When Liu Yuzi reminded the Crown Prince that he was the Principal of the Royal Command Academy, the Crown Prince was initially confused.
“Your Highness, you are the Principal. Thousands of cadets graduate from that academy every year. At least half of them are commoners. Think about how many officers have graduated over the past fifteen years.
“How many of them are still alive? Where are they serving? What combat merits have they earned? You need to know these things!
“These men are a massive source of potential support for you. They are commoners. If you extend a helping hand and promote them, will they not pledge their loyalty to you?
“They might not reach the highest echelons of High Command, but they control the grassroots units. Thousands of officers, commanding the foundation of the army. Who would dare underestimate such a force?
“As for the clan scions who seek your patronage, if you assist them in securing the promotions their merits deserve, will they not be grateful? Your Highness, you don’t even need to promote them excessively high.
“For your former students currently serving, promoting the capable ones to Major General is more than enough. The truly exceptional ones can reach Lieutenant General. But it must be based on combat merits. No merits, no promotion. Merits earn promotions.
“Think about it, Your Highness. If you control these promotions, who could possibly challenge your position? Especially now that the promotion channels are opening. Major Generals command entire divisions. If you have twenty loyal Major Generals, you effectively control 200,000 troops from the shadows.
“While those troops might not be useful in Capital politics right now, they will be critical when the time comes. I strongly advise you to establish a dedicated team to contact your alumni, review their combat records, and assist those deserving of promotion. If they know you helped them, how could they not be grateful?
“You are the Crown Prince, and their Principal. They know you will eventually ascend the throne. Who else would they support? None of them are fools!” Liu Yuzi analyzed the situation masterfully.
“You’re absolutely right! If you hadn’t pointed this out, I would have completely overlooked it! Yes, Hu Hao is formidable, but he is only one man. I have countless other students, many of whom are perfectly capable of becoming Major Generals, Brigadier Generals, perhaps even Lieutenant Generals!
“Truly, thank you, Mr. Liu. I have been so overwhelmed by recent events that I completely missed this!” The Crown Prince stood up and bowed respectfully to his advisor.
“There is more, Your Highness. His Majesty explicitly ordered Hu Hao to leave his Group Army’s Chief of Staff positions vacant. I suspect he intends to fill them with your people. He likely wants you to select candidates to send to Hu Hao’s forces—partly to monitor Hu Hao, but primarily to cultivate your own core of loyal officers.
“This is incredibly important. I cannot be certain yet if these positions are truly meant for you. If they aren’t, the implications are severe,” Liu Yuzi continued.
“They are meant for me. Imperial Father explicitly told me to select promising scions from the Imperial Family and send them to Hu Hao’s command to learn!” the Crown Prince confirmed, his admiration for Liu Yuzi growing even stronger. His Majesty hadn’t announced that publicly, yet Liu Yuzi had deduced it perfectly.
“Excellent. Then remember this, Your Highness: do not select Imperial scions who are currently close to you!” Liu Yuzi advised.
“Why not?” The Crown Prince was confused again. If he didn’t send his own supporters, should he send his brothers’ supporters?
“Think about it, Your Highness. Who are the Imperial scions currently close to you? They are the sons of prominent, wealthy branches of the royal family. They lack neither money nor status.
“The people you must select are the marginalized scions—the ones who have no hope of inheriting their fathers’ titles or wealth. You give them a chance to make a name for themselves. Do you think they will be grateful to you?
“The Imperial Family is massive. There are countless minor branches with neither wealth nor standing. If you pluck them from obscurity and place them under Hu Hao, their loyalty to you will be absolute!
“Conversely, if you select the wealthy, influential scions, you are merely adding flowers to brocade. They won’t feel particularly indebted to you. Their primary loyalty will remain with their fathers and their own branch’s interests. You wouldn’t even know who you were truly cultivating them for!” Liu Yuzi explained.
The Crown Prince nodded slowly, realizing the profound wisdom in Liu Yuzi’s words. He hadn’t considered the internal dynamics of the Imperial Family from that angle.
“Mm. Doing that would certainly secure the unwavering loyalty of the marginalized branches. However, wouldn’t gaining the support of the influential branches make my position even more unassailable?” the Crown Prince asked.
“But would those pampered scions even go? Hu Hao’s forces are encircled on the front lines. They would be terrified of dying!” Liu Yuzi countered with a smile.
“Exactly. They likely wouldn’t volunteer. How about this: I issue a general call for volunteers from the Imperial Family. What do you think?” the Crown Prince asked.
“Perfect. The marginalized scions, desperate for an opportunity, will eagerly volunteer. By selecting them, you secure their eternal gratitude!” Liu Yuzi nodded approvingly.
“Excellent. Thank you again, Mr. Liu!” the Crown Prince smiled.
“One final point, Your Highness. From this moment on, you must make every decision from the perspective of the Emperor of the Empire, not merely as a Crown Prince fighting for the throne.
“If His Majesty sees this shift in your demeanor, his appreciation for you will only grow. Furthermore, the generals commanding our armies will genuinely respect you. With His Majesty’s support and the generals’ respect, what do you have to fear?
“Among your brothers, the only one who truly possesses this macroscopic vision is the Fourth Prince. His performance today was indeed outstanding. If the frontline generals learn of his arguments, they will undoubtedly admire him.
“However, the Fourth Prince currently lacks substantial backing. His mother is a commoner, making it very difficult for him to secure powerful allies. Therefore, he is not an immediate threat, though you must remain vigilant. ‘Vigilance’ does not mean actively attacking him; it means matching his magnanimity and vision. If you do that, he will never have an opportunity to surpass you!” Liu Yuzi advised earnestly.
“Indeed. Old Four is truly capable. I will visit him tonight,” the Crown Prince agreed.
“Mm. Visit him often. However, until he explicitly pledges his allegiance to you, do not appear too close. Otherwise, he might borrow your prestige to confuse others, making them believe that supporting him is the same as supporting you!” Liu Yuzi warned.
“I understand. I will also visit Third Brother. As for Second Brother and Fifth Brother, occasional pleasantries will suffice. Second Brother has never accepted my position. And since he currently controls a corps within the Imperial Guard, he represents a tangible threat!” the Crown Prince analyzed his brothers.
“Isolate him. Once your loyal officers return from their training under Hu Hao, insert them into his corps to strip him of his actual command. He doesn’t dare make any major moves right now, but the future is uncertain!” Liu Yuzi suggested a countermeasure.
“Mm!” the Crown Prince nodded firmly.
The two men discussed strategy in the study for over an hour. Eventually, a guard approached the door and announced that the Grand Marshal had arrived for a visit.
The Crown Prince immediately ordered him to be brought in.
Upon hearing the announcement, Liu Yuzi stood up and moved to step aside.
“Sit back down,” the Crown Prince ordered, seeing him move.
Liu Yuzi shook his head. “It is best if he does not know the true nature of my relationship with you. Let him believe I am merely a mid-level official from the Ministry of Personnel delivering a routine report.”
“Mm. Very well. I apologize for the slight, Mr. Liu,” the Crown Prince smiled apologetically, understanding the wisdom of maintaining Liu Yuzi’s low profile.
A moment later, the Grand Marshal was escorted into the antechamber.
“Greetings, Your Highness,” Tang Long saluted as he entered the study.
“Mm. Adjutant Liu, leave the Ministry of Personnel’s annual review files here. You are dismissed,” the Crown Prince ordered Liu Yuzi, officially a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Personnel.
Liu Yuzi nodded, bowed respectfully to both the Crown Prince and the Grand Marshal, and quietly exited the study.
“I apologize for interrupting your work, Your Highness,” Tang Long said.
“It’s fine. He was merely delivering the annual review reports. Please, sit,” the Crown Prince smiled faintly, gesturing to a chair.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Tang Long sat down.
“Your Highness, regarding today’s events… I was careless. I truly did not anticipate that the broadcast would compromise Hu Hao’s operational security. I take full responsibility for this oversight,” Tang Long began his apology.
“Mm. It was indeed a very dishonorable move,” the Crown Prince stated flatly. Tang Long opened his mouth to defend himself, but the Crown Prince raised a hand to silence him.
“Regardless of your actual intentions, the deed is done. Everyone—including His Majesty—will assume you did it deliberately to target Hu Hao and Jiang Kai. You cannot deny this perception, can you?” the Crown Prince asked coldly.
“Yes. My lack of foresight has created a terrible situation,” Tang Long admitted, looking deflated.
“Hu Hao is understandably furious. When I returned, I spoke with him on the phone. His situation is now incredibly perilous. I have ordered two fighter divisions to redeploy to the central front specifically to secure his airspace. You are to take no further action regarding this matter.
“If the 1st Group Army fails to form, and it fails because you leaked their intelligence, your position as Grand Marshal will be forfeit. And if your position is forfeit, what am I supposed to do? Hm?” the Crown Prince stared hard at Tang Long.
“Yes. I was foolish. I failed to consider Your Highness’s position,” Tang Long replied, secretly relieved. The Crown Prince’s reprimand indicated that he still viewed Tang Long as a crucial pillar of support and had no intention of abandoning him.
“Mm. Do not interfere with Hu Hao’s operations in any way. You cannot afford to. Imperial Father is watching very closely. Do not give your enemies—especially my brothers—any ammunition to use against you.
“Furthermore, you need to maintain a lower profile. I noticed you’ve grown quite close to Ma Zhenling recently. He is an old fox, and the Second Prince is his grandson-in-law. Be careful!” the Crown Prince warned, asserting his dominance.
(End of Chapter)