"But his status as an Imperial Guard Thousand Households Officer and the Marquis of Martial Peace does make things somewhat troublesome. If we move against him head-on, wouldn't that be tantamount to declaring war on the Great Xuan court?"
"Oh? What do you suggest, then?"
"Big Brother, as the saying goes, even a mighty dragon cannot subdue the local snake. One of the Imperial Guard's duties is maintaining local order. Ordinary disturbances fall under the jurisdiction of the Cool Prefecture authorities, but once there are enough of them to undermine stability in Cool Prefecture, the Imperial Guard will intervene. That is precisely where we can start."
Alliance Chief He Tianxiong grew interested and immediately pressed him.
"Oh? What clever plan do you have, Zhao? Let's hear it."
Zhao Yunlan gave a smug smile and spoke slowly.
"It's simple. Our Heavenly Dao Alliance has considerable power in Yongliang, with plenty of small gangs under us that we can mobilize."
"We needn't act ourselves. We only need to issue secret orders for these peripheral gangs to stir up trouble throughout Cool Prefecture. Today, one gang attacks another; tomorrow, some Wang Wu steals from some Zhao Liu. Have them plunder a few commoners' homes at night and rob and kill a few merchants outside the city, creating a few cases."
Zhao Yunlan paused, then continued.
"That way, not even the chickens and dogs in Cool Prefecture City will know peace, and the people will be gripped by fear. When the government office cannot handle it all, it will naturally turn to the Imperial Guard for help."
"As an Imperial Guard Thousand Households Officer from the imperial capital, and the highest-ranking officer in Cool Prefecture's Imperial Guard, Su Fei will naturally be responsible for suppressing these disturbances."
"These small gangs have plenty of members