Yuan Benxi shook his head and said gravely, "I'm afraid that won't work either. Wang Yue must have considered this when he made his move.
"Gu Jiantang and Xu Xiao each lead armies on the front lines against the Northern Mang. If either of them withdraws, Dong Zhuo of the Northern Mang will immediately march south."
After hearing this, the emperor furrowed his brows. "Are we supposed to let Wang Yue slowly consolidate his power within the realm? By then, it'll be very difficult to take these provinces back."
Yuan Benxi sighed and said helplessly, "That's why Wang Yue has made such a brilliant move. We can only rely on the southern forces to crush him."
The emperor frowned and said anxiously, "How many of those vassal kings are willing to fight Wang Yue to the death? They'd all rather see him live as long as possible."
Seeing the emperor's anxiety, Yuan Benxi said helplessly, "That's why we have to send someone there as well, to help break the stalemate."
The emperor frowned. "Who?"
A sharp, vicious glint appeared in Yuan Benxi's eyes as he uttered three words: "Chen Zhibao!"
The emperor's heart stirred at the name. He said gravely, "You want to send Chen Zhibao to Yongzhou? That would not only divide Xu Xiao's military authority, but also set him against Wang Yue."
Yuan Benxi nodded, his expression ruthless. "According to the reports from Northern Liang, Chen Zhibao is in love with Xu Xiao's second daughter. Unfortunately, the Second County Princess is engaged to Wang Yue. If we assign Chen Zhibao to Yongzhou, there's no reason to think he won't end up fighting Wang Yue."
The emperor paced back and forth a few times before saying solemnly, "Chen Zhibao has made great contributions over the years. We might as