Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 133 Xuanwu Gate Plaque: The struggle for the heir apparent has always been like this!

When Mao Haifeng saw Wang Cheng joining forces with that direct line of Tanka people, his expression gradually darkened.

Although this escaped fugitive seemed to pose no threat to him, less than half a day after his return, he felt the situation, which he had previously been in complete control of, was beginning to spiral out of control.

He turned and strode towards another small circle enclosed by a screen, finding his trusted confidant from the Black Peak Banner, his face grim:

"I can't make a stupid mistake and give that silly kid any more chance to run around!"

I must break through to the upper three ranks as soon as possible.

Gritting his teeth, he pulled an old plaque from his waist pouch, on which were clearly written the three characters "Xuanwu Gate".

[Rare Object: Xuanwu Gate Plaque (A National Treasure)]
It anchors the history of the rise to power of Emperor Taizong of Tang, who was the King of Qin, Grand Commandant, Minister of Works, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Grand Chancellor of the Eastern Shaanxi Circuit, Grand Chancellor of the Yizhou Circuit, Governor of Yongzhou, General of the Heavenly Strategy, and the strongest creature on Earth in the 7th century.

Effect: Whoever wins becomes the Crown Prince!
After killing or completely defeating an opponent, one will be tacitly recognized by other key figures within the same system as the successor to the nation and other powers, enjoying popular support and becoming unstoppable.

At the same time, the titles, widows, and property of their brothers are also inherited.

The competitors are not limited to the crown prince; they can be any leader, high-ranking official, or successor of any power.

Prerequisite: One must already possess the qualifications to compete for that position; even if a minor figure successfully assassinates the crown prince or leader, they will not be recognized.

Mao Haifeng's hand gently brushed across the plaque, and his ears were suddenly filled with the tragic shouts of killing that seemed to span a thousand years, which further strengthened his resolve to kill.

"When Wang Cheng had his accident in November of the 39th year of Shaozhi last year, he had not yet lit the lamp of his heart. Now it is only March of the 40th year of Shaozhi, which is only four months at most."

He's impressive for being able to advance to the seventh rank.

"Taking advantage of his current unpreparedness, I can make him die unexpectedly with just a few words; it's no more effort than crushing an ant."

Turning to Sun Xiong, the "Mountain-Carrying General," he instructed him:
"Didn't you say that a female assassin has been frequently appearing in Pinghu Port recently, trying to assassinate our people? And she even went near your house?"
This person is definitely an enemy of our Wufeng Banner, so don't arrest her yet.

Tonight, you will personally patrol the city, bringing several skilled fighters of the middle third rank, and force her to the Pear Blossom Palace where the Crown Prince resides!

Before it gets dark, go and make the arrangements now. I'll have the guards under our control cooperate with you. Once tonight is over, there won't be another chance like this.

Which assassin would be willing to give up such a big fish for free?

The delegation will arrive in Yingzhou tomorrow. Whether they come directly to Pinghu Port or to other daimyo with whom we have tributary relations, we can pin the blame on them.

Then bring out the fleet and slaughter them all!

This "Black Qilin" is indeed a ruthless and decisive man. He didn't even wait a day before starting to use others to do his dirty work.

His gaze seemed to penetrate the screen and reach Wang Cheng in another corner of the hall.

"Don't blame me, the struggle for the crown prince position has always been like this. Go in peace."

On the other side, Wang Cheng was speaking eloquently to his core team:

"The first type is the nominal selection group, which consists of people who can nominally choose the new Prince Jinghai, but in reality have no influence on the power struggle at the top."

Look at our Five Peaks Flag; it's actually made up of the ordinary bowmen, captains, elite Five Peaks Selectors, gunners, and sailors of the naval fleet.
Under the Jizhong system, they seem to be the most powerful and the cornerstone of the entire Wufeng Banner, but their power is scattered and they cannot unite. They cannot concentrate their efforts to accomplish major tasks and can only further rely on middle-level managers.

If placed in the context of the Great Zhao Dynasty, they would be equivalent to the local gentry and powerful families. They were nominally very important to the Great Zhao Dynasty and were the true 'people,' claiming to rule the world together with the ruler of the state.

But throughout history, even when vassal states inherited the throne, they had absolutely no say in who became emperor.

Everyone present was a survivor who had fought their way out from the bottom, and after a little thought, they confirmed the truth of this statement based on their years of experience.

Just like in reality, many groups may have a lot of voices, but in fact, they are of no use.

I immediately felt that this statement was a very insightful summary, using a single word to distill accidental experience into a systematic theory, which was quite enlightening.

Amazed by Wang Cheng's keen insight, they all nodded in agreement:

"Indeed."

Wang Cheng continued:
"The second type is the actual selector group, which is the group that can truly decide who will inherit the throne."

For example, the Five Peaks Banner Generals, Thirty-Six Fierce Generals, Twenty-Four Generals, Mao Haifeng (Black Kirin), Xu Weixue (Thousand Gold Peddler), and Peng Laosheng (Knife Seller) all command at least one naval force and at most a faction.

They are like the Grand Secretaries of the Zhao Cabinet, the royal relatives with vested interests, the eunuchs of the inner court, the officials of the Six Ministries, and the noble clan.

As long as it's not time for a change of dynasty, the support of these powerful figures is the key to whether the emperor can secure his throne!

Similarly, whether it's a battle of wits, a battle of wits, or a compromise based on interests, only these people in the Five Peaks Banner can truly decide who the second-generation Prince Jinghai will be; they are the actual selectors.

Even if they choose the strongest party to fight, the former will not express their own thoughts; even if they disagree, they will not resist.

Wang Cheng continued speaking in one breath.

"The third type is the Winning Alliance Group."

The winning alliance comes from the actual people who can play a key role, only they are from different factions. They are the community of interests that will fully support a certain successor to take the throne.

Throughout history, almost no dynasty had a crown prince in line to inherit the throne in the second generation; instead, several dynasties died after only two generations.

Unstable laws and unreliable public sentiment provide opportunities for certain ambitious individuals.

My sworn brother, Xu Weixue, the "peddler who never satisfied with the current profits of maritime merchants," and Peng Laosheng, the "knife-selling man" who was used to double-crossing each other, both wanted a share of the pie.

Even usurping someone else's place?

For them, the core members of the same faction are their winning alliance.

For me, those of you who also come from the Tanka people and have watched me grow up are my winning alliance. We share the same fate, and we share the same fate!
If someone else is put in power, you will be among the first 'veteran officials' to be purged.

"The rest is obvious."

The essence of seizing power lies in uniting your winning alliance, winning over other actual electors, and eliminating competitors and those electors subordinate to them. Mobilize all resources to strike at the heart of the matter, using resources wisely!

As for the largest and strongest group of nominally chosen people, all we need is a plausible reason to appease them; playing the so-called populist act is just putting on a persona.

That's just how people are in this world. As long as their lives and fortunes aren't involved, they'll help whoever wins in the end.

Coincidentally, my father's name is Wang Zeng!

The profound meaning represented by this name is enough to provide the group of people who chose it with the most irrefutable explanation.

"Emperor Taizong of this dynasty is a living example."

When he raised his army to quell the rebellion, most parts of the country were in a state of peace and prosperity. Who won or lost within your clan had nothing to do with the gentry and officials.

Regardless of who wins, they'll still have to be used in the end.

There was silence in the field!
Not only were Dong Piao and Zhang San speechless with surprise, but even Shui Rou and Huang Yuanzhou, who already knew Wang Chengzhen's true colors and ruthless methods, seemed to be getting to know their young master all over again.

On the other side, Master Longwei had followed two influential figures who stirred up the times: "Lice Mother Immortal" Zou Pusheng and "Unifying the World" Liu Bowen. He may not have much skill, but his knowledge far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Just by hearing these basic points, I knew that my young master really had something to offer.

Moreover, it subtly transcends the "feudal imperial system," and once adopted, it can be put into practice in various organizations and political systems, stirring up one political storm after another, and even overthrowing the regimes of some small countries.

It seems that even if one were to establish a new school of thought in the future, it wouldn't be a pipe dream; it would be a true imperial science, a technique for slaying dragons!

Compared to those lofty principles, this knowledge is far more practical.

At this time, Huang Yuanzhou and Shui Rou also took the opportunity to recount some of the major events he had accomplished in Yuegang. They did not explain Wang Fugui's identity or interpersonal relationships, but simply mentioned what they could.

Even with just a glimpse, the expressions on the other three people's faces changed repeatedly.

It is now impossible to reconcile the current young master with the Wang Cheng of the past, who was so unremarkable that he could even be described as a "tiger father, dog son".

Suddenly, it seemed as if I saw another, younger, more spirited "Prince Jinghai" rising up.

Dragon Tail Grandpa sighed:
"Young Master, your performance this time has truly exceeded this old servant's expectations."

To put it bluntly, although the master is very powerful, his judgment of people has never been very good.

But now it seems that the person he misjudged the most was not the court, but you, his successor.

They all didn't think highly of you, but you proved them wrong!

Even if you were born with a weight of only 2.8 taels, with your knowledge and understanding, you can still achieve great things.

Dong Piao and Zhang San nodded in agreement.

Putting aside the great things Yuegang has accomplished, just the fact that he could say such a thing is enough to make them risk their lives to gamble with him.

In ancient China, there was a saying: "First, fate; second, luck; third, feng shui; fourth, accumulating good deeds; fifth, studying."

"Destiny chart" refers to the innate destiny chart composed of the four pillars and eight characters, and bone weight is also calculated based on the eight characters;
"Luck" refers to a person's major life events and annual fortunes.

"Fate" and "fortune" together are called destiny, which jointly determine a person's ups and downs in life, and the twists and turns of fate.

For ordinary people, their birth date and time are fixed after birth, and their "fate" cannot be changed, but their "luck" fluctuates.

"Fate" can be seen as a car, and "luck" can be seen as a road. Just as there are good cars and broken cars, there are also broad highways and narrow paths.

A beat-up car can achieve some success on a broad highway, while a nice car can lead a life of hardship on a narrow path.

Reading and understanding principles is like learning how to drive, allowing you to drive faster and more steadily under the same vehicle and road conditions.

At crucial crossroads in life, every choice can potentially change one's destiny.

I wonder what kind of expression they'll have when they learn that Wang Cheng, who is not yet twenty, has already begun writing books and establishing his own theories, aiming to be the first person in the Great Zhao to open his eyes to the world.

This is not over yet.

Wang Cheng's voice was low:

"Everyone, you were all Father's most trusted brothers and confidants. What do you think of his ambush and killing last year?"

[The storyteller] Dong Piao's expression turned serious:
"There must be something fishy about this!"

Seventh Uncle was born in one of the four great kingdoms of the Great Zhao Dynasty. He was naturally gifted and never let anyone's words fall flat.

Wang Cheng couldn't help but think about how he would feel if he gave him "Miscellaneous Talks on Folk Arts".

Is it possible that this Uncle Qi, who is an artist but also very cultured, could open up a completely new performance track and become the patriarch of crosstalk who pioneered the style of speaking, imitating, teasing, singing, smoking, drinking, and getting perms?
And how could he leap into the upper third rank of the [Living Ghost God] realm in such a short time?
Uncle Zhang, standing nearby, chimed in, and without realizing it, he changed how he addressed people:

"Young Master, actually, a few of us have always suspected there's a mole among us."

My elder brother brought a large fleet with him to the meeting. They split into two teams, one in front and one behind. Mao Haifeng went to negotiate first, and only after confirming that there were no problems did my elder brother go ashore. That's when the accident happened.

Mao Haifeng returned and said that there was also an ambush at sea, and he had a big battle with the Da Zhao navy, which delayed the rescue (Chapter 27).

Then he ordered the captains of the ships from all over to return to Yingzhou, saying that he wanted to avenge the old ship owner. He also began to recruit soldiers and horses, and won over some of the twenty-four generals and thirty-six fierce warriors.

Although he was very ambitious and highly suspicious, he was, after all, the eldest brother's adopted son, and his actions were superficially impeccable. Many people were flirting with him.

Only after news of your successful escape reached us were we able to regain our composure.

Wang Cheng didn't mince words and directly pointed out their main enemy:
“You guessed right.

I have confirmed that the person in Wufeng Banner who colluded with a nobleman from the Han family clan, certain gentry, and the upright censor Wang Bengu is Mao Haifeng!
"Whether I take the throne of Prince Jinghai or not is irrelevant; this ungrateful wretch must die!"

(End of this chapter)