Huang Fu's voice was calm, but the information he conveyed made the Emperor of Cai and all the officials feel heavy-hearted again.
"It has become so corrupt!" After hearing about what happened at Kurumu Ridge, the Emperor of Cai was surprisingly calm. Perhaps he was too angry, or perhaps he was simply disheartened.
After Huang Fu finished reading the message, he suddenly said, "Your Majesty, at this moment, a hard fight will only lead to self-destruction. I have a plan that has a 60% chance of reviving the State of Cai; but... it is also a bit risky."
"Oh?" The Emperor of Cai's eyes suddenly brightened. "Speak!"
"Your Majesty, a cicada must shed its shell before it can fly in the jungle; a silkworm must spin its cocoon before it can turn into a butterfly and dance. The State of Cai in the past was a cicada and a silkworm that was trapped in its own cocoon. I usually tidy up flowers and plants. If there are dead branches and rotten leaves, I should not linger on them, but should decisively cut them off. My strategy is to shed the shell of a cicada and cut off its tail to survive. Take this opportunity to remove the dirt and retain the essence, and select the elites who are loyal to Your Majesty. Then we will abandon the imperial capital, abandon all the existing glory and wealth, and leave the imperial capital Shangyong City with only talents, elites, loyal troops, a few officials, wealth, technology, books, etc. The State of Cai in the past has accumulated problems for a long time, and it is not wrong to say that it is terminally ill. Now is the best opportunity for the State of Cai to cut off the rotten branches and leaves, shrink its strength, lie dormant, and wait for a new transformation."
The Emperor of Cai did not pedantically shout that he would rather die than retreat. Instead, he thought carefully about Huang Fu's words and asked after a long time, "Where to retreat?"
"Three Rivers in the North!" Huang Fu pointed to the three counties in the northeast of the State of Cai on the map. "Your Majesty, please look, the three rivers in the northeast are Luochuan, Yongchuan and Tongchuan. Sanchuan has a vast area, more than a thousand miles wide, and they defend each other and form a whole. Luochuan is in the northwest, and Yongchuan is in the south, and they jointly protect Tongchuan. The outer terrain of Sanchuan is dangerous, but the interior is very rich. It is the granary of the State of Cai. Moreover, Tongchuan has produced red copper since ancient times. If we dig deeper into the red copper mine there, we may find new red copper. In addition, after retreating to Sanchuan, we can completely abandon the existing southern territory of the State of Cai, open the western and northwest borders, and introduce the invasion of Zheng State in the west and Deng State in the north. By then, Chen State, Zheng State, Deng State, Xiao Liming, Li Yulong, and Li Xian's Anyang will compete for hegemony, and we will be able to benefit from both sides and take the opportunity to transform. As long as it takes five years, we will be able to counterattack. By then, the six parties fighting for hegemony must have been very tired, and it will be easy for us to restore the rivers."
The hall was silent, with only the Emperor of Cai standing there, tapping his finger on the table and looking at the map, thinking and considering.
Huang Fu's strategy was very feasible. He took the opportunity to escape and then hide and transform. He also handed over the remaining land of Cai State, which attracted the attacks of Zheng State and Deng State, muddied the waters. Cai State then took advantage of the situation to fish in muddy waters.
This method is indeed highly feasible and operational; but at the same time, if it is not handled well, Cai Guojiang may become a thing of the past - no matter how good the plan is, there will always be various problems in reality.
For example, what if the Three Rivers in the North rebelled? Although the State of Cai had strong control over the Three Rivers in the North because it was the granary of the State of Cai, what if there was a rebellion? You know, once the "escape plan" was launched, the State of Cai would have no way out and could not withstand any turmoil.