Chapter 653: Unifying Wanzhou (VI)

Although the scholar was not smart, it was not as if he did not have a brain at all.

“I want some silence… This matter… there’s some deception here… Something feels wrong…”

The scholar clenched his back molars painfully. The desire to throw up lingered at the back of his throat. All the pores on his body released sticky sweat.

His mind was muddled, like a bundle of yarn that could not be cut free or disentangled despite his best efforts. He could not make any sense of the matter.

In the face of this situation, the scholar wanted to find An Cui to ask for his advice… No… An Cui!

The scholar felt a flash of light in his mind. His brain, which had been blocked by turmoil, suddenly cleared. He knew what was wrong!

It was An Cui!

The scholar clenched the armrests of his chair, barely supporting his body so that it didn’t fall.

His gaze was vicious and full of murderous intentions. He gritted his teeth, searching his mind for someone who could contact An Cui in secret.

If not for An Cui’s multiple suggestions, how could today’s situation have happened?

This traitor had seemed to show concern for the Red Lotus Group, but he’d been hiding evil intentions. He’d wanted to put the entire Group to death all along.

This moment was probably the smartest moment of the scholar’s life. Many seemingly inconspicuous details become extremely clear.

In the beginning, An Cui had determined that Liu Xi and his party would take the lead in ambushing Fenghu County. This was because the mountain road leading to Fenghu County was short, which was convenient for ambushes.

In the end?

The scholar had trusted An Cui’s conclusion and withdrawn the garrison from Jinmen County. He had guarded Fenghu County in fear and trepidation. However, Jinmen County had fallen that same night. The 3,000 soldiers sent by the scholar to lie in ambush had been unsuccessful. On the contrary, Liu Xi had seen through their tactic; when all was said and done, they had suffered a double loss after trying to trick the enemy.

An Cui had gone to Red Lotus County before Jinmen County fell, and it had not been long before the Deputy Chief betrayed their Chief and occupied Red Lotus County.

After that, the scholar received a secret letter from An Cui, telling him that the Deputy Chief had taken their Chief captive and they had gone to Qiuyu County.

As a last resort, the scholar had only been able to divide his army into two groups. One would attack Jinmen County while the other would rush to rescue the Chief in Qiuyu County.

The scholar had led the troops to confront the rebels under the Deputy Chief in Qiuyu County. Just when they had pinned each other down, Red Lotus County fell and Fenghu County was captured.

From this perspective, not only had An Cui played him for a fool, but he had also tricked that idiotic Deputy Chief.

If not for An Cui secretly helping the enemy, how could Red Lotus County have fallen so quickly?

As he connected these key points, the scholar felt a sweetness at his throat, followed by a coppery taste. He was so mad that he fainted straightaway.

“Counselor! Military Counselor!”

“Counselor…”

“Counselor? Someone get the doctor!”

The scholar looked deathly pale and his body was shaking, which worried the people.

When he spewed out blood, rolled back his eyes, and fell to the ground, the group of people was scared witless.

The scene was chaotic and out of control.

As for the main culprit who was responsible for all this?

Seeing that the situation was getting worse, An Cui had already employed his schemes for a speedy escape. He had also brought his sworn brothers along with him in his escape.

The brawny man with a dark complexion asked in a low, muffled voice, “Big brother, do you think that Liu Xi will keep his promise?”

An Cui wore a warm cloak as he stood outside the cave, looking into the distance. His eyes seemed to penetrate the mountains and land of Qiuyu County.

“Liu Xi will keep his promise.”

The same man said, “I suppose that he won’t dare to go back on his promise… You’ve been so busy with Liu Xi’s affairs these days that you’ve lost half your weight.”

The corners of An Cui’s lips curled up, adding a little sharpness to his appearance.

The dejection on his face was wiped away, the decadence replaced by a bold and energetic expression that he had not worn in a long time.

He knew very well the exact strength of the Red Lotus military.

Liu Xi would have captured at least 50,000 captives!

According to the agreement, An Cui would get 10% of the men and money. He could get five to six thousand men and horses, as well as a generous amount of grain and money.

With these, An Cui would have the capital to get in on the action of responding to the imperial order to rescue the Dongqing Emperor.

If the workings were right, perhaps he might be able to borrow more troops and rope in some top talents.

When the time came…

He must get his home country back and make those thieves, the four factions of Nanman, repay their debt with their blood!

Thinking of this, countless scattered scenes flashed across his eyes. Each scene was filled with terrified screams, the spreading odor of blood, cries of despair, the enemy’s wanton laughter, the butcher knives raised high, the rolling heads, broken limbs, organs spread in a mess…

He was born the noble son of the An family, an influential man blessed by the heavens who was pursued by everyone. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?

These were the evil debts created by the four factions of Nanman. It was only fitting that debts of blood were paid in blood.

He would not let go of this hatred as long as he was still alive.

As long as he was around, there would be no Nanman!

An Cui’s sworn brothers looked at one another. They knew that their elder brother was starting to get emotional about the past again.

The three counties, Red Lotus, Fenghu, and Jinmen, had just been captured and their foundations were not yet stable. The Red Lotus Group had been developing in Chengde County for many years. They had many moronic believers there.

To not tip the entire situation over, Jiang Pengji ordered Qiguan Rang and others to lay a solid foundation, integrate the soldiers and horses, and at the same time, develop a thorough understanding of the situation in the three counties.

They had to figure out the ins and outs, only then would they be able to take appropriate measures to tackle any issues in the future.

After all, there were only a small number of moronic believers. Most of the people were just following along blindly.

The former group was irredeemable, but the latter could still be saved.

For the common people, it was not important who the officials were. The important thing was whether or not the officials could bring them a good life and provide them with a place of refuge in troubled times. As long as they understood the problems of the people in the three counties, and apply appropriate measures to the issues, it would let everyone know that it was far more promising to follow Jiang Pengji than the Red Lotus Group. The people would naturally surrender their hearts to her.

Of course… the tactics that the Red Lotus Group had used to brainwash their followers inspired Jiang Pengji.

The Red Lotus Group was able to use business deals and propaganda to discredit others and boost the interest and support for their “sacred religion.” Naturally, Jiang Pengji could do the same.

This method could also be used in the barracks to teach the soldiers to be loyal. Hadn’t the viewers of the livestream recommended her the position of political commissar?

However, the position of the political commissar required someone with certain scholarly knowledge. What Jiang Pengji lacked the most at present was intermediate talent, so this plan could only be set aside. However, “brainwashing” the people did not require such high-end talents, let alone wait to be implemented in the future.

Jiang Pengji did not remain idle during the period of rest and reorganization.

“Jing Rong, come here and take a look. What do you think of this nursery rhyme?”

Jiang Pengji was dressed in burlap work clothes, her long hair trailing over her shoulders. She wore no coronet. She gave off the dissolute vibe of an unrestrained rake.

It was extremely rude and uncivilized to go out to meet guests without a coronet. It was almost the equivalent of showing oneself to another while sitting down with his legs stretched out in front of them.

It was just that her long hair, which was blue-black like a crow’s, was somewhat damp. It seemed that she had taken a bath not too long ago.

Yang Si swallowed the words that he was about to blurt out. He said, “It’s cold today, why isn’t my lord taking care of his body?”

The colder the weather was, the more one needed to take care to keep warm.

Jiang Pengji caught her wet hair in her hand and lifted her eyelids inadvertently.

“My constitution is good and I’ve never had any minor mishaps or illnesses throughout the year. Not to mention, there’s a coal brazier inside the house. It is very warm here.”

After saying that, she handed the bamboo writing slips in her hand to Yang Si.

Yang Si received them and took a look. “What is this? This is… a nursery rhyme?”

The handwriting on the bamboo slips was strong and powerful. Faced with the swift and bold cursive calligraphy, he could not help but be deeply moved. The handwriting was like the soft voice of a person.

Jiang Pengji said, “Wen Zheng and Zi Xiao have both been worrying about something recently. There are too many surviving evil followers of the Red Lotus Group hiding in the cities and stirring up trouble from time to time. Although they don’t make any waves, things will become annoying after one too many times. If we become negligent at a critical moment, they could join forces with the Red Lotus Group members outside of their respective cities. If that happens, I’m afraid that we will be in big trouble. Therefore, we must find a way to solve this problem.”

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