Chapter 1075 – The Grief of the Meng Clan (Part 2)
In the world of the five nations, the terrain is vast, and each country boasts a unique climate.
Among them, Zhong Zhao is the largest in area, the most fertile in land, and the strongest in national power—always coveted and admired by the other four nations, yet none dared to lay a finger on it.
Dongqing and Xichang enjoy a mild and temperate climate, but the former suffers from internal strife, and the latter is too small to hold any significant advantage among the five.
Beiyuan is a cold and bitter land, with long winters and short springs and summers, positioned even further north than the Northern Frontier, where the people are known for their fierce spirit.
As for Nansheng?
It’s damp and rainy, with heavy miasma, crisscrossed by numerous rivers and streams, and currently smothered by the four southern tribes that have destroyed its state—better left unmentioned.
The Dongqing royal family exists in name only, while Zhong Zhao has its lords entrenched, and Beiyuan is dominated by noble families.
Speaking of Beiyuan, the Yi Clan is more impressive than even the Beiyuan royal family!
Jiang Pengji’s thoughts drifted to Meng Zhan’s past linking with the Northern Frontier, causing her once warm expression to darken in an instant.
If Meng Zhan were truly mad enough to open the Zhanjiang Pass and Yumen Pass, inviting wolves into the house, the already chaotic situation in Dongqing would become utterly dire.
The black-and-white meatball in her arms let out a few whimpers, seemingly sensing the oppressive aura around her, appearing quite aggrieved.
Jiang Pengji ran her fingers through the fur of the meatball, gently massaging it to soothe its emotions.
“Is Zixiao worried that the powers of Zhong Zhao and Beiyuan will meddle in Dongqing?” Jiang Pengji said, “That worry isn’t unfounded—Meng Clan would go so far as to collaborate with the Northern Frontier to make things difficult for me. Now that they’ve been driven to a dead end, there’s no guarantee they won’t act recklessly.”
The Meng Clan would ruin others at their own expense, preferring to hand over Cangzhou to someone else rather than let it fall into Jiang Pengji’s hands.
Jiang Pengji smirked, scoffing, “What’s the big deal about killing just one bastard son? That old geezer Meng Zhan still holds a grudge after seven or eight years—”
Wei Ci showed an expression of helplessness.
If Meng Zhan were to hear those words, he’d probably explode with rage.
What do you mean “just killing one bastard son”?
Meng Zhan’s offspring are scant; losing one would feel like losing flesh.
Jiang Pengji bent down to pinch the meatball’s paws, holding its tiny feet in her hands while playing with them, saying, “Zixiao’s words remind me of something—compared to the powers of Zhong Zhao and Beiyuan, we should be more worried about Bagao—”
Wei Ci was taken aback.
“Does the Lord mean that the threat from Huangzhou’s governor is greater?”
“It’s not that Bagao’s threat is greater, but I’m concerned that the Meng Clan is harboring ulterior motives, aiming to pull off a sneak attack. Not only have they linked up with the Yi Clan of Beiyuan and the Nie Clan of Zhong Zhao, but I fear they may have secretly contacted Bagao as well.” She smiled breezily, her eyes shimmering with a hint of calculation, “The Yi Clan of Beiyuan and the Nie Clan of Zhong Zhao, while powerful, have too shallow a foundation in Dongqing. If that old geezer Meng Zhan gives away Cangzhou, those two may not be able to hold it down. Conversely, if he’s handing over Cangzhou to Bagao, then it would truly belong to Bagao, and what could I possibly do? Snatch it from their hands?”
If foreign forces are being handed out, there’s no reason for closer vassal forces to refuse.
To be blunt, Meng Zhan wants to create more hatred for Jiang Pengji before he dies.
Wei Ci, thinking along those lines, turned pale as a sheet.
Based on his understanding of Meng Zhan, there’s a high probability he would do just that.
Wait a minute—
A flash of inspiration struck Wei Ci, and he suddenly understood something, his expression turning extremely grave.
“Lord—this is bad!”
“What happened?” Jiang Pengji asked.
“The Meng Clan might be out of troops—” Wei Ci replied, “Ever since entering the Cangzhou territory, our army has faced the greatest resistance from the Gaoyue Tribe. After annihilating the Gaoyue Tribe, we advanced into Qianyanguan without encountering any meaningful resistance, which is already unusual. I thought it was merely a trap set by the Meng Clan, but now I think it’s highly likely they’re short on forces. Meng Zhan directly pulled troops from Qianyanguan to tightly guard Mengjun, creating a false impression of having a full force to mislead us, while secretly arranging to hand over Cangzhou—”
The Meng Clan’s military overspending left Cangzhou significantly weakened, and with the Gaoyue Tribe wiped out, the outcome remains the same if the Meng Clan continues to stubbornly resist—most of Cangzhou will inevitably fall into Jiang Pengji’s hands—if so, it would be wiser to calculate carefully while there’s still some maneuverability in the situation.
Using the largely worthless Cangzhou to create some formidable adversaries for Jiang Pengji, that’s a bargain deal.
With that thought in mind, Jiang Pengji’s expression darkened a few shades.
“Send scouts to infiltrate Mengjun and gather intelligence on just how many troops they really have—”
Jiang Pengji’s response was remarkably swift, but she still underestimated Meng Zhan’s madness.
Long before he tricked the Gaoyue Tribe into their demise, Meng Zhan had sent several letters behind the scenes to the Nie Clan of Zhong Zhao and the Yi Clan of Beiyuan.
As long as both agreed to send troops, Cangzhou would be handed over willingly.
While waiting for their response, Meng Zhan also wrote a secret letter to Huang Song.
The letter detailed the grievances between the Meng Clan and Jiang Pengji, a heartfelt plea that could be regarded as a “how-to” manual on playing the victim.
Initially, Huang Song didn’t believe it, but with such a free meal dropping from the sky, not taking a bite seemed foolish.
A pie falling from the sky isn’t quite what it’s cracked up to be.
Accepting the Cangzhou offered by Meng Zhan would undoubtedly lead to conflict with Jiang Pengji later.
Huang Song hadn’t yet taken Chenzhou; his forces were too weak to challenge Jiang Pengji head-on.
Accept?
Or not?
At a critical moment, Nie Xun stepped forward and proposed a cunning plan.
“If the Meng Clan is willing to secretly dispatch troops to Chenzhou, then we should accept the benefits Meng Zhan promised.”
Huang Song didn’t grasp it immediately, but the other strategists under his command quickly understood, looking at Nie Xun with startled eyes.
Nie Xun was suggesting that the Meng Clan take the blame for eliminating the royal family; thus, the name of traitors and rebel factions would fall on the Meng Clan, allowing Huang Song to fight under the banner of justice and rightfully take Chenzhou. If not, Huang Song would inevitably face some stigma in his bid to seize Chenzhou.
Despite the royal family’s flaws, they are still the royal family!
All the lords of Dongqing coveted the lands of Chenzhou, but with the royal family there, none of them wanted to be the first to take the plunge.
If the Meng Clan was willing to carry the infamous legacy, Huang Song could attack Chenzhou not just without guilt, but earn merit.
When Huang Song conveyed this sentiment to Meng Zhan, Meng Zhan nearly exploded with a fury that made his forehead vein bulge and, in his rage, overturned everything he could.
“That young brat Huang Song—he’s got some serious ambition for someone so young—”
Refusing to bear any stigma, but wanting to swallow the benefits whole—what a glutton!
Once Meng Zhan’s rage subsided, he picked up his pen with trembling fingers, writing a reply to Huang Song while wrestling with his complex emotions.
As he suppressed his anger, he penned the letter, swallowing down the iron taste rising in his throat.
“Ambition is good, isn’t it?—with ambition, one can keep fighting against Liu Xi for a long time—”
If Huang Song turned out to be a complete weakling incapable of blocking Jiang Pengji’s cavalry, wouldn’t that be worth spitting blood over?
Unbeknownst to Jiang Pengji, Huang Song and Meng Zhan reached a tacit agreement.
Meng Zhan would send troops to charge into Chenzhou, annihilating the royal family, while Huang Song would follow up to “rescue” them!
But alas, by the time Huang Song arrived, the royal family was wiped out, leaving not a single survivor.
Huang Song had no choice but to “reluctantly” take over the mess.
As Jiang Pengji dispatched scouts to investigate the exact troop strength in Mengjun, Huang Song had already discreetly taken control of Chenzhou.
Not only that, but Huang Song also swiftly took another county in Cangzhou, laying siege to Mengjun.
Once Mengjun surrendered, Huang Song would control two counties of Cangzhou!
