69novels Chapter 972 Gao Yao plans to target Wei Bao in advance!
Chapter 972 Gao Yao plans to target Wei Bao in advance!
As expected, by the time Kuai Tong arrived back in the Wei capital, before he could report the details of his mission, rumors of his acceptance of Gao Yao's lavish gifts had already spread like wildfire throughout the Wei court. Kuai Tong was a brilliant man, and the moment he received that lavish gift, he knew for sure that he had fallen prey to Gao Yao's schemes.
This move is not a treacherous and unpredictable conspiracy, but an upright and open conspiracy that makes people unable to resist!
Gao Yao's strategy wasn't aimed at the incident itself, but rather at Wei Bao's suspicious nature and the already fragile trust between the emperor and his subjects. The entire situation hinged on how Wei Bao would perceive this matter. Regardless of Kuai Tong's defense, the ten days of detention, his close interactions with key enemy officials, and the lavish gifts delivered to his residence were undeniable facts. Like poisonous stings, they pierced Wei Bao's heart.
Kuai Tong held the gift list in his hands, feeling it weigh heavily on him. He knew he was now beyond any defense. Even if he immediately presented all the gifts, unopened, to Wei Bao and swore to heaven that he was innocent, it would be useless. Once the seeds of doubt were planted, they would take root and sprout.
Wei Bao might have said, "I trust you," but the shadow of suspicion would forever hang over the ruler and his subjects. Gao Yao's action had planted a thorn in Wei Bao's heart that would never be removed.
A solution? This situation was unsolvable. Kuai Tong couldn't change Wei Bao's suspicious nature, nor could he erase what had already happened. The only outcome he could foresee was gradual marginalization. In the past, perhaps he could have relied on his talent and intelligence to gain a seat at the Wei court and participate in confidential matters.
After this incident, what awaited him was inevitably a promotion in name only, a demotion in reality, a seemingly honorable but powerless idle position. Wei Bao would no longer allow him access to core power, would no longer listen to his key suggestions, and would hang him high and cold.
After understanding all this, Kuai Tong felt a chill in his heart, yet also a bitter admiration. Gao Yao hadn't even sacrificed a single soldier, simply exploiting human nature and the situation to eliminate a key advisor for his potential rival without a single bloodshed.
This insight, this precise grasp of human nature, and this aboveboard yet unavoidable method, are precisely what makes Gao Yao so formidable. He throws a sugar-coated bullet, knowing it's poison but forced to swallow it, a game of chess that appears to give but actually deprives. This is the extent of his overt scheme.
Kuai Tong prided himself on being able to see through people's hearts and be good at judging situations, but at this moment, Gao Yao's casual move forced him into a desperate situation and he didn't even have the strength to resist.
Gao Yao, the hero who rose in the southern border and is now able to compete with forces like Chu and Han, did not even mobilize a single soldier or issue a threat. He easily eliminated an important strategist for his potential opponent by simply accurately grasping human nature and cleverly leveraging the situation.
How open and aboveboard, yet so helpless! He throws you a poison wrapped in honey, yet you, driven by thirst, are forced to swallow it; he lays out a game of chess, seemingly a generous gift, yet in reality a cruel deprivation. The power of an open conspiracy is truly this! This method of laying the conspiracy out in the open, exploiting the rules and exploiting human weaknesses, is infinitely more brilliant and terrifying than even the most cunning of schemes.
His thoughts drifted back to when he first joined Wei Bao. Back then, he was armed with strategies and tactics, fully believing that he could assist a powerful figure in these troubled times and achieve achievements like Su Qin and Zhang Yi.
However, Wei Bao was not his ideal leader. This descendant of the Wei state inherited more of the arrogance and shortsightedness of the nobility than the vision and ability to expand territory. Under him, a powerful and influential group of loyalists and relatives had already formed. For an outsider like Kuai Tong, a strategist without a distinguished background or immediate military achievements, it would have been extremely difficult to break into this core.
During his time under Wei Bao, Kuai Tong's numerous strategic proposals were either shelved or dismissed at the initial discussion stage by his close, fawning officials with a variety of absurd excuses. Wei Bao always maintained a polite yet distant distance towards him, less a gesture of trust than a gesture of nurturing a scholar and demonstrating magnanimity. Kuai Tong felt clearly that his talent, like a sword in a corner, was slowly being covered in dust and rusted. Countless times, he sighed to the moon late at night, lamenting his lack of recognition and wondering what his future held.
Gao Yao had clearly grasped his predicament and frustration. The Qingyi Society's pervasiveness not only revealed the internal composition and power struggles within Wei Bao, but also informed his lord in the far south about Kuai Tong's predicament and frustration.
Thus, at just the right moment, the intention to recruit him was conveyed in a respectable and irresistible manner. What Gao wanted to offer wasn't just a higher position and better pay, but also a sense of being valued and desired. For a strategist who had long been on the sidelines, this allure was fatal.
"Go, sir," a voice within him urged. "Wei Bao is not a wise leader, not worthy of trust. Gao Yao's methods may be unpredictable, but his power is established and his ambition is not small. The fact that he has devoted so much effort to you shows his sincerity. A wise bird chooses its tree to roost, and a virtuous minister chooses his master to serve. This is the law of nature."
Another voice struggled, "This is like driving a tiger to devour a wolf, or buying a horse's bones for a fortune! He can use an open conspiracy to force me today, but he might use the same tactics to abandon me tomorrow! If I surrender to him, wouldn't I be walking into his trap?"
However, the cold reality quickly extinguished his struggle. He had already been marginalized by Wei Bao. When they had last discussed the strategy for Gao Yao's attack on Wu Rui, Wei Bao hadn't even consulted him. The indifference of being excluded from the core of power was like ice water in the cold winter, piercing his bones and heart.
Staying would mean no future, and he might even disappear silently in a political purge. Leaving, while risky, might offer a future where he could realize his ambitions. More importantly, Gao Yao had already "set" him in this position—even if his contacts with the Qingyi Society were kept secret, there was no guarantee they would remain completely confidential. If Wei Bao learned of his contacts with Gao Yao's forces, whether he agreed or not, the seeds of suspicion would be sown, and he would no longer have a place in Wei.
After much reflection, the feeling of helplessness, of being pushed around by circumstances, washed over him once again. He, Kuai Tong, boasted of his intelligence, but in the end, he was like a chess piece, gently placed in a predetermined position on the board. This bitter realization finally made him resolve.