Chapter 1222 – Preparing for Battle, Rest and Recuperation (1)
In different environments, striving for the most advantageous situation has been their survival strategy for many years.
The Feng Clan is no exception; they are just clearer and more decisive in their choices.
From Feng Jue’s understanding of the family, this matter had likely already been settled.
Cheng Jing suddenly asked him, “Actually… I’ve always had one thing I didn’t understand…”
Feng Jue turned his head to look at him, “What matter?”
Cheng Jing said, “What was Huai Zhen’s intention in assisting the Lord? Was it purely youthful friendship?”
Qi Guanrang couldn’t figure out why Wei Ci would go to such lengths to support Jiang Pengji as a strategist, and Cheng Jing also couldn’t understand why Feng Jue would choose to follow Huang Song.
Huang Song trusted Feng Jue greatly, and Feng Jue reciprocated the sentiment towards Huang Song.
There must be a reason for this, right?
Feng Jue felt bemused inside.
Youthful friendship?
It shouldn’t count as one.
Back then, Feng Jin took the pregnant Wei Jingxian to the capital as a hostage, and Feng Jue, being a mischievous brat, followed along.
Bored and restless, he wandered around and serendipitously encountered Huang Song, who was patrolling the capital. He helped Feng Jue out of a tight spot, leading to their acquaintance.
By the time the capital was rocked, Feng Jue had only known Huang Song for three or four months.
How deep can a youthful friendship be in just three or four months?
Cheng Jing saw through Feng Jue’s eyes and pressed on, “Then why?”
“Has Youmo ever thought about what he wants to do?” Feng Jue countered, “Something that won’t make you lose interest quickly.”
Cheng Jing was puzzled, “What does this mean?”
Feng Jue seemed a bit narcissistic as he said, “Since I can remember, I’ve shown a talent that others can’t match, learning everything quickly. Once I’ve mastered it, repeating it day after day becomes terribly boring, even making life feel barren. With nothing to do, isn’t that a waste of time? My actions, my brother disapproved of; he often reprimanded me. But then I encountered the Lord, and my second brother held such deep prejudice against him. When Dongqing shook, as nations clashed, I saw a different kind of ambition in the Lord.”
He saw a spark of ambition in the Lord that even Huang Song hadn’t recognized.
That tiny ambition gave the barren desert of his life a glimmer of hope.
Feng Jue deliberately orchestrated events to push Huang Song from behind the scenes to the front, letting him rise higher and higher, envied and admired, only to later receive a significant blow amidst his accomplishments, being suspected and concealed by the Emperor of Dongqing, thus allowing that ambition to blossom further.
Feng Jin disliked Huang Song, thinking him from a low background and suspicious of his approach towards Feng Jue, believing that Huang Song, restricted by his origins, could never become a great figure. So, Feng Jue decided to do the opposite. What could be more challenging than raising a future emperor?
Even if it was a massive undertaking, Feng Jue delighted in the challenge.
In a certain sense, both the previous life’s Jiang Pengji and this life’s Huang Song were rather pitiful to encounter such a mischievous strategist.
Cheng Jing listened silently for a while, finally grasping what Feng Jue wanted to convey, his gaze towards him carrying a touch of complexity.
If Qi Guanrang and Yang Si are considered unconventional strategists, then Feng Jue is the “mischievous kid” strategist, far more self-willed than the former.
Secretly heartbroken for the Lord!
Feng Jue spoke plainly, “Supporting the Lord, that’s what I want to do, something that won’t make me lose interest quickly.”
He didn’t have the perseverance and faith like Han Yu and the others who relentlessly pursued the “Tao,” only a carefree attitude.
I do whatever I want; it’s nobody’s business—
Yes, he is that willful!
Cheng Jing: “…”
Sigh, still feeling a bit more heartbroken for the Lord.
Huang Song’s two days of reflection were indeed effective; it was definitely not just lip service, but rather he earnestly put it into practice.
However, the serious discord among his civil and military forces couldn’t be resolved with just a few words; a hefty dose of medicine was required.
Huang Song analyzed the conflicts among everyone and groaned incessantly.
The tears shed now were entirely the water once poured into his brain.
Resolving the discord between civil and military affairs hinges on Huang Song; as long as he, the Lord, maintains balance, the morale below will naturally clear up. To this end, Huang Song organized a public relations crisis and held a banquet, inviting the civil and military officials under his command to attend.
At the banquet, Huang Song seized the chance of “drunkenness,” with red-rimmed eyes, heartbrokenly reflecting on his own faults while also playing the tragic card, creating an atmosphere of external enemies lurking and internal hazards looming. He didn’t criticize others but took all the blame himself, causing everyone present to blush and reconsider their own actions.
Huang Song was a master actor; his performance exceeded expectations, producing even better results than he had anticipated.
After a series of emphatic interventions, the atmosphere among everyone transformed dramatically.
Time was not on Huang Song’s side; Jiang Pengji could recover in a few months, and the earliest she could start a war would be next spring, and at the latest, by next autumn.
Huang Song was like a student who had just wasted a summer vacation, staying up late to finish homework right before school started.
Even if he managed to complete the assignment just in time, his learning efficiency couldn’t compare to that of a diligent, solidly grounded student.
As the strongest lord within Dongqing, every move Jiang Pengji made would undoubtedly attract heightened scrutiny from neighboring powers.
Huang Song, needless to say, was currently nestled within his own territory, quietly growing stronger while waiting for the right opportunity.
Another “neighbor,” separated by the Zhanjiang Pass, was also secretly observing her.
While he cleared internal hazards, he had to keep an eye on enemy movements.
“Ahem, ahem—Any further news, continue to report to me—”
Nie Liang finished speaking, and Wei Ying brought over the perfectly warm medicine, watching Nie Liang drink it all.
Wei Ying said, “Mm.”
Nie Liang choked down the bitter medicine, coughing for a while before finally catching his breath, his bloodshot eyes filled with tears.
“If I had known Liu Xi was a source of trouble, I would have never imagined she could break through continuously in a dire situation. Now, she’s become a tough character.”
Wei Ying replied, “This isn’t surprising; after all, it was Zixiao who selected her.”
Without the qualifications to vie for power, how could Wei Ci have chosen her?
Which warlord doesn’t step over the bones of their enemies to rise up?
Nie Liang’s gaze was cold as moonlight, flickering with strands of light.
There were numerous hidden dangers within the Nie Clan; he was already pondering ways to address them.
He held no ambition and wasn’t keen on power; the old Nie Liang simply wanted to assist the clan leader in rising to power, but it was different now.
If he didn’t seize the opportunity, would he just watch the Nie family’s heritage be squandered by a mob of greedy individuals?
Though the Nie Clan appeared to be thriving, in reality, it was on the decline.
From what he knew of Jiang Pengji, this woman’s ambition wouldn’t stop at merely ruling Dongqing.
The Nie Clan, or Zhong Zhao, was likewise a piece of meat she craved.
If Nie Liang wanted to protect the Nie Clan, he had to compete and seize.
Only by becoming the ultimate victor would the Nie Clan be safe.
“Ahem—Zishun, my mouth is a bit bitter; help me get some candied fruit—”
Of course, before that, he had to recover his health.
The state of the world is like the clouds in the sky; they move with the wind, still when it stops.
Jiang Pengji leads troops to stir up the Southern forces of Dongqing, and once she’s done, she’ll return home with a trove of spoils and achievements.
“Another year has passed; what should we eat for this year’s New Year banquet?”
While the people on the opposing side were furrowing their brows, she was daydreaming about the feast for the New Year.
