Chapter 801 – Stepping on the Meng Clan’s Prestige, Gaining Renown Across the World (Part One)
“Aside from Meng Hunyun and his guys, everyone else seems to be reading between the lines.”
Not even Yang Si and Feng Zhen could shake off that feeling, and even the newly joined Qi Kuang and Shao Guang sensed something off.
“Heh, you’ll get used to it. Our Lord has this quirky personality.”
Feng Zhen took on the role of the seasoned veteran, comforting the two newcomers like a true mentor.
Qi Kuang kept to himself as usual due to personal reasons, while Shao Guang was decidedly more open.
“Isn’t our Lord’s approach going to anger Fu Wang?”
The Lord aims to win people over, not offend them. How can they wrap things up if it turns into a messy showdown?
Feng Zhen smiled calmly. “You know, I’ve had a deep chat with Jing Rong about Fu Wang. We both think Fu Wang is nothing like your average Joe and can’t be judged with common sense. Didn’t Chongming notice that he hasn’t sulked over his defeat, nor lashed out at the Lord? What does that imply? It means that failure meant nothing to him. He’s been toying with the idea of submission for a while now; he just needs a ladder to come down from that high horse… and thus he resorts to stubbornly arguing…”
Any regular general, when knocked down from their lofty heights into the mud, would react, no matter how good their attitude.
Forget cursing; at the very least, they’d throw some nasty glares or adopt an aloof attitude.
But Fu Wang?
He calmly accepted his defeat, and his attitude towards Jiang Pengji—the one responsible for his humiliation—was equally bland. Feng Zhen analyzed this thoroughly and came to a conclusion—
“Fu Wang doesn’t care for whom he serves; he only cares about what benefits he can gain. And those benefits don’t need to be gold and jewels… What does he care most about right now? His former confidants, of course. Just wait; he will certainly capitulate.”
In other words, as long as Jiang Pengji holds onto those people, Fu Wang will inevitably submit.
Shao Guang chimed in, “If that’s the case, even if Fu Wang does comply, wouldn’t it only be on the surface? He might still hold a grudge inside.”
Feng Zhen was confident. “For others, sure, they’d harbor grudges. But not Fu Wang; there’s no need to worry.”
Previously stated was that Fu Wang is quite the realist; as long as there’s profit involved, he won’t sweat the small stuff.
In some ways, Fu Wang, being straightforward, can be tricky to handle, but if you find the right way, he’s quite easy to manage.
Shao Guang frowned at this.
If Fu Wang is truly like that, then wouldn’t “loyalty” be a nonexistent concept?
He couldn’t help but wonder if such a person could really be trusted.
After switching allegiances three times, who’s to say he wouldn’t jump ship to a fourth lord?
To put it bluntly, this guy is a wolf in sheep’s clothing; how could anyone feel secure putting him in a position of trust?
Shao Guang voiced his concerns, “A disloyal person like that, wouldn’t he actually pose a risk to the Lord?”
If he comes across an even better opportunity, he might just switch teams with ease.
Feng Zhen was unfazed. “The Lord doesn’t need his loyalty; she just needs him not to betray her.”
This contradiction left Shao Guang puzzled for a moment.
Feng Zhen elaborated, “Remember the Lord once said, she believes no one really remains loyal to another person. Loyalty exists only because the cost of betrayal isn’t high enough. It sounds harsh, but when you think about it, it makes sense. The Lord only needs Fu Wang to work for her; she doesn’t insist on him being loyal…”
“Loyalty” isn’t something you can just demand; it reflects personal actions.
For Jiang Pengji, her standards are low. As long as he gets the work done and each handles their role, whether he feels loyal or not doesn’t matter.
Gaining someone’s physical service doesn’t mean you can demand their heart as well.
You can’t expect sweetness from a forcibly picked fruit.
Shao Guang fell silent, shocked.
This was a theory he hadn’t encountered before.
After spending two days clearing the battlefield and treating the wounded, Jiang Pengji prepared to set off for Wanzhou again.
“The Jia Gate Pass should be the biggest test set by the Meng Clan. If we get past this hurdle, we’ll be safe.”
Not only did Jiang Pengji breach the Jia Gate Pass with minimal losses, but she also captured over ten thousand soldiers and the Meng Clan’s top general.
One could say the Meng Clan took a major hit this time while Jiang Pengji left with her pockets overflowing.
Forget about Fu Wang, with just the former elite troops he trained over the years, that was an immeasurable treasure.
Feng Zhen and the others sighed in relief. The pressure had been too intense lately; they hadn’t slept well.
Especially Feng Zhen, who, despite recovering from the Cold Food Powder, had faced physical declines that resulted in poor sleep quality.
Once back in Wanzhou, he’d surely treat himself to a real vacation.
“That should be the case, but given the long-standing enmity with the Meng Clan, we can’t let our guard down around Lan Ting.”
Liu Zhi had caught a cold and had been bedridden for a long time, finally starting to recover in the last couple of days.
But now that his daughter captured the Jia Gate Pass, he had no opportunity to shine anymore.
“Don’t worry, Father. I’ll be cautious.”
Once they entered the northern territory of Dongqing, it would be like returning home; the Meng Clan would be powerless to reach them.
As Jiang Pengji led her troops past the Jia Gate Pass and marched north, the news of the battle spread throughout Dongqing.
Fu Wang commanded an army of twenty-five thousand, and with their advantageous position, they’d need more than fifty thousand troops and ample supplies to even think about breaching it? Better go back to dreaming; that’s easier than this!
Jiang Pengji only had thirty thousand troops, with over half being Liu Zhi’s, and her food supplies weren’t exactly abundant.
And what happened?
She lost just three thousand men to break the Jia Gate Pass while casually capturing Fu Wang and over ten thousand elite men under his command!
What an impressive record!
When this news spread across the various factions in Dongqing, everyone’s gaze was firmly locked on the Meng Clan.
The Meng Clan emerged as the biggest loser in this showdown, losing a general and troops.
How Meng Zhan raged and how Changshou Wang fumed, just imagining it felt delightful.
If they could witness it firsthand, it would undoubtedly be a spectacular show.
Ten days after the battle at the Jia Gate Pass, Huang Song received the news.
“Lan Ting is truly something; they’ve made the Meng Clan suffer such immense losses—couldn’t be more satisfying!”
Huang Song, holding the bamboo slips documenting the battle report, smirked as he entered the administrative hall.
“My Lord, what’s happened?”
Everyone was confused, unsure of what good news had made Huang Song so cheerful.
Huang Song passed the bamboo slips to Feng Jue, saying, “Once Huai Yan reads this, he’ll see that Lan Ting is about to gain notoriety across the world.”
Feng Jue opened the battle report, which only contained a few sparse numbers.
After reading it, he handed the report over to Cheng Jing and the others.
Cheng Jing assessed it, finding clarity in his thoughts.
Everyone was drawn into the contents, but Cheng Jing remained composed, as he spotted something else.
“The governor of Wolong County in Haizhou is dead, and the only remaining bloodline and remnants are still in Liu Xi’s hands…”
Haizhou served as Huang Song’s stronghold and base, and Wolong County was land he sought to annex.
The smile vanished from Huang Song’s face. “…This is indeed the case… But… Lan Ting’s personality might not be so easy to handle. We still don’t know what her stance is. If we approach recklessly, it may not be wise…”
They still had no idea what Jiang Pengji’s attitude was.
Was she planning to use the remnants of the Wolong County to meddle in Haizhou’s power?
Or was she thinking of just letting them fester?
Or perhaps… collaborating with Huang Song, trading the remnants of the Wolong County’s governance for benefits?
