Chapter 1095 – Counterstrike (Part Three)
Feng Jue’s worries were naturally shared by everyone under Jiang Pengji’s command.
“The lesser evil must be chosen over the greater, and the greater benefits over the lesser. The Yellow Governor is no ordinary man; if he relinquishes Cangzhou, he can rest and cultivate for a few years, and then he could become a hidden threat to our lord,” Feng Zhen said, narrowing his eyes with a glimmer of calculation. “In contrast, while Chenzhou is a wealthy place, it has been greatly weakened because of the royal family, making it unlikely to recover quickly.”
In a chaotic world, just because things develop well doesn’t mean they will last.
If one’s fists aren’t strong enough, even managing a territory excellently would just mean creating a beautiful outfit for the opponent.
After much plotting, they firmly believed that Cangzhou’s value outweighed that of Chenzhou, and it would be ideal to trade for the two prefectures with Huang Song.
Li Yun stared at the Kunyu map, feeling a wave of anxiety.
“If that’s the case… wouldn’t we be facing a siege on all sides?”
With the Yi Clan from Beiyuan, the Nie Clan from Zhong Zhao, and Huang Song and Xu Pei within Dongqing, the first two had powerful forces, while the latter two enjoyed natural geographical advantages. If all four teamed up to assault them, the battle lines would stretch far too thin, putting their lord in a perilous and passive position.
Feng Zhen furrowed his brow slightly, helplessly adding, “Han Mei, this choice is unavoidable. If our lord takes Chenzhou, the defense would be too taxing. If we do nothing, the Yellow Governor can seize Haozhou, Chenzhou, and Cangzhou, putting our lord’s situation in equal danger.”
Since all three paths were so treacherous, they might as well choose the most advantageous one.
So what if they faced a siege from all directions?
They would surely find a way to break the deadlock; if they couldn’t even muster that little confidence, how could they aim for the top in the hunt for glory?
Li Yun contemplated carefully, his fair and handsome face showing some distress.
He wished he could move mountains and cleanse the world for his lord!
Meng Heng deep in thought seemed to arrive at a realization, his tightly knit brows gradually relaxing.
Noticing his expression, Jiang Pengji asked, “Shi Jiu, do you have a brilliant strategy?”
Meng Heng stepped forward, saying, “I thought of the vertical and horizontal school of thought.”
“Vertical and horizontal school?”
Meng Heng nodded. “It’s one of the Hundred Schools of Thought, promoting the strategies of alliance and counter-alliance. The first prime minister of the Great Xia, Huangfu Xiu, integrated the strengths of all schools, using the strategies of the vertical and horizontal school to engage distant nations and attack nearby ones, ultimately assisting the founding emperor in unifying the nine provinces. If our lord exchanges for the two prefectures of Cangzhou from the Yellow Governor, it may seem like a dire predicament of facing enemies on all sides, but with the strategy of counter-alliance, there will surely be a glimmer of hope.”
At the outset of the Great Xia, there was a moment when the Hundred Schools debated and flourished, with different schools vying for attention amid a rich academic atmosphere. This trend didn’t last long; when Prime Minister Huangfu Xiu was executed, the court ordered a singular respect for Confucianism, suppressing other schools.
To this day, the Hundred Schools have resumed, but Confucianism remains the dominant leader, occupying most of the market, while other schools keep a low profile.
Just as Jiang Pengji was about to listen closely, the corner of her eye caught the live stream comments.
【月之殇嬅】: The vertical and horizontal school, but this world doesn’t seem to have the Seven Warring States. How could there be alliances and counteralliances?
【就是不错】: This world has the Analects of Confucius. Why can’t there be alliances and counteralliances? It’s normal to have similar thoughts.
【小笼包】: Distant alliances and nearby attacks, eh? This host’s world probably doesn’t have Premier Zhou, right? It feels super awkward, so out of place.
【老司机联萌】: The term distant alliances and nearby attacks comes from the “Strategies of the Warring States”—”One should form distant alliances and attack the nearby.” The core idea is to forge connections with far-off countries while attacking the close ones; I find it not awkward at all.
【蓝色蝶衣】: During the Warring States period, the Qin state could fight six and still emerge victorious. The host here is only facing four, what’s there to be afraid of!
Seeing these comments, Jiang Pengji’s mood lifted considerably.
Facing just four enemies? She wasn’t scared one bit.
She gestured for Meng Heng to continue, and after a brief hesitation, he said, “While the Yi Clan from Beiyuan is powerful, they aren’t without concerns. Our lord might consider covertly winning over the Beiyuan royal family or other noble clans, using this to tie down the Yi Clan, keeping them too occupied to deal with anything else.”
Beiyuan was rather peculiar; the royal family was weak, and power lay in the hands of several major noble clans.
The Yi Clan also had rivals; it wouldn’t be impossible to dispatch a messenger to instigate and persuade.
By leveraging this idea, it could also apply to the other clans.
For this matter, they continued their secret meeting for quite some time, eventually allowing the originally furrowed brows to slowly ease.
Though it was a risky move, if executed well, it could lead to a scenario of rising from the dead.
Wei Ci, sitting at the lower seat, watched Jiang Pengji’s side profile, his gaze like spring water, shimmering with intoxicating softness.
He felt grateful that fate had given him a second chance, allowing him to make up for his past life’s regrets and witness this person rise to power once more.
Lost in thought, his fingertips brushed against something warm and moist.
Looking down, he found the black-and-white meatball nudging his hand with its nose, its innocent black eyes sparkling up at him.
The little meatball tried to lick his fingers, attempting to extract something but, after a while of silence, it looked as dejected as an idle fish that lost its dreams.
Wei Ci chuckled quietly.
To avoid disturbing others, he subtly used his sleeve to cover it, holding it onto his lap while pulling out some pre-cooked soft jerky.
Fortunately, the meeting concluded quickly. Wei Ci seemingly relaxed as he carried the meatball out, scanning around to locate the attendant taking care of it.
The attendant, intimidated by the main tent, could only stand there anxiously wiping sweat.
He had only dozed off for a moment, not realizing that the military strategist had let his beloved pet slip away.
Wei Ci smiled as he reassured, “Take good care of it; don’t let it run amok in the camp, or it might get snatched away for a meal.”
The attendant kept nodding, just as he was about to lift the meatball, he awkwardly noticed it had all four claws clinging tightly to Wei Ci’s sleeve, whining pathetically as if it were accusing him of abandoning a wife and child. Wei Ci gently patted its head, soothingly remarking, “Don’t get upset.”
The attendant secretly shot glances at Wei Ci, seeing his gentle demeanor and couldn’t help but gasp internally.
Truly, this gentleman seemed like a celestial being, looking exquisite in everything he did.
“Those in the know realize you’re just raising a pet; those who don’t would think you’re raising a child.”
Feng Zhen followed suit, noticing Wei Ci’s “fatherly” demeanor, pure and natural, far more adept than even the Old Driver.
“If Zixiao had children, wouldn’t you spoil them to the heavens?”
Feng Zhen teased, but Wei Ci’s expression dimmed slightly.
His tone turned cold as he replied, “Overindulgence can lead to ruin.”
“Zixiao understands, he doesn’t seem like someone who is childless.”
Wei Ci shot a glance, as if questioning—
Is that your excuse for making things difficult for Feng Yi?
Feng Zhen awkwardly switched topics, “Ahem—let’s not discuss this—does Zixiao support our lord using the counter-alliance strategy?”
“He does support it, but the candidates are still undecided,” Wei Ci replied. “Huang Song and Xu Pei are manageable, we know their ins and outs, but the Yi Clan from Beiyuan and the Nie Clan from Zhong Zhao aren’t so easily dealt with.”
Discussing strategies on paper is easy; putting them into action is the hard part.
