Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Guest Town Strategy
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"The Passage Town is also called Guest Town."
The reason was simple.
It was a place where a large number of guest families gathered and lived.
For reference, the guest families were refugees and drifters who had lost their homes in the wars of the past several hundred years, organized by bloodlines.
Because they had wandered without a home in the past, they were extremely tight-knit within their clans but hostile and closed-off to outsiders. That was their defining trait.
"I get why you said we need to take the Passage Town. Embracing the guest families would certainly fill in the gaps in our main house. But..."
It wasn't something the main house needed to do right away.
It was a task that had to be done eventually, but the order of priorities was off.
"The Passage Town is overrun with various Black Path gangs. And those bastards are all backed by the massive Black Path factions from Hunan."
With the central plains as the baseline, the western side closer to Hunan was dominated by the Black Path, while the eastern side was strong in White Path clans. That was the power structure of Jiangxi.
"We've just declared our unyielding righteousness, and now we're going to give those Hunan Black Path gangs an excuse? Things are about to get really interesting."
"Th-that's..."
"And that's not all. You missed one more thing. You said the main house needs to advance into the Passage Town. How?"
"...As a White Path martial clan, using the pretext of purging the Black Path for a forceful entry..."
The young So scholar trailed off.
He had already realized that his approach wouldn't work because of the points mentioned earlier.
"The western martial world of Jiangxi is dominated by the Black Path. If we rashly push into the Passage Town, we'll be handing them the justification. So, what should we do?"
"..."
"The answer is simple. We enter in a way that doesn't follow martial world conventions. Buy the land with money and legitimately secure the territory. That's the best move."
The young So scholar's face brightened as he immediately countered.
"Hmph. Impossible. It would cost at least several thousand taels of gold, and the Baek Clan doesn't have that kind of money."
"We do? Well, more like we can borrow it. Anyway, if we buy the land with money and set up shop, we won't give the Black Path any pretext. On the flip side, if those bastards pick a fight, we can use that as our justification."
"..."
If they really could scrape together the money, Yang-hui's method was indeed the best option.
The young So scholar looked at the smiling Yang-hui with a frustrated expression.
"I didn't know. You didn't tell me. If I'd known, I would've said something else!"
Yang-hui's response was straightforward.
"You didn't ask."
"What kind of answer is that?!"
"Let me turn it around. Why didn't you ask?"
"You called it a test! I came up with a strategy faithfully based on the given conditions!"
"Do you think that mindset suits a strategist?"
The young So scholar clamped his mouth shut for a moment.
A strategist had to see farther than anyone and dig deeper into every detail.
The young So scholar knew that too.
"If you really want to be valued highly, you should have asked. The excuse of judging only by the given information in a test won't fly."
"..."
"So, you missed it, and you're wrong."
"..."
The young So scholar was at a complete loss for words.
He knew arguing would be pointless and only make him look worse.
Yang-hui felt satisfied watching him.
"He's definitely still a bit green, but he's a gem."
He was already useful now, but his future potential was promising.
The young So scholar would undoubtedly be a huge asset to the Baek Clan.
Because Yang-hui himself wasn't a strategist.
To achieve great ambitions, you needed someone to draw the big picture—to craft the grand strategy.
Until now, Yang-hui had filled that role himself.
'Truth is, I'm not cut out for it.'
He had shown off his intellect using memories and experiences from his past life, but in reality, Yang-hui's thinking was far from a true strategist's.
If compared to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he was closer to the civil-martial genius Zhao Zilong than Zhuge Liang.
He was starting to feel his limitations, and this was perfect timing.
"Father."
"Speak, Hui."
"I want to make this kid an official member of the main house. So, how about we decide on the treatment of the White Righteousness Gate like this?"
Unlike his plan to absorb the Upright Moon Gate during their dealings, he had originally intended to smash the White Righteousness Gate to pieces and disband it.
It was too large; absorbing it could create massive factions within the Baek Clan.
But it seemed they needed to handle it differently.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The members of the Zhuge Clan were temporarily staying in the annex next to the Hundred White Tower.
When Zhuge Hwa-un saw his father Zhuge Seon return to their quarters, he rose to his feet.
"You're back."
"Ah, Hwa-un."
Zhuge Seon felt a swell of pride seeing his son, who had grown into such a fine man.
At the same time, he recalled the conversation he'd just had with his sworn brother and his sworn brother's adopted son.
"We've decided how to handle the White Righteousness Gate."
"In my opinion, wiping them out completely would be best. What have you decided, Father?"
The White Righteousness Gate had dared to harm the Zhuge Clan's precious pearl.
And their method? Colluding with the Black Path.
Even punishing them with total annihilation wouldn't draw criticism for being too harsh.
Well, it might be a bit excessive compared to their crime, but...
"If Seol-ha had been hurt even a little... I would've drawn my sword and cut them all down myself. How dare they target our Seol-ha!"
A perfect response from Zhuge Hwa-un, who was just as much a doting brother as his father was a doting father.
Zhuge Seon nodded.
"You're right. Since it wasn't intentional, we can't slaughter them all, but they should at least pay the price of having their gate plaque removed. However, we've decided on a different approach."
"I shall listen attentively."
Instead of announcing the result right away, Zhuge Seon brought up something else.
"That Yang-hui kid is the same as ever."
Hearing his father's words, Zhuge Hwa-un recalled his first meeting with Yang-hui years ago.
"Still as quick-witted as ever?"
"Yeah. His shrewdness is as sharp as ever, without a hint of change. He always secures solid justification in the process and avoids earning anyone's resentment. It's impressive."
This incident was a prime example. Yang-hui had clearly used the Zhuge Clan for the Baek Clan's benefit.
If it hadn't been for Zhuge Seol-ha, Zhuge Seon wouldn't have gotten involved.
But did that mean Yang-hui was at fault?
The answer was no.
"He delivered the news on behalf of Seol-ha, who hadn't informed us of her descent from the mountain. That's something to be grateful for."
"Thanks to Brother Yang-hui, Seol-ha, who was supposed to train alone in the world per Grandmother's orders, could be safer. That's another thing to be grateful for."
"As a result, Seol-ha was exposed to the Black Path's threat, but that's the White Righteousness Gate's fault."
"Brother Yang-hui must have anticipated that."
"If we blame him for acting despite foreseeing it, then we'd have to fault him for predicting you and I would rush here too."
That was why he couldn't help but be amazed.
He had clearly been used, yet there was nothing to reproach.
"The handling of the White Righteousness Gate is the same. That kid twisted his brain every which way again."
"Now I'm really curious since you put it that way, Father. Please tell me."
"In conclusion: scatter and compete."
True to his Zhuge lineage, Zhuge Hwa-un immediately grasped the full picture.
"Disperse them and make them compete. Even if we ordered their disbandment, we weren't planning full executions, just dissolution, so it's not hugely different. But..."
"Right. Instead of smashing them to bits, splitting them by family units and pitting them against each other lets us use them as more valuable pieces."
"It's efficient but requires a lot of oversight. Considering that, it might not be as efficient. Is there a countermeasure for it?"
"He said, 'Why bother overseeing them?' There's someone to handle it instead."
"Hm? Who?"
"One kid from the So family under the White Righteousness Gate. Extremely clever. Seems he plans to raise this child."
Zhuge Hwa-un, fully briefed on the investigation of the White Righteousness Gate, saw Yang-hui's intent at a glance.
"Pushing power to a child from the weakest elder family, the So Clan. With the Gate Lord's Gong family doomed to fall, the other families will rebel without a leader. Haha, clever move."
"Exactly."
"Divide and conquer, mutual checks through alliances. Brother Yang-hui's talent is no joke."
It wasn't a complicated method. It just couldn't have been done before the young So scholar appeared.
The impressive part was that Yang-hui changed his mind and devised the plan the moment he learned of the young So scholar's existence.
"This will make the Baek Clan grow even faster."
"Yes. It's good that my sworn brother's clan is expanding, but... I'm starting to worry."
The Baek Clan was no longer the third-rate martial family of old.
With their current fame and influence, it was time to consider checks from the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans.
It wouldn't be strange for those haughty ears to hear the words "Heaven-Covering Humble Clan."
The Zhuge Clan alone...
"The Tang Clan. And the Baek Clan. I'm curious how the future power balance will shift."
"Will we predict and support, or judge realistically and suppress? It seems the main house will need to make a decision soon too."
"You're right, Hwa-un."
The two men's eyes deepened simultaneously.
"To create a variable."
"The former would probably be best."
"The latter might be more profitable if we just want peace."
"Even so, considering Brother Yang-hui's existence, I think it's the former."
"Haha, you're right too."
"Anyway, Father. Watch a bit longer before deciding."
"Yes. The situation in Hubei is far from normal..."
Hubei hosted two of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans.
The Southern Branch of Wudang, which had only been founded a hundred or so years ago but had grown rapidly enough to threaten Shaolin's prestige.
And the Zhuge Clan, which had dominated Yunzhong Mountain for generations.
"The Baek Clan and White Righteousness Gate matter gives our house much to reference."
"Yes. We'll need to prepare for conflicts between White Path factions too."
Perhaps... blood would have to be spilled.
Wudang's ambitions were never small.
Suddenly, Zhuge Seon smiled faintly.
"Alright, enough deep talk for now. By the way, where's Seol-ha?"
"In that room ove... Hm?"
Zhuge Hwa-un sensed the room was empty with a burst of qi and looked puzzled.
"She was definitely in there before you arrived, Father..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Finishing his conversation, Yang-hui climbed the stairs to his guest room and stretched.
"Uwaaa! Looks like the Nanchang business is mostly wrapped up!"
If they hadn't even taken Muju, they would've been poised to swallow Nanchang whole.
Without the wealth from Sword King Mausoleum and the Zhuge Clan's help, it would've been utterly impossible.
The payoff for turning the impossible into possible was enormous.
Just solidifying influence over Nanchang would allow them to expand their power in the blink of an eye.
Nanchang was the capital of Jiangxi.
In other words, they had laid the foundation to become Jiangxi's foremost martial clan.
'Well, still a long way to go.'
Still, he could enjoy some leisure for a while.
"A-du."
A-du, who had been peering out the window at the street, turned her head.
Come to think of it, why was this kid radiating qi like crazy?
He asked A-du, who was wrapped in golden light.
"What are you doing? Training?"
"Huh? Uh-huh."
Her attitude seemed a bit off.
Well, probably not up to no good.
"Don't get too rowdy. I'm going to circulate my qi and rest now."
"Uh-huh..."
As Yang-hui sat cross-legged on the bed and was about to begin his meditation,
"Waaah!"
"Ugh! Cough cough!"
Startled, Yang-hui hacked up a storm.
He had nearly suffered qi deviation.
"What lunatic... Seol-ha?"
"Senior Brother, don't we still have some settling of scores left?"
Zhuge Seol-ha smiled sweetly, but a throbbing vein bulged on her forehead.
Pop!
"Hahaha, well..."
Yang-hui could only laugh awkwardly.