"Your Highness, how you respond depends on what you intend for the North Sea Prefecture Duke's Mansion!" strategist Gu Yue said.
"What I intend? Please enlighten me, Strategist," Prince Li Ji Yuan said.
"That depends on whether Your Highness wishes to destroy the North Sea to vent your rage and avenge yourself, or to take the entire North Sea Prefecture Duke's Mansion under your complete control, strengthening your own power and accomplishing your great cause.
"Or perhaps Your Highness wishes to combine grace and might, thoroughly subduing the North Sea's civil and military officials from a lofty position—or perhaps you only wish to win over the Zhenhai Army and the prosperous North Sea prefectures?" Gu Yue said.
"I want both the Zhenhai Army and the prosperous North Sea prefectures." Without a moment's thought, Prince Li Ji Yuan voiced his intentions.
"Then, Your Highness must endure this matter for now and wait for another opportunity to scheme for the entire North Sea! Otherwise, if this matter turns all the North Sea's civil and military officials against you and costs you the chance to cooperate with them, then even if Your Highness acquires the North Sea prefectures in the future, they will be a battered, broken mess. And the Zhenhai Army you obtain will likely be a remnant force," Gu Yue said.
Upon hearing this, Prince Li Ji Yuan fell silent for a long while before saying, "In that case, for the sake of the great cause, we can only wrong Chief Secretary Xie.
"Pass down my order. Give Chief Secretary Xie a lavish burial and generously compensate his family. Two of his descendants may be granted hereditary favor!"
"Your Highness is benevolent!"
As the news of Instructor Liao Feibai slaughtering the envoys from every side spread, the most stunned of