Chapter 645 – Mental Breakdown (Part Three)
An Huan had always been aware of the internal discord within the Red Lotus Sect. He had tried to delve deeper into it before, but back then, he lacked the capital and could hardly win any favors. After spending some time in the Red Lotus Sect, he still couldn’t climb any higher, which made it impossible for him to investigate further.
With Jiang Pengji’s financial support and his knack for networking, An Huan quickly became a well-noted minor leader.
The Scholar repeatedly sought his counsel, wanting An Huan to act as a gunman.
However, the Scholar did not recommend An Huan to the leader as promised but instead subtly suppressed him.
An Huan wasn’t overly concerned at first, but he didn’t expect that unwittingly falling into a trap would lead to landing a big fish!
This big fish was the second-in-command of the Red Lotus Sect, who prided himself on being the leader’s right-hand man. Yet, he found himself outdone by a mere flatterer and had long seen the Scholar as a thorn in his side. To make things worse, the leader was so self-indulgent that he wouldn’t even spare a bowl of broth for his comrades… This left the second-in-command feeling extremely disgruntled, steering him to harbor resentment toward both the Scholar and the sect leader.
The second-in-command wished to bring the Scholar down while simultaneously replacing the leader, but he had always lacked the opportunity.
An Huan’s appearance gave this second-in-command a glimmer of hope.
He began covertly contacting An Huan, repeatedly sowing discord between An Huan and the Scholar while promising substantial rewards.
An Huan was aware of the underlying intentions but feigned ignorance, secretly probing the true motives of this individual.
After some probing, he realized he had stumbled upon a golden opportunity!
They eventually struck an agreement, deciding to create a stir.
The beggar he sent was a messenger who informed Jiang Pengji of an important piece of news in advance.
An Huan intended to collaborate with this second-in-command, pretending to align with him while assisting him in revolting against the sect leader, luring the enemy forces away from Honglian County. At that point, Honglian County would be left vulnerable, allowing An Huan to send reinforcements, giving Jiang Pengji the chance to seize control of Honglian County.
Once the Scholar got wind of the leader being captured and imprisoned, he would hurriedly send troops to intercept the second-in-command, while Jiang Pengji could pivot and strike at Jinmen County.
Ultimately, after the Scholar and the second-in-command had fought themselves nearly to exhaustion in Qiuyu County, she could then swoop in and take down both.
Upon hearing the beggar’s message, Jiang Pengji couldn’t help but furrow her brow, though she kept a suitably joyful expression on her face.
She hadn’t expected An Huan to be such a skilled actor, juggling three spy roles so effortlessly.
The audience in the livestream listened for a long time but remained confused, taking quite a while to piece things together.
【Summer Mosquitoes Abound】: The audience was so shocked they dropped their snacks! An Huan is totally slaying it with this triple agent move!
【Winter Shivers】: This plan sounds great, but I’m a bit worried. Who knows if An Huan is genuinely inclined to help the host? If he’s truly playing all sides and only remains loyal to himself, that would be disastrous.
【Springtime Sleepiness】: I watched the previous streams; An Huan and the host have a cooperative relationship where no one is truly loyal to the other. Their interests align, so there’s a slim chance of An Huan backstabbing the host.
【Autumn Chill】: I don’t care who An Huan is loyal to! With those spy skills, he deserves an Oscar for Best Actor!
Indeed, not only does Oscar owe An Huan a nomination, but even Jiang Pengji couldn’t help but want to give him a thumbs-up as a sign of appreciation.
Though the Red Lotus Sect might not be very sophisticated, the thought processes of these bandits are quirky enough that An Huan can precisely grasp their ideas and subsequent actions, seizing any opportunity that might benefit him… Such a person is truly a talent.
After the beggar received his reward, the strategist, part of the audience, finally spoke up.
Qi Guanrang frowned; he had always been suspicious and harbored no trust in An Huan.
Yang Si had brief contact with An Huan and had learned some details about him from Wei Ci. He was rather optimistic about the plan.
Qi Guanrang asked, “Can An Huan be trusted?”
Yang Si smirked, calculating, “Whether he can be trusted isn’t important. What matters is how much benefit the Lord can gain from it. Even if I had ulterior motives, I couldn’t shake the Lord’s foundation. The Lord can sit back and watch the Red Lotus Sect tear itself apart, letting them deplete each other, then step in to reap the benefits.”
However, Jiang Pengji would rather choose to launch attacks during the festive seasons; she could not afford to delay.
Li Yun was left puzzled, finally stammering, “Uh, gentlemen… should we just sit back and watch them fight amongst themselves?”
Qi Guanrang looked up at Li Yun, puzzled, “Why not take advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself?”
Li Yun: “…”
Dian Yin pondered for quite some time, rethinking his words carefully before cautiously speaking up.
“However, if we follow this plan, we might lack the manpower.” Dian Yin’s expression showed a hint of dejection. They had dispatched tens of thousands, but with four counties at war, they’d need to run around and be on high alert, which would significantly drain the soldiers’ energy and battle strength.
Following the previous strategy of steady progression, taking one county at a time, these tens of thousands wouldn’t be too stretched.
But if they coordinated with An Huan’s plan, it would be like fighting on multiple fronts, spreading their forces too thin, which wouldn’t bode well for consolidation and growth.
Jiang Pengji stated, “Opportunities are fleeting; let one slip, and you may never see another. Miss this chance, and that’s it. Dian Yin’s concerns are valid, so I intend to mobilize some new recruits here to guard the city; that should at least deter some of those miscreants from the Red Lotus Sect.”
The Red Lotus Sect hadn’t feared Jiang Pengji because they thought her forces were too few to consider overwhelming them.
It was akin to a group of thugs surrounding a martial arts master, hoping to gang up on him.
Even with the knowledge that their opponent was a martial arts expert, they thought that since there was only one, they could definitely take him down together.
What if the martial arts expert wasn’t alone but had seven or eight companions?
The thugs would surely become more cautious and hesitant to act recklessly.
Thus, once Jiang Pengji started increasing her troop numbers, the Red Lotus Sect would have to reconsider their intentions.
Qi Guanrang lowered his gaze upon hearing this.
His lord had her quirks; she wouldn’t easily send new recruits into battle unless they had trained for a sufficient amount of time and reached certain standards. To her, sending inexperienced newbies to the frontlines was akin to handing them over as fodder.
If she decided to involve the new recruits, it meant she was determined to accomplish something significant.
Yang Si’s expression turned sly as he remarked, “If troops are deployed, Zixiao and the others will probably end up working themselves to death.”
Jiang Pengji retorted, “Zixiao is weak; no one would push him too hard. Besides, isn’t there Feng Zhen to take the load?”
Wei Ci can just focus on handling his responsibilities, shifting any extra duties onto Feng Zhen.
Yang Si raised his eyebrows, feeling an indescribable oddness swirl within him.
It felt like he was being fed a mouthful of dog food?
