Chapter 1022 – Dominating the North
“Here come Wen Zheng and Zixiao! Where on earth have you two been? We couldn’t find you anywhere!”
Jiang Pengji was armored from head to toe, drenched in blood—both fresh and dried, looking as if she had just stepped off the battlefield.
Beside her, a massive sword bore countless cuts, the blade curling at the edge, with bits of some unfortunate’s flesh hanging from it.
Unfazed, Jiang Pengji clutched a handful of gold ingots in her left hand while her right was decked out with dozens of exquisite East Pearl necklaces.
All around her were boxes of every size, each piled high with dazzling treasures of gold, silver, and jewels that glittered blindingly.
But wait, there’s more! Soldiers were grunting as they lugged even more boxes over—
Just looking at their struggling forms made it easy to imagine how heavy those boxes must be.
Without exception, these boxes were looted from the Northern Border’s nobles and royal treasury.
Qi Guanrang said, “The view from the city walls is splendid, so I just had to take a peek.”
“What’s so great about the view?” Jiang Pengji asked, jingling the East Pearl necklaces in her hand; each pearl was round, plump, and radiantly colored—top-quality stuff! The audience in the live stream went wild, “If you had come a bit later, you might have missed out!”
Qi Guanrang’s lips twitched.
With the Northern Border conquered, the strong army she led would go down in history, but with the leader saying things like that, it left an unmistakable bandit vibe lingering in the air.
They were an official army, not a bunch of misfits!
“Tsk tsk—The Northern Border really is swimming in riches—had I known, I should have been even more ruthless before.”
Jiang Pengji casually tossed the East Pearl necklaces and gold ingots back.
Hearing the clattering sounds of treasure, the audience’s hearts jumped.
What if the profligate broke something accidentally?
【Fireworks Era】: Host, why not reach into the boxes and stir things up? I want to see if it’s just like in the drama props. With such big boxes, could it really be filled from top to bottom with real gold and silver?
【One Summer Constellation】: Of course it’s real! This isn’t a drama shoot; there’s no way it’s hollow underneath. If the Northern Border nobles dared to trick the host with fakes, who knows, the host might just drag them back from the afterlife for a punishment!
【Fairy Queen’s Crimson】: Honey, you’ve struck it rich! Does this mean I can go on a shopping spree for Double Eleven?
【Pothus’s Dance】: Please, someone help clear my shopping cart, host!
Jiang Pengji subtly curled her lip. The Northern Border wouldn’t stash fakes in their estate treasury; if anything, someone must be pocketing the difference. But with her strict military discipline, nobody would dare try that. If anyone did attempt theft, it was just a minor skim.
Water that’s too clear has no fish, and Jiang Pengji wouldn’t push things too far.
As long as it didn’t violate major principles, like robbery or senseless slaughter, she could just turn a blind eye.
Qi Guanrang smiled and said, “It’s not too late—”
The Northern Border Royal Court had already fallen, with most nobles trapped in the royal city.
The rest were just small tribes; a bit of time would ensure they could be wiped out, and all the loot would belong to the leader!
Jiang Pengji felt pleased at this thought, but even better news was yet to come.
Nong Qin, donned in armor and covered in battle energy, approached and saluted, “I pay my respects to the leader.”
“Jiang Colonel, want to take a look? See if there’s anything you like to take back as rewards for the female soldiers?”
Jiang Pengji warmly invited her. In this battle, the female unit had not only made significant contributions on the front lines but also excelled in logistics.
She wouldn’t slight those who earned great merit, but—
Her style was just too flamboyant.
“On behalf of the female unit, I thank you for your generous rewards, Leader,” Nong Qin replied, “However, I must report that our soldiers discovered a severely decomposed male corpse in the royal court. Despite being rotten and infested with maggots, the corpse was wearing clothes resembling a dragon robe. After further questioning the palace maids, we uncovered his identity.”
“Bring him up for a look,” Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow, “Could it be the Northern Border King?”
The female soldiers brought up a stretcher covered by a thin blanket, though it couldn’t conceal the overpowering stench wafting from it.
Jiang Pengji, undeterred by the smell, crouched down and kicked the blanket aside to reveal the body dressed in a dragon robe.
In less than a second, streams of protective comments flooded in, nearly blocking every corner of the screen.
The audience was rather seasoned but had never encountered a corpse in such a putrid state!
The scent was overwhelming!
Half of the man’s face was completely decayed, putrid fluids oozed everywhere, and maggots crawled out of his half-exposed nasal cavity, wriggling down into the hole beneath his forehead. There was hardly a piece of flesh in good condition left, and upon closer inspection, the maggots wriggled within. His neck and collarbone were also nearly falling apart, with flesh hanging loosely, making it all the more horrendous to witness—
The viewers couldn’t take it anymore and began to retch.
Jiang Pengji, however, remained calm, “From the bone age, it looks about right—”
Nong Qin also sighed, “I’ve heard the Northern Border King was a formidable figure, renowned far and wide. Who knew he would end up having a stroke, starving to death, rotting away like this without anyone to attend to him—what a pity he met such an end.”
Nine sons, each met a gruesome fate, and here he ended up as well.
“What a pity?” Jiang Pengji scoffed, “In chaotic times, life is as cheap as grass. If I were to fail, I might end up even worse than him.”
Regardless, the Northern Border King at least had a complete corpse left.
In such troubled times, how many had died with no chance for a proper farewell?
Nong Qin remarked, “May the leader enjoy prosperous military success and long-lasting peace!”
Jiang Pengji chuckled softly, “Burn him, would you? A rotting corpse attracts disease; it’s unhygienic.”
The Northern Border King’s corpse was taken away, and Li Yun presented four more corpses.
“And who are these?”
One was a charred body, another was showing signs of decomposition, while the other two were so grotesquely mutilated that even their mothers wouldn’t recognize them.
Li Yun replied, “According to witnesses, this charred body is the Northern Border King’s sixth son, and this one is the third son. Judging by the wounds, he must have taken his own life. His body was found by soldiers in the Northern Border prison. The other two bodies belong to the Northern Border King’s eldest and fifth sons—”
Jiang Pengji counted silently in her mind; all nine princes of the Northern Border were dead.
She rubbed her temples and waved her hand, “Take their bodies down too; dispose of them properly.”
A family should be whole and united.
Thinking this way, she considered herself quite merciful.
Not long after, Fu Wang came to report.
“Leader, everyone has been rounded up. Please take a look.”
In the royal city, the number of nobles might surpass even the number of mosquitoes.
Fu Wang presented a tome that meticulously listed the names of all the Northern Border nobles, each followed by the number of family members—totaling nearly fifteen thousand.
Jiang Pengji glanced through it and set it aside, her expression cold and seemingly heartless. “The army has besieged the royal city so tightly that not even a mosquito can escape… If a single fish slips through the net, Fu Wang, you’d best come to me, head in hand!”
Fu Wang clasped his fists, “I will obey.”
The Vice General trailed behind Fu Wang. Once they had distanced themselves, he hesitated to ask, “General, should we—kill them all?”
Fu Wang sneered, gripping his weapon, “Didn’t you hear the leader? If even one fish slips through, I’ll personally take my head to her!”
