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

Chapter 335 Mingchen! You despicable scoundrel!!!
"Mingchen agreed?"

At Zhenling Pass, Ji Yuting was intently studying the map and pondering.

Suddenly the messenger entered and reported to him on the mission.

He stopped thinking and turned back to look at the subordinate he had sent out not long ago, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Ji Yuting kept asking, "Tell me everything that happened after you got there."

"Also, what is the current situation at Libu Pass? How many troops are there? Have you made any observations?"

The envoy answered fluently, telling Ji Yuting everything he had seen and heard.

"That's it..."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yuting lowered his eyes.

Zheng Jun is just one person.

But Liu Xifeng has other value. He was the first senior general of the Northern Lie to surrender to Qian Yuan. He will be a banner and a benchmark, which is very meaningful.

At least in Ji Yuting's view, exchanging Liu Xifeng would be of great benefit to Bei Lie.

His goal was to bring Liu Xifeng back and show others what happens to those who surrender.

Looking at the bigger picture, Ji Yuting didn't believe that Mingchen hadn't considered the subsequent impact.

If Mingchen asked for more leverage, or hesitated a little longer, he might not have thought much of it.

Now he was actually a little confused.

Could it be that his predictions about Mingchen were somewhat off?

Mingchen will not do business at a loss.

Is Zheng Jun more valuable than Liu Xifeng?

Or perhaps it means that Chen is a person who values ​​loyalty and righteousness?

"Get Zheng Jun organized; we'll march to Qinglonggang tomorrow."

"Yes!"

However... in any case, the outcome is good.

Since the worst has already happened, we must find ways to use resources to make amends.

Libu Pass is gone, but Liu Xifeng's return can serve as a warning to others.

……

Night fell, and the Guanzhong Plain was quiet.

"The General has been assassinated!"

"The General has been assassinated!"

"The surrendered general Liu Xifeng is a traitor!"

"The surrendered general Liu Xifeng is a traitor!"

……

Suddenly, a commotion arose, flames erupted, and the entire pass was thrown into turmoil.

Libu Pass was captured because Liu Xifeng surrendered, and Qian Yuan launched a night attack without resistance.

The prison held an unimaginable number of surrendered soldiers.

Some of them were spineless and surrendered, some were tough and continued to rebel, and some bravely faced death.

A motley crew of people, managed in categories.

Those who still harbored a will to resist were imprisoned together, and they were all somewhat dejected.

Suddenly, I heard a jumble of noises outside, and I was a little confused.

Seeing that something was wrong, the guards ran towards the direction of the commotion.

"What's going on?"

"What happened?"

"Why is it all in chaos?"

The hundred or so people looked at each other, whispering amongst themselves.

Just then, several soldiers ran over and swiftly cut the ropes binding these people.

"This……"

The group watched the situation unfold with puzzled expressions, seemingly confused.

The soldiers shouted, "Gentlemen, I am General Liu Xifeng's personal guard."

"To be honest, General Liu's surrender was a ruse. He endured humiliation and hardship, intending to pretend to join Qian Yuan while actually gaining the trust of Ming Chen Ling Yu in order to launch a surprise attack on them."

"As long as these two people die, the pillars protecting the nation of Qian Yuan will collapse, and our Northern Fierce Army will surely be invincible."

"Today is the day to assassinate Ling Yu!"

"The Qian Yuan army is in chaos. You are all loyal and righteous men. Run for your lives! Escape to the north gate. The general has left you a way out."

"We still need to go and rescue other people."

The news shouted by several soldiers completely overturned the understanding of these surrendered soldiers.

The traitor Liu Xifeng, who was originally despised by them, suddenly became a hero who endured humiliation and hardship in a short period of time.
This is absolutely full of flaws.

However, it actually happened.

These people at the bottom of society have no right to even imagine whether someone is taking advantage of them.

All they can do is go with the flow.

The ropes binding them were cut, chaos erupted in the city, fires broke out everywhere, and no one was there to guard them.

A glimmer of hope seemed to appear in the seemingly bleak future.

"This……"

"General, is this true?"

"But why?"

"Is this... true?"

"Ling Yu was assassinated by General Liu?"

Several people were still somewhat dazed and kept asking the soldiers questions.

"Enough with the nonsense, let's go!"

"If we don't leave now, once Qian Yuan recovers, we won't be able to leave at all!"

The soldiers, however, remained haughty and stern-faced, angrily rebuking them and urging them to run away quickly, as if if they were even a little late, they would truly have no chance left.

"General, we'll go with you. We want to help General Liu."

"Yes!"

"Run! I'm leaving!"

"Run!"

……

After being rescued, the group was leaderless and quickly descended into chaos.

Some people have already fled north as instructed.

Some people, however, were looking at the soldiers and shouting with red eyes.

In just a few short moments, Liu Xifeng underwent a dramatic transformation in their minds.

Unexpectedly, an overwhelming sense of guilt arose in my heart.

The general endured humiliation and hardship, all in an effort to accomplish such a monumental and extraordinary feat.

These people are ignorant and foolish; they even wronged and wronged the general.

Seeing that the other party was in a deadly situation, he was determined to throw his blood and die with him.

"Oh no!!"

"Oh no! Someone has escaped!"

"Quick, chase after them!"

……

It’s a mess, a mess.

The entire pass was in chaos.

Exclamations of surprise came from outside.

The soldiers kept urging, "The pursuers are here! You're unarmed, what can you do?! Hurry up and leave, try to escape as many as you can!"

"You must live well and never let General Liu suffer injustice or sacrifice in vain."

The surrendered soldiers had no armor and no weapons.

How can someone with only bare fists possibly fight against fully armed soldiers?

Take a shower and go to sleep!

The best course of action is to run away as quickly as possible.

Having said that, the soldiers ignored the others and hurriedly left, running in all directions and disappearing into the night.

The remaining few excited surrendered soldiers were also somewhat at a loss.

Some escaped, while others rushed out and fought wildly before being discovered and killed by Qian Yuan's soldiers.

Anyway...

A huge mess happened tonight.

News of Liu Xifeng's feigned surrender and General Ling Yu's assassination spread throughout the entire pass.

Flames erupted everywhere, and the soldiers were thrown into chaos.

Countless surrendered soldiers from the Northern Lie forces who had been imprisoned were released and scattered in all directions, causing constant chaos.

Some of the fleeing surrendered soldiers were killed by the Qian Yuan soldiers, but it was too chaotic and there were too many of them... Countless surrendered soldiers also managed to escape and live.

And at the highest point on the city wall.

The highest leader of the entire pass stood there quietly, watching this farce unfold.

"Mingchen, will this work?"

Ling Yu, who should have been the one assassinated, is now standing here peacefully, watching the flames rise and chaos engulf the pass.

He kept asking Mingchen.

Compared to the schemes Mingchen had used before, this plan seemed rather clumsy and full of loopholes.

A smarter person might be able to see the clues.

Mingchen shrugged: "Whether it's useful or not, we still have to use it."

Time is so short, and the current situation is what it is, so what need is there for a brilliant strategy?

It's already quite good that you've managed to do this much!

"At the very least, we need to show our attitude."

Mingchen is not going to let others take advantage of him so easily.

Whether it's true or false, the message that is spread must be known to oneself and the world. Everything must be justified, and acting in accordance with righteousness is acting on behalf of Heaven. Going with the tide will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort.

They surrendered to you, and you betrayed them without any reason. That sounds terrible and has a terrible impact.

Bei Lie's purpose in exchanging Liu Xifeng was the same; he just wanted to make an example of someone, so naturally he wouldn't agree to any secret deals or assassinations. Ming Chen was too lazy to haggle.

But he really wanted to bring back his own people.

In his view, exchanging a junior general commanding five hundred men for a senior general guarding a pass was worthwhile. So what should be done?

Then we can only create some reasons to help Liu Xifeng clear his name.

Liu Xifeng is feigning surrender; he's even planning to assassinate our General Ling Yu. So, naturally, I, Qian Yuan, won't give him a friendly look.

Returning it to Bei Lie was a last resort, after all, we had reached an agreement beforehand, and we did indeed want Zheng Jun back.

A smart person can see the clues in this; perhaps there aren't that many smart people in the world?

Not many people have access to more intelligence.

There were only a few real participants in the incident; everyone else received secondhand information, which consisted of just a line of text or a sentence.

What conspiracy, what untold stories and schemes lie behind this can only be guessed by them.

They can only listen and accept things one-sidedly.

One person might say it's a lie, but two people, three people, four people... a hundred people, a thousand people.

The more you talk about it, the more interpretations you'll get from a thousand people, and no one knows which are true and which are false.

Mingchen and Lingyu staged this whole charade, claiming that Liu Xifeng's death was a ruse to surrender, and their attempt to assassinate Lingyu failed, leaving her seriously wounded and throwing the army into chaos...

What is real and what is fake, no one has seen with their own eyes, and no one knows.

However, things did become chaotic, and Ling Yu would disappear for a while afterward.

Once the news gets out and spreads, it doesn't matter whether it's true or false.

It may still have some impact on persuasion and counter-espionage efforts, but at the very least, it won't be a complete victory for the Northern Army.

……

The night passed in the blink of an eye, and dawn broke.

The chaos was also suppressed as the first rays of sunlight touched the earth.

Blood stained the snow, leaving behind the corpses of some surrendered soldiers, but many still managed to escape alive.

At the same time, on the other side.

"Lord Ming... what does this mean?"

The night was peaceful, and General Liu was still fast asleep, having sweet dreams.

Mingchen promised to send him to Yueyang City after the New Year and to recommend him for merit.

They will enjoy wealth and honor in the future, and have endless pleasures.

He had heard that the South was full of gold, silver, beautiful women, fine wine, and delicious food, and he had long wanted to experience it for himself.

However, not long after, the beautiful dream was shattered by the noise.

Ling Yu assassinated?

Did Liu Xifeng feign surrender?
What the hell?

What's my name again? I think I'm Liu Xifeng?

I feigned surrender? How come I didn't know?
Lord Liu was completely bewildered, and just then...

"Dangdang!"

The door was kicked open, and several fierce-looking soldiers barged in.

They tied up Liu Xifeng, who was shouting and yelling, and took him to another room.

The heavy snow that had lasted for several days stopped today, and the sun shone brightly in the early morning.

However, Lord Liu's mood did not seem to be very good.

Today is the day of the hostage exchange.

Unfortunately, he still knows nothing about it.

He couldn't help but grin, giving Ming Chen a fawning look: "Lord Ming, how could I, Liu, possibly assassinate General Ling?"

"This is a misunderstanding, this is a misunderstanding!"

Mingchen squinted at him, smiling broadly, a smile that sent chills down Liu Xifeng's spine.

As if looking at a cunning and evil spirit, the ominous premonition in his heart grew stronger.

General Liu, it's you!

Mingchen looked down at him and chuckled, "It was you who feigned surrender to deceive my trust, and when the time was right, you severely injured my wife, released the surrendered soldiers, and caused chaos in Guanzhong."

"what?!"

"General Ming, what... what exactly do you mean?!"

Liu Xifeng was having trouble distinguishing reality from fiction.

Is he dreaming?
He couldn't understand what Mingchen was saying at all.

Mingchen smiled and didn't play riddles with him, but simply said, "General Liu, let me tell you the truth."

“The other day, the Beilie side sent an envoy to negotiate with me.”

"They offered me a price I couldn't refuse in exchange for you."

Liu Xifeng's eyes widened suddenly, and he exclaimed in surprise, "What?!"

"My turn?!"

Liu Xifeng knew the enormity of his crime.

He sold his credentials for personal gain and harmed his colleagues.

This is a heinous crime that could lead to the extermination of nine generations of one's family. He has abandoned everything for the sake of having a separate page in the family genealogy and for his own wealth and glory.

Now Mingchen wants to send him back?!

He couldn't even imagine what a miserable fate he would have if he fell into Bei Lie's hands.

"That's right, it's your turn!"

Liu Xifeng refused to believe it, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace as he looked at Mingchen, grasping at the last straw: "You...you won't agree, will you?"

They've gotten along really well these past few days. Lord Ming must like him quite a bit, right?
Mingchen made him so many promises!

Once words are spoken, they cannot be taken back!
Mingchen said he never lies!
How could this be?
Mingchen chuckled and asked in return, "What do you think?"

If Ling Yu were next to Ming Chen right now and saw his cheeky expression, she would definitely sigh again, "This guy hasn't changed at all."

He toyed with those bandits in the same way when they first met.

"Lord Ming, I have rendered a great service to Qian Yuan!"

"I surrendered the pass!"

"You promised me..."

"If you send me back to Beilie, what will the world think of you?!"

"In the future, no one in Beilie will be able to subdue Qian!"

a bolt from the blue!

Mingchen looked at him with a smile, not telling him the answer, but it was already very clear to him.

He was unwilling to believe it, but the nightmare was real, and Mingchen's attitude clearly indicated that he wanted to send him away.

Liu Xifeng struggled, calling out to Mingchen with a mixture of pleading and reproach.

In an attempt to rekindle the last glimmer of hope.

In fact, whether Libu Pass is given to Mingchen or Deng Yingcheng.

In essence, they are all pretty much the same.

With Libu Pass gone, Liu Xifeng lost his greatest value.

He has no initiative left.

The only difference is that if it's given to Mingchen, he'll have rendered a service, while if it's given to Deng Yingcheng, he might be punished.

He naturally wanted to strive for a brighter future.

Unfortunately, those who always claim they never lie are perhaps the ones who lie the most and break their promises the most.

Mingchen is not a trustworthy person.

The Xiongnu people of the grasslands have something to say about this; he can consult them.

Mingchen's credit score is so low that he can't even afford to scan a shared bicycle there.

Liu Xifeng was on the verge of a mental breakdown, but Mingchen still said with a grin, "So I helped General Liu clear his name~"

"You are feigning surrender; you are trying to assassinate our General Ling Yu."

"What validity do those promises still hold?"

"I have done a great deed by not executing you but sending you back to Beilie!"

"You're still here talking to me about these useless things without any real understanding."

Liu Xifeng's pupils suddenly contracted.

Hearing Mingchen's reminder, he pieced together all the information and finally understood what the riot last night was all about.

Everything, everything, was to pave the way for today.

He stared wide-eyed at the freak before him, his eyes filled with disbelief.

From beginning to end, he was manipulated and played.

Trying to negotiate with a tiger for its skin means you never have the right to engage in equal negotiations.

How could he possibly gain anything by scheming against Mingchen?!

This villain! This monster!
Mingchen's performance in this play can clearly offset the impact of sending the surrendered generals back.

At least Deng Yingcheng wouldn't believe it!
He's doomed if he goes back!
Mingchen got everything he wanted.

But Liu Xifeng became a sacrifice, completely sacrificed.

"Mingchen!!!"

Having figured everything out, Liu Xifeng was half panicked and desperate, and half furious.

He always leaves himself a way out, and never drives himself into a dead end.

But now, he finds himself seemingly with nowhere else to go.

He raised his head, his eyes wide, and roared at the laughing man, "You despicable scoundrel!!!"

This was the first time Mingchen had ever seen this surrendered general so hysterically shouting.

However, he didn't care.

You've ruined everyone's life, so what's wrong with getting a few insults?
Mingchen took it as a compliment and simply smiled as he reminded him, "General Liu, we're about to send you on your way."

"I have something to remind you of."

"I've put on this whole show for you, and I'm still missing you as the last actor."

"Since you've already exhausted all other avenues, you have no choice but to return to Beilie."

"Would you rather bear the name of a traitor and be infamous for eternity? Or would you rather struggle, at least to the point that some people believe you are a true hero, and at least after your death, some people would be willing to mourn you, defend you, and grieve for you... Don't you think so?"

"Perhaps some people in the court can protect you, don't you think?"

"How do you know you can't succeed if you don't try?"

This is why Mingchen confessed to Liu Xifeng and said these things.

He wasn't afraid at all that Liu Xifeng knew any information.

Because he was the person of the lowest status.

The situation pushed him forward, even if it was full of loopholes and had no basis whatsoever.

He still had to deceive himself and others, trying his best to cover up the lie and bring an end to the performance planned by Mingchen.

(End of this chapter)