Chapter 622 - 348: He Who Does Not Plan for the Whole Situation Cannot Plan for a Single Domain!
Chapter 622: Chapter 348: He Who Does Not Plan for the Whole Situation Cannot Plan for a Single Domain!
Chen Yunfan. Was it him? Undoubtedly. On the chessboard in Chen Yi’s mind, the white piece representing Chen Yunfan sat squarely in the courtyard of the bottom left corner.
In that corner of the game representing Shu State, Chen Yunfan was the undisputed protagonist. If Chen Yi had not been there, and if Liu Hong’s schemes had succeeded, what would the situation in Shu State look like now?
Due to Xiao Jinghong’s relationship with Immortal Bai and Li Wudang, the Xiao Family might not have completely perished, but losing power in both Shu State and the Imperial Court would have been almost a certainty. If Liu Hong’s schemes had succeeded, Shu State would have plunged into chaos.
The Imperial Court would dispatch troops to suppress it, and Chen Yunfan would have seized the opportunity to rise up and quell the rebellion. Simultaneously, the Imperial Court would have the perfect excuse to punish the Xiao Family and divide the Dingyuan Army.
Although the Xiao Family might still be the nominal Commander-in-Chief of the Dingyuan Army, their military strength would absolutely not be what it was today. It would have been divided in two, or perhaps even three.
Chen Yunfan would gain a portion, the Imperial Court would reclaim a portion, and the Xiao Family would retain a portion. And that would not be the end of it.
The fledgling "Chen Yi" would operate in the shadows. Borrowing the power of the White Tiger Guard, he would slowly encroach upon and control the remaining strength of the Xiao Family, eventually gravitating toward Chen Yunfan as the general trend dictated. Then there was the Xiao Family’s second branch: Xiao Wang, Xiao Dongchen, and Xiao Qiuyun...
In this manner, Chen Yunfan could effortlessly snatch away the Dingyuan Army without lifting a finger. Chen Yi’s thoughts swirled as he murmured in his heart, "That was close. I almost let my brother soar to the top..."
However, after silently joking to himself, Chen Yi thought of another matter. Judging from the current situation, Liu Hong and the Ji State Trading Company were not mere stepping stones found by the mastermind behind this setup. So what about that schemer...
The voice in his heart paused as sudden realization dawned on Chen Yi.
"In the struggle between the South and the North, if some bet on the South, others will bet on the North.
"The Ji State Trading Company originated in Bei Mang. Naturally, they do not wish to see a war erupt in the North. Their machinations in Shu State were meant to draw the Imperial Court’s troops southward.
"The refugee rebellion was one part. The second must be... the Peacock King Banner.
"Thus, Liu Hong and the Ji State Trading Company essentially belonged to the same camp. Their mutual goal was to shift the Holy Emperor’s gaze southward."
Thinking of this, a sharp glint flashed through Chen Yi’s calm eyes. He tilted his head slightly, gazing at the boundless clear sky, as if he could see the silhouette of the mastermind hidden behind the scenes, along with his wise, icy eyes. "He calculated every single response of his opponents!"
Only by doing so could that deeply hidden person stay one step ahead time and time again, playing the Xiao Family, the Liu Family, and the Ji State Trading Company like a fiddle.
Unfortunately, his scheme was ultimately only half-successful. He successfully ensured that Chen Yunfan received a reward from the Holy Emperor this time, stepping onto the ladder to the heavens. He successfully dismantled the Ji State Trading Company’s setup in Shu State and simultaneously brought down Liu Hong and the Jing State Liu Family backing him.
But he miscalculated one single thing—he miscalculated Chen Yi! If Chen Yi had not appeared to disrupt the board, the Xiao Family would not be as stable as they were now, and the offensive from the Ji State Trading Company, Liu Hong, and the others would have been far more ferocious. Chen Yunfan would also not be living as leisurely as he was at this moment.
But judging by the results...
"It seems that person hasn’t suffered any losses either. Right now, he still holds the initiative.
"Perhaps he had everything planned out from the very beginning.
"If the scheme succeeded, Chen Yunfan would reach the heavens in a single bound, and the Great Wei Dynasty’s Southern Expedition would follow naturally.
"If the scheme failed, with Chen Yunfan and the Xiao Family present, even if the Great Wei Dynasty initiated a Northern Expedition, the situation in Shu State would remain far more stable than before."
A look of admiration inevitably appeared on Chen Yi’s face. "Killing multiple birds with one stone." Pausing for a moment, he withdrew his gaze and looked back at the exam paper in his hands.
"One who does not plan for the future cannot manage the present; one who does not grasp the big picture cannot secure a single domain.
"Being an opponent to someone like that truly brings a lot of pressure..."
Chen Yi knew very well that the things he had done previously mostly relied on catching the unprepared off guard and using his opponents’ strength against them. Now, the alias he had assumed, the "Dragon Tiger" Liu Wu, had already entered the sights of observant individuals, such as the White Tiger Guard and the mastermind behind them, or the Ji State Trading Company, the Bright Moon Building, and the Southern Expedition Faction backing them.
Whether publicly or privately, there was no way those people could ignore him—the "disrupter" who had revitalized the Xiao Family.
Although it seemed right now that the Holy Emperor was leaning towards a war in the North, Shu State would still have to go through some twists and turns before achieving complete stability. At the very least, before the dust completely settled, those favoring the Southern Expedition would inevitably strike out recklessly. Unless they abandoned their massive interests in the North and chose to start from scratch.
But where in the Great Wei Dynasty’s Nine States and Three Prefectures could they even find a foothold? If they discarded their vast territories in the North, they would have to stir up even greater waves within the Great Wei Dynasty to snatch food from the mouths of others.
The available options were not plentiful. The eastern sea and land routes, the north-south water transport, the westbound trade routes... The Xiao Family in Shu State, Duke Qian’s lineage in Guangyue Prefecture, the Noble Families led by the Chen Family and the Wang Family in Jiangnan Prefecture, the Ji State Cui Family being close to the Capital Prefecture... After calculating every angle, Shu State, where the Xiao Family resided, remained their easiest target.
Coupled with the debate over choosing between a Southern Expedition and a Northern War, the factions leaning towards the South were bound to make another move.
Having thought through all these obstacles, Chen Yi’s previous notion that he could enjoy a period of peace dissipated significantly. He turned his head to look at Ma Shuhan, who had already returned to the high platform, and a faint deduction formed in his mind.
"The policy question on today’s Annual Examination is perhaps the handiwork of those people.
"Having the scholars of Shu State debate over a Southern Expedition versus a Northern War—does the result even need to be pondered?
"More than half will inevitably choose the Southern Expedition, and they will list its benefits, such as avenging the blood feud with the Barbarian Race, harnessing the public sentiment of Shu State, and so on."
The deeper Chen Yi thought about it, the more he felt that beneath the chessboard of the Great Wei Dynasty hid a horde of sinister forces.