Chapter 218 The simpler the more effective, simplicity is the best?

This night was destined to be a sleepless night.

However, Xun Yu did not take the initiative to offer any advice.

After the initial antics, Xun Yu quickly calmed down.

As a top strategist, Xun Yu has his own understanding of how to make his lord listen to him.

The only trick is to let the lord ask you first.

However, Jinmao's excitement has obviously not passed yet.

In the end, the three of them stayed up all night and didn't come up with anything.

The next day.

Jin Mao hosted a grand dinner to entertain Xun Yu.

Until the end of the dinner, Jinmao did not ask for any advice.

The third, fourth, and fifth day since Xun Yu arrived in Jianye County.

As time went by, Jin Mao seemed to have forgotten about it and never came to ask Xun Yu for advice.

On the tenth day of the second month, Tang Ji gave birth to a son, whom she named Jinlin.

This is the sixth day that Xun Yu has arrived in Jianye County.

The whole county celebrated for three days.

February fourteenth.

Shi Yu gave birth to another baby, a daughter, and named her Jinchun.

Jin Mao was very happy, even happier than when Tang Ji gave birth to a son, and he celebrated for another three days in Jianye County.

Twelve days passed like this, and Xun Yu remained calm, waiting for Jin Mao to come and ask for advice.

But Jinmao refused to come.

On February 18, Jin Mao prepared to return to Jiangling County, leaving Xun Yu as the temporary magistrate of Jianye County to govern the local area.

Xun Yu originally thought he had to wait until the right time.

Something unexpected happened!
Yuan Shao’s envoy has arrived!
Without any advisers around him, Jin Mao went to Xun Yu for advice.

"Yuan Shao wants to nominate me as the leader of the anti-Dong alliance. What do you think, Wen Ruo?"

Xun Yu simply shook his head and said, "Just ignore it."

Jin Mao was very confused: "This is the leader of the Guandong Alliance! How prestigious does that have to be?"

Xun Yu asked in return: "May I ask if you, lord, want to be the leader of this alliance?"

"Of course!"

Jin Mao asked in confusion: "Is there something wrong?"

From the moment he learned the news, Xun Yu saw through Yuan Shao's tricks.

Since Jin Mao couldn't see through it, Xun Yu gave more explanations.

"My Lord, imagine if you become the leader of the Anti-Dong Alliance, can you really command the heroes?"

Jin Mao shook his head and said, "No."

The last time Zhang Miao and his men joined forces, plus Yuan Shu and Cao Cao’s cooperation, was enough to prove that heroes would not obey the orders of others.

"If you can't command the heroes, then what's the point of you being the leader?"

"reputation?"

Xun Yu pointed out the key point of this matter: "Now that you are against the nobles, how can this alliance of nobles increase your reputation for no reason?"

"The biggest possibility is that they all hope that you will become the main force to fight against Dong Zhuo and charge into battle. They are standing right behind you and will eliminate you and Dong Zhuo together at the critical moment!"

Jin Mao was scared out of his wits. Yuan Shu is a typical example.

Cao Cao fought desperately at the front, but was badly defeated in the end. Yuan Shu used Cao Ren and his three generals in exchange for a chance to retreat.

There are definitely quite a few people like this among the princes!

And Yuan Shao’s intentions went beyond this.

When Xun Yu pointed out that if Jin Mao refused, Yuan Shao's envoy would definitely ask him who he thought was suitable to be the leader of the alliance.

Once Jin Mao mentioned a name, no matter who that person was, Jin Mao would admit that he was a member of the Anti-Dong Alliance.

By then, it will still have to be sold!
"I didn't expect Yuan Shao to be so wise!"

Jin Mao couldn't help but sigh. He thought Yuan Benchu ​​was just a weakling who was used to gain experience for Cao Cao.

Unexpectedly, the real Yuan Shao actually had such a mind.

"Don't underestimate the heroes of the late Han Dynasty. I have to get my mind right!"

It was not until Jin Mao calmed down that he realized how awesome Xun Yu was.

When looking at things, it’s really to the point!

Thinking that Jingzhou was still a mess, Jin Mao couldn't help but ask: "Does Wen Ruo have a plan to solve the Jingzhou dilemma?"

Xun Yu bowed without thinking, "This matter is simple. Report it to the emperor and make it known to the world!"

"My lord, all you need to do is strictly follow Han laws, check the population, measure the land, and calculate the taxes, and all resistance will vanish."

Jin Mao was stunned: "Is it that simple?"

"It's that simple!"

Seeing Xun Yu's certainty, Jin Mao couldn't help but ask, "Why is it so simple?"

Xun Yu seemed to have known that Jin Mao would ask this question, and slowly said: "The world is indeed in chaos, but it is still the Han Dynasty. Now no matter who dares to stand up and rebel, they will be pacified!"

Jin Mao nodded unconsciously. No matter whether it was Wang Fen, Zhang Ju, Zhang Chun, or Ou Xing and Zu Lang, they were all executed.

Even Dong Zhuo dared to poison the Queen Mother, but he did not dare to establish himself as the King. He even did not have the courage to poison Liu Bian because of Jin Mao. This is enough to show that in name, everyone is still a citizen of the Han Dynasty.

"My lord, you act according to Han law, and no one can find fault with you. If anyone dares to cause trouble, they are traitors and everyone can kill them!"

Jin Mao suddenly realized what was going on. He stood up excitedly, held Xun Yu's hands and said, "Wen Ruo is really my Zi Fang!"

Xun Yu lowered his head to hide the expression on his face and said awkwardly, "My lord, there is no need to do this."

Jin Mao's trick worked every time except for Xun Yu. It was not known whether Xun Yu knew enough information or had been praised enough before, so he became immune to it.

After the internal situation in Jingzhou was resolved, Jinmao turned to external affairs.

"Now in Jingzhou, Liu Yan, Liu Biao, Yuan Shu, and Sun Jian are eyeing us covetously, and in Xuzhou, Tao Qian, Liu Dai, Zhang Miao and others are ready to take action."

"The things I will do in the future will be very serious. I wonder if Wenruo can teach me anything?"

Xun Yu said without hesitation, as if he had been prepared, "My lord, why should you be so nervous?"

"Sun Jian is a hostage, there is no way he will be an enemy of the Lord."

"Liu Biao is just a show-off and not worth worrying about."

"Liu Yan's foundation is unstable and he is far away in Yizhou, so he is out of reach."

"Yuan Shu is a mediocre man. If you put in a little effort to please him, he will become complacent and might even go to compete with Yuan Shao."

Xun Yu began to comment one by one: "Xuzhou Governor Tao Qian has a lot of ambitions, but Xuzhou is located in a place where four enemies are fighting for it, and it has just experienced a great chaos. There is no need to worry about the short term, and there is no need to consider the long term."

"Tao Qian is old and frail. It is doubtful whether he can survive for many more years. It is no exaggeration to say that he is a withered skeleton in a tomb."

"Zhang Miao, the prefect of Chenliu, is known as the 'Eight Chefs', but he is no different from Liu Biao. He is not much better than his brother Zhang Chao, so he is not a concern."

"Yanzhou Liu Dai is an average person. If he is cautious, he can achieve something. But he has no self-awareness and will definitely get involved in disputes."

"Besides, Yanzhou is far away, Tao Qian will not allow other princes to get involved in Xuzhou again."

"Yuzhou Governor Kong Ju has lost his foundation and has no time to care about other things. If he dares to cause trouble, our lord would better occupy the important places in Yuzhou and wait for the valuation to be made."

After Xun Yu's analysis, Jin Mao suddenly understood: "In other words, as long as I focus on my own affairs, no one will dare to disturb me?"

Xun Yu nodded and shook his head and said, "My lord, you need to have a good relationship with these two people."

Jin Mao asked anxiously: "Which two?"

"Sun Jian and Yuan Shu!"

Jin Mao asked: "Sun Jian, Jin Mao can understand, but why did Yuan Shu do that?"

"This matter starts with the Four-Party Alliance." Xun Yu unraveled the mystery and made a thorough analysis of Yuan Shu's main psychology. "Yuan Shu wants to compete with Yuan Shao for the position of leader of the alliance to fight against Dong Zhuo, but his current strength is not enough to hold his own against Yuan Shao."

"If you give Yuan Shu nominal support and promise not to invade Nanyang and Runan, Yuan Shu will definitely not become your enemy."

Jin Mao hesitated, as the counties of Nanyang and Runan were extremely prosperous.

Just look at Yuan Shu and you will know. In less than half a year, Yuan Shu went through a cycle of ups and downs, and his strength increased instead of decreased.

In other words, the two counties provided Yuan Shu with a total of 40,000 troops, not counting the 10,000 troops under Liu Biao.

Although the soldiers are certainly not as elite as Jin Mao's troops, the number is enough to make Jin Mao jealous.

At least Jinmao can't raise 50,000 soldiers in a short period of time and still have them fully equipped.

Xun Yu seemed to see what Jin Mao was thinking, so he didn't rush him and waited patiently.

Until Jin Mao came to his senses, "Wen Ruo, what would happen if I didn't do that?"

Xun Yu said bluntly: "The best outcome is to retreat to Yangzhou."

There is no need to say much about the worst.

"Is it really that serious?"

"Yes!" Xun Yu answered very confidently: "By then, the Anti-Dong Alliance will not go to fight Dong, but to fight you!"

"Even Dong Zhuo would stab us in the back!"

Seeing Jin Mao's disbelief, Xun Yu explained: "The nobles were not united, but they would become one if there was external pressure."

“You are the pressure.”

"If you form an alliance with Yuan Shu, some nobles will not be hostile to you, thus causing divisions. This will give you enough time to deal with the internal affairs of Jingzhou."

"By the time they come to their senses, you will have managed Jingzhou and Jiangnan into an ironclad entity, and you will no longer be afraid."

Jin Mao finally gave up his unrealistic idea, but he was unwilling to give up and said, "You are right, but I can't stand this irritation!"

Xun Yu sighed and said, "Didn't Zhou Gongjin propose a strategy for the Lord that would both vent his anger and bring him gains?"

"But Zhicai said Zhou Gongjin's plan was too hasty."

Xun Yu nodded in agreement, "It's a bit too hasty."

"But as long as the matter of Jingzhou is settled, can this matter be put on the table and operated?"

"You often say that you should eat one bite at a time, walk one step at a time, and govern a big country like cooking a small fish. Why are you not calm enough when faced with a big event?"

Jin Mao was once again awakened by Xun Yu. Thinking back on his behavior during this period, he was not only anxious, but also had a particularly bad temper.

"You're right!"

“I’ve learned a lesson!”

Unexpectedly, Xun Yu still shook his head and said, "I heard that the lord was punished because He Gongmiao presumptuously guessed your thoughts. This is not advisable."

“As a leader, you should know your mistakes, correct them, and not admit them!”

"In this case, how can I know what you are thinking?"

Jin Mao nodded and said, "You are right, but I am not going to change this!"

Xun Yu's face was full of pain. Why did this guy not act in a way that was common sense?

No matter how good your qi-cultivation skills are, they will be completely destroyed.

Fortunately, Xun Yu’s skill in cultivating his Qi was top-notch, and he was able to restrain and release his Qi freely before Jin Mao noticed anything was wrong.

"Please tell me in detail, Wenruo, what should I do next?"

Jin Mao shouted, "Come here! Bring me some writing brush and ink!"

After a while, Dian Wei brought people to bring pens and ink, and there were plenty of papers in the hall.

Xun Yu was surprised. He didn't expect that Yangzhou was so rich that even paper could be used freely.

He then picked up a brush and wrote down his previous plan in classical Chinese.

Unexpectedly, Jin Mao stopped him and said, "Use vernacular Chinese. I can't understand it."

Helplessly, Xun Yu tried to write in the most colloquial terms.

Half an hour later.

Xun Yu said, "My lord has not yet said what to do with Sun Jian."

Jin Mao asked back: "How do you think we should deal with this?"

Xun Yu said: "Handle this carefully!"

"Oh?" Jin Mao was surprised: "Why should we handle it so carefully?"

Xun Yu put down his writing brush and bowed, saying: "He is the lord's natural ally, and the only ally!"

"If you can handle the relationship well, he will definitely be the ally that will never betray you!"

"Appreciate further details!"

Xun Yu explained it again.

Sun Jian and Jin Mao had similar backgrounds, both came from humble families in Kuaiji County.

Their experiences are similar, both of them relied on military exploits to climb up step by step.

They had similar ideas towards the gentry and showed no mercy when killing high-ranking officials.

They were in similar situations, both were despised by the gentry and unable to gain any support from them.

"Sun Jian went to Yuzhou, like a rootless duckweed. All he can rely on is your friendship."

Xun Yu said solemnly: "My lord, please use this knife well. Don't let Sun Jian become someone else's knife and hurt you in return!"

Jin Mao then became cautious and asked, "Then what should I do?"

Xun Yu thought for a moment and said, "My Lord, you can write a letter to Sun Jian, point out the key points, and subdue him!"

"Subdue Sun Jian!?" Jin Mao's voice rose eight pitches: "How is this possible?!"

Xun Yu said: "I don't mean to become your subordinate, but you become Sun Jian's backer, giving him both nominal and real support."

“Make it your representation out there.”

According to Xun Yu's strategy, Jin Mao would have no time to pay attention to the outside world for a long time. He needed to deal with Jingzhou first before talking about other things.

So Sun Jian is strong enough, but just lacks nominal support, which is what Jinmao lacks the least.

They complement each other.

And Xun Yu’s strategy went beyond that. He wanted Sun Jian to become the image spokesperson of Jinmao, and then form an alliance with Yuan Shu as a partner, and then support Yuan Shu in his fight for the position of leader.

By then, no matter how angry Yuan Shao was, it would be useless because the Anti-Dong Alliance would definitely have no time to take care of the south and would concentrate on dealing with internal and external threats.

As for whether Sun Jian is controllable, it doesn’t matter.

Xun Yu simply optimized Jinmao's original strategy, enabling Jinmao to flourish in Jingzhou.

“I didn’t expect it to be so simple!”

Jin Mao couldn't help but admire: "Wen Ruo is really a talent who can assist the king. He is much better than Gongjin and Gongda!"

Xun Yu quickly declined, saying, "My Lord, Miao Zan, Gongda can definitely think of any strategy I can think of."

"But maybe you didn't listen."

Jin Mao decisively admitted: "Yes, I was too impatient."

Then he remembered something else: "Last time, I made a mistake and asked the soldiers to choose a way to punish me. Do you know what they came up with?"

Xun Yu shook his head.

Jin Mao laughed and said, "They actually want to send the special cotton-padded clothes provided by the army back home as a punishment!"

“What a lovely bunch of people.”

Xun Yu cupped his hands and asked, "Did the lord agree to their request?"

Jin Mao nodded and said as a matter of course: "Of course!"

Unexpectedly, Xun Yu said with a serious face: "My lord, please take back your order!"

"This hole can't be opened!"

(End of this chapter)