Chapter 1522 – Attack on Nie Liang and Yang Tao, Sword Pointing to the World (61)
Yang Tao looked puzzled, “What does this mean?”
Yan Lin’s eyes held a hint of coldness as he replied, “Feng Zhen, the strategist under Liu Xi, is from Zhangzhou Anshan County and comes from a scholarly family. He’s quite familiar with the powers within Zhangzhou. He knows well which families might yield and which can’t be dragged along.”
Thus, if they planned to layout schemes, Yan Lin couldn’t choose Yang Tao’s people.
Using a stalling tactic depended on the audience, and against Feng Zhen, that heartless beast, it would hardly be effective.
Even if one were to kill someone, the trust would never be granted.
“I have a good candidate here.”
Yang Tao asked, “Who?”
“The Zhao Clan.”
Zhao Shao’s Zhao Clan.
Years ago, Zhao Shao caused Yang Jian’s death, then fled with his family to the false emperor Changshou Wang, later drifting around Nan Sheng before sneakily returning to Dongqing and becoming Xu Pei’s guest scholar. He could be called the king of fleeing, slick as an eel.
Yang Tao, however, was a man who distinguished between grievances and friends; he only wanted his father’s killer dead and didn’t direct his anger at members of the Zhao Clan.
But while Yang Tao might refrain from killing them, the Zhao Clan couldn’t feel completely at ease.
They lived in constant fear, worried that Yang Tao would remember old scores and come seeking retribution; they wouldn’t even be able to escape.
When Jiang Pengji made her move, the Zhao Clan would undoubtedly be the happiest.
It wouldn’t be surprising at all if the Zhao Clan surrendered to the enemy forces.
“Shaoyang means to use them as a deception tactic? Isn’t that digging their own grave?”
Yang Tao didn’t kill the other Zhao members, but he had been secretly oppressing them for years, taking out his frustrations on them.
From a fundamental interest perspective, the Zhao Clan and Yang Tao were heading in opposite directions.
How could the Zhao Clan possibly help Yang Tao execute a plot of deceit?
They wouldn’t even consider betraying Yang Tao.
Yan Lin nodded, then shook his head.
“Currently, the Zhao Clan is the most suitable; even if Feng Zhen and others are suspicious, they won’t suspect them.” Yan Lin stated, “Whether it’s the Zhao Clan or any other noble family, once their family grows large enough, they face a problematic reality: an explosive increase in clan members leads to numerous conflicts within various branches. Even blood brothers can fall out, let alone a large family—it’s impossible for everyone to be united.”
The idea of deceit had been considered by Yang Si and others, but they never thought Yang Tao would pin his hopes for a deception on the Zhao Clan.
This tactic is a bit too far off the mark…
Yan Lin secretly dispatched personnel to capture the targets’ elderly parents and families; they had no choice but to comply because the county magistrate surrendered without a fight, and Yang Tao’s reinforcements were intercepted by Fu Wang, which caused morale to plummet in Zhangzhou.
Fu Wang’s troops advanced south with unstoppable force, achieving considerable success in just a month.
As the situation became clearer, the noble families who had previously hesitated quickly shifted allegiance, sending letters with increasing frequency, the content no longer ambiguous. Fu Wang laughed coldly as he read through, “collecting” one after another; these would all be shown to the Lord.
To put it nicely, these people understood the situation, they bet on the right horse. To put it harshly, they are spineless and of no real use! Yang Tao had not yet failed, yet they were already singing his demise, secretly sending flirtations to the enemy. Could the Lord trust such character?
For example, if one day the Lord faced a situation similar to Yang Tao’s, would this bunch not leap out to kick him when he’s down?
Fu Wang snorted, “Hmph, one act of disloyalty, a hundred reasons not to use them; they still don’t understand the Lord’s temperament.”
As the battle unfolded, more noble families defected, even dragging along their relatives.
“The Zhao Clan? Which Zhao Clan?”
There were many clans with the surname Zhao, and several around Zhangzhou as well.
Yang Si glanced over, a mysterious smile creeping onto his face, “So, it’s this Zhao Clan.”
The Zhao Clan that shares the same lineage, and Yang Si had a particularly “complicated bond” with Zhao Shao.
Years ago, Zhao Shao mocked Yang Si at the Hongmen Banquet, calling him the son of a courtesan, to which Yang Si retorted instantly, returning home still seething with rage.
In grudges, Yang Si could easily rank in the top three.
Not long after, the Lord led troops to breach Shanweng City, while Yang Si secretly hid Zhao Shao’s whereabouts, watching him be tormented by a band of refugees until he was exhausted and saw his defenses collapse, and only then felt satisfied enough to cross Zhao Shao off his “revenge” list.
Due to Zhao Shao, Yang Si held no good opinion of the Zhao Clan.
Feng Zhen commented, “The Zhao Clan has been quite cautious these years; they must be having a rough time.”
Yang Si chuckled, “If they were doing well, that would be strange. Zhao Shao is the father’s killer of Yang Tao, and now the Zhao Clan is at Yang Tao’s mercy; they definitely have to keep their tails tightly tucked. With us marching towards Zhangzhou, the Zhao Clan must be overjoyed.”
See, here they come rushing over eagerly.
The Zhao Clan was genuinely sincere, not only offering up considerable family wealth but also presenting a letter of pact.
This letter included maps of several main waterways in Zhangzhou, detailing the distribution of Yang Tao’s troops.
“This is quite a substantial gesture, but… does the military adviser find it credible?”
Fu Wang initially received the information, but then began to harbor doubts; after all, such a large pie falling from the sky left him a little dazed.
Yang Si questioned Feng Zhen, “Is the relationship between the Zhao Clan and Yang Tao truly as perilous as water and fire?”
Feng Zhen replied, “Yang Tao frequently oppresses the Zhao Clan. How could their relationship be anything but strained?”
“In that case, is this letter of map genuine?”
Feng Zhen frowned, “The Zhao Clan’s submission is true, but the letter of the map remains questionable. The General might as well send someone to probe further.”
The result of the probing yielded no issues.
Such maps weren’t something just anyone could possess; otherwise, how could they be called military secrets?
Using it as a pact, the Zhao Clan’s future would be bright; why would they present a fake one that would only leave them without a corner to stand on?
Feng Zhen stated, “The Zhao Clan is not tolerated by Yang Tao; if they offend the Lord again, do they think they will have a place to stand? They might as well be wishing for heaven.”
Confirming the authenticity of the map, the suspicions in everyone’s hearts gradually dissipated.
Previously, they had cleared bandits and drawn maps of Zhangzhou’s outer waters, but the rivers and mountains within remained unclear.
With the map’s help, taking Zhangzhou would become significantly easier.
Fu Wang’s spirits lifted, “Perhaps we can capture Zhangzhou before the Lord is forced to retreat from the Nie Clan.”
Little did they know, this was merely a trap laid out by Yan Lin.
Most of the map was genuine, with only small details fabricated—and these details were enough to sway the entire battlefield’s direction.
Yang Tao asked his little buddy.
“Shaoyang has disliked the Zhao Clan for quite a while?”
Yan Lin inquired with his eyes.
Yang Tao replied, “Once the battlefield falters, Fu Wang and the others will discover the map’s falsehood, and the Zhao Clan presenting the map will likely bear full responsibility.”
No matter if the Zhao Clan truly betrayed or feigned loyalty, the outcome would be the same—heads rolling.
Yan Lin stated, “Kill the chicken to warn the monkey, let those itching for a chance see what happens.”
