Chapter 1822 – Schemes of the Heart
“……The climate in Beiyuan is too cold; we’re just at the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, yet the capital of Beiyuan has been buried in snow for two months. The city’s snow has long surpassed the ankles, and while our soldiers are unfazed by severe cold and scorching heat, the harsh weather indeed makes it unsuitable to forcefully engage in battle. I think, since the Beiyuan aristocrats have provided us such favorable conditions for psychological warfare, why not take this as our breakthrough? Currently, Beiyuan is like a precarious dam; we only need to find their weakest point and deliver a fatal blow, and even if we do nothing, they’ll collapse on their own…”
The best strategy is to attack with cunning, next through diplomacy, then with troops, and lastly to besiege cities.
If we can seize Beiyuan with minimal loss through public sentiment, why would Jiang Pengji risk her soldiers by sending them into battle?
The weather conditions in Beiyuan are too harsh.
Even if the Beiyuan soldiers are not worth the punch, they’ve adapted to living here for years, far better than us.
Jiang Pengji is fighting on unfamiliar territory, meaning she’ll be at a disadvantage; if her soldiers suffer from the harsh environment and a widespread epidemic breaks out, it will give the enemy an opportunity for counterattack. Not to mention if the enemy can seize this chance, Jiang Pengji certainly shouldn’t make such a fatal mistake.
Qi Guanrang said, “The Lord has thought of this too, but…”
Jiang Pengji asked, “But what?”
Qi Guanrang feigned an apology; before Jiang Pengji arrived, he had been too harsh with the refugees fleeing Beiyuan. If the Beiyuan aristocrats incite the common people to fight to the death… even if the likelihood is slim, it still provides them with leverage.
Jiang Pengji dismissed his apology. “Can this be blamed on you? You did nothing wrong; I wouldn’t have handled it better myself.”
Qi Guanrang didn’t start by exterminating the refugees; those who first broke the law were simply given food and good counsel.
If that’s considered cruel and ruthless, what else could Jiang Pengji say?
She said, “Wenzhen, you might as well listen to my plans.”
Qi Guanrang listened attentively and respectfully said, “Please, Lord, go on.”
Jiang Pengji tapped her fingers on the table. “Last night, I sent someone to inquire with the Beiyuan common people who fled with Jiqing, and most of them have a very negative impression of Dongqing and even the other three nations—’war, death, disease, scarcity’—and they are quite certain…”
Ma Xiu wasn’t fooled; he was one of the few who believed the situation in Dongqing was stable, but he wasn’t sure how stable.
Qi Guanrang said, “This is precisely what I wanted to tell the Lord. Beiyuan, in order to prevent the common people from fleeing across borders, not only guards the borders strictly, but also slaughters those attempting to escape, and constantly sends false news to confuse the people, proclaiming some fabricated tragic tales…”
Jiang Pengji sneered, “Such as me killing people by the field, oppressing the common people, turning the land barren, with bones piling up?”
Qi Guanrang said helplessly, “What they’re spreading is far worse than what the Lord said; the fabricated content is even more outlandish.”
Killing ruthlessly was considered gentle; tales about cannibalism, eating children, bathtubs filled with the blood of women for beauty treatments, pregnant women being dissected for amusement, and whatnot about three thousand handsome men and women, shameless parties in the open—anything that sounds like what the infamous King Zhou experienced in The Investiture of the Gods.
In summary, it was as if they wanted to replicate all the vileness attributed to the King Zhou onto our Lord.
Not only replicate it but also give it a fresh twist, as in, the blacker, the better.
Qi Guanrang deeply suspected those Beiyuan water army folks were fans of The Investiture of the Gods.
While eagerly reading Wanzhou’s tales, they were racking their brains to frame our Lord, painting a picture of the world as a melting pot of horrors.
Only this way would the common people know fear and continue to endure the hellish existence.
Look—
The world outside Beiyuan is like this or that; if you go, you’ll regret it; it’s better to squat in Beiyuan.
Though Beiyuan can’t fill your stomach, it allows you to survive.
As one of the targets of vilification, Qi Guanrang just wanted to blow up those foolish heads; even their Lord is within their scope of defamation.
When Qi Guanrang first saw this intelligence, he secretly thought about capturing those people in the future, one slice per dog paw.
“They’re only this capable; otherwise, Beiyuan wouldn’t have been in such a mess.” Jiang Pengji scoffed again and again, “Despite their claims that I am incompetent, revolting to look at, there are still common people who can’t endure it and dare to risk fleeing, demonstrating just how outrageous their actions are.”
Qi Guanrang lightly waved his fan, a smile lingering on his lips, his thoughts mirroring those of the Lord.
Another minister asked, “Is the Lord trying to let the Beiyuan common people see the true Dongqing?”
Jiang Pengji replied, “If we don’t show them how well the people of Dongqing live, how will they realize they’ve been deceived?”
The harsher the Beiyuan aristocrats oppress the common people, the stronger the backlash will be.
“But… if the common people come fleeing en masse, should we take them in or not?”
No matter whether to take them in or not, it seemed wrong either way.
Jiang Pengji naturally said, “Not taking them in! Why on earth should we? Moving is already a hassle these days, especially moving across nations; is it less troublesome? We’re not here to guide the Beiyuan common people to seek refuge in Dongqing, nor are we dragging their families away from their homeland. We aim to lead them to understand—by changing their master in Beiyuan, they can live just as well as the people of Dongqing. Also, make them realize that their lives are even worse than those poor souls wandering through chaotic times. Right! Let’s also send someone to bribe the border guards; that should work.”
“The border general? Bribe him? That military general has a very good reputation among soldiers; he’s not easy to sway.”
While bribing enemies is a normal operation, it depends on the situation.
If you encounter a fiercely loyal one, attempting to bribe may only embarrass you; if things go south, you might end up falling into his trap.
Jiang Pengji sneered, “Those genuinely capable wouldn’t let a bunch of refugees slip through their fingers. Initially, I thought that man was greedy and lazy, overlooking these refugees, too indifferent to execute the royal order to kill escaping commoners. Now it looks different. Perhaps this military general still has a bit of conscience, thus turning a blind eye to give the refugees a way out…”
If he’s greedy and derelict, then money should do the trick.
If public sentiment is stirred just right, Jiang Pengji could team up with that military general to swing open the gates, creating an image of a kingly army.
If he still has a shred of conscience, even better—appeal to his emotions, engage with logic about the greater good, and use benefits to entice him, taking away his post-conversion worries just the same to achieve the best results.
Of course, if that military general is immune to both soft and hard actions, Jiang Pengji would have no choice but to launch a violent attack.
Those old and weak soldiers of Beiyuan, what gives them the courage to think they can hold this weak checkpoint?
“I don’t deny that there exists eternal loyalty in this world, but that’s as rare as finding a needle in a haystack.”
“More loyalty only arises because the cost of betrayal hasn’t scratched where it’s itchy…”
