The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 312 Plan
Whether it's repeating old tricks or using the same old routine, the most important thing is that it works.

Wu Chengyu could easily disguise himself as Tang Kuo Shanying, do things that would anger both heaven and man, cause trouble, offend the family members, and ultimately win back the support of Madam Wen from the wavering members of the family.

Then Madam Wen will send Wu Chengyu to the coal mine in Youyanling as a manager, and set a ten-year sentence for him.

As Tang Kuo Shan Ying, played by Wu Chengyu, he was naturally willing to stay there. Whenever supplies were needed or the righteous army needed to be contacted, Wu Chengyu would go to Tongguan County in Tang Kuo Shan Ying's guise.

As for the coal mine at Youyanling, Wu Chengyu and Yan Chunyu had talked about it before. Now the rebel army has recruited a lot of people and is deciding to open up several new bases and strongholds, extending the rebel army's reach to some new areas.

Tongguan County is the top choice here. It has Lady Wen, a powerful figure in Tongguan County, as its protector, Guan Su, a military commander, and now Wu Chengyu, a top expert. The rebel army has all the conditions to grow and expand here.

The best location for this rebel army is Ziwu Ridge near Tongguan County. It provides a base and strategic depth, and it is also very close to Tongguan County, so they can arrive in less than an hour if summoned.

As the financial foundation behind the rebel army, Tongguan County did indeed need an armed force that could be mobilized at any time.

Therefore, when Wu Chengyu was punished by being sent to the Youyanling Coal Mine while impersonating Tangkuo Shanying, with Madam Wen's skills, she could have easily replaced all the people in the fortified village there with the righteous army.

With the help of Tang Kuo's money and resources, the fortress was continuously expanded and strengthened, while connecting with Wu Chengyu's small base, forming a mutually supportive network that echoed the Eight Thousand Mile Escort Agency in Tongguan County. Resources were no longer a problem; such an arrangement was simply perfect.

In this way, Wu Chengyu's decision to plant the flag at Ziwu Ridge was finally made firmly established. Wu Chengyu believed that in a few years, he would be able to develop the Ziwu Ridge area into his own territory and have an iron-clad army.

Madam Wen certainly couldn't understand Wu Chengyu's little scheme. She wondered what way there was to tame Tangkuo Shanying until Wu Chengyu suggested that he replace Tangkuo Shanying.
Madam Wen was taken aback at first, then her face showed surprise, and her eyes widened instantly, because Wu Chengyu's face slowly transformed into the appearance of Tang Kuo Shanying right in front of her.

"What, what's going on?" As a lady from a prominent family, Madam Wen naturally had no idea that there was such an effective disguise technique in the world.

"This is a disguise technique. I can transform into Tang Kuo Shanying whenever I want."

Next, Wu Chengyu told Madam Wen all his plans, including that he had a secret base in Ziwu Ridge and needed space to develop it and access to supplies. Madam Wen was good at business and knew the situation in the area very well, so she would definitely be able to give him good advice.

Sure enough, when Madam Wen learned about Wu Chengyu's entire plan, she was very excited. She went through all the information in her mind and nodded repeatedly.

“Excellent. I never imagined there was such a miraculous technique in the world. It’s truly an eye-opener. Now our problem is solved. All we need to do is plan how to make good use of Tang Kuo Shan Ying’s face.”

When will Tangkuo Shanying come next time?

"This person is too good at pretending. Back then, he would come to pay his respects to me every morning and evening without fail for ten years, rain or shine. Everyone praised him for being filial."

After placing me under house arrest, he came every day, just to see how miserable I was.

Now that I've brought you here, I'll be eager to see if his plan has succeeded first thing tomorrow morning.

He wasn't wary of me; he usually came in alone.

"That's good. Let this filial son do his last bit of effort for my righteous army."

That night, Wu Chengyu discussed many details with Madam Wen, and even secretly left through the skylight in the middle of the night to tell Yan Chunyu about Madam Wen's situation and the plans they had discussed. Yan Chunyu, who was good at strategy, immediately offered many ideas. It wasn't until the fourth watch of the night, when the sky was just beginning to lighten, that Wu Chengyu sneaked back to Tang Kuo's house and returned to Madam Wen's boudoir.

"Madam Wen, have you thought it through? How do you want Tang Kuo Shanying to cause trouble, and what kind of trouble will make him punishable?"

"In a few days, it will be the current empress's birthday. Both I and Wanyan Hongsheng will send people to Zhongdu to present birthday gifts."

As is customary in previous years, in addition to birthday gifts, Wanyan Hongsheng will also send a lot of gold and silver treasures to bribe court officials and appease members of the imperial family.

Therefore, if a band of bandits suddenly appeared, stole these things, and exposed Tangkuo Shanying, it would be a terrible disaster.

"Won't this cause Tangkuo Shanying to lose his life directly?"

"No, Wanyan Hongsheng will be furious afterward. He just agreed to cooperate with Tangkuo Shanying, and then he was attacked by Tangkuo Shanying. He will definitely come to question him."

However, my Tangkuo family is also a noble family of the Jin Dynasty, and Tangkuo Shanying is the only ancestor of our branch. According to the laws of the Jin Dynasty, a noble like him cannot be easily beheaded unless he commits treason or rebellion. He can also pay money to atone for his crime.

I'm currently under house arrest and can't manage things, but as long as I remain the matriarch, many things will remain untouched.

Therefore, in order to protect the young clan leader, those clansmen would have to pay out of their own pockets to quell Wanyan Hongsheng's anger.

Once Wanyan Hongsheng receives compensation, he won't push the Tangkuo family too far, since he still needs to rely on the Tangkuo family's business to continue making money.

So as long as we pay the money and severely punish Tangkuo Shanying, Wanyan Hongsheng won't say anything even if he's angry, and he won't cooperate with anyone from the Tangkuo family other than me in the future.

But this was only Wanyan Hongsheng's side; the looting of the birthday gifts intended for the Empress would inevitably cause a reaction in the court.

At this time, facing the pressure from the court, the people in the clan will remember that I am close friends with the Empress and will surely ask me to take charge of the situation. Only I can deal with the Empress's side's questions.

If the Empress knew that I had been under house arrest, she would only vent her anger on Tang Kuo Shan Ying and would instead give me strong support.

At this point, I will regain control of the Tangkuo clan, and Tangkuo Shanying, who has caused such a great disaster and heavy losses to the clan, will be severely punished. He will be sent to the coal mine in Youyanling for ten years, and the clan members will not object.

Ten years is enough time for us to plan many things. Even if the clansmen ask Tangkuo Shanying to take over the family again by then, that's fine too. I'll be too old then, and you can take over control of the Tangkuo clan and continue to plan important matters for the righteous army."

Wu Chengyu nodded. Madam Wen clearly understood and was more adept at dealing with the intricate web of interests among the Jin nobles, how they colluded, compromised, and exploited each other. He had to listen to Madam Wen on this matter.

Having not slept all night, Wu Chengyu was fine, but Madam Wen was very tired. Wu Chengyu told Madam Wen to rest for a while, while he sat at the door waiting for Tang Kuo Shanying to come to the door.

An hour later, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open, and Tangkuo Shanying swaggered in, eager to see if his noble mother had given in.

　It's the end of the month. Considering I've been writing 10,000 words every day for the past month without fail—at least I've worked very hard and sincerely—please don't waste your monthly votes. The more you vote for me, the better. Thank you in advance. See you in July.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)