The advisor was well aware of this and could only use the deceased Nie Liang and Wei Dan to force Nie Qing.
"Indeed, everything has its pros and cons. However, regardless of Zheng Hao's innocence, his rise will do us more harm than good. My lord, please reconsider. "
Nie Qing sighed in his heart.
He really did not want to waste his strength in internal strife and benefit Qiguan Rang, who was eyeing him covetously. Thus, he repeatedly tolerated the feudal vassals who were pressuring him.
Little did he know that his tolerance for the greater good, in the hearts of those ambitious people, would instead prove his incompetence and cowardice.
"Let me think about this matter for another night. I'll give you an answer tomorrow."
Nie Qing sat in front of his father's token for an entire night and gave his official a reply the next day.
"What?"
Zheng Hao received the news one step ahead and was stunned. At the same time, he felt his face hurt.
Half a month ago, he had confidently said that Nie Qing was incompetent and would not make things difficult for him without evidence. He did not expect to be slapped in the face half a month later.
Not only was Nie Qing going to make a move, but he also planned to kill him so that there would be no evidence.
To put it bluntly, he wanted to kill Zheng Hao, who had been jumping around recently, as a sacrifice to the heavens … Pfft, kill the chicken to warn the monkeys, and establish his might.
If Zheng Hao had not planted eyes and ears in the Nie family, he would not have received the news two days in advance.
"I really underestimated this little beast. He dares to bite me without any teeth."
Zheng Hao cursed in his heart.
He was very sure that Nie Qing did not have evidence against him, but he did not expect Nie Qing to change his character. Not only did he make a move without evidence, he actually planned to sneak up on him. Regardless of whether Zheng Hao was innocent or not, he would first behead him and randomly accuse him of a crime.
One of the younger advisors could not sit still and said, "General, the only thing we can do now is to avoid the brunt of the attack …"
Zheng Hao scolded unhappily, "Is there something wrong with your brain? How do you have the face to give me advice with that brain of yours? Avoid the brunt of the attack? Nie Qing, this little beast, does not even intend to let me live. What's the use of avoiding the brunt of the attack now? The more we avoid it, the more it proves that we have a guilty conscience and become Nie Qing's burden. Nie Qing is heartless, so don't blame me for being unjust. Of course, it's an eye for an eye! "
Qiguan Rang and Sun Wen chose Zheng Hao because they knew that his temper was more unyielding.
When he was underestimated, Zheng Hao knew to tuck his tail between his legs.
Once he gained the upper hand, Zheng Hao's tail would start flying. Not only would he face people head-on, but he would also be headstrong!
Qiguan Rang and his brother's original intention was to incite internal strife in Zhongzhao so that they could sit on the sidelines.
The conflict between Zheng Hao and Nie Qing was the fuse of internal strife. The fuse had been lit, but whether or not the fire of this internal strife could burn so fiercely that it could destroy the entire foundation of Zhongzhao would depend on how Qiguan Rang and his companion would add fuel to the fire and drag more people into it!
Zhanjiang Pass.
Qiguan Rang could not help but smile when he received the news that Zheng Hao had made the first move.
"Zaidao, you've won this round."
Qiguan Rang's words had a double meaning. He was referring to both the game of Go in front of them and their predictions of Zheng Hao and Nie Qing. Qiguan Rang's guess was closer to the truth. Although Zheng Hao's momentum was fierce, he could not fight Nie Qing head-on. He could only choose to strike first to gain the upper hand. Taking advantage of the fact that Nie Qing had not sent the news of the purge to his subordinates, he led his troops to deceive Nie Qing's territory — Gaofeng City. He tricked the city guard into opening the city gates.
Once the city gates were opened, the guard was killed when he was unprepared. Gaofeng City changed hands in less than half a day.
By the time Nie Qing received the news, Zheng Hao had already won two cities. The crowd was in an uproar.
Qiguan Rang's guess was not far from the truth. Sun Wen, on the other hand, was slightly off the mark. He had underestimated Zheng Hao's ambition and greed.
"I'm getting old. An old man's brain is getting duller and duller. I can't compete with young people."
He spoke modestly, but there was no displeasure on his face. He happily took out a few golden melon seeds and gave them to Qiguan Rang.
Hmm —
These two were not only playing Go to compete, they were also playing for stakes.
Small bets were pleasing, but large bets were harmful.
Using the game of Go as a bet had tainted elegant actions with the smell of "dung."
Which dung?
They regarded money as dung.
Qiguan Rang laughed. "Zaidao is old but strong. It's still too early to say such things."
Sun Wen smiled faintly and didn't comment.
After the game, the two cleaned up and planned to discuss another game around the stove. It was snowing heavily outside, but it was warm and cozy inside the room.
"Zheng Hao is a qualified chess piece, but the entire game can't be supported by one chess piece. Similarly, if Zhongzhao wants to become completely chaotic and waste its resources on internal strife, Zheng Hao alone won't be enough. " Qiguan Rang held a glass cup of wolfberry tea and added a spoonful of thick honey to it. He lamented the corrupt life of the rich while enjoying himself. "Nie Qing's personality isn't like his father's, but he's not the same. Isn't this a surprise? Zheng Hao can only be considered a whetstone in front of him. "
Wasn't that right?
Nie Liang had counted everyone but left out Zheng Hao and the others. Wasn't he planning to use Zheng Hao and the others to sharpen Nie Qing?
From this, it could be seen that in Nie Liang's calculations, Zheng Hao was no match for Nie Qing.
The two old foxes gathered together to play Go and chat. With a few words, they had decided the future of Zhongzhao.
How could they escalate the internal strife in Zhongzhao?
Not only did they have to drag more people into the water, but they also had to ensure that Zhanjiang Pass wouldn't give them external pressure.
Without external threats, the signs of internal strife had risen again. With a gentle breeze to help the fire, wouldn't this game of Go be set up?
Sun Wen took the opportunity to throw out a bombshell and drag those who had been watching from the sidelines into the water.
This bombshell had something to do with a certain neutral power in Zhongzhao.
This power was originally attached to the Nie family. After Nie Liang's death, they took advantage of Nie Qing's unfavorable position to become independent.
Sun Wen's bombshell became the fuse for this neutral power to go against the Nie family.
The bombshell was about the "good deeds" done by a legitimate son of the Nie family during the Nie family's heyday.
"How do you know?"
Qiguan Rang was very curious about what other gossip Sun Wen had in his hands …
No, a trump card. Every time he played it at the most critical moment, it would achieve unexpected results.
Sun Wen said coldly, "As a father, I naturally pay more attention to what the murderer of my son has done."
The descendant of the Nie family who killed Sun Wen's only son had dealings with many landowning women.
Some had done so willingly, and some had done so unwillingly.
His only son, Sun Lie, had won first place at the assembly. Although the descendant of the Nie family bore a grudge against him, it wasn't to the extent that the other party would break his legs out of humiliation and send him to the border on a groundless charge. Sun Lie had written an article at the assembly, and the content of the article had poked at the other party's sore spot.
"An article?" Qiguan Rang had a respectful attitude and hadn't investigated the death of Sun Wen's only son. Thus, he didn't know exactly what had happened at the time. Hearing Sun Wen mention it, he asked a few more questions. "What about the article?"
Sun Wen's mouth twitched. "An article that used something to mock others, attacking the chaos in the landowning families. It hoped that the foppish sons who had a disgraceful style of conduct would sober up and reflect on themselves. They would respect themselves and not insult their families and bring shame to their ancestors … However, different people have different interpretations. The author may not have intended it, but the reader has. The descendant of the Nie family mistakenly thought that Lie 'er had seen him having an affair in the backyard and used it to threaten him … That's why he wanted to kill him. "
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