Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 674 Let's go then.

"Their methods aren't actually very sophisticated; they're mainly quite ruthless."

Old Zhang tilted his head and said nonchalantly, "Right now, they only have a few cards left. What they play isn't the key. The key is how we respond."

In fact, Xia Lin knew exactly what cards they held: they were building an unequal game by starting with power intimidation, applying precise military pressure, systematically cracking down on crime through the law, reconstructing interests, supporting proxies, using both real and virtual information warfare to intimidate, constructing moral dilemmas, creating a political network through marriage, and cross-controlling the economic lifeline.

This concept has remained largely unchanged from five thousand years ago to two thousand years later. Compromise only naturally arises when the cost of deterrence outweighs the benefits of war, and the benefits of cooperation outweigh the risks of confrontation. Skillful political maneuvering involves not only strategic planning on the chessboard but also reshaping the opponent's gains and losses, ultimately leading the opponent to choose a predetermined path.

"Okay, I'll take that."

Xia Lin picked up a pinch of tea leaves and put them in his mouth to chew.

"The principle is simple: never back down. Every time they play a card, we'll beat them with an even bigger one. These people have no backbone; after three rounds, some of them will give in."

Xia Lin tapped the table: "Do you understand what I mean? Military pressure has been underway since I entered the capital, while the Dali Temple is using the legal system to attack them. They don't have many cards left to play; the only useful ones they can use are proxy support, information warfare, and moral dilemmas."

Emperor Jingtai immediately took out paper and pen from his robes: "Speak."

"Each of us has to shoulder one of these three branches. First, supporting the agents is something Brother Jing has to handle. Reconstructing external pressures that threaten imperial power and national security is actually a disguised military threat. You must withstand the pressure here. Didn't Yang Ying and his group, along with hundreds of thousands of others, go to Shandong?"

"Yes."

"Yes, these are the key people. I will contact their leader, Liu Heita."

Emperor Jingtai asked in confusion, "You want to offer him amnesty?"

"No, I want him to make a scene and raise his prices. Only when their prices are high will the people here be unable to make ends meet, and they will naturally think twice. But you will be under a lot of pressure in the early stages, Brother Jing. Be prepared to issue a self-reproach edict."

"Alright." Emperor Jingtai nodded without hesitation: "These are all minor matters."

"The second card is information warfare and public opinion warfare. They will use every means to spread rumors and smear the emperor, from the royal family to the officials below. They will use public opinion pressure to force the court to put pressure on the emperor in return. This trick is very effective, but its lethality is limited. It usually needs to be combined with external threats. Lao Zhang, you are in charge of this part. You mobilize the scholars under your command to start making up stories for them."

"Compile?"

"Yes, we'll make it up. We'll turn it into novels, picture books, and plays. We won't promote it in big venues anymore. We'll specifically target those sleazy places. What we need to do is to pin all the inhumane things that have happened throughout history on them. The people don't care if you're a legendary sage or a great tyrant, but they know that those who commit adultery and plunder are not good people."

“They are far more terrifying than rape and plunder.”

"So we're just exposing what they've done to everyone. They want to cut us open, right? Then why can't we cut them open first? The enemy is in the open while we're in the dark. Are we going to make a gentleman's agreement with them?"

Xia Lin picked up another handful of tea leaves and put them in his mouth: "This last card is mine. A moral dilemma."

"If you have no morals, where does your predicament come from?" Old Zhang asked curiously.

“I don’t have it, but you do,” Xia Lin laughed. “I’ve already thought about what kind of attacks I would be attacked. My power is indeed too great, but I can’t help it. The late emperor gave me this much power back then, and I even distributed some of it outwards. But as the country has grown bigger and bigger, the speed at which it’s distributed outwards is far slower than the speed at which it’s gathering into my hands. A country can have no emperor or it can have one emperor, but it absolutely cannot have two emperors.”

Emperor Jingtai stroked his chin and said, "I'll abdicate in your favor."

"And then what the hell are you going to do?" Xia Lin tilted her head and looked at him: "If I become emperor, where is the righteousness? Where is the legitimacy? Does the world still recognize this? Only when you can stand tall on the city gate tower and shout 'Long live the people!' will you be able to step down as emperor. Do you understand what I mean?"

"How could I dare? Who would dare? Nobody would dare. This would be going against the will of the world, no, no, at least not now." Emperor Jingtai hurriedly shook his head: "I dare not."

“Yes, no one dares. It’s not the right time yet.” Xia Lin tapped the table with his finger: “In the end, I will face a round of strangulation. They will strangle me just like they strangled Anzi. You understand what I mean? They don’t want to fight me, but they want to see Brother Jing fight me. They don’t care who becomes emperor, they only care about who can give them more privileges after becoming emperor.”

"What about you?"

Emperor Jingtai looked up at Xia Lin: "I've already lost Anzi, how can I drag you down with me? That won't do!" "Heaven and earth are of the same age, and someone will eventually die. This time I led troops into the capital to strip myself of my military power."

"No!" Emperor Jingtai refused resolutely: "Once you lose your military power, they will turn into wolves and tigers, and you won't even have a corpse left."

Xia Lin rolled her eyes: "I'm not stupid, of course I know. Isn't there a Green Forest Army in Jiangnan? Who is the marshal of Jiangnan?"

"It's my cousin!?" Emperor Jingtai suddenly realized: "Oh! You've used a clever maneuver to escape. You used your concessions to force them to submit. They've played all their cards, but you still have your trump card up your sleeve!"

"Whether it's the New Army or the Green Forest Army, they're nothing more than eggs hatched in Jiangnan Road. Transferring these eggs to your hands is just like moving them from one pocket to another. But for them, you can simply say, 'Look, Xia Daosheng has been brought to justice. Aren't you going to offer anything?' Punishing me before was just child's play, but now I need you to give me a thorough dressing down."

"It means an uncrowned king," Old Zhang added from the side. "It's easier to get things done without a title."

Emperor Jingtai nodded and said, "But if that happens, I will have no support."

"Mountains crumble, people run away. It's better to rely on yourself than on anyone else. You must keep the new army firmly in your own hands and never give it to anyone. You are both the emperor and the Grand Marshal of the new army." Xia Lin looked up at Emperor Jingtai: "Then we'll be at a stalemate with them."

"How long can we hold on?"

“The Northern border is invading.” Xia Lin stood up. “The emperor of Northern Han is a big shot. He will definitely not give up after one defeat. The next time you face him, he will be even more difficult to deal with. At that time, you need to be ruthless and let other armies go and challenge that emperor. After they have all failed, you can come out and turn the tide.”

"And what about you? Why wasn't it you who turned the tide?"

"Because I have to keep an eye on things from behind, otherwise you'll leave the house and someone will help your distant nephew become emperor, and you won't even have time to cry."

Emperor Jingtai actually laughed, then sighed softly, "Be careful in everything, Daosheng."

"It's okay, I can handle it."

Just then, Hongyuan and Jinlian returned, followed by several cooks carrying a large iron pot. They carried the huge pot into the house and wedged it into the round hole on the table. When they opened the pot lid, they found the cooked alligator inside, surrounded by vegetables. The pot was covered in a rich, dark sauce, and looked very appetizing.

As the number of people increased, the discussion of national affairs naturally ceased, and everyone happily began to eat. The three men present were all outstanding individuals, and telling stories to the girls was a piece of cake for them. With a few clever tricks, the three of them made the two girls laugh so hard they were doubled over.

The only downside is that Emperor Jingtai's every word was lewd, but everyone here is an adult, and yellow wine is still wine, so it can still get you drunk.

While they were enjoying their stew in an iron pot, feeling the spring breeze carrying a light drizzle blowing through the window, the fast horses from the Aristocratic Alliance had already arrived in Shandong.

They met Liu Heita.

With Yang Ying dead and the Yang family fallen, they now need a new person to step forward and become a threat to the Southern court. At present, this person is undoubtedly Liu Heita.

After hearing the envoy's words, Liu Heita was neither surprised nor delighted. He simply declined, saying, "We brothers have only just settled down and are not yet capable of accomplishing great things. If you gentlemen are interested, I can recommend someone to you: Dou Jiande. He is a good friend of mine. He was originally from Hebei, but left because he was dissatisfied with Yang Ying's tyranny. Now, Brother Dou is in Xingyang County. He is kind and virtuous, and is more suitable than I am."

Those summoned by the aristocratic alliance to act as persuaders were not easily dismissed with just a few words; they understood that Liu Heita was simply trying to sell them off. Therefore, they were in no hurry and decided to settle down temporarily in Laizhou, intending to take their time and do the work carefully.

But who would have thought that just a few days later, a letter would reach Liu Heita's hands.

The letter was written by Xia Lin himself, and there were no polite words in it. It was just like giving orders to Liu Heita, as if he were assigning tasks. But Liu Heita did not feel offended at all. On the contrary, he felt quite happy because he had finally gained recognition!
"You should stop here, make as much money as you can, live a life of luxury, treat the people well, and take care of the rest."

After reading the letter, Liu Heita beamed with joy, much happier than when those persuaders had come to talk to him a few days ago.

To be a fan of his to this extent is truly remarkable.

At this moment, Liu Heita read Xia Lin's handwritten letter again and stood up excitedly: "Go, call those envoys over and tell them I have something to say to them!"

(End of this chapter)