knife

Chapter 307 No one is easy to deal with
Wei Zhengdao recalled his long, private conversation with Zhang Songlin in the government office.

This so-called Minister of War, who had been ignored by him and treated as a figurehead by the court, revealed his true colors for the first time.

He started by feigning weakness after winning the third-highest rank in the imperial examinations, and over the decades, he gradually climbed to his current position. Through years of accumulation and careful management, he now has the leverage to negotiate terms and prices with others.

This was the first time Wei Zhengdao had seen Zhang Songlin stand up straight in front of him, chatting and laughing with him with ease. Before, this man had always been bowing in front of him, his head seemingly unable to lift up.

Actually, it's not just him; it seems like he treats everyone the same way.

that's true!
If it weren't for his humility and attentiveness, how could he have climbed to his current position and stayed there?

Zhang Songlin's proposed plan was meticulously considered and clearly not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather the result of a long period of planning.

The first step was for the imperial court to send Zhang Songlin, the Minister of War, back to Sichuan to raise grain and military funds.

The so-called fundraising was actually a means of surveillance, and even a way to hope that Zhang Songlin would seize power after returning to Sichuan.

With Luoyang lost, Sichuan became Chang'an's last lifeline, and it was easy for the court to realize that it wanted to seize it.

The reason for sending Zhang Songlin was that he was from Sichuan and had some connections and influence, so he wouldn't arouse too much resentment among the people of Sichuan.

Of course, whether Zhang Songlin could succeed or not was a joke in the eyes of those people in Sichuan.

They treated Wei Zhengdao's act of sending Zhang Songlin to Sichuan as a desperate last stand as a topic of conversation.

Or they might even try to drag Zhang Songlin onto the Sichuan war machine so everyone could mock Wei Zhengdao together.

During this process, Zhang Songlin will gather a portion of the forces.

In Sichuan, the Zhang family had been quietly developing their power over the years, but their efforts were always directed at those powerful and influential families who paid little attention to them or looked down on them.

Given the importance of Sichuan, the Wei family, the imperial court, and even the already crumbling Kou family naturally deployed some forces there.

Moreover, although the opposing forces had been suppressed during Li Shen and Tang Shi's rule over Sichuan, they did exist. Once they understood Zhang Songlin's intentions, they would naturally gravitate towards him.

It is only natural for the weak to band together to resist powerful enemies.

Once the power has accumulated to a certain level, it will be the final moment to unleash it.

Seize Jian Ge Road.

In Zhang Songlin's plan, the main force to seize Jian Ge Road will be the inspection team belonging to the Black Ice Guard.

The reason is that the inspection team is a semi-public, hidden force, unfamiliar to the people of Shu. Moreover, the inspection team is tightly organized, strictly disciplined, and its operations are extremely secretive and sudden. Unlike the army currently controlled by the Wei family, whose every move is closely watched.

Once the Jianmen Pass is captured, the gates of Sichuan will be wide open to Chang'an, and the imperial court will have much more freedom of action.

As for how the inspection team took over Jiange Road, Zhang Songlin remained silent.

In Wei Zhengdao's opinion, Zhang Songlin probably didn't know much about it either.

This part was clearly handled by Wu De from the Black Ice Station.

Thinking of Wu De, Wei Zhengdao couldn't help but sigh again.

I underestimated Zhang Songlin, and I even overlooked Wu De.

Now, He Bing, who has been promoted to the position of Grand Magistrate of the Black Ice Bureau, has found him. The implication behind his words is that he wants to take back the power of the inspection team from Wu De.

Kou Zhong, the former Grand Chancellor of the Black Ice Bureau, was someone with whom I could sit and discuss philosophy, but now he has died a violent death, and He Bing is not qualified to be my equal.

The promotion of He Bing to Grand Magistrate was orchestrated by Wei Zhengdao, with the aim of controlling either He Bing or Wu De.

Once these two start fighting, they'll have to align themselves with me if they want to gain a foothold. Then I can act as a mediator or referee, playing both sides and completely taking control of the Black Ice Platform.

Kou Zhong had run the Black Ice Station his entire life, and Wei Zhengdao was extremely envious of it.

Before, we could see it but couldn't touch it, but now we have the opportunity to hold it in our hands.

He Bing tactfully moved closer, but Wu De's counterattack followed.

Moreover, the counterattack was very fierce and domineering, which is very much in line with the Black Ice Team's consistent tradition.

Given the alliance between Wu De and Zhang Songlin, how could Wei Zhengdao possibly refuse?

No wonder Kou Zhong always liked Wu De, who wasn't that old. Now it seems Wu De is indeed much better than He Bing.

Of course, they are also unruly.

If they successfully take over Shu, then Shu will become the territory of the three-way alliance. Moreover, the combined strength of Wu De and Zhang Songlin will inevitably give them an advantage in Shu, making them the dominant force in decision-making.

But it's alright, at least it's much better than the current situation.

Moreover, Zhang Songlin and Wu De's forces are unlikely to be a monolithic entity. At that point, we can gradually divide, win over, and devise ways to achieve our goals.

After listening to Wei Zhengdao's story, Wei Yi was deeply moved.

Zhang Songlin used to be seen as a good-for-nothing.

Wu De is the kind of thug who is straightforward and honest. His actions, such as killing Liu Chengdong of the Liu family in Hedong and killing Sima Lang of Bohai in the street under Kou Zhong's orders, reveal his true nature.

However, this incident reveals that Wu De has a rather dual nature; it's just that the other side wasn't brought out at the time.

The person that Kou Zhong, that old fox who has been around for a thousand years, has chosen and supported is indeed not so simple.

When chaos descends, heroes and valiant men remove their masks and reveal their true faces.

Underestimating anyone can lead to your own demise!
"No wonder Wu De's inspection brigade has expanded rapidly in the past six months. Even I had a hard time getting weapons and armor from the Ministry of War, but he had everything he wanted. It turns out he's allied with Zhang Songlin!" Wei Yi suddenly realized. "Father, Wu De wants to get rid of the inspection brigade to prevent his hard-earned army from falling into the hands of He Bing or us. The inspection brigade is conservatively estimated to be around 8,000 to 10,000 men, and their combat effectiveness is quite good. If they stay in Chang'an, they will be an extremely important asset to us and can help us defend Chang'an. Once they leave, He Bing will probably resent Father, and Wu De's power will grow stronger and stronger, making him difficult to control."

“From the moment Wu De and Zhang Songlin joined forces, we lost control of him!” Wei Zhengdao shook his head and said, “The only ones who can control Wu De are Kou Zhong and Wei Yi. From now on, we should treat Wu De and Zhang Songlin as equal allies.”

Wei Yi took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "Understood! Equal treatment!"

“I will talk to Wu De. Taking Jiange Road is not about the number of soldiers. The real skill lies in what you do outside the game. Five thousand men are enough to defend Jiange Road and other places!” Wei Zhengdao pondered. “Chang’an also needs the strength of the inspection team now!”

"Split in two?"

"The best solution I can think of right now!"

Should we inform He Bing about this?

“Not for now!” Wei Zhengdao shook his head: “He Bing cannot support this matter. Once it is done, the die is cast, and he will be helpless. In order not to be completely overwhelmed by Wu De, he will have to rely on us more to seize the other half of the power of the inspection team.”

"Father," Wei Yi said, "I suggest that the grain stored in those dozen or so granaries around Chang'an be transported into the city as soon as possible. A food shortage in Chang'an is inevitable, and we must ensure that the army and their families have a basic food supply." He lowered his voice, "Furthermore, there's no need to be polite to those who aren't our people in Chang'an. Not killing them is already giving them enough face; driving them away is only right. This way, we can obtain a considerable amount of silver and grain. Even their houses can be given to the soldiers as rewards; it's a way to win over the local gentry and consolidate our power!"

"We must be careful when transporting grain from the granaries outside the city. We must not make a big fuss about it. We should move grain little by little, like ants carrying food. For now, Chang'an is still safe." Wei Zhengdao nodded and said, "As for the grain inside the city, let He Bing handle it. The Black Ice Guard is used to doing things that offend people. We don't need to make a scene and incur public wrath!"

“Father is indeed wise!” Wei Yi laughed. “However, confiscating property is always a lucrative business. He Bing will be very grateful to Father for allowing him to obtain enough money to win over his subordinates.”

"As long as the items remain in Chang'an, it doesn't matter whether we get them or He Bing gets them, does it?"

“We can get it back from He Bing if we need it,” Wei Yi said with a smile.

Wei Zhengdao nodded and turned to Zhou Xuan: "This time, you will accompany Zhang Songlin back to Sichuan. Although we have promised to hand over all the resources of Sichuan to him, someone still needs to coordinate. Secretary Zhou will have a lot of work to do."

"Rest assured, Grand Secretary, what belongs to the Wei family will always belong to the Wei family. No outsider can take it away!" Zhou Xuan bowed and smiled.

Zhang Residence, Minister of War.

Zhang Songlin returned home satisfied.

“Wei Zhengdao has agreed!” Zhang Songlin said to Li Dachui, “His secretary, Zhou Xuan, will go back to Sichuan with me as my deputy to handle this matter.”

"Then I'll have to trouble Minister Zhang!" Li Dachui said with a smile.

"What hardship is there? Not only will I be able to return home in glory, but I will also have many long-cherished wishes fulfilled!" Zhang Songlin laughed: "Protector Li, it is said that a cunning rabbit has three burrows. I would like to send Zhang Rui with his wife and children to the border to see the world. I wonder if the Protector would agree?"

Zhang Rui was shocked. His father hadn't consulted him at all about sending his family to the border region. He wanted to object, but when he saw his father's cold gaze, he shuddered and lowered his head, not daring to utter a sound.

“That’s easy. Exactly one month from now, I will arrange to escort a few people to the border region. Brother Zhang can just go with them!” Li Dachui smiled and glanced at Zhang Rui.

The hostages that Zhang Songlin sent!

A person who is both literate and martial might not be anything special in Chang'an, but once they go beyond the Great Wall, they are considered a talent, no matter how small.

(End of this chapter)