Chapter 1062 – The Legendary Iron-Eating Beast Legion (Part 4)
“Lord, the Gaoyue Tribe has deceitful strategies; we must be particularly cautious.”
Meng Heng furrowed his brow, worry written all over his face.
As a scion of the Meng Clan, even though he was an unfavored son, he still had more rights than ordinary tribesmen—
He had a deeper understanding of the mysterious Gaoyue Tribe’s intricacies.
The Gaoyue Tribe was notoriously greedy and ambitious, often exploiting their beast-controlling abilities to allow savage beasts to retaliate against their enemies.
While human conspiracies could be guarded against, who could anticipate the actions of animals and insects?
The rising number of venomous snakes in the camp and the hawks circling overhead were clear signs that the Gaoyue Tribe was about to make their move.
Jiang Pengji’s gaze shifted to Wei Ci, more specifically, to his hands. Fortunately, it was a non-venomous black mamba; if it were a venomous snake, given the medical technology of this era, survival was less than a one in ten chance, and even if rescued, irreversible nerve damage was likely—
“The Gaoyue Tribe has deceitful strategies? What confidence do they have?” Jiang Pengji’s tone was cold, her eyes calm, yet they sensed disdain and contempt, “If the Gaoyue Tribe’s intimidation tactics solely rely on controlling beasts, then—it’s not worth fearing!”
Meng Heng and the others remained outwardly composed but were intrigued within.
Their lord meant business and rarely made baseless claims; could she really have a way to deal with the Gaoyue Tribe?
Even the exceptional strategists like Feng Zhen found the Gaoyue Tribe’s “racial talents” quite troublesome.
Their tactics targeted humans, leaving them vulnerable to the elusive and unpredictable beasts.
And just think about it—if the enemy unleashed a legion of snakes, how would they fight?
Humans have an innate fear of snakes; while non-venomous ones might be manageable, a bite from a venomous snake could spell death.
“Does the lord already have a countermeasure?” Meng Heng asked.
Hearing this, Wei Ci, who had been looking down, also turned his gaze to Jiang Pengji.
In the previous life, Huang Song had dealt with the Gaoyue Tribe.
He won, but the cost was substantial.
In the past, Huang Song had feigned cooperation with the Meng Clan, marrying a concubine from Meng Zhan’s side to expand his influence. After gaining strength, he turned against the Meng Clan. Hitting the Meng Clan inevitably brought him into conflict with their lackeys—the Gaoyue Tribe, and Huang Song paid a significant price for this.
To secure victory, Huang Song had heeded the advice of his strategist, Yang Si, using the winter winds to orchestrate a fiery assault that burned down the entire Luofeng Fort.
No joke—
He burned down the entire Luofeng Fort!
The flames raged for three days and nights!
To avoid retaliation from the Gaoyue Tribe, he stationed guards everywhere, striking down any escaping tribesmen, quietly eliminating the exiled remnants.
Jiang Pengji smiled faintly, unwilling to reveal her secrets.
Feng Zhen suggested, “Beasts fear fire; why not use fire attacks?”
Just as humans fear beasts, beasts also have their own fears.
If the Gaoyue Tribe dared to unleash their beasts upon them, why not show them the consequences of playing with fire?
Wei Ci coldly inserted a retort at Feng Zhen.
“Recently, the winds have been unpredictable; if we rashly launch fire attacks, we might end up burning ourselves rather than the enemy.”
Feng Zhen thought for a moment; Wei Ci was indeed correct—
He had to silently shelve that idea.
Jiang Pengji enjoyed the suspense, and since no one could pry useful information from her, curiosity hung in the air like a cat’s paw teasing for more.
“Zixiao, stay—”
As the crowd dispersed, Wei Ci found himself singled out again. Feng Jin avoided eye contact while Feng Zhen lightly patted his shoulder, but Meng Heng showed no reaction at all.
It was perfectly natural for the lord to hold a discussion with a particular minister; why the surprise?
Wei Ci stepped forward a few paces, taking a seat close to her.
Though it wasn’t the first time he’d been called out, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable.
“Does the wound on your hand still hurt?”
Once bitten by the snake, one lives in fear of the well rope; this shadow would likely follow Wei Ci for quite some time.
Wei Ci shook his head; it hurt at first, but it felt much better after applying medicine—only a slight itch remained at the wound.
“Does the lord really have a way to deal with the Gaoyue Tribe?” Wei Ci pondered, saying, “The Gaoyue Tribe controlling beasts is no mere legend; the lord must not underestimate them. They can command bears, tigers, wolves, and leopards, as well as snakes, insects, and ants. If they use diseased objects carried by those pests to taint the camp’s water supply, we would be at a disadvantage. We absolutely cannot give the Gaoyue Tribe a chance to retaliate—”
Wei Ci wasn’t a nice person, nor was anyone of repute in this era known for their kindness.
In the previous life, Yang Si had burned the Gaoyue Tribe to the ground, and in this life, Wei Ci dared to do the same, even bolder and more ruthless.
Of course, Jiang Pengji’s camp was filled with cunning and scheming individuals, which was quite a novelty.
Aside from Feng Jin, Meng Heng, and Wei Ci, who maintained their honor, the others had cast aside morality, growing quite ruthless.
Jiang Pengji listened intently for a moment, amused, “The Gaoyue Tribe is really that formidable?”
Wei Ci nodded; the Gaoyue Tribe was indeed quite fearsome.
According to what Wei Ci knew, in the previous life, Huang Song suffered greatly at the hands of the Gaoyue Tribe, with a plague outbreak stemming precisely from them.
Jiang Pengji lowered her gaze and chuckled coldly, “No, they’re not that scary. Whether we can fend off the Gaoyue Tribe depends crucially on Zixiao.”
“On me?” Wei Ci was puzzled.
“Yes, on you.” Jiang Pengji replied, “Can you help me find a flute?”
A flute?
Wei Ci was confused, but he didn’t refuse Jiang Pengji’s request.
He was skilled in music and brought several instruments to pass the time, including a jade flute he particularly liked.
“You didn’t know, the lord is also adept in music.”
Jiang Pengji could play the flute? Wei Ci genuinely had no clue; the previous emperor rarely touched such refined instruments.
“There are many things you don’t know—”
Jiang Pengji tested the pitch, and her awkward motions suggested she wasn’t quite a pro.
Just as they were joking, Jiang Pengji seemed to sense something, her gaze shifting to the tent curtain.
As if to confirm her intuition, hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
The Messenger exclaimed breathlessly, “Reporting to the lord, a large number of snakes have suddenly appeared outside the tent—”
The Messenger only said a few words, but the soldiers in the camp were now facing a crisis that would upend their worldview.
The camp sprawled like an unending mountain range, and at some point, patrol guards noticed an increasing number of snakes.
Just finished off one snake, and another reared its head from somewhere.
Colorful snakes flicked their tongues, their cold eyes staring.
They came in all sorts, and just a glance at the densely packed legion made everyone’s hair stand on end—
Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple…
Some were tightly coiled together, crawling toward the encampment, while others slithered along the pillars, hissing menacingly.
Aside from a few non-venomous snakes, most were triangular-headed, with enlarged venom glands peeking behind their eyes!
Where on earth did all these venomous snakes come from?
They questioned if they had set up camp in a snake pit!
