Chen Qian froze for only a moment before understanding dawned on him.
Cao Mao still looked utterly bewildered. He asked in confusion, "Shiji, what do you mean?"
"Weren't you just praising General Wang's strategy? Why would you now have me issue an order urging him to advance?"
Zhong Hui laughed. "Your Majesty, this isn't for General Wang to see. It's for the Wu Kingdom and the Shu Kingdom."
"General Wang has been in Xiangyang for years, and the Wu People know him very well. After he took Jiangbei, the Wu People would surely assume that he would halt his advance and devote all his strength to defense."
"But if Your Majesty issues an imperial edict, that changes things. Neither the Wu Kingdom nor the Shu Kingdom would dare take it lightly."
"A single edict could hold them up for quite some time. Maintaining armies to counter General Wang's advance would cost both of them a considerable amount."
"Whenever we have the opportunity, we mustn't let them grow too comfortable. We ought to make them feel threatened from time to time."
"In the past, I proposed pressing Shu hard while taking things slowly with Wu. By now, however, thanks to Sun 𬘭, Wu's internal conflicts have eased considerably. Their new emperor easily united them, and losing Jiangbei has made them even more reluctant to resume their infighting."
"Thus, we should now adopt a new strategy. I call it alternating urgency and patience."
"Your Majesty, taking Jiangbei was like closing a hand around the throats of Shu and Wu. If we keep squeezing, we risk exhausting our strength; if we keep our grip loose, we exert no threat. Alternating urgency and patience is the most lethal approach..."
Zhong Hui narrowed his eyes, looking exceedingly pleased with himself.
Understanding dawned on Cao Mao.