rebel, the Yan court would immediately cruelly execute the families of him and his subordinates.
Therefore, for the time being, Zhou Fugui still had to rely on the Great Yan Kingdom, just as one relies on a large tree, and rely on the Great Yan Kingdom to counter the Xiongnu.
When the time was ripe, Zhou Fugui would definitely raise an army to rebel against the Great Yan Kingdom. Of course, not now. He could not reveal even the slightest hint of his thoughts now; he still had to pretend to be loyal to the Great Yan Kingdom.
So, after a long period of consideration, Zhou Fugui said to Ye Guanting, "I am a general of Yan and also a minister of Yan. As a minister, being loyal to the country is a minister's duty. If the court issues a decree... If the court issues a decree, I don't know what I should do. However, a nobody like me, the court probably wouldn't pay attention to, would it?"
"After this battle, my Lord will not be a nobody, will he?" Ye Guanting asked with a smile.
"Is that so?" Zhou Fugui glanced at Ye Guanting and asked, "If the Yan court issues a decree, how should I respond? Does Guanting have a brilliant plan?"
"If the Yan court issues a decree, my Lord should obey it," Ye Guanting replied. "However, today, Guanting would like to know what plans my Lord has in mind?"
"Plans?" Zhou Fugui shook his head and said, "Like duckweed on water, I go with the flow."
"My Lord..." Ye Guanting said somewhat irritably. "I am being sincere with my Lord, but why are you being so evasive? What are you afraid of?"
"You say I'm afraid of what?" Zhou Fugui glared at Ye Guanting and said, "As for what I'm thinking, I'd like you to guess today..."
"What is there to guess?" Ye Guanting said. "It is a chaotic world, with war and displacement, and suffering for the common people. However, a chaotic world is also a world of great contention. In a world of great contention, does my Lord not wish to achieve something? My Lord, I implore you, what are your thoughts?"
"Hahaha!" Zhou Fugui laughed heartily upon seeing Ye Guanting's anxious look. "With a mighty army in hand, I alone am supreme in the world. How about this idea?"
"I will assume my Lord truly thinks so," Ye Guanting said, also glaring at Zhou Fugui.
"Alas, forget it, forget it," Zhou Fugui no longer wanted to play word games with Ye Guanting. He said softly, "Of course, I am unwilling to be subservient to others. But in this chaotic world, or the world of great contention, how can I wield a mighty army and strengthen my power? My mind is in a complete mess, and I have no idea."
"This is not difficult," Ye Guanting said with a slight smile. "Make more allies, fewer enemies; show more benevolence, accumulate popular support; gather more provisions, and do not seek hegemony."
"Make more allies, fewer enemies; show more benevolence, accumulate popular support; gather more provisions, and do not seek hegemony," Zhou Fugui muttered to himself, as if he had heard this before.
Zhou Fugui pondered Ye Guanting's words carefully. After a long while, he said with a wry smile, "Accumulate strength and await the changes in the world. But Guanting, you also know that I don't even have a place to settle down right now. How can I gather provisions and avoid seeking hegemony?"
"Not now, does that mean not in the future either? My Lord, with your literary and military talents, do you still worry about not having a place to settle?" Ye Guanting smiled and said, "Is there no place for my Lord on this vast grassland?"
"Literary and military talents? Guanting flatters me!" Zhou Fugui shook his head and then realized, "Guanting's intention is...? From north to south?"
"Exactly!" Ye Guanting nodded. "Throughout history, those who unified the world did so by moving from north to south, contending for the Central Plains, conquering the Jiangzuo region to the south, and unifying the world."
"Oh, I wish to hear your explanation," Zhou Fugui said curiously.
"Qin rose from the northwest, conquering Yiqu to the west, annexing Bashu to the south, moving east to Qilu, expelling Wu and Chu to the southeast, and unifying the world from north to south. In the Chu-Han contention, Emperor Liu Bang of Han established himself in Hanzhong, repaired the plank roads, secretly crossed the Chencang Pass, captured Guanzhong, and defeated the Hegemon-King of Western Chu. Moving from north to south, and then eastward, he gained the empire. Eastern Han's Liu Xiu also moved from the northwest to the southeast, leading to the Zhongxing of Emperor Guangwu. In the late Han and Three Kingdoms period, one powerful and two weak, Cao Wei destroyed Shu. Wasn't it from north to south?" Ye Guanting spoke eloquently.
"What about after the Three Kingdoms?" Zhou Fugui asked.
What Zhou Fugui knew now was that there were countries like Yan, Xia, and Zhao in this world, but he was unaware of these dynasties. After the Three Kingdoms should be the Western Jin. Where had the Western Jin gone? Where was the problem?
Zhou Fugui was utterly perplexed.
"After the Three Kingdoms was Xia, and then the barbarians entered China, causing chaos in the Central Plains," Ye Guanting asked in surprise. "My Lord, what is this...?"
Zhou Fugui seemed to have read a few books. Why did he not know that after the Three Kingdoms was Xia? Ye Guanting was also utterly perplexed...
"It's nothing..." Zhou Fugui quickly continued to ask, "Those who unified the world throughout history did so by moving from north to south. Is this a coincidence?"
Damn it, where did something go wrong? Zhou Fugui thought to himself. Clearly, after the Three Kingdoms was Jin, why did it become Xia?
The world was unified from north to south, but there were exceptions, such as the Ming Dynasty, which unified the Nine Provinces from south to north. However, since the Jin Dynasty no longer existed, perhaps the Ming Dynasty would never appear. Zhou Fugui mused in his heart.
"One coincidence, two coincidences, can three still be a coincidence?" Ye Guanting replied.
"What is the reason for this?" Zhou Fugui asked again.
"The Central Plains region has a terrain that is high in the north and low in the south, high in the west and low in the east. Moving from the northwest to the southeast is like descending with the momentum, like a surging flood rushing down. Moving from south to north is like sailing against the current. This is one reason. The north has abundant grain, a large population, and sufficient soldiers. My Lord, our Huaxia originated from the Yellow River, not the Yangtze River, which is evident." Ye Guanting replied.
"Alas, the Central Plains have been in turmoil for a long time, with all industries in decline and the population drastically reduced. Perhaps the current situation is far inferior to the south," Zhou Fugui sighed.
"What my Lord says is true," Ye Guanting nodded. "The people of the Central Plains have suffered from war and chaos for a long time, longing for a heroic ruler to drive out the barbarians and restore past prosperity, like the parched earth longing for sweet rain, like the great drought hoping for clouds and rainbows."
Zhou Fugui glanced at Ye Guanting and said to him, "Continue."
From Ye Guanting's words, Zhou Fugui inferred that he wished to restore the Han dynasty. This was probably his ambition.
Zhou Fugui also had this wish, and he even wanted to join Xia. Unfortunately, due to twists and turns, he never had the opportunity.
"The third reason, my Lord should know," Ye Guanting continued. "The northern regions produce fine horses, and the cavalry is unparalleled in the world. The people of the north are tall and mighty, often superior to the people of the south."
"I do not have such skills as you, Guanting is truly talented!" Zhou Fugui said with a smile.
He felt as if he had struck gold. Zhou Fugui was secretly pleased. He had found such a learned and knowledgeable person in the Xiongnu's lair. How could such a person be a slave to the Xiongnu?
Zhou Fugui did not believe that the Xiongnu had not discovered Ye Guanting's talent.
"My Lord flatters me!" Ye Guanting cupped his fists.
A good bird chooses a tree to perch on, and a good minister chooses a lord to serve. Although Zhou Fugui currently had almost nothing, Ye Guanting had also discovered Zhou Fugui's uniqueness and was willing to be subordinate to him.
At this moment, the two appreciated each other.
"To reside in the dangerous north and conquer in one decisive blow, this is a matter for the future!" Zhou Fugui then asked Ye Guanting, "What about the present matter?"
"Hasn't my Lord already done very well?" Ye Guanting replied with a smile. "Yan and the Xiongnu are at war. My Lord has repeatedly defeated the Xiongnu armies. If he can capture several cities consecutively, the world will surely be shaken. And for the Yan court, my Lord will have made a great contribution. Obtaining an official post and rewards will be as easy as lifting a finger, won't it?"
"An official post and rewards?" Zhou Fugui shook his head and said, "That's not necessarily true."
Zhou Fugui cared nothing for official posts or rewards. He only wanted military power. With military power, he would have an opportunity. But would the Xianbei people trust a Han to lead a large army? The answer was almost impossible.
"Why?" Ye Guanting asked.
"This is obvious, Guanting. Those who are not of our kind will surely have different intentions. This is from the Zuo Zhuan, isn't it? The Xianbei people are the same," Zhou Fugui replied.
"My Lord speaks the truth," Ye Guanting nodded. "However, there are rewards for merit and punishments for mistakes. The Xianbei court cannot violate this, otherwise, who would serve them?"
"Guanting speaks the truth," Zhou Fugui nodded.
In fact, it was not strange for the Xianbei court to be like this. Was the art of using people not also like this? Both must be used and guarded against. As a subordinate, one naturally desires absolute power, while the ruler wants to maintain a balance of power. This is the so-called art of imperial checks and balances.
"Fugui, the troops have been assembled and are waiting for your command," Li Qing said at this moment.
"Scholar, do you think this is appropriate?" Zhou Fugui nodded and asked.
"It is appropriate!" Li Qing replied. "The bigger the fuss, the greater the bargaining power."
Zhou Fugui and Ye Guanting looked at each other and smiled.
"Brother Li is indeed exceptionally intelligent!" Ye Guanting praised afterwards.