Chapter 375

Wei Xikang's voice began to tremble slightly; he understood Wei Xi Yuan's feelings at this moment too well.

"You say such a person, pushed to this point, with his faith collapsed and his dignity swept away, what will he do?"

Jiang Jinshi did not answer, but in his heart, he already had a faint guess; this was the same as his own thought, which is why he came here to verify it.

Wei Xikang raised his head, his gaze meeting Jiang Jinshi's, "He will go mad! Not the kind of incoherent babbling of a madman, but a kind of... sober madness.

He knows he is finished, but he is absolutely unwilling to finish so quietly and silently.

He wants everyone to remember that the Da Qian Emperor, Wei Xi Yuan, did not die of illness, was not captured, but died in battle, was... a martyr for the nation!"

"Martyr for the nation..." Jiang Jinshi understood the weight of these two words too well.

Wei Xikang nodded affirmatively, "Better to be a shattered jade than an intact tile. This is what Father taught us, and it is also a phrase carved into his bones.

He will definitely make one last counterattack, one last decision.

The target might be unclear, but the goal is very clear!

Not seeking victory, only seeking to make the enemy hurt, to shock the world, so that when history books write about him, they cannot only write 'mediocre' or 'fallen nation,' but also add a stroke of 'a trapped beast fighting' and 'stubborn and headstrong'!

What he wants is the tragic outcome of perishing together!"

Since ancient times, emperors who died for their nation have received more praise in history books, even if the emperor was extremely mediocre; as long as they died for the nation, they were worthy of praise!

Jiang Jinshi took a deep breath and finally asked the question he cared about most.

"In your opinion, this last bite of his, who will he bite first? Wei Wenlie of Western Liang, that royal uncle who snatched half his empire? Or me, this rebel who dug up his foundation and holds the Imperial Jade Seal?"

Wei Xikang fell into silence again; this time, he thought for even longer.

"Hatred, he definitely hates both. Toward Wei Wenlie, it is national enmity, the hatred of overthrow, the hatred of someone who is clearly of the same lineage yet covets the empire!"

Speaking of this, he glanced at Jiang Jinshi, his tone complex, "Toward you, it is much simpler; he purely thinks you are a rebel!"

He paused and continued to analyze: "Looking at the immediate threat, the Western Liang army is outside Tongguan; biting Western Liang seems more 'natural,' more capable of boosting a bit of remaining morale, and also seems to fit the tragic drama of 'the Emperor personally leading the campaign to guard the national gate' better."

"However..."

His tone suddenly shifted, "If I were him, under the premise of knowing I must die and only wanting to make the enemy hurt the most, I might choose you, Great Leader Jiang."

"Oh? Why?" Jiang Jinshi raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Because fighting Western Liang, even if he could blunt their edge, would not help the overall situation; Wei Wenlie's foundation is already established, and the loss of some troops would not shake his foundation. Moreover, Western Liang's troops are strong and their horses are sturdy; his desperate counterattack might not necessarily gain any advantage, and he might die even faster and more ugly."

Wei Xikang sighed and continued: "The most important point is... Wei Wenlie is a royal uncle, we all share the surname Wei..."

Indeed!

If one had to say, would Wei Xi Yuan rather give the empire to his royal uncle Wei Wenlie, or to the rebel Jiang Jinshi?

If he went to fight Western Liang, how would history books write it? How would future generations evaluate him?

The last emperor of Da Qian, Wei Xi Yuan, only knew how to bully his own people.

First initiating a rebellion to seize the throne, leading to the loss of the Jade Seal, then leading a great army to attack his own royal uncle, the Western Liang King, leading to the exhaustion of Da Qian's elites, allowing Jiang Jinshi of Beijiang to seize the world without any pressure!

But if he fought Beijiang, the evaluation would be completely different.

He would be an emperor who fought until the very last moment, dying for his nation, attempting to restore Da Qian.

Even if he were defeated, he would be given a very high evaluation!

After listening, Jiang Jinshi leaned back in his chair and remained silent for a long time.

Wei Xikang's analysis was clear and pointed straight to the heart, especially the final judgment, which was extremely realistic.

Since Wei Xi Yuan held the mindset of "better to be a shattered jade than an intact tile," why would he go to fight Western Liang?

Wei Wenlie seized the world, which could be considered a continuation of Da Qian's orthodoxy, so no matter how "mad" he is, he would only come to fight Beijiang.

Wei Xikang added: "But one cannot completely rule out the possibility that he might fight Western Liang to the death, or... provoke both sides at the same time, completely muddying the waters and letting everyone perish together—a madman's idea.

In his current state, it would not be strange for him to do anything.

Perhaps... he will pretend to deal with Western Liang with all his might, even releasing rumors of peace talks to paralyze all parties, and then suddenly turn his spearhead to give you a fatal blow.

Or perhaps, he will use some more insidious and underhanded methods..."

Jiang Jinshi also knew that Wei Xikang's analysis of the current situation was correct, and continued to ask: "Old Wei, if you were Wei Xi Yuan, and you had the last bit of power you could mobilize.

For example... those seventeen thousand panicked Forbidden Guards in Chang'an, or those defeated soldiers at Tongguan whose morale has collapsed but who are numerous and powerful, how would you use them?"

Wei Xikang instantly understood Jiang Jinshi's implication, "If it were a head-on collision on the battlefield, he would have no chance of winning against either Western Liang or you.

Therefore... it is very likely to be a surprise attack, an assassination, spreading rumors to incite internal chaos, colluding with foreign enemies to create border trouble, or even... poisoning, plague, setting fire to destroy the strongholds where you store grain, or assassinating your core generals or... yourself.

In short, he will do whatever makes you hurt, whatever makes you chaotic, whatever makes your rear unstable.

Regardless of the cost, regardless of the means, only seeking to make you hurt, and letting everyone see that the Da Qian Emperor will drag someone down with him even in death!"

"I understand."

Jiang Jinshi obtained the answer and nodded firmly, "Old Wei, thank you! These words of yours are worth a thousand pieces of gold."

Wei Xikang smiled bitterly and shook his head: "I only hope I guessed wrong, or... that he can retain a last shred of reason and not take things to the extreme. After all, there are countless people in Guanzhong..."

"He will not!"

Jiang Jinshi stood up, his tone extremely firm, "Counting on him to be rational is not as good as sharpening your own blade. Old Wei, please put more effort into the academy, and also... take care of yourself. Although you are far from the strife, there is no guarantee that someone won't want to use you to make a point."

Wei Xikang also stood up, "I know! You yourself... must take care. The people of Beijiang cannot do without you; if the chaotic world is not pacified, the people of the world will not have a single day of good life."

Jiang Jinshi looked at him deeply, patted his shoulder, said nothing more, and turned to leave the small courtyard.

Wei Xikang stood at the door; he knew what choice Jiang Jinshi would make, and he also knew Wei Xi Yuan's final end, but he could not bring himself to ask Jiang Jinshi to spare his foolish second brother's life.