Chapter 800 – Bring Me the Baby’s 40-Meter Big Sword (Part 4)
Faced with General Fu’s blunt question, Jiang Pengji showed no sign of the expected embarrassment; instead, she let out a disdainful scoff.
“General Fu, who gave you the illusion that I, Liu Xi, would back down?”
Jiang Pengji rose from her seat and walked right up to General Fu, their distance barely half a step apart.
To an outsider, this was quite a dangerous distance, as General Fu could unleash a wave of violent energy, breaking free of his restraints and assassinating Jiang Pengji.
Even though everyone knew her master was powerful, they still felt a cold sweat for her given the precarious situation.
Without a doubt, Jiang Pengji’s response was beyond General Fu’s expectations, so much so that surprise could be seen on his face.
Even more shocking was the fact that she personally helped him untie his bindings.
At this point, General Fu couldn’t help but waver.
“A good bird chooses its tree to nest in; even if I serve three masters, what’s the big deal?” Jiang Pengji tossed aside the rope in her hand, granting General Fu his freedom. “The Meng Clan is just a bunch of incompetent small fries, publicly employing their generals while secretly keeping an eye on them. Isn’t it suffocating for you to serve such small-minded people? Outsiders all say how well the Meng Clan treats you, but you know the real deal better than anyone.”
General Fu snorted coldly, not taking her bait to heart.
Jiang Pengji’s words struck a nerve—his time under the Meng Clan was indeed quite suffocating, and it left him feeling unsettled. But that wasn’t enough to make him abandon the Meng Clan and flock to a new master. They had a facade of harmony but had reached an unspoken understanding beneath.
Would he get the same respect from a new master?
Words were easy to say, but taking action was a different story. He had seen enough of such recruitment tactics.
“I’m just a simple man who can’t read; I’m no good with fancy talk. Just say what you mean directly,” General Fu replied. He wasn’t swayed by such ordinary tactics of undermining the Meng Clan to lift oneself up.
To put it bluntly, while he thought the Meng Clan was garbage, the person before him was like a heavenly fairy?
Regardless of how bad the Meng Clan was, the benefits they provided were real. While they were watchful, General Fu expected no more than minimal trust from them. In his view, if Jiang Pengji genuinely wanted to recruit him, she should just present solid proof, rather than relying on flattery.
Whether belittling the Meng Clan or praising herself, General Fu saw it as just self-promotion and boasting.
Anyone could boast and flap their gums—who couldn’t do that?
Meng Zhan often flaunted his distant ancestor “Meng Jing” to elevate his prestige and reputation.
General Fu was quite stubborn; the usual recruitment methods wouldn’t work on him.
Some talents could be won over by ideals and visions, as they placed greater importance on spiritual fulfillment; mere words could move them more than gold and silver. But others were thorough realists who only recognized tangible benefits—words wouldn’t sway them.
With her eyes spinning, Jiang Pengji switched her strategy.
“General Fu, since you’re so straightforward, I won’t beat around the bush either.” Jiang Pengji said with a smile, “Right now, you’re my captive, and it’s not just you; your loyal old subordinates are also involved. If the Meng Clan sends someone to redeem you, even if they succeed, you won’t be able to escape. You have two paths before you: either take your own life, and I’ll publicly declare that you’re loyal and steadfast to the Meng Clan and refused to switch sides, preserving your reputation posthumously. Or, you can obediently yield, and everything will remain as is.”
General Fu was initially silent, taken aback by Jiang Pengji’s outrightness. When he finally processed her words, his expression darkened further.
“You mean, the Liu Xi wants me to either die or surrender?”
Not only that, but she was also using his old subordinates as leverage?
Jiang Pengji laughed helplessly, “Didn’t you say you wanted me to be more straightforward? So how about that—is it clear now?”
She thought this was straightforward enough.
Not to mention General Fu, even a deaf person would get it.
General Fu fell silent, his dark eyes gleaming with a strange light, as though he was weighing his options.
“Have you thought about how you want to choose?”
Jiang Pengji was clear that General Fu’s very presence indicated a desire to surrender.
The reason he was still arguing was that he wanted to secure some benefits for himself, like ensuring the safety of his loyal old subordinates.
Normally, no one would trust a freshly surrendered general, let alone return military authority to them.
What if that general was just pretending to yield, waiting for the new leader to lower their guard before pulling a fast one or inciting rebellion?
To prevent surrendered generals and their old subordinates from causing trouble, previous military structures would be dismantled; they’d show public trust while actually shifting their loyal soldiers under the new command, or even stripping the surrendered generals of their military power outright.
It appeared as if they had preserved their military authority while only pretending to hold them in high regard—fundamentally, it was just a decline in status disguised as a promotion.
General Fu replied with a cold snort, unwilling to declare his stance.
Jiang Pengji said, “I was able to overpower you once; I can defeat you a second time. You should think carefully.”
Being captured once was already shameful; being defeated by the same person a second time would be an utter humiliation.
Besides, Jiang Pengji was domineering; she wouldn’t give General Fu a second chance.
It was either serve her faithfully or die. There was no way she’d let General Fu live on to jump into enemy arms and become a thorn in her side!
General Fu seemed to have been provoked, saying, “Has there ever been a time in the world when someone was invincible? Liu Xi, your words are a bit too arrogant.”
Even more so, her arrogance was surprising.
General Fu thought he was sufficiently cocky until he encountered Jiang Pengji, realizing there were levels to arrogance.
“I suggest you rethink your choices to avoid a lifetime of regret.”
Jiang Pengji still refused to reveal her terms, and her attempts to recruit General Fu hit a stalemate.
Once General Fu was taken away to recuperate, Jiang Pengji’s expression darkened a little.
She muttered, “I really want to slash him with a blade; he annoys me no end.”
Beside her, Meng Hunyun spoke up, “Why doesn’t the Lord just say it directly?”
General Fu’s soldiers were of excellent quality, but they were used to his leadership and had a great rapport. If they were handed over to another general, they might not even perform at half their capability. Jiang Pengji had initially decided to retain General Fu’s military authority, a condition that should be very appealing to him. So why wouldn’t her master just speak up?
“Just dragging it out a bit to grind down his arrogance.”
Jiang Pengji replied blandly, as if that was the truth.
In reality…she simply didn’t like General Fu.
Meng Hunyun surprisingly bought into Jiang Pengji’s reasoning and nodded in agreement.
“That works too. General Fu commands respect and authority within the Meng Clan, and he’s quite arrogant. The Meng Clan has done little to oppose him to win him over.” Meng Hunyun shook his head secretly, “Having him sit aside for a while might just temper that arrogance.”
Unlike the Meng Clan, the Lord was unlikely to acquiesce to General Fu’s demands.
Take the example of Feng Zhen—wasn’t he on good terms with the Lord? Yet, whenever Feng Zhen sought favors from her, hadn’t he always been met with rejection? If General Fu didn’t change his bad attitude after surrendering, it wouldn’t be long before conflicts arose with the Lord.
Letting him stew for a while might help General Fu see the reality of his situation.
