Chapter 1167 – Attack on Xu Pei, the First Noble Kill (Thirty-Seven)
“Don’t be fooled, Wei Ci managed to persuade Yang Tao to form an alliance in just two days, but the whole process was anything but smooth—there were twists and turns all along.”
Yang Tao was a pro-war faction leader, but his subordinates were less than enthusiastic about it.
“If not for Yan Lin backing him up, Yang Tao probably wouldn’t have been able to suppress all the dissenting voices and decide on the alliance.”
Yang Tao’s original troops came from Dongqing, but after settling in Nan Sheng, he recruited local talents.
His solid footing in Nan Sheng wasn’t just thanks to his old troops; it also came from the favorable winds of Nan Sheng’s noble families.
As mentioned before, the noble families held over sixty percent of the world’s wealth, and the longer a family was established, the more substantial their assets became.
When short on manpower, they provide people; when lacking money, they lend cash; when needing soldiers, they supply troops.
In this world, if there’s something that money can’t buy, it surely means the price offered was not enough.
Yang Tao seized the olive branch extended by the noble families, and through their generous donations, he gained the confidence to raise troops.
Having received their benefits, he naturally had to give them something in return.
After all, not everyone is like Jiang Pengji; she could firmly refuse the nobles but lacked that confidence.
Even Jiang Pengji’s success had a hefty dose of luck involved.
Years back, when a disaster struck the capital causing countless casualties and rampant refugees, the Dongqing royal family forcibly relocated despite the plight of the common people, allowing the Green Garment Army and Red Lotus Sect to rise up. Jiang Pengji seized this opportunity to step up and became the pillar of support for the common people of Wanzhou. Recruiting and consolidating the robust youth among the refugees, she amassed original capital by exploiting the North Border while also mobilizing troops to combat the Green Garment Army and Red Lotus Sect, plundering their resources.
Her success was nearly impossible to replicate.
She needed the perfect timing, geographical advantages, and the right people—all three were essential.
When Wei Ci came to persuade the alliance, the noble-born officials under Yang Tao were resistant.
They wanted to focus their developmental goals on local Nan Sheng—
To unify Nan Sheng and declare themselves emperor.
What benefits could Yang Tao gain by crossing borders to fight Xu Pei and Huang Song?
If they won that battle, the biggest beneficiary would be Jiang Pengji; she’d gobble up both Xu Pei’s and Huang Song’s territories.
Yang Tao would be lucky to reclaim half of Zhangzhou.
Out of the six states and twenty-one counties of Dongqing, nineteen counties and five states were already under Jiang Pengji’s control. Adding the North Border would leave her with more territory than what was originally Dongqing—ample room to establish her own empire. Yang Tao’s sole return of Zhangzhou wouldn’t amount to much!
The noble youths might seem aloof, but when it came to crunching numbers, they were sharp as a tack.
Wei Ci faced some resistance, but to him, it wasn’t a big deal.
He recognized most of these noble-born officials.
Years ago, when An Huan returned to develop Nan Sheng, he was broke as a joke. Wei Ci had put in tremendous effort to win the support of these noble families.
Even after all these years, he still remembered the circumstances and family lineages.
He wasn’t intimidated in a past life, so in this life, how could he back down?
These nobles, as his lord would say, none of them have an ounce of fighting spirit.
To persuade them, it was better to speak a word in concern for their own interests rather than making wild promises.
Though the noble opposition was loud, the final decision still rested with Yang Tao.
Yang Tao wasn’t a fool; even if he leaned on the noble families, he wasn’t going to become their puppet.
Even if Yang Tao failed, he had his twenty-four filial caretaker, Yan Lin, by his side!
“Military adviser, can’t we persuade the lord to abandon the alliance idea?”
Yan Lin replied, “The lord has made up his mind; no amount of persuasion would help.”
If we set aside the vendetta against his father and the grudge over the territory, Yan Lin wasn’t fully on board with Yang Tao’s alliance with Jiang Pengji.
The reason boiled down to four words—
“Trusting a tiger.”
Years ago at the Huangshui Alliance, Yan Lin thought Jiang Pengji was brimming with ambition—she would never be content with just Dongqing or the North Border.
If the lord allied with her to take down Xu Pei and Huang Song, Yan Lin deeply suspected that she would turn her blade on Yang Tao instead.
This woman had not shied away from stabbing familiar faces.
An official said, “Sigh, if we dispatch troops against Huang Song and Xu Pei, our supply lines are bound to suffer. A careless move could spell disaster!”
This official wasn’t just fearmongering; he genuinely considered Yang Tao’s situation.
In his opinion, a man aiming for greatness must have a ruthless heart.
Yang Tao’s impulsive move to avenge his father by waging a cross-border war would lead to significant losses.
It would be better to swallow this bitterness.
If Zhao Shao fell into Jiang Pengji’s hands, he was certain to meet his end anyway.
“Your concerns are thoughts the lord has also mulled over,” Yan Lin said, frowning as he sighed, “But—you’re only seeing the current situation in Nan Sheng without considering the grand trend of the world. Liu Xi is ambitious and has grand schemes; she won’t be satisfied with just Dongqing or the North Border. Once she unifies Dongqing and has a year or two to consolidate her power, Nan Sheng will be her next target. Zhangzhou must not fall!”
Without Zhangzhou on the frontline, once Jiang Pengji unified Dongqing, she could march on Nan Sheng’s borders.
That would put Yang Tao in a perilous position.
Upon hearing this, the official’s expression turned grave.
After a moment, he spoke up, “But Liu Xi is just a woman—how can she possess such ambitions?”
Yan Lin fell silent.
Whether lofty ambitions matter was unrelated to gender!
Or perhaps many still assumed that Jiang Pengji should be content after taking Dongqing?
Yan Lin spoke coldly, “The North Border fell almost a year ago—”
She had wiped out the North Border, so why do some people imagine her as an easily manipulated woman of the inner court?
If all women in the inner court acted like her, there would be no place for men in this world.
The official’s face was awkward; after a short while, he excused himself.
Yan Lin turned to the back room and said, “Lord, please come out.”
Yang Tao peeked out, checking “the enemy situation,” and seeing the person had really left, he finally felt relieved to come out fully.
“Shaoyang, you don’t support the alliance either?”
“It’s a matter of pros and cons; it all depends on the lord’s will.”
From Yan Lin’s perspective, it was the same whichever path was chosen, but Yang Tao was in favor of war, so he had to support him.
Yang Tao spoke, “I once swore before my father’s spirit to personally slay Zhao Shao. Now that Zhao Shao depends on Xu Pei, who has taken half of my territory, I must settle this score. Furthermore, if we can reclaim Zhangzhou, we can use it as a forward base to restrain Liu Xi…”
The first two sentences were Yang Tao’s raw thoughts, while the latter was “borrowing” Yan Lin’s idea.
Yan Lin didn’t expose this; instead, he smiled and said, “I have exactly that intention.”
Wei Ci’s efficiency was commendable, but waging war was different; it required adequate preparation time.
Before Yang Tao’s troops could set out, Jiang Pengji couldn’t wait any longer and launched the first attack, breaking the previous stalemate.
At first, it was just a tit-for-tat probing; each skirmish only led to a few hundred casualties—nothing serious, just some light sparring.
It was like scratching an itch through a layered cloth; it never truly reached the sore spot, leading to more irritation.
Xu Pei managed to keep his composure, but Jiang Pengji’s side started feeling the pressure.
Long supply lines inevitably increased logistical strain, and the costs of warfare outweighed that of the North Border.
Secretly, Huang Song and Xu Pei had allied and dispatched troops into battle.
As the saying goes, when attacking a snake, aim for its vital point; strike where it hurts.
With the supply lines stretched thin, they targeted the grain convoy first.
Xu Pei launched the first strike to draw attention, while Huang Song covertly sent troops to ambush the grain transport!
