Hearing Liu Yuzi’s words, the Crown Prince realized his analysis was not without reason.
However, effecting such a drastic change immediately would be exceedingly difficult. His Crown Princess was the Grand Marshal’s daughter; completely winning Jiang Kai over right now was impossible.
Still, Liu Yuzi made an excellent point: as long as he prevented Jiang Kai from actively opposing him, maintained a cordial relationship with him, and ensured he didn’t grow too close to the other Princes, that would be enough.
“Mr. Liu, you know the Crown Prince relies heavily on the Grand Marshal’s support! If the promotion channels are opened, Jiang Kai’s power will only grow! Once his power grows, he will undoubtedly covet the position of Grand Marshal!
“When that happens, Jiang Kai will definitely clash with Grand Marshal Tang Long! Tell me, what should the Crown Prince do then? In my opinion, no matter what happens, we cannot allow Jiang Kai to rise! We can elevate other Combat Zone Commanders, but not Jiang Kai! Jiang Kai is a Viscount; he possesses the qualifications to succeed the Grand Marshal!” the Major General countered, still vehemently opposing Liu Yuzi’s proposal.
“The position of Grand Marshal? A Viscount? Who do you think bestowed that Viscount title upon him?!” Liu Yuzi looked at the Major General with a cold sneer.
“His Majesty, of course!” the Major General replied immediately.
“You know it was His Majesty? Just as His Majesty can elevate one Jiang Kai, he can elevate the next Jiang Kai! A Viscount title? For His Majesty, finding an excuse to bestow one is effortless! You people completely fail to grasp His Majesty’s true intentions, yet you dare to oppose him?!” Liu Yuzi sneered.
“You…!” The Major General was momentarily at a loss for words, unable to formulate a rebuttal.
“What do you mean by that?” the Crown Prince asked, turning to Liu Yuzi.
“His Majesty needs people like Jiang Kai! If you eliminate this Jiang Kai, another Jiang Kai will simply rise to replace him! Furthermore, doing so will only cause His Majesty to lose faith in the Grand Marshal, and more importantly, lose faith in you, Your Highness!” Liu Yuzi explained.
“How so?” The Crown Prince’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately asked for clarification.
“Tell me, what does His Majesty need the most right now?” Liu Yuzi posed a question.
“What does His Majesty need the most?” The others began murmuring amongst themselves, pondering the question. The Crown Prince also stood there, deep in thought.
“Peace and prosperity for the nation and its people!” Liu Yuzi stated firmly. Hearing this, the others nodded in agreement, including the Crown Prince!
“His Majesty is the ruler of an entire nation! What else could he possibly need? If the nation hadn’t encountered such a catastrophic crisis, His Majesty wouldn’t even be concerning himself with these military matters; he would have continued letting the Grand Marshal and the Prime Minister govern.
“But now, foreign enemies have invaded, and the Grand Marshal has proven incapable of shouldering the responsibility. Up to this point, our forces have done nothing but retreat time and time again! Tell me, is His Majesty not terrified of losing his empire?
“Let me put it another way: does it truly matter to His Majesty who serves as the Grand Marshal? Whoever it is, they are still his subject, and he remains the Emperor!
“Therefore, all His Majesty needs is peace and prosperity for his nation. As for those military aristocratic families, or who holds the title of Grand Marshal? His Majesty couldn’t care less!
“Do you think His Majesty’s earlier remark to Jiang Kai about opening the promotion channels was merely a test? He fully intends to open them! The only reason he hasn’t done so yet is to give those aristocratic families a final chance to prove their worth. If they lack the strength, then they will perish, and they must vacate their positions! Who sits in those seats has no bearing on His Majesty whatsoever!
“Therefore, the opening of the promotion channels is an absolute certainty, and the time is rapidly approaching! Once no one from those aristocratic families dares to take up the mantle of General, they themselves will be the ones begging His Majesty to open the channels! They are terrified of their bloodlines ending! They are terrified of their entire families being wiped out!
“You just said His Majesty would only open promotions for Brigadier General and Major General? That is certainly not where it will end. Once His Majesty opens the floodgates, even the position of Grand Marshal might be shaken!
“Your Highness, just think about it: if this war continues to grind on, how many capable generals does the Grand Marshal’s family even have left to send to the meat grinder?
“The Grand Marshal’s family might be massive, but at this rate of attrition, who would dare become a General? Those aristocratic descendants are scrambling to hide; do you think they dare step onto the battlefield? Who isn’t afraid of dying?” Liu Yuzi analyzed. The others listened in stunned silence, eventually nodding in reluctant agreement.
“Why is His Majesty supporting Jiang Kai so strongly? Because Jiang Kai was the first to propose this! Being the first to propose it proves he has a clear understanding of the situation and is truly considering the nation’s future! Why would His Majesty not heavily employ Jiang Kai? Should he instead rely on a Grand Marshal who still hasn’t grasped the reality of the situation?” Liu Yuzi pressed on.
“You’re right… we’ve all been fooled!” the Crown Prince suddenly exclaimed.
“Your Highness, you haven’t been fooled. In truth, His Majesty sending you here was specifically to allow you to build a good relationship with Jiang Kai! Simultaneously, he wanted you to meet those commoner officers who are likely to be promoted to General! Your Highness… not only must you not oppose the opening of the promotion channels, but you must actively inform those officers that you will urge His Majesty to open them! You must cultivate goodwill among those commoners!
“You are the Crown Prince, the future Emperor! You need their loyalty! If you oppose them now, will those commoner officers ever pledge their loyalty to you in the future?
“If the other Princes declare their support for Jiang Kai and the opening of the channels, they will win the favor of those ordinary officers, and their power bases will swell!
“Your Highness, this is something you must do! Of course, you can communicate with the Grand Marshal beforehand and explain the situation clearly. Right now, relying solely on the Grand Marshal will not allow you to compete with the other Princes! Most critically, His Majesty will also be deeply disappointed in you!” Liu Yuzi urged the Crown Prince.
“A man of immense talent! Please, accept my bow!” The Crown Prince immediately cupped his hands and bowed deeply to Liu Yuzi.
“Your Highness, you mustn’t! I am merely fulfilling the Empress’s request to assist you!” Seeing the Crown Prince bow, Liu Yuzi hastily stood up.
“It is only right! In these chaotic times, I desperately need a man like you by my side. I am deeply ashamed of neglecting you previously!” the Crown Prince said sincerely.
“It is of no consequence. However, Your Highness, you truly need to consider this carefully. The fact that His Majesty sent you here proves he still favors you, and he is actively paving the way for you!
“If he had sent one of the other Princes instead, your position as Crown Prince would be in grave danger! It doesn’t matter if you can’t completely win Jiang Kai over; simply building a good relationship is enough. As long as Jiang Kai doesn’t actively oppose you, that is sufficient.
“As for those grassroots officers, you need to meet with them personally. Let them know you will give them hope, that you will support them. That is all that’s required.
“If possible, fight to secure some additional benefits for them. This will earn you their gratitude. Right now, the people we truly need to rely on aren’t the military aristocratic families, but those ordinary officers! They are the ones who actually know how to fight, and they hold immense prestige among their own troops!” Liu Yuzi advised.
“I understand. I will contact the Grand Marshal shortly, and then I’ll pay a visit to Jiang Kai!” the Crown Prince nodded.
“One more thing, Your Highness. Jiang Kai truly will enter the High Command in the future. Judging by the current arrangements, His Majesty is highly dissatisfied with the Grand Marshal.
“Therefore, if His Majesty ever decides to remove the Grand Marshal, you will have no one to rely on but Jiang Kai! I’ve recently gathered intelligence on Jiang Kai. He places immense value on Hu Hao and has been vigorously recommending him to His Majesty.
“And Hu Hao is your student! Logically, you should be actively trying to win him over, not ignoring him! Yes, Hu Hao has offended many people, including Zhang He of the Northeast Combat Zone. But Your Highness, Zhang He’s troops are currently retreating southward as well! After a few major battles, what will Zhang He’s family even have left?
“The same goes for Mu Zhifu, Commander of the Central Combat Zone. His combined forces currently number less than 50,000! His family has also sacrificed a massive number of generals. If he fails to hold his line this time, he will likely be removed from his position! If Hu Hao isn’t afraid of these people, why should we be?” Liu Yuzi concluded.
“Mm. I understand!” However, the Crown Prince responded with unexpected indifference!
“Your Highness… do you… do you truly not wish to cultivate a relationship with Hu Hao?” Liu Yuzi asked, observing the Crown Prince’s reaction.
“Sigh, regarding this man, I truly need to think about it. The Grand Marshal has told me more than once that we need to eliminate him! Doing so would effectively sever one of Jiang Kai’s arms! Furthermore, as I mentioned earlier, my brother-in-law, Tang Junjie, has a deep-seated grudge against him. If I handle this poorly, the Grand Marshal will definitely harbor objections against me!” the Crown Prince confessed, visibly troubled.
“Your Highness! Hu Hao is a man of immense talent! You must employ him heavily! If His Majesty ends up employing him heavily instead, you won’t have a share of the resulting power! If you try to eliminate him, do you honestly think Jiang Kai won’t retaliate furiously?! Your Highness, please reconsider!” Liu Yuzi pleaded passionately.
“I know. I am considering it right now. Eliminating him certainly won’t be easy. The last time the Grand Marshal caught Hu Hao slipping up, Jiang Kai managed to completely deflect it! Imperial Father even authorized Hu Hao to expand his forces! But trying to win him over… I anticipate the resistance will be massive!” the Crown Prince explained.
“Your Highness, if you do not secure Hu Hao, it will be incredibly difficult to secure Jiang Kai’s support! Jiang Kai values Hu Hao immensely, praising him as a man of supreme talent! Tell me, do you think he won’t pave the way for Hu Hao’s rise?
“If Jiang Kai does enter the High Command, it is highly likely Hu Hao will take over command of the Southwest Combat Zone’s troops! Have you considered that possibility?!” Liu Yuzi lowered his voice and warned the Crown Prince.
“What?! Hu Hao taking over the Southwest Combat Zone?! Impossible! He’s only a Colonel right now! How could he possibly be promoted that fast?!” The Crown Prince immediately shook his head.
“So you do know he’s already a Colonel! Let me ask you this: how long has it been since he graduated?!
“Furthermore, you just said it yourself: he crippled three Allied corps! With military merit like that, the moment the promotion channels are opened, Jiang Kai will immediately nominate him for Lieutenant General! And if Jiang Kai leaves for the High Command, he will undoubtedly nominate him for Full General! Can you truly not see such an obvious trajectory?!” Liu Yuzi exclaimed in bitter frustration.
(End of Chapter)