Zhuge Guanqi said, "Even Great Yong needs to raise funds to sustain a war, wealthy as it is. Great Kang is only one source. I heard that Xue Shengjing, the Prince of Yan, has already handed the Treasure-Gathering Studio over to the treasury."
Hu Xiaotian said, "The Prince of Yan values money as much as his own life. The Treasure-Gathering Studio's crisis had clearly been resolved this time, yet I heard Empress Dowager Jiang forced him to surrender it. I imagine that hurt him worse than being killed."
Zhuge Guanqi said, "With Great Yong's current strength, winning this war should pose little difficulty. But the war is bound to delay their plans to unify the Central Plains. That is good news for both you, my lord, and the various kingdoms of the Central Plains."
Hu Xiaotian said, "What makes you so certain Great Yong will win, Brother Guanqi?"
Zhuge Guanqi said, "Yuchi Chong is one of the foremost generals of our age. Over the years, he has fought countless battles against Black Hu and rendered outstanding service in establishing the northern boundary. He commands deep loyalty within the army. As long as the Great Yong Emperor places sufficient trust in him, he has a very strong chance of victory."
Hu Xiaotian said, "The fiercer they fight, the better."
Zhuge Guanqi smiled. "Exactly! It gives you the perfect chance to plan your own expansion, my lord. You could take this opportunity to consider what to do about Cloud Marsh."
The day after Hu Xiaotian appeared in public, his military strategist Yu Tianxing, naval commander Zhao Wusheng, Li Yongfu, who had returned from delivering grain to Haizhou, Xiong Tianba, Liang Yinghao, Zu Dacheng, and the others all came to Eastern Liang Commandery. Together with Chang Fanqi, who had already returned from Python