Chapter Ninety-Two: The Strategy of Flattery and Ruin

After Tian Qi entered the room, he saw that Gao Zhang wore an air of calm indifference. Yet as his eyes flicked across the desk, he noticed some fresh chips in the lacquer, and understanding dawned on him. He bowed and said, “I have come to pay my respects to the Chancellor. I have heard that Qi’s campaign has not gone well. In my humble view, we ought to send someone to Lu and see what kind of man that Meng Di truly is. Only then can we know both ourselves and our enemy.”

Although the Tian clan had been growing increasingly influential, Gao Zhang would not let down his guard. In Qi, the Tian family was on good terms with many other clans. Even if they appeared restrained, one could never be too cautious. At this moment Tian Qi had rushed over to offer advice, which made Gao Zhang frown slightly. In a cool tone, he said, “This defeat in battle was entirely the fault of Pan Yi, who grew overconfident and rushed ahead. If we now send someone to Lu, would that not make us a laughingstock?”

Hearing this, Tian Qi did not give up. Instead, he continued, “Fan Yang now serves as the ruling minister of Jin. I fear this is the beginning of Jin’s decline. Back in the day, Fan Yang had Zhao Yang cast the punitive tripod in Jin, while falsely claiming to act under the orders of Wei Situ, openly trampling the rites of Zhou. From this alone, one can see how ambitious he is.”

“Now that Fan Yang has just risen to power, this is precisely the time when he needs to assert his authority. If Qi were to send troops against Lu again at this moment, Jin would very likely dispatch forces to come to Lu’s aid. That would not be a good thing for Qi.”

The so-called casting of the punitive tripod had been a grand spectacle directed by Fan Yang himself. In the end, Zhao Yang was made to bear the blame. His purpose was to challenge the position of Wei Shu, display his own strength, and place private power above public authority.

It must be remembered that before the Spring and Autumn era, the rites of Zhou had always served as the standard for governing the realm. For someone like Fan Yang to inscribe laws upon a bronze tripod was effectively to undermine the very foundation of Zhou rule, thereby provoking the resentment of the other feudal states.

Under such circumstances, the three families of Han, Zhao, and Wei gradually formed an alliance, beginning with Zhao Yang as their core and steadily building their strength.

Gao Zhang naturally understood all this. He held no affection for Fan Yang either, and he felt that Tian Qi’s words had some merit. But to make him bow his head now was out of the question.

Seeing the shift in his expression, Tian Qi knew the moment had come.

“Since Meng Di has only just established himself in Mengyi, I have a plan that can help the Chancellor get rid of him.”

This immediately aroused Gao Zhang’s interest. He lifted his brows and asked, “What good plan do you have?”

“Within Lu, the Ji Sun clan holds the reins of government, but their retainer Yang Hu is the one who truly wields power. He is also an ambitious man. If the Chancellor now sends someone to meet Meng Di, and Yang Hu learns of it, he will surely be displeased.”

“Then we can send people to spread rumors throughout Lu, saying that Meng Di is resisting our Qi army. In that way, the two of them will become estranged. As the saying goes, when two tigers fight, one is bound to be injured. Not only will this weaken Lu, it will also let Qi reap the benefits without lifting a finger.”

After Tian Qi finished speaking, Gao Zhang nodded repeatedly. This plan was far superior to simply sending troops against Lu. However, for the sake of appearances, Gao Zhang would not send anyone of his own. After a moment’s thought, he came up with an idea.

“Since this matter was raised by you, let your Tian clan handle it.”

In the residence of the Guo family, Guo Xia let out a sigh and said with some emotion, “It seems I underestimated this Meng Di after all. To defeat more than ten thousand Qi troops with merely three thousand cavalry—he is destined to become a figure who shakes the world. Still, what matters most now is how to bring this to a close.”

After frowning and thinking for a while, he turned his gaze to his son.

“Yuan’er, though Pan Yi was defeated through overconfidence, he remains a retainer of the Gao family. The Chancellor is surely furious now, and will certainly refuse to send anyone to redeem him. Among those captured this time are soldiers of our Guo family as well. You should go to Mengyi yourself.”

Upon learning the outcome of the battle, Guo Yuan had also become intensely curious about Meng Di, so he answered without hesitation, “That is exactly what I had in mind. I shall make preparations at once.”

Once Guo Xia had made up his mind, he ordered the servants to ready the carriage and went to the Gao family estate.

Just after Gao Zhang had seen Tian Qi off, he received word that Guo Xia had come calling, and so he hurried out personally to greet him.

After they were seated in the hall, Guo Xia did not hide his purpose and said directly, “Our Qi army has suffered a crushing defeat, but according to the soldiers who escaped back, Meng Di only captured Pan Yi and did not press the advantage. It seems he merely wanted to make a name for himself. That is why I am thinking of sending my son to Mengyi to probe the situation.”

Guo Xia’s initiative in coming here and mentioning this matter made Gao Zhang feel greatly relieved. The two families watched over one another and jointly controlled the politics of Qi precisely because, in critical moments, they could support each other. So he did not conceal anything either.

“To be frank, Tian Qi just paid me a visit and said the very same thing. I have already ordered him to prepare the proper gifts and ceremonial offerings before setting out for Mengyi.”

At this, Guo Xia frowned and said thoughtfully, “It seems the Tian clan was already prepared. Otherwise, how could they have come up with a response so quickly? If I am not mistaken, they must have another move in reserve.”

With this reminder, Gao Zhang also felt that it was likely so. The news of Qi’s defeat had only just arrived, yet Tian Qi had immediately come to call. That was a little too coincidental. He said with some feeling, “It seems the Tian clan’s ambitions are far from dead. Tian Qi has just proposed the strategy of flattering someone into ruin: first send a man to meet Meng Di, then spread rumors throughout Lu, so that Meng Di and Yang Hu will become two tigers that cannot share one mountain.”

After some thought, Guo Xia nodded in full agreement.

“This plan can work. In that case, let my son accompany the Tian clan to Mengyi.”

In Mengyi, Meng Di was soaking in hot water to ease the fatigue in his body. Su’er was beside him, wiping him down, though her attention was clearly elsewhere. The strength in her hand came and went, light and heavy by turns, plainly showing that she had something on her mind.

Meng Di reached out and took her soft hand, then turned and looked at her, asking, “What is wrong with you? Why do you seem so distracted? If something is troubling you, say it. Do not keep it bottled up inside.”

Su’er let out a long sigh, gathered her thoughts, and then said somewhat helplessly, “Uncle Wang once told me in private that he wants to return to Qi. He does not wish to be buried in a foreign land after he grows old and dies. But I feel that he may have other plans as well, and that is why I am worried.”

For the past few days, Meng Di had been occupied with the war and had not yet found time to ask Wang Bo about his affairs. He had planned to speak with him in a few more days to see what he intended to do. He had not expected Wang Bo to now be thinking of returning to Qi. His purpose was self-evident.