My lord, spare his life!

"Walking right into a trap?" Wang Qi stared at Zhang Yang with a half-smile, the smile not reaching his eyes, like a ravenous cheetah eyeing its agile but unsuspecting prey, contemplating where to strike for a satisfying meal. "Does the Mountain Ghost think the old man has the ability to kill you?"

"Of course I'm not afraid of Wang Ba." Zhang Yang rolled her eyes. There are no NPCs in the game that players can't kill, so what is she afraid of? "The problem is that cooperation requires giving up certain benefits. If I can enjoy it all myself, why should I share it with others? Is Wang Ba willing to work for free? If Wang Ba is willing, then of course I won't refuse."

The key issue is that Wang Ba refused to do that.

Even Zhang Yang wouldn't be happy about that.

but--

Wang Qi's words gave her an insight.

Zhang Yang suddenly revealed a stiff and strange smile: "However, Wang Ba is no good, but you, Wild Man, are."

Wang Qi: "Me?"

Zhang Yang said, "Don't you have your own elite troops? If you don't have enough, just borrow a little bit from your father."

In this way, it can be considered a collaboration between the two companies.

Wang Qi laughed angrily, "Back in Che Si County, I helped you and Lü Bafeng eliminate obstacles quite a bit. Even if she followed her bastard father's family tree herself, she probably wouldn't have been as clean as me!"

Wang Qi's name flashed between yellow and red. A green-named NPC might not necessarily be friendly to Zhang Yang, but a red-named NPC was definitely harboring murderous intent: "What are you angry about now?"

Wang Qi turned and left.

Wang Qi's favorability towards you has decreased by one.

Zhang Yang ignored it. Wang Qi's apparent anger only slightly lowered her favorability rating, which was insignificant to her. She was just curious why Wang Qi suddenly got angry. Was it because she was asking for too much? When she couldn't figure it out herself, it was best to ask someone else for advice.

Guan Si hit the nail on the head, offering a sharp comment: "Perhaps... he's resentful that he's seen as a cheap commodity by you."

Although Wang Qi didn't care about any benefits, Zhang Yang excluded him from the sharing from the very beginning, calling his actions as working for free, which naturally angered Wang Qi, a man of eccentric temperament.

As he spoke, Guan Si's expression remained indifferent.

He was different from Wang Qi. He was not only smarter than Wang Qi, but he also saw things more clearly: "Wang Gongsun... his submission to you is based on the premise that you are stronger than him. Any weakness of yours will be seen as a reason for him to kill you."

"For example?"

"He suggested you cooperate with Wang Ba, you'd better agree." Zhang Yang chose a more cunning answer, otherwise Wang Qi would have drawn his sword to attack instead of being angered by Zhang Yang and leaving.

"Dongxian and Chesi County have a blood feud, a blood feud between them. Guan Zong killed He Ning's biological mother... If we rashly propose cooperation, Wang Ba will not agree. Aren't they worried that after their troops enter the mountain counties, Ba Feng will suddenly turn his back and cut off their logistical supplies?" Zhang Yang said this with a hint of wisdom in his eyes. "The two sides lack the most important foundation of trust, so it won't work."

If it were feasible, Zhang Yang wouldn't need to be polite to Wang Qi at all.

If the cooperation is successful, it will be entirely in Zhang Yang's favor. The elite troops of Dongxian Commandery will be divided in two: one part will guard Dongxian, and the other will help Zhang Yang attack the mountain commanderies. But after Wang Ba and Zhang Yang break off relations, is it really likely that the half of the elite troops left behind in their home base will launch a full-scale attack on the weakened mountain commanderies?

They did this no sooner, than their enemies raided their base. The half of the elite troops that entered the mountain prefectures couldn't possibly escape unscathed from the siege and raid. Without a stable logistical support, how could this half coordinate with the half at their base?

"Whether it's Shuyan's concerns or my skepticism, the essence of both is the same problem—the two sides don't have enough trust. Without this foundation, even the most beautiful plan is just a castle in the air." In Zhang Yang's view, Yuan Xie's trip to help Dongxian control the floods was a breakthrough in trust. With increased contact between the two sides, they had the opportunity to understand each other's true nature.

Would Wang Ba offer his neck to his son?

If this is the case between father and son, how much more so between enemies?

Guan Si listened in silence, his expression becoming somewhat intriguing.

He had been secretly observing Zhang Yang for two or three months. The latter was not particularly clever, nor did she have any cunning. Nominally, she was the prefect, but the real power in the prefecture was held by Fan Youdu and a few others. She was like a clay statue placed on an altar.

But Zhang Yang's words changed his mind.

She wasn't unaware; her thinking simply differed greatly from ordinary people, and she even possessed a sharper eye, capable of seeing through the essence of things than most. Guan Si asked, "Do you and I have any common ground?"

Zhang Yang said, "Of course I trust you."

She trusts any NPC who can't defeat her.

Just the fact that Guan Si's emotions are more stable than Wang Qi's, and he wouldn't suddenly turn red and draw his sword to attack people at the drop of a hat, is enough for her to trust him. Zhang Yang's blunt honesty clearly hit Guan Si right where it hurts, and even his usually expressionless face showed a slight smile.

Guan Si nodded: "Yes, that's only natural."

She entrusted even the good-for-nothing Guan Zong with important responsibilities, so naturally she trusted him even more. Besides, how many of the merits Guan Zong had achieved under her command were actually done with the help of Guan Si's Hundred Ghost Guards? Guan Zong couldn't have accomplished those things on his own.

Guan Si's favorability towards you increases by five.

Guan Si's favorability towards you increases by three.

Two consecutive favorability updates popped up in the system log.

Zhang Yang glanced at Guan Si's favorability rating out of the corner of his eye; it was just over ninety. Currently, only one NPC had reached this level. Moreover, next to the ninety favorability rating was a parenthetical note—"Telepathic Understanding."

Zhang Yang: "...???"

She had studied this poem before; she knew what it meant.

But what she didn't understand was how they could suddenly understand each other so perfectly?

Upholding his excellent habit of asking questions when he didn't understand, Zhang Yang voiced his doubts: "I trust you, I know what's going on, but why do you trust me? Wang Qi wants to fatten me up before killing me, so what do you want from me?"

"Didn't you say you wanted to unify the Three Palaces and Four Symbols?"

"For love and peace?"

I never would have guessed that Guan Si had this kind of heart.

Guan Si's face darkened. "No, by saying that, you mean you won't stop your killing spree easily. Either you achieve this goal, or you die on the way... Until then, you will continue to instigate bloodshed, and that's what I want."

He was born to kill.

Guan Si's eyes darkened as he reminded Zhang Yang, "Wang Qi has his taboos, so you can't show weakness in front of him. I also have a taboo for you to remember—you'd better promise that you won't indulge in wealth, luxury, and debauchery halfway through the war. If you do, and become a licentious, clumsy, greedy, and short-sighted fool, I will kill you."

Why trust Zhang Yang?

Because she can continuously incite violence.

If he breaks his promise, he will naturally retaliate against Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang said, "That's natural."

Guan Si clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "In that case, my lord, please do as you please. If you have any orders, just send that idiot Guan Zong to inform me."

Having said that, he left before Zhang Yang's expression could change.

Zhang Yang was somewhat bewildered.

How did I suddenly become the lord?

She went through the system logs and conversations repeatedly but couldn't find the reason why Guan Si changed his mind. It couldn't be because of that "trust basis," could it? Zhang Yang jumped off the roof. Inside the hall, everyone was still discussing the march route and troop deployment, and Zhang Yang couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Fan You: "Did my lord successfully persuade the two of them?"

"What do you mean by 'persuading two people'? You only intend to approach Guan Si."

Guan Si agreed, even changing her mind so quickly that it caught her off guard, while Wang Qi had taken the initiative to approach her. He spoke sweet words, even saying that she and he were the best of friends, but what happened? He said a few words and then stormed off, his temper truly terrible.

"Wang Gongsun refuses?"

"She left in anger." Wang Qi was just a hostage at first, and a hostage should act like a hostage. Does that mean Zhang Yang can't accomplish anything great just because Wang Qi refuses to pay Zhang Yang? Any NPC is just icing on the cake for her, not a lifeline.

Fan You didn't force him.

"Never mind, as long as he doesn't cause any trouble."

Let alone Wang Qi, everyone present, including him, harbored their own ulterior motives. Each had their own desires and ambitions. In this respect, the lord was the purest. She only wanted to unify the Three Palaces and Four Symbols, caring little for other trivial matters, and hadn't even considered winning over her subjects. Otherwise, Guan Zong wouldn't have been repeatedly slighted and become enraged by her.

Guan Zong had reminded her several times that if she simply learned the superficial ways of being courteous and respectful to scholars and said some nice things, she could naturally move Guan Zong and make him devoted to her.

But what about her?

But they just wouldn't do it.

Not only did she skip procedures, she was also too lazy to stay in government offices, casually dumping government affairs. Fan You was certain that Zhang Yang couldn't remember many of the prefectural officials. If Zhang Yang treated everyone equally, that would be fine, but she refused to. She spent her days dealing with ordinary people, preferring to help an old woman cross the street or lift a cat that was sunbathing and wouldn't come down from a tree, rather than communicating and meeting with the prefectural officials.

Guan Zongdu couldn't help but complain.

[She's gone out again, gone out again. What kind of swarms of admirers is driving her so crazy? Is a prefecture without a prefect still a prefecture? Is she, the prefect, just the prefect of those commoners outside? It makes the prefecture seem like an unwelcome, cold palace, and we've become resentful concubines in the deep palace, rarely seeing the emperor. Is this reasonable?]

After finishing his work, he wanted to report his performance to his superior, but he couldn't find the person in charge. Day after day, facing Du Guan's indifferent face, he became more and more annoyed. Unfortunately, neither Du Guan nor Puyang Kui cared who Zhang Yang met or what he did.

One only knows how to work, the other only knows how to train troops.

Guan Zong was furious.

Did Zhang Yang know that Puyang Kui held no reverence for her whatsoever? In Puyang Kui's view, the two were less like master and subject and more like allies who each got what they wanted, only outwardly they were in a superior-subordinate relationship. Puyang Kui's rigorous training of his troops was solely for her own benefit, so that one day she could lead them back to Dog Kingdom, settle old scores with the royal family, and finally bring down Qin Huang.

Where was it trained for Zhang Yangbaye?

The destinations from which we set off are different.

Guan Zong was a lone wolf and didn't have many selfish motives. He genuinely wanted to follow Zhang Yangqian, but she didn't think much of him because of that. She treated him no differently than Puyang Kui and the others!

Is this fair?

Guan Zong sneered, "What if Wang Gongsun messes things up? Chief Clerk Fan isn't a mind reader. Even his father, Wang Ba, can't be sure what his son is thinking, let alone you?"

Zhang Yang: "Did you eat a firecracker?"

Guan Zong suddenly stood up, his face contorted in pain.

He was panting heavily: "So what if I've been hit by firecrackers! I don't want to continue leading the Hundred Ghost Guards to do the work of those laborers. This battle, you either let me go, or I'll go myself!"

Even though he still had his essence and blood with Zhang Yang.

However, he could afford to pay that price.

Paying the price is better than continuing to suffer in the cold palace.

Fan You opened his mouth, Puyang Kui raised his eyelids, Du Guan never got involved in these conflicts, He Zhi didn't say anything because he hadn't figured out the specific relationships and interests of the people under Zhang Yang, Du Fang, as the county magistrate, only wanted to protect the peace of the county and was not enthusiastic about going to the front line to fight. If he could, he wouldn't want to go. Xu Jin, as the county magistrate, just kept his eyes down and remained silent, while Shi Xu was too young and inexperienced to speak up...

The silence of the crowd contrasted sharply with Guan Zong's fury.

Despite the oppressive and dangerous atmosphere, Zhang Yang showed no reaction whatsoever. It was unclear whether she was unaware of it or knew but chose not to care. She simply looked at Guan Zong and nodded, "Alright, go."

Guan Zong pointed at Puyang Kui with a cold smile.

"I want her troops."

Puyang Kui knew that Guan Zong was deliberately targeting her, but she didn't know why. At first, she suspected that Guan Zong was jealous and resentful because of the imbalance in the number of troops under their command, but later she realized that she was overthinking it. However, apart from this reason, Puyang Kui really didn't know how she had become enemies with Guan Zong.

"This humble general has no troops of his own; he is merely training and instructing his lord. He will obey any orders given by his lord." Puyang Kui was cautious in his actions, and knowing that Guan Zong harbored ill intentions towards him, he was even more determined not to give her any leverage.

Guan Zong scoffed, "So, this isn't a question for our lord?"

Zhang Yang had no idea what was wrong with him.

"Alright, as you wish."

In Tianyue County, the only troops truly belonging to Zhang Yang's direct command are those trained by Guan Zong and Puyang Kui over the past few months. Such a tough battle naturally requires well-trained elite troops, not the existing Tianyue garrison. Firstly, she lacks coordination with these troops; secondly, they are the main force guarding the rear, and if their base were to be captured while they are vulnerable, Zhang Yang would suffer a huge loss.

Zhang Yang readily agreed to both requests.

This left Guan Zong feeling utterly frustrated and unable to breathe properly.

Puyang Kui led the troops into battle, while Guan Zong remained in command—this was Fan You's arrangement, and Zhang Yang had always obeyed him. This time, however, he changed it without a word. Logically, this meant Zhang Yang trusted his performance, but considering his lord's previous actions, this judgment seemed untenable.

"This is infuriating!"

Guan Zong left after uttering this nonsensical remark.

Guan Zong's favorability towards you increases by three.

Zhang Yang: "..."

She stared at Guan Zong's favorability rating, which had somehow risen to over eighty, and fell into a strange reverie: "Is he happy or unhappy? It's really... puzzling."

Even though everyone else is an NPC, she just can't understand Guan Zong's thoughts. On the contrary, it's easier to guess the thoughts of the observation subjects. They all follow simple logic, and their joys, sorrows, and anger are mostly straightforward and simple. If Zhang Yang talks to them for a few hours, they can reveal their safe deposit box passwords and their private stash of money.

Zhang Yang glanced at the crowd below, bewildered. She couldn't discern whether the emotions in the NPCs' eyes, each harboring their own thoughts, were genuine reflections of their inner feelings or simply manifestations of big data. For the first time, she actively paid attention to the emotions of the NPCs.

??|??w?`)

In a true sense, everyone had their own ulterior motives.