Chapter 51: Arrogant New Strategist

In Wuyang City, early in the morning, the Crown Prince came to visit the Li residence, displaying overwhelming enthusiasm. But after waiting left and right, why hasn’t Li Xian returned?

After waiting for a while, the Second Prince also arrived, claiming he wanted to cooperate with Li Xian in business.

However, half an hour later, a guard sent by Li Xian finally returned with new information—after leaving the palace, Li Xian had directly left Wuyang City.

“This is outrageous!” The Crown Prince—or rather, the heir apparent—was instantly furious.

The Second Prince, however, remained calm and unhurried. “It looks like I’ll have to make another trip to An Yang to visit him. This guy really is something else.”

After respectfully seeing off the two princes, each with their own thoughts, Li Yulong’s mouth curved into a satisfied smile.

Yang Zhong, standing nearby, also smiled with relief. “The young master has grown up.”

Li Yulong snorted, “Running off with his wife early in the morning—so improper.”

But as Li Yulong said this, there was a slight smile on his face.

In the imperial palace:

When His Majesty the Emperor heard that Li Xian had left the palace and directly left Wuyang City, he burst into hearty laughter, “That kid ran off fast. I should have kept him here a little longer. But I can’t let him off that easily. Fu Minghui, convey my decree to Li Xian—tell him to quickly prepare the engines for 100,000 textile machines for me.

Before my 100,000 textile machines are completed, he is not allowed to sell a single machine to anyone else.”

————

Li Xian and his group had just left the outskirts of the capital when they saw three carriages arranged in a row across the road. The carriages were plain, with no sign of luxury, but they were practical, well-equipped, and very tidy.

What’s going on? Li Xian was puzzled. Judging from the situation, it didn’t look like a robbery, but why were they blocking the road?

Naturally, Li Xian's group stopped. Before Li Xian could speak, Xu Ren spoke first, “Young master, before the New Year, I reached out to a few friends, and three of them agreed to come take a look. It seems they’ve arrived.”

“Ah...” Li Xian felt a moment of joy. After witnessing the strength and excellence of Xu Ren as an advisor, Li Xian had been eager to find more strategists or similar talents. However, on one hand, he didn’t have many connections to find such advisors—capable strategists were rare. On the other hand, Li Xian had been so busy he could barely catch his breath.

Previously, Li Xian had asked Xu Ren for help, but without much hope—after all, they say people in the same field are often envious of each other. He hadn’t expected such a pleasant surprise.

Li Xian quickly tidied his clothes and personally stepped out of the carriage to greet them.

Three men, each exuding a unique air, stepped out of the opposite carriages. Leading them was a young man in his twenties, a long sword hanging from his waist, radiating heroic spirit.

Someone like this is a strategist? Li Xian was doubtful but still stepped forward to greet them. “Li Xian greets the three gentlemen. I’m honored that you would think so highly of me. May I ask your names?”

The young man in front spoke first, with a hint of arrogance, “My name is Beichen Yuqing, I specialize in military strategy.”

Next, a refined man spoke slowly, “My name is Fang Shijing, I’m a scholar, and I specialize in internal affairs.”

Finally, a graceful man dressed in a traditional Daoist robe spoke, “Ling Zhifeng, a Daoist. I specialize in geomancy and fortune-telling. Don’t bother me with anything else.”

So full of pride, all of them.

Li Xian glanced at the three carriages parked on the road and couldn’t help but ask, “Why didn’t the three of you go to the Li residence?”

Fang Shijing smiled slightly and said, “Xu Ren didn’t tell us where to find the young master, so we had to search on our own. After thinking it over, it seemed that waiting here would give us the best chance to meet you. So, we waited.”

Is this superior strategy? Li Xian still had doubts and curiosity, along with some considerations. “What if you missed me?”

“We wouldn’t miss you!” Beichen Yuqing replied confidently. “Given your current situation, leaving the capital as soon as possible is your best option. We’ve already been waiting here for three quarters of an hour.

Our plan was to wait here for one full hour. If you hadn’t passed by during that time, we would have sought other opportunities.”

“Why?”

“If you couldn’t leave the capital within an hour, you wouldn’t be able to leave for the next half month. That would indicate a lack of clarity and decisiveness in your actions, making you unworthy of our service.”

Li Xian was taken aback. “Are all strategists this arrogant?”

“Of course!” Beichen Yuqing replied proudly. “We are like free birds in the world, and birds can choose their trees, but can trees choose their birds?”

“Uh, no, they cannot.” Li Xian had to admit that this was indeed true. Over the past few days, he had been searching for talented strategists, but found that such people were extremely rare. After witnessing the three waiting for him in the middle of the road, Li Xian was genuinely convinced of their abilities.

But... isn’t this a bit too arrogant?

Seemingly noticing or perhaps anticipating Li Xian’s hesitation, Xu Ren spoke at the right moment, “Young master, I was once very arrogant too.”

As the saying goes, ‘Hearing the strings of the lute, one understands the sentiment,’ Li Xian immediately grasped the meaning—Xu Ren was implying, “I used to be very proud, but now I’m not. I was won over by you, Li Xian. So why aren’t you confident that you can win over these three?”

Yes, they have talent, and of course, that means they have some pride. But if you can’t win over talented people, the problem isn’t with the talent—it’s with you, Li Xian.

Furthermore, as the saying goes, "Birds of a feather flock together," and those whom Xu Ren knows are unlikely to be lacking in talent—in fact, they should be quite exceptional.

With these thoughts turning in his mind, Li Xian officially welcomed the three men into his group, and they continued on their journey. As per the usual practice, anyone wanting to join Li Xian’s side had to make some oaths or declarations.

This time, instead of sitting inside the carriage, Li Xian rode a horse alongside Xu Ren, Beichen Yuqing, Fang Shijing, and Ling Zhifeng. Naturally, during this period, the five of them discussed various matters. Through these discussions, Li Xian could get a general understanding of the three men’s abilities, strengthen their relationship, and showcase his own charisma.

When they talked about military tactics, Li Xian proposed a strategy involving a trinity of aerial, underground, and long-range attacks, resembling a blitzkrieg. Beichen Yuqing immediately praised this idea.

Li Xian then expressed his viewpoint that "the business world is like a battlefield," to which Beichen Yuqing instantly declared, “I’ll be in charge of business strategy.”

Afterward, Li Xian discussed with Fang Shijing the concepts of governing by law, promoting transparency and fairness, balancing legal and moral standards, encouraging social virtues, and refining systems of reward and punishment. Most importantly, he suggested providing people with opportunities for upward mobility as a way to guide and limit social unrest—placing an emphasis on guidance. Li Xian also proposed that "poverty breeds chaos, while prosperity brings peace," integrating this idea with the notion of governing through commerce.

Fang Shijing couldn’t help but lavish praise, stating, “You truly live up to your 'Beidou Nine Stars' destiny.”

Lastly, it was Ling Zhifeng’s turn. Since Li Xian was completely unfamiliar with subjects like fortune-telling and divination, he could only listen quietly as Ling Zhifeng explained.

However, seeing that Li Xian possessed such “self-awareness” only further endeared him to the three men, causing their arrogance to diminish significantly.

After traveling for a short while, they were suddenly caught up by Fu Minghui, the head of the emperor’s guards.

“Li Xian, wait! His Majesty has a decree!”

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