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墨書 Inktalez
Qin Feng felt quite pleased to hear such words; he truly wished to be a general galloping on the battlefield, rather than a weak Civil Official who only knew comfort.
He continued, "General Wang, it would be best to bury explosives on those roads today, covering most of the paths while leaving one normal route. Send someone to secretly inform the garrison of Zhongshan that if they retreat, they can escape alive."
"We should wait until it is completely dark before taking action on those roads, and we must guard against the Jin army discovering our plan. Once successful, it will create tremendous destructive power! The Jin Army will surely suffer setbacks."
Wang Bin listened intently; this method of burying explosives was indeed fresh and more strategic than what his fellow veterans had devised, actively inviting the Jin soldiers to their demise.
Although these generals had their strategies, they still fought fiercely without much finesse. This approach could kill many enemy soldiers while sparing their own.
His eyes were filled with excitement as he said, "Brother Qin, there's no need for such formality. Even though I am over a decade older than you, let’s refer to each other as brothers! From now on, you can call me Brother Wang, and I will call you Brother Qin. How does that sound?"
Naturally, he agreed and gained a good friend in the process, calling each other brothers felt just right.
"Brother Wang, then I shall call you elder brother from now on! Please allow me to pay my respects."
He clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect; this was the highest military officer from Taiyuan, and he was actually his elder brother.
Wang Bin looked at him excitedly and said, "There’s no need for such formalities between brothers. From now on, let’s just refer to each other as brothers. I will arrange for them to prepare."
He then turned his gaze towards the several Generals nearby, all clad in black armor and wearing black helmets, with broad swords hanging at their waists—long and wide, certainly very sharp.
"You generals have been with me for many years; you should often think creatively about simple yet effective combat strategies that can severely injure the Jin soldiers and protect our Great Song Territory."
"Now hurry and prepare! When it gets dark, bury the explosives deep on those roads without letting them discover anything. We must ensure a great defeat for the Jin Army and elevate our national prestige!"
After hearing this, the Generals all shouted in agreement, bowed to him in respect, and quickly left to begin preparations.
Qin Feng felt a joy he had never experienced before; such prominent Generals were actually listening to him and preparing to bury explosives to eliminate the Jin soldiers.
Yet something felt off in his heart; for a moment, he couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.
Seeing that all his Generals had left and he was the only one remaining, Wang Bin also stood up from his chair, still feeling excited and happy.
"Brother Qin is indeed a person of both literary and martial talents! If we achieve great success this time and drive the Jurchens back to their lair, I will definitely submit a memorial to request rewards from the court for my brother. As a Peace Envoy, to come up with such a strategy against the enemy is truly a display of both wisdom and courage!"
He turned around and walked outside, allowing him to rest well.
Looking at his tall and robust figure as he left, Qin Feng recalled that he was still a Peace Envoy, yet had devised a plan to blow up the Jurchens!
Was this going to get him killed? Clearly, he had come for Negotiation, yet it pushed them towards war. It was all the fault of those Jurchens for being so detestable, invading our territory and harming our people.
That strong sense of patriotism erupted! He came up with this plan.
But what about Negotiation? Zhang Bangchang had also been angered by him and had sided with those generals.
After thinking it over carefully, if they really dealt a heavy blow to the Jurchens, perhaps their arrogance would diminish. Realizing they could not defeat the Song Dynasty, they might obediently engage in Negotiation, which would not be a bad outcome!
Qin Feng comforted himself like this, trying to feel better and not dwell on those painful matters.
He sat back in his chair, feeling somewhat dazed. He decided to calm down alone for a while!
Suddenly, someone walked in through the door of the room, wearing a purple robe and appearing somewhat plump. Wasn't this Zhang Bangchang?
He should have been angered by him and left; why had he returned? And he came back when he was alone in the room.
Was he here to settle scores? As a Peace Envoy, he did not stand by his side but instead supported the generals in wanting to fight the Jurchens.
Qin Feng said, "Lord Zhang, what brings you here? Are you here to settle accounts with me?"
Zhang Bangchang burst into laughter, as if seeing an old friend. It was not anger but rather enthusiasm!
"Brother Qin, why are we being so polite? We are familiar enough; you once saved my life!"
He moved his plump body over to Qin Feng and sat down on a nearby black chair.
Qin Feng nearly spat out several mouthfuls of old blood! He actually knew Zhang Bangchang before and had saved him? This was unbelievable! How could he possibly have saved him?
He is the Right Chancellor of the Ministry of Personnel, a very high-ranking official, while I am just a Third-Rank Civil Official without any real power. It's not scientific!
I think it's better to clarify some things, especially since those matters are not harmful to me, yet I ended up getting involved with this High Official.
In these unstable times, having one more ally is certainly better than having one more enemy.
"Brother Zhang, how did I save you? I fell seriously ill recently and ended up forgetting some things. It's really unfortunate; come with me!"
Zhang Bangchang's smile faded significantly, his eyes widened as he observed him. It didn't seem like he had lost his mind; how could he forget those things?
He glanced cautiously towards the door. When he came in earlier, he had closed the door behind him, leaving only the two of them in the room.
He said, "Little brother, did you really fall seriously ill and forget those matters? Don't try to fool me; I won't harm you!"
Qin Feng nodded, indicating that he truly forgot and couldn't recall anything.
Zhang Bangchang sighed a few times. Those matters weren't exactly honorable, and since he forgot, he might as well give him some more information.
"The current Emperor Qin has only been on the throne for a little over a month but has accomplished something significant: he executed the six major traitors led by Cai Jing and Tong Guan and also beheaded some of their followers! Some were exiled to remote areas; it's quite a retribution!"
This was indeed a great relief to the nation, and everyone was celebrating! These traitors had harmed the court for over a decade, and finally, they were uprooted. The court became much clearer as a result.
I, Zhang Bangchang, am someone who seeks fame and profit. In fact, my relationship with Tong Guan was quite good; we were colleagues and got along well. However, I never allied with them; I just happened to be closer to them.
I didn't do many harmful things like they did, such as plotting against some upright High Officials of the court. I merely indulged in some Silver and had good connections, almost leading to being mistaken for Tong Guan's accomplice.
Emperor Qin is indeed a rare wise ruler. Although he has been in power for a short time, he understands public sentiment quite well. However, he still harbored doubts about someone like me who was too close to them and originally planned to associate me with Tong Guan's faction.
There were two choices: either be executed publicly or be exiled to a remote area. That would be far too distant; along the way, there would be no food or drink. How could anyone survive that? I know many people wouldn't make it!
For me, Zhang Bangchang, it was uncertain; I appeared to be a great traitor but hadn't done anything excessively wrong. I merely participated in the greed for some Silver without being involved in plotting against the court officials.
Coincidentally that day when you were at the Imperial Garden accompanying Emperor Qin in composing poetry, he casually asked for your opinion.
You said, "Although Zhang Bangchang is greedy, he has never plotted against the court ministers. There is no need for beheading or exile; demotion will suffice."
The Qin Emperor, being a wise ruler, agreed and removed several positions aside from the Right Chancellor. It was a decent outcome, avoiding beheading and exile to remote areas.
I was then assigned to Taiyuan City. When the Jin people attacked again, I quickly initiated negotiations, which saved my life.
Qin Feng listened from the side and felt it was all too complicated! How could Tong Guan's group be involved in beheading and exile? It was truly confusing!
He didn't catch all the details, but the gist was clear: he had spoken a few good words in front of the emperor and saved himself.
He also avoided being mistaken for one of Tong Guan's group and thus escaped beheading or exile. His life was preserved.
It seems that in front of the current emperor, Qin Emperor, he indeed had some influence; perhaps the emperor appreciated his talents.
It was likely after that incident that Zhang Bangchang began to regard him as a trusted person, calling him brother.
Unexpectedly, his social connections were quite good. Although the Wang relatives were domineering and disdainful, he still made a few friends, such as several wealthy second-generation individuals from the capital and this powerful Right Chancellor.
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