Meng Zhao was indeed not a particularly magnanimous man, but at least he was broad-minded.
For the sake of long-term plans, temporarily swallowing his pride and wronging himself in pursuit of greater demands and benefits was not something difficult to accept.
Thus, Meng Zhao did not beat around the bush and directly asked about the details. Seeing how decisive he was, Dou Xi realized almost without hesitation that Meng Zhao understood the benefits of reconciling with Beitang He. His confidence and favorable impression rose by several degrees.
Sometimes, no matter how clever or capable those below were, they could not withstand having a worthless fool above them. From the looks of it, Meng Zhao was certainly nowhere near being a fool—perhaps he could even be called wise and valiant.
Dou Xi had long prepared his draft in his mind. At once, he laid out a plan for Meng Zhao in great detail, occasionally asking for information and intelligence he did not possess so he could conduct a deeper analysis.
Forming an alliance or repairing relations sometimes required analyzing the specific circumstances. Were they strong and we weak, or were they weak and we strong? Was this merely a temporary act of smiling while hiding daggers, or a long-term pact to advance and retreat together? Did they need to make greater concessions, or exert greater pressure from a position of strength...
In short, Dou Xi's account truly opened Meng Zhao's eyes. An ordinary person would likely either be talked around until he could not tell east from west, or be driven into complete confusion.
But Meng Zhao was no ordinary man. He listened with great interest while also offering his own views, at times even helping Dou Xi fill in the gaps.
Among the wise, there were rarely any who were