Chapter 1342 – Blood Oath Alliance (3)
Huang Song wasn’t the only one reluctant to submit under his command; Cheng Jing felt the same way.
Jiang Pengji was quite picky; she cared little for those who couldn’t be useful. With Huang Song’s old subordinates refusing to join one by one, her losses were piling up!
This plan was not just to pave the way for her future daughter but also to make Huang Song persuade these people to surrender.
“Persuading” others was not hard, but the only real challenges lay with Cheng Jing and Feng Jue.
Cheng Jing’s reluctance stemmed from two reasons—first, the timing wasn’t right, and second, Jiang Pengji’s faction in Langya County was too strong. If he joined in, Yuan Jing would have three out of four of his disciples present, and he didn’t want to create trouble for his teacher and his fellow disciples.
Even though Jiang Pengji wasn’t a suspicious person by nature, one couldn’t guarantee that others wouldn’t feel a sense of threat.
If Wei Ci were here, he would surely agree with Cheng Jing’s concerns.
In his past life, didn’t Wei Ci act just like this?
Even without harboring any ill intentions, and while his support for the Wei clan’s offspring was meant for the emperor’s sake, the Wei clan members were restless and raised the suspicions and scrutiny of people like Qi Guanrang. When a meteor struck from the heavens, Wei Ci nearly lost his life, and the Wei clan was completely crushed.
Even within the same faction, there would be discord.
When one faction’s influence grows too large, others naturally start feeling a sense of crisis and urgency, which marks the beginning of internal discord.
People inherently have self-interest and preferential biases; those who are truly selfless are not nonexistent but far too rare.
Even this small group of selfless individuals isn’t absolutely docile; they would often eliminate what they perceive as threats in the name of loyalty.
Cheng Jing subtly voiced his concerns, and Huang Song naturally couldn’t force him.
So, why wouldn’t Feng Jue submit?
After a long silence in response to Huang Song’s gentle inquiry, Feng Jue finally spoke. “No other reason, just tired of it.”
Feng Jue said it with a light-hearted tone, but Huang Song felt he meant something else, yet Feng Jue wouldn’t say it outright, and Huang Song couldn’t press him.
He sighed, “If you’re tired of it, then when you retire, you can become a hermit and live a carefree life.”
Regardless, Feng Jue was still a member of the Feng clan as a young master, so as long as he didn’t actively seek his own demise, Jiang Pengji wouldn’t harm him for Feng Jin’s sake.
From this perspective, Feng Jue was the safest one among them, able to retreat or advance as needed, leaving Huang Song with less to worry about.
Having known each other since youth, Huang Song had gradually come to understand Feng Jue’s character.
Despite Feng Jue’s outwardly easygoing demeanor, he was extremely proud—not in terms of attitude, but in how he handled matters. Because everything came easily to him, he developed a personality that could not tolerate failure.
This major defeat dealt a heavy blow to Feng Jue, and Huang Song hoped he could take some time to calm down.
Feng Jue asked, “Has the leader truly given up?”
Huang Song froze for a moment, suddenly recalling a conversation they had back in the day.
“If—what if I lose?”
“If the leader loses, then Jue will accompany the leader back into hell. There, there will surely be no Liu Lanting left—”
Thinking of this, Huang Song’s face flushed with embarrassment, feeling utterly mortified.
Feng Jue wasn’t one to cling to life; he didn’t value others’ lives, nor did he treasure his own.
So the result was—
Huang Song had signed a pact with Jiang Pengji, sacrificing three generations of service for a night of survival.
Feng Jue must be extremely disappointed right now, right?
Huang Song wasn’t someone who feared death, but he couldn’t justify his actions, nor could he explain what he was doing now.
“Huai Jian—”
Huang Song awkwardly began, unable to even meet Feng Jue’s gaze.
Feng Jue pressed further, “Has the leader truly given up?”
This time, his tone was more serious than before.
“Huai Jian, it’s not that I’ve completely given up, but is there still a need to fight in this situation? The victor becomes king, the loser becomes a bandit. Losing is simply losing. Win bright, lose gracefully; I, Huang Boge, am not one to fear defeat.” Huang Song said clumsily, “You and I have known each other for many years; how could you not know my ambitions? If Liu Lanting truly could bring peace to the world and end this chaos, how could I refuse to serve her!”
If it weren’t for being trapped in a dead end, Huang Song wouldn’t easily admit defeat.
But since the outcome was clear, he didn’t want to continue fighting.
Upon hearing this, Feng Jue’s eyes darkened, and silence fell again.
After a long pause, he said, “Ultimately, it is still Jue’s fault.”
Huang Song was bewildered.
He expected Feng Jue to scold him, but instead, he turned the blame onto himself—what was that supposed to mean?
Feng Jue refused to explain.
Back in the day, when the Dongqing royal family moved to Chenzhou, Huang Song had gained a stage to display his capabilities.
Though it was Yang Si who conspired against Huang Song and caused him to lose the trust of the Emperor of Dongqing, Feng Jue had also helped in this.
Huang Song’s ambitions were, in fact, nurtured by Feng Jue; he was so focused on himself that he neglected what Huang Song truly sought.
Feng Jue didn’t give Huang Song a chance to ask more questions and instead bowed. “Jue’s mind is set; I ask the leader to take care of himself in the future.”
Huang Song couldn’t pinpoint what he was feeling, only that he felt weak and sad.
The commotion on his side quickly reached Jiang Pengji’s ears, and she learned of everyone’s choices.
Those willing to submit would have to undergo assessment before being accepted.
As for those unwilling to submit—
“… Cheng Jing and Feng Jue… truly unaware of their situation…”
A military general muttered quietly, feeling sorry for Jiang Pengji.
As soon as he finished speaking, a few people shot him a glare, scaring him into silence.
The people glaring were none other than Wei Ci, Yang Si, and Han Yu—the three top advisors; how dare a newly appointed junior military general offend them?
These three had a brotherly relationship with Cheng Jing, while Feng Jue was Feng Jin’s younger brother; none of them were easy to deal with.
Jiang Pengji rubbed her temples. “Let Cheng Jing go to Yuan Jing, and let Feng Jue… return to the Feng clan to deal with their affairs.”
Children raised should be managed by their own parent.
Jiang Pengji didn’t want to kill those two and offend Yuan Jing and Feng Ren. After all, she still needed their help to improve the education system.
As long as Cheng Jing and Feng Jue didn’t betray her, Jiang Pengji could let them be.
Anyway, once Cheng Jing went to Yuan Jing, he wouldn’t have it easy.
Feng Jue would return to the Feng clan, and the Feng clan would keep an eye on him, preventing him from causing trouble for her.
Everyone said: “The leader is merciful.”
The strategists could see through her cunning motive; outsiders were a bit slow, quickly elevating her to the pedestal of “benevolence.”
Jiang Pengji: “…”
Look, she clearly had a belly full of wicked schemes, calculating from afar, yet outsiders still thought her to be pure as could be, utterly deliciously ironic.
Not to mention Huang Song’s situation, Jiang Pengji was busy dealing with her own issues.
Previously, Huang Song faced a crushing defeat, leaving countless casualties, but more deserters were lurking. If they were left unchecked, they would either starve or turn to banditry, harming the common people. Jiang Pengji had to clean up, sending troops to catch them while recruiting and luring them back.
When it came to dealing with these defeated soldiers, Jiang Pengji was the most experienced.
To prevent any negative impact on the military camp atmosphere, managing the captured soldiers had become a priority and a tricky issue to resolve.
