Chapter 580

Chen Wuji again spent several leisurely days.

In the morning he glanced at military texts and handled some documents from Hezhou.

In the afternoon he chatted with the soldiers, played games with them, and when free went to visit villagers, seeing how the common folk of Wenkou Town lived their daily lives.

Over a few days, Chen Wuji actually didn't eat a single dinner in the camp; basically he was mooching meals from villagers' homes.

It's worth mentioning that because Chen Wuji ran around the nearby villages, the elders and clan heads of those villages unexpectedly joined together to petition him to have them incorporated into Hezhou.

Wenkou Town belongs to Guangtongzhou's administration and borders Hezhou.

Chen Wuji was left both laughing and crying for a moment by this matter.

Before he had seen moving boundary markers in the news, but never imagined such a thing would one day happen to him; feeling moved, he also felt a little bit of comfort.

The villagers being able to do this shows he did well.

Chen Wuji kindly soothed those elders and clan heads, one older than the next, promising to settle the matter after a while, though they didn't need to become Hezhou residents now.

That day Chen Wuji was again loafing around the village when a soldier came to report that the military advisor had returned.

Chen Wuji clutched a bundle of fresh greens he had just picked from a villager's vegetable patch, and hurried back to the Daying.

"Where is my military advisor? Where is my military advisor?"

Chen Wuji clutched a large bundle of greens, shouted at the top of his voice, and strode into the Zhongjun Camp.

Xu Zengyi was drinking tea in the tent when he heard the commotion outside, and instantly his face darkened.

It's only been a month since we last saw each other; how did some people suddenly become like this?

He hurriedly put down his teacup, rose to greet, saying, "My lord, I'm here!"

"Sir, I've missed you to death!" Chen Wuji tossed the greens aside and gave the thin Xu Zengyi a fierce bear hug, "Sir, you've lost weight!"

These amorous words made Xu Zengyi's mouth twitch violently; he quickly reached out to push Chen Wuji away.

"My lord, this kindness is more than I can bear."

Chen Wuji laughed, "How can a simple hug be too much to bear?"

"My lord likes women, I like women too; hugging is improper," Xu Zengyi said helplessly.

Chen Wuji laughed and scolded, "Old Xu, that's your problem—something perfectly normal becomes abnormal because you say it. Come, sit, sit, sit."

The two sat down in the tent, exchanged a few casual words, then turned to the main topic.

"I heard General Chen Li mention that you have already accepted the surrender of Lu Ping'an; next we should consider attacking Qingzhou?" Xu Zengyi reclined on the couch, rubbing his thigh.

Chen Wuji nodded, "The situation at Wenkou Town is basically settled, but I have no plan to attack Qingzhou; wealth and honor are enough. Next I intend to make a circuit of Nan Jun, meeting the heroes of the other prefectures."

"Qian Fugui has indeed made considerable progress these past six months, capable of independent command, but this is his first time directing such a large-scale operation; how is the progress?" Xu Zengyi asked.

Bringing this up, Chen Wuji found it a little hard to speak.

"How to put it? Progress is all right, but the commanders in the city seem to have been frightened and dare not come out." Chen Wuji said.

Xu Zengyi looked puzzled, "Frightened?"

"Mm." Chen Wuji said, "Qian Fugui arrived at Qingzhou about four days ago; the Qingzhou commander came out to fight and suffered a minor defeat."

"Afterward, Qian Fugui built walls, erected siege carts on a large scale, and hurled enemy heads and… other parts as weapons into the city. Qian Fugui's earlier report said that no one could be seen on the city walls of Qingzhou."

Xu Zengyi stared at Chen Wuji, dazed, "My lord, may I ask who came up with this idea? Is this something a person could actually do? Isn't this just blackening my face?"

"I am called a Poisonist, but I could never devise something like this; if it gets out, people will surely think I did it. Afterwards I fear I'll become a rat everyone shouts at."

"Such tactics are simply heartless and insane."

Chen Wuji coughed lightly, "The tactic came from the civil official group led by Qin Feng of Hezhou; they pooled ideas, everyone contributed, and then combined them."

Xu Zengyi's face turned to shock, "The officials' idea? My lord, you… aren't deceiving me, are you? That bunch of Confucian scholars could think up such a vicious plan?"

"I'm not deceiving you, nor did I force them to think of this; it was entirely their own initiative. You don't know the scene then—it was… one intense proposal after another." Chen Wuji said.

Xu Zengyi remained silent for a long while.

This news truly challenged his previous understanding.

Chen Wuji smiled, "Old Xu, you too have read the classics; whether you can devise such a tactic has little to do with reading them—it depends on the person."

Xu Zengyi shook his head, "That's not the same; I study military strategy, they follow the Confucian Way, so they can't be lumped together. A group of officials actually came up with such a vicious tactic; this is indeed shocking, even… a bit frightening."

"But looking at the present situation, at least the result is good." Chen Wuji said calmly.

Although when he first heard this tactic his reaction was almost identical to Xu Zengyi's.

But now he thinks it through clearly.

Whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat.

The Lingnan Six Commanderies are in such chaos; he very much needs those disorderly lords and tyrants to hear his name and tremble.

"My lord, this tactic will certainly be effective; with such a tactic there's no need to worry about Qian Fugui, Qingzhou will surely fall. Yet such a tactic will greatly harm your reputation." Xu Zengyi advised.

Chen Wuji waved his hand casually, "For now I don't care, and I don't need any good reputation."

Xu Zengyi thought for a moment, nodded slightly, and said nothing more.

"Has the situation in Guangyuan Prefecture stabilized?" Chen Wuji asked.

"All matters are settled, only there are many vacant official posts; we probably need to supplement more from Hezhou." Xu Zengyi said, "Moreover, it's a pity that Gu Wenjie slipped away again."

"With the Snake Staff Elder beside him, Gu Wenjie finding death is indeed not easy." Chen Wuji said, meanwhile briefing Xu Zengyi on the Snake Staff Elder's layout in Nan Jun.

Xu Zengyi's face darkened slightly, "What is this person trying to do?"

"You also can't see through his scheming?" Chen Wuji asked.

Xu Zengyi said, "I can see it, but I don't understand; behind the Snake Staff Elder there must be someone else. If my guess is correct, in these recent days the Snake Staff Elder should let these schemes surface."