Chapter 776 – Four Kills, Strategy (6)
After a while, Qi Guanrang calmly said, “If it’s for our Lord’s grand plan, then it has to be done this way, and I have nothing to say.”
Being merciful to the enemy is cruel to ourselves; showing leniency to the Northern Border barbarians might lead to our own destruction.
Without citing other events, just based on the fact that the ancestors of the Northern Border’s three tribes, the Qiang Witch tribe, managed to grow their population from two hundred thousand to over three million in merely thirty years by raiding Central Plains women, it’s enough for the people of the Central Plains to see the Northern Border as a daunting enemy.
Feng Jin silently thought for a moment, fully understanding Jiang Pengji and Wei Ci’s plan.
“Will the Northern Border not notice this matter?”
Feng Jin’s heart was ruthless; until the enemy was dead, he could not afford to lower his guard.
“Rang isn’t sure, but the Northern Border is vast, and these little brats shouldn’t have much impact for now.” Qi Guanrang pondered and said hesitantly, “To ruin all the pastures of the Northern Border, it will take at least fifty to sixty years, right? The three tribes of the Northern Border are not fools; as long as they haven’t conquered the Central Plains, they will remain confined to this land and cannot just sit idly by…”
Feng Jin let out a sigh of relief and smiled, “Fifty to sixty years? Does Wen Zheng think our Lord will tolerate the Northern Border for that long? I believe, at most in three to five years, our Lord will sharpen her blades and strike against the Northern Border. Warfare is unavoidable. The rabbits and sheep are definitely not a fatal blow! Why not think differently, as it seems our Lord doesn’t aim to destroy the Northern Border by this method. If that’s the case, then why go through so much trouble?”
Qi Guanrang had been too anxious and momentarily fell into a dead end, miscalculating the situation.
“Yes… if our Lord isn’t using rabbits and sheep to wipe out the Northern Border, there must be some other strategy… Could it be to restrain them?”
Feng Jin nodded in agreement, “That’s exactly what I mean; it should be to divert the Northern Border’s attention so they can’t focus on strengthening their combat power. The Northern Border has just suffered from the Horse Plague, countless warhorses have died, and their fighting strength has been significantly reduced—they can’t recover for a while. But what if they settle down and, after spring, find ways to continue breeding warhorses? At most in ten years, the Northern Border could become strong again. By then, who knows if the five nations of the Central Plains will still exist? It’s entirely possible the Northern Border will seize this opportunity to invade!”
Hearing Feng Jin’s words, Qi Guanrang recalled the history of the Sixteen Kingdoms’ chaotic times.
If the five nations of the Central Plains also fell into strife, wouldn’t the situation mirror the Sixteen Kingdoms’ prolonged turmoil?
It wasn’t impossible for the frontier barbarians to take advantage of the situation.
At that time, the Central Plains would be weakened and the barbarians strengthened, making it conceivable that civilized society could crumble.
Qi Guanrang broke into a cold sweat, yet his expression remained unchanged, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.
He concluded, “So, our Lord merely wants to use this scheme to delay the Northern Border’s resurgence?”
Feng Jin nodded, “That’s likely it.”
The next afternoon, Feng Jin covertly hinted at Wei Ci regarding this matter, who could only silently laugh and cry at the same time.
“You managed to guess it; that’s pretty much the case.”
Feng Jin pretended to be angry, “This plan may be devious, but the Northern Border is not completely unresponsive; if they discover…”
Wei Ci interrupted, “They won’t discover it. We’ve already gathered countless sheepskins and other items from the Northern Border. They won’t suspect anything for a while. Besides, I only instructed the trading team to acquire from ordinary herders rather than the big households, which makes it less likely for the royal court to detect. By the time they realize, the sheep and scattered rabbits will have already swelled in numbers. Then we can send an undercover agent to advise the Northern Border’s royal court: should they continue allowing these little brats to run rampant or send someone to eliminate the rabbits and sheep?”
Feng Jin stood there, deepening his understanding of Wei Ci and their Lord’s black-heartedness.
Wei Ci smirked, “Though the three tribes of the Northern Border are indeed unruly and impulsive, they still have cooler-headed ‘wise men.’ The current ‘wise man’ is the cautious military strategist Wu Libai; unless he sees hope in crushing the Central Plains, he won’t easily abandon this territory—he’ll want a fallback. So, I believe this man will vigorously support the royal court’s allocation of manpower and resources to eliminate the rabbits and sheep. This way, the Northern Border’s energies will be tied down.”
Jiang Pengji, being from the future, understands the respect for nature better than anyone else; she knows how detestable it is to damage the ecosystem.
Even if nothing happens now, after a hundred years, the descendants will surely curse their ancestors.
She dared to propose such a strategy because she had already thought of several backup plans.
Indeed, rabbits and sheep would harm the Northern Border’s ecology, but as long as it doesn’t exceed the scope of the ecosystem’s self-regulation, there’s no need to worry. Once they conquer the Northern Border, she would continue sending people to clear out the rabbits and sheep while encouraging the common people to plant more grass and trees.
It’s just three to five years, well within her control.
What she sought was time, not a scarred, irreparable wasteland.
Receiving Wei Ci’s reply, Feng Jin also secretly let out a sigh of relief, then discreetly disclosed this to Qi Guanrang to reassure him.
The Northern Border remained blissfully unaware.
Since the Horse Plague broke out, the Northern Border’s trade had suffered a devastating blow, prompting them to open up to foreign merchant teams.
There were merely a few more teams purchasing rabbit and sheep pelts; this matter wouldn’t even reach the royal court’s ears.
Wei Ci was meticulous in his dealings, and the arrangements for the merchant teams were thorough. After observing for a while, both Feng Jin and Qi Guanrang shivered; even though they knew this method wouldn’t destroy the Northern Border, it could still unexpectedly strip a piece of flesh from them.
Both thought simultaneously, “We can’t provoke this kid casually in the future.”
Having someone trip you up is one thing, but what’s terrifying is not even realizing how you got played.
Under everyone’s arrangement, Wanzhou gradually became orderly, and the sluggish economy began to slowly recover.
But alas, it was tough on the officials.
Feng Jin envied Wei Ci’s multitasking ability, though he only felt admiration.
“Sigh… Why has Changsheng gained so much weight compared to a few days ago…”
Feng Jin tilted his daughter to check her weight, sighing deeply; he hadn’t slept soundly for several days.
Wei Jingxian looked at his dark circles with concern, and no amount of concealer could hide the heavy bags under his eyes.
“You haven’t been home for days, have you?” Wei Jingxian glared lightly; if it weren’t for Changsheng’s good memory, she would have almost forgotten this long-absent father. She continued, “I met with Lady Wei yesterday; she hasn’t seen Qi Guanrang for quite some time either…”
The Lady Wei mentioned by Wei Jingxian was none other than Qi Guanrang’s wife, Wei Yuan’s legitimate daughter.
Among Jiang Pengji’s team, the only ones with wives and daughters, where the couples hadn’t been separated, were indeed these two pairs.
“It’s just that I’ve been busy…” Feng Jin answered somewhat defensively, “Lan Ting just dumped this huge mess in Wanzhou and didn’t care…”
Just thinking about their Lord leisurely living it up at the moment made Feng Jin’s back teeth itch.
Truth be told, this claim was quite unfair to Jiang Pengji; she wasn’t exactly living the good life.
After being appointed as the governor of Wanzhou, the Royal Protective Alliance’s troops gradually withdrew.
Jiang Pengji and her group also prepared to depart. Two days into their march, she received a message—
Changshou Wang’s forces had ambushed the first group of troops to withdraw, leaving only a few dozen remnants of that noble force!
