Chapter 762

This is a cruel era, but also a simple era.

Using rumors as a weapon of war is not unheard of, but it is not common.

Those few cases are mostly used to sow discord.

Unless Zhong Qiang intends to use the Shiva People to intimidate.

But Chen Wuji feels that possibility should be extremely low.

If Zhong Qiang is not so foolish as to be completely self‑assured, they should now realize that intimidation is utterly useless.

Chen Wuji will not, and cannot, fall for that again.

And the country of Shiva itself is not a pleasant sight.

The Qiang peoples are purely evil, and they are disgustingly evil!

In every respect, they cause both physical and mental discomfort.

The envoy pondered a moment, then asked again: "May I ask, Commander Chen, if the Shiva People truly unite with the Qiang peoples, what will you do?"

"Foreign invaders—here there is no second answer!" Chen Wuji said firmly.

"I bear grudges deeply; if the Shiva People dare set foot on Da Yu's land, I will, within my power, use every means to drive them from their land, even to exterminate them."

"You can tell these words to Yang Gong exactly as they are; given Yang Gong's character, I think he would feel the same. Around Da Yu prowls a pack of wolves; when the Mighty Tiger opens its eyes, the wolves quietly tuck their tails and act like dogs, but when the Tiger dozes, the wolves begin to stir."

"Since the Court trusts me and has given me the post of Nan Jun Jiedu Guanchasi, I must make it clear to those surrounding wolf‑packs that even if the tiger sleeps, should they bare their fangs, I can pull out their teeth, crush them, and make them swallow them whole."

The envoy's expression shifted sharply, and he rose in solemn respect.

"For Nan Jun to have Commander Chen is a blessing for its people!"

That was a completely sincere remark, unrelated to position.

Nan Jun, he had visited many times before.

But this visit alone left him a profoundly deep impression.

At present, Nan Jun is no longer the Nan Jun he once remembered.

Even before achieving the unification of Nan Jun, Chen Wuji had already given its people a good life.

On this journey, seeing the crisscrossing field lanes and the smiles on the people's faces, he sometimes wondered if his eyes were playing tricks.

"No need to flatter me—I, Chen Wuji, am ultimately just a commoner!" Chen Wuji said with a light smile, "And moreover, a commoner with no scruples."

Chen Wuji has always had a very clear self‑awareness.

He truly is merely a commoner with some aspirations and ambitions.

He always has two different bottom lines for enemies and his own people.

When facing the enemy, he can without hesitation flatten the wheels.

But when facing his own people, even if he knows they are beyond saving, he still feels torn, hesitates, and wavers.

Chen Wuji's words left the envoy momentarily at a loss; after a hesitant pause, he forced a compliment: "Commander Chen's modest words are, to us commoners, no different from the nine heavenly suns, a splendid spring breeze."

Chen Wuji's expression instantly froze.

This envoy surnamed Long is probably not someone who often praises people.

The moment he spoke, Chen Wuji already had his three‑room, two‑hall figured out.

"Envoy, go rest first; tonight I'll hold a banquet and let you sample Nan Jun's specialty dishes!" Chen Wuji said with a smile; the matter was basically settled, and there was no need to talk further.

To continue chatting would become awkward; he did not want to turn his three‑room, two‑hall into a grand villa.

"I am deeply honored." The envoy bowed, was about to leave, but suddenly stopped.

"By the way, I almost forgot something—may I ask Commander Chen, is Tang Duwei presently in Zhuque City? Before I came, Yang Gong specifically instructed me to relay a few matters to Tang Duwei."

"He is not in the city now!" Chen Wuji said, "Tang General leads his troops abroad; even I do not know his exact whereabouts at the moment. The envoy may stay in the city a few more days and wait."

To capture those scattered fleeing Qiang People rat‑like troops, the various forces were dispersed in all directions, completely covering Zhuque County and even farther afield.

Before they sent the latest military intelligence, Chen Wuji could not determine their position.

"Here!" the envoy replied, politely thanked Chen Wuji, and withdrew.

Just as he left, Qin Zhonghong and Lu Wanwan appeared like ghosts, climbing in through the window.

Watching their two movements, nearly identical and practiced to perfection, Chen Wuji's expression turned slightly dazed—could such a thing really be passed from person to person?

Lu Wanwan's posture was as if she had practiced it thousands of times.

"Husband, guess who we found in the city?" Qin Zhonghong stood to Chen Wuji's left, put her arm on his shoulder, leaned slightly forward, and smiled.

Lu Wanwan was not to be outdone; she mirrored the same pose symmetrically on both sides of Chen Wuji.

"Who?" Chen Wuji looked left and right.

Lu Wanwan, worthy of being the concubine personally selected by Qin Zhonghong, bears a demeanor that is practically a clone of Qin Zhonghong's genes, one‑to‑one, differing only in appearance.

"Husband, why not guess first—it's a woman." Qin Zhonghong sold a tease.

Chen Wuji's lips curled slightly, "A woman?"

Qin Zhonghong narrowed the scope to this extent, making it basically easy to guess.

Although he has met many women, upon closer count there really aren't that many.

San Niang and her group could not possibly appear in Songzhou out of the blue—this is a battlefield.

If they were to come, they would certainly have sent word ahead of time.

Besides that, only Qin Zhonghong's two maidservants—but they have nothing to do with Chen Wuji.

Chen Wuji thought a moment, and the only answer left was Zhang Xiuer.

"Has Zhang Xiuer come to Zhuque City?" Chen Wuji asked.

Qin Zhonghong leaned in and kissed Chen Wuji's cheek, "Husband, you're really clever."

"Have you met?" Chen Wuji asked, a hint of doubt in his voice.

Qin Zhonghong shook her head. "It was just that my people happened to spot her; I took a distant glance. She had entered the city half an hour earlier and was looking for a place to stay. She is, after all, a servant of His Majesty the Emperor; before I am certain of her purpose, I dare not casually meet her."

"You're not also the Emperor's man?" Chen Wuji said with a smile.

Qin Zhanhong pursed their lips and shook their head, "That's not the same. They are His Majesty the Emperor's secret agent, a true confidant. As for me, I'm merely given face by His Majesty the Emperor for my husband and our family, temporarily retaining the position of the Imperial City Department."

"My few old subordinates have mostly been transferred lately; what am I, a lone stick here, counted as among the Emperor's people?"