As an official, what's wrong with raising a few monsters?

Chapter 325 Try your luck
"Yes! General, what's so good about Qian Yuan?! It's full of killers and butchers like Ling Yu, despicable villains."

"Our Northern Lie will surely prevail. Why doesn't the general abandon darkness and embrace the light?"

“That’s right, General Zheng, I also know General Deng Yingcheng who is stationed at Zhenling Pass! Please come with us!”

……

When there is a huge gap in social status, one can often use this gap to gain tremendous support and gratitude for free.

On one side is a general commanding troops, with a bright future ahead.

On one side were surrendered soldiers who were about to be executed and were not worth mentioning.

Given such a disparity in status, even a few words from the general on their behalf would be enough to make them deeply grateful.

Not to mention that they were released without regard for anything else.

The surrendered soldiers from the Northern Lie present were all forthright and impulsive individuals.

They act solely on a burst of enthusiasm.

Having received such a great favor, we must repay it.

They escaped because they were rescued.

But what should this general do?

There is only death ahead.

Earlier in the day, someone from them had called out to Zheng Jun that they were from Beilie.

In their eyes, the southerners were all cunning and despicable people, and a hero like Zheng Jun would only be ostracized if he stayed here.

Everything is beyond repair now, so we might as well go north with them.

Among the people Mingchen deliberately selected, some had powerful backgrounds and the confidence to say these things.

Moreover, Zheng Jun's own status is not low. From a purely pragmatic perspective, defecting to Beilie would also be beneficial to Beilie.

"General, come with us!"

"You're doomed if you stay here!"

"..."

Zheng Jun seemed somewhat hesitant upon hearing this.

The next moment, he finally gritted his teeth, waved his hand and said, "You can leave now, don't say another word!"

"I will not leave because I am paid by the emperor and will remain loyal to him."

"General..."

There are always things in this world more important than death.

The group looked at Zheng Jun with a mixture of respect and heartache.

Hearing Zheng Jun say this, it was not appropriate to insist that he stay.

Everything was packed up, and we were just about to leave.

at this time,

"boom!"

Suddenly, a guard behind Zheng Jun stepped forward and struck him hard on the back of the neck with a palm strike.

Zheng Jun's eyes rolled back immediately, and he fainted, requiring the support of his guards.

"Forehead……"

The group paused, some unable to react.

"Our general's birth mother was actually a Beilie person. So he can be considered half a Beilie person."

“Our general can no longer remain in Qian Yuan. I see that you are all righteous and passionate men, and now we entrust our general to you.”

"I earnestly hope you will take good care of him."

Zheng Jun adopted a very high-profile stance.

Some things cannot be said by him; they can only be conveyed by others.

Otherwise, it would be inconsistent with the character's persona.

Since he's said the absolute truth and there's no room for negotiation, the only option is to temporarily deactivate his rationality.

The few words the guard said to the surrendered soldiers were crucial.

Entrusting such a general to them and praising them as heroes, they were all swayed into euphoria, their blood boiling with a sense of mission and responsibility.

One of them caught Zheng Jun and carried him on his back, saying to the guard with a serious expression, "Don't worry, unless I, Chen Er, am dead, no one can harm General Zheng."

"You should leave now!"

Take care!
Zheng Jun had indeed made arrangements, and the group managed to slip out of the city unscathed.

Having escaped their cage and regained their lives and freedom, the group breathed a sigh of relief, some even in disbelief and dazed.

"Second brother, what should we do next?"

One of them asked the person carrying Zheng Jun on his back.

"Let's go to Libu Pass, it's closer."

When he was in the army, Chen Er was a squad leader, and now he is the backbone of the group. He glanced to the northeast and said, "Let's get to a safe place first and settle General Zheng down."

“Mentioning my brother-in-law’s name will probably be of some use.”

"Second Brother, are we... really going to bring General Zheng along?"

Once the initial passion subsides and freedom is restored, people inevitably begin to contemplate the future.

Zheng Jun has indeed done them a great favor.

However, the future is uncertain, and I don't know what to do.

Now that they are no longer surrendered soldiers and their status has been elevated, they can't help but want to slack off.

Upon hearing this, Chen Er glared at the man and said, "You heartless bastard, do you want me to leave General Zheng here?"

"If it weren't for him, we would both be dead tomorrow. How can you say that?"

The man was scolded, but he only trembled slightly and didn't dare to talk back.

Of the people present, he was of the lowest status, coming from a commoner background.

"This this……"

As the group continued on their way, Zheng Jun, who had been unconscious, finally stirred, opened his blurry eyes, and "woke up" at the opportune moment.

The group moved forward in the darkness, and Zheng Jun, who had just woken up, seemed somewhat confused.

"General Zheng, General Zheng, you're awake?"

Chen Er said with some surprise.

Zheng Jun asked in confusion, "What...what's going on?"

The group briefly recounted what had happened to Zheng Jun.

Zheng Jun then engaged in another round of pulling and performing.

In the end, Zheng Jun sighed, "Never mind, never mind..."

It may seem like a compromise, but in reality, it reflects a different kind of sentiment.

The way people get along is quite fascinating.

It is clearly a hostile stance.

However, seeing Chen Er's sincere trust, he inexplicably felt a sense of indebtedness.

A fake performance won over genuine feelings.

This is generally how it is when you're an undercover agent.

They need to be tested in both reality and mentally at all times.

Mingchen had told him that this matter was dangerous.

This is just the beginning.

Chen Er and his companions exclaimed with delight, "General Zheng, you've agreed?!"

Zheng Jun simply shook his head helplessly: "I have nowhere else to go now."

"Haha, don't worry, General Zheng, come to our Beilie, I guarantee you'll live no worse than you did in Qianyuan!"

The involvement of someone like Zheng Jun in Bei Lie is beneficial to both them and Bei Lie.

From their perspective, Zheng Jun had no way out. He had offended Ling Yu, let the surrendered soldiers escape, and was very unwilling to defect. However, his guards gave him a push, leading him to this point.

Joining the Northern Army was both a last resort and a sincere decision; he was pushed along by fate with no other choice.

It can't be that the entire Qian Yuan army, Ling Yu, Ming Chen... just put on this show to cooperate with this person.

That's absolutely outrageous.

Zheng Jun shook his head and sighed somewhat dejectedly.

He paused, then asked, "Where are we going now?"

"General Zheng, let's go to Libu Pass, it's close by."

The three passes in the northern border are Xingtai Pass in the south, Zhenling Pass in the north, and Libu Pass in the middle.

However, the three passes are not in a straight line, but in a triangle. Libu Pass is located in the northeast, slightly closer to Xingtai Pass, but not by much.

Zheng Jun was shocked upon hearing this: "What?!"

He kept saying, "Didn't I tell you to head north? You can't go to Libu Pass, we need to go to Zhenling Pass now!"

Now, he needs to complete the task that Mingchen has given him.

"Um... General Zheng, why?"

"If we go to Zhenling Pass, we'll have to wait until tomorrow night."

These men were deserters who had surrendered and had little food on them.

We agreed to return to headquarters as soon as possible.

Zhenling Pass is at least half a day's journey later than Libu Pass.

Zheng Jun's expression was uncertain, as if he was struggling with a decision. After a moment of silence, he said, "Lord Ming... Ming Chen is at Libu Pass, we cannot go there."

The surrendered soldiers' expressions immediately changed: "What?! This..."

Zheng Jun's words were simple, but they revealed a lot of information.

Did Mingchen go to Libu Pass?
Why did Mingchen go to Libu Pass?
Libu Pass is now occupied by the Northern Lie. What is Mingchen, the first Duke of Qianyuan, doing at Libu Pass at night?
Isn't he afraid of dying here?

Why can't they go to Libu Pass?
Zheng Jun didn't say much, but upon closer examination, there are many things worth pondering about his words.

Thinking hard.

If Zheng Jun could defect to Beilie, then what about Liu Xifeng, the garrison commander of Libu Pass?
Will he betray me?
Zheng Jun didn't explain further, but simply reiterated, "We're going to Zhenling Pass."

Several people looked at each other.

Zheng Jun saved their lives; there's no need to betray them now. "Okay!"

It's always better to walk a longer road than to fall into a wolf's den after escaping one.

At the same time, on the other side.

"Lord Ming, what brings you here?!"

At Libu Pass, in the main general's camp, a thin general with wrinkles around his eyes looked at the person in front of him with a wary expression.

Liu Xifeng, the garrison commander of Libu Pass, is already forty-nine years old.

She's not exactly old, but she's not young either.

Having spent thirty years in the officialdom and military of Beilie, he has now reached a position that is neither too big nor too small.

Mingchen had studied this person, and his life story could be summed up in one word: "muddled".

Just get by and muddle through.

Unlike Bai Junxin's sharp and ambitious nature, and unlike Deng Yingcheng's diligent and cautious approach to defending the city.

This person is like Libu Guan, occupying a middle position, like someone who's just there to fill a spot, with a weak presence.

In officialdom, a peacemaker is someone who smooths things over, takes sides, and does whatever the boss tells him to do, but doesn't easily offend anyone.

If you do well, you'll get some rewards; if you do poorly, you won't do much worse. If you cut your losses in time, you'll get some punishment.

He was quite good at managing the army and commanding battles, and he never made any major mistakes.

They lack ambition but are more than capable of maintaining the status quo.

After all these years of drifting along, I've finally reached where I am today.

One of his characteristics is that he always leaves himself a way out. He has an extremely keen sense of smell; he can detect even the slightest danger in the winds of change during the major upheavals in the court, and seize the opportunity to jump ship.

After years of navigating the ups and downs of officialdom, the wisdom he has come to realize is that no matter what, he must protect himself.

He had an exceptional sense of smell when it came to officialdom.

However, now he is facing Qian Yuan, a young man who is second only to the emperor.

Liu Xifeng was unsure of what this person was thinking.

He had already received the news that Xingtai Pass had fallen and Bai Junxin had died.

The fact that Commander Deng Yingcheng wouldn't let him send troops to the rescue was exactly what he wanted.

I thought this garrison post was a cushy job, something I could just do to get through my shift. But since his post was nearby, I transferred him here.

But unexpectedly, this happened at the last minute.

All he wants now is to do nothing, wait for winter to pass, for the army to march south, for power to be transferred smoothly, and for everything to be completed peacefully and steadily—that would be the best outcome.

However, instead of staying in Xingtai Pass to build the city walls and deploy the garrison, Mingchen sneaked over here at night.

Liu Xifeng had no idea what this person was planning.

But he knew this person was extremely dangerous.

If you're not careful, you'll fall into his trap.

Eliminating Mingchen might be a divine favor.

But the premise is that he can actually get rid of him.

“I have known General Liu for a long time. I have come here to have a chat with General Liu and make friends.”

Being in the enemy camp, surrounded by the enemy's thousands of troops.

However, Mingchen remained calm, with a faint smile on his face.

"Humph."

Liu Xifeng snorted coldly: "You are the Duke of Qianyuan, and I am a general of Beilie. We are enemies, so what's there to say?!"

“No, no…”

"If General Liu didn't want to talk to me, he wouldn't have met with me today."

Mingchen waved his hand with a smile, completely unfazed by Liu Xifeng's indifference: "General Liu, could you foresee the outcome of the war?"

"Our Northern Lie has won a great victory!"

Mingchen smiled and said, "Is that so?"

"But our army has just killed General Bai Junxin and just recaptured Xingtai Pass."

Liu Xifeng's eyes widened: "You cheated!"

Mingchen shook his head and said meaningfully, "Warfare is based on deception—winning is all that matters!"

"what do you want to say in the end?!"

Mingchen didn't keep him in suspense and went straight to the point, asking Liu Xifeng, "General Liu, are you afraid of death?"

"You should know that General Bai was beheaded in less than a single exchange with our General Ling, and his head is still hanging on the city gate of Xingtai Pass!"

"I wonder if General Liu can withstand a single sword strike from General Ling?"

Mingchen said this with a smile, his voice light and casual, as if he were joking with a friend. But when the words reached Liu Xifeng's ears, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and he had an inexplicable feeling that a sharp sword was held in front of his neck.

Ling Yu's reputation as a butcher and killer star has spread throughout Bei Lie.

Mingchen lowered his voice and said to Liu Xifeng, "General Liu, shouldn't you consider leaving yourself a way out?"

Liu Xifeng's eyes widened, and he slammed his fist on the table, shouting angrily, "How dare you!"

Everyone's smart enough that even if Mingchen didn't spell it out clearly, Liu Xifeng would understand what he meant.

Mingchen is insulting him.

He commanded tens of thousands of troops and held a strategic position.

On what grounds should they surrender to Qian Yuan?

“I was born a general of the Northern Fierce Army, and I will die a ghost of the Northern Fierce Army. Do not try to deceive me with your heretical words.”

Mingchen's eyes turned colder, and he said in a low voice, "General Liu, General Bai thought the same thing back then, and now he is truly a ghost of the Northern Fierce."

"To tell you the truth, my Qian Yuan has already gathered an army of 100,000. Soon our army will rush here, and our General Ling Yu will personally command the attack on the city."

"You've probably heard that when our General Ling Yu attacked the city, he said, 'If we don't surrender, we'll leave no one alive!'"

Mingchen tore away his initial smiling facade, his voice turning cold.

"You fart!"

If he really had an army of 100,000, why didn't he send any news about it?
If they truly had an army of 100,000, Qian Yuan would have attacked long ago.

How could the Qian Yuan dynasty possibly have the national strength to spare such a military force?

"Don't try to confuse me."

"If you want to attack the city, then come on!"

Liu Xifeng said coldly, "You Qian Yuan had a hard time taking over Xingtai Pass, and you still want to attack my Libu Pass?!"

The three passes in the north are all formidable, how could they be easily conquered? Moreover, troops can be sent to support each other between the passes, and he also has Deng Yingcheng and Zhenling Pass behind him!

Unless Ling Yu and Ming Chen are idiots, they would never send a large army to attack now.

Once he gets through this winter, his mission will be complete.

Bai Junxin was simply reckless and foolish.

If we make even one wrong move, we will lose Xingtai Pass.

The things Mingchen is saying to him now are just threats, trying to make him panic and make mistakes, repeating Bai Junxin's mistakes.

He listened to nothing; he simply held fast to Libu Pass.

Ling Yu and Ming Chen have both arrived; something is bound to happen in the court. He just needs to hold out for a while.

Does this person really think he's a negotiation expert, that he can say whatever he wants and that others will believe him?
Liu Xifeng gripped the hilt of his sword, showing no sign of intimacy whatsoever: "If Lord Ming has only come here to discuss this matter, then please leave. If you stay any longer, don't blame me for changing my mind and not sparing your life."

Mingchen shook his head: "It seems we can't reach an agreement."

"Does Lord Liu firmly believe that the Northern Lie will win?"

"That's it!"

Mingchen shook his head: "Since that's the case, there's nothing more to say."

He stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Liu Xifeng, and said, "Chen is leaving now. Let's settle this with our skills!"

"I only hope that when my army breaks through the pass, General Liu will still maintain this attitude."

"Humph!"

"Please excuse me, Mr. Liu, that I will not see you off!"

Just as Mingchen was about to leave, he seemed to remember something and said to Liu Xifeng, "My visit here is confidential, and I have not told anyone under the cover of night. General Liu can decide for himself what the outcome will be."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xifeng gave Mingchen a deep look.

What does this mean?
Is Mingchen still considering the possibility of future cooperation?

It's late at night.

Mingchen and his group secretly left the pass under the escort of Liu Xifeng's confidants.

It's very dark tonight, there's no moon or stars, and everything is quiet.

Mingchen looked up at the gloomy sky, his eyes gleaming: "Let's go, we're going back to Xingtai Pass."

He has basically done everything he could.

Tonight, much groundwork has been laid; every gear has been placed in its proper position, ready to be gently turned and set in motion for the future.

Tomorrow when the sun rises, everything will begin to move.

As for the rest... let's just try our luck.

Do your best, listen to destiny.

If we could get more, that would be great.

Today's visit did not cause any disturbance.

Having met Liu Xifeng safely and without incident, Mingchen had already achieved his goal.

They possessed a large army and guarded the strategic pass.

No matter what Mingchen said, Liu Xifeng would never surrender to Qian Yuan.

Mingchen never imagined that he could turn Liu Xifeng against his side with just a few words.

It's impossible for Bei Lie to send such an incompetent person to guard an important pass.

Mingchen's purpose was not in the content of the conversation, but in its format.

Liu Xifeng might not even realize it himself. Subconsciously, he doesn't want to completely destroy a relationship with someone, so he subconsciously leaves himself an escape route.

So he actually wanted to talk to Mingchen, subconsciously wanting to broaden his possible path, which had become a habit of his.

Mingchen only needs this much.

(End of this chapter)