Bradford suggested a cunning plan.
Pretend to accept Norris's conditions for surrender and then, renege and kill him.
Lambert was somewhat tempted by the plan but ultimately rejected it.
Indeed, as Bradford had said, it would save a lot of effort not to fight at all. A hard assault, with thousands of people, even if they were just ordinary workers armed with light weapons, defending inside a reinforced factory, would require considerable force to overcome and could even result in significant casualties.
But Lambert still intended to do it.
The main reason was that he did not want Gu Hang to bear the name of a traitor.
In private, any means were acceptable, but publicly, as a ruler, credibility was extremely important; it even signified the reliability of public policy and the ease with which it could be believed by the people.
Under such circumstances, one must put on a fair and upright front.
