Younger Brother Sees Elder Brother Has the Look of a Wise Ruler (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Chapter 46: This Brother Sees the Bearing of a True Lord in Eldest Brother (Please Keep Reading)

Ever since he had sworn brotherhood with Chang Kun aboard the flower boat, Xu Xing had already anticipated today's events to some extent.

Once he entered Four Bright Mountain, if Mourning Heaven King Yao Dang acknowledged him as a sworn brother, he would inevitably grant him a share of power.

This was unavoidable.

The sworn brothers worked alongside Yao Dang, their eldest brother, to jointly govern the stronghold; this was the stronghold's system of power.

Not even Yao Dang dared casually overturn that system...

Just as King Cheng of Zhou had plucked a paulownia leaf to enfeoff his younger brother, granting Tang Shuyu a fief.

Even if it had begun as a jest, Tang Shuyu still had to be granted a real fief.

Upholding the stronghold's system was likewise one of the foundations for preserving Yao Dang's rule.

However—

As far as Xu Xing was concerned, regardless of whether Mourning Heaven King Yao Dang had some purpose behind this "enfeoffment," whether it came from goodwill or concealed calculations, he would refuse the authority to command troops.

When stripped down to its essence, power was the attachment of people's hearts.

The stronghold's legal framework was still weak, unlike that of the imperial court. Even if he took Four Bright Mountain's command tally, he would merely be a commander with a title but no real authority.

The twelve banner divisions, the Five Tigers Envoys... the one they trusted was still Mourning Heaven King Yao Dang.

This stronghold had been gathered together by Mourning Heaven King Yao Dang through his own personal charisma.

By turning down his authority to command troops, Xu Xing was in truth "casting off the hollow and embracing the solid" where his own power was concerned!

In other words, it was also a strategy of advancing by retreating.

Yet in everyone's eyes, his actions were merely an ordinary refusal. After all, what he said made sense: a civil official who had never commanded troops... truly was not suited to lead an army.

As for... why he had pushed the authority to command troops onto Chang Ji.

Xu Xing had other plans.

He knew that the three Great Kings could not possibly allow Chang Ji to command troops at this moment. Once Chang Ji was given command, given this general's former military competence, these two banner divisions would most likely become meat buns thrown at a dog—gone, never to return.

The three Great Kings would not tolerate another little hill being raised within the stronghold.

Compared with Xu Xing, Chang Ji was the true powerful dragon in their eyes.

But as the saying went, once or twice was acceptable, but never a third time. Chang Ji had joined Four Bright Mountain; if the three Great Kings showed too much "rejection," people's hearts would inevitably scatter.

Was this stronghold supposed to be the private property of the Great Kings' own family?

Thus, what Xu Xing had done today was to lay the groundwork for Chang Ji to command troops in the future.

And Chang Ji... standing outside the stronghold's orthodox power structure, Chang Ji would inevitably choose to rely on him. Moreover, Xu Xing had first saved his life, and second recommended him...

No matter how ambitious Chang Ji might be, he would find it difficult to escape Xu Xing's palm.

"General Chang..."

Mourning Heaven King Yao Dang hesitated for a moment. "General Chang has endured the hardships of travel by boat and carriage along the way, and after spending several years in a prison cell, he must already have hidden injuries. In my view, General Chang should rest and recuperate for a time. Once his body has recovered, he can serve the stronghold..."

He casually found an excuse and lightly brushed the matter aside.

If Xu Xing was a dose of "slow poison" for Four Bright Mountain Stronghold, then Chang Ji was a potent medicine!

When potent medicine entered the stomach, it was more likely to bring sudden death than raise someone from the dead.

"Thank you for your concern, Great King..."

"Chang indeed needs to recuperate for a while..."

Chang Ji was standing below at that moment.

Upon hearing Yao Dang's words, disappointment immediately welled up in his heart. Yet he did not show it on his face. With a solemn expression, he cupped his hands toward Yao Dang in thanks.

Afterward.

Yao Dang did not again bring up having Xu Xing command the army. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Fourth Brother serves as Stable Assistant, which shows that he has accomplished much in internal affairs. He is also well versed in mathematics. From now on, the stronghold's expenditures, horse administration, and internal affairs will be entrusted to Fourth Brother."

"Second Brother, loosen your burden a little and hand these matters over to Fourth Brother."

"I will assign two more banner divisions to you. Lead your own forces to station at Rice Beam Mountain and guard against Sun Chengxiang's Flying Victory Army."

He redistributed the stronghold's powers.

Previously, the stronghold's internal affairs had mostly been handled jointly by him and Might King. Now that Xu Xing was unwilling to command troops, they could only begin with internal affairs.

This had also been his original intention.

Professional talents should handle professional matters.

He had read every one of the letters Xu Xing had sent him. They detailed Four Bright Mountain Stronghold's harmful practices, as well as methods for reforming them.

There were quite a few people who could see Four Bright Mountain's accumulated ills.

But the only one who could devise a practical and effective set of reforms for those ills was Xu Xing.

On the surface, Xu Xing's surrender of military command seemed to displease him, but in truth, he was utterly satisfied.

He did not command troops, only handled internal affairs... Xu Xing would never be able to threaten him.

On the contrary, he could even use Xu Xing's hand to strengthen Four Bright Mountain.

"Fourth Brother..."

"He knows when to advance and when to retreat."

Yao Dang secretly rejoiced.

"Yes."

"Big Brother."

Might King pondered briefly, then immediately accepted the order.

Having him garrison Rice Beam Mountain appeared to be a precaution against Sun Chengxiang's Flying Victory Army. But he was no fool; at a glance, he could see that Mourning Heaven King was hinting for him to make room for Xu Xing.

However, he was not someone obsessed with power and position.

Once he learned that Xu Xing was a worthy talent, he had already entertained the thought of yielding his position to the worthy.

Besides, Yao Dang had not treated him poorly. He had even assigned him another two banner units.

No matter how he counted it, he was the one profiting.

Handling internal affairs... running himself ragged before and behind—how could that compare to the sheer pleasure of gaining real military strength?

They discussed matters until deep into the night.

At last, the transfer and division of authority were completed.

Inside the side hall, Yao Dang waved everyone away. Then, after having Might King and Earth King stand guard at the door, he waited until only he and Xu Xing remained in the room. Fixing Xu Xing with a blazing gaze, he said, "Fourth Brother, are you still wary of your foolish elder brother? Why was everything you wrote in your letter about internal affairs, without a single great strategy?"

Managing internal affairs was all well and good, but without making Four Bright Mountain stronger, they would have no ability to contend for the realm.

Yet what Four Bright Mountain Stronghold—or rather, the eighteen rebel kings and forty-six bands of rebellion—truly needed at this moment was a grand strategy for resisting the imperial court. Or, more precisely, a sweeping strategy for analyzing the situation under heaven and winning the realm.

For instance, when Liu Bei visited Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage three times, Zhuge Liang set forth the Longzhong Plan, renowned through the ages.

It established the strategic thinking of the Shu Han faction for the decades to come.

Wang Pu's Border Pacification Strategy for Chai Rong was much the same.

Even amid the struggles at the end of the Sui dynasty, when Li Mi met Zhai Rang, he proposed upper, middle, and lower strategies.

This was what dissatisfied Yao Dang about Xu Xing. From the reform policies Xu Xing had proposed alone, it was clear that this disgraced official possessed no small talent. Even if he was not a man capable of devising plans within the tent and deciding victory a thousand li away, it should have been no difficult task for him to formulate a strategic vision suited to Four Bright Mountain's local conditions.

"Not so."

Xu Xing shook his head and respectfully bowed to Yao Dang. "A ruler chooses his ministers, but ministers also choose their ruler... Big Brother had continually avoided seeing me. Your younger brother could not glimpse Big Brother's face or learn your temperament, and thus could not offer a grand strategy."

"What do you mean by that?"

Yao Dang raised a brow, not understanding.

The two of them were brothers now...

Though avoiding Xu Xing before had indeed carried a hint of neglect, the bond between brothers should have been enough to erase that small unpleasantness.

"If Big Brother had been dim and weak, and your younger brother had proposed a fierce, aggressive path forward, not only would I have buried my own life, I would also have doomed the nearly ten thousand people of Four Bright Mountain Stronghold to eternal damnation..."

At this point, Xu Xing paused, then smiled. "But today, having observed that Big Brother bears the air of an enlightened lord—decisive, with courage to spare...—only tonight can I lay this grand strategy completely before you."

He quietly flattered Yao Dang.