Chapter 66: Three Interlocking Rings

Hearing Chai Xiao ask this, Zhuque’s delicate body trembled slightly, and she nodded in response.

"My two masters always plan their moves so that a single twitch of the hair affects the whole body. If they do not fly, they soar straight into the sky; if they do not sing, they astonish the world with a single sound!"

"Having just been threatened by the Second Prince and summoned to Great Xu, they will undoubtedly unleash a flurry of ruthless strategies to ensure the Young Mistress’s safety is absolute."

"At the same time, they will force the Second Prince to activate all the covert agents he previously planted in Great Xu, having them strike together."

"Your Majesty mentioned hearing the carrier pigeon coo five or six times today, while I have transmitted and received messages twice in total—once yesterday, and once today."

"The previous transmission was just now, while I was changing into the princess’s ceremonial gown. I even deliberately used a secret technique so that the bird would make no sound upon its return."

"Therefore, apart from me, the carrier pigeons have flown back and forth four or five times, which proves that the covert agents planted by the Second Prince have already begun exchanging messages."

"Based on my speculation, my two masters must have dispatched 'pigeon boys' to the vicinity of these agents, which minimizes losses and allows for direct operations."

"Your Majesty, if any more carrier pigeons fly to and fro, you need only let me stand in a high vantage point. I will undoubtedly be able to spot their destination, follow the vine to unearth the melon, and track down these covert agents!"

"Along the way, we can even recapture the 'pigeon boys'!"

Imperial Concubine Yun was overjoyed, completely abandoning any trace of blame toward Zhuque, and repeated the word "good" five or six times.

"Splendid! If this plan actually succeeds, then that vicious old Second will truly end up fetching water with a bamboo basket!"

Chai Xiao smiled faintly.

"If others do not offend me, I will not offend them. If others offend me, I shall certainly offend them back."

"Since Chai Huo is so keen on offending me this time, I will make sure he thoroughly experiences the taste of being a villain!"

"Does he not rely on his wealth to buy off covert agents everywhere to deal with me?"

"Then we shall make him spend even more money—until his flesh aches!"

Zhuque could not help but feel inwardly startled.

Ever since entering Great Xu, this Ninth Prince had undergone a metamorphosis almost in the blink of an eye.

From his previous harmless and submissive demeanor, he had transformed into someone magnanimous and benevolent, yet wise, sharp, and tit-for-tat.

He always anticipated everyone else's moves, daring to conceive of thoughts that others never dared to imagine, or had even never heard of.

And just when everyone felt completely certain of a path, he would leap away from convention and forge an entirely new route, leaving people baffled and even filled with a sense of dread.

Judging by his tone, he did not seem to fully agree with her idea of capturing the covert agents and pulling back the pigeon boys.

Could it be that he had an even better method?

Suddenly, the chief representative of the newly appointed "Princess Chiyuan" comprehended something.

"Your Majesty, do you intend to spare these covert agents and have them act as double agents, just like my two masters?"

Chai Xiao gently flicked the tree branch in his hand upward.

"During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhou Yu instantly saw through the intention of Cao Cao's envoy, Jiang Gan, who had come to persuade him to surrender."

"Thus, he played along with the ruse to implement counter-espionage. He pretended to get drunk and forged surrender letters from naval commanders Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, letting Jiang Gan take them back."

"Upon reading the letters, Cao Cao immediately executed Cai Mao and Zhang Yun. When he saw their heads, he quickly woke up to the truth, but it was already too late."

"If we likewise implement counter-espionage and play along with their ruse, we can surely trick that old Second into wasting another tens of thousands of taels of silver!"

Tens of thousands of taels of silver?

Everyone was greatly astonished. Just by running a counter-espionage scheme against a few covert agents, they could extort that much money?

Was the Second Prince's money really that easy to earn?

Zhuque could not refrain from asking aloud.

"Your Majesty, please forgive my bluntness. I understand using covert agents as double agents, but trapping the Second Prince for tens of thousands of taels of silver—that I do not understand!"

As if he had not heard, Chai Xiao used his tree branch to draw a circle.

"At the Battle of Red Cliffs, the counter-espionage ruse Zhou Yu played on Jiang Gan was merely the first link in the chain."

"Following that, Huang Gai discussed a plan with Zhou Yu where one was willing to beat and the other was willing to take the beating, staging the 'flesh-grieving ruse'."

"Zhou Yu had Huang Gai beaten until his flesh was torn and bloody, and Huang Gai sent men to deliver a secret letter to Cao Cao expressing his desire to surrender."

"Cao Cao was initially doubtful, but upon seeing that Huang Gai was indeed severely beaten, he finally believed the surrender was genuine."

"This was the second link."

"After that, Pang Tong went along to Cao Cao's camp under the guise of being Huang Gai's advisor and presented the ' chained-ships strategy'."

"Cao Cao's soldiers mostly hailed from the northern plains and constantly suffered from seasickness. Therefore, connecting all the warships bow to stern with iron chains would allow the soldiers to walk as if on flat ground."

"Without seeing through the plot, Cao Cao immediately arranged for the iron chain linkage."

"This was the third link."

"By this point, the three links were interlocked."

"Huang Gai, who had feigned surrender, used boats filled with combustibles to approach Cao Cao's warships, setting off a massive blaze."

"Because the warships were chained together, the fire spread rapidly, throwing Cao Cao's army into chaos. The Sun-Liu allied forces seized the opportunity to attack and achieved a resounding victory."

"From this, we can see that the three links are indispensable. If we want to earn the old Second's money, it must be done the same way."

As these words fell, although he did not explicitly state how they would earn those tens of thousands of taels of silver, many present caught the underlying drift.

Zhuque immediately cupped her fists.

"Your Majesty, when the time comes, I am willing to play the role of the beaten Huang Gai and go to the Second Prince to stage the 'flesh-grieving ruse'!"

"To make it look convincing, I ask that Your Majesty hold nothing back and strike mercilessly."

Unexpectedly, Su Zhongjing also cupped his fists in agreement.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to play the role of Pang Tong, who visits the enemy camp to present the 'chained-ships strategy'."

"I will make the old Second chain his ships together, convinced that victory is certain."

Jianfeng, Jianyu, and the others also cupped their fists one after another.

"We are likewise willing to act as the bruised punching bags for the 'flesh-grieving ruse', or as the messengers delivering the 'chained-ships strategy'."

Imperial Concubine Yun watched from the side, tears welling up in her eyes.

This young man had said that the most important tasks right now were making money, hoarding weapons, and recruiting people, with talent recruitment being the most critical of all.

Now it seemed that with so many people willing to risk their lives to press forward, he was doing a rather fine job of winning people over!

Chai Xiao saluted Zhuque and the golden hairpin guards one by one, just as Zhou Yu had once saluted Huang Gai.

However, when he reached Su Zhongjing, he shook his head incessantly.

"Sir, you cannot go to present the 'chained-ships strategy'!"

"Back then, although Pang Tong held the title of 'Fledgling Phoenix', not many in the Wei army knew of him, so presenting the strategy did not arouse excessive suspicion."

"If you were to go, it would be entirely different!"

"Everyone regards you as the greatest talent under heaven. Should Chai Huo harbor even the slightest malicious intent, the world could not bear the consequences!"

"Besides, even if he feels some restraint and spares your life, what if he follows Cao Cao's example of holding someone's mother hostage to blackmail and place Xu Shu under house arrest? I would suffer a devastating loss!"

Su Zhongjing burst into hearty laughter.

"Not necessarily, Your Majesty. Although that Cao Cao tricked Xu Shu into coming over, he never placed him under house arrest. It was Xu Shu himself who refused to offer a single strategy to Cao Cao!"

"No, he did offer one strategy: he made Cao Cao believe in Pang Tong's 'chained-ships strategy'. It was only by following his advice that Cao Cao believed it implicitly."

"Your Majesty has always been plotting a surprise maneuver. If I go, no one will expect it. That will be the greatest surprise of all."

"There is no need to worry excessively about my safety. Since I dare to go, I am fully capable of ensuring my own security while making the old Second trust me beyond a shadow of a doubt!"

Deeply moved, Chai Xiao bowed deeply to Su Zhongjing.

"Let the Sir be our model!"

Zhuque, the golden hairpin guards, and even Imperial Concubine Yun all cupped their fists in unison.

"Let the Sir be our model!"

Chai Xiao waved his tree branch toward Zhuque.

"The best spot to survey and determine the destination of the carrier pigeons is none of other than the East Drum Tower, which we are about to visit."

"You shall act as the spotter. The task of capturing or striking the birds can be handed over to Zhang Bao's temporarily assembled catapult youth squad. They will be under your unified command. How does that sound?"

Zhuque cupped her fists in compliance, and after a brief pause, let out a slightly constrained sigh.

"Your Majesty’s arrangements are meticulous. Although temporarily assembled, those youths are well-trained and strike in batched waves—at a glance, it is clear this was planned in advance!"

Seeing the awkward expression on her face, Chai Xiao smiled.

"You are wondering how I saw through the flaws in your words earlier, and how I arranged for the youth with catapults to strike, aren't you?"

Zhuque nodded, a trace of an imperceptible blush flashing across her face.

Chai Xiao smiled and said,

"It is quite simple. Carrier pigeons are rare in the Western City, yet you claimed to have raised them while practicing martial arts in the mountains during your childhood, noting traits such as homing instincts and vulnerability to damage."

"At a glance, that was no falsehood; you truly did raise them."

"Next, when I asked you to devise a way to shoot down a few, suggesting the first one be braised and the subsequent ones captured alive, a subtle look of pity flickered in your eyes."

"This indicated that the carrier pigeons flying in the sky were either the ones you raised in your childhood or their descendants."

"Raising pigeons is like raising children; shooting them down means either death or injury, which naturally makes you reluctant."

"And though you did not reveal the entire truth, every single word you spoke was true."

"This shows that you harbor hidden circumstances in your heart—whether you were coerced or had no other choice."

"Yet, adhering strictly to the truth without speaking a single lie demonstrates that you guard your bottom line and harbor no disloyal intentions!"

"As for arranging the youth with the catapults, that was merely laying down a backup move."

"Their shooting technique? Just rural children pelting birds: throwing one stone, then throwing another ahead of the target, because carrier pigeons have speed, don't they?"

Zhuque could not help letting out a long sigh toward the heaven, and then bowed all the way to the ground.

"Your Majesty's observation is as fine as a hair's breadth, and your backup plans and responses are simple and easy to execute, yet they strike straight to the root and achieve immediate results."

"Zhuque is convinced heart and soul!"

Chai Xiao smiled again.

"You have been wanting to ask how we will earn tens of thousands of taels of silver, and my failure to specify was precisely for fear of shocking you!"

"Now, let me turn the question back to you: how many taels of silver does it cost just to feed and raise a single carrier pigeon?"