Peace Order
Chapter 505 - 22 Li Guanyi and Sword Madman_2

Chapter 505: Chapter 22 Li Guanyi and Sword Madman_2

Li Guanyi rolled out of bed but didn’t see Shaking Light, he frowned, wondering if yesterday was just his illusion? As he pondered, he came out from his room, after washing up, he had his meal, and then strolled outside, where the guards were much stricter than usual.

The City Lord had been directly imprisoned by three generals.

All the trusted followers of the original City Lord Mansion were brought out and beheaded, their crimes announced, to the cheering of the common people.

Li Guanyi watched for a while, then turned around and went back, spending the next several days simply recuperating.

However, Pang Shuiyun had reorganized the entire Changfeng Building, making it more professional than a purely Martial World intelligence organization, or Elder Xue’s commerce-focused intelligence organization. After the restructuring, it now leaned more towards a professional scout and spy organization.

The youth looked at the stringent divisions, styles, and a very subtle point—

Extreme efficiency led to a significant cost-saving ratio.

Compared to before, at least thirty percent of the expenses were saved.

Regarding this, Pang Shuiyun’s response was:

"After all, our Lord is quite poor," seeing the youth’s eyes wide with surprise, the old strategist smiled with a nostalgic feel, "Our Lord always perceives himself as an old farmer, so whenever there’s a chance to save money, he’ll surely find a way to save."

"Of course, using spies will inevitably cost Silver Coin, without intelligence, the army is as blind, and the loss is more than just the bit spent on espionage,"

During this time, on the one hand, Pang Shuiyun was marshaling forces for an unknown purpose.

On the other hand, he spread many rumors.

Simultaneously, he exaggerated and promoted Li Guanyi’s actions to solidify his reputation. On this day, the youth went to meet Ji Yanzhong for an appointment, arriving early and waiting in a teahouse.

Inside the teahouse, a storyteller was narrating, clapping his "startling-wood" as he talked about recent happenings at the City Lord Mansion, tales of a trickster from the Martial World, the Yuwen aristocratic family, the monstrous cruelty of the City Lord, and the young hero who attended the banquet alone to break Ying Country’s treacherous schemes.

He also mentioned the rescue of the Yue Family Army outside the city, commending the courage and strategy of the youth, extraordinary in his youth.

The storyteller’s eloquence captivated the audience, compelling all the nearby patrons to listen intently. With a final slap of his "startling-wood" on the table, it sent a resounding crack through the air, making everyone’s heart tremble.

The storyteller sat dominantly, his eyes sweeping over the crowd, he proclaimed loudly:

"Who do you think this person is? It is none other than Li Guanyi from Jiangzhou City, who beheaded the traitor, boasted in Guan Yi City, with a Battle Halberd, he defeated heroes from Central Plains, Jiangnan, Western Regions, Desert, the County Knight Qin Wu, the Chaos Qilin of the Li Family!"

The listeners applauded in approval.

Copper Coin and copper coin spilled all over the floor.

The storyteller continued, "Let’s talk about this Li Guanyi..."

Upstairs, Li Guanyi, who was casually passing time waiting to meet Ji Yanzhong, almost wished he could cover his face and jump down from the upper floor, recalling Pang Shuiyun’s words: reputation holds immense power; if you don’t claim it, others will. It’s better to secure fame first.

In this city, the three generals had acted, and such deeds couldn’t be openly claimed.

So it fell upon them to consume this reputation.

The youth was puzzled, asking whether he should remains concealed?

Pang Shuiyun laughed heartily, saying, "Only heroes attract heroes. If the Young Master wishes to retreat to the mountains, then he should conceal himself; otherwise, he should have a wild and far-reaching reputation. Who could aspire to great deeds by tying their own hands?"

"Without a reputation across the land, why would famous scholars and warriors rush to join you from thousands of miles away? To seek them out one by one, how many years would that take?"

"When the World’s Number One Divine General sets out, even his mere reputation is enough to deter enemies from all sides."

He then persuaded him further, "An army may have its spirit stolen, a general may have his heart stolen. Therefore, in the morning the spirit is sharp, at noon it is sluggish, and at dusk it returns. A good commander avoids the sharp spirit, strikes at the sluggish and returning spirit; this is to manage morale. To remain steady amid chaos, to stay calm amidst noise, this is to manage the heart."

"With a famous general internally and a grand reputation across the land, the army’s morale will be high."

"The Young Master needs to build his reputation, and it can’t be achieved overnight; it’s best to start soon."

"You can’t wait until the day you need that reputation to rally support and find that you have none. By then, it will be too late."

The strategist hesitated for a moment but decided to reveal a deeper reason:

"Besides, one day when the Young Master leads his troops home, no matter what, it will be considered as [invading Chen Country]."

"In the eyes of the common people, will they prefer a just and heroic figure who was forced to leave his homeland and now returns to save the world, or would a notorious criminal leading his cavalry be more appealing? This goes without saying."

"This move, is simply to win the hearts of the people."

"Such reputation is all superficial, the true goal is to make the common people feel good about the Young Master."

Pang Shuiyun spoke in a gentle tone, trying to make the matter as clear as possible.

Yet, he still worried that the Young Master, who was only fifteen, might not understand the importance.

With a slightly heavier tone, he used reverse psychology, saying, "You’re willing to step into the world, bearing the heart of the land, can’t you also bear a bit of false reputation?"

Unexpectedly, the youth considered for a moment and then candidly replied:

"The teacher is right, whoever wins the hearts of the people wins the world."

"I’ll leave everything to the teacher."

Pang Shuiyun was taken aback, surprised by the words that the fourteen or fifteen-year-old youth had spoken, but then felt that compared to the Great General’s carefree nature, this young man seemed to have an even calmer demeanor. He bowed slightly and said: