Chapter 1426: Martial Rebellion, Civil Rebellion

"It is precisely because I cannot use assassination that I thought of you. Since you can make someone die without a sound, surely you have a way to make it look like a death from illness. In short, it is not an assassination!"

Marquis Pingjiang said as a matter of course, completely substituting one concept for another. It was nothing more than changing a bloody murder scene into a sickly death scene.

All roads lead to Rome; the result is the same.

Chen Guanlou:...

He rubbed his cheeks. "If you want him to die of illness, you can bribe the people around him. There's no need to rely on me."

"It won't work! I've tried every method you can think of. This person can only be killed by you. The people around him are all very loyal!"

"The price you're offering isn't enough." Chen Guanlou exposed the truth.

If they can't be bribed, the only reason is that the price offered isn't high enough.

Marquis Pingjiang sneered. "A piece of trash like this isn't worth me spending a single penny. This matter is yours alone, and there will be no shortage of benefits for you afterward."

"You'd rather spend money on me than bribe the people around him?"

"Your surname is Chen! I am willing to spend money on you." Marquis Pingjiang said with a smile.

Chen Guanlou chuckled and quipped, "Sectarianism!"

"Self-righteous!" Marquis Pingjiang countered.

Chen Guanlou waved his hand, not wanting to argue.

He asked, "Do you have a personal grudge against him?"

Marquis Pingjiang nodded, admitting it. Admitting he was using public office to settle a private grudge!

"You really are... the fact that you haven't been defeated while leading troops to war like this is amazing!" Chen Guanlou was greatly surprised.

Marquis Pingjiang looked at his shocked expression and laughed out loud.

"What do you think war is? Everyone working together, uniting all forces that can be united? Not so! War is first about money, and second about eliminating dissidents! Because they might backstab you at any time! The troop strength can be a little less, the equipment can be a little worse, the pay can be only half-issued, but there absolutely cannot be two hearts, and absolutely cannot tolerate a traitor!"

Bang!

A dagger was plunged into the tabletop.

"Playing with knives at your age, be careful not to hurt yourself." Chen Guanlou complained about the other person's age while kindly reminding him.

Marquis Pingjiang took a puff of his water pipe. "I've played with knives my whole life; you might not be as good at it as I am. Tomorrow morning, I hope to hear good news."

Chen Guanlou sighed. "How many days do you want him to live?"

"Three days! I can tolerate him for at most three days!"

"Fine! Then three days it is."

"Don't leave any traces, don't let people misunderstand that he was poisoned, don't cause controversy!"

"Don't worry. When it comes to how to make someone die normally, I am your master!" Chen Guanlou said shamelessly.

Upon hearing this, Marquis Pingjiang laughed. "It seems you've learned quite a few skills in the Heavenly Prison all these years. Not bad, not bad, it can be considered a successful study! Once the person is dead, you can return directly to the capital. Tell that brat for me to be an honest official, don't provoke the Emperor, don't provoke Xie Gechen. He is no match for the Xie family."

"Who is the brat?" Chen Guanlou asked back.

"Of course it's my son, your clan brother Chen Guanfu, who else could it be."

Chen Guanlou said "Oh" and nodded. "After the immigration is over, are you really willing to give up your military power and go overseas to serve as the Grand Admiral of the Navy?"

"Who can say for sure about the future." Marquis Pingjiang's attitude was ambiguous.

"Will you rebel?" Chen Guanlou was blunt.

Marquis Pingjiang pondered for a moment. "Do you think I should rebel?"

"I don't know! I only have a half-understanding of the court's affairs. I went for a tour in the South this time; the situation in the non-war zones is not bad, and the common people can eat their fill."

"The livelihood and economy in the South have always been good. The territory conquered by the Prince of Chu has not been destroyed, but rather managed with great care. In the end, it all benefited the imperial court and that bunch of greedy noble families. As long as the South doesn't fall, the imperial court won't fall! Even if one day the Northwest gateway is gone and falls, the imperial court can still hold onto half the country by relying on the grain supply from the South."

Marquis Pingjiang said realistically.

As a pillar of the imperial court, he had a clear understanding of the current situation.

"You mean, you want to fight from South to North?" Chen Guanlou was very surprised.

Marquis Pingjiang shook his head. "Heaven has been kind these past few years, and the South is basically in a state of favorable weather. The North is far worse—drought, man-made disasters, locust plagues... one after another. When you go back, you might as well walk around and take a look, and you will intuitively feel how rotten the North really is. In such a place, if one were to rebel, it could be supported! Squeezing the people's strength to the limit, to the edge of rebellion. But, what for? Could it be that I rebel just for this piece of broken land and the bankrupt common people?"

"You don't have the confidence to fight to the capital and gain the world?"

Chen Guanlou was very curious about the other person's thoughts.

"What if I fight to the capital? Do you think that if I fight to the capital, with a single imperial edict, the world will accept me?"

"If they don't accept you, keep fighting! You have the army with the strongest combat power in the whole world in your hands, and they are all field armies..."

"Who will supply the grain, who will supply the equipment, who will pay the wages? If I dare to delay the wages, the bunch of soldiers below will dare to rebel against me! You think the strongest combat power comes from being docile, good commoners..."

Speaking to the end, Marquis Pingjiang sighed. "Time waits for no one!"

Chen Guanlou pondered for a while. "Are there ten thousand people willing to follow you in rebellion? If you coerce some more, are there thirty thousand?"

Marquis Pingjiang didn't speak.

Chen Guanlou nodded in understanding.

"You don't want to rebel! You want to be a loyal subject of the Great Gan Dynasty!"

"If you were me, would you rebel?"

"Me!" Chen Guanlou raised his eyebrows and smiled. "I don't know! This damn place can't even grow a single grain of food!"

"You kid have no guts!" Marquis Pingjiang laughed out loud.

Chen Guanlou didn't refute.

He really hadn't considered the issue of rebellion.

He was only willing to incite others to rebel, to instill his own set of rebellion theories into others, and let others practice them.

Lead an army to rebel himself?

Forget it!

He knew better than anyone what kind of person he was: gluttonous and lazy, avoiding the heavy and seeking the light; he simply couldn't endure the hardships of rebellion.

"For a time, I was just like you, very conflicted. Whether to rebel or not! I definitely wouldn't return to the capital, but if the stalemate continued for a long time, I would either die or rebel. At one point, I was prepared to start an uprising; at worst, I'd be pointed at by thousands of people and cursed for eternity! I would even accept the execution of my nine clans!"

"Later, your overseas development plan came out, and I thought, rebellion can be civil or martial. In the current situation, martial rebellion has at most a ten percent chance, because I don't have a stable source of wealth. War is about money; without money, I can't even walk out of the camp."

"I also can't learn from those small-time players, hiding in some place and slowly developing. Once I raise the flag of rebellion, all the military forces of Great Gan will aim their spears at me. The imperial court will also concentrate all its resources to suppress me."

"At that time, I won't even have the chance to catch my breath or rest for a few days to let the soldiers recuperate. Every moment will be spent in a desperate struggle! If I want to develop steadily and cultivate a piece of territory, the imperial court will never give me the chance. They will get rid of me as quickly as possible to minimize the impact. If only I were a nobody, I wouldn't have to be so miserable; I would have rebelled!"

The more famous a person who rebels is, the more the imperial court values them. They will concentrate superior forces, pile up all resources, and fight to the death!

"Since martial rebellion won't work, then civil rebellion!" After speaking, Marquis Pingjiang revealed a smug smile. ===== CHAPTER 1427 =====