Chapter 616 – Hujun? My (Six)
“So, what does the lord mean?”
Feng Jin was a local of Hujun and familiar with the noble circles in the area.
In this matter, it was their opinions that mattered less; Jiang Pengji’s attitude was of utmost importance.
If she showed weakness and chose to yield to the pressure of the local nobles, they could only suggest that Jiang Pengji appease their emotions for future plans; if she stood her ground, Feng Jin definitely had ways to keep the nobles busy, making it hard for them to annoy her.
Jiang Pengji was their lord, and her attitude would greatly influence the strategists’ decisions.
“My meaning?” Jiang Pengji chuckled, saying, “Hujun is currently under my control, when did it become their turn? If it’s merely a matter of helping, I could tolerate that, but if they get too presumptuous, you think I can bear it?”
What goes into her pocket is hers, just like Hujun.
She didn’t care whether these nobles were local tyrants; in front of her, they would have to behave. If they didn’t listen, they shouldn’t blame her for being ruthless.
Wei Ci laughed, “Going by the lord’s temperament, there’s no way she can endure that.”
It’s always this person making others suffer; when has anyone dared to give her a hard time?
Let’s not mention the nobles of Hujun—remembering back to her past life, Jiang Pengji was a bandit with tens of thousands of troops. The Dongqing court couldn’t handle her and opted for reconciliation instead. They made her the Governor of Hujun, thinking they could use the ruthless local gentry against her, but little did they know, she turned the tables on them, after which no one dared to question her authority.
She said one, and no one dared to say two.
Of course, the starting points were different in both lives.
As a former bandit emperor, she could kill whoever crossed her, and those who dared to complain would be dealt with, without worrying about reputation—so reckless!
But now, as Liu Zhi’s daughter, she had honor—and shackles. She couldn’t act as freely and cruelly as in her past life.
With no martial prowess, she could only rely on intelligence.
Yet, no matter how much a person changes, their fundamental style remains the same.
Even if she relied on intelligence, it would still instill fear.
Feng Zhen coughed lightly, clutching the hot water pot and sipping warm tea to drive away the cold within.
“Once the lord opens this door, how are they any different from puppets? This matter requires a more resolute attitude. When it comes to financial resources and supplies, the lord’s wealth may not rival a country’s riches, but it’s more than enough to support two prefectures. Why would they need assistance from them? The only shortcoming is ‘talent.’ Given the lord’s current foundation, it is indeed somewhat lacking… and that’s a problem…”
Even though Feng Zhen and the others had talent, they were just a handful of people—not enough to be equivalent to hundreds.
Jiang Pengji didn’t lack top-notch talents; she also had the basic manpower. What she lacked were the mid-tier talents that were just above the average without being the elite.
Even though Jiang Pengji had already set up an academy to cultivate some usable talents.
Unfortunately, time was still short. They hadn’t even finished their first semester yet. It would take another two to three years before they could be truly utilized.
If she accepted “talent assistance” from the local nobles, Jiang Pengji’s foundation would begin to take shape.
But there’s no such thing as a free lunch; everything comes at a cost.
Powerful noble families can secretly manipulate the throne’s succession. Just where was Jiang Pengji now? If she were to fall into their trap and let them control the narrative, living outwardly lavishly would just make her another “Emperor of Dongqing,” constantly under the thumb of the noble elite.
This discussion was somewhat awkward for Feng Jin due to his high birth.
But as a strategist, he needed to consider Jiang Pengji’s direct interests.
“How about we let them mutually restrain each other? Temporarily maintain a relatively balanced state, and after a few years, things can settle down.” Feng Jin suggested, “The local nobles in Hujun are complex, with interests and disputes among various families. If used properly, they won’t be able to stir trouble.”
Jiang Pengji listened with furrowed brows.
Wei Ci and Feng Zhen were both outsiders, less attuned to the local situation than Feng Jin.
Feng Jin’s suggestion was, at present, quite feasible.
Weighing power was also one of the key tactics in managing subordinates.
“Huaiyu’s suggestion is indeed practical. However, I’m not familiar with the situation in Hujun, and so this matter can only be left to Huaiyu to handle, which may prove to be quite laborious.”
Feng Zhen smiled, envisioning Feng Jin being busy year-round without even going home.
Feng Jin secretly grimaced.
He found it hard to tolerate Feng Zhen’s frivolousness, only to realize that Feng Zhen had already seen his predicament.
However, Jiang Pengji stated, “Huaiyu’s approach is a good idea, but… it only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause. While they do have contradictions and disputes, they aren’t irreconcilable. If we play this game too much, we’ll inevitably mess up. Instead of doing this, we should cut off the roots.”
She might not be able to completely supplant the local nobles yet, but she could still work on weakening them step by step.
“Cut off the roots?”
Though Feng Jin hailed from a noble background, his clan had merely observed from the sidelines, so he didn’t need to hesitate; the lord’s benefits were his priority.
Feng Zhen asked, “How do we cut off the roots?”
“Select talents without restriction,” Jiang Pengji said, her eyes sparkling, “Talent is divided into high, medium, and low tiers. We don’t need exceptionally brilliant individuals; our standards aren’t that high. Looking at Hujun, surely there aren’t only idiots besides the nobles, right? Regardless of poverty, humble backgrounds, or status, as long as they have talent, virtue, and ability, they can be used!”
Fengyi Prefecture didn’t have this condition, but Hujun was different; the learning atmosphere was strong, and talents wouldn’t be lacking.
She not only needed to establish academies to cultivate her own talents but also to recruit usable ones.
In this era, holding an official position required pedigree, looks, virtue, and ability, with pedigree being paramount. Unless under special circumstances, positions could be inherited. To put it plainly, being well-educated is not as good as being born well, and being born well pales in comparison to having a good family—ability simply didn’t matter.
In a sense, Jiang Pengji’s words were a provocation against the entire era’s employment system.
Feng Jin secretly observed Wei Ci and Feng Zhen’s expressions; both looked somewhat excited, and he sighed inwardly without speaking.
Feng Zhen asked, “Does the lord intend to replace everyone?”
Jiang Pengji huffed and said, “Replace everyone? No way! I don’t want to go out one day and get poisoned just sipping water.”
Replacing everyone means completely seizing the benefits from the nobles; they wouldn’t go crazy over that?
Wei Ci said, “The lord probably wants to first replace those who are overly important, waiting until they are familiar before making plans.”
Apart from not provoking or annoying the nobles, another reason was that newcomers would be unfamiliar with their roles and could cause chaos.
It would be better to place them in less significant positions to gain experience and then deploy them afterward.
This period would give Jiang Pengji enough time to establish her foothold.
This was not just cutting off the roots; it was also a stalling tactic.
With twenty thousand troops, they couldn’t make the nobles feel threatened; how about when it reaches fifty or even hundred thousand?
The Red Lotus Sect’s stronghold in Chengde was Jiang Pengji’s next target.
