177: Chapter 178 The Four-City Conspiracy

She paused slightly at this point, her gaze sweeping gently over everyone's faces.

"When Flower City is filled with more and more people from The Four Cities, and the City Lords of The Four Cities decide to declare war on Flower City, the soldiers under their command will discover that the very city they are meant to attack is home to their own relatives."

"How can they fight a war like that?"

Lei Lie fell silent for a moment after hearing this.

A moment later, he slapped his thigh hard.

"Brilliant!"

He only spat out this one word, but the force of that slap made the table tremble.

He immediately turned his head and landed a verbal blow on Minister Wang Fugui.

"The Minister of Interior's methods are still a cut above."

Minister Wang Fugui was immediately displeased and rolled his eyes.

"Brilliant, my foot."

"I am cutting off their lifeline, while she is digging out their hearts. Both are ruthless in their own way; stop trying to rank them here."

The atmosphere in the room relaxed slightly.

Zhou Yun also smiled.

But the smile was faint and quickly faded.

"Both of your methods are excellent."

"But they both cannot escape two words."

"Time."

As soon as these two words were spoken, Minister Wang Fugui and Wan'er fell silent.

Because they all knew that Zhou Yun had hit the nail on the head.

Minister Wang Fugui's trade binding required time to cultivate habits.

Wan'er's population absorption needed even more time to ferment.

If The Four Cities truly gathered their strength in a short period, or even united with more cities to launch an attack, both of these methods would be interrupted before they could truly mature.

Lei Lie scratched his head.

"Then what should we do?"

"We can't just wait around and not fight back hard, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wan'er suddenly turned to look at Strategist Zhu Ge, a faint smile in her eyes.

"Does the Strategist have anything to add?"

Lei Lie also looked over, his tone still defiant and resentful.

"You usually look so composed, as if you have everything calculated. Why not share it now?"

Strategist Zhu Ge gently fanned himself with his feather fan, smiling at the words.

"With Minister Wang and Lady Wan'er's excellent ideas ahead, my rough thoughts really aren't worth mentioning."

Lei Lie became impatient immediately.

"Why are you still being so modest at a time like this!"

Strategist Zhu Ge stopped teasing him, looked up at Zhou Yun, and slowly began:

"My idea is to use the pretext of accelerating trade to build the Hongdao Array between Flower City and The Four Cities."

Minister Wang Fugui was stunned at first, then frowned.

"Building the Hongdao Array would indeed allow goods to move faster."

"But what does this have to do with restraining The Four Cities?"

"Wouldn't that actually benefit them instead?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lei Lie suddenly burst into laughter.

There was even a rare hint of triumph in his laughter.

He looked at Minister Wang Fugui, his chin slightly raised.

"You don't understand this, do you?"

"If trade goods can arrive quickly, can't my army do the same?"

Minister Wang Fugui was taken aback.

Then, his eyes widened slightly.

The merchant's abacus he was mentally calculating suddenly shifted to a different gear.

He opened his mouth, but eventually just clicked his tongue and turned his head away, looking thoroughly unconvinced.

Strategist Zhu Ge watched this scene and nodded with a smile.

"Minister Lei is correct."

"However, the value of the Hongdao Array is not just that we 'can arrive'."

"More importantly, it is to let them know that we can arrive."

The eyes of everyone in the hall fell upon him.

Strategist Zhu Ge's voice was unhurried, as if he were recalculating the account that The Four Cities thought was secure.

"It originally took two days to get from Flower City to The Four Cities."

"After building the Hongdao Array, it might only take the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn."

"This news does not need to be hidden; on the contrary, it should be made perfectly clear to them."

"How long do they need to assemble their forces? One day? Two days?"

"And Flower City's Mercenaries can appear at their city gates in the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn."

Strategist Zhu Ge gently waved his feather fan, his gaze calm.

"Once this account is calculated clearly, there won't be many who dare to strike first. At the very least, they won't act too quickly."

The room fell completely silent.

Because this was no longer a simple matter of transportation.

This was directly erasing the buffer of "distance."

The reason The Four Cities dared to harbor intentions was precisely because, although Flower City was strong, it was ultimately separated by distance and time.

But if the road were paved by Strategist Zhu Ge, their greatest shred of wishful thinking would instantly collapse by half.

Strategist Zhu Ge, however, was not finished.

"Furthermore, during the implementation of Minister Wang and Lady Wan'er's plans, Flower City does not need to sit idly by."

"We can conduct normal military activities around The Four Cities under the guise of training exercises."

"It is not a threat."

"It is just to let them see the reality clearly."

"In this way, whether it is Minister Wang's trade binding or Lady Wan'er's population absorption, both will have enough time to slowly take effect."

After listening, Wan'er nodded gently.

"With the Strategist backing us up, our two lines of action can proceed with ease."

Minister Wang Fugui finally suppressed his dissatisfaction, lowered his head to calculate quickly in his mind, and his eyes grew brighter the more he calculated.

"Correct."

"With this foundation, I can dare to let go and proceed on my end."

And the smile on Lei Lie's face had not yet fully faded.

This was the first time he had truly laughed this heartily in today's council meeting.

It was not because he could finally fight.

But because even before Strategist Zhu Ge finished the second half, he had already foreseen that step.

...

The room was quiet for a while.

The smile on Lei Lie's face slowly faded, replaced by a complex expression that was hard to call submission, yet he could no longer argue against it.

It was not that he did not recognize these three methods.

On the contrary.

In his heart, he already understood that this was far more comprehensive and ruthless than his own approach of just striking hard once.

But he still felt unsatisfied.

"I just feel..."

He spoke in a low voice, his tone somewhat muffled.

"I just feel like it lets them off too easy."

"It was clearly them who first harbored malice toward Flower City, yet we have to endure for so long."

When these words came out, no one in the room laughed at him.

Because everyone could tell that this was not just being argumentative.

This was the drive in his heart to protect Flower City and to strike back hard on its behalf, which had not yet completely settled down.

Zhou Yun looked at him, not lecturing him with grand principles, but simply smiled.

Lei Lie, seeing this smile, found it even harder to remain stubborn.

He took a deep breath, his shoulders slowly relaxed, and he finally spoke.

"Fine."

"Let's do it this way."

He paused at this point, but his gaze lifted once more.

"But if they really don't know what's good for them..."

He looked at Zhou Yun, leaving the second half of the sentence unfinished.

The smile in Zhou Yun's eyes did not diminish, and his tone remained just as calm.

"Then I must insist that Minister Lei go and reason with them."

Lei Lie was stunned at first.

Then, the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.

The stifled atmosphere that had been pressing down on the Council Hall for so long finally dissipated a little.

Minister Wang Fugui lowered his head and clicked the beads of his abacus, muttering as if unconvinced, but if one listened closely, he was already calculating based on Strategist Zhu Ge's method.

"If the Hongdao Array can really be laid out, goods will move fast, and the accounts will turn over fast..."

"They pay for the road, and we use the road to move our people."

"It's... not impossible."

Wan'er pursed her lips, her gaze sweeping gently over everyone's faces before finally returning to Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun smiled and raised his hand to push the teacup on the table forward.

"Then it is decided."

"Strategist Zhu Ge, first lay down the framework for the Hongdao Array. Minister Wang, continue to release the goods. Wan'er, prepare the procedures for changing residency and resettlement, but don't rush to open the gates yet."

"As for The Four Cities..."

He paused here, tapping his fingertip gently on the rim of the cup.

"Since they haven't truly unsheathed their blades yet, we should also keep our words gentle for now."

Upon hearing this, the corners of Lei Lie's mouth, which had just curled up slightly, drooped back down.

"Gentle is one thing."

"If they really dare to reach out, I won't be polite to them."

Zhou Yun looked at him, the smile in his eyes faint.

"That is why I am asking you to save your strength."

Lei Lie was paused by these words, held his breath for two seconds, and finally grinned.

The Council Hall finally quieted down completely.

The night outside the window was deep, and the shadows of the trees swayed gently outside the candlelight.

The people in the hall went through the details a few more times, and by the time they each rose to leave, it was near the second half of the night.

Zhou Yun saw them to the door.

Strategist Zhu Ge waved his feather fan, his expression still calm, as if a large net had already been cast halfway in his mind.

Wan'er gathered her sleeves, head lowered, her steps not fast, clearly already calculating which gates could be loosened first and which ones needed to be kept pressed down.

Minister Wang Fugui walked out while muttering "consumables," "durable goods," "compare prices at three shops," and "raise them first," the beads of his abacus clicking softly in his sleeve.

Only Lei Lie, walking to the threshold, turned back to take one last look.

"City Lord."

"Hm?"

"Rest assured."

Lei Lie scratched his head, as if feeling he had spoken too boldly, his earlobes slightly warm, though his voice was steady.

"If they really don't know what's good for them, this subordinate... will definitely make them understand the reasoning."

Zhou Yun chuckled and nodded.

"I believe you."

Lei Lie then turned and strode into the night.

...

At the same time.

Deep within the City Lord's mansions of The Four Cities, four rays of array light lit up at almost the same moment.

It was not a long table facing each other, nor was there wine or a banquet, and they couldn't even see each other's shadows.

There were only the Sound Transmission Arrays embedded in the stone platforms, glowing with a cold light in the night.

The next moment, a voice sounded.

"Everyone, have you arrived?"

This voice carried a hint of a smile and sounded polite, but the tail end was tightly drawn, as if there were three parts of probing hidden within an otherwise ordinary greeting.

Another voice quickly followed.

"Speak if you have something to say."

"Beating around the bush at this time is pointless."

The third voice was half a beat slower before it slowly came through.

"Let's be clear first: today we only discuss business, nothing else."

"If anyone still wants to take this opportunity to probe for information, then don't bother speaking."

The array light flickered slightly.

After a brief silence, the person who spoke first laughed.

"Why speak so coldly?"

"We are all in the same boat now; what is the point of probing each other?"

"Heh."

The cold, hard voice from earlier also laughed, but as soon as that laugh appeared, the array became even colder.

"Precisely because we are in the same boat, we should be more careful."

"Who knows if the person sitting next to us is a human or a wolf?"

As the words fell, the other end of the Sound Transmission Array went silent for a moment.

No one responded to this.

Because everyone knew that these words were in everyone's hearts.

The Four Cities are now joining forces to plot against Flower City; it looks like one heart, but in reality, no one has truly turned their back to the others.

As long as a City Lord stays in their own city and has not been formally declared war upon by others, they are almost in an invincible position.

But once they step out of the City Lord's mansion, out of the city, no matter how high their status, it is nothing more than a life that can be severed by a single blade.

Therefore, they would rather speak across the Sound Transmission Array than be willing to actually sit at the same table.

The array was silent for two breaths before someone finally brought the conversation back to the main topic.

"Flower City has been making quite a few moves recently!"

"Goods are still being released, and supplies of equipment and Spirit Rice have not stopped. Yet not only do they show no signs of weakening, but the whole city is even more flourishing."

"If we drag this out too long, I think our chances of winning will only become smaller and smaller!"

The gentler voice spoke softly.

"And so?"

"Hmph! Does it need to be said? Keep pouring money in!"

As soon as these three words came out, the array fell silent.

Soon, someone sneered.

"Easy to say."

"You've been buying goods comfortably these past few days, but don't the accounts need to be balanced?"

"Weapons, leather armor, medicinal herbs, grain—which of these doesn't cost money? If we keep pouring money in like this, even if we emptied the Granary, we wouldn't be able to last much longer."

The other side was not in a hurry, as if they had been waiting for this sentence.

"The accounts look bad, they are bad."

"But you have to think clearly: is what we are spending now actually spending, or is it saving?"

"Saving?"

"Correct."

That person's voice slowed down, as if calculating the accounts for someone else one by one.

"Flower City's goods used to only circulate within their own city. Now? Spirit Rice, equipment, medicinal herbs, even Mercenaries can go out. Can't you see it yet?"

"That place is no longer just a city."

"If we don't suppress it now, once it connects all the surrounding areas, the cost of wanting to act later will only be greater."

Another voice sounded calmly.

"Everyone understands these principles."

"But understanding is one thing, and doing is another. If we keep pouring money in, it won't be long before the cash flow of our families is stretched tight."

"If there is a change in our cities by then, will you be the one to suppress it for us?"

The array fell silent again.

After a few breaths, someone spoke, their voice carrying a hint of imperceptible impatience.

"How can one do great things without taking risks?"

"What is this current tightness compared to the gains after taking down Flower City?"

"The Granary, workshops, Spirit Fields, and Mercenary system in their city—which one, if picked out, isn't a big piece of meat?"

"What is being spent now is merely bait."

"Once Flower City is broken, not to mention ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times! It can all be taken back!"

After these words were finished, no one in the array responded immediately.

A moment later, a voice that had hardly spoken throughout finally sounded.

"Taking down Flower City..."

"Easier said than done."

"Do you really think that with our Four Cities, we can surely take it down?"

This question was asked very calmly, but the atmosphere in the array suddenly sank.

Because this was not discouragement.

This was the root that everyone was avoiding, yet could never get around.

...