Chapter 721 – At Jia Men Pass (Part 1)
Let’s not even get started on history; just looking at recent years, such events have been anything but rare.
In recent years, Dongqing has faced numerous calamities, with the miserable sight of people resorting to cannibalism happening now and then. Isn’t that pretty much the same as using human flesh as jerky to fill stomachs?
The Southern Barbarians from four tribes and the three clans of the Northern Border have been swarming into the Central Plains, pillaging and killing, with examples of them eating human flesh appearing all too frequently.
Huang Song let out a worried sigh, saying, “Indeed, it’s quite common, but honestly, I wish I could avoid witnessing these horrors.”
A glimmer of determination flickered in his eyes—perhaps only a period of peace could completely prevent such tragedies from occurring.
“It’s just the way of the world. If we could prevent it, who would wish for such events to unfold?”
Jiang Pengji calmly gazed towards Jia Men Pass, where the steep mountain gate stood. Who knows how many lives would need to be sacrificed to break through it?
Cheng Jing stole a glance at Jiang Pengji, raising his assessment of her slightly.
The wind was strong on the mountain, and Feng Zhen, feeling the cold, instinctively tightened his cloak, his lips slightly bluish from the long-term blood loss.
“Jia Men Pass is easy to defend but hard to attack. If the defenders hold their ground, forcing our way in will surely come at a high cost. However, we can’t adopt that underhanded tactic of using corpses as firewood to set Jia Men Pass ablaze, right?” Feng Zhen took a sharp breath, covering his mouth with a fist to cough lightly, “But if we don’t do it this way, it seems our only option left is a hard assault, which could waste a ton of time.”
Jiang Pengji surveyed her surroundings, analyzing the terrain, her thin lips pressed together, giving her an air of stubbornness.
She asked, “How long do you think the allied forces will take to break through Jia Men Pass?”
Feng Jue stood beside Huang Song, one hand shading his eyebrows as he scrutinized the direction of Jia Men Pass.
“The road in front of Jia Men Pass is narrow and perilous… with the strength of the allied forces, if they make a desperate push, they might break through in a day or two. But if the defenses inside Jia Men Pass are strong, it could be extended by another day or two.” Feng Jue’s lips curved into a mocking smile as he continued, “It’s a pity that the voices among the allied forces are discordant; as soon as they see the terrain of Jia Men Pass, they start to hesitate.”
Why do they hesitate at the sight of Jia Men Pass’s terrain?
Because Jia Men Pass is steep, with narrow paths that are easy to defend and hard to attack. The frontline troops would almost certainly only have one outcome: death.
Who would want to be the vanguard?
Even if someone did, they would probably hold back their strength, just going through the motions in battle.
When Jiang Pengji and Huang Song arrived, the allied forces were holding a large meeting, discussing who would take the lead in this vanguard.
Thinking of the quarrels amongst them, Feng Jue rubbed his forehead, pained by the memories of their bickering still echoing in his ears.
Cheng Jing said, “If this issue isn’t resolved, Jia Men Pass can block us for ten days or half a month—maybe even longer.”
Ten days or half a month?
Changshou Wang’s forces had already breached into Chenzhou, advancing step by step. Who knew what the situation would be like in ten days or half a month?
At this moment, the main tent of the allied forces was in an uproar, with everyone unwilling to take the vanguard and waste their strength.
However, they dared not throw Yang Jian out as cannon fodder.
You see, Yang Jian also had a temper; the last time there was a banquet, he exploded in a tirade, and now they dare not trick him into taking the lead.
Various factions had tacitly agreed to begin retreating, trying their best to push others forward.
The smaller factions lamented about their numbers, saying, “If we lose this many people at Jia Men Pass, how can we show our faces back home?”
The larger factions were also in distress. They claimed that even if their numbers were plenty, their soldiers were just rabble, lacking the combat prowess necessary for the frontline.
Xu Pei, sitting at the front, felt his head growing heavy as he listened to everyone’s arguments, his expression increasingly grim.
Down below, Xu Fei watched this scene with a secretly gleeful smirk—look at that, competing for the leader position, and now you’re in trouble!
Being the leader isn’t an easy job, especially when the people below have hearts that are scattered like sand; it’s even harder to rally them.
After a day of shouting without reaching a conclusion, the meeting ended unhappily.
Jiang Pengji returned to camp with Feng Zhen and Yang Si, only to bump into Liu Zhi coming back from the main camp.
“Father, may I ask you something?” she said, leading Xiao Bai to Liu Zhi, “Do you have time now?”
Liu Zhi smiled warmly, “As long as it’s about my dear Lan Ting, I always have time.”
Nearby, Yang Si and Feng Zhen felt a wave of envy from this display between their faux father-son and true father-daughter duo.
“Father, how well do you know Meng Zhan from Cangzhou?” she asked.
“Meng Zhan?” Upon hearing the name of his former brother-in-law and now enemy, Liu Zhi furrowed his brow, his tone turning icy, “I was once close friends with Meng Zhan, but we lost touch due to matters concerning your mother and aunt. I don’t know much about him now. Lan Ting, why do you suddenly bring him up? Did you uncover something during your reconnaissance?”
Jiang Pengji replied, “There are signs of recent burn marks near Jia Men Pass. I suspect that Changshou Wang was able to capture it so quickly by burning it with corpses… perhaps the one who suggested this strategy was Meng Zhan… hence my desire to know more about him.”
Liu Zhi chuckled.
“That indeed sounds like Meng Zhan’s style; he’s always been like that—appearing majestic on the surface, but with a ruthless and sinister side underneath.” Liu Zhi scoffed, “When I was friendly with him, I didn’t see this side of him. He had the reputation of a gentleman back in those days. But, as the saying goes, times change unpredictably, and there’s much infighting within the Meng Clan. Not striving for success means death for Meng Zhan.”
Young Meng Zhan truly was an astonishing gentleman.
However, time can change a person beyond recognition.
In such an environment, Meng Zhan also changed. Liu Zhi just didn’t see it back then, thinking everything was still fine.
Recommending Meng Zhan to marry his wife’s sister, Gu Zhen, that was one of Liu Zhi’s rare blunders in life.
Liu Zhi said, “The internal struggles of the Meng Clan are quite severe, so Meng Zhan’s ability to rise above must mean he’s quite scheming.”
Jiang Pengji furrowed her brow again, asking Liu Zhi about the outcome of today’s meeting at the league.
Liu Zhi sneered, “A bunch of cowardly shirkers, each wanting to push someone else into the role of scapegoat. What kind of conclusion could we reach?”
After bidding farewell to Liu Zhi, Jiang Pengji returned to her tent, lost in thought.
“Let’s think from their perspective. If Jing Rong and Zi Shi were Meng Zhan, how would you assist Changshou Wang in breaching Jia Men Pass?”
Feng Zhen and Yang Si exchanged glances.
If they considered it from Changshou Wang’s standpoint, the natural approach would be to stall for time and wear down the allied forces.
Jia Men Pass would be a trap, capable of further aggravating internal conflicts within the allied forces.
However, merely intensifying the conflict wasn’t enough; they also needed to keep contingency plans in mind.
Having served under Changshou Wang for some time, Yang Si had gained some understanding of him.
However, currently, every deployment from Changshou Wang seemed to bear the imprint of the Meng Clan. When discussing their understanding of the Meng Clan, naturally, they thought of Meng Hunyun.
Jiang Pengji instructed a soldier, “Quickly summon Meng Xiaowei; I have important matters to discuss with him.”
