N-A-A Chapter 977: I was still careless and forgot my identity as a transmigrator!
Chapter 977: I was still careless and forgot my identity as a transmigrator!
After everyone had eaten a little, Gao Yao gestured to the maid standing beside him to place the silk letter received the day before—from a secret envoy who had infiltrated the capital of Western Wei—in the center of the table for them to read. The letter's contents were not complicated; its core was a report that Western Wei strategist Chen Ping had been appreciated by Wei Bao for his talent, which had aroused the jealousy of Wei Bao's cousin, General Wei Tong.
Wei Tong, according to investigation, is cunning, greedy for wealth, and fond of empty fame. He has slandered Chen Ping to Wei Bao several times. Although this has not shaken Wei Bao's fundamental trust in Chen Ping, cracks have begun to appear between the ruler and his subject. The secret envoy asked in his letter whether this opportunity could be used to try to recruit Chen Ping.
The letter passed through the hands of Xiao He, Zhang Liang, Li Zhao, and Wu She, and their brows furrowed slightly as they quickly weighed the pros and cons.
Finally, it was Xiao He, the head of the civil officials and primarily responsible for domestic affairs and talent selection, who spoke first. He put down the letter and looked at Gao Yao with a clear sense of inquiry: "Your Majesty, please forgive my bluntness. Judging from this letter, Chen Ping is indeed talented. He has gained Wei Bao's trust and is no ordinary person. However... judging from Your Majesty's intentions, it seems that you value this person highly? Even going so far as to use your deeply hidden agents to... poach him?" He carefully chose his words, but the meaning was clear—was it worth going to such lengths for a talent who, at present, was not unique and whose reputation was far from enough to shake the world?
Although Zhang Liang did not ask directly, his clear gaze fell on Gao Yao's face, awaiting his explanation. Li Zhao and Wu She also looked puzzled. They were not questioning Gao Yao's ability to judge character; in fact, Gao Yao's previous exceptional promotion of Han Xin and his heavy reliance on Ying Bu had already proven his keen eye for talent.
However, times have changed. Back then, Gao Yao's power was newly established, and they were eager to recruit talent, so taking risky measures was necessary. Now that their foundation is solid and they have a wealth of capable officials, it seems unlikely that they would invest in a highly risky poaching operation for a talent who is far away in another country and is not indispensable.
Gao Yao was well aware of the key points involved. Success in such operations would be gratifying, but failure would result not only in the loss of carefully cultivated intelligence personnel, but also in alerting the enemy, leading to a deterioration in relations with Western Wei, and even provoking vigilance and joint resistance from neighboring forces.
Gao Yao was not afraid to fall out with Wei Bao, but for the sake of Chen Ping, at this crucial juncture when he needed to recuperate and consolidate his internal affairs, prematurely provoking unnecessary border friction was far from the best course of action. More importantly, if this matter were to spread, it would be a significant blow to his reputation for "treating scholars with respect" and "being benevolent and magnanimous." A monarch poaching someone's talent is ultimately not a glorious act.
The reason Xiao He and others found it difficult to understand was because their standards for evaluating talent differed from Gao Yao's. Zhang Liang's arrival was backed by his background as a disciple of the Four Sages of Shang Mountain and his illustrious reputation for opposing the Qin Dynasty; Ying Bu earned his merits through sheer bravery on the battlefield; even Han Xin had undergone extensive military training and evaluation before finally distinguishing himself. This Chen Ping, however, was currently only somewhat famous in Western Wei. What merits did he possess that made Gao Yao so favorably disposed towards him, even seeming somewhat…eager?
Gao Yao sensed the intense questioning in their eyes and couldn't help but smile bitterly. How could he explain? Should he tell them that he was a time traveler, knowing that Chen Ping, in another timeline, was one of the three heroes of the early Han Dynasty who assisted Liu Bang in establishing the four-hundred-year Han Dynasty, and that his wisdom and cunning, especially his skill in both overt and covert strategies, made him a key figure in compensating for the lack of suitable strategists under his command? Such an absurd reason was absolutely unacceptable to utter.
So he could only clear his throat tactically and wave his hand dismissively: "Ahem, regarding Chen Ping... I have my own considerations. His abilities may be more... unique than what you have seen so far."
"We can discuss this in detail later." He decisively steered the conversation back on track. "Right now, let's discuss, based on the intelligence we have, what good strategies do you all have to help us achieve our goals? How can we get Chen Ping to 'willingly' surrender?"
His "delay" stemmed from his realization that such high praise for someone who hadn't yet submitted, in front of all the core ministers, was indeed inappropriate. It was tantamount to making enemies and stirring up hatred for Chen Ping before he even set foot on their territory. If they were to actually recruit Chen Ping in the future, he would likely first face the scrutinizing, even slightly hostile, gazes of his colleagues. Gao Yao secretly thought that this matter might be better discussed privately with one or two people like Zhang Liang and Xiao He, rather than being discussed so openly.
Of everyone present, only Erniu remained oblivious, still engrossed in devouring the steamed buns and delicious side dishes before him. Occasionally, he'd glance up at this person or that person, his face displaying an innocent, "You all chat, I'll just listen" kind of naiveté. He was well aware of his own limitations; brainstorming and coming up with ideas were the domain of the intellectuals. His duty was to follow orders and lead the charge. Since the King had summoned him, there must be a reason why he was needed; he simply awaited the command.
After a brief silence, Li Zhao, who was in charge of military intelligence and some diplomatic affairs, broke the silence first. He spoke after a moment's thought: "Your Majesty, since we already have informants within the Wei court who have reached Wei Tong and confirmed the animosity between him and Chen Ping, this is an excellent breakthrough. However, according to common sense, trying to arouse Wei Bao's suspicion by giving him lavish gifts and deliberately befriending Chen Ping is unlikely to be effective at this stage and may even backfire. Therefore, I believe that we might start from the external environment and create trouble."
"From the outside?" Gao Yao raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.
“For example,” Li Zhao explained, “we could orchestrate a small-scale border conflict, or support a band of outlaws to harass the Wei territory, and then cleverly send Chen Ping there. At that time, we could either devise a plan to have him defeated and captured, and then step in to ‘rescue’ him; or we could lend a helping hand when he is in danger, using this favor as leverage… In short, we could create a situation where he has no choice but to depend on us.”
Before Li Zhao could finish speaking, Wu She, sitting opposite him, slowly shook his head, a look of disapproval on his face. "Lord Li's plan, though direct, also has very obvious drawbacks."
Wu She's voice was not loud, but it carried a calm analytical quality: "Planning a conflict is costly, too tumultuous, and could easily backfire, escalating a local skirmish into a war between the two countries. That's the first point. Secondly, even if successful, whether Chen Ping is captured or forced to surrender, what his intentions are, and whether he can truly serve His Majesty are all uncertain. This is probably contrary to His Majesty's original intention of recruiting talented people."