Chapter 1037: Chapter 256: Huangzhou Prefecture Is Mine_2
“Master He, why are you all like this? My father, he must be afraid that I’ll run away and then he won’t be able to explain it to that person.”
Zhao Ya said to He Yishou.
He Yishou heard this and gave a bitter smile: “No matter what you say, today, you must leave Huangzhou Prefecture with us.”
Zhao Ya wanted to say something more, but at this moment Wang Baobao said: “Yaya, what the two masters said is correct. Huangzhou Prefecture is too dangerous, we can’t stay here any longer. Since the war in the north has started, why not come back to the Prince Mansion with me.”
Zhao Ya furrowed her brows deeply and remained silent.
Wang Baobao, seeing Zhao Ya in this way, was also touched by his own concerns, looking burdened with worries.
He Yishou asked Wang Baobao: “Does the Young Prince have concerns?”
Wang Baobao then spoke: “Yes, leaving Huangzhou Prefecture in such a hurry does indeed leave concerns in my heart.”
He Yishou asked: “What concern?”
Wang Baobao said: “Chen Jiusi.”
Gui Yannian said: “It’s just a Chen Jiusi, why worry?”
Wang Baobao said: “In this pacification of Huangzhou Prefecture, Chen Jiusi has made significant achievements and even has shown great kindness to the people of Huangzhou Prefecture. If he continues to manage, I’m afraid he will become uncontrollable, so my Lords, I am inclined to transfer Chen Jiusi out of Huangzhou Prefecture.”
Zhao Ya said upon hearing this: “No, the upheaval in Huangzhou Prefecture has just been settled, the people’s hearts are unstable, and more importantly, although the refugees have returned home, we don’t have enough grain to support the people with food and drink. Without it, in hunger, the people may rebel again, rendering all our previous efforts in vain.”
“Moreover, Peng Yingyu remains in Huangzhou. If Peng Yingyu takes the opportunity to cause trouble, Huangzhou Prefecture might rebel once more. By then, we’ll be fighting the Central Plains battle at the front and facing the threat of Peng Yingyu at the back, truly being caught between two fires.”
“But if Chen Jiusi stays here, firstly, we can use his Fishing Guild’s power to relieve the disaster victims and prevent the people from losing heart. Secondly, we can utilize Chen Jiusi’s power to stabilize the situation, preventing it from worsening in Huangzhou Prefecture. So Chen Jiusi must not be moved.”
Zhao Ya analyzed with Wang Baobao.
Wang Baobao replied: “I also recognize the importance of Chen Jiusi in Huangzhou Prefecture, but he is also capable and ambitious. I fear keeping him here might raise a threat in the future!”
Looking at Wang Baobao, Zhao Ya said: “Third Brother, you are correct, but Chen Jiusi is at odds with the Zoroastrian Sect, the leader of the world’s rebels, so he certainly won’t surrender to the rebels.”
“You mentioned his ambition earlier, which I admit, but now the times are chaotic, and ambitious people are everywhere. It’s true he’s ambitious, but it’s also true he doesn’t collude with the Zoroastrian Sect. Even if, in the worst case, he harbors rebellious intentions, he will at most hold on to Huangzhou Prefecture as a local bully.”
“Compared to letting him leave Huangzhou Prefecture and causing it to fall into Peng Yingyu’s hands, if he only wants to be a local bully, the harm is minor, and it would be easy for us to reclaim in the future.”
“Do you think what I’ve said is reasonable, Third Brother?”
Zhao Ya asked Wang Baobao.
Wang Baobao fell silent after hearing this. Zhao Ya did make some sense.
If we move Chen Jiusi away now, there’s a 90% chance Huangzhou Prefecture will rebel again. Should Peng Yingyu seize the opportunity to stir up trouble, Huangzhou Prefecture would likely slip out of the court’s control.
Conversely, if we keep Chen Jiusi, though he might be ambitious and hold on to Huangzhou, given his relationship with the Zoroastrian Sect, he certainly won’t surrender to the rebels, even if he holds on to Huangzhou Prefecture.
He would just be a local tyrant, isolated and unsupported. By the time the court’s army arrives, he would definitely surrender upon hearing the news.
So it’s clear from Zhao Ya’s words that if Huangzhou Prefecture is doomed to be lost, it’s better to let it go to a local tyrant rather than an Over River Dragon.
A local tyrant can be easily vanquished in the future, whereas an Over River Dragon is tied deeply into the fabric, making eradication impossible.
And if given to a local tyrant, even if the Over River Dragon has designs on Huangzhou, the local tyrant would undoubtedly fight against him without the court having to send troops.
This is the reason Zhao Ya wanted to keep Chen Jie in Huangzhou Prefecture.
After hearing this, Wang Baobao fell into silence again. Zhao Ya spoke logically, and he understood and agreed with her reasoning.
However, Chen Jiusi left a deep impression on Wang Baobao. Wang Baobao said: “I fear Chen Jiusi is not a local tyrant but a fierce tiger. If unchecked, he might later turn against us!”
Zhao Ya said: “Even if he’s a tiger, currently he’s just a sick tiger. His physical state doesn’t allow him to do more.”
Wang Baobao looked at Zhao Ya and said; “A sick tiger, huh, I’m worried he’s just pretending to be sick!”
Zhao Ya asked: “Pretending to be sick?”
Wang Baobao said: “Chen Jiusi is always cunning. I fear he’s pretending to be sick to confuse us, wary that we might kill the donkey after the grinding is done. If there were time, I would discern more carefully, but now…”
As Wang Baobao spoke up to this point, he was burdened by worries. Chen Jiusi seemed not to be a person to take lightly!
He was both brave and wise. If given the chance, there’s a real fear that he would ride this momentum and soar.
One must say, Wang Baobao has excellent foresight, seeing at a glance that Chen Jie was a Hidden Dragon, full of potential.
Just as Wang Baobao was struggling with his decision, suddenly a guard ran in from outside. Seeing the people inside the room, the guard immediately saluted and said: “Lords, Chen Jiusi is here.”
“Oh!”