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For a time, the sudden prosperity of Beiqu had dazzled everyone's eyes. It was like being surrounded by the multicolored lanterns blooming in the night during the Shangyuan Festival, flickering, rotating, their illusory light shining like daylight, making one almost forget they were still in the midst of night.
Now, abruptly, the route to Luoyang in Sili was cut off, and the grain and fodder procured from Hedong were gone. Suddenly, their own situation felt like snow pressing down on a mountain peak in deep winter—seemingly imposing and majestic, but if they waited another two or three months as temperatures gradually rose, it would gradually melt away…
Having momentum to leverage is a good thing, but having only momentum without solid ground is terrifying.
When he received Jia Qu's letter, Fei Qian realized he was once again facing danger, only this time he led not just a few dozen soldiers, but many more.
Earlier, to rapidly absorb nutrients for growth, Fei Qian had considered the possibility of his supply lines being cut, but he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. If he could have bought just one more month, Fei Qian was confident he could have expanded his current forces to around ten thousand. Even if they were new recruits, anyone thinking of taking action would have to weigh their options carefully, giving him much greater room to maneuver.
But now that things had reached this point, regret or lamentation was useless. Only focusing on the present held positive meaning.
"But even if we go to rescue Yong'an County, it might already be too late. And even if we save Yong'an, its value probably won't be great anymore…" Du Yuan frowned as he spoke.
The spring planting season!
The White Wave Army was truly disgusting to the core, raiding Yong'an County at this time. Setting aside how many officials and soldiers they killed in Yong'an or how much wealth they plundered, just the fact that the White Wave Army was looting in Yong'an during this period meant no farmer would dare venture out to work. Essentially, Yong'an's crops for the year were basically ruined. One could foresee that Yong'an's grain yield would definitely decrease this year.
So even if Fei Qian's army successfully took control of Yong'an, and even if its population hadn't been completely decimated by the White Wave Army, it wouldn't increase their revenue. On the contrary, they might have to subsidize it with money and grain this year and even next. And if they merely provided rescue without bringing Yong'an under their jurisdiction, it would be tantamount to providing free aid. For someone like Fei Qian, lacking a solid territorial foundation, this would be nothing short of exceptionally foolish behavior.
This was the problem Du Yuan considered and worried about. He hadn't even considered that Yong'an County wasn't under Shang Commandery's jurisdiction. After all, due to the severe impact of the Hu rebellion in the north, territorial belonging was still quite chaotic in many places…
Huang Cheng and Ma Yan also nodded. Both were inclined towards military duties, considered problems practically, and thus weren't optimistic about the arduous yet thankless task of sending troops to Yong'an.
Fei Qian remained silent for a long time. He understood clearly that the advice from Du Yuan and the other two was for the good of the entire group, and they realized that rescuing Yong'an might entail even greater risks.
Not just risks on the front line, but also risks to the Beiqu camp. Once Cui Hou arrived with the stockpiled goods from Shanjin, Beiqu would become a fragrant, enticing piece of fat, emitting a deadly allure…
But…
Fei Qian straightened his posture, his gaze sweeping slowly over the three men. "There's a saying I wonder if you've heard: 'Opportunities of time vouchsafed by Heaven are not equal to advantages of situation afforded by the Earth, and advantages of situation afforded by the Earth are not equal to the union arising from the accord of Men'…"
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Hedong, Anyi.
Inside the Wei family residence.
Wei Ji was still clad in pure white, dazzlingly so, sitting properly and upright on a mat before a couch, his back very straight, his expression calm, not at all like someone who had just proposed a plan possibly involving the lives of millions.
On the couch was the head of the Wei family, Wei Ji's father. Old age had weakened his bodily functions. Having caught a chill some days ago, he hadn't fully recovered. In this sense, Wei Ji's claim of illness wasn't entirely a pretext.
The old Wei family head slowly sat up, his eyes flashing. He knew his son had always been engaged in certain activities, but he hadn't expected them to be so ambitious now. True, if this matter succeeded, the gains would be great, but…
"It is too risky." The old Wei family head sat on the couch, pondered for a long time, then sighed. Overall, the plan wasn't bad, but its links were interconnected and mutually influential, making its execution far too risky.
Wei Ji didn't offer platitudes about seeking wealth amidst danger. He simply said calmly, "The grass grows deep over Maoling; where are the Five Marquises now? Now that the Dong usurper has moved the capital, great chaos will surely befall the Han house. This is a Heaven-sent opportunity. To lose it would be regrettable."
"However, this act is no different from…" The old Wei head frowned, swallowing the latter half of his sentence. After all, this matter wasn't convenient to discuss openly.
Wei Ji smiled slightly, a gentle and refined smile beneath which seemed to hide the icy cold of the deepest underworld. "Has Father perhaps forgotten the witchcraft affair? Seven battles, seven victories, expanding territories, fifteen years of glorious prosperity, yet three thousand innocent heads rolled on the ground. Is the blood of the Wei family still not enough to atone?"
"Choose your words carefully!" The old Wei head frowned, the wrinkles between his brows deep as an abyss, where even the midday bright sunlight seemed unable to reach the bottom.
Wei Ji smiled faintly again and said softly, "Understood."
Old and young stared at each other wordlessly.
Sunlight streamed in from outside, illuminating Wei Ji but not reaching the old Wei head sitting on the couch, as if cutting the entire room in two. One half was Wei Ji, young and spirited in snow-white robes; the other was the old Wei head, aged and frail in dark black.
"Cough, cough…" The old Wei head coughed twice, closed his eyes, and after a long time reopened them, a flash of resolve in their depths. "…When will you depart?"
"Today."
The old Wei head's eyebrows twitched, the corners of his mouth quivered a few times, and he ultimately only said one word: "Good. Go then."
Wei Ji prostrated on the ground, kowtowed)slowly to his father. After a long while, he raised his head, stood up, retreated two steps, and left the inner chamber…
The old Wei head slowly rose, watching his son in his pure white robes, long sleeves fluttering, hem lightly lifting as he walked through the courtyard, passed through the corridor, gradually moving away beneath the peach and plum blossoms. Suddenly, everything before his eyes seemed somewhat blurry, only that patch of white remaining dazzlingly dazzling and brilliant.
The old Wei head's lips trembled twice, but in the end, no words came out…