Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 608: Chapter 306: A Winning Start_2

Zhang Gong was somewhat surprised in his heart when Prince Chu said this, but he didn’t say much. Of course, he also did not tell Prince Chu how to win the first battle in recovering Shu land. If Prince Chu asked him for advice, he would naturally tell him.

Prince Chu did not consult Zhang Gong on how to win the first battle. He devised the battle plan himself and arranged everything. From start to finish, he did not ask Zhang Gong whether he was doing the right thing.

Zhang Gong was not angry about this, nor did he think Prince Chu was being presumptuous. He also was not worried about it. To him, it didn’t matter if Prince Chu lost the first battle because he would eventually win it back. Of course, if Prince Chu won the first battle, that would be even better.

The first battle to recover Shu land was won by Prince Chu, who had no combat experience, which immediately made the soldiers of the Zhen Shu Camp see him in a new light. The soldiers under Zhang Gong’s command immediately dispelled their initial disrespect and disdain for Prince Chu.

Winning the first battle, and doing so beautifully, greatly boosted the soldiers’ morale. Next, Prince Chu and Zhang Gong would separate and battle to eliminate the rebels.

Prince Chu’s great victory in the first battle was not good news for the ministers who supported the Crown Prince and those who supported Prince Dai. There was nothing they could do about it. Firstly, because Prince Chu was now far away in Shu land. Secondly, most of the soldiers in the Shu Army were under Zhang Gong’s command, and the rest were people Prince Chu brought from Liangzhou. They couldn’t even insert their people, let alone do anything else.

They did want to stir up trouble in Liangzhou, but Liangzhou was governed by Prince Chu as if it were a fortress. The people they sent couldn’t accomplish anything.

The best way to deal with Prince Chu would be to wait until Shu land is recovered and then bring Prince Chu back to the capital. If Prince Chu stayed far away in Liangzhou, whatever they wanted to do would be inconvenient. However, if Prince Chu were in the capital, it would be easier to deal with him.

The officials supporting the Crown Prince and those backing Prince Dai rarely found common ground and coincidentally shared the goal of bringing Prince Chu back to the capital.

At the residence of the Eighth Prince.

"Your Highness, are we really going to do nothing?" Yu Hai looked somewhat anxious. "Are we really not going to stop Prince Chu? If we let him continue winning, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Why should we stop him?" The Eighth Prince glanced at Yu Hai with confusion. "There’s nothing bad about letting old Fourth keep winning."

"But in this case, won’t Prince Chu’s reputation in the army grow stronger?" Yu Hai couldn’t understand why the Eighth Prince wasn’t worried at all. "What Prince Chu lacks most is support from the army. Once he recovers Shu land, he will gain the army’s support, which will be detrimental to us." Didn’t Your Highness say before that Prince Chu is your true opponent and your final opponent?

"You are wrong; it’s not bad for us," the Eighth Prince said calmly. "Father sent old Fourth to recover Shu land to give old Fourth military accolades, so he can gain support from the army. This way, he will have the confidence to balance against the Crown Prince and Prince Dai."

"Your Highness, Prince Chu is favored by the Emperor. Such arrangements are to pave the way for Prince Chu..."

The Eighth Prince interrupted Yu Hai and continued, "I said before, compared to us, the Crown Prince and Prince Dai are more wary of old Fourth. Now that Father is openly supporting old Fourth, do you think the Crown Prince and Prince Dai will let old Fourth off?"

"They won’t."

"Next, the court will form a three-way power struggle. The Crown Prince, Prince Dai, and old Fourth will fight each other, which is not bad for us." The Eighth Prince smiled lightly. "While the three of them fight fiercely, we will reap the benefits of their struggle."

He added, "Moreover, the fiercer they fight, the safer we are."

Yu Hai nodded but then realized something, and his face changed immediately.

"No, Your Highness, didn’t you say before that Prince Chu would be your biggest enemy in the future? You also said that neither the Crown Prince nor Prince Dai would be a match for Prince Chu. If in the future Prince Chu defeats the Crown Prince and Prince Dai, he would be as brilliant as the rising sun; how could we oppose him then?"

Upon hearing this, the Eighth Prince squinted slightly and said, "Yu Hai, do you think I can’t contend with old Fourth?"

"No, what I mean is, by then, the power of Prince Chu would be strong and it would..." Yu Hai cautiously replied, "become troublesome."