Chapter 1026 – Everyone’s Calculations (2)
Jiang Pengji chuckled and said, “Well, the Boge Clan may not be as powerful as the Cangzhou Meng Clan, but it’s not like they can’t hold their ground.”
She had fought in the Northern Frontier for eleven months, while Huang Song and the Cangzhou Meng Clan had been at a stalemate for the same amount of time.
Though she hadn’t grasped the situation on the battlefield there, Jiang Pengji was confident that Huang Song couldn’t possibly be at a disadvantage against the Meng Clan.
“The Meng Clan’s heavy-handed tactics to control Cangzhou have led them to the edge of exhaustion. While the Meng Clan’s combat strength is formidable, they cannot endure a prolonged conflict. Boge is a smart man; his strategists are tougher than nails, and they wouldn’t miss the Meng Clan’s weaknesses. In other words, Boge just needs to hold the walls and intercept the critical routes—defending without attacking will cause the Meng Clan to suffer simply by dragging it out.”
Jiang Pengji smiled faintly as she continued, “If the Meng Clan sends troops for a strong assault, Boge certainly won’t be easily defeated—”
On the frontlines, Huang Song indeed couldn’t withstand the Meng Clan’s might.
If it was merely about stalling the Meng Clan’s main force, Huang Song should manage just fine.
Just after Jiang Pengji had finished securing the whole of the Northern Frontier, Huang Song sent a rushed letter over eight hundred miles—
At this thought, a chill flickered in Jiang Pengji’s eyes as her lips curled upward.
Qi Guanrang bowed and said, “My lord is indeed wise.”
Several scholars wore expressions of deep contemplation, their faces tense. The military generals followed suit, each bowing their heads in fake thoughtfulness. A closer look at their eyes would reveal a slight daze—clearly, they hadn’t understood—
To this, the generals lamented in silence—
They were surrounded by high-IQ individuals, and it was a lot of psychological pressure for them as ordinary folks.
Not only were the generals confused, but the audience in the live stream was desperately calling for the big shots—
They needed someone to step up as the class representative for language class, otherwise, it felt like listening to a foreign language.
After much anticipation, finally, a big shot emerged, and their comments were pinned by the “dried fish.”
【Old Driver Alliance】: Thank goodness I didn’t miss today’s live stream; seeing Huang Song’s letter made me feel like—here we go again. Remember those days when the streamer and Huang Song were gallivanting at the brothels together as buddies? Now they’re calculating against each other. Qi Guanrang mentioned there’s hidden meaning in Huang Song’s letter, and I was blank for a while before grasping his point—this letter, rather than a conspiracy, is an overt scheme aimed right at the streamer. Why do I say that? From the dialogues of the streamer and others, Huang Song can’t beat the Meng Clan, nor can the Meng Clan do much against Huang Song; he isn’t even in a position to request help yet. But Huang Song still wrote a letter? Why? Because he can’t allow the streamer any room to grow!
【Genius Guo Fengxiao】: We also saw that the streamer just finished conquering the Northern Frontier. Although it seemed like a win, it wasn’t an easy road. The streamer nearly depleted their resources for this battle, having fought for nearly eleven months, pulling out all the stops. That saying from Sun Tzu’s Art of War rings true: even in war, swift victory is paramount, and prolonged battles should be avoided. The streamer just took over the Northern Frontier, and people’s hearts are still unsettled; the follow-up governance will be astronomical, with costs that rival those of battle. If not handled well, there’s a chance the Northern Frontier might revolt. In such a scenario, the streamer should refrain from engaging in further battles. Huang Song’s plea for help essentially hands the streamer a formidable opponent without much drained battle power left. If a war breaks out with the Meng Clan, how long do you think it will last? This is a blatant scheme compelling the streamer into a “foolish war”!
【Musician Zhuge Qinxian】: I really underestimated Huang Song before; this kid doesn’t act until he needs to, but when he does, he makes a daring plummet. This is a blatant scheme, digging a pit for the streamer to jump into. Regardless of Huang Song’s plan, he’s helping the streamer tie down the Meng Clan’s forces, preventing any sneak attacks from the Meng Clan. Now that Huang Song has sent a letter requesting aid, the streamer has no reason to refuse sending troops. Regardless of who wins or loses between the streamer and the Meng Clan, Huang Song has the upper hand in the current situation.
The comments flooded in, and many viewers felt a chill run down their spines after reading the analysis from the big shots.
【Kumamoto Dad Dressing Up】: This conspiracy theory is scary; did Huang Song really calculate against the streamer?
【Fireworks Era】: Scratching my head—if I were to transmigrate, I feel like I wouldn’t make it past three episodes. Seeing Huang Song’s letter, my first thought was to send troops and crush the Meng Clan, but I didn’t expect there were so many intricacies behind it—streamer, how about not sending troops?
【Mo Lan Zhi】: There’s no way not to send troops; if we don’t, that’s when the streamer will really be done for.
With Huang Song and Jiang Pengji’s alliance, not only did they tear the veil with the Meng Clan, but he also offered troops to help her restrain the Meng Clan’s forces.
Now with Huang Song in distress, Jiang Pengji was reluctant to offer military assistance—
If word got out, Jiang Pengji would instantly become the world’s public enemy.
It was precisely because there was no choice that this was such a blatant scheme.
Jiang Pengji kept her gaze downward, her lips slightly raised.
“It’s too early to draw conclusions.” Breaking the nearly frozen atmosphere in the tent, Jiang Pengji said with a smile, “Now that Boge has sent a letter, it’s clear that the situation on the battlefield has shifted. He’s involved because of me, and now that the Northern Frontier has fallen, it stands to reason that Boge shouldn’t continue to fight alone.”
Cangzhou was a must-win territory for her.
Cangzhou was the largest horse-breeding ground in Dongqing, nurturing countless war horses, making it a place of great strategic significance, a must-capture for any military strategist.
Even Huang Song, Jiang Pengji didn’t want to let this piece of cake slip through her fingers.
Huang Song had his schemes, and so did Jiang Pengji; it was just a matter of whose skills were superior.
“My lord—”
Qi Guanrang’s brow was deeply furrowed, as if he wanted to say something.
They had just conquered the Northern Frontier; if they rashly moved troops again, they might risk instability, inviting others to exploit their weaknesses.
“I know what Wenzheng is worried about,” Jiang Pengji calmly said. “Don’t I want to recuperate? But the current situation doesn’t allow us to do so. If we don’t send troops, it’s likely the Cangzhou horse grounds will end up being renamed to Huang. At that time, Boge could take advantage of the situation in Haozhou and Cangzhou, surrounding Chenzhou—if they are ruthless, Boge could ally with the Xu Clan of Zhejun, and we would find ourselves in a deadlock—”
Jiang Pengji’s forces were all in the north; having just captured the Northern Frontier, yet to the south were Huang Song and Xu Pei’s territories.
In other words, if Jiang Pengji wanted to expand further, she could not bypass these two powers.
If she rested and recuperated, it would only hand opportunities to both factions.
Better to take a gamble and perhaps reignite the entire chessboard.
“Moreover—” Jiang Pengji twirled a finger around the flame of the lamp on the table, the firelight dancing in her eyes as she mused, “In the battle for the Northern Frontier, our losses were not significant. Even if we were to fight with the Cangzhou Meng Clan, it’s far from the point of exhausting our military strength—”
Having conquered the Northern Frontier was tiring, but it didn’t hurt her core strength. Most of the power remained; she still had the ability to fight!
She didn’t know whose bright idea this scheme was, but if she were to fall for it, she didn’t know who would end up unlucky.
