Chapter 573: Fishing in Troubled Waters (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

What do they think?

Naturally, there was collective opposition.

Even the newly joined Liao Jia shared the same answer to this question, and Xun Zhen went even further, saying bluntly, "My lord, this matter must not be agreed to. It is not that we are afraid of fighting, but the battle to defend Yonggu Pass has already depleted our strength. How can we possibly have the power to fight again?"

This reason is the most basic.

Is that really the case?

War is fought for profit.

Why fight a war if there's no profit to be made?

Longwu County is too remote, and its neighbor is still the restless Shiwu. How many troops can they spare to participate in this so-called "Dragon Slaying Squad"? Even if they put on a brave face and actually bring troops there, how much say can Shen Tang get?

All previous plans to revitalize Longwu County have not yet yielded results, and the county is currently in its most awkward period—it is so poor that it has no manpower, no money, and no food! What is the point of fighting this battle? Zheng Qiao is hated by many, and if we have the ability, we can certainly send troops to punish him.

But do they have that capability now?

The family's resources are too meager!

Rather—

They stand by and watch, reaping the benefits without lifting a finger.

This was the consensus among the scholars present, but while they thought this in their hearts, they couldn't say it out loud, as if they were driven by profit.

“Zhang Yongqing invited us only to overthrow his tyranny, and we shouldn’t refuse.” Jiang Sheng sighed gravely, then changed the subject, “But our lord should consider the livelihood of the common people under his rule. If we raise an army again, we will be putting them to death…”

In short—it wasn't that they didn't want to fight, nor were they afraid of the tyrant Zheng Qiao; rather, they genuinely had their own unavoidable difficulties. Their lord is most benevolent and kind-hearted; how could he stand by and watch his people once again fall into misery?

Liao Jia added, "Han Zhang and Xian Deng are absolutely right. Furthermore, our greatest enemy is not the tyrant Zheng Qiao, but the Ten Crows. Our lord should be wary of their return. I believe Lord Zhang and the others can understand our predicament."

He was blatantly lying. Everyone present knew that Shiwu had been severely damaged in the last battle, and Shen Tang had withdrawn his troops from the territory, leaving only the border garrison led by Chu Jie. With the help of the border barrier, they could steadily defend Yonggu Pass.

The only possible advocate of war present, Gong Shuwu, who had a blood feud with Zheng Qiao, had veins bulging on his forehead, but after taking a few deep breaths, he secretly loosened his clenched fist: "My lord, I think what the gentlemen said is absolutely right."

Zheng Qiao should be punished, but not now.

Seeking revenge without being certain of success is just suicide.

Following that, everyone spoke up one by one.

Shen Tang listened silently for a long time, his face growing increasingly ashamed and helpless. Finally, he covered his face with his sleeve and blamed himself: "Those who are wicked in plain sight deserve to be killed. This Zheng Qiao is violent and has harmed countless innocent people. He cannot be allowed to live. How could I not know this? It's just that I, Shen, am weak and powerless, with few soldiers and generals. I have the will but not the power... Now I can only play the villain and politely decline the alliance."

Should we fight this battle?

hehe.

Shen Tang was more unwilling than anyone else present. As long as she lacked morals, no one could morally blackmail her!

Not only could she not be morally blackmailed, she also had to maintain her good reputation, leaving no stain whatsoever. Therefore, upon receiving Zhang Yongqing's letter, she immediately summoned everyone to discuss the matter. Firstly, she wanted to use them to express her own intentions, as her advisors all opposed it, and she couldn't fight against overwhelming odds. Secondly, she also wanted to demonstrate her stance: she desperately wanted to fight but lacked the means.

Gu Chi: "..."

He had already gotten used to some things.

Liao Jia and Xun Zhen, who joined before him, did not understand Shen Tang's true nature and were moved by her sincere feelings.

My lord is such a kind person.

The better a person is, the heavier their sense of moral guilt.

But this is not the fault of our lord.

Gu Chi: "..."

He had already gotten used to some things.

Shen Tang composed herself, though her expression remained somewhat dejected. She said to Chu Yao, "Wu Hui, please draft a letter for Yongqing. We only hope he can understand our predicament and difficulties." If he doesn't understand, then it's because Zhang Yongqing is heartless, ungrateful, and unreasonable!

Xun Zhen, remembering this, added, "My lord, Huang Lie is no benevolent man. If Lord Zhang and the others truly join him in attacking Zheng Qiao, things will go smoothly, but if not, they might suffer losses due to Huang Lie's underhanded tactics. Should we remind him of this?"

Huang Lie's power cannot be expanded any further.

If he truly had ten thousand heavily armored warriors under his command, and if he were to obtain the Imperial Seal, he might be able to sweep away the entire Northwest forces!

They too will be among those swept away.

Shen Tang nodded, his face sincere and harmless, and his words were full of the deep affection between brothers: "Yes, of course we must do this. Not to mention Zhang Yongqing, Brother Wu has also helped us a lot before, how can we just stand by and watch him be framed by villains?"

They used Zhang He and his group to restrain Huang Lie.

If we can delay for another two or three years, until she is old enough to enter the game, then it will be a case of the snipe and the clam fighting, and the fisherman reaping the benefits!

If you're going to play it safe and develop your character cautiously, you shouldn't try to stand out.

She felt a bit disgusted with Zhang Yongqing and his group's integrity—since it was discovered that the Heavy Shield Warrior was somewhat related to the epidemic, they should know that Huang Lie was not the culprit of that epidemic, nor was he a kind soul. Under such circumstances, they still wanted to organize a dragon-slaying scheme, hahaha.

What are you planning?

Only they themselves probably know the truth.

Tsk, what a bunch of wicked bastards.

Shen Tang muttered to herself, but still spoke words of truth, goodness and beauty. As a great philanthropist who could sit in the position of the Leshan Giant Buddha, she regretted that she could not participate in the Dragon Slaying Squad, but that did not stop her from cheering for them from the sidelines and expressing her feelings.

She even squeezed out her "only" pitiful amount of money from between her teeth, hoping that her "good brothers" wouldn't think she was being stingy.

The messenger quickly learned of the council's affairs and, seeing that Shen Tang was dressed simply and had no airs of a local leader, and that the entire Longwu County was dirt poor, naturally couldn't press the matter further. He hurriedly returned with Shen Tang's supplies and reply to report.

No sooner had the messenger left than Shen Tang put away her warm and kind smile, raising her hand to dismiss everyone: "Go do what you're supposed to do."

Although she gave away very little, it still pained her.

Money, all of this is money!

Even a tiny mosquito is still meat!

but--

She still sent spies to closely monitor the situation of this "dragon-slaying scheme." Neither side's victory would benefit Shen Tang; the best outcome would be a draw or a stalemate, as warfare is extremely costly in terms of manpower, resources, and finances, constantly burning through money.

Doesn't her burning money mean she's making money?

"However, I'm still a little annoyed."

Shen Tang inwardly grumbled.

Gu Chi comforted him, "It won't be long, at most two years."

He knew one thing well—if the conditions for sending troops were met, his lord would pounce on them like a wild beast unleashed.

How can handling official business compare to the exhilaration of fighting a war?

This performance of singing, reciting, acting, and fighting was purely due to his own limitations; he had to rely on acting to compensate for his disadvantages. No matter how valid the reason, it was still an attempt to avoid battle. Therefore, although the lord appeared calm on the surface, he was inwardly tormented by a hundred claws scratching at his heart.

"Two years." Shen Tang counted on his fingers, gave a cold smile in the direction the messenger had gone, and pointed. "Then, two years from now, it will be the beginning of our sweeping across the entire Northwest."

(ノへ￣、)

Tang Mei simply wasn't capable of joining this game.

However, it doesn't matter, there will be another battle to defeat the dragon in two years.

P.S.: I need to explain something, so I'll fast forward a bit. 16-year-old Tang Mei is about to make her appearance.

P.S.: Last month's fan title event has been postponed due to the special circumstances. There are still over fifty spots available, so please participate enthusiastically! (Posts submitted during the ban period will not be displayed on the front end and you will need to resubmit.)

(End of this chapter)