Chapter 41
The fact that the supplies entered Jincheng through clandestine channels proves the success of Jiang Manyan's prior planning.
At that very moment, Song Guansui's messenger brazenly knocked on the city gates of Jincheng.
The letter was presented to Jiang Manyan. On the plain white letter paper was only one line of text, the ink deep and bold, penetrating the paper and carrying an unquestionable air of command.
"Yan'er, come back to your brother's side."
Song Guansui's letter contained neither threats nor inducements, because he knew that Jiang Manyan could understand the immense power and impending storm behind that simple sentence.
Jiang Manyan stared for a moment, a complex and unreadable smile slowly curving her lips.
He calmly spread out a sheet of plain cotton stationery produced in Jincheng, dipped his brush in ink, and wrote a line of strong, powerful, and equally firm characters in a flowing and elegant manner.
“Brother, if you admire the majestic sight of an eagle spreading its wings, why do you have to break its wings with your own hands?”
Instead of directly refusing, he threw a question back at Song Guansui.
Jiang Manyan stood on the city wall, the setting sun casting a long shadow of him.
Behind them, the laughter of Lao Liu and his companions filled the air, their genuine joy at the peaceful city before them and the crisis that had just been averted.
The joyful sounds failed to penetrate Jiang Manyan's body. Her honey-brown eyes looked beyond the myriad lights of Jincheng towards the city center, a deep, unseen contemplation settling in their depths.
Suddenly, a cloak, still warm from his body, gently fell on his shoulders.
Jiang Manyan didn't turn around, but her body naturally relaxed, leaning back into a warm and firm embrace.
"Everything is arranged."
Qin Lingfeng's deep voice sounded in his ear, and he wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him closer to his chest, dispelling the chill and silence of the night wind.
"Don't worry, I'm here."
These days, the two have been working together, with Jiang Manyan managing the affairs of the city and him responsible for training generals to lead troops. Both of them understand that what awaits Jincheng is a severe test.
Jiang Manyan finally withdrew her gaze from the distance, turned her head slightly, and her cheek almost touched Qin Lingfeng's chin.
“I know,” he said softly, “but I feel that I’m dragging you into my conflict with him again…”
Before he could finish speaking, Qin Lingfeng tightened his grip on her arm, his tone firm and unwavering: "From the moment I chose you in Jinxi Town, I never considered turning back—becoming stronger is for you, loving you is instinct, protecting you is a promise, and being with you is for the rest of my life."
"Fortunate to have you by my side, the passing years are all brilliant, and even ordinary mornings and evenings are filled with warmth."
...
After the trade ban bearing the Song family seal spread throughout Cangzhou, causing shock to all sides and plunging Jincheng into a brief predicament, Song Guansui did not immediately send his army south.
For him, that bloodless economic crushing was more like an elegant test, a test flight field carefully prepared for his growing canary.
In the central area, inside the high pavilion of the Song Mansion.
Song Guansui leaned against the window, toying with a string of silver bells between his fingers, listening to his subordinates report on the latest developments in Jincheng—how Jiang Manyan was stabilizing the people's hearts, how she promised a half-month deadline, and how she was helping the city's residents regain hope amidst their fear.
As he listened, instead of showing any anger on his handsome, almost demonic face, a faint but genuine smile slowly appeared.
That smile was like a poisonous flower, exuding a dangerous yet alluring aura.
"Just as I expected..."
He whispered, his voice so soft that only he could hear it.
"My canary, once it flew out of its cage, actually learned to sing like an eagle."
He waved for his men to leave, then walked alone to a huge map of Cangzhou, his long, slender fingers precisely placing the location of Jincheng.
“Look, even when I tighten the threads, you can still sing such a clear and moving song.”
He stared at that tiny dot on the map, as if he were talking to Jiang Manyan, his tone filled with an immersive appreciation.
"Using promises as bait and prestige as a cage, you've tamed the hearts of those fools... You're a million times more interesting than those useless parrots in the city center."
He recalled how Jiang Manyan, in her youth, relied on him for food and protection in that luxurious gilded cage.
At that time, Jiang Manyan's chirping was timid, and her wings were not yet fully grown.
Now, this sparrow has not only broken free of its cage, but has also forged a brilliance in the wind and rain that captivates him.
This transformation captivated him, and it also fueled his desire for control, which burned like wildfire.
"But Yan'er."
He tightened his fingertips as if he could pinch the unruly bird through the map, and his eyes suddenly became deep and obsessive.
"The louder your singing, the more it proves that my judgment was correct. A gem like you should not be in the mud with sparrows, much less sing for ants with your throat."
"Your thoughts, your integrity, everything about you... should all belong to me."
Destroying Jincheng was not the goal, nor was it to kill him.
Instead, it's about making the birds that fly out of their cages realize that the outside world is dangerous.
Let him willingly return to the cage he himself built, the most magnificent and secure one...
Central area, council chamber.
The heavy ebony table was surrounded by the most powerful faces in Cangzhou.
The air was thick with the scent of incense and desire.
The meeting was drawing to a close, but the atmosphere was more tense than at the beginning.
Sitting in the main seat, Song Guansui was not wearing formal attire, but only a dark-colored casual dress, which made his skin appear even paler.
He lightly tapped the map of Jincheng spread out on the table with his fingertips, his posture relaxed, as if he were admiring a famous painting.
"Then, if you all have no objections to the handling of Jincheng, then proceed accordingly."
His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly drowned out all the noise.
Across the table, Qin Zhao, the representative of the Qin family and Qin Lingfeng's cousin, immediately bowed, his face full of fawning smiles.
"Young Master Guan Sui's plans are flawless. My Qin family... no, the Qin Zhao lineage, will surely follow your lead!"
He deliberately emphasized his faction, eager to distance himself from Qin Lingfeng and his parents. Qin Rui, standing beside him, nodded repeatedly, echoing his sentiments.
Song Guansui didn't even lift his eyelids, only giving a faint "hmm" in response.
This indifference was more embarrassing than a reprimand. Qin Zhao's smile froze, and he awkwardly sat back down.
"What about the Liu family?"
Song Guansui turned his gaze to the other side.
Liu Jinhuai sat there, fiddling with a porcelain cup, looking somewhat absent-minded.
It wasn't until Song Guansui called his name that he snapped out of his daze and gave a familiar, somewhat arrogant smile.
"Guan Sui's plan is ingenious, and the Liu family naturally gives their full support. However..."
He changed the subject slightly, pointing with his finger towards Yancheng on the map.
"Once the matter in Jincheng is settled, the question of Yancheng's ownership and taxation will be addressed..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone present understood. He was assisting Song Guansui in besieging Jincheng because he wanted the interests of Yancheng.
Song Guansui finally looked up at him, a half-smile curving his lips.
"Don't worry, Brother Jinhuai, I will keep my promise and not shortchange you."
His tone was gentle, but his eyes held a cold, knowing look, as if he had already seen through the private affairs in Yancheng.
Seeing this, the other noble representatives rushed to express their opinions.
"Lord Song, it is our duty to annihilate the rebel city!"
"That's right! Jiang Manyan bewitched people, and Qin Lingfeng betrayed his family; they should both be executed!"
"Those new agricultural tools and workshops in Jincheng should be taken back, and we should work together to..."
Before he could even utter the word "management," Song Guansui gently raised his hand.
The entire council chamber fell silent instantly.
He slowly stood up, placed his hands on the edge of the table, leaned forward slightly, and his gaze, like cold flowing water, slowly swept over every face present, whether greedy, fearful, or fawning.
"Jincheng, it can be divided."
His voice remained calm, yet carried an invisible, suffocating sense of oppression.
"But how to distribute it, to whom to distribute it, and how much to distribute... is up to me."
He paused, and every word he uttered struck everyone's hearts with crystal clarity.
"As for Song Manyan..."
When he mentioned that name, a fleeting glint flashed in his eyes, and his tone became unusually dangerous.
"He is my spoils of war. No one may harm him in the slightest. Otherwise..."
He didn't continue, but just smiled slightly.
That smile was incomparably handsome, yet it sent a chill down the spines of all the nobles present.
They were well aware that they were not equal allies, but merely pawns in Song Guansui's game.
They may get a share of this feast, but the most crucial "spoils of war," and the absolute power of judgment, have long been firmly held in the hands of the players.
"Let's call it a day."
Song Guansui straightened up, as if the intimidating aura from before had never appeared.
"Go do what you're supposed to do."
Everyone felt as if they had been granted a pardon and rose to leave respectfully. Only Song Guansui remained in the empty council hall.
He lowered his eyes again, gazing at the two characters "Jincheng" on the map, his fingertips gently brushing over them as if caressing a lost treasure that had been found again.
"The game is over."
Song Guansui muttered to himself in a low voice.
— — — —
The allied forces of Qin, Song, and Liu, like a dark shadow gathering over the entire Cangzhou, pressed down on Jincheng.
Under Song Guansui's ruthless will, the three major families in the central district formed an unprecedented alliance, their battle flags fluttering and their armor gleaming.
They vowed to crush this newly formed city, which dared to challenge the old order, along with the hopes it carried, into dust.
The Allied forces' first wave of attack was like a tsunami, attempting to overwhelm Jincheng with sheer violence.
The catapults roared day and night, hurling boulders wrapped in burning tarpaulins at the newly built city walls.
The city of Jin is trembling.
However, the defensive fortress and barbican adjusted by Mr. Zhang Qiong played a role, cleverly dispersing and offsetting the impact.
On the city wall, the crossbowmen trained by Qin Lingfeng used precise three-stage shooting to shoot down the enemy elites who were trying to climb the ladder.
The most brutal battle was the Battle of the East Gate, where Liu's heavy infantry, at the cost of lives, managed to tear a breach in the city wall.
It was Jiang Zhong and Lin Xiu who, along with a group of young soldiers from Jincheng, blocked the way with their bodies and rudimentary weapons.
The bloody battle raged until dusk, and the breach was held. Lin Xiu's four fingers on his left hand were cleanly severed, and the young soldier he had personally saved hugged him and wept bitterly.
Standing atop the highest arrow tower, Jiang Manyan had no time for sorrow. His honey-brown eyes reflected the sea of fire below as he calmly issued a series of commands.
His composure became the spiritual pillar that prevented the city wall from collapsing.
A month has passed
After his aggressive attack failed, Song Guansui changed his strategy.
"Yan'er, let your brother teach you what the human heart is!"
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