Chapter 1456 – Sun Wen’s Mission (Four)
After speaking, Sun Wen raised his head to look at Nie Liang, seemingly waiting for a response.
Inside the tent, over thirty people were seated—scholars in towering hats and imposing military generals—yet it was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Many directed their attention toward Sun Wen; some looked disdainful, others contemptuous, and a few even stood up to counter him.
The person who stepped forward was none other than Fan Chen, who had just been joking with Sun Wen a moment ago.
“How can the truth be turned upside down in a pretentious manner? From what I know, it is obviously the intention of Lord Lan Ting to move into Zhangzhou, and Governor Yang Tao of Zhangzhou had no choice but to send envoys to seek an alliance with our Lord to protect his common people and soldiers. Why has this become a fault of our Lord in your words?” Without waiting for Nie Liang to speak, Fan Chen objected, “My Lord is known for his kindness and benevolence; after hearing the sincere plea of the envoy, he agreed to send troops for assistance. If Lord Lan Ting knew, he should actively withdraw his troops and settle the conflict. Does anyone think this reasoning is unwarranted?”
Sun Wen smiled and replied, “By your logic, is Lord Guangshan intending to be the mediator? If so, Lord Guangshan could simply write to inform our Lord. Knowing Lord Guangshan’s character, would our Lord really refuse him? If the three families could communicate peacefully, would it have come to this? Lord Guangshan did not inform our Lord before bringing over two hundred thousand troops to camp outside Zhanjiang Pass, sharpening their swords. How could our Lord ignore it?”
If Nie Liang truly deployed troops for the good of Yang Tao, why not write a letter to advise him first?
Without further ado, Nie Liang brought over twenty thousand soldiers to threaten Zhanjiang Pass; what did that mean?
Was Nie Liang trying to play peacemaker or covet the territory of Dongqing?
As the audience would say, isn’t this acting like a bandit while wanting to build a reputation for righteousness?
Clearly, it was an act of robbery, yet they insist on wrapping it up in a seemingly legitimate title—hypocritical!
In contrast, our own Lord Jiang Pengji’s approach is refreshingly straightforward, showing no fuss over excuses.
【Because you would attack me in the future, I must now send troops to eliminate you; making up a reason is just how it goes.】
Even the blind could see how ridiculous Jiang Pengji’s reasoning was, but did she mind?
Fan Chen’s expression changed; before he could refute, another colleague stepped forward to question Sun Wen, “I’ve heard that Lord Lan Ting is restrained by the Huang Song and Xu Pei families; Governor Yang Tao of Zhangzhou once led troops a thousand miles away to Dongqing to aid Lord Lan Ting against his enemies?”
Sun Wen replied, “Business is business. Even though our Lord received assistance from Lord Zheng Ze, it was to avenge his father’s murder. Do you not know that Lord Zheng Ze’s father’s murderer, Zhao Shao, was enticed by Xu Pei and became a guest under his command, sheltered by him?”
An alliance is an alliance, but Yang Tao is no saint; traveling so far is not for righteousness but revenge.
Don’t paint Yang Tao as some white lotus; I, Sun Wen, don’t buy it.
“Nevertheless, there’s indeed a bond of alliance between Lord Lan Ting and Yang Tao.”
Sun Wen acknowledged, “That is indeed true.”
The man continued with a smirk, “If we recount the allies of Lord Lan Ting, it seems none have ended well.”
Jiang Pengji allied with Xu Pei, but that resulted in her invading Shanweng City, leading to Xu Pei’s unfortunate demise.
Jiang Pengji allied with Huang Song, and they ended up tearing each other apart; Huang Song’s forces were defeated at Changye, and though he didn’t die, life lost all meaning.
Jiang Pengji allied with Yang Tao, and look, they were just getting ready to tear into each other, the result still uncertain.
She had also allied with An Huan; once Yang Tao knelt, the next target would be An Huan, who probably wouldn’t end well either.
See? These are all her fatal flaws among familiar faces.
With such cruelty towards allies, does she still have any character left?
Why do scholars across the land avoid allying with Jiang Pengji? Isn’t it because of her tarnished reputation, leading others to look down on her?
Faced with this cold snide remark, Sun Wen remained composed.
“People are drawn together for profit, and they clash for profit. The purpose of an alliance against a common enemy is to achieve mutual benefit; both sides advance and retreat together. I dare ask, during our Lord’s alliance, has there been even a hint of harm done to allies?” Sun Wen smiled, “Our Lord has never acted in a manner treacherous and dishonorable after making a pact. Your inquiry is truly egregiously rude!”
Once an alliance ends and both sides have differing ideals and positions, they can tear at each other without holding on to old sentiments.
Even now, when it comes to dealing with Yang Tao, our Lord is perfectly justified.
In a world where pride matters, Sun Wen couldn’t just sit still after hearing such ugly rumors about their Lord, diverse slander categorically attributed to Yang Tao, widely believed to be condoned by him—who could remain calm?
Their Lord is a woman, and her reputation is even more important than that of a man; she’s bound to seek justice from Yang Tao.
Confronted with Sun Wen, whose face was thicker than a brick wall, those who initially held no anger began to feel it.
Then another person chimed in, “The excuse Lord Lan Ting used to suppress Yang Tao is indeed ludicrous; how can it stand?”
Sun Wen replied, “Not at all. My Lord, as a woman, has faced many difficulties along the way. Who doesn’t know she has strong aversions to being judged based on her gender? Yang Tao’s despicable behavior of finding a man who resembles our Lord to humiliate openly, charging common folk for the perverse view—that act undoubtedly tramples our Lord’s dignity to the ground. As a dignified lord, if she can swallow this disgrace, how can she maintain her status?”
Sun Wen spoke with lofty righteousness.
Yang Tao deserves to be beaten; the Nie Clan is already shamelessly allying with him against Jiang Pengji, clearly colluding with the terrible act!
Someone snickered, “Whether this matter truly was instigated by Yang Tao is still up for debate. I’ve heard that in Wanzhou there’s a pair of men who look remarkably like the Zhangzhou governor and his subordinate, Yan Lin, engaging in shameful acts under the sun. Isn’t this also a form of humiliation?”
Sun Wen declared resolutely, “This matter has been thoroughly investigated; it was the Tao Clan’s scoundrels attempting to frame others and stir up trouble.”
“Then why was the incident in Zhangzhou not a scheme by the Tao Clan, but rather a wrongful accusation against Yang Tao?”
These two incidents are so aligned in style; clearly, it is the Tao Clan stirring the pot, and Jiang Pengji is framing the righteous!
Not only has she shown no remorse, but she is also maliciously using the right motive to attack Yang Tao.
Once again, Sun Wen refuted firmly and with conviction.
But why?
When counterfeit Yang Tao and Yan Lin appeared in Wanzhou, our Lord sent people to deal with them, following the trail to find the true culprit.
What about Yang Tao’s side?
They remained silent, not even issuing an official statement; clearly, they felt guilty.
As Sun Wen spoke, he habitually forgot that Yang Tao was still engaged in a standoff with southern barbaric factions at the frontline.
In conclusion, Yang Tao deserves to be beaten; the Nie Clan, waving the banner of justice, is equally ambitious, looking to seize the territory of Dongqing.
These two clans are the same!
Clearly, they conspired to bully our Lord—two against one, targeting a poor and helpless figure!
The Nie Clan stands on no principle; how dare they amass troops to threaten Zhanjiang Pass and Cangzhou?
