Chapter 576 – Horse Plague in the Northern Borders (Part 3)
Yang Si pinched his chin, saying, “Isn’t your circle at Langya Academy quite wide? Find a way to trick a few more people over. Your lord has been studying at Langya Academy for three years; the ‘bonds of classmates’ are definitely more reliable than other connections. Helping him is far better than helping Huang Song.”
Wei Ci smiled bitterly; it wasn’t that he didn’t want to “trick” people.
It was clearly a conflict of fate, making recruitment difficult.
In a past life, Cheng Jing saw his lord Huang Song defeated and take his own life, while he ended up committing suicide in prison, the one who defeated Huang Song was Jiang Pengji.
In a past life, Lü Zheng watched as his lord proclaimed himself emperor and led troops personally, only to be ambushed by the emperor and thousands of elite soldiers, leading to his demise. Several “princes” squabbled for power but were gradually eaten away by Jiang Pengji. Lü Zheng chose to surrender for the citizens inside the city but instead climbed up the city wall and jumped down, vowing before death and creating an indelible blood debt with Jiang Pengji.
In a past life, Han Yu, while also a former lord killed, ended up accepting amnesty, thinking he could live quietly in retirement. Just when he reached middle age, his wife and her family secretly schemed a coup, wanting to turn the tables. Unfortunately, they were foolish, and their plots were exposed, leading Han Yu to be implicated and commit suicide by swallowing gold.
As for Wei Ci in a past life… let’s not speak of it; he too ended up taking his own life.
Ah, thinking about it, the deaths of Mr. Yuanjing’s apprentices were all somehow related to the emperor.
As for the other students who graduated from Langya Academy, they either died or were injured.
Wei Ci truly wanted to bring all the classmates he knew over; at least that would help avoid a “bloody battle,” right?
However, his own lord’s temperament wasn’t suitable for just any strategist.
The relationship between ruler and subject isn’t one-sided; it’s reciprocal. Only with a good match can a lasting legend be created.
Take Huang Song as an example; he is considered a future great ruler, just a step away from being the master of the world in his previous life. Cheng Jing was once evaluated by Mr. Yuanjing as “a talent fit for kings, a minister to save the world.” The two meeting should have been a formidable alliance, but what happened?
The ruler-subject relationship between Huang Song and Cheng Jing fell apart, with the latter imprisoned for over two years, ultimately committing suicide for his lord.
The best talent isn’t necessarily the best choice. His own lord just needed to choose someone who could truly assist her.
“Everyone has their own ambitions; one can’t force things,” Wei Ci said.
He was fully committed to considering Jiang Pengji, and naturally, he needed to choose the best and most suitable helpers; those who would hold her back should be left out.
Having lived again, Wei Ci viewed things quite openly.
Yang Si clicked his tongue and mockingly said, “I think your lord probably wasn’t very popular during her studies, right? Why is it that your lord, with more potential than Huang Song, has Cheng Jing preferring Huang Song? Let’s think about your lord’s sharp tongue… Tsk, tsk, let’s irresponsibly speculate—perhaps your lord offended Cheng Jing badly during her time at the academy?”
Wei Ci was left speechless, trying to downplay it.
“Yu Mo has long since graduated; the two probably didn’t meet when your lord was in Langya County.”
If they hadn’t met, naturally, there was no question of offending anyone.
But…
While Jiang Pengji was studying in Langya, Wei Ci spent most of his time outside, but that didn’t mean he didn’t care about the academy’s affairs.
Speaking of popularity, his own lord indeed was not very well-liked at Langya Academy.
As the saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.” His lord’s personality was quite casual, while most of the academy students were serious, diligent individuals who tended to look down upon Jiang Pengji’s casual demeanor and style, even wanting to cover their noses as they walked past her.
However, she did have a few fairly close friends.
Most of them were just drinking buddies, who partied with her.
Yang Si rested his chin on his hand and said, “Sigh, I guess that’s just fate, right? But I’ve heard people say that Cheng Jing’s talent is comparable to the former Chancellor Huang Fu; are you really not worried about Cheng Jing helping Huang Song establish a foothold in the North? That could become a hidden trouble.”
Wei Ci replied, “A master chef finds it hard to cook without rice.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re short on money,” Wei Ci smiled and said, “Currently, their development is slow, and their momentum isn’t fierce.”
Yang Si responded, “That may not necessarily be the case. I’ve learned from Changshou Wang that Huang Song’s family truly isn’t short on funds. Huang Song’s grandmother was a widowed woman from a poor family, who caught the eye of Huang Qin due to her beauty. Huang Qin married her, adopted her late husband’s son, who is Huang Song’s father, treating him like his own son, while Huang Song was doted upon like a beloved grandson. Huang Song’s father, leveraging Huang Qin’s connections in the court, engaged in numerous business ventures, making quite a fortune, substantially increasing their wealth. Huang Qin’s power is immense and he has been secretly siphoning from the treasury…”
Generations of wealth building weren’t all for the next generations?
Huang Qin and Huang Song’s father’s savings ultimately belonged to Huang Song.
Huang Song’s clan benefited from Huang Qin’s rise, significantly improving over these years.
Huang Song may lack people, but he will never lack money.
Now that he has two heavyweight figures, Feng Jue and Cheng Jing assisting him, it won’t be long before he won’t lack for people anymore.
Wei Ci smiled and said, “What I mean is… Huang Song isn’t as wealthy as my lord.”
In his previous life, Huang Song did indeed develop rapidly, occupying a large tract of fertile land in the Northern Dongqing. But now…
Wei Ci truly wasn’t too worried.
Jiang Pengji had such a low starting point in her previous life and still managed to rise strongly; starting this well now, there was no reason for her to stumble.
“Huang Song is quite intelligent. Without absolute confidence, he wouldn’t provoke strong enemies,” Wei Ci agreed with Jiang Pengji’s views—focusing on developing one’s own power was the only way to gain a foothold in chaotic times, “In the short term, they probably won’t clash.”
Not only would they not clash, but perhaps the two sides could also establish an alliance and collaborate for a while.
As Wei Ci had this thought, Cheng Jing over there was also persuading Huang Song to improve relations with Jiang Pengji.
Cheng Jing reviewed the entire Kunyu map, speaking calmly, “The northern situation has clearly taken shape. Liu Zhi occupies Chongzhou, while Hujun has been his long-standing stronghold. According to his methods, even if he gives it up, Hujun is still practically in Liu Zhi’s hands…”
Hujun, once a barren and dangerous place, didn’t belong to any province, its area larger than the smallest province in Dongqing.
It had now become one of Dongqing’s most productive regions!
Adding Chongzhou and Hujun to the one-third of Wanzhou dominated by Jiang Pengji, the northern forces were effectively in the hands of the Liu father-son duo.
“If my lord wants to compete with Liu Xi, she shouldn’t rush into confrontation until the climate is favorable. She should focus on the south. Although the Liu father-son duo dominates the north, the Northern Border Three Clans are eyeing them closely; they won’t have the time to pay attention to southern forces, making this a good opportunity for my lord.”
Huang Song sighed and said, “But Yu Mo, the southern Changshou Wang and Chenzhou are still at odds; neither can be offended.”
When gods battle, the common folk suffer.
Two emaciated camels are larger than a horse, and Huang Song really wasn’t a match.
Cheng Jing smiled lightly, “Not necessarily.”
In the conflicts between Changshou Wang and Chenzhou, both sides were in a stalemate, but this also meant they were depleting each other’s strength.
They would grow weaker and weaker, allowing Huang Song to seize opportunities for careful management and become stronger.
