Chapter 853

Chen Wuji cared about reputation, but he cared more about actual things.

The Court Army had clearly set a trap for him.

If at this time he still cared about those illusory things and neglected the soldiers' situation, then his being lord would be somewhat superfluous.

Of course, Yang Tiejiang's words were not wrong either; taking the initiative would surely invite criticism, or would actually brand him as a rebel.

But if he does not take the initiative, there are no other choices left.

After more than forty days, provisions have become a problem.

"Hey!" Yang Tiejiang slapped his thigh hard.

"That coffin-selling bastard really spouts nonsense. He says you, my lord, haven't yet decided whether to completely break with the Court, and that after breaking ties there will be a heap of troubles, even causing soldiers and civilians to lose heart and allies to turn away, so he tells me not to mention this to you for now and just wait and see."

He blocked my mouth so I couldn't speak, making himself worry until his hair was almost falling out; in the end, the lord here didn't take these things seriously at all—clever people being overly clever, just bringing trouble on themselves for no reason.

Chen Wuji was rather speechless about this, "As his lord, I'm not that pretentious; what's there that can't be discussed?"

"Ah, actually that's what I meant," Yang Tiejiang said excitedly.

"But the coffin seller says we've already told the lord this many times; his attitude has always been to wait and see. Although the situation is urgent, it hasn't reached the point of having no choice, so we can still wait—don't spout nonsense and pressure the lord."

"Now it seems he's just spouting nonsense and wild guesses there; he simply doesn't understand the lord."

Chen Wuji shook his head, remaining silent for a moment.

This is probably a slight shortcoming of clever people.

It could have been said directly.

Their superior-subordinate relationship is actually quite transparent, without that much suspicion and distrust.

"Without a doubt, go invite Mr. Xu!" Chen Wuji ordered.

"Yes!"

Outside the felt tent, Chen Wuyi's figure merely flashed and then disappeared.

Not long after, Xu Zengyi, with especially severe dark circles, looked as if he'd aged seven or eight years overnight, his expression listless as he walked in.

Seeing his appearance, Chen Wuji jumped in fright, "Sir, have you been sneaking into the felt tents of those Ancient Wood Qiang girls?"

The Ancient Wood Qiang people haven't relocated yet; their camp is right next to the military camp.

Those straightforward and bold girls, disregarding day and night, will enthusiastically invite resting officers and soldiers to visit their felt tents as guests.

Chen Wuji, aside from strictly forbidding pillaging and coercion, turned a blind eye to the rest.

Such matters, as long as they're consensual, are fine.

Xu Zengyi slumped limp in his chair like someone with a bone-softening ailment, "Those girls are indeed cute and bold, but I don't want to compete with the soldiers for their affections; the Ancient Wood Qiang's Linglu and Elder are secretly encouraging this, so let's leave such pleasantries to the soldiers."

"Then what's going on with you?" Chen Wuji asked.

However he looked at him, Xu Zengyi appeared completely drained.

Xu Zengyi rubbed his face, "I haven't been sleeping well these past few days."

"Anything on your mind?" Chen Wuji asked.

Xu Zengyi shook his head, "Not exactly something on my mind; probably it's the summer heat making me feel a bit restless."

Chen Wuji chuckled lightly, "This guy, still pretending here."

"Feeling a bit restless? Then you really should sneak into the Qiang girls' felt tents!" Chen Wuji teased, "I think the Ancient Wood Qiang's Linglu and Elder would be happy to let their girls form some connection with you, the chief strategist."

Speaking of this, he also found it quite surprising.

Chen Wuji originally thought that after setting such strict conditions, the Ancient Wood Qiang would surely need time to settle and adapt, but unexpectedly they acted very quickly.

Not long after these matters were settled, the Ancient Wood Qiang girls, under the subtle hints of Linglu and the Elder, began enthusiastically helping the resting officers and soldiers with chores.

Fetching water, washing clothes, and such—soon after they'd invite you to sit in their felt tents.

As for what that sitting entails, you don't need to think to guess.

Truly, where there's a policy above, there's a countermeasure below.

Chen Wuji set a rule for the Ancient Wood Qiang that they only marry out, not take in husbands; they then turned their sights to the military officers.

However, Chen Wuji didn't object to this either.

What he wanted to see was exactly this result; starting from military relations makes it easier to change these semi-primitive tribes.

"My lord, stop teasing me; you know I have no interest in this." Xu Zengyi waved his hand.

Chen Wuji turned serious, "Sir, it's not me saying this—you really ought to take an interest. At your age, you haven't even left half an heir; that's unacceptable, you need to hurry. If you can't bring yourself to do it, I'll handle it for you."

As soon as that was mentioned, Yang Tiejiang perked up, "Coffin seller, the lord's right—you really ought to take this to heart. As the saying goes, among the three unfilial acts, having no heir is the worst. What kind of girl do you like? The lord will decide, I'll run errands."

Xu Zengyi's face was already somewhat dark from staying up late; hearing this, it darkened even more.

He didn't dare say anything to Chen Wuji, could only glare at Yang Tiejiang, lowering his voice: "You're everywhere; when there's nothing to do, you take the soldiers out for a few dozen li to warm up, and the lord's Training Method that you devised is the worst—yet you still have the nerve to talk."

"Sir, this isn't a joke; you really ought to care about this." Chen Wuji said.

He finally came to enjoy the pleasure of elders urging marriage.

Seeing Xu Zengyi's utterly speechless expression, not knowing how to rebut, he felt quite relieved.

Xu Zengyi felt overwhelmed, speaking weakly: "My lord, once this battle ends, I'll look, I'll look right away!"

"All right, that's what you said yourself—if you don't look, I and Lao Yang will find someone for you." Chen Wuji laughed.

"Yes, yes, yes."

Chen Wuji put away his joking demeanor, "Since you've agreed, let's talk about the main matter."

"The Court Army merely feinted; they didn't split forces to go south, nor did they mobilize quickly—we've been tricked. For now, they can linger slowly in Yan Zhou, but our army and Yang Yu can't wait; supplies have become a problem."

Especially Yang Yu—this Xiao Lao Tou is nearly at his wits' end. The internal turmoil in San Guan Jun has just been settled, and their supplies are even scarcer than ours; plus the great distance, their consumption rate there is almost massive, so we need to change our original tactics.

"Obviously, the rabbit in the waiting-by-the-stump ploy can't be caught anymore; I intend to take the initiative and attack Yan Zhou. But the Uyghurs are a troublesome headache, and Yang Yu over there is unlikely to take the initiative either—Mr. Xu, think it over, what should we do?"