My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 518 How could I possibly be an enemy of Moheduo!

Hou Jing burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"What a clever tongue you have! No wonder the Prime Minister sent you here as an envoy to persuade him."

Being a persuader has always required skill.

Many lobbyists who failed in their duties were beheaded as a sacrifice.

Wang Xiang's approach is a standard lobbyist procedure: first, establish a relationship by mentioning past connections, and then offer promises and benefits.

That's not enough.

The most important point is to put yourself in someone else's shoes and proactively consider the pros and cons from their perspective.

"I was just putting myself in your shoes and thinking from your perspective."

Wang Xiang chuckled lightly, "That's all I have to say. As for how to make a decision, it's up to you, Wan Jing."

The biggest taboo in persuasion is making decisions for others without their consent, which can easily backfire. Instead, you should use persuasive techniques to gradually guide the other party into the situation you have set out for them.

Hou Jing remained silent, his face showing a look of 'struggle' and 'hesitation', as if he was constantly weighing the options in his mind.

A hint of joy flashed in Wang Xiang's eyes, but on the surface he remained calm and composed.

"If that's all there is to it..."

Hou Jing looked up at him and said, "Let me think about this for a moment. This matter is of great importance, and I need to discuss it with my trusted subordinates."

Wang Xiang did not continue to persuade him, saying, "Wan Jing, you are a smart man, and you will surely make the right choice."

Hou Jing hesitated, and his hesitation was justified!

For Erzhu Rong.

The best-case scenario would be that Hou Jing is persuaded to take over Henan and rebel, delivering a heavy blow to Gao Yu!
However, this possibility is the lowest.

Secondly, Hou Jing hesitated repeatedly.

Erzhu Rong certainly knew that Gao Yu must have spies in the army; how could such a thing be kept secret?
All Gao Yu needs to do is inform his spies in the army about the inconsistent behavior of Hou Jing after meeting with Wang Xiang, thus creating a rift between the two.

Then there will be an opportunity to take advantage of it!
When the two sides cannot meet, their mutual suspicion will only intensify.

Gao Yu no longer trusted Hou Jing and dared not entrust his flank to him.

Hou Jing couldn't believe that Gao Yu completely trusted him, so in order to protect himself, he had no choice but to 'rebel'!
The worst-case scenario is that they cannot persuade Hou Jing.

but.

At such a critical juncture, Hou Jing's meeting with Wang Xiang was enough to arouse suspicion. Even if Gao Yu had no suspicions at first, those around Gao Yu who were at odds with Hou Jing would whisper in Gao Yu's ear.

If you can send money to Hou Jing, you can send money to the people in Ye City. Getting people to do things for money is not a difficult thing.

Hou Jing would also feel fear as a result and take the initiative to 'rebel'.

For Erzhu Rong...

From the moment Hou Jing agreed to meet Wang Xiang, he had achieved his goal of sending Wang Xiang to persuade him.

Choosing the right target for lobbying is actually a skill.

Gao Yu is currently being approached by four armies.

Leaving aside the situation in Hedong, the commander-in-chief Yang Zhong was Gao Yu's direct subordinate and a Han Chinese, while the others were people like Dugu Xin, Li Hu, and Yu Jin who had betrayed Erzhu Rong. Even if Erzhu Rong sent someone to express his magnanimity and understanding that they were forced to submit to the rebels due to the circumstances.

But would Dugu Xin and Li Hu really believe that Erzhu Rong was willing to accept them again?

Not to mention the Bingzhou route.

Gao Ang and Lu Cao are both iron-blooded Han emperors. How could they possibly betray Gao Yu and surrender to him, a Jie barbarian?

Only Hou Jing.

Erzhu Rong had dealt with Hou Jing before and knew that Hou Jing was capable and ambitious, and that his current situation also gave him the motivation and possibility to betray Gao Yu.

"Then I will await good news in Xingyang!"

After Wang Xiang bowed, Hou Jing signaled Hou Zijian to lead men to escort Wang Xiang and his entourage out of the military camp.

He then summoned his trusted confidants, including Song Zixian and Ren Yue, to his tent.

As soon as everyone entered, they were surprised by the several boxes placed on the ground. Ren Yue, quick-witted, seemed to have guessed something.

Hou Jing was quite extravagant.

There were four boxes in total. He pointed to one of them and said, "You all divide the valuables in this box. Seal the remaining three boxes and send them to Ye City."

Hou Zijian was taken aback. "General, what's wrong with you...?"

"Wang Xiang is a silver-tongued man; how could I be so easily fooled by him?"

Is what Wang Xiang said reasonable?

Makes sense.

But many things in this world have two sides; there's a reason for everything. Yes.

The Han Chinese under Gao Yu's command would likely exclude these barbarian tribes, and they would certainly try every means to seize power and profit from them.

Conversely, it can be said that...

Does Gao Yu need these barbarian tribes to suppress the powerful Han Chinese families again?
They might even be entrusted with important responsibilities, placing them in high positions to balance the various factions under their command?
Emperor Gaozu of Han and Cao Cao both turned defeat into victory against all odds, but in Hou Jing's eyes...

Gao Yu possessed the bravery of Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, and was also more intelligent than Xiang Yu.

Erzhu Rong was not a figure like Emperor Gaozu of Han or Cao Wei.

Song Zixian warned, "General, I'm afraid this matter will reach the Prime Minister's ears. You have a sincere and loyal heart, but there are villains around the Prime Minister who are slandering you."

Ren Yue also added, "Zixian's concerns are indeed reasonable; General, you must be wary."

Hou Jing shook his head, "I have known Mo Heduo since I was a child, and I know his character better than anyone else."

"Moreover... Mohedu dared to send me here to guard Henan for him, and dared to give me important responsibilities, which proves that he is not afraid of me rebelling."

Hou Jingcai had been in Henan for over a year, but had no local connections.

Would the local powerful families in Henan obediently follow him in rebellion?
Not to mention...

It appears that Gao Yu has mobilized a large army to attack Hanoi.

However, Hebei and Shandong provinces have sufficient defensive forces, so even if Hou Jing rebels, he may not be able to cause much trouble.

The most important point.

He knows better than anyone else.

Gao Yu held immense prestige within the army.

If he dares to rebel, the moment the news gets out, the lower-ranking officers will probably lead their soldiers to surround his camp, eager to take his head in exchange for military merit.

Putting aside others, his own deputy general, Murong Shaozong, would certainly not accompany him in doing such a thing; in fact, Murong Shaozong would be the first to stand up and oppose him.

"Do you really think Moheduo would fall for such a trick so easily? Erzhu Rong has greatly underestimated Moheduo's magnanimity and breadth of mind."

Hou Zijian then reminded him, "Then...shouldn't we send over all the money we've collected? Wouldn't it give others something to talk about if we kept some of it?"

“If the water is clear, there will be no fish.”

Hou Jing smiled enigmatically, “Mo Heduo already knew that I, Hou Gu, am a greedy and lustful person.”

"Oh, right, go... and summon Murong Shaozong to me."

Not a moment.

Murong Shaozong rushed over. In fact, he knew that Wang Xiang was coming even when Wang Xiang was still outside the military camp.

I saw the box on the ground.

Hou Jing laughed loudly, "Shaozong, you taught me military strategy back then, so you can be considered my half-mentor. Now that there are benefits, how could you be left out? You also have a share of this money."

Murong Shaozong shook his head repeatedly, before he could speak.

Hou Jing stepped forward, grabbed his arm, and laughed, “Just tell me the truth about what happened tonight. Write it down clearly. Just say that I asked Prime Minister Wang to come into the camp to meet me.”

As Murong Shaozong was his deputy, Hou Jing was well aware that Gao Yu had sent him to keep an eye on him.

There was nothing to hide from Murong Shaozong.

Be open and honest about these things.

Trying to cover things up only makes things more suspicious.

"General, what's wrong...?"

"Why should I hide anything from you? Since I dare to tell you this frankly, I am not afraid that you will tell the Prime Minister."

Murong Shaozong's eyes were filled with surprise and doubt.

He really couldn't figure out what Hou Jing was up to for the moment.

After everyone left.

Hou Jing muttered to himself.

"I do have ambitions, that's true, but... I'm not stupid."

"How could I possibly be an enemy of Moheduo? Tianbao, you are giving me far too much credit."

"No...you are underestimating Moheduo far too much."

P.S.: I checked the backend, and I'm 3000 words short of 17 words. Overall, this month's update count is higher than last month's...

In October, I will strive to continue updating more than 170,000 words.

There will be double monthly votes during the National Day holiday, so please vote more! I won't go out or take leave; I'll just be writing every day.

(End of this chapter)