Wang Yang said with certainty, "Of course it's true! Tell me the middle strategy."
Baoyue studied Wang Yang for another moment before withdrawing her gaze. She clasped her hands behind her back and straightened, brilliance rising in her shifting eyes, like precious jade standing in snow, like rosy clouds sweeping across a white mirror. In an instant, an indescribably radiant confidence and sharpness returned to her, as though her earlier unease had never existed:
"The middle strategy: remain among the Barbarian Tribes, hold your breath and hide your tracks, and quietly watch the situation change. Outwardly, the Prince of Badong uses the Southern Barbarian Rebellion as his pretext; inwardly, he harbors ambitions to seize the throne. So long as the Barbarian Tribes stay still, why would he waste his strength pushing deep into these barren lands? He might make a show of it, or arrange something else, but it would merely be going through the motions. He wouldn't wage a major campaign against the Barbarian Tribes. I expect him to march east swiftly once he controls all of Jingzhou, so sheltering in barbarian territory could give you temporary safety.
"But this strategy has five drawbacks.
"First, once the Prince of Badong controls all of Jingzhou, we would be trapped in the wilderness like birds in a cage. Leaving Jingzhou then would probably be difficult.
"Second, no one can guarantee that word of your presence among the Barbarian Tribes will never leak. Once it does, the Prince of Badong could send troops to attack, or issue a proclamation offering threats and inducements. At that point, he might not even need to lift a hand before the barbarians risk falling into internal disorder.
"Third, even if the Prince of Badong doesn't know you're here, remaining among the Barbarian Tribes ultimately means living