World's End: My Keyword is One More Than Others

Chapter 304: The art of thick skin and a black heart

chapter 304: the art of thick skin and a black heart

looking at lu yuanwai prostrating on the ground, luo shuang was speechless.

she shared a similar thought with lu yuanwai: you've already put a knife to his neck, why not just take what you want? why bother with all that convoluted reasoning?

"princess, have you learned?" du ge ignored lu yuanwai and turned to luo shuang, asking.

"master, your method doesn't work," luo shuang replied. "i've studied the history of dynastic changes. those founding emperors indeed had their strategies, but those were under specific circumstances..."

"hold out your hand," du ge interrupted her.

luo shuang reflexively extended her hand.

smack!

the cane came down hard on luo shuang's palm.

her hand instinctively recoiled, but she quickly regained her composure and retorted, "master, am i wrong? he's just a rural squire. he submitted not because of your reasoning but because he's afraid of you. if you threaten him with a knife, he'll still give you his money and grain..."

lu yuanwai nodded in agreement.

"princess, i know the reasoning is flawed," du ge said, looking at luo shuang with disappointment. "but is that what i was teaching you today—how to get money and grain? how to recruit talent?"

luo shuang furrowed her brows, ready to argue again.

but du ge cut her off once more: "princess, what i'm really teaching you today is the art of thick skin and a black heart. you're right; if i threaten him with a knife, he'll give me the money and grain. but doing so would make us robbers. are we robbers?"

"of course not," luo shuang replied.

"yes, we are," lu yuanwai thought silently to himself.

"exactly, we are not robbers," du ge said. "to punish without teaching is cruelty; to punish after teaching but without reform is the way of kings. like just now with lu yuanwai, i offered him benefits. if he agrees to help us, that's ideal. if not, then he's obstinate, and we have a justifiable reason to kill him..."

"master, that's not what you meant by that saying!" luo shuang protested.

du ge glanced at her and continued, "princess, don't get caught up in the details. understand the essence of what i'm saying. you need to win over either the landlord class or the peasant class. if you can't win him over, then kill him and win over another group. this way, your team will grow stronger."

luo shuang pondered, deep in thought.

lu yuanwai kept wiping the sweat from his forehead. compared to du ge, he suddenly felt that seizing a few plots of land from the common folk was not such a big crime.

"but this way, you'll only attract the weak. what about when you encounter the strong?" luo shuang still wasn't convinced. "i can't rely on a bunch of unwilling people or a group of untrained peasants to help me restore the kingdom!"

"are you unwilling?" du ge turned to lu yuanwai, asking.

"completely willing," lu yuanwai replied, terrified.

lu yuanwai was terrified and hurriedly said, "princess, i swear to keep my mouth shut. i won't report you. if i do, may my family suffer and die horribly."

"princess, do you trust him?" du ge asked. "throughout history, if oaths were effective, the busiest person would be the god of thunder."

lu yuanwai looked up at du ge, suddenly realizing that his fate was not in the hands of the naive princess but this ruthless man. he swallowed hard and forced a smile, "sir, what must i do for you to trust me?"

"stockpile money and grain, find blacksmiths to forge armor and weapons, train soldiers under the guise of protecting your estate, and gather information on officials' movements. it would be best if you also wrote a manifesto insulting the emperor of chongming kingdom. only then will you truly be serving the princess," du ge said calmly.

lu yuanwai's face turned as pale as paper.

"are you willing?" du ge asked again.

"i... i am willing," lu yuanwai said, dejectedly lowering his head.

"congratulations, princess, on gaining a great general," du ge turned and cupped his fists toward luo shuang.

luo shuang was bewildered. isn't this still a threat?

"princess, this is not a threat; it's coercion," du ge saw through luo shuang's thoughts and smiled. "after assigning these tasks to lu yuanwai, we can leave without worry and focus on other matters. if he reports us, he'll suffer first."

gulp!

lu yuanwai swallowed hard, glaring at du ge with deep resentment.

"princess, as long as we proceed step by step, planting people like lu yuanwai throughout chongming kingdom, when the time is right, we can quickly gather an army to seize cities and territories," du ge said. "in chaotic times, there are ways to rebel, and in peaceful times, there are ways to rebel."

"but what if he runs away after we leave?" luo shuang pondered for a moment and asked, looking at lu yuanwai.

"we're just two travelers who scared him a bit. if he runs away because of that, he's too stupid," du ge looked at lu yuanwai. "besides, where can he run to? if that day comes, we'll send his manifesto insulting the emperor to the authorities, making his life miserable..."

boom!

sitting at home, trouble comes from the sky.

lu yuanwai cursed du ge in his heart. how could such a black-hearted person exist?

"i won't run, i won't run," lu yuanwai said awkwardly.

"that's the smart choice," du ge said, looking at lu yuanwai with approval. "take a chance, and you might advance in rank. retreat, and you'll rot in prison. lu yuanwai, you're a smart man; you know what to do..."

lu yuanwai was on the verge of tears.

luo shuang was dumbfounded. only now did she truly understand the method du ge was teaching her to recruit talent.