Several days later, Zhang Dao began his rise to power. The whole process was as if he had the heavens' blessing. He imdiately subdued a warlord and took over all his forces.
A month later, he had amassed a wealth of power and used it to acquire nurous precious dicines to speed up his growth period.
Then... he started to flirt with a young lady of good family every day, casually showing off and slapping faces, gradually increasing his fa.
As for what he did, naturally, it was taking this young lady on adventures for opportunities every day. As for his domain, he maintained control through sheer martial force, suppressing any dissent.
Wang Linchi watched this scene in shock.
He felt ashad. By rights, shouldn't you be saving the world? How has it suddenly shifted to this?
Moreover, this approach, while abnormal, was actually making things run incredibly smoothly. This isn't normal at all.
That's why Wang Linchi planned to up the stakes for Zhang Dao, to let him know that not everything is as simple as he imagines.
What was more crucial was the other party's attitude, which made Wang Linchi feel an unbearable urge to retaliate.
Zhang Dao's attitude towards Wang Linchi was indeed excellent, but only superficially. In reality, Wang Linchi's treatnt was worse than that of a maid. At least Zhang Dao spoke of equality to the maid. When Wang Linchi heard these words, he was puzzled. He didn't object to the idea of equality, but you're treating her as part of your harem and then talking to her about everyone being equal. Isn't that a bit off?
"Sir, is it right for us to betray our commander?" a deputy at Wang Linchi's side hesitantly asked.
Indeed, Wang Linchi had infiltrated the other party's forces and had beco a high-ranking mber.
"It's indeed not quite right. So you plan to serve as Zhang's servant for life, do you?"
"We're all high-ranking mbers, but what's the result? Our status is less than even his... no, not a concubine, but a maid. You all saw what happened a few days ago, didn't you?"
"The commander himself said it: there's no comparison between us and his won." Wang Linchi sneered. Is it all just Destiny? I have that too, and mine is more substantial than Zhang Dao's. Besides, now that I'm more powerful, I can also generate an effect that lowers others' intelligence.
Upon hearing this, everyone's face changed.
"We treat him as the commander, but has he ever considered us brothers? In these past days, for the sake of him and his won, how many of our brothers have we lost?"
"You haven't counted, have you? I have. One thousand three hundred n. Three of them were drinking with us just a few days ago, and then, just like that, they were gone."
With a tone of regret in Wang Linchi's voice, the others quickly understood his aning.
One thousand three hundred people might seem negligible given how cheap life is in this era, but the latter part of his statent was crucial.
Those who could drink with Wang Linchi were people on their level. If n of their status could die so casually, did that an it could be their turn next?
No one would be happy about that. Who would want to die one day over such absurd matters?
"But the commander's thods are unfathomable; we..." soone hesitated, saying that while they weren't willing either, they truly had no way to win.
Especially considering those Charms—they had never seen such powerful ones that even firearms couldn't penetrate.
"The commander's thods are indeed unfathomable, but those won by his side are not. Let's target them."
"Let's see if the commander can protect his won while still having the strength to resist us."
Wang Linchi had co up with a good plan. The male protagonist's weakness is always the female protagonist. What else could it be? It certainly wouldn't be his relatives.
He would have loved to do that too, but Zhang Dao, like Wang Linchi, only had one page on his household register. He wanted to use threats but had no leverage.
"This... might work, but we're still..."
They still hesitated at the thought of betraying Zhang Dao, which was quite normal. Anyone in their right mind wouldn't provoke a ticking bomb that could explode in their faces.
"Do you have any ideas? Feel free to share them," Wang Linchi said, encouraging everyone to speak their minds.
"As long as the commander changes his mind, we can just..." another person began to speak.
However, before he could finish, Wang Linchi interrupted: "You're no ravishing beauty. Why would he change his mind for you, huh?"
This sentence was full of ridicule, implying that none of them had what it took for Zhang Dao to change his mind, and even if they did, he wouldn't.
For a mont, the atmosphere fell into a stifling silence.
Finally, soone from the back row spoke up: "Why not just part ways? Those who don't want to serve under the commander can leave. Those who don't dare to resist can stay here and be slaves."
"What do you an, 'don't dare to resist'? We're thinking of our brothers!"
"Yes, those words were unfair!"
"..."
Such blatant words instantly ignited everyone's pride. Not daring to resist and staying to be enslaved? Who could bear that?
"Quiet!" Wang Linchi yelled.
Fortunately, his prestige was still effective, and everyone quieted down.
"The words were harsh, but it is a solution," Wang Linchi said, sounding agreeable. "If you don't dare to fight, and you don't even dare to flee, then you might as well stay."
"If you want to separate, I won't restrict you. As for resources, they will be distributed according to the number of people willing to go with you. The more people, the more you'll get."
After Wang Linchi made his decision, everyone looked at each other, bewildered.
What was happening? How did it turn into parting ways?
But individuals were already stirring, ready to make their move.
Staying to serve soone versus splitting off the assets and heading out to live freely, perhaps becoming a king or a commander oneself—it was clear which option was more attractive.
"Since a decision has been made, from now on, everyone will have to rely on their own abilities," soone declared, then rose and left imdiately.
With a leader taking the initiative, everyone else naturally followed, preparing to divide the assets.
"You have three days to prepare. The commander is likely to return on the fourth day. If you're caught then, you'll only have yourselves to bla for being too greedy," Wang Linchi kindly reminded them.
Zhang Dao had gone with his confidante to seize an opportunity and was due back in three days. He hadn't brought any troops when he left; they had gone by themselves. His main tactic was to pretend to be weak and then crush the strong, thereby showing off and slapping faces.
Everyone heard Wang Linchi's reminder, and their departing footsteps imdiately quickened. Since ti was limited, they definitely had to hurry.
Three days? No, they would need at most two. If anyone tried to drag things out to maximize their gains, well, if they succeeded, the others wouldn't be jealous—after all, it was a gamble with their lives. But if they failed, that would be an interesting spectacle.
Zhang Dao surely wouldn't let it slide. After all, how could he tolerate them taking his property?
Seeing this, Wang Linchi couldn't help but smile.
He knew that if he had proposed dividing the assets from the start, there would have been responders, just not this many.
If you want to open a window, first propose to remove the roof.
That's right. His goal was never to have them assassinate Zhang Dao. That was unlikely to succeed, and even if it did, the benefits would be minimal. Instead, dividing Zhang Dao's assets would be a huge blow to him.
As for the one who had proposed it, it was a mory construct Wang Linchi had arranged. The person vanished after speaking, so they would never find out who suggested it.
"Sir, are you not going?" his aide asked, seeing Wang Linchi still seated in the main position, showing no signs of moving.
"No, I'm not. There wouldn't be enough for anyway." What did he need people for? He didn't. The most important thing now was to retreat successfully after accomplishing his mission.
"By the way, go deal with these people," Wang Linchi said, taking out a list. "They are all the commander's trusted confidants. They will definitely try to inform him."
There might not be any die-hard loyalists, but there were certainly those loyal to Zhang Dao because they had received benefits from him and thus felt a degree of loyalty.
The aide took the list, noted its considerable length, and nodded. "Understood. I will hand this to the other sirs."
The aide definitely wouldn't handle this task himself; it would fall to those high-ranking officials who were about to divide the assets.
For their own safety, they would undoubtedly be ruthless and leave no one behind.
However, Wang Linchi worried that soone might escape to report, allowing Zhang Dao to return dramatically and save the day, just like in a cliché plot. Not only would he resolve the crisis, but his influence would also reach a new level. As for how exactly he would achieve that rise, Wang Linchi wasn't sure.
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