Chapter 626 – Let Go of That Commander, Let Me Handle This (Part Three)
The two fell silent for a moment.
Qi Guanrang cautiously asked, “If that’s the case, how does our Lord plan to respond?”
Jiang Pengji scoffed and said, “For now, let’s pretend we’re oblivious. I want to see just how long that person can hold out. I’ve already figured out their motives… I’m curious what expression they’ll have when their schemes come to nothing.”
Qi Guanrang knew too little to make sense of it, but something in Jiang Pengji’s tone stirred a chill in him.
“W-will we just leave it as is? No precautions?” Qi Guanrang questioned.
Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow, a sly smile creeping onto her face as she confidently replied, “Before I become the supreme ruler, that person won’t dare lay a hand on me. Not only will they not hinder me, but they will also spare no effort in assisting me. If an opportunity falls into your lap, why not seize it? That person thinks I’m clueless and has laid a bunch of traps to mislead me, little do they know… sometimes, being overly meticulous creates a flaw…”
Qi Guanrang thought Jiang Pengji had finished, but she added one more thing.
“This matter, no words to anyone else, only between you and me.”
She never took action without preparation. Mr. Wei Yuan’s letter seemed uneventful, but Jiang Pengji had already grasped its essence.
Hehe—
Schemes, huh?
Did they really think all the clever people under the heavens were gone?
If it’s a game of mutual harm, let’s see whose tricks are more refined.
Jiang Pengji rubbed her brow and said, “Wen Zheng, draft a letter for me.”
Qi Guanrang instinctively asked, “To whom?”
Jiang Pengji replied, “To my father… Speaking of which, my bastard younger brother has turned twelve this year. It’s not good for him to just stay in Hejian County; he needs an elder to guide him. I’m busy, and my father is just the right person to teach him well. Though he’s a bastard, he still bears the Liu surname; if he turns out wrong, wouldn’t that disgrace our lineage? This way, I can poke at that person without alarming the snake.”
Liu Zhi is quite formidable as well.
The illegitimate daughter Liu Huan, daughter of Changshou Wang and Wang Huijun, eventually married into the imperial family of Dongqing, becoming the wife of the son of the emperor and Wang Huijun.
Half-siblings mixed in chaos, and Liu Zhi, the shadowy mastermind, instead gained sympathy from the bystanders.
As for this bastard son… hehe, his background is quite remarkable.
Who says women are petty?
Men can be far more terrifying when holding grudges.
Jiang Pengji never thought that the small backyard of the Liu Residence would conceal so many devious spirits.
Qi Guanrang was momentarily stunned; he thought Jiang Pengji was badly shaken, but upon closer inspection, he realized she was quite clear-headed.
“Yes.”
Qi Guanrang complied.
Jiang Pengji briskly wrapped up the topic and, casting aside the previous gloomy atmosphere, asked Qi Guanrang for his thoughts on Yang Si’s strategies.
Qi Guanrang held Yang Si’s plans in high regard.
Subtlety and deception were excellently executed.
In warfare, it’s never merely straightforward; crafty schemes often yield the most unexpected benefits.
The Red Lotus Sect had their planted insiders, and if all went well, seizing Jinmen County was a done deal.
The only flaw was—
Qi Guanrang’s expression turned serious.
“Why should our Lord’s loyal and devoted soldiers take such risks?”
Other lords would prefer to huddle safely at home, always mindful of the proverb about not standing beneath a crumbling wall.
In contrast, their own Lord was always thinking of heading out.
With more people around before, Qi Guanrang had refrained from speaking out, but now, with just the two of them, there was much that didn’t require caution.
Jiang Pengji was equally straightforward, “Wen Zheng, do you remember how I was when we first met? I did whatever I wanted; no one could force me otherwise. A wastrel of Hejian, that’s me. Ever since I became Xiangyang’s magistrate, I feel restrained, like a mighty tiger trapped in a cage. A tiger’s fangs are meant to tear into prey, not to be admired…”
Qi Guanrang’s face flushed with urgency, and he quickly explained.
“How could our Lord think such a thing? No one ever intended to restrain you…”
He was truly alarmed.
To be accused of such a grave sin was frightening.
Jiang Pengji said, “I know you worry about me because I am the Lord, your pillar of support. If I were to die, all the power we’ve seized would crumble to dust. But Wen Zheng… have you ever seen a general afraid of dying in battle, cowering behind the soldiers? Isn’t it always the case that they charge bravely to the front lines? I’m your Lord, but I can also be a valiant general; the two are not mutually exclusive.”
“Trust me; I will lead you all to the most esteemed position under heaven.”
To those unfamiliar with Jiang Pengji, she might seem too proud, arrogantly beyond limits.
However, those who knew her were aware that her pride would eventually become reality.
She said leisurely, “If Wen Zheng truly worries about me, perhaps supervise the rear, so I can fight on the front lines without a care.”
Qi Guanrang was momentarily speechless at her cheeky words.
When it came to being a rogue, who could surpass their own Lord?
Using emotional appeals, feigning innocence, stirring sympathy, speaking vaguely…
Even Qi Guanrang found it hard to withstand.
Thus, after many futile attempts at dissuasion, Jiang Pengji commanding the vanguard became an established fact.
The soldiers below had no idea of the heartaches the strategists faced; upon hearing that their commander was the Lord, they were all pumped up like they were on a caffeine high.
Before the battle even started, their morale was already soaring.
Jiang Pengji wasn’t your typical Lord; she spent more time not in the administration hall but in the woodworking workshop and military camp, occasionally checking the surroundings, and sometimes sparring with Li Yun or Meng Hunyun, drawing the attention of soldiers who enjoyed the spectacle.
For many soldiers, the term “Lord” didn’t embody a lofty deity; instead, it was a remarkably skilled guy, sharp and agile.
To put it plainly, Jiang Pengji was very down-to-earth.
Her actions subtly narrowed the gap between the role of the Lord and the soldiers, making her seem more approachable.
Faced with such a scenario, no matter how worried the strategists were, they could only swallow their bitter feelings in silence.
With expectations so high from the soldiers for their Lord, suggesting Jiang Pengji back down from the front lines would surely demoralize them.
Fengyi County was not far from Chengde County, and the movements here alerted the Red Lotus Sect.
The Green Garment Army was already like a grasshopper in autumn, unable to hop around for much longer.
Clearly, the troop movements in Fengyi County were aimed squarely at them, the Red Lotus Sect.
The leaders of the Red Lotus Sect, upon receiving this news, wore expressions as dark as water.
One by one, they couldn’t help but secretly curse Jiang Pengji in their hearts.
“During the New Year, instead of celebrating at home, why stir up this trouble?”
