Upon hearing this, Yang Tiansheng couldn’t help but recall the brilliant move when Yang Ge set fire to the archives, changing the planks for butcher’s knives and presenting them to Emperor Xiping. Respect filled his heart, along with a sense of unwillingness to concede, "It’s not that I’m being picky for the sake of it, but you say I have to fight at every level, which I can accept. However, what does arresting a bunch of corrupt officials have to do with the larger situation by half a copper coin?"
Yang Ge burst into laughter, "How about this, let’s make a bet. If I can convince you, then from now on in our partnership of Ice and Fire, I’ll be the older brother and you the younger. If I can’t convince you, then you can be the older brother and I’ll be the younger. How about it?"
As soon as Yang Tiansheng heard the proposal, he figured whether he was convinced or not was up to him; he immediately slammed the table and declared, "A gentleman’s word, swift as a steed!"
The big fool wore all his calculations on his face; how could Yang Ge not see it?
But he wasn’t worried; he was confident he could make him both inwardly and outwardly convinced, "Take the case of the three big grain merchants at the beginning, for example. Do you know why I waited until that time to set the archives ablaze, instead of doing it as soon as that dead eunuch, the imperial envoy, entered Lu Ting?"
Yang Tiansheng was baffled, "Weren’t you waiting for all the heroes from different places to gather at Lu Ting and make a big scene?"
Yang Ge scoffed and retorted, "Did you really make a big scene?"
Yang Tiansheng had no answer.
Yang Ge slowly explained, "I didn’t rush because the timing wasn’t right. Even if I had started the fire then, the Emperor would have had to tamp it down temporarily, because at that time, the court was at a critical juncture, preparing troops and supplies for the use of force on the grasslands. Internal stability was needed, and no matter how big the incident, so long as it wasn’t a rebellion, it would have to make way for the war!"
"That dead eunuch dragged his feet in Lu Ting for those few months exactly for that reason!"
"Unfortunately, not one of the officials who made it onto the court was a fool; while the Emperor was biding his time waiting to settle scores after autumn, those corrupt officials were racing against time to cover their own tracks!"
"If nothing unforeseen had happened, the end result of that affair would have been those corrupt officials pushing out the three big grain merchants to let the Emperor vent his anger... The real masterminds wouldn’t have lost a single hair!"
Yang Tiansheng had a sudden realization, "So you chose that moment to set the fire?"
Yang Ge nodded, "At that point in time, preparations for foreign military action were nearly complete. I was sure that once the knives were delivered, the Emperor would surely take them to strike a blow and conveniently round up the last batch of military funds and supplies... Of course, that moment wasn’t the most perfect. The ideal time would have been after a victorious foreign campaign. If the knives were handed over after the victory, it wouldn’t just be striking a blow, it would be a massacre!"
"Regrettably, those corrupt officials moved too quickly!"
"I couldn’t wait, and neither could the commoners from the provinces..."
Upon hearing this, Yang Tiansheng was not only convinced, but he also thought scholars’ hearts could be so filthy, "What about this time?"
In a lowered voice, Yang Ge said, "From the many actions taken before and after this military campaign against the grasslands, we can see that the current Emperor is a sovereign with ambition and skill. Having returned in triumph from the court’s foreign campaigns, the Emperor will surely ride the momentum of victory to reorganize the bureaucracy and reform the court. At this time, no matter how many calculations the officials of the court have, they must avoid his sharp edge!"
"At this crucial time, I hand over the knives..."
"What do you think, will these people die or not?"
Why have there been so many emperors in history who wanted to be martial emperors?
Is it because they were all war maniacs?
Of course not!
It’s because history’s most powerful emperors have all been martial emperors!
On the contrary, those literary emperors were mostly manipulated by powerful ministers, their edicts losing their flavor as soon as they left the palace gates...
In five thousand years of Huaxia history, only two terms, totaling eight characters, have been recorded.
The first term is ’striving to be the emperor’.
The second term is ’the game between sovereign and ministers’.
This is perhaps why, wherever there are people, there is Jianghu...
Yang Tiansheng was at a loss for words, looking at Yang Ge as if he were a monster.
This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.
Yang Ge smiled at him, "Convinced?"
After a long silence, Yang Tiansheng nodded quietly.
Yang Ge’s gaze turned to the other side, where Xiong Jun had his eyes tightly closed, "Gang Leader Xiong, are you convinced?"
Xiong Jun opened his eyes slowly, his voice weak as a whisper, "Either way, it’s death for me. Why should I concede to your pride?"
Yang Ge shifted comfortably in his chair, his voice faint, "You’re definitely dead meat, but if you can spare me some trouble, I might show mercy to your descendants and let them off the hook."
Xiong Jun questioned, "Why should I believe you?"
Yang Ge replied, "I’m not asking for money; why not just believe me a bit?"