Way of Overlord
Chapter 152: Barbarians in the City

Chapter 152: Barbarians in the City

The words echoes in his ears.

"Someone who is charismatic enough to lead" that is the word that Xu Bai said that irks him so much.

In other words, Xu Bai is insinuating that he is not charismatic enough and that is what the morale of the troops is low.

Then who is charismatic enough

Him? Xu Bai himself?

Qiao Meng couldn’t shake the feeling that Xu Bai had chosen this moment to assert his influence and potentially wrest power from the Qiao family within the city.

It was a thought that grew more convincing the longer he dwelled on it.

In reality, Xu Bai harboured no such intentions.

But even he himself did not realize that he look down on Qiao Meng.

This could easily be seen in how he never refer to Qiao Meng as lord.

True, Qiao Meng and him has been at each other throat since they were young.

And they refer to each other very casually because of this hatred relationship.

But in the current setting, Qiao Meng still have a higher rank than him. He should still refer him as his lord.

But he still talk so casually with him, yet when he addresses the military officials, he calls them lord

Maybe, this alone had sown the seed of doubt in Qiao Meng mind.

But right now, Xu Bai did not notice it.

If he did, he would choose his words more carefully. History has thought about such thing when serving under a lord

Fang Zheng and Zhang Liang what is the difference?

The difference is nothing more than one of them knows their lords and knows how to make the lord accept his advice and the other do not know how to make the lord listens

Zhang Liang was a master at understanding his lord’s personality and preferences, enabling him to effectively present his advice in a manner that resonated with his lord sensibilities.

This skill ensured that his counsel was not only heard but also heeded.

In contrast, Fang Zheng had struggled to connect with his lord.

His inability to establish a productive rapport had hindered his efforts to influence decision-making.

In essence, Fang Zheng had failed to make his lord genuinely listen to his counsel.

And the difference between them had lead one of them to fail and the other to succeed

Zhang Liang manage to make Jiang Han to listen to his advice and in that process win the Empire

Fang Zheng failed to make the Overlord listen and so the Overlord failed and killed himself in the battle of Gaixia.

Xu Bai continue his words not knowing the more he said, the more annoyed Qiao Meng became.

"The other point that we should remember is the support of the people." He sighed for a second before saying

"If the people of the city do not support our troops or lack confidence in the army, who will our soldiers fight for?" he paused for a second before quickly moving to other point

"They need the support and admiration of the people to bolster their determination. Currently, the troops are seen by the citizens as little more than bandits and oppressors. If we don’t address this issue, we risk losing the support of the people."

Those who knows this could not help but sigh. Most of the time, the soldiers did not act like soldiers at all.

Xu Bai then muttered more words

"Let me ask you, sir, if our defenders are fighting against the barbarians, and even the common people don’t support or think highly of them, then for whom will the soldiers fight? Will they still have the mentality to shed their blood? ?

In other words, if the people in the city support our officers and soldiers one after another, worship them like heroes, and trust them, then I believe that the officers and soldiers will also have the determination and belief to fight to the end! And now, the frontier troops are facing the common people in the county

In their eyes, we are almost like bandits and bullies. Sir, if we continue to fail to govern, then the people will regard us as ’barbarians’ within the city gates. In this way, the people’s support will be completely lost"

Then Xu Bai cupped his hand toward General Xi Yan and spoke

"If Qiao Meng would trust the general with the great responsibility, me and my clan would support General. I believe that with the General ability, as long as you could unite morale of our army, our soldiers will not be any worse than the barbarians soldiers"

Xu Bai offer to support General Xi Yan caught many by surprise, not the least of which was General Xi Yan himself.

The general had long been respected for his military prowess and experience but had never expected such a vote of confidence from the influential Xu Bai.

In truth, Xu Bai had carefully considered his options, and despite his personal disputes with the Qiao family, he recognized that General Xi Yan is the most suitable candidate to lead the city’s defense.

Qiao Meng knows how to play politics but he did not know how to lead an army.

The other generals is good at fighting but their ability is mostly mediocre.

As for Xi Yan, he valued both the general’s authority and the respect he commanded among the military ranks.

However, in his eagerness to find a competent leader, Xu Bai had inadvertently skirted a political taboo.

He ignores that while General Xi Yan is experienced and the perfect candidate, Qiao Meng is effectively the supervisor of the army

Qiao Meng, despite appearing as a mere figurehead, derived his authority from the Ji family, the true rulers of Nurshira.

The Ji family had allowed the Qiao family to govern the city temporarily, and any challenge to this arrangement risked incurring their wrath.

If word reached the Ji family that General Xi Yan had overstepped his bounds, it could spell the end of his career within the Yan Empire.

Xu Bai knows the trends of the world, but he sometimes forget certain things. And this is the thing he forgotten.

People hearts.

More accurately, he only cares about winning the hearts of people he believes are worthy and forget to win over Qiao Meng.

Familiarity can sometimes breed contempt, and Xu Bai longstanding rivalry with Qiao Meng had led him to overlook the importance of winning over Qiao Meng’s support.

While Xu Bai was well-versed in the grand trends of the world and the larger political landscape, he had momentarily neglected the intricate web of personal relationships and allegiances that held sway in Nurshira.

Xu Bai decision to support General Xi Yan without first securing Qiao Meng’s trust is a political oversight

And the other reason is probably because...he is young. Too young to know the world, young at heart and young in mind.

Youth indeed carries both strengths and weaknesses.

Xu Bai, with his youthful vigour and idealism, possessed a keen sense of ambition and a desire for change.

His willingness to challenge the status quo and offer bold strategies showcased his youthful determination to make a mark in the world.

However, with that youthfulness also came certain blind spots.

He failed to recognize that wisdom often came with age and experience, and that navigating the complex web of local politics required a nuanced approach.

In his pursuit of grand visions and the greater good, Xu Bai had momentarily overlooked the significance of individual relationships and the importance of building bridges with those who held influence in Nurshira.

If this is anyone else and not Qiao Meng, Xu bai would not make such a mistake

General Xi Yan on the other hand began thinking about what Xu Bai had just said.

The three problems that Xu Bai had said gave Xi Yan the feeling of seeing the sun through the smoky haze

"Barbarians within the city gate" he thought to himself.

Qiao Meng face become even more distorted. Those who are close to him saw his expression and gulped.

Qiao Meng clench his finger and his anger is reaching to his head.

He breathes heavily

He is very clear about the position he is in and he understands better than anyone else that if he wants to survive in this world and live better than now, then the first thing he must do is to stabilize his position

Keep his position!

When he first was given power by the Ji family to rule the city of Nurshira, he was overjoyed beyond belief. The city is a city of trade. It connects yan dynasty to the far northern reaches

They would trade livestock and other necessities that Yan needs from the people of the Great Steppe with low prices and sell it back to people of the Yan empire with high prices.

It is one of the most prosperous cities of the entire northern region.

And with the position that the Ji family had given him, he now holds the power of life and death for around two hundred thousand people.

And with that power, he forcefully possess any woman he want and he have been living a luxurious life

Qiao Meng had been living a life of opulence and decadence for the past few months, revelling in the pleasures that power and wealth could offer.

Yet, in his pursuit of personal gain, he had turned a blind eye to the suffering of the common people.

The soldiers under his command is ill-equipped, their armor worn and weapons shoddy. Many of them went unpaid, their sacrifices ignored.

Xu Bai could remedy this by quickly giving salary and open up the granary and give the soldiers food and resources

With the salary acting as an appeasement, and the raising of salary, the army would be more enthusiastic in their job.

That would be one of the things that Xu Bai would do immediately if he is given control of the army

But how could Qiao Meng who could not see and pretend not to see would think about such idea?

...

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