Free Web NovelChapter 1140: Chapter 358 "Qi Hall
The delegations from the countries participating in the war all made their way toward the Guanhe Platform.
The Qi Country delegation set out from Linzi, headed west through Zheng Country, circled north around Jinguo, and finally crossed Ji Country to reach the Guanhe Platform via Fertility Country.
It is to be noted that Jinguo lies directly west of Qi Country, and the Guanhe Platform is situated further west of Jinguo.
Logically, the quickest route for the Qi delegation would have been to travel straight through Jinguo, heading west.
But, obviously, that was not a possibility...
Not to mention anything else, if the Jinguo officials demanded the Qi mounted army disarm while passing through, would they disarm or not?
What about the series of Jinguo rules and the various Daoist courtesies—would they follow them or not?
After all, each country was among the six strongest in the world, and no one wanted to lose face by yielding to another. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
So, it was decided that everyone would take their separate paths.
Every year, without complaint, the Qi Country delegation willingly took the long way around, passing through Fertility Country on their way to the Guanhe Platform.
The Jinguo side kept silent, letting them choose whatever route they wanted.
The land of the "Fertility Country" was naturally excellent, with extremely fertile soil.
But what truly allowed this small country to prosper richly was, in fact, the Yellow River Gathering.
The so-called "Yellow River section" of the Land Hanhai was right between Fertility Country and Jinguo’s Jing Tian Fu.
To the west of Fertility Country lay the Tianma Plateau.
Leaving aside the countries coming from the south, most of the delegations from the northern countries had to travel through Fertility Country to reach the Guanhe Platform.
The Qi Country delegation from the Eastern Region, which chose to take a detour every year, even established a "Qi Residence" in Fertility Country to accommodate Qi people passing through the area. Of course, its main function was to let the Qi military expedition rest when the water level at the Yellow River section reached the desired height.
Mugu also had its "Mu Garden," and Jingguo had established a "Jing Tower."
There is no need to go into detail about the various other smaller countries.
With so many national powers setting up footholds here, there was an unexpectedly harmonious relationship where everyone kept to their own business.
Fertility Country thus became a hub of transit, boasting a variety of activities like a garden in full bloom. Many merchants from different countries inevitably stopped here on their journeys.
Also due to mutual checks and balances, a certain supreme independence was maintained.
Of course, being so close to Jinguo, it was impossible to completely free itself from Jinguo’s influence. It could prosper, but it could never become powerful.
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Cao Jie was not very tall or robust.
His features were, in fact, naturally imbued with a look of bitterness amidst his mild manner. He appeared almost non-threatening, indeed looking quite easy to bully.
If the State Minister Jiang Rumo had the air of a "kindly granny," then he could be likened to the face of a "docile bride."
Both were similarly low-key in their conduct.
Jiang Rumo could be said to be the least conspicuous among all the State Ministers in the history of Qi. His policies were mild, his dealings smooth, advocating for win-win situations. Often like the spring wind and rain, he accomplished things silently without a trace, already having matters neatly resolved before anyone noticed.
One old event might illustrate Jiang Rumo’s working style.
During his time at the Ministry of Rites, there was a departmental colleague who saw him as his greatest rival and was adversarial at every turn.
Had it been anyone else, they would have sought out ways to fight their opponent to the death. Those senior officials would have countless political enemies fall behind them on their way up.
So how did Jiang Rumo handle it?
At that time, an opportunity for an external assignment as Prefectural Governor arose, which was very rare. Having the experience of serving as Prefectural Governor and governing a region was also a very useful credential for entering the Political Affairs Hall.
Jiang Rumo had a better chance, but he voluntarily gave it up and recommended that rival departmental colleague to the Political Affairs Hall for the position.
That colleague became the Prefectural Governor and even came to flaunt it in front of Jiang Rumo, taunting him in every way. Jiang Rumo responded with a smile, quietly enduring it.
Eventually, it was the colleague’s master who couldn’t stand it anymore and revealed the truth to him.
Only then did the man realize that his becoming Prefectural Governor was entirely due to Jiang Rumo’s recommendation. From then on, he wholeheartedly admired Jiang Rumo, even declaring, "In this life, I am content to serve as Lord Jiang’s gatekeeper."
And Jiang Rumo, within the Ministry of Rites, lost an opponent who always hindered him, yet gained a kindred spirit outside the Capital City. Other officials in the Ministry of Rites admired him for this, and he was able to achieve much more smoothly, making considerable accomplishments. A few years later, when the position of Minister of Rites became vacant, almost all the seated officials in the ministry advocated for his succession.
After that, his rise was unstoppable, making his way into the Political Affairs Hall and becoming an Imperial Court Adviser. To the point now, as a person of high status, he had become the Grand Qi’s Prime Minister, leading the Political Affairs Hall.
In comparison, Cao Jie of the Military Affairs Hall also didn’t have a particularly illustrious reputation.
He wasn’t like the murderer, who was a famous General known throughout the land, infamous enough to quiet a crying child. Nor was he like the War God, Jiang Mengxiong, who was invincible in attack and unbeaten in battle, nothing could stand against him. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
He participated in many battles, but had never led any famous campaigns.
In some of the larger, renowned battles, he was either assisting one Famous General or another.
Essentially, he was reliably steadfast. While other generals shone brightly, he remained a stable force at the back. He always received "secondary" or "supporting" merits.
Furthermore, he fought and lost many battles, having been defeated more times than all the other Nine Soldier Commanders of the Military Affairs Hall combined. Yet, there was never a disastrous total defeat.
Regardless of the situation, he always managed to save part of the military force and retreat. But that was about all, rare were incidents of a miraculous comeback or turning defeat into victory associated with him.
Such a General, with an appearance of neither significant merits nor faults, was ranked in the Military Affairs Hall only below Jiang Mengxiong.
Emperor Qi once said, "The best at conducting wars under heaven is General Jiang. The best at fighting in battles is Cao Jie."
"General Jiang" refers to the Grand Marshal Jiang Mengxiong.
