"Fake, fake? How could the Universal Geographical Map be fake? Someone must be trying to frame us — "
The Zhao clan leader's heart skipped a beat. All the blood drained from his face, leaving behind a frighteningly pale face. His eyes were as big as goldfish. He wasn't stupid. He knew what would happen to the Zhao clan if the Universal Geographical Map was fake. Extermination would be considered a light punishment.
Feng Zhen only smiled coldly. Fu Wang's eyes were full of murderous intent, and the Zhao clan leader didn't dare look him in the eye.
He was so flustered that he didn't know where to put his hands. He could only seize the opportunity to defend himself. "Yang Tao has suppressed the Zhao clan many times. Because of his power, we could only swallow our anger and give in again and again. We've been looking forward to it for a long time, and finally, the Duke of Lanting has graced us with his presence. The entire Zhao Clan is overjoyed. We've finally escaped from the tiger's mouth … Why would we help Yang Tao? "
Yang Si asked him, "The Universal Geographical Map was presented by you, wasn't it?"
The Zhao clan leader nodded with some hesitation. "Yes."
"This fake Universal Geographical Map caused our deployment to go wrong. We fell into the enemy's trap and lost tens of thousands of elite soldiers, wasn't it?"
"The Universal Geographical Map must have been replaced. The map presented by the Zhao clan is definitely not a problem." The Zhao clan leader felt even more hopeless after hearing this. He stammered, "The Zhao clan is truly loyal to Duke Lanting. I hope that the general and the military counselor will investigate carefully and prove our innocence."
Yang Si smiled coldly. "The fake map was presented by the Zhao clan. Of course, you have to bear the responsibility. Even if the Universal Geographical Map was really replaced, you have failed in your duties. The lives of your entire clan won't be enough. "
When the Zhao clan leader heard this, he immediately understood Yang Si's plan. His heart went cold, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
"Why are you talking so much nonsense with him, military counselor? Lock up all his clansmen and investigate them one by one. " Fu Wang had never been a good-tempered person. They had lost tens of thousands of sailors in one go. If his lord investigated, he would take the blame. Just thinking about it made him grit his teeth in hatred. He couldn't help but twist the Zhao clan leader's head off with his bare hands. "If it's a fake surrender … they'll all be turned to dust."
No matter how much the leader of the Zhao clan cried out, he couldn't change the fate of his entire clan being imprisoned.
After careful investigation, Feng Zhen and the others had locked onto a certain member of the Zhao Clan as a suspect. On the eve of the incident, the man had packed his belongings and was ready to escape. However, his luck was a little bad. Halfway through his escape, he was stopped by his pursuers at a certain pier and was tied up and brought back.
Although this person was from a branch family, he was doing quite well. He was usually dressed in gold and silver, so when had he ever been treated like this?
"Tell me the truth, and I might leave you with a whole corpse."
Feng Zhen had been too confident. He had played with eagles all his life, but he had almost been pecked blind by an eagle.
This time, he had lost tens of thousands of elite sailors. It was a painful lesson, but it wasn't to the point where his bones were broken. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to absolve himself of the blame even if he died ten thousand times.
"Why did you capture me?"
"Then why did you pack your bags and flee?" Feng Zhen countered. "The Zhao Clan has been implicated because of you, and their extinction is imminent. As a member of the Zhao Clan, you will naturally share blessings and misfortunes, and follow them to the Yellow Springs. Tell me, why did I capture you? "
The man's hands were tied behind his back with hemp rope. He knelt on the ground, his head drooping to his chest, not daring to raise his head.
"What, you have nothing to say?" Feng Zhen laughed coldly and confidently. "Did you swap this fake Great Universal Geographical Map?"
The man's body trembled faintly, and his Adam's apple squirmed as he swallowed.
Feng Zhen continued, "Your parents, wife, and child … You said they were ambushed and killed by the pirates, but in reality, they were detained by Yang Tao, weren't they?"
"Since you already know, why bother asking?" The man saw that Feng Zhen had even guessed this, so he simply threw caution to the wind and admitted to all his crimes. "This was all my doing. I will take responsibility for my actions alone, and it has nothing to do with the clan …"
Feng Zhen laughed. He didn't know whether to call the man stupid or smart.
"You say this to absolve the clan, but do you think it's possible?"
The man countered. "What, is the Duke of Lanting someone who can't tell right from wrong, and would actually implicate the entire clan for one person's crimes?"
He insisted that he was the one who did it. If Jiang Pengji held the entire clan responsible, wouldn't that be killing the innocent?
However, Feng Zhen wasn't a simple person. How could he let the man beat around the bush with just a few words?
"If I can kill the entire clan to prevent this from happening again, why not?" Feng Zhen laughed coldly. "The Zhao family clearly had the intention of rebelling, but they pushed all the blame onto you. Did they really think that they could escape the fate of extinction by doing so? In their dreams! "
After hearing this, the man's expression revealed his disbelief.
"Your wife, child, and parents are in Yang Tao's hands, right?" Feng Zhen raised his hand and pinched the man's chin, forcing him to look up at him. His seemingly thin hand was extremely strong, and he easily left several purple fingerprints on the man's face. "Remember to walk slowly on the road to the underworld, and wait for them."
"What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? The day we conquer Zhangzhou and capture Yang Tao is the day your family goes to the underworld to find you. " Feng Zhen suppressed the urge to strangle the man and laughed coldly. "If we don't make the entire Zhao family pay with their lives, how will the tens of thousands of souls who drowned in the river rest in peace?"
Casualties were inevitable in a battle between two armies, but the deaths had to be worthwhile. Feng Zhen wouldn't blame Yan Lin, who came up with this evil plan, because this was a normal battle between two armies. Conspiracies and overt plots were normal. You could plot against others, and others could plot against you. It was just a matter of who was more skilled. However, he couldn't tolerate the villains involved. The Zhao family brought their entire clan to seek refuge, but they presented the fake map. They deserved to die.
Because they had lost a battle, Yang Tao's side was full of vigor. The gentry who had been throwing flirtatious glances at Jiang Pengji didn't make a move again.
The secret report Jiang Pengji received was about the Zhao family.
"These gentry in Zhangzhou … Are they all itching for a beating?" The more he looked, the angrier he became, especially when he saw the number of casualties on his side. His heart burned with anger. "Do they really think the feudal lords are like radishes and cabbages in the market that they can pick and choose?"
Yang Tao was weak, so the gentry in Zhangzhou kept throwing flirtatious glances at Jiang Pengji. Their attitudes were ambiguous.
Yang Tao had won a great victory, so the gentry's stance changed again. The gentry who had pledged their allegiance to Jiang Pengji were also restless.
When had she ever been so picky?
Did they really think Jiang Pengji was easy to talk to?
Regarding the Zhao family, Jiang Pengji had the same thoughts as Feng Zhen and the others. If she allowed this incident to set a precedent, the gentry who pledged their allegiance to her in the future would pull out some petty tricks and drag one of their clansmen out to take the blame. Her prestige and reputation as a feudal lord would be swept away. How could she defend herself?
Qiguan Rang said, "This … is what Yang Tao wanted."
Indeed, Yang Tao had taken Jiang Pengji's sword and killed the entire Zhao family. He had avenged his father's last bit, and his reputation hadn't been damaged.
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