Chapter 42

Bian Wushuang sat in his large tent, leisurely sipping tea. As the leader of one of the two major clans of the Great Qin and the deputy commander of the Thunder Army, his status in the Great Qin was among the top few. His life was naturally refined to the extreme. Even when on campaign, all the arrangements in his tent were exquisite, not only for comfort but also for taste. In this regard, he deeply despised the Deng clan. In Bian Wushuang's eyes, the Deng clan was nothing more than a nouveau riche.

The Bian clan was an ancient clan in the Western Qin territory. Before the Western Qin was established, they had significant influence in that region. Over a hundred years ago, Cao Wending rebelled, and the once glorious Tang Empire collapsed. At that time, the general guarding the western border, Xiao Changfeng, took advantage of the situation to start a rebellion, declared independence, and crowned himself emperor. During this process, the Bian clan played a significant role and was the most steadfast supporter of Xiao Changfeng. As for the Deng clan, they only rose to prominence after the Western Qin's wars with the Northern Yue, Southern Chu, and Eastern Qi. Over those decades, the Deng clan produced many outstanding individuals, once overshadowing the Bian clan. Perhaps it was also because Emperor Xiao Changfeng, in his later years, realized that the Bian clan's dominance was extremely detrimental to the Western Qin royal family, so he deliberately supported the rise of the Deng clan, making it one of the powerful families that could rival the Bian clan.

Even though the Deng clan and the Bian clan were now on par, becoming the two major aristocratic families that influenced the political landscape of the Great Qin, in Bian Wushuang's eyes, they were still a complete nouveau riche. The most common taunt the Bian clan used against the Deng clan was, "Trace back three generations, do you even know who your ancestors were?"

This was a constant pain for the Deng clan, as three generations ago, their ancestor, who was once a formidable figure in various countries, was indeed just a street beggar.

The Deng clan was crude, and they seemed to have no intention of changing this. Instead, they took pride in it. The Bian clan was refined, and everything had its rules. Over the years, the two families had been competing from the central government to the local level. Their mutual rivalry had maintained the stability of the Qin political landscape for over a hundred years. Successive emperors of the Western Qin had also seen this. As long as the competition between the two families did not threaten the foundation of the rule, they would sometimes even fan the flames.

A single dominant family was dangerous for the royal family.

Over the years, the Bian clan had the upper hand in the central government, while the Deng clan had significant influence in the local and border armies. Now, the competition had entered a new stage. The Deng clan began to extend their influence into the court, vigorously cultivating the civil service system, while the Bian clan also reached out to the border armies. What made Bian Wushuang furious was that any Bian clan offspring who showed promise in the border armies would mysteriously die in battle.

Compared to the Bian clan's methods of suppressing the Deng clan in the central government, the Deng clan's approach in the border army system was very brutal, but it left the Bian clan with no grounds to complain. On the battlefield, life and death were common, and it was not something that could be brought up. The Deng clan's own offspring also often died in battle.

This time, it was an excellent opportunity for the Bian clan. To eliminate Zuo Lixing's army, the Western Qin had found a perfect opportunity. The Thunder Army left Yongdu, and after this battle, there would be plenty of opportunities to place more people in key positions in the traditional territories of the Deng clan, especially in positions that were less susceptible to assassination.

Bian Wushuang was not concerned about the outcome of this battle because there was no other possibility. The Western Qin was bound to win. Now, the western border of the Great Chu was wide open, allowing them to take whatever they wanted. What he was considering was how to bring this war to a perfect conclusion.

The Western Qin did not want a large-scale war with the Great Chu. In the early stages of a large-scale war, the Western Qin might sweep through the western region of the Great Chu, but what about after that? The national strength of the Great Chu was much stronger than that of the Western Qin, which was located in a relatively desolate western region. Once the Great Chu reacted and mobilized the entire country, the war could drag into a stalemate, turning into a protracted war, which was not what the Western Qin wanted to see.

Standing high, one naturally sees further. In recent years, the Eastern Qi had become increasingly aggressive. The Western Qin had no choice but to fight this war. The severe drought in the country had made life extremely difficult. Defeating the western border army of the Southern Chu would, first, use a victory to divert domestic conflicts and ease the tense atmosphere, and second, they needed the prosperous Anyang Prefecture to subsidize the country to safely get through this disaster year.

But that was all.

Zuo Lixing was defeated, and the western border army of the Great Chu was completely destroyed. In the coming years, it would take a long time for the Great Chu to rebuild a powerful border army like the one led by Zuo Lixing. In the future, it would be much easier for the Western Qin to come over. When there was nothing to do, raiding for resources would be a very pleasant thing.

Gently blowing on the floating foam on the tea, Bian Wushuang thought smugly that a fortress is always breached from within. Zuo Lixing had planned to take advantage of the severe drought in the Western Qin and the imminent domestic conflicts to loot, but instead, he had achieved the opposite, making the Western Qin stronger. This was something that Zuo Lixing, even in his grave, would never have expected. Yes, Bian Wushuang was certain that Zuo Lixing was dead. General Li had said he would die, and he would definitely die. Bian Wushuang had no doubt about this. Zuo Lixing probably never realized that he did not lose to General Li but to his own people.

The passing of a great master was a joy for the Qin people but not so much for the Chu people. Of course, some would be happy because they would gain significant benefits from this.

Bian Wushuang was disdainful of the internal strife in the Chu Kingdom. As a politician, competition was necessary and inevitable, but it must be based on the premise of national security. The truth was that competition should not lead to collapse. The Bian clan and the Deng clan had been competing for many years, but the Western Qin had not collapsed. Instead, it had grown from the weakest country to the third strongest, which was clear evidence. If the Southern Chu continued to fight like this, it might lead to the downfall of the country and the clan.

In the face of enormous benefits, people indeed lost their reason. Bian Wushuang shook his head and sighed, then tilted his head back and swallowed a small cup of tea.

The Eastern Qi definitely hoped for a large-scale war between the Qin and Chu, but it was strange that they had not made any moves yet. Abnormal situations must be suspicious. The Eastern Qi was probably plotting some sinister schemes. A large-scale conflict between the two families was most beneficial to the Eastern Qi. They must be quietly doing something, but he had not yet figured it out.

Footsteps were heard outside the tent, stopping at the tent entrance. A voice then sounded, "Father, can I come in?"

"Come in!" Putting down his teacup, Bian Wushuang said. The tent curtain opened, and a ray of sunlight shone through the tent door, making Bian Wushuang squint. His eldest son, Bian Wenzhong, who was now a deputy general in the Thunder Army, entered. With another seven to ten years of training, he would be able to stand on his own.

"Father, the opportunity for revenge has come!" Bian Wenzhong's face was filled with excitement.