Wang Dong paid no mind to the rainbow-colored flattery. Instead, he looked at Sun Gongyou with interest.
At that moment, Sun Gongyou was deep in thought.
He was clearly giving Xu Ziyuan's opinion serious consideration.
Wang Lei didn't hurry Sun Gongyou to speak, either. He adopted a thoughtful air himself, letting his gaze linger over everyone's faces as if by chance.
Then he noticed Wang Dong doing the same, posing as a thinker while actually observing the room.
By chance, father and son's eyes met for a brief moment.
Neither said a word, but that tacit glance, brief as it was, told each of them what the other was doing. They had already made up their minds and were using this opportunity to assess the mettle of the core advisory group.
"Old fox!"
"Little fox!"
The Black Stone king and the lord of Tianpeng Territory cursed inwardly at the same time.
A short while later, Sun Gongyou finished thinking.
"Mr. Xu makes a good point, but I personally still have reservations.
"If the Black Stone Kingdom wants to annex the New Song Kingdom and govern it effectively, then we should avoid the label of 'invader' as much as possible.
"That's because the New Song Kingdom is unlike the other countries we've annexed, such as the Shannan Kingdom, the Oda Shogunate, and even the Free State Conglomerate.
"Even though it's currently embroiled in internal strife, the New Song Kingdom has always held firmly to its position as the hegemon of the Changpan River System.
"Its people have a far stronger sense of national identity and pride than those in most countries.
"If we intervene in the New Song Kingdom's internal affairs as 'invaders,' we might gain the upper hand and seize vast swathes of territory.
"But bringing those newly occupied lands