Chapter 1620 – Conquering Nan Sheng, Killing An Huan (32)
Yan Lin saw it clearly; his guess was not wrong.
What he didn’t know was that Jiang Pengji had found a way to improve soil fertility two years ago, with Dou Xi, who came from a farming family, steering agricultural improvements from behind the scenes. Last year’s increase in yield was modest, but it halted the downward trend. It seemed that this year’s production would recover somewhat.
As long as continuous farming was possible, not only would the common people at the back have enough to eat, but the pressure on the soldiers at the front would also lessen significantly.
Nevertheless, the financial expenditures were still in the red, and Jiang Pengji had been supplementing the gap from her private funds, barely maintaining balance.
To avoid a collapse later, it was necessary to seize wealth from the rich and powerful.
Not only that…
Jiang Pengji also, emulating her predecessors, did something even more outrageous.
She sent tomb raiders to plunder the burial goods of ancestral graves.
Of course, all of this was done in secret.
The tomb raiders acted like ordinary grave robbers, trying their best not to disturb the burial items in the coffins.
Jiang Pengji had an excellent reputation among the common people; she feigned innocence before them, claiming those dug-up graves were left by the Southern Barbarians, while also saying that it was the handiwork of roving bandits, leaving the Southern Sheng aristocracy who had their ancestral graves plundered gasping in outrage.
“She really dares to do it…”
Yang Tao was astounded. To desecrate someone’s ancestral grave was such a shameless act, yet she managed to whitewash her reputation. This operation was simply terrifying.
This batch of common people was just too easy to fool; they seemed to think manipulating public opinion was child’s play.
A lord who ordered the plundering of the dead and the withholding of essentials from the living could still come out as a white lotus.
This world was getting more and more magical.
“Speaking of which…” Yan Lin said, “I find Wei Zixiao to be more terrifying.”
“Why?” Yang Tao was puzzled. “Wei Zixiao is the only person I’ve seen who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Shaoyang. How could he be terrifying?”
A gentleman as radiant as frost and jade, Yang Tao wished he could apply every word he knew to describe Yan Lin and Wei Ci.
Yan Lin sighed.
He couldn’t bear to tell his close friend the truth.
Yang Tao had no idea that the public’s slanderous remarks inciting hatred for the rich and the aristocracy were orchestrated by Wei Ci himself. Because Jiang Pengji never disturbed the populace during her campaigns, she built wherever she fought, and her reputation among the people remained excellent. In contrast, the Southern Sheng aristocracy mostly did nothing, breeding resentment from the common people. A part of the Southern Barbarians’ troubles could also be attributed to the aristocracy’s grasp on power…
On one side was Jiang Pengji, who brought them stability and protection; on the other side was the Southern Sheng aristocracy, who had previously oppressed and exploited them.
The latter now came out to wail about their ancestral graves being plundered by Jiang Pengji, the shameless woman sending people to clean them out… One could easily foresee which side the common people would trust more. It was clear they would choose Jiang Pengji without needing a survey.
Just as Wei Ci’s covert propaganda stated, Lan Ting had led wars for over ten years, engaging in countless battles, yet he had never disturbed the common people once. Their farmlands and possessions were untouched; how could she possibly engage in the immoral act of digging up ancestral graves?
Impossible!
Such seemingly reasonable arguments could easily fool anyone with a somewhat convoluted logic, not to mention the 99% of illiterate common people.
“In any case, you stay far from them…” Yan Lin swallowed his words and changed his tune, “Men and women.”
One kills, the other hands the knife while cleaning up the crime scene and framing the victims.
Heh, better not provoke them.
Jiang Pengji not only wielded immense strength but also held a dominant position in public opinion.
The short end of the stick fell to the unfortunate Southern Sheng aristocrats; they had no choice but to endure.
On Yang Tao’s side, they captured half a state in just half a month, with other battlefronts also reporting good news, and victories were coming in swiftly.
Jiang Pengji consequently enjoyed several extra bowls of rice.
The war progressed smoothly, not just due to her own strength, but mostly because the enemies were passively resisting.
When everyone heard that An Huan had emptied the young and strong from the Southern Sheng border states, some were confused.
“Is An Duoxi planning to throw caution to the wind?”
“Tsk, if he really planned to do that, wouldn’t he just surrender? It’s more straightforward. He must have some scheme, planning to wait and strike when we’re tired,” some were puzzled, while others saw through it, with their own theories, “The Southern Sheng has faced ten years of turmoil; the young men are all gone, and the common people are impoverished. Rather than spreading forces thin to defend various states, it would be wiser to concentrate forces to guard the richest and most defensible area. Our army is on an expedition, facing supply difficulties, but An Huan doesn’t have that worry…”
Jiang Pengji had to travel far to fight at their doorstep, bringing her own rations.
An Huan was simply sitting at his doorstep on defense, and when he was hungry, he could just turn around and grab some bread in the kitchen.
It’s obvious who has the logistical advantage.
Everyone suspected that An Huan’s move was meant to engage in a war of attrition with Jiang Pengji—whichever side floundered first would be the loser.
Something so plain was easily understood by the common folks; Jiang Pengji certainly knew it too.
However,
She felt that things weren’t that simple.
Jiang Pengji didn’t know An Huan well, but she knew he wasn’t the type to back down easily; how could he simply withdraw without a fight?
“…Unless he has other plans…”
Jiang Pengji rubbed her hands together, her slender fingertips gleaming a translucent red.
It was already the middle of winter; the cold of Southern Sheng was harsher than that in Dongqing.
While Dongqing’s cold was physical damage, the cold in Southern Sheng was like magical harm, damp and cold seeping into the bones.
This was Jiang Pengji’s first winter in Southern Sheng.
She was feeling somewhat uncomfortable; let alone the other soldiers and the weaker common soldiers.
The first snow of winter arrived particularly suddenly, forcing Jiang Pengji to halt her military campaigns.
Taking advantage of this snowfall, Jiang Pengji understood An Huan’s true intention.
“I have seen shamelessness, but nothing compares to An Huan’s…”
An Huan had thoroughly plundered the strong young men and food reserves, leaving behind the old, weak, sick, and disabled with a lack of clothing and food for the winter. If left unattended, who knows how many would perish in this winter? Jiang Pengji had to suspect that An Huan was using this method to hasten the depletion of her supplies.
An Huan could bear the infamy of disregarding the lives of the common people, but Jiang Pengji, known for her good reputation, could not afford to.
For various reasons, Jiang Pengji had to pause her march southward, waiting to fight again in spring.
Of course, due to her doubts about An Huan’s character, she could not rule out the possibility of a sneak attack, and remaining vigilant was still essential.
“Fortunately, I was prepared.”
A winter without hot pot is imperfect; a hot pot without chili peppers lacks soul.
In this era, chili peppers grew in the wild lands, and only a small amount flowed into the Central Plains, where they were used as a spice. Yan Lin, coming from a noble family, had dabbled in perfume making before and recognized their value. Thus, he found it puzzling why Jiang Pengji specifically sent over more than twenty vats of dried chili peppers.
Yan Lin speculated, “Though burning this has warming effects, the smell is extremely strong and irritating; the soldiers might have difficulty adapting.”
Yang Tao opened the confidential report sent by Jiang Pengji, his expression oddly amused.
“Liulanting said… this is something to be boiled in water and consumed…”
Not only that, she also distributed a set of warming pots to each general.
Was this encouraging them to cook chili peppers and enjoy hot pot in the middle of winter?
