Chapter 1453 – Sun Wen’s Mission (Part 1)
Nie Liang?
Qi Guanrang and the others exchanged bewildered glances; they hadn’t caught wind of anything.
Wei Ci stepped forward and said, “When the Lord mentioned this, it reminded me of a matter. A few years ago, the Nie Clan sent Nie Liang as an envoy to Dongqing, attempting to pressure the Lord into handing over Cangzhou. In the end, the Nie Clan returned empty-handed, and Nie Liang and his party left in haste…”
Qi Guanrang interjected, “Nie Liang’s health has been poor since that time?”
Wei Ci sighed and asked Jiang Pengji for forgiveness, continuing, “My elder brother is Nie Liang’s right-hand man. Behind the scenes, he had me check Nie Liang’s pulse, and I was horrified to find that his food and medicine had been tampered with with insidious poisons, greatly diminishing his lifespan. Even with careful nurture afterward, he probably won’t last long. I’ve heard… Nie Liang has been embroiled in power struggles with the elders, needing to oversee matters personally, leaving him little time for self-care…”
This indirectly confirmed Jiang Pengji’s intelligence.
Of course, Jiang Pengji didn’t blame Wei Ci; he had already been candid about this matter years ago.
Qi Guanrang furrowed his brow, “Our spies haven’t reported anything about Nie Liang being sick or weak.”
Not only that, the spies even found out that Nie Liang demanded two large bowls of food at every meal and often rode horses to hunt, looking in peak condition.
Does that look like someone on the brink of death?
Jiang Pengji asked, “What does Wen Zheng mean?”
Qi Guanrang looked at Jiang Pengji with a hint of helplessness; their leader was resolutely determined to change the plan.
“Changing tactics at the last moment has significant repercussions. If not handled properly, it could shake the morale of our troops; I urge the Lord to reconsider.”
Jiang Pengji naturally had considered this point, leading to a stalemate, and the meeting was temporarily adjourned.
Wei Ci and Qi Guanrang left one after the other.
Qi Guanrang asked Wei Ci, “What’s our degree of confidence in this matter?”
Wei Ci replied, “Nie Liang’s health is indeed poor, and he hasn’t had time to nurture himself properly. Over these years, he’s probably sustained himself with potent medicines. Optimistically, he might have just this year left. Pessimistically, he could cling on for another two or three years… but his days are numbered.”
In his past life, Nie Liang also fell around this time, and it was far from glorious.
Nie Liang’s poor health was common knowledge, but only a few knew that his death bore ulterior motives, and Wei Ci happened to be among them. In his previous life, Nie Liang trusted no one but his elder brother, Wei Ying. Wei Ying quietly invited Wei Ci to their home to check Nie Liang’s pulse, and from the pulse, it was clear that Nie Liang was poisoned to the core. The doctor hired by the Nie Clan stubbornly insisted it was a congenital weakness along with wind-cold… obviously prescribing the wrong medication and worsening his condition.
Wei Ci helped Nie Liang recover for a while, purging most of the toxins, but still couldn’t save his life.
What can you do when Nie Liang was so competent? The Nie Clan’s fifth branch was practically invincible, how could the other uncles and elders tolerate it?
In his previous life, Nie Liang never struck against his relatives, or rather, by the time he discovered he was being poisoned by them, it was already too late.
At his death, Nie Liang entrusted his child to his friend Wei Ying.
Wei Ying didn’t fail to live up to his friend’s trust; not only did he marry his daughter to him, but he also raised him as his own.
Thinking of this, Wei Ci pictured the youthful face of a smiling young man.
He had interacted with Nie Liang’s eldest son, Nie Qing, a few times and harbored a good impression of the youth.
Nie Qing didn’t enjoy the benefits brought by the Nie clan’s renown; instead, he was heavily burdened by it, repeatedly getting caught up and suffering greatly, making for a lamentable situation.
In the eighteenth year of Yongchen, the emperor was bedridden for several months, and the aristocracy was stirring. The Crown Prince Zhang Zuo was pressing for a coup under the support of his followers.
It was more of a farce than a coup, and the protagonist “Crown Prince Zhang Zuo” was completely in the dark, becoming a puppet in others’ hands. Meanwhile, the aristocracy played their part in the shadows. Besides the likes of the Nie Clan and Wei Clan, many other families also got involved, stirring up a storm in the court.
Based on Wei Ci’s understanding of the young Emperor Jiang Yan, none of these troublemakers were likely to end well. And so it was; shortly after the late Emperor was buried, the young Emperor decisively swept through the court, and none of the involved clans emerged unscathed, each suffering immense losses.
This was Wei Ci’s past life; today, everything had changed drastically.
The once auxiliary Nie Liang had unexpectedly become the leader, transforming into the head of the Nie Clan.
However, some things remained unchanged; Nie Liang was still destined to die young.
In the past, Sun Wen extended the Nie Clan’s lifespan, but now—
Hehe.
Wei Ci calculated the time and couldn’t help but feel relieved.
After the internal strife within the Nie Clan, the third branch became the ultimate victor, and in the end, a young man named Nie Yang rose to the top.
Nie Yang had ambitions, but unfortunately lacked a bit of luck; by that time, the Nie Clan was beyond saving.
Qi Guanrang remarked, “The difference between one year and two or three years is not trivial; the Lord seems steadfast in her decision.”
“The Lord has this temperament; once she sets her mind on something, even ten oxen couldn’t pull her back.”
Qi Guanrang fanned himself in distress and asked, “Do you have a perfect solution?”
“With the military strengths being roughly equal, swapping generals at this point isn’t ideal; it would be better to stick to the current plan and increase logistics support.”
For other lords, when they focus their efforts on a particular target, their elite forces would be mobilized for the assault, leaving their defenses relatively weak. Because of the terrain buff, the quality of their soldiers could be somewhat lower. Jiang Pengji’s forces were different; they were all rigorously trained, with only a few newly recruited soldiers; the rest were elite troops with high overall standards.
Thus, there wasn’t a significant difference whether an army went on the offense or defense.
Therefore, Wei Ci suggested ramping up resources to build more logistical equipment to mitigate the risks of changing plans at the last moment.
Qi Guanrang lamented, “If we do that, the grain supply will become tight, making winter difficult.”
Transporting and manufacturing equipment also needed cooks, and cooks also needed food; obviously, grain expenses would soar.
That would be astronomical, well beyond the budget.
A food shortage during warfare spells doom!
Wei Ci responded, “This isn’t a solution; instead… why not have Wen Zheng persuade the Lord to reconsider?”
Qi Guanrang scoffed.
Wei Ci had an established rapport with the Lord; if he couldn’t sway her, Qi Guanrang would likely return empty-handed.
At this moment, Sun Wen quietly approached Jiang Pengji to express his intentions.
“You wish to visit the Nie camp? Why?”
The two families were clearly on the brink of confrontation, and Sun Wen truly had the guts to go.
Sun Wen said, “Is the Lord certain that Nie Liang won’t last long?”
Jiang Pengji didn’t give a definitive answer, “Sixty percent certainty.”
Sun Wen replied, “Sixty percent is sufficient; whether Nie Liang is genuinely sick or playing pretend, a firsthand look will reveal everything.”
“What if they detain you?”
While neither army held the right to detain envoys, it didn’t preclude them from acting wickedly and keeping people forcefully detained.
Sun Wen laughed, “I’m just an old bone; nothing to cherish.”
Jiang Pengji, visibly displeased, said, “Life is incredibly precious! If you don’t value your own life, who will care for Sun Lan’s?”
Sun Lan hadn’t grown up yet; could Sun Wen really bear that?
Upon hearing this, Sun Wen could only force a smile and change his tune, ultimately persuading Jiang Pengji to allow him to visit the Nie camp.
What was framed as pre-war negotiations was, in reality, a mission to probe the truth about Nie Liang’s condition.
