Chapter 687 – Father “Son” Soy Sauce Group (4)
This place was quite near the Huanshui road for the alliance meeting, so encountering scouts was completely normal.
After some probing, it turned out to be scouts from the allied forces.
With a guide, Jiang Pengji could avoid a lot of detours.
“My father has already arrived?”
After both sides exchanged identities, the allies’ scouts specially came to pay their respects to Jiang Pengji.
The scouts clasped their fists, bowing slightly. “Liu Xi has arrived and is currently camped to the east of the allied forces’ site. Young Master Liu, would you like to head over?”
Jiang Pengji smiled, “Of course, please lead the way.”
As the scouts spread the word, news of Jiang Pengji’s arrival echoed throughout the entire allied camp.
One question that many factions were curious about was—
Just how many troops did Liu Xi bring?
The answer: over ten thousand.
Everyone was left speechless.
Liu Zhi had brought twenty thousand troops, while Liu Xi brought ten thousand, adding up to only thirty thousand—less than one-tenth of the total allied forces… they were supposed to be a major power in Dongqing, so why did they show up with such a small number? Didn’t that seem somewhat embarrassing?
They couldn’t fathom it, but two people, however, sighed in relief in unison.
These two were none other than the two Young Masters of the Xu family from Zhejun, Xu Pei and Xu Fei.
Though they were cousins, they had been competitors since childhood, almost squabbling to the point of getting cross-eyed, their brotherly affection merely a facade.
Among the allies, there were keen observers who had already noticed the severe challenges faced by the loyalist coalition, with many contemplating proposing a leader… of course, they weren’t doing it to rescue Dongqing or the royal family, but merely to reap benefits. However, no one had the guts to stick their neck out; after all, the first bird gets shot…
Xu Pei and Xu Fei were both up to something. They viewed each other as eyesores and rivals, and they also had their sights set on the Liu father-son duo.
Now that they learned Liu Zhi and Liu Xi only brought thirty thousand troops, they felt relieved.
With such a small force, they definitely didn’t qualify to be the leader since they couldn’t handle the situation.
By eliminating a fierce competitor, he only had to guard against Xu Fei (or Xu Pei) now.
Jiang Pengji hadn’t arrived at the allied camp yet, so she had no idea what weird conclusions the others were drawing.
She joyfully rushed toward Liu Zhi’s camp, only to be doused with cold water.
“What? Father only brought twenty thousand troops?”
Jiang Pengji was astonished, and the penguin-shaped Yang Si and Feng Zhen shared her surprise.
Twenty thousand troops?
What good would twenty thousand troops do? Were they just delivering food to the enemy?
On second thought, her own lord was even more unfortunate, bringing only ten thousand troops. It seemed these two had come merely to tag along.
Upon receiving the news, Liu Zhi wore a face full of “What the heck.”
Ultimately, the “father and son” duo exchanged glances, speechless.
Jiang Pengji brought fewer people because the situation in Wanzhou was unstable; she couldn’t spare more.
Liu Zhi brought fewer troops because Chongzhou bordered the Northern Tribes. This winter was hard on the Northern Tribes, and the situation would only worsen in spring. If he pulled too many troops away, he feared the Northern Tribes might get desperate and march southward to invade. Although it was unlikely, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Thus, for various reasons, they both became members of the soy sauce group.
While their forces were elite, they were simply too few.
Both were able to accept this reality.
It didn’t matter whether they stood out—the crucial thing was to achieve their goals.
In this endeavor, regardless of the outcome, as long as it didn’t affect the fundamental interests of their “father-son” duo, that was all that counted.
As newcomers, Jiang Pengji needed to understand the allied forces.
Doing her homework would help her stay informed.
Liu Zhi had arrived before her, so he knew more.
He said, “This time, the loyalist coalition consists of twenty-three factions, with the most eye-catching being the Xu brothers from the Guan Nei Hou Xu family. These two brothers are young and talented, and everything is great except for their lack of qualifications; their prestige largely relies on their ancestors’ support. In the upcoming leadership election, they will surely join in the competition, fighting tooth and nail. Even though the title of leader is nominal, it’s extremely important for them.”
The further they could boost their reputation, the more talent they could attract, allowing their influence to expand.
Rather than saying the leader was a mere figurehead, it was more like advertising to draw in countless spectators.
“Does Lan Ting have any thoughts on the leadership position?” Liu Zhi asked his daughter.
Jiang Pengji decisively shook her head, saying, “I’m here to expand my business and maybe see if I can bring a few people back. I need to take care of serious business; I’m not here to play house with a bunch of kids. Election for a leader? How childish! Let them elect whoever they want; I just need to focus on my own affairs. Who the leader is, I really couldn’t care less—it definitely won’t be me…”
With such a small force, even if she wanted to compete, she stood no chance; it was better to relax and enjoy the show.
Liu Zhi’s expression stiffened.
Daughter, do you speak so bluntly? Does your strategist know?
Yang Si and Feng Zhen sat behind Jiang Pengji on either side, looking like old monks in meditation.
With a click of his tongue, Liu Zhi remarked, “That may be true. No matter how much commotion there is, it has nothing to do with us father and daughter.”
As for the leadership election, it was irrelevant to them; they might as well sit back and enjoy the spectacle.
Jiang Pengji blinked and discreetly glanced at the two absent-minded strategists. Suddenly, she said, “Father.”
Liu Zhi replied with a puzzled ‘Hmm?’ “What is it?”
Jiang Pengji smiled, correcting Liu Zhi’s wording, “It’s not father and son; it’s father and daughter.”
As soon as she said that, Liu Zhi was taken aback, while Yang Si appeared as if he was witnessing the end of the world, raising a hand to forehead… Feng Zhen, on the other hand, widened his copper bell-like eyes in shock, then cough violently while clutching his chest… damn it, almost choked on his own spit.
Liu Zhi quickly regained his composure and shot a questioning look at his daughter, wondering why she suddenly came out with this.
Jiang Pengji explained, “This meeting is a fantastic opportunity, and we can’t just drag it on forever.”
Liu Zhi had no objections. He had previously brought up the topic of restoring gender roles with his daughter, but since Jiang Pengji hadn’t expressed any stance, he didn’t press on.
Clearly, his daughter had her own ideas, and Liu Zhi did not need to interfere.
Below them, Feng Zhen looked at Liu Zhi eagerly, hoping his lord was just joking.
But Liu Zhi said, “If you like it, that’s fine. Back then, making you disguise as a man and pose as your brother was a desperate measure. Now that you’ve grown up, I feel rather relieved. Lan Ting, when do you plan to make this official? I should also get ready.”
Ideally, he still needed to hold a coming-of-age ceremony for her.
Jiang Pengji replied, “We’ll see the timing; there’s no rush right now.”
Since his daughter wasn’t anxious, Liu Zhi surely wasn’t either.
However, the two strategists below were clearly on edge, especially Feng Zhen, who looked like he was ready to crumble, as if he needed comfort from his “big sister.”
How could their lord be a girl?
It couldn’t possibly be true!
“L-Lord…” the eloquent Feng Zhen suddenly stuttered.
His gaze wandered below Jiang Pengji’s chin and above her stomach… and what he observed was flat.
Jiang Pengji was in tune, shooting him a meaningful glance as she chuckled, “You want to verify my identity personally?”
Feng Zhen, ever the mischief-maker, chimed in, “Can I?”
“Well, you can indeed. But I’m afraid you might shatter yourself before you can even touch me.”
She shot him a glance with a smile that wasn’t really a smile, focusing on a certain area beneath his torso.
Feng Zhen felt a chill down below, almost brought to tears, “…”
Such a lord could not possibly be female!
