The lamplight flickered red, lending a deeper mystery to the profile it illuminated.
His noble bearing gained yet more charm as he sat lost in thought.
Wang Yang tapped two fingers lightly against his palm and said intently:
"You needed a reason, a reason to mobilize Guo Shao and everyone unwilling to submit. Killing the Han Envoy and purging traitors naturally made the best excuse. I was the Han Envoy, and the traitors were Zuo Youhaye, with Le Luoluo thrown in as well-"
"Why include Le Luoluo? He's my own son, you know."
The Old Chief spoke with exaggerated surprise, his smile deepening.
"You even counted yourself among the traitors, so why not your own son? First, you needed to clear both yourself and your son of suspicion, to show your people that this plot wasn't aimed solely at Zuo Youhaye. Second, if you wanted to incite those unwilling to submit into action, you naturally needed a righteous banner to march under. Zuo Youhaye weren't the only ones who agreed to submit; you and Le Luoluo agreed as well. Killing only those two wouldn't convince everyone. Third, in public, Le Luoluo treated Zuo Youhaye as fathers and obeyed them in everything, while they supported him as Young Chieftain and stood firmly behind him. Those below saw all three as one faction. How could they know there were divisions? Even if they suspected, they wouldn't dare gamble on it. What if they killed Zuo Youhaye and Le Luoluo sought revenge? What if, after Zuo Youhaye died, you two wanted to establish your authority, win over their followers, or simply insist on submitting? Wouldn't these rebels still be headed down a road to death?
"So the safest method was to count you, your son, Zuo Youhaye, and perhaps a few other headmen