As he thought back more carefully, hadn't His Majesty kept him in the palace for a few games of chess when Zi Qi rebelled?
It was precisely those games, which His Majesty had deliberately lost, that had bolstered his confidence in putting down the rebellion.
Lu Xiong's expression grew solemn. His Majesty must have hidden some deeper meaning in the chessboard again.
He casually placed a piece on the board. Although he already knew that King Zhou's forced march was intended to exhaust this army of former slaves' gratitude toward him, Lu Xiong still could not help asking, "Your Majesty, you forced the troops to march all the way here and treated them harshly. They're growing resentful. Haven't you gone a little too far?"
"Too far?" Zi Shou paused, then smiled faintly. Too far was exactly right.
How else was I supposed to earn foolishness value if I didn't go overboard and treat them harshly?
Zi Shou placed a piece. "Your turn!"
"I truly cannot understand, and it weighs on my heart. Please enlighten me, Your Majesty!" Lu Xiong casually placed another piece and asked, "Your Majesty used the forced march to push the soldiers beyond their limits and taught them the cruelty of the battlefield. Now that they've finally reached Tong Pass, they're all delighted. You need only station them inside the pass, let them rest properly, entertain them, and treat them generously. That would surely steady the army's resolve and raise morale even further. By tightening and then loosening the reins, you could also win their hearts. But..."
What on earth was all that supposed to mean?
Zi Shou frowned. I asked you to play chess with me to pass the time. Why are you telling me all this nonsense?
His eyes shifted, and he said, "You're far