After a round of discussion,
Ji Fu said in a deep voice, "Lord Qin, your considerations are very thorough, but there is one issue."
Qin You cupped his hands and said, "Please, Lord, enlighten me."
Ji Fu slowly said, "Speaking of which, this matter was actually caused by your oversight, Lord Qin..."
Upon hearing this, Qin You immediately realized and said, "Is the Lord referring to Marquis Yun, Gu Zhan?"
Ji Fu nodded slightly and said, "Back then, in order to cooperate with your plan, the court granted Gu Zhan the title of Marquis Yun and the position of Grand General of the Army. Initially, it was thought that he was just a Martial Artist at the peak of Martial Arts, so there would be no real impact. But now, who could have expected that he would break through the limits of Martial Arts and directly seize the entire Yunxi.
Although he has not yet recruited many troops, solely based on his influence in the Martial World of Yunxi, it’s difficult for anyone to interfere in Yunxi’s affairs. And the Ten Thousand Mountains are in his hands. Now, to hand the Ten Thousand Mountains over to the White Lotus Sect, would he agree? Moreover, it is feared that this Marquis Yun might harbor resentment towards the court?"
Qin You chuckled softly and said, "What the Lord says is reasonable; this matter truly was my miscalculation. I did not expect that there would really be someone who could break the limits of Martial Arts. However, precisely because of this, we need even more to hand over the Ten Thousand Mountains to the White Lotus Sect."
Ji Fu frowned slightly and said, "How so?"
"Balance," Qin You said, "Let alone Yunxi, currently there is no one in the entire Yunzhou who can counterbalance Gu Zhan. As of now, although he has no particular intentions, there’s no guarantee that he won’t have other thoughts in the future!
So, allowing the White Lotus Sect to enter the Ten Thousand Mountains isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s well-known that the White Lotus Sect harbors ulterior motives, and as Marquis Yun, Gu Zhan will inevitably need to guard against them long-term, thus forming a balance."
At this moment, Marquis Pingjin, Lü Chang, who hadn’t spoken until now, said slowly, "Lord Qin, have you considered, what if Gu Zhan harbors ulterior motives too and cooperates with the White Lotus Sect?"
Instantly, the atmosphere in the tent became somewhat oppressive, and many people showed unnatural expressions.
Currently, Gu Zhan is famous throughout the world, at the height of his power. Ever since he slain the Elder Celestial Master and Wei Wuya, he has transformed from the number one Grandmaster in the world to the number one.
In such a situation, if Gu Zhan were to establish a stronghold and cooperate with the White Lotus Sect, the trouble it would cause is no less than that of Marquis Chengyang, perhaps even more so, akin to raising a tiger as a hidden danger.
Qin You smiled slightly and said, "This is precisely what I plan to arrange subsequently. You all haven’t interacted with this Marquis Yun, so you are unaware of his character.
This Gu Zhan is arrogant, self-serving, and loves ostentation; he is extremely conceited and uncontrollable. These traits, I believe you have all heard of, and he has a personality that seeks revenge on the slightest grievance, annihilating his enemies completely.
For his character, as long as we make him form a deep enmity with the White Lotus Sect, there’s no chance of their cooperation, only a fight to the death."
Ji Fu’s eyes lit up, and he asked, "How does Lord Qin intend to proceed?"
Qin You slowly said, "Directly tell Gu Zhan about the White Lotus Sect’s demand for the Ten Thousand Mountains, then invite him to join in the Northern Territory to suppress the White Lotus Sect. He has two choices: to come or to find an excuse to decline.
If he comes, then let him perform his duty as Grand General of the Army and lead the troops in a great battle against the White Lotus Sect. During this process, whether he forms a deadly enmity with the White Lotus Sect is then up to our arrangements..."
Qin You did not elaborate on the specifics,
But everyone present understood clearly, even if Gu Zhan and the White Lotus Sect exercised restraint, they could secretly orchestrate some vendettas, such as having someone close to Gu Zhan killed by the White Lotus Sect.
Qin You continued, "In this battle, we only need for Gu Zhan to form a deadly enmity with the White Lotus Sect, then we will cease hostilities under the pretext of the court being unable to bear the burden. Unless Gu Zhan can take down the White Lotus Sect alone, he will have no choice but to let the White Lotus Sect enter the Ten Thousand Mountains."
After a pause, Qin You added, "If he doesn’t come, we can openly allow the White Lotus Sect into the Ten Thousand Mountains. Gu Zhan will have no reason to cause trouble; after all, it was his decision not to come, and we couldn’t successfully eradicate the White Lotus Sect. Unfortunately, it allows them into the Ten Thousand Mountains.
As for after the White Lotus Sect enters the Ten Thousand Mountains, given Gu Zhan’s arrogant and domineering nature, it will only take a minor conflict to incite a life-and-death struggle."
Having said that, Qin You bowed towards Ji Fu and Lü Chang and said, "Gentlemen, in summary, allowing the White Lotus Sect into the Ten Thousand Mountains is indeed a mutually beneficial solution. Firstly, it can quickly quell the rebellion in the Yun, Liang, and Qing Three States. Currently, Qingzhou and Liangzhou still have many rebels, just because the White Lotus Sect hasn’t been completely defeated. They all still harbor some hope; once the White Lotus Sect is fully defeated, peace will return to the Yun, Liang, and Qing Three States, and order can be quickly restored.
The second is to balance Gu Zhan. Indeed, this Gu Zhan is a significant problem. Initially, it was my oversight to not expect such achievements from him, which somewhat resembles nurturing a tiger and inviting calamity. However, ultimately, he is just an individual. Once the Three States are pacified, he won’t have another chance to stir up any more trouble!"
In the tent, everyone began discussing,
and before long, they mostly agreed with Qin You’s decision.
However, Qin You still frowned slightly, looking towards Ji Fu and Lü Chang, and said bowing, "At present, I have one concern, and I hope the Lord and Marquis can guide me."