Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 427 - 249: The Best Candidate for "Peace Talks"_3

Chapter 427: Chapter 249: The Best Candidate for "Peace Talks"_3

Although the game did not explicitly explain, Chu Ge had discovered that the Imperial Censor Li Hao was clearly based on the script of Qin Huizhi.

Qin Huizhi was also taken north after the Jingping incident and assigned to serve as a staff officer for Wanyan Chang.

After returning from Jin Country, he had completely transformed from a person who still had some moral baseline into a staunch advocate for peace, or more accurately, for capitulation.

Because true advocates for peace should seek temporary peace after fighting for the best interest of their own nation as much as possible, and then actively prepare for war to retake everything they had lost.

During the war between two countries, there was no peace, only temporary ceasefires.

But Qin Huizhi’s so-called peace faction was actually about selling out national interests for temporary safety, even seeking personal gain. Therefore, calling him a traitor or capitulation faction was more fitting.

And such a path naturally had the lowest difficulty.

Because as long as one abandoned their moral baseline as a human being, they could achieve their goals.

In short, after analyzing, Chu Ge confirmed that the so-called Imperial Censor Li Hao was a fictitious character, but was acting entirely according to Qin Huizhi’s script.

This made him feel quite frustrated, never having expected to play such an ultimately treacherous character that would be cursed for ages.

He felt tainted by the association.

The man’s reputation was indeed too disgraceful, so much so that not only would no one use his name in the future, but even his surname was at risk of being soiled. Every aspect related to him was scorned, doomed never to recover.

However, Chu Ge had not given up this identity in favor of starting over.

He thought that the official arrangement of this route must have some deeper meaning.

If one followed the original route of betraying the country, then this instance could indeed be cleared relatively easily.

Could it be that the game wanted the player to understand how Qin Huizhi step by step reached the point of betrayal for glory?

And if the player did not follow this path but took another... then, was it possible to clear the instance in a more difficult manner?

With this speculation, Chu Ge continued to enter the game, readying himself for the challenges of a new day.

...

When he met Wanyan Chang again, Chu Ge was like a completely different person, abjectly promising Wanyan Chang that if he could return to the Qi Dynasty, he would definitely be able to attain a high-ranking officiating position and seek as much benefit for the Jin people as possible.

He had thought such a shameless act should have won Wanyan Chang’s approval, yet Wanyan Chang only gave him a meaningful smile and, after some perfunctory small talk, sent Chu Ge away again.

This attempt had still not been effective.

Returning to his residence, Chu Ge analyzed a bit and finally confirmed his suspicions.

"Indeed, to convince Wanyan Chang, mere lip service to betrayal is not enough.

"After Wanyan Chang initially mentioned ’jointly pushing for peace talks’ to me, his reluctance to let me return to Qi clearly stemmed from his great doubt about whether I could carry out the task.

"He is unsure if I would faithfully execute his plan, so he is hesitant about whether to send me back or not.

"So, I need to find a way to convince him, to assure him that I would carry out his plan without fail.

"And this persuasion also requires tact and method."

Chu Ge first tried expressing his genuine intention to side completely with the Jin people, to sell all of Qi’s national interests in order to reach an agreement, but this failed to gain Wanyan Chang’s approval.

Upon reflection, this made sense.

Because these words carried no persuasive power and seemed more like an expedient plan to run back to Qi.

Though he painted a rosy picture of betraying the country, such unconfirmed promises were worthless to Wanyan Chang.

So, the key issue at this point was not about what to do after escaping back, but to make Wanyan Chang truly believe that once Li Hao returned, he had no other option but to advocate for peace.

After reconsidering, Chu Ge found Wanyan Sheng again.

Only this time, what he said was an entirely different set of arguments.

...

"If I can return to the Qi Dynasty, I will do everything in my power to foster peace between the two nations. Moreover, aside from me, you will not find a second person capable of this task," Chu Ge said no longer with a submissive attitude, but with a confident expression, looking at Wanyan Chang.

It was as if to say, this is not a request from me to you, but rather you needing my help.

Indeed, this attitude took Wanyan Chang by surprise, who then asked, "How does the gentleman plan to promote peace between the two nations?

"And why is there no second candidate apart from the gentleman?"

Chu Ge had long prepared his response and immediately answered, "Once I return to the Qi Dynasty, my first step will be to strive to become a minister.

"At this point, the Emperor of Qi actually has the intention of peace in his heart. He has no ambition to recover the lost territories and only wishes to secure his position in a corner. After the Jingping incident, this new emperor ascended the throne, but he fled south all the way to Yangzhou State, clearly proving he is not someone of outstanding talent and grand strategy.

"After ascending the throne, he briefly appointed Li Boxi to establish the court structure before kicking him away, preferring sycophantic officials close to him as ministers. It shows that for him, it is better to advocate peace than war and better to use flattering officials than honest ones."

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