Chapter 357: Strange Things

These words, Qin Feng had actually wanted to say for a long time.

But he didn't know where to start to say this; what if Chen Wuji wasn't acting on impulse but had planned to do this?

Although he thought he understood Chen Wuji to some extent, people's hearts are hard to guess.

"How did it become the art of emperors?" Chen Wuji asked with a strange look.

He really felt dazed.

Where did he use such a high-level method? How could he not know?

Qin Feng raised his eyebrows and smiled lightly, "Why do I need to explain it so clearly? Actually I don't really understand the art of emperors, but I can barely see that you've almost united momentum, technique, and law into one."

Chen Wuji's mouth twitched slightly.

Then say something!

However, he roughly understood what Qin Feng was referring to.

The balance in dealing with subordinates, or the art of checks and balances.

Combining kindness and authority, along with some law and methods of governing subordinates mixed into daily life, or the art of governing the people.

But to be honest, with these things, if Qin Feng hadn't brought them up, Chen Wuji would never have thought of this, and it wouldn't have been that serious.

He felt he should do this, and then he did.

Perhaps it had a bit to do with the art of emperors, but that's all it was.

There are certainly many such dry people in the world.

"I think you're just overthinking it; you're almost hallucinating from drinking." Chen Wuji shook his head and said, "The art of emperors is only the art of emperors when it's in the emperor's hands; even if I used the art of emperors completely, to me it's at most just the way of using people."

"Or you could also call it the art of the commandant."

Qin Feng laughed and said, "That makes sense."

In their view, the allied forces of the Gu, Li, and Xue families were retreating like a tide.

Chen Wuji's backup plan wasn't used; Yang Tiejiang brought his old comrades, wearing armor and helmets, waiting all night, and hasn't even swung a knife yet.

But Chen Wuji wasn't disappointed that these preparations weren't used.

A victory without using one's trump cards is better than struggling desperately after exhausting them.

The Chen clan troops, as the first echelon of the city's defense, actually didn't suffer heavy losses this time.

If we don't count Chen Wuji deliberately opening a gap to let those civilians in.

The enemy forces actually didn't truly climb onto the city walls today.

Although they killed many enemies, the fighting mostly took place below the city.

Especially with the assistance of the enemy's two cloud carriages, Chen Wuji nearly used up more than half of his prepared city-defense equipment, and the golden broth was almost exhausted.

"Order Qian Yong and Wu Bu Yong to lead people down the city to clean the battlefield! Bring back anything usable, drag the corpses farther away and set them on fire." Chen Wuji issued the command.

They weren't assigned to guard the city; cleaning the battlefield, such dirty and hard work, naturally fell to them.

After arranging what needed to be done next, he temporarily entrusted the important duty of guarding the city moat to Qian Fugui, then Chen Wuji went straight back to sleep.

After holding out this long, he was so tired he was about to hallucinate, urgently needing to replenish his spirit.

Chen Wuji, who usually relies heavily on sleep, felt that if he didn't hurry to sleep, he seemed to risk sudden death; this past lesson he didn't want to repeat.

……

Chen Wuji slept straight through to dusk, waking up refreshed and clear-headed.

After waking up, he made himself a bowl of meat broth at the camp's small kitchen, added two refreshing side dishes, and was enjoying his meal when Xu Zengyi and Qin Feng came over, drawn by the smell.

"Have the cook stir-fry two more dishes; this isn't for you!" Chen Wuji said, guarding his food.

After his spirit and energy recovered, his appetite was excellent; this amount was just enough for him.

Qin Feng shook his head speechlessly, "I'm not stealing your food, but you, a big commandant, are guarding your meal—when did you become a dog? I didn't know."

"Just now."

Xu Zengyi ignored their banter, spoke solemnly: "Earlier, a batch of panicked civilians came from outside the city, brought in by Wu Bu Yong. They said the Gu, Li, and Xue families were massacring villages all around, taking away everyone regardless of age or gender, and not leaving any livestock or grain."

Chen Wuji frowned, "They withdrew their troops at noon; how could they already be doing this? I feel something's off."

"I just chatted with Mr. Xu and also felt this seems somewhat unusual." Qin Feng spoke solemnly, "The Gu, Li, and Xue families have just been defeated; even if they needed to replenish troops and grain, there's no reason to be so rushed. This is practically soldiers just returning to their barracks, then being sent out to burn, kill, and loot."

"When things go against the norm, there must be something fishy—this bunch of bastards definitely isn't holding back anything good!" Chen Wuji said coldly.

"They forced all the civilians to go with them, men, women, old and young all taken?"

"Yes, that's what the civilians who fled outside the city said." Qin Feng said.

Xu Zengyi added, "For those who submit, they take everyone—men, women, old and young; but for those who resist, they only take the strong youths and young women, killing the old and weak!"

"Moreover, they take most of the money, grain, and livestock from those resisters and give a large portion as rewards to those who submit. According to the civilians who escaped back, most of what was looted from that small village was given away as rewards."

Chen Wuji's voice was icy, "That little bastard of the Gu family really has dirty tactics."

Because of this news, he lost even his appetite for eating.

"This person has no bottom line, his methods are extremely cruel!" Xu Zengyi gave a solemn comment.

This can be seen from the fact that he drove civilians to attack the city.

The vast majority of generals in the world couldn't commit such wicked deeds that harm yin virtue.

Using civilians as cannon fodder in war has always been something those hair-eating, blood-drinking barbarians like to do; in the internal wars of Da Yu, such occurrences are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Chen Wuji put down his chopsticks, "They raid villages, yet give most of the loot to those soft-hearted who willingly submit; they're raising bandits. In this way, they can quickly create a force obedient to them."

This should count as that so-called obedience training.

"Based on what we currently know, the Gu, Li, and Xue families aren't actually short on troops or grain; even if they wanted to replenish as much as possible, they shouldn't be this anxious, right?" Qin Feng said doubtfully again.

This is a problem he and Xu Zengyi had discussed for a long time but still couldn't figure out.

The great army had just been defeated, without even a moment to catch its breath, and was sent out to raid villages.

Too anxious.

It gave both of them an indescribable sense of unease.

"Anxious explanation shows they worry about long nights and many dreams, but this is a raid on a village—why would they worry? Is someone going to compete with them for loot? Or is it that the locals who have lived here a long time will suddenly all flee, leaving them without supplies?" Chen Wuji muttered to himself.