Chapter 1282 – Cutting Down Huang Song, Unifying Dongqing (24)
Thanks to Hua Yuan’s stroke of genius, Yuan Xin didn’t care about Jiang Pengji at all.
Jiang Pengji was also puzzled.
“I just gave Yuan Xin a good beating for the ambush; how did he suddenly become so obedient?”
Without Yuan Xin causing trouble, Jiang Pengji found it rather unusual, fearing the road ahead would be filled with pits, but to her surprise, it was smooth sailing.
Until she met up with Feng Jin and the others, she encountered no obstacles whatsoever.
What a joke! Yuan Xin was busy saving his own skin; after losing all the grain in Chenzhou, he didn’t have the energy to block her.
If it weren’t for the reserves left in the military camp, he might have been the one running out of supplies by now.
Feng Jin, hearing Jiang Pengji’s words, was equally astonished. “Yuan Xin is nothing but a reckless warrior, known for his violent temperament. Since our Lord has been causing chaos in Chenzhou for so long, there’s no way he’d just let it go. Yet there hasn’t been a decent obstacle along the way; this is too unusual.”
Jiang Pengji shrugged and complained, “Yuan Xin really is an enigma. He seemed to have the talent back like he was born with it, then suddenly pulled a stunt, just letting me lead my troops away—where did Boge dig up this live treasure from?”
If Huang Song could hear her, he might just shed tears of injustice.
If he could help it, he wouldn’t want to unearth such a treasure at all.
While other treasures are a joy to have, Yuan Xin was a walking disaster for him.
Feng Jin automatically ignored the disparaging remarks about Yuan Xin from his Lord and laughed, “Let’s check it out; we’ll see what kind of trickery is going on.”
When they sent someone to investigate, they discovered the atmosphere in Chenzhou was incredibly strange, with whispers and rumors flying like crazy; Jiang Pengji even suspected something had happened to Huang Song.
“Could it be Boge…”
Jiang Pengji thought maliciously.
Feng Jin shook his head. If something had happened to Huang Song, there’d be no reason for the front lines to be quiet while Chenzhou was in a panic.
Most likely, something big happened in Chenzhou—not a small matter!
Jiang Pengji boldly said, “Then let’s investigate further; after all, no one is more anxious about what happened in Chenzhou than Boge.”
Feng Jin: “…”
What the Lord said made a lot of sense, indeed, such wise words—just kidding!
Normally, she’s the most carefree, but the moment someone crosses her, she explodes like firecrackers.
Yuan Xin could keep some mouths closed, but he couldn’t seal them all, especially since the grain in Chenzhou had been snatched away by a new power, leaving the informed nervous. Losing grain meant the first ones to suffer were their own interests; sooner or later, someone would spill the beans.
What are the most plastic words in the world?
Nothing beats—
“For the sake of brotherhood, I’m telling you this; just don’t let it leak, okay?”
“I won’t say a thing! Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know! Just don’t worry!”
Within days, that so-called secret would be all over the place.
With the grain gone, everyone faced the pressure of survival, so the so-called secrets could hardly be kept under wraps.
Jiang Pengji quickly solved the mystery, finding out Yuan Xin’s true reason for not obstructing her.
“This, this Yuan Xin… his moves are so slick, it’s amazing how he sold out his teammates!” Jiang Pengji couldn’t help but give Yuan Xin a thumbs up. This time, he didn’t just mess with Chenzhou’s common people; he left his own master, Huang Song, in a bloody mess. “I wonder what Boge’s reaction will be when he hears this news; he might need some heart-saving pills… No, I must prepare a feast to celebrate!”
Feng Jin dreaded hearing Jiang Pengji’s nonsensical chatter because most of it flew way over his head, like they were on different channels.
Yang Si found it fascinating; piecing together the context, he could roughly guess the meaning of every nonsense remark, and the more he listened, the more he found it amusing.
He thought that when he got old, he could write a book to reminisce about his master’s bonkers remarks; it might even make him famous!
Feng Jin looked at Jiang Pengji with a helpless expression.
The Lord was already a grown adult in her twenties, yet she still acted so lively and carefree!
One shouldn’t be too superficial in enjoying others’ misfortunes. It’s good enough to be secretly amused; if all else fails, just laugh in the room alone.
Jiang Pengji continued, “If Yuan Xin wasn’t from the Yuan family, Boge might even suspect he was my undercover agent.”
Yuan Xin truly was a master at sabotaging his own teammates.
Feng Jin remarked, “Lord, this is an excellent opportunity to take over all of Chenzhou.”
“Yeah, I know.” Jiang Pengji responded, “Calculating the time, I’ve also been ‘sick’ for almost three months now; it’s about time I got better. My trusted confidants know I’m just faking it, but the soldiers and common people don’t. Long time without showing my face would cause unrest, and the enemy might exploit it.”
If more time passed, rumors might spread that Jiang Pengji had even passed away from illness.
Jiang Pengji was well aware of her own power dynamics; she had suppressed those with ambitions through strong means, cutting off their paths to profits. She had remained powerful, forcing the others to lie low. If she showed weakness or became overwhelmed, others would rise against her; it’s a constant push and pull. Jiang Pengji didn’t want them to lose control—
Unbeknownst to her, powers within Hujun were already stirring.
Feng Jin asked, “What does the Lord imply…”
Jiang Pengji replied, “I must leave; you and Meng Xiaowei will handle the matters in Chenzhou on your own.”
With Chenzhou gravely weakened, they had no capability to cross the gorge and ambush Cangzhou, leaving Jiang Pengji worry-free.
Feng Jin said, “Understood, I won’t let the Lord down.”
Just as Feng Jin was ready to take Yuan Xin to task, someone else struck first.
Yuan Xin’s troops hadn’t recovered the grain, and he hadn’t even seen a trace of Hua Yuan; his mood was stormy and irritable.
He had good cards in hand that had been messed up this way; Yuan Xin felt too ashamed to face Huang Song.
Alcohol is great for venting emotions, and being a drinker himself, Yuan Xin went for it without question.
However, Yuan Xin had a bad temper when drunk; he liked to throw tantrums and would lash out or insult anyone who dared come near him during his rages. Nie Xun knew this all too well. He should’ve stepped in at that moment, but—
“Xun’s injury is serious, and the military doctor said he needs to rest and recuperate until he heals, or else there’s a risk of rupturing the wound…” Nie Xun’s face was pale, with concern etched across his features. “The General has been drowning his worries in liquor for days, neglecting business. If the enemy seized an opportunity, not only would we lose our lives, but we would also fail to meet the Lord’s expectations and lose all of Chenzhou. Xun has a humble request and hopes the two Vice Generals can assist. Could you both persuade the General to drink less and pay more attention to military affairs? If this works out, I’ll definitely be grateful and recommend you both well before the Lord.”
Just helping to persuade the General to drink less could earn the military advisor a favor?
The two Vice Generals were quite tempted and immediately agreed.
Little did they know that Nie Xun’s selection of them wasn’t random and held deeper intentions.
