Video spoilers history, starting with the blitzkrieg on Poland

Inside the canopy, the storyteller continued his narration:
These words struck a nerve with Murong Ling.

[The Former Yan state had previously forced Murong Chui to flee due to suspicion.]

Now that Luoyang has fallen, the situation is critical.

There is indeed a possibility that he might be moved to tears upon seeing the coffin and recall his former generals.

Although Fu Jian outwardly trusted him,

But Wang Meng's vigilance was no secret.

Even more critically, the journey from Chang'an to Luoyang was long, and it would take at least several days for news to travel back and forth.

[Murong Ling has no way of verifying the truth with her father in a short period of time.]

If my father truly defectes, and I remain with the Former Qin army, I will surely die.

Murong Ling spent the entire night unable to sleep in his tent.

[He kept pondering: Had the Empress Dowager and the Emperor of the Former Yan truly regretted their actions?]

[Murong Ling thinks.]

They did regret it.

Why regret it then?

Luoyang has fallen, the situation is critical, and we need Murong Chui to save the day.

The situation is the same as before the Battle of Fangtou.

[Initially, they suppressed Murong Chui, but when Huan Wen's northern expedition was about to reach Ye City, they sent Murong Chui to the rescue.]

Now that Luoyang has fallen, the situation is the same.

The following day, under the pretext of going hunting outside the city, he led his trusted followers on horseback northwards, returning to the Former Yan.

The news reached Chang'an.

Murong Chui was struck dumb.

The son's defection has confirmed the disloyalty of his family.

Only then did Wang Meng slowly present the "evidence" to Fu Jian:

Although Fu Jian felt regret, he had no choice but to accept the fact that Murong Chui's son harbored "wolf-like ambitions."

Wang Meng reported to Fu Jian that Murong Ling had defected.

However, Murong Chui learned of this news earlier than Fu Jian.

[It's highly likely that Wang Meng deliberately leaked it to him.]

Upon hearing this, Murong Chui instantly panicked.

I simply can't understand why my son suddenly defected.

In desperation, he decided to escape as well, otherwise he would be implicated.

However, he was captured by the Qin army shortly after escaping from Chang'an.

This was clearly Wang Meng's arrangement as well.

He had been waiting for Murong Chui to lose his composure, and had arranged for people to guard him, just waiting for Murong Chui to "defect"!

[Logically, after Murong Ling's defection, Murong Chui also attempted to escape.]

With conclusive evidence, Fu Jian had every reason to execute Murong Chui.

However, Fu Jian's reaction was unexpected:

"Your son's escape back to the Former Yan shows his loyalty to his homeland, which is a good thing."

"Besides, how can the father be implicated when the son makes a mistake?"

Fu Jian not only did not pursue the matter, but also treated Murong Chui even better, allowing him to continue commanding his troops and even stationing him in Chang'an.

This trust ultimately caused Wang Meng's brilliant plan to fail.

Meanwhile, Murong Ling, who had fled back to the Former Yan, was completely dumbfounded—her father hadn't returned at all!

"Wait, my father, Murong Chui, said he's abandoned darkness and embraced the light?"

"Yes, that's right. They've abandoned darkness for light, abandoned our Great Yan, and gone to join the Former Qin."

Murong Ling was unable to defend himself and was exiled to the northeast as a spy for the Former Qin.

However, he was no ordinary man. As Murong Chui's most outstanding son, he was proud and ambitious, unwilling to succumb to mediocrity.

[Secretly contacting former subordinates to prepare for an uprising.]

Unfortunately, his plan was exposed by his half-brother Murong Lin, and he ultimately met a violent end.

Outside the sky.

Late Han Dynasty.

Zhuge Liang read the entire contents of the Golden Knife Plan.

As fellow top strategists, Zhuge Liang instantly and thoroughly understood the brilliance of the Golden Knife Plan.

"A brilliant plan, truly a top-notch plan!"

“Every step is taken for granted.”

“Every step is ordinary.”

"But when combined, it becomes a top-notch strategy that even a renowned general like Murong Chui could not defend against."

"No wonder the sky is so revered for this famous scholar named Wang Meng from later generations."

"A glimpse into the whole picture reveals his unparalleled wisdom solely from his Golden Knife Strategy."

"Although... the Golden Knife Scheme is indeed a bit unethical."

For a moment, Zhuge Liang also admired Wang Meng of later generations.

The curtain continues to fall:

The Golden Knife Strategy is often referred to as the "greatest open strategy of all time."

However, strictly speaking, it fits the definition of a conspiracy more accurately.

A well-intentioned strategy is one where the opponent knows it's a trap but can't break free from it.

The Golden Knife Strategy, on the other hand, achieves its purpose through deception and misleading.

The reason it's called a "public conspiracy" is perhaps simply because the word "conspiracy" isn't exactly honorable.

So, could it be considered the "greatest ingenious scheme of all time"?

[It can be calculated.]

[Indeed exquisite, but the motive remains questionable.]

The Golden Knife Strategy is a highly controversial historical fact.

Many people believe that Wang Meng was right; that Wang Meng saw through Murong Chui.

[So, tell me, did Murong Chui rebel?] [Of course he rebelled.]

The problem is that after the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Fei River, no one in the Former Qin dynasty failed to rebel.

Especially outside the Great Wall, the Former Yan's foundation was still very deep.

[Fu Jian heavily relied on a large number of Murong clan members. If Murong Chui doesn't take the lead, the other Murong leaders will also rise up.]

Killing just one Murong Chui isn't enough.

Moreover, Fu Jian ultimately died at the hands of Yao Chang, who delivered the fatal blow to the Former Qin dynasty.

[At this point, Yao Chang had already surrendered several years ago; if a plan was to be devised, it should have been aimed at him.]

Is it simply because Murong Chui is such a formidable warrior?

Moreover, when Fu Jian was defeated at the Battle of Fei River, Murong Chui led his army to meet him and, against all odds, escorted him back to Guanzhong.

[It is also a way of repaying a debt of gratitude.]

[This also helps to prevent being too conspicuous.]

If the Golden Knife Scheme had eliminated Murong Chui, and another member of the Murong clan had replaced him, Fu Jian would have died directly outside the pass.

[Fu Jian ultimately released Murong Chui from Guanzhong.]

[Send him to Kanto to recruit people.]

At this point, Fu Jian already had a basic understanding that Murong Chui would rebel.

[If the Golden Knife Scheme hadn't been used, would Murong Chui have still rebelled?]

At first, Murong Chui may not have understood the truth, but when the Yan generals arrived in Chang'an and the two sides confronted each other, he immediately realized that he had fallen into Wang Meng's trap.

Even if they knew Wang Meng was the mastermind, they would still hold the Former Qin dynasty responsible.

What was the biggest consequence of the Golden Knife Scheme?

This is likely Wang Meng's historical evaluation.

Wang Meng devised strategies and plans, displaying unparalleled wisdom and resourcefulness.

He was a capable commander who conquered most of northern China.

At the same time, he was extremely devoted and loyal, and even though Wang Meng's territory was larger than Fu Jian's, he never harbored any disloyalty.

However, such a person could potentially rival the greatest prime minister of all time.

However, its reputation remains quite low.

Later heroes and great men rarely compared themselves to Wang Meng.

Even literary figures didn't include him in their poems.

Of course, given Wang Meng's personality, he probably wouldn't care much about how later generations would evaluate him.

Although the Golden Knife Strategy was ingenious, it failed to completely eliminate Murong Chui.

Fu Jian's leniency ironically allowed Murong Chui to later become a key figure in the collapse of the Former Qin dynasty.

If Wang Meng could know this from beyond the grave, what would he think—would he regret that his plan failed, or lament the inevitability of fate?

After the video ended, the comments section erupted with discussion.

Pure psychological warfare, throwing the opponent into disarray.

The root cause is information asymmetry.

In modern times, a simple phone call would solve the problem.

Are modern telecom frauds less common? Modern scams have their own methods.

It's quite normal for Murong Chui, a mere military man, to be manipulated and killed by a strategist.

"A mere warrior? Murong Chui is both intelligent and brave! Beneath his blood-red robes, his intelligence is 90! Yet he was utterly crushed by Wang Meng, whose intelligence is 102."

"Despite such hype, the Golden Knife Plan still failed. Fu Jian simply didn't kill them. Sigh, he just collected famous generals for fun, so he didn't kill them."

However, Wang Meng had anticipated the failure of the Golden Knife Plan, because even if it failed, Wang Meng would bear the infamy, while Fu Jian would still bestow favors.

It could be said that the Golden Knife Chronicle ultimately saved Fu Jian's life. The reason Murong Chui didn't kill Fu Jian back then was likely because Fu Jian hadn't killed him during the Golden Knife Chronicle incident.

Regardless of success or failure, the Golden Knife Strategy would have benefited Fu Jian. If Wang Meng had truly considered the consequences of failure, he would have been a genius!

Simple yet ruthless, packed with information asymmetry and psychology!

The Golden Knife Scheme led to Murong Ling's death, Murong Bao's ascension to the throne, and indirectly caused the downfall of the Later Yan dynasty.

If Murong Ling hadn't died, Later Yan wouldn't have been destroyed so ignominiously; it might have been able to continue.

It's obvious Wang Meng is a lurker.

Indeed, he was insidious and ruthless, but Wang Meng was by nature a cruel official.

The reason Wang Meng isn't as famous as Zhuge Liang might be because his moral standards were slightly lower. However, we can't blame him entirely, given that Wang Meng lived during the chaotic Five Barbarian Invasions.

But I still don't understand why Wang Meng insisted on killing Murong Chui...

I don't understand it either. Murong Chui had already escaped, so why didn't Fu Jian kill him after he was captured?

Fu Jian: I want to destroy the Yan state, but the famous Yan general Murong Chui is a difficult problem to deal with. "Report! Murong Chui has come to surrender!" Then, given Fu Jian's personality, do you think he could kill Murong Chui?

"King Fu, lead your ghost soldiers in one more attack!"

And outside the sky.

Late Han Dynasty.

Liu Bei read through the entire contents of the Golden Knife Stratagem.

In addition, there are analyses from netizens.

He couldn't help but frown and sigh softly.

“Look at Murong Chui. Although he is a Xianbei barbarian, he adheres to etiquette and is loyal to the country.”

"Despite having the ability to rebel, he resolutely gave up power in order to avoid fratricide and internal family strife."

"It must be said that he is a person of good character."

"Such a talented and virtuous man was suppressed by the Empress Dowager and powerful ministers in his own country. After fleeing to the Former Qin, he encountered the ancient scheme of Yangmou Jindao."

"What a tragic fate!"

"Wang Meng is indeed exceptionally intelligent and talented, but his methods are too ruthless, and I don't like him."

"After Murong Chui fell victim to the Golden Knife Plot, how could Fu Jian not suspect him and continue to rely on him? Is that reasonable?"

"I wonder what will happen to Murong Chui next?"

"His life was full of ups and downs, and he always felt like he was walking on thin ice."

"According to Tianmu, he eventually rebelled and tried to rebuild his homeland."

"So, will he be able to successfully reach the other side?" (End of Chapter)