If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1359 Tactical Summary and Future Outlook

Grand Tutor Yu returned to the "Annual Meeting Dream World" a little late.

Besides waiting for the few "night owl princes" to go to sleep, they also had to entertain the former kings of Qin who came to listen to the "Annual Meeting of the Princes".

Ghosts can appear in dreams to the living.

The former kings of the Qin Dynasty were all ghosts. They could come to the edge of the dream woven by Grand Tutor Yu on their own, without Grand Tutor Yu having to "pull them into the group chat" one by one.

But since they had come to her dream, Grand Tutor Yu naturally had to personally greet them and treat them well.

When Grand Tutor Yu led the princes to the annual meeting, they saw Hu Hai sitting on the throne, gesturing wildly and talking animatedly to the princes.

"I'm not exaggerating. If you brothers don't believe me, you can ask the Prince of Lieyang and the two prime ministers."

I fought the traitors to the death, forcing them to raise their white flags of surrender and never dare to challenge me again.

Hu Hai wasn't trying to show off to his brothers, but after he recounted his valiant deeds, a faint yet highly effective "communicative belief" emanated from the Ying clan princes below.

It made him feel so good he could fly.

His sole purpose in life now is to enjoy himself endlessly, and to enjoy himself even more.

The real pursuit is enjoyment; the improvement in the realm of the "Pseudo-Saint Emperor's Divine Skill" is merely a side benefit.

"How did Hu Hai become like this? In just half a year, his physique, appearance, and temperament have all become unfamiliar to me," King Mu exclaimed in surprise.

“Ancestor, you are quite out of touch with the world. Hu Hai has changed a long time ago, becoming like a ‘strange sage ruler’,” Mi Yue said with a strange expression.

As she spoke, she glanced at Grand Tutor Yu out of the corner of her eye.

She not only knew that Hu Hai had changed, but also knew the reason for his change, a rather strange "Emperor's Divine Skill".

Grand Tutor Yu had no interest in chatting with them and said directly, "Your Majesties, tonight is a family gathering of the Ying clan. You may make yourselves at home. I will take the stage to preside over the meeting."

The City God Ying Qian said, "Grand Tutor Yu, you may go. We will listen from the side and not disturb you."

Grand Tutor Yu nodded and strode towards the "Xianyang Palace".

The venue at this time was still the familiar place for court assemblies in Xianyang Palace—Zhangtai.

As the second emperor, Hu Hai naturally sat on the throne.

Li Si and Feng Quji were ranked first among civil officials, while Prince Lieyang was ranked first among military officials.

Then the kings, according to their seniority, sat opposite their ministers.

The high-ranking officials and members of the imperial family were arranged on the left and right sides of the court, respectively.

If they were to sit in the same manner during a real court assembly, these people would also be seated in this manner.

"Greetings, Grand Tutor!"

"Greetings, Father!"

Grand Tutor Yu made his entrance, and everyone stood up and bowed.

Grand Tutor Yu returned the greeting with a cupped hand.

The former kings made their appearance, but instead of entering the main hall, they stood on the sidelines to watch.

The ministers and members of the Ying clan rose and bowed again. King Mu, on behalf of the late king, waved for them to focus on their duties.

Grand Tutor Yu walked to the seat below Hu Hai and addressed the assembled officials, saying, "First, I have some good news. Tonight, the Imperial Observatory observed the celestial phenomena and discovered that the fate of the Qin Dynasty has not worsened."

This shows that my previous advocacy of "ten years of benevolent governance" has indeed been effective.

The fact that ten years of benevolent governance could be so quickly implemented in all counties and prefectures is entirely thanks to everyone here today.

Especially Prime Minister Li and Prime Minister Feng, they deserve the greatest credit. And then there are the various vassal kings, you have indeed done very well.”

Grand Tutor Yu wasn't deliberately praising Li Si and Feng Quji.

She visited southern Xinjiang while working to clear the earth's veins.

Even in Xiangyin, far from the Central Plains and Wang E's hometown, everyone knew about the ten-year benevolent rule and was implementing it.

Let's set aside the question of how effective the execution will be.

The efficiency of the Qin Dynasty's civil officials in rapidly extending administrative orders to towns and villages tens of thousands of miles away from the central government, even in an ancient dynasty with a territory several times larger than that of the previous China, is commendable.

Moreover, the Xingyang court was not only efficient.

Grand Tutor Yu personally investigated and found that, with a large amount of gold and silver flowing from the Xianyang Treasury to the people, the prices of daily necessities in the market have remained basically stable.

The prices of certain goods, such as refined salt, copper, iron, and brocade, have even decreased due to the large influx of goods from surrounding vassal states.

With no taxes, more cash flows into the public, prices stabilize, and luxury goods become affordable for ordinary people.

It can be said that she has basically achieved her goal of implementing the "Ten Years of Benevolent Governance"—to distribute benefits to ordinary people.

She only shared her ideas; she didn't participate in formulating any specific policies.

This achievement is certainly not due to her efforts.

Li Si smiled smugly and accepted the credit quite readily, then frowned and said, "It just didn't get any worse."

"Having searched through countless ancient books, I cannot find a policy more benevolent than the 'Ten Years of Benevolent Governance,' why are the people still unwilling to submit?"

Grand Tutor Yu sighed, “The common people are just not as smart as you, but that doesn’t mean they are stupid.”

The Qin Dynasty promulgated a ten-year benevolent policy, and all the people with aspirations could see that the Qin Dynasty did not know how to repent, but rather that it knew it was about to die.

They could see the utilitarian nature of the court's ten years of benevolent governance, and they understood that such benevolent governance could not last. The drastic measures were intended to win over their hearts.

With this understanding, they would not be so grateful for the new policies of the Qin Dynasty.

They still remember the exploitation the Qin Dynasty had inflicted on them over the past few decades; how could their hearts easily turn to them?

Feng Quji sighed, "The flood is like a torrent; how can a flood stop in a day? We need time."

The past year only halted the decline; another year should allow us to recover some of the losses, and next year even more.

Li Si hesitated and asked, "Given the current chaos in the Central Plains, how many more years does our Great Qin have?"

King Lieyang immediately said, "Prime Minister Li, what are you worried about? With Chen Sheng, Wu Guang, Wei Jiu, and Tian Shi as they are now, without the help of immortals, I can sweep them away immediately."

Even if immortals lend their support, it doesn't represent the will of the people.

If ten years of benevolent governance can truly save the Qin Dynasty on the level of destiny, you can rest assured that no matter how chaotic the Central Plains are now, when the Mandate of Heaven changes, we will immediately sweep them away and annihilate them.

Grand Tutor Yu said, "The ten-year benevolent rule must continue, but we are already in a chaotic world and cannot rely solely on benevolent rule."

Tonight's year-end meeting of the princes is to prepare, militarily and policy-wise, for the changing situation in the Central Plains next year.

She raised her right hand, and an IMAX screen appeared between Hu Hai and his ministers.

The giant screen is a "double-sided embroidery," looking the same from both the front and back, with a detailed map of the Central Plains war situation on it.

The details were so detailed that even the advance team of a hundred people outside the county town was clearly marked.

"Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated. Now you have already directly clashed with the rebels."

Let's discuss what the rebels' strengths and weaknesses are.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of my Great Qin?

King Lieyang answered again, saying, "The rebels' advantage lies first in their immortals."

In many battles, the rebels won by using strange magic.

For example, Zhou Shi led 5,000 cavalrymen to break through the Honggou encirclement.

An immortal directly cast a wide-range invisibility spell, allowing Zhou Shi and his five thousand iron cavalry to swagger past Gaoyang City. The Gaoyang County Commandant led two thousand light cavalry to deploy defenses within a hundred miles, and it wasn't until Zhou Shi crossed the Sui River that he realized a large force of troops had broken through his defensive zone.

He begged for forgiveness from me, and I was unable to punish him.

Grand Tutor Yu nodded, and a line of text appeared on the screen: “Rebel Advantage: First, Immortal Assistance.”

"Any more?"

King Lieyang hesitated and said, "It's easy for the rebels to gather a large number of followers."

Grand Tutor Yu sighed, "Our Great Qin has lost the hearts of its people!"

Below the rebels' advantage, another line of text appeared: "Second point: The will of the people."

Li Si said, "Not all the people support the rebels. Those who join the rebels mainly fall into three categories."

First, the wandering knights of the county; second, the local powerful families who evolved from the old nobles of the six states of Shandong; and third, the merchants and farmers whose families were destroyed and who died because of the corvée labor and military service of the Qin Dynasty.

These three types of people had the strongest anti-Qin beliefs.

However, during the chaos and looting of the Central Plains by the rebel army, many county magistrates led the local soldiers and civilians in a desperate resistance, which even led to massacres of entire cities.

This shows that our Great Qin has not completely lost the hearts of the people.

King Lieyang said, "Wu Guang traveled 1,500 li along the Honggou Canal, passing through thirteen cities, and gathered an army of 300,000."

After Zhou Shi toured the former Wei territory, he immediately assembled an elite force of 200,000 men, including 50,000 armored cavalry.

"Damn it! The armory that my Great Qin built in the prefecture was opened by them and handed over to the rebels for nothing!"

He gritted his teeth and sighed, "Prime Minister Li, we are discussing the situation on the battlefield, not arguing with anyone. We must respect the facts."

Li Si remained silent.

Grand Tutor Yu asked, "Do the rebels still have an advantage?"

King Lieyang said, "These two are the most crucial; the others are not worth worrying about."

Grand Tutor Yu looked around at the princes and asked, "You are also on the front lines fighting the rebels. What are your thoughts?"

Fusu said bitterly, "Our Great Qin has indeed oppressed its people too much. Even the Qin people in Guanzhong are quite disappointed with the court, and the people of the six states still hate us."

"Let's only discuss the advantages and disadvantages in terms of strategy and tactics, without expressing any sentiments," said Grand Tutor Yu.

Fusu fell silent, somewhat embarrassed.

The Prince of Nanyang said to Lü Dao: "The rebels have another great advantage: they can move around freely, they are not afraid of creating chaos, nor are they afraid of losing one or two battles."

They weren't even afraid of being wiped out.

From a long-term strategic perspective, it is meaningless to conquer any number of cities if a stable rule cannot be established.

But it's meaningless, and it only applies to themselves.

They are not the chosen ones; they will be defeated by other potential leaders sooner or later.

For our Great Qin, their successive acts of creating unrest are undermining the very foundation of the court's rule.

They were the vanguard of the king, willing to risk their lives to fulfill their destiny, and my Great Qin was dragged down into the abyss by them.”

Grand Tutor Yu nodded slightly, and another line of text appeared on the screen.

King Ying Tong of Bohai said with a gloomy expression, "The rebels have another advantage: they have strong local connections or high prestige, making it easy for them to rally a large following."

Even powerful clans and officials of Qin who were unwilling to betray the Great Qin were willing to befriend them, and even secretly protect them.

Grand Tutor Yu's eyes flickered slightly. For the King of Bohai to say such a thing, he must have experienced it firsthand, perhaps even suffered it deeply.

Another line of text appeared on the screen.

Afterwards, the various feudal lords each offered their opinions, and together they summarized fifteen advantages of rebellion.

Then start from the beginning to summarize the disadvantages of rebellion and the advantages and disadvantages of the Qin Dynasty.

The more they discussed it, the more open the kings became.

Everyone eagerly spoke up, saying whatever came to mind. If they disagreed with someone, they immediately voiced their opposition, knowing that Grand Tutor Yu wouldn't blame them for being wrong.

Amid such a lively atmosphere, a tactical and strategic summary of over a thousand words had already been displayed on the big screen.

When they were all speechless, Grand Tutor Yu simply expressed his opinion: "In my opinion, the rebels have only one greatest advantage: destiny."

When fortune smiles, heaven and earth lend their strength; when fortune turns, even heroes are powerless.

Therefore, the core strategy of our Great Qin is not to defeat a particular rebel, but to use our own advantages to seize the Mandate of Heaven and attack the enemy's weaknesses so that they lose the Mandate of Heaven.

The will of Heaven is the will of the people.

To fight for the Mandate of Heaven is to fight for the hearts and minds of the people; to strike at the Mandate of Heaven of the enemy is to make them lose the hearts and minds of the people.

Next, we need to formulate specific plans for the specific difficulties faced by each vassal king.

All tactical plans must adhere to the overarching strategy of 'winning hearts and minds'.

After Grand Tutor Yu finished speaking, he stepped down from the "lecture platform." "King Lieyang, you should first represent the court and explain the predicament facing Xingyang, and how the surrounding kings need to cooperate."

After King Lieyang came the kings.

Please come up in order of seniority to state your questions and needs.

When faced with a particular predicament, you can prepare several solutions, even if they conflict with others' solutions.

The current discussions are only the first phase of tonight's conference.

Later I will use the Great Dream Technique again to allow you to travel endlessly through the dream world, testing your proposed plans one by one. Also…”

Grand Tutor Yu looked at the former kings of Qin around him and said, "If you feel that your wisdom and experience are insufficient, you can ask the former kings for help."

Don't be afraid of making mistakes; you can keep trying in the dream world.

The former kings could even act as 'personal immortals', accompanying the kings through time travel.

In the dream world, you act as advisors to the kings, using your experience and wisdom to help them solve problems.

"Grand Tutor Yu is the greatest advantage of our Great Qin! With unlimited time travel and continuous trial and error, what is there to fear from the rebels who have a destiny?"

Feng Quji was initially delighted, but then somewhat worried, and asked, "Behind every rebel, there are many immortals supporting them."

Among them were near-Great Immortals like the Four Friends of Qionglin. Could the Grand Tutor possibly simulate the thoughts and abilities of so many great immortals?

Grand Tutor Yu shook his head and said, "I don't even know the identities of all the immortals, so how could I possibly accurately predict every battle and every major event?"
But I know destiny and the will of Heaven, and I can predict the general direction of my fate.

Based on the general direction of the Great Calamity, we will try our best to anticipate the enemy's moves and let you encounter the most powerful foe and the greatest danger.

If you can survive the battles in your dreams, things will definitely be much easier in reality.

Jiang Lü asked, "Was this dream-travel experience a manifestation of the entire cataclysm, or like last time, only a part of it?"

Grand Tutor Yu said, "It depends on your abilities. The longer you live, the more events you will experience."

If you can help the Xingyang court hold out for ten years, you will be considered qualified, and tonight's mission will be basically accomplished.

If you have less than ten years, you will have to continue your journey.

If you encounter a bottleneck that you cannot break through, you can go through it a few times and then gather together for a meeting to discuss it.

Just like before, we need to summarize our experiences and lessons learned, and formulate new action strategies.

If one's own abilities are insufficient, one can seek help from one's ancestors.

(End of this chapter)