Chapter 880

Chen Wuji, after a brief consideration of several breaths, gave a solemn order: "Take all our Bīngmǎ with us!"

Qian Fugui was startled, "My lord, it's just one county; if I bring all our Bīngmǎ over, wouldn't that be a bit excessive?"

His subordinate's Bīngmǎ now numbers not a few, having already exceeded twenty thousand.

Using such a massive force to attack a county with no garrison, only some clan forces, feels like using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken; Qian Fugui even worries that if he pushes harder, he might shatter the county.

"The war against the Court Army isn't urgent now, but we need to develop Yan Zhou." Chen Wuji said, "Having you take all our Bīngmǎ isn't purely for war; it's also to consolidate the region."

"First, clarify everything related to the Snake Staff Elder; then, establish fortresses at strategic points, and militarily open up the area from Xinglin Zhen to Guiling Xian."

"The rest, I think you should now be adept at: kill those who deserve killing, support those who deserve support, reorganize the locality, clarify land and populace, and select suitable talent."

"But remember this: don't let me see any wrongful convictions."

Qian Fugui solemnly assented, then asked, "My lord, am I to fight all the battles in the region from Xinglin Zhen to Guiling Xian?"

"You're eager, then you go fight; I have other arrangements for the remaining Bīngmǎ units."

"Yes!" Qian Fugui chuckled hehe, "Deputy General will arrange this now."

"Wait." Chen Wuji called out to him, "What about Kong Fang?"

"Still sleeping in the brothel..." Qian Fugui gave an embarrassed laugh, "The drug was a bit strong; he hasn't shown any signs of waking up yet."

Chen Ruoshui glanced over, "You haven't gone up to have a look, have you?"

Chen Wuji ordered, "First settle this matter; when he wakes, bring him to see me!"

"Yes!"

……

When Kong Fang woke up, it was already approaching evening.

The view streaming in through the window was lovely, dragon-scaled clouds tinged with gold, layered and spread across the horizon, yet Kong Fang had no mind to appreciate it.

At this moment, no matter how beautiful the scenery, to him it was all gray.

He turned his head to look out the window, tears silently sliding from the corners of his eyes.

The women in the room had all left, but his clothes remained disheveled.

Those brutal women had no idea what cherishing fragrance and jade meant; he shouted countless times that he couldn't take it, but nobody listened, they just kept doing their own thing, over and over, you finish your part and I take the stage.

They regarded him as…… a heartless plaything.

A bunch of crazy women!

And that bastard surnamed Qian, that beast surnamed Chen.

Too inhuman!

He too deserves dignity!

"Hey hey hey, enough already, what's a grown man crying for? This is such a good thing; you should be thanking me instead of crying." Qian Fugui sat on a side table sipping tea, glanced at Kong Fang, and shouted in disdain.

Kong Fang's chest instantly surged with anger; he jerked upright, body trembling as he pointed at Qian Fugui and shouted, "A good thing? If it's good, why don't you try it yourself?"

"Huh? You actually dare to yell at me?" Qian Fugui gave a sinister smile, put down his teacup, "Do you believe I'll give you a few more packets of drug, letting you continue to enjoy yourself tonight?"

Kong Fang's body shuddered violently, his eyes instantly turning fearful, "Bastard, just kill me outright!"

"For us, killing a person is the simplest; your wish probably can't be fulfilled." Qian Fugui shook his head, "Think carefully about the lord's conditions; it's not that hard, why torture yourself like this? If you remain stubborn, I can only assign a squad of Soldiers to do nothing but keep you company."

"Believe me, if it really comes to that, you certainly won't want to see it!"

Kong Fang, exasperated, "No, is that how your lord recruits people? Isn't that a bit excessive?"

"Actually I also think it's a bit, but… who asked you to be so arrogant? I've never seen anyone dare to speak to my lord like that." Qian Fugui gave Kong Fang a look for him to ponder, "You think those watchtowers in Nan Jun are just our own bragging? This awesomeness needs no boasting; my lord can achieve what's rumored, multiplied many times."

"You might not know, my lord originally meant to level the chariot wheels to distinguish captives when dealing with enemies, but he was persuaded otherwise, and the matter was dropped."

Kong Fang's pupils dilated, "He isn't indiscriminately killing the innocent, is he?"

"What indiscriminate killing of the innocent? Can't you speak? They're enemies, enemies!" Qian Fugui shouted.

"My lord often says, mercy toward the enemy is cruelty toward one's own; leaving the enemy any breath, they might later use it to kill our own people years down the line. Your so-called mercy now is a knife that will stab our own people in the future."

"But this is perhaps too extreme..." Kong Fang muttered.

Qian Fugui gave a soft hum, "Have you read the histories?"

"I have."

I haven't seen it, but I understand what my Family Head meant by these words, and I wholeheartedly agree!" Qian Fugui said, "You, who have read history books, still think what my Family Head said is cruel—do you even have a brain? Think about what's going on!"

Kong Fang suddenly fell silent.

He had already thought of...

Those historical entanglements, before hearing these words, he hadn't paid attention; basically it was just having read them, the focus was on understanding what the enemy was like, and how to respond going forward.

Because of these words, a bright light suddenly flashed in his mind.

It really seems to be the case...

Da Yu and the surrounding neighbors' later countless wars were all because previously winning was enough; the Court consistently followed a policy of appeasement, never pushing things to the extreme.

Not pushing to the extreme, the enemy gained the strength of wild grass that grows again when the spring wind blows.

"No, why did we suddenly start talking about this?" Kong Fang came to his senses.

Qian Fugui waved his hand indifferently, "Just chatting, I'm asking if you've figured it out now? I have other matters; don't waste my time here. If you're still utterly stubborn, I have no other recourse but to send a team to mess with you—I can't delay the war effort just to persuade you."

"Are you going to fight the Court Army? Is war about to break out?" Kong Fang asked immediately.

Qian Fugui hissed softly, "Is that what you should be worried about now? Think about your own affairs!"

"I can go see your Family Head!" Kong Fang said.

"Who cares if you see him? I'm talking about loyalty!" Qian Fugui shouted.

"Damn it, this old brat seems to have trouble understanding human speech—why do I always say west and you say east?"

"Surely something's wrong somewhere."