The Empress’ Livestream
chapter-644

Chapter 644: Mental Breakdown (II)

Although the mountain trail was difficult to travel on, its overall length was much shorter than that of the official path. Moreover, Jiang Pengji had always trained her troops rigorously, and a speedy march of such intensity was nothing to them. Right after they reached their destination, the siege equipment that Xu Ke had prepared also arrived.

Qiguan Rang laughed and said, “It appears that Xiaoyu really trusts you, my lord.”

Yang Si’s expression was complicated. He said, “If not for his deep trust in you, the siege equipment wouldn’t have arrived so fast.”

The equipment was large and difficult to transport, so the time it took to transport it definitely couldn’t be compared to the speed at which the troops led by Jiang Pengji traveled, having left all unnecessary supplies behind.

To calculate the timing precisely, one had to consider the possible variables along the way and the speed of manual transportation. At the same time, one needed to have a completely unwavering faith.

What faith?

To answer this question, one had to know that, had Jiang Pengji failed to conquer Jinmen District according to plan, the siege equipment would have been “gifted” to the Red Lotus Group.

But in the end?

Jiang Pengji had conquered Jinmen District and even ambushed the ambushers of the Red Lotus Group with Qiguan Rang. In the end, she’d returned to Jinmen District before the Red Lotus Group could react. It seemed as if it had only taken her two days, but the energy she’d spent on it was beyond what any ordinary person could imagine.

Had Xu Ke not trusted Jiang Pengji completely, how could the equipment have been sent over in such a timely manner?

Jiang Pengji placated the agitated Little White and ordered that the best feed be brought for him.

She said, “Enter the city. There, we will discuss the next step of our plan.”

According to their plan, the next step would be to attack Qiuyu District. However, the attack on Jinmen District this time around hadn’t been so easy. They had been marching for two days straight, only taking turns to rest for half a night. At the moment, the soldiers and their horses were all tired. Their combat power was not as strong and abundant as it had been at the start of the march.

Jiang Pengji felt that there was a need to have an in-depth discussion with her advisors regarding how they were going to attack Qiuyu District and how the battle would be conducted.

However, with such a total wild card for their lord, the advisors felt that it would be very difficult.

They only had one question… Would their lord obediently follow the plan after they settled upon one?

However, the battlefield was fast-changing. Even the best plan wouldn’t be able to take all the variables into account. Therefore, they wouldn’t force Jiang Pengji to follow their plan to the T either.

Regarding Qiuyu District, Yang Si and the other advisors each had a respective plan in mind.

Qiguan Rang suggested that Jinmen District be used as a fortified point to divert the Red Lotus Group’s elites and main forces. He thought that other troops should be sent to attack Qiuyu District instead.

Yang Si furrowed his brows and said, “No, it wouldn’t work. The situation in Jinmen District is not stable, and plenty of citizens have been deluded by the cult. If they coordinate with the actions of the members of the Red Lotus Group outside, it would cause us a lot of trouble. If the city falls, we might even lose our lives.”

Jiang Pengji agreed with what Yang Si had said.

From her perspective, seized territories could be reclaimed, but who could compensate her loss if her advisors died because of it?

Qiguan Rang asked, “Do you not trust me, my lord?”

Jiang Pengji felt wronged. How could she possibly not trust Qiguan Rang?

“Since you trust me, my lord, do let me try my hand at it. Jinmen District is a good start. If we can maintain our streak and take Qiuyu District in one go, the morale of the Red Lotus Group will be severely damaged. They would most likely never recover from that kind of setback. This would be a great time for you to take action and reclaim Chengde County, my lord.”

Qiguan Rang was usually a cautious and low-key person, but his style was completely different when it came to making battle plans. His style was treacherous and bold, seeking risky victories.

Qiguan Rang’s gambler’s mentality was no less strong than that of Jiang Pengji’s.

It wasn’t without reason that the two were like-minded close friends.

The suggestion that he’d proactively come up with, namely to defend Jinmen District with 3,000 to 5,000 troops and delay the main force of the Red Lotus Group, was extremely bold.

However, his boldness was backed by his faith in his own ability.

Jiang Pengji couldn’t fault Qiguan Rang for it, so she could only sigh and agree.

“In that case, you may give it a try. If you can’t defend the city, do prioritize your safety and life and retreat in time. Don’t overexert yourself, there is still a pile of documents waiting for you to deal with back in Fengyi County. Without you to help, Wenzheng, surely the others will die of exhaustion.”

Jiang Pengji didn’t refuse his suggestion with pretentious words. One line or two would be considered an expression of concern, but a lengthy refutation would represent doubt in his ability.

She had always respected the strong.

The way she saw it, one did not need to have supreme martial power to be considered strong. A great mind, great martial skills, or great intelligence… All those would qualify one as being strong.

Qiguan Rang’s martial skills had stopped at the level of being able to wave his sword around like a public square dancer, but who could call him weak?

Having a great mind made one a great man.

At first, Qiguan Rang was touched. He was so moved that he almost teared up, but after he heard the latter half of what Jiang Pengji had said, he thought about whether or not it would be illegal for him to murder his lord.

It cast a chill over his heart.

Yang Si rolled his eyes discreetly. Of course, he knew that Jiang Pengji was not a kind person. Instead, she was an unscrupulous boss who exploited her employees without even having to think about it.

Before Qiguan Rang could prepare to murder his lord, Jiang Pengji said with a serious expression, “I will leave the important task of guarding Jinmen District to you, Wenzheng. Due to how numerous the troops of the Red Lotus Group are, I will only leave with 4,000 troops. The rest will stay in Jinmen District with you…”

Hearing the numerical figure, Qiguan Rang made a disapproving expression.

How could a mere 4,000 troops conquer Qiuyu District when they were outnumbered?

Jiang Pengji said, “4,000 is not a small number. We have enough siege equipment with us that we need not worry about being unable to conquer the district. Furthermore, we still have spies within the Red Lotus Group. They can be of some use during critical junctures, and it shouldn’t be hard for us to take Qiuyu District with inside help.”

Bringing 4,000 men with her meant that Qiguan Rang would only have slightly more than 6,000 men, but he would have to hold his ground against enemy troops which numbered ten or twenty thousand.

Qiguan Rang still wanted to say something, but Jiang Pengji stopped him.

At that moment, a messenger came in from outside, wanting to pass on his message.

Jiang Pengji gave her permission, and the soldier ran in. The latter went down on one knee, holding a roll of bamboo slips in his hands.

“My lord, this is a letter sent to you by a beggar.”

“A letter sent by a beggar? Jiang Pengji didn’t mind the fact that the letter was dirty. She took the shabby roll in her hands, then unrolled it and immediately chuckled. She asked, “Where is the beggar now? Bring him to me immediately. An Cui is quite capable and has done very well!”

The messenger said, “The beggar is waiting outside the door.”

Yang Si and Qiguan Rang exchanged looks of confusion, not knowing what had happened.

At the same time, the three generals, Li Yun, Dian Yan, and Jiang Nongqin, were also summoned to the office by the order of emergency.

When they arrived, they saw a beggar in rags kneeling in the office. His appearance was unkempt, except for his eyes, which were pitch black and shiny.

Jiang Nongqin quietly sat on her seat. Dian Yan said nothing at all. Only Li Yun was rather curious.

“My lord, who is this?”

“A major contributor,” Jiang Pengji said with a smile. She then ordered the beggar to explain everything from beginning to end.

The little beggar was not scared and spoke plainly and in an organized manner.

After Jiang Pengji conquered the small town, An Cui had found an excuse to leave Jinmen District for Honglian District.

Why did he go to Honglian District?

It was, of course, to support Jiang Pengji and provide opportunities for her.

The cult leader of the Red Lotus Group called himself the reincarnation of God who could save every living being in the world. But he was just conning the people out of their money under the guise of being a god.

He led a luxurious and promiscuous life, greedy for food and sex, wanting to control everything.

The unequal distribution of looted goods resulted in some people being unhappy, albeit without showing it.

An Cui had suggested strategies to the scholar for a few times, allowing the scholar to enter the limelight.

The scholar had deliberately suppressed An Cui, not letting him appear in front of the leader of the Red Lotus Group. However, other people had noticed him.

One of the other people was considered the second-in-charge of the Red Lotus Group. He was none other than one of the blood brothers of the leader who had risked his life for him.