Days later, everything was ready.
A convoy, not overly luxurious but with all the princely regalia, slowly drove out of Shangdu's west gate in the thin mist of a winter morning, embarking on the long journey to Yunzhou.
Li Chen'an's Royal Guard Captain, Zhao Pan, rode a magnificent black horse, escorting the main carriage.
He was twenty years old, with a square face and eyes sharp as knives. Dressed in a finely crafted iron plate armor, he looked imposing. He came from a military family in the northern frontier, skilled in martial arts. Dissatisfied with his superiors embezzling military pay, he left in anger and, after several twists and turns, was selected into the neglected Seventh Prince's manor.
In his opinion, guarding this sickly Prince was a leisurely job. There was no battlefield combat, no infighting among colleagues, just a good opportunity to practice martial arts and refine his family's inherited blade techniques.
As for the future... he dared not think too much. An Idle Prince exiled to the frontier, and he, a guard with a bleak future, would probably both head towards their respective lonely ends on this journey.
The convoy traveled twenty li outside the city and arrived at a narrow mountain pass called Soul-Severing Slope. This place, with two mountains sandwiching a gully, was strategically important and a necessary route out of the capital. It earned its name due to frequent bandit activity.
Just as the convoy was about to enter the valley, the scouts ahead suddenly galloped back, looking tense, even a little pale:
"Captain Zhao! Ahead on the slope, we found chaotic wheel tracks, signs of intense fighting, and... and large patches of blood! It looks like a robbery happened not long ago!"
Zhao Pan's face darkened. He immediately made a gesture, signaling the team to stand by. As an experienced military family descendant, he knew the dangers of such terrain.
He personally took two of his most capable guards and spurred his horse forward to scout. A moment later, he returned to the convoy, his expression even more solemn.
He approached the main carriage and carefully listened to the movements inside. Hearing only steady breathing instead of painful coughing, he felt slightly relieved. He deliberately lowered his voice and reported quickly and clearly:
"Your Highness, on the mountain road ahead, a merchant convoy was robbed. Judging by the tracks, there weren't many bandits, about twenty or so, but their methods were extremely clean. They should be seasoned bandits. The scene... was horrific. All valuables were plundered, and corpses lay strewn about."
At this point, his voice paused, adding a touch of urgency.
"Your subordinate also found a survivor in the roadside bushes, a boy of thirteen or fourteen, likely a merchant's apprentice. He suffered a knife wound to the abdomen and is severely injured, but... but he's still alive."
"This terrain is treacherous and easy for ambushes. To ensure Your Highness's safety, your subordinate suggests we immediately send people to provide first aid to the boy, then the entire team retreats and takes the official road thirty li away. Although the journey is a bit longer, the terrain is flat and safest."
This was the most correct and irreproachable course of action a Royal Guard Captain could take. It ensured the Prince's safety and fulfilled humanitarian duty, truly a perfect strategy.
However, what he received was not praise, but silence.
A moment later, the carriage curtain was pulled open a crack by a pale but well-articulated hand, and a small, still-warm hand warmer was handed out to the maid outside.
"It's out of charcoal. Go get it refilled." Li Chen'an's lazy, listless voice came from inside the carriage.
After this action, he seemed to just remember what Zhao Pan had told him, his voice tinged with the displeasure of a disturbed dream: "Detour? What detour? How much longer will it take?"
Zhao Pan was stunned and subconsciously replied: "Reporting to Your Highness, it will take approximately... an extra day and a half of travel."
"A day and a half?!" The voice inside the carriage instantly rose eight octaves, filled with incredulous anger, "No! Absolutely not! I've planned the itinerary. We'll reach the next major post station in two more days, and the Tangshan Hot Springs there were the previous emperor's private baths! A detour would ruin everything!"
Zhao Pan was completely bewildered.
His Highness... His Highness's main concern was actually... hot springs? Was even a murder case, with a survivor needing treatment, less important than soaking in hot springs?
An indescribable wave of disappointment, like ice water, poured over his heart. He had thought His Highness was merely frail, but his character was benevolent.
Now, it seemed... perhaps he was, after all, a pampered young master raised in the deep palace, ignorant of human suffering.
He suppressed his emotions and, in a near-pleading tone, urgently said: "But Your Highness, there might be an ambush ahead. Proceeding rashly could be dangerous! And... the survivor urgently needs treatment and should not be delayed any longer!"
"Danger, danger, where are all these dangers coming from?" Li Chen'an's voice was filled with impatience.
"Didn't you say the bandits just left? What bandit robs the same place twice? Do you think bandits clock in for work? That doesn't align with their input-output ratio!"
Input-output ratio? Zhao Pan was utterly confused. What kind of military term was this?
He was about to ask when Li Chen'an's impatient voice came again, this time directed at the injured person: "And that survivor, we absolutely cannot detour! He has a knife wound to the abdomen. If you carry him for an extra day and a half on a bumpy official road, will he still be alive? Going straight through here, reaching the next town as quickly as possible to find a doctor, is the only way to save him! Don't you understand even this much?"
Zhao Pan was struck by lightning, standing frozen on the spot.
Yes... he had only thought of the Prince's safety, only thought of following procedures, but had overlooked the safety of the injured boy.
If he followed his own method, seemingly foolproof, the boy would in fact surely die! Yet His Highness, seemingly greedy for pleasure and unwilling to detour, would, as a result, save a life!
For a moment, he couldn't tell if His Highness had carefully deliberated or just stumbled upon the right solution.
"But... what if there's an ambush?" Zhao Pan's voice weakened, still making a last struggle.
"There's no 'what if'!" Li Chen'an was thoroughly annoyed by his persistence. He 'ho' pulled open the carriage curtain, a sickly flush on his pale face, whether from anger or urgency, it was hard to tell.
"I ask you, are these dozens of guards under your command just for show?"
Zhao Pan's face flushed. He straightened his back and loudly said: "Your Highness! We are all elites. While I wouldn't dare say one of us is worth ten, dealing with twenty or thirty bandits is child's play!"
"Then isn't that settled?" Li Chen'an gave him an exasperated look. "You! Send two men to the highest point on the slope ahead. One is responsible for keeping watch, and the other is responsible for... hmm... making some noise, throwing a few stones down or something, to see if anyone reacts."
"This is called a 'pressure test,' understand? If there's no one, it means it's safe, and we'll pass through at full speed. If there is someone, then perfect, lure them out, form a formation right here on this mountain road, and take them out in one wave! A quick battle! Don't delay my hot springs, and don't delay saving someone!"
Having said that, he seemed to have exhausted all his strength, leaning heavily back onto the soft cushion, and waved his hand impatiently.
"Alright, it's settled. Don't bother me anymore, I'm going back to sleep."
The carriage curtain fell with a 'thud,' cutting off inside from outside.
Zhao Pan sat on his horse, gripping the cold reins, his heart already a tumultuous sea.
Input-output ratio? Pressure test? These unheard-of terms, like tiny hammers, struck at his ingrained military knowledge. He was skeptical, but His Highness's logic, especially his words about treating the injured, left him no room to argue. At present, there seemed to be no better solution.
"...Yes." He finally answered in a deep voice, determined in his heart that at the slightest sign of trouble, he would protect the Prince's carriage and retreat immediately, even if it meant sacrificing his own life.
He immediately deployed his troops, following Li Chen'an's seemingly absurd 'pressure test' plan completely. Two of the most agile guards climbed the vantage point beside the mountain path like monkeys.
The result was exactly as His Highness had predicted. Stones were thrown down, startling a few birds in the forest, but there was no sign of any ambush.
The huge stone hanging in Zhao Pan's heart finally dropped halfway.
The convoy carried the surviving boy onto a supply cart, gave him emergency bandaging, and then passed through Soul-Severing Slope safely at the fastest possible speed.
That evening, they arrived at the post station half a day early. The boy, having received timely treatment, was out of danger.
Late at night, outside the post station's guest room, Zhao Pan held his saber, personally standing guard for Li Chen'an.
The cold wind sweeping through the corridor made him shiver, and it also cleared his mind, which had been confused all day.
He replayed the entire day's events over and over again.
His own plan, seemingly sound, was in fact cowardly and would have killed the injured person.
And His Highness's plan, seemingly reckless and selfish, was in fact... the only correct solution!
It made the journey at the fastest speed, effectively saved a life, and confirmed the safety of the environment in an inconceivable, extremely low-cost way.
At this moment, Zhao Pan felt a belated chill down his spine.
However, he still had too many questions, especially about the strange terms from His Highness's mouth. He finally couldn't resist and went into the post station's guest room. Zhao Pan respectfully clasped his hands and bowed to Li Chen'an, who was wrapped in a thick fox fur, sitting by a charcoal brazier and drinking hot tea.
"Your Highness, your subordinate has learned much today, but still has two doubts. I humbly ask Your Highness to enlighten me."
"Speak." Li Chen'an didn't even lift his head.
"What is an 'input-output ratio'? And what is a 'pressure test'? These military strategies, your subordinate has never heard of them, yet... they seem to contain profound truth."
Li Chen'an took a sip of hot tea, exhaled a puff of white air, and said lazily, in a tone that implied, 'Why do you even need to ask?':
"Zhao Pan, you must remember. Most things in this world aren't that complicated. So-called military strategies and tactics, when you get down to it, are just a business philosophy."
"Business philosophy?" Zhao Pan was even more confused.
"Yes." Li Chen'an finally looked up at him. "Input is the capital bandits have to pay for a robbery. Time, manpower, risk—these are all capital. Output is the money they can steal. If they successfully pull off one robbery, their output is already greater than their input; they've already made enough profit. A smart businessman who has made enough profit won't immediately turn around and do a second, high-risk, losing business deal. This is called an unfavorable input-output ratio."
This explanation left Zhao Pan dumbfounded. He was a man of the battlefield; when had he ever heard of analyzing a battle situation using 'business' principles? But upon closer thought, he felt... it made damned sense!
"As for the pressure test..." Li Chen'an glanced at him. "Pressure is the deterrence we exert on enemies in the dark. And a test is to examine their reaction under this deterrence. Together, it means using the smallest cost to probe the enemy's true strength. Isn't this better than sending an entire team to their deaths?"
Zhao Pan felt as if he had been enlightened, his whole body shaking!
"Your Highness's 'input-output ratio'"... wasn't this what 'weighing pros and cons, calculating gains and losses' in military strategy meant? But His Highness using 'business' as a metaphor was even more direct, more to the point! Yes, bandits seeking wealth and merchants seeking profit were fundamentally no different.
Pressure test... was this not also an ingenious method of reconnaissance! Using the smallest cost to probe the enemy's true strength, it was infinitely more brilliant than sending an entire team of scouts to risk their lives!
The more he thought about it, the more shocked he became.
He finally understood that His Highness stood on a completely incomprehensible, higher plane, overlooking the entire matter with a way of thinking he had never heard of.
His seemingly lazy and complaining words were not orders at all, but rather the optimal solution to a complex problem, broken down, chewed up, and casually tossed to him.
And he, for a time, had even thought His Highness was an ignorant young master, even feeling disappointed...
Thinking of this, a huge wave of shame washed over Zhao Pan. He wished he could slap himself soundly.
He gripped the saber in his hand, the confusion and doubt in his eyes vanishing without a trace, replaced by an unprecedented respect.
This seemingly frail Idle Prince, the wisdom he harbored within his chest, was probably deeper than what appeared on the surface.
"Your Highness's wisdom is unfathomable! Your subordinate... your subordinate is completely convinced!" Zhao Pan bowed deeply again.
At this moment, Li Chen'an had only one thought:
Finally managed to bluff my way through. Damn it, explaining risk probability and behavioral economics to ancient people is more tiring than writing a PPT. Good thing I was clever and linked it to business... Enough talk, my hot springs, here I come!