This is what they mean by a change in perspective can broaden your horizons. It's clear the old man's temperament is adaptable. His shift in thinking was so quick, it took his advisors a while to catch up.
After a while, someone tentatively asked, "Are you suggesting an alliance with East University?"
"No, no, no, East University is a country that values its image, and they have consistently promoted the idea of not forming alliances. We should not make such a request; it would seem insincere.
What I mean is, since we can no longer suppress them, we might as well make friends first! As long as we proactively make amends, given East University's way of doing things, they will reciprocate with goodwill!
I have read Sun Tzu's Art of War, where their strategic thought includes the phrase, 'Form alliances when distant and attack nearby.' We are very far from East University, which forms the basis for cooperation."
