Chapter 1241 – The Tempest of War Approaches (2)
Looks like even the heavens couldn’t stand Feng Zhen’s smug attitude. The moment he just finished his three-day wedding leave, he was urgently summoned back.
Feng Zhen was in the midst of bliss, completely ignoring the cold responsibilities of governance because he was too busy enjoying time with Wan Xiuer!
“You’ve had enough rest—” Jiang Pengji said mercilessly, “It’s time to pull yourself back together and take care of business.”
Feng Zhen argued, “My Lord, this is different from what was said before; it’s only been three days!”
How long was Li Yun’s and Shangguan Wan’s wedding leave, anyway?
It’s only fair we treat everyone equally, right?
Jiang Pengji replied matter-of-factly, “Didn’t you get a long leave beforehand to plan your wedding?”
Feng Zhen stuttered, feeling like the preparation time for his wedding was part of that leave too?
As if Jiang Pengji could see through his thoughts, she almost rolled her eyes.
Is there such a good deal in the world?
Preparing for a wedding was during the busiest time of the year, and Jiang Pengji had even allowed him to take leave and redistributed the heavy workload to others. She had already shown great mercy. If she let Feng Zhen take another half or full month of leave, others would definitely grumble!
Once the new year starts, it’s all about spring plowing and military training. There’s no way Feng Zhen could just sit at home, lovey-dovey with his wife.
Having his appeal rejected by Jiang Pengji, Feng Zhen could only resign himself to his fate and head back to work, looking as forlorn as a dried fish.
Whether someone was targeting him or not, Feng Zhen found that the tasks he took over when he returned were somewhat troublesome, above average difficulty. After two days of frantic work, the dark circles under his eyes, which had finally subsided, resurfaced, making him look even more “exhausted.”
“This bunch of jerks—”
Feng Zhen smiled on the surface but cursed inwardly.
What did he do in his past life to deserve such a morally bankrupt set of colleagues?
With spring plowing intensifying, Jiang Pengji presided over the spring plowing ceremony and then stayed at the military camp to diligently enforce the training of her soldiers.
“Is Lord Lan Ting going to mobilize the troops again this year?”
Tea houses and taverns are always the sources of gossip and exchanges. The scholars lured to Dongqing by the Golden Scales Pavilion love to linger in places like this, discussing real matters and the world at large. If they say something shocking, who knows, it might even catch Lord Lan Ting’s attention for recruitment!
Though this is a slim possibility, one should still have dreams, right? The Golden Scales Pavilion has such strict evaluations; there’s bound to be some who try to take alternate routes.
Throughout history, many prominent figures gained favor with rulers through such means.
As military training ramped up, many scholars sensed the storm brewing.
“This… this was just after last year’s battle, and the common people haven’t had enough time to recover. This year, they shouldn’t be quick to pull out their swords.”
Everyone had their own opinions, and the more contradictory the topic, the more entertaining it became.
“However, from what I see, this Lord Lan Ting is not one to settle for peace.” A young scholar scoffed, “Looking back at Lord Lan Ting’s rise, was there ever a time she didn’t step over mountains of enemies’ corpses? To say she is overly aggressive isn’t far off—”
“Overly aggressive? That conclusion is too hasty; Lord Lan Ting is also driven by the times, forced to act this way.”
Wei Ci’s propaganda methods were something others couldn’t imagine. To bind the people’s hearts to Jiang Pengji, he self-published several medium-length stories, most of which were adapted into new plays for the common folk to watch. Though the characters used pseudonyms, sharp-eyed individuals could see their true identities right away. He also used the new plays to explain Jiang Pengji’s justification for her wartime actions to the populace.
The common people could only see the thrilling plots and the grand notions of national righteousness, while those scholars discerned the changing tides.
Regardless of their beliefs, the common people expressed understanding and support for Jiang Pengji’s military actions.
Moreover, even if Lord Lan Ting was engaged in battles, she never made life unbearable for the common people. Military supplies were stocked in advance, and if worse came to worst, she would tap into her private reserves. She had never exploited the populace through heavy taxes due to warfare.
Jiang Pengji tried her best to protect the safety and economic well-being of the common people. How could they not admire her?
“Hmph, ignorant fools. Overly aggressive means overly aggressive, and over the past few years, it’s been wars every year…”
Before he could finish, someone stood up to retort.
“That sentiment is quite biased. Though I’m no admirer of Lord Lan Ting, I can’t stand by while you slander her like that.”
With a flick of his folding fan, the wind rustled through his hair, exuding a bit of flair.
He continued to speak passionately, making many nod along, “Ever since the quake in the capital, chaos has ensued, with the Green Garment Army and Red Lotus Sect rising up, causing harm to countless common people. When faced with danger, Lord Lan Ting was called to arms to drive off the two pests, integrating Wanzhou, forming an alliance with the Huang River to the north, controlling Chongzhou to the south and Hujun, repeatedly consolidating the northern forces of Dongqing to fend off outside threats. After that, tranquility returned to the northern regions. After resting for several years, she believed the time was right and so she mobilized forces in the north to take back lost lands. Where’s the overly aggressive talk in that?”
Overly aggressive implies reckless warfare that overextends one’s resources; Lord Lan Ting clearly wasn’t.
Her actions were well-timed when her enemies were weakest, showing her planning and strategy.
“…Transforming the northern front into a northern province also left herself weakened, facing enemies on all sides. If she showed the slightest hint of fear, she would undoubtedly be overwhelmed by a swarm of foes. How could we all be here in this tea house, discussing such grand matters?” The execution of Xu Pei, recapturing Zhejun and Huzhou, and the entirety of Dongqing being almost in her grasp. If she didn’t follow up with a victory, by the time Huang Song steadied himself, it would be even more difficult to eradicate him.
Turning it all back, every move Jiang Pengji made in war had its reasons.
Wasn’t her goal for the peace of the rear, so that the populace could enjoy tranquility? If everyone doesn’t support her, what’s the fuss about?
What’s the difference between picking up a bowl to eat and putting it down to curse?
This impassioned speech made many a face either flush red or turn pale, and the ones with thinner skin just stormed away in a huff.
Even the common people could see through Jiang Pengji’s thoughts about mobilizing troops, not to mention her rivals.
On Huang Song’s side, everything seemed calm on the surface, yet violent currents were brewing beneath, actively preparing for war, hoarding food supplies, and hinting that a storm was imminent.
Preparations in full swing.
Of course, in ancient times, wars couldn’t just happen on a whim; the right timing had to be chosen.
The period before and after spring plowing wasn’t suitable for warfare.
Crops in this era had low planting and harvesting efficiency, with staple crops usually harvested once a year.
In other words, missing this year’s spring plowing would mean losing the harvest for the entire year.
Waging war wasn’t just about manpower but also logistics; without supplies, what’s the point of fighting?
After spring plowing, that’s when battles could commence—an unspoken rule.
Yet, even so, Huang Song’s time was also running out.
