Chapter 1677 – Conquering Nan Sheng, Killing An Huan (Part 85)
“Why doesn’t the Lord think about it? When Military Adviser Lü was in charge of army supplies, such a huge blunder never occurred.”
Ever since Lü Zheng was sidelined, various strange mishaps started to pop up.
An was impatient with this line of comment.
If he acknowledged Lü Zheng’s capabilities, he would be denying Hua Yuan, wouldn’t that be putting himself down and admitting he couldn’t read people?
In An’s perspective, Hua Yuan’s abilities weren’t any worse than Lü Zheng’s; they just excelled in different areas that couldn’t be compared directly.
The officials lacked mind-reading abilities, so they had no idea of An’s inner turmoil.
“Lü Military Adviser has assisted you since the Lord was just a minor figure, working diligently for these years without a single day of negligence. The Lord should consider, out of all the battles fought these years, when has there ever been a problem with supplies?” He rambled on, oblivious to the darkening expression on An’s face. “In contrast, Hua Yuan has committed such a serious mistake this time, and Lü Military Adviser once mentioned that Hua Yuan harbored ulterior motives, being particularly wary of him…”
An replied, “Right now, the most important thing is how to get through this crisis, not to push around responsibilities. What’s the use of discussing this?”
The official was choked by An’s words.
Wasn’t it An who first reprimanded Hua Yuan? Yet somehow, it was now his fault?
He wanted to argue further, but his sleeve was gently tugged, a signal to sit back down and not to argue with An.
Regardless of whether Hua Yuan had issues or not, questioning him at this moment was unwise.
Not only would it draw hatred towards Lü Zheng, but it also served as a veiled challenge to An’s judgment and ability to assess people.
“My apologies for my careless words…”
The situation was stronger than the man; the official bowed and silently returned to his seat.
The atmosphere remained filled with gloom.
They weren’t immortal; they couldn’t conjure food out of thin air. They had scavenged most of the supplies available nearby, leaving them depending on Hua Yuan from the rear to quickly replenish what was missed. Who knew if Hua Yuan would abandon them or offer no explanations?
In this situation, not one person was questioning in their hearts.
Was Hua Yuan truly without problems?
Was he really not a spy sent over by the enemies?
Or perhaps, did Hua Yuan genuinely have no rebellious intentions?
The tension in the tent lasted a while, with everyone still unable to devise a way to cope.
At that moment, a voice from outside the tent called for An, who darkly gestured for them to enter.
An’s cold eyes glared, “What is it?”
A soldier presented a bamboo tube, stating, “Before leaving, Lü Military Adviser instructed me to deliver this to the Lord.”
Leaving?
Lü Zheng left the military camp?
When did that happen?
Why hadn’t anyone heard anything about it?
Several people looked befuddled, while An was well aware—it was his permission for Lü Zheng to depart.
Lü Zheng’s illness had worsened; staying in the military camp wouldn’t provide proper care, leading to a high chance of dying there.
An wasn’t keen on having a reputation for being heartless, so he honored Lü Zheng’s request and sent someone to take him to a town several dozen miles away for recuperation.
It wasn’t a major event, and An certainly wouldn’t spread it around.
“What’s inside?”
An had the contents presented to him, opening the bamboo tube’s lid and extracting a neatly folded piece of paper.
He glanced over it, instantly springing up from his seat in shock.
Relying on Hua Yuan to deliver supplies was out of the question, but perhaps An could focus on raiding the enemy’s granaries.
This suggestion wasn’t entirely new, but the feasibility of execution was too low since they had no clue where Jiang Ji’s granaries were located.
Hoping to ensure the enemy’s downfall through a surprise attack on a granary was also unrealistic.
Who didn’t know that Jiang Ji had several hideouts, never letting her military supplies sit waiting for the enemy to snatch them all up?
However,
If he could know even a single enemy supply location, a successful raid could temporarily alleviate their supply crisis.
An hadn’t anticipated that the ailing Lü Zheng would leave him such a grand surprise before leaving.
Yet after the sky-high joy came hesitation and doubt.
Lü Zheng had been cooped up in his tent, and even if he were a genius, he couldn’t possibly know the positions of enemy granaries, right?
If this information were true, why was it only being revealed now?
An’s uncertainty grew, while the various officials below him were curious about what the letter contained to cause such a reaction from him.
Could it be a brilliant solution to their predicament?
Everyone was nervous, but since An hadn’t spoken up to explain, they dared not interrupt.
Taking a deep breath, An made a decisive choice to reveal the letter to the public, allowing them to look over it.
“Lord, this is a great opportunity!”
If a surprise attack succeeded, they could acquire a batch of supplies sufficient for the army to withdraw slowly and strategize further.
This was fantastic news! Why did the Lord look so reluctant?
A few perceptive individuals had already guessed.
Most likely, An’s paranoia was acting up again, viewing Lü Zheng through colored glasses.
Thinking about it, Lü Zheng was indeed pitiful; while Hua Yuan was engaging in self-destruction, An could still speak up for him, yet Lü Zheng was continuously questioned.
Though everyone had similar thoughts, they were at a loss since An remained silent.
With no other options left, An eventually accepted Lü Zheng’s advice: a night raid on the granary!
Unbeknownst to him,
This was merely part of someone else’s ploy within a plot.
The burlap sack over Lü Zheng’s head was removed, revealing a not-so-intense light that only made his face look gloomier.
Before he could adjust to the surrounding light, he heard a familiar voice calling after many years.
“Shaoyin, long time no see.”
Jiang Ji’s unchanged, smug smile broadened right before him.
Lü Zheng had his hands tied behind his back, half-sitting on the ground, his hair ornately disheveled.
“Where is my daughter?”
Though years had passed, he recognized the identity of that smile instantly.
“Turns out that little girl is your daughter? She’s at least a girl, how could she be treated like you?” Jiang Ji crouched down, her gaze meeting Lü Zheng’s, smiling as she said, “She’s tied up and placed elsewhere. I’m not like An, who would be cruel towards the family members of an enemy. Speaking of which, your daughter is quite a beauty, looking nothing like you.”
Lü Zheng inhaled sharply, feeling a familiar pain in his stomach return.
Feigning calm, he said, “Because she’s my adopted daughter.”
“I quite like that little girl; she’s very good to you, even while tied up, she bites anyone trying to touch you without hesitation.”
Upon hearing that, Lü Zheng’s mildly terrible mood eased a bit.
In this cold and heartless world, only his adopted daughter still gave him some comfort.
Jiang Ji continued, “Over half a year ago, I had Bu Qu send you a message, and you never replied directly. Didn’t you want to play tricks?”
What? Bu Qu sent a message?
At this thought, Lü Zheng’s expression turned grim.
That guy really slept with Zixiao.
“A prisoner, at the mercy of Lan Ting.”
Jiang Ji sighed, “Things were good before, and what you said just now is too distanced. You know well of our relationship; I cannot harm you regardless of who I target. If you’re unwilling to submit to me, I’ll just let you go, letting Mr. Yuanjing watch over you.”
Lü Zheng shot her a sideways glance.
Who would believe her nonsense?
“What about Zixiao?”
“I did act against him.” Jiang Ji rested her chin on her hand, “Your action and his are not the same.”
Lü Zheng couldn’t hold back any longer, “Liu Lanting, stop with the crude jokes at a time like this!”
Jiang Ji replied, “Oh.”
