Hong San's Wisdom

"Given this premise, we need to take action, addressing each point one by one."

Hong San spoke in a calm and composed tone, appearing reliable and steady.

Transformation is an inside-out reversal, a qualitative change resulting from the accumulation of quantitative changes. It melts inferiority into confidence and reshapes meanness into magnanimity. When a man named Hong San truly understands his life, path, and meaning, he can face up to what he has learned and his talents over the years. It is like a dream in the Mortal World, and he is completely different from before.

He recounted each matter calmly and deliberately, one by one.

"Of the threats we face right now, the most important is not the elves who haven't retreated, nor the dragons currently at hand, nor even the powerful extraterrestrial enemy..."

Kang De leaned back in his chair, chewing on an almond, his eyes full of smiles. He found that his agitation had disappeared. Although the enemies and challenges were still there, they no longer made him feel helpless or at a loss.

Seeing his smile, Hong San was taken aback. "Your Highness, did I say something wrong?"

Kang De waved his hand and said, "No, it's just that having you here to advise me gives me more confidence."

Hong San glanced at him a few times. "Has Your Highness not discussed these matters with anyone else?"

Kang De shrugged. "Who would I talk to?"

"Nobody's saying anything?"

Hong San was initially surprised, then after a moment's thought, he suddenly realized.

He nodded and said, "I see. Lady Crimson is a loyal companion and partner, and a good listener, but she is not a strategic ally or someone who can discuss and negotiate with you. Your Highness Horus has limited experience. As for Princess Tina... I think I understand."

At this point, Hong San looked at Kang De, a strange smile of "I understand, I understand" appearing on his face, as if he had already seen through Kang De's true nature.

Kang De retorted, annoyed, "What are you laughing at?"

This isn't mockery, it's a knowing smile.

Hong San said, "Your Highness is unwilling to discuss such issues with Princess Tina because the subject of the discussion is the predicament and danger you are currently facing. Ultimately, these stem from Goth, from your helping Goth and standing on their side, which has attracted the enemy's attention and targeting."

"Discussing this matter with Princess Tina would likely exacerbate her feelings of guilt and remorse. It is precisely out of this protective and compassionate feeling that you have kept this matter to yourself."

"..."

Kang De propped his elbow on the table, resting his chin on it, and glanced sideways at Hong San: "Yeah, am I not very kind?"

"Does 'Yasashii' mean gentle and considerate?"

Hong San immediately deduced the meaning of the word, and then said with a smile, "Indeed, from the moment I met Your Highness, you have shown an amazing sense of compassion. Despite your noble and extraordinary birth, you are able to truly understand the suffering of people living in this corrupt world, and pity them. You are angry about the injustices and sorrows they suffer, and are willing to draw your sword for this anger."

"You may think this is normal, but that's just what you're used to. Just as a tyrant is born into a life of luxury and carefree existence, he assumes that the common people are clothed in silk and eat meat. A sage is born with morality, so he assumes that morality is commonplace and that the world is full of manners, customs, affection, and righteousness... But that's not actually the case."

"If morality were universal and commonplace, something everyone possessed, then the word 'morality' wouldn't even exist."

"It is precisely because all beings in this world suffer, and injustice is rampant, that eminent monks write scriptures, great scholars establish doctrines, and the common people eagerly await the descent of a sage to sweep away injustice and evil..."

At this point, Hong San's expression turned solemn as he looked at Kang De and said earnestly, "You are that saint."

... Haven't seen him for a few days, how come his flattery skills have become so strong?

But humans are such a sad species; even knowing it's flattery, we're still happy. Just like how everyone knows that auspicious words are just auspicious words, but hearing them still makes us happy.

Didn't those foolish rulers know that the sycophants around them were just incompetent flatterers? They did know, but these guys were all talented, had sweet words, and loved being surrounded and flattered by them.

Kang De couldn't help but smile.

But Hong San continued, "However, this saintly benevolence and thoughtfulness can only attract like-minded people, followers, and admirers. If it is used equally on women with whom one has feelings, it can easily ruin things. That's why Your Highness has never been able to understand the thoughts of women..."

"--So it all came down to this issue after all!"

"No, Your Highness, what I mean is..."

Sunlight streamed in through the window behind Kang De, illuminating Hong San's face. A gentle smile graced the face of the Cathayan: "I have arrived, and I am willing to help Your Highness resolve your troubles."

"..." Kang De shuddered, "... a bit cheesy."

Hong San shrugged, mimicking Kang De: "If those words had come from a beautiful, voluptuous woman, Your Highness would probably be completely infatuated and willing to go through fire and water for her."

"Don't make me sound so pathetic!"

"My master said that since ancient times, promising young heroes from prestigious families, when they first venture into the martial world, always yearn to uphold justice, make a name for themselves, and also long to encounter a heart-wrenching love affair. Over the millennia, countless inexperienced young heroes have fallen into this trap, either being exploited by ruthless demonic women or ensnared by righteous heroines who are too old to marry. In these meticulously crafted stories, the young heroes lack both the ability to discern and the ability to resist."

Hong San said seriously, "They are just like His Highness, both innocent and passionate."

"--Hello!"

"Your Highness, rest assured, with me here, that vile woman will never get close to you."

"So, are we starting to discuss this kind of issue now?"

"What should I say? Your Highness's recent love life? When I mentioned Princess Tina, your eyebrows lifted and you looked smug. It seems there's some good news. Princess Tina must be deeply in love with Your Highness, after all, he risked everything for her, single-handedly fighting against the Twilight Moon army. What woman wouldn't be moved? With Your Highness's innocent yet cunning nature, you must be holding back, accepting all advances, and enjoying Princess Tina's various offensives..."

"Are you spying on me?"

"No, this is just a perfectly normal deduction. After all, Hong San already knows His Highness's temperament perfectly well—however, Princess Tina's advances are relentless, but Lady Crimson isn't made of clay. She's rather naive, so she's quite jealous as well. His Highness must be in a difficult position, wanting more while also having to consider Lady Crimson's feelings..."

"Let's talk about the witch and the female warrior from Cathay."

Hong San burst into laughter.

What's so funny?

"I was just thinking about something happy." Hong San couldn't stop smiling. "Your Highness is naturally virtuous, compassionate like a saint, and possesses the sword of a saint. Such a heroic figure, yet in private, he is troubled and troubled by matters of the heart. It's quite amusing to think about. Future generations reading history will not know such romantic tales. Even a saint has such endearing qualities."

Kang De, slumped over the table, said, "Speak like a human being..."

"It means that devising strategies and anticipating Hong San moves are my responsibilities as your subject. However, as an outsider, I shouldn't say too much about Your Highness's personal matters."

The strategist smiled and said, "However, one should always be aware of matters between men and women. His Highness clearly doesn't consider Princess Tina one of his own, which is not good. Sometimes facing things side by side is better than one-sided well-intentioned protection."

"You understand now."

"It's still better than His Highness."

"Bullshit! What makes you better than me?"

"Your Highness, I have indeed been a prostitute."

"..."

"And a lot."

"... This is practically no experience at all!"

"Why not? Even women who work in this profession are still women."

"That's completely different! Isn't that just about paying money to get anything done?"

"Your Highness, please allow me to speak." Hong San recounted his past with surprising composure. "Prostitutes, who commodify their bodies, become accustomed to that kind of work, losing their sense of shame, and their hearts are incomplete. But all things in this world are constant and enduring. A lack in the heart signifies a desire. Even prostitutes have things they crave. I paid to visit them for two reasons: first, because I was young and vigorous and naturally had desires; second, to verify the skills my master taught me..."

Kang De was shocked, jealous, and envious. He exclaimed, "Your master even teaches you the art of the bedroom? Give me the secret manual!"

"... No, it's a method of manipulating people's minds."

Hong San shook his head and said, "For example, the same woman might cost ten copper coins for one time, but the difference in experience between them is like night and day. I can judge her temperament, guess her experiences, control her emotions, and win her favor by observing her speech, demeanor, and expressions. With the same ten copper coins, I can get the experience of thirty..."

He concluded, "Women in the entertainment industry are still women; they experience joy and sorrow, separation and reunion, daydreams, moments of vulnerability, and a flawed past... There's no difference."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... Your Highness?"

"No..." Kang De said with a complicated expression, "I don't know what to say, sob sob."

The topic inadvertently veered off course to this point.

In the end, they turned back.

"The crux of the matter now is not the dragons, not the extraterrestrial enemies, not the empire, and not the elves..."

What is that?

Hong San asked seriously, "When are you going to marry Princess Tina?"

"... Don't joke around."

"This is no joke, Your Highness."

The strategist said earnestly, "You are now Goth's hero, revered, treated with courtesy, and valued, but that's all. The Goth People worship you like a god, but Goth's army, mages, and subjects do not obey your orders. You have no real power. There is only one reason for this: you have not yet formally married Princess Tina and joined Goth's power structure."

"This has led to a certain alienation and ambivalence. The Grand Dukes and nobles are polite enough to you, but you are not one of their own. Respect outweighs intimacy. They cannot find your place in Goth's power system, nor can they entrust you with power or grant you permission. You did not care about this before, but a new enemy has emerged. You and Goth should complement each other, but your will cannot directly drive Goth's national power..."

He softened his tone, allowing Kang De time to consider. "The only way to achieve this is by influencing the Grand Duke. After all, it's an inefficient and unstable process, as there's a layer involved. When your will clashes with the Grand Duke's, Goth's national power will become unusable..."

Hong San waited a short while before continuing, "In my opinion, to effectively resolve the upcoming difficulties and challenges, we must first address this issue: unite you and Goth as a whole. Only with shared interests can we fight more efficiently; otherwise, disagreements and discontent will continue to fester."

Kang De rubbed his temples; he had more or less understood what Hong San had said.

The power of a nation is immense, and its potential is limitless. To confront the elves, the empire, and even extraterrestrial enemies, we must not only rely on technology and weapons from Earth, but also utilize Goth's national power. As Hong San said, we must become Goth's "one of us."

He sighed, "Marrying Tina for this... it's a bit strange, besides..."

Hong San continued, "Besides, are you afraid that Lady Crimson will beat you to death, or that the Phoenix King will burn you alive? Moreover, you still harbor greedy and ugly ambitions, wanting to..."

"--shut up!"

"Yes, I understand. Your Highness doesn't want to marry Princess Tina immediately... That's not all bad. While marriage allows you to integrate into Goth and the power structure quickly, it's a double-edged sword. The advantage is that you'll immediately translate your achievements, power, and the people's support into tangible power. The disadvantages, well..."

Hong San said, "Power inherently possesses distorted and greedy characteristics, which fuel people's selfish desires. In a normal country, over hundreds of years, power has become deeply entrenched and twisted into an evil alliance of vested interests. Goth Highness, by joining it, will not only enjoy the benefits but also be controlled by it, sowing the seeds of future conflict..."

"So what?"

"Therefore, starting afresh is also a good idea. Since Your Highness is unwilling to mix your emotions with interests and politics, let's choose another path."

Kang De changed his posture. "Specifically?"

"You need to take it one step at a time, one step at a time. You need to complete the first step first."

What is that?

Hong San gave a thumbs up and said to Kang De, "You need to win over Princess Tina first. Use your charm, your beauty, your initiative, your advances to make her infatuated, to make her understand, agree with, and even cooperate with this plan. After all, this path also requires Her Highness the Princess..."

"Um... wait a minute."

"What?"

"I mean..." Kang De scratched his head, "Tina told me last night that she wanted to build an armed force independent of her father, one that would only obey me and her..."

"How could this be?"

Hong San was surprised. "Haven't seen her for months, has Princess Tina become this decisive?"

"... Couldn't she have been captivated by my charm, good looks, initiative, and advances?"

"..."

Why aren't you saying anything?

"Your Highness, this is called answering without answering."

Just then, a sound came from outside, and Tina gracefully arrived.

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PS1: Going home for the Chinese New Year... Hope I can get some rest this time.