Chapter 3397
Freebie
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Even though they harbored fear in their hearts and were terrified of what was happening around them, the Brahmins, who were on tenterhooks, still gathered together after a brief attempt to conceal their true feelings in response to Sima Zhang's words.
Previously, they were just ordinary Brahmins with little choice and little power. However, after the internal purge by Rahul, while the overall power of the Brahmins decreased, the power they wielded actually increased significantly.
However, their power came too suddenly, and the few people who weren't particularly bright hadn't had time to get used to this change in status before Sima Zhang had completely misled them and left them disoriented.
Out of respect for the wise man and his savior, the Brahmins present bowed to Sima Zhang and did not continue to maintain their superior Brahmin demeanor.
After everyone gathered together, Sima Zhang briefly learned about their recent situation and had a general estimate of their current strength.
Although the remaining few did not inherit the power of the previous major families, the combined strength they could exert was no less than that of any of the previous families.
Upon learning this, Sima Zhang was overjoyed.
Originally, all these actions were for the sake of the Han Empire, and they were just looking to see if they could pick up some trash. Unexpectedly, instead of picking up trash, they found a bunch of treasures.
The combined power of these people present would be equivalent to the accumulated strength of countless families over hundreds of years in that godforsaken place, the Central Plains.
This level of accumulation and strength might not be considered particularly powerful for the empire, but for those of them who were thinking of the aristocratic families, it was already an extremely formidable force.
Putting aside everything else, even the Sima family at this moment, including Sima Yi, might not be able to match the power of those present.
Realizing the special nature and identities of these individuals, Sima Zhang, who had initially been hoping to achieve something great while doing nothing, became more serious than ever before.
Perhaps by taking advantage of the identities of the people in front of us, the power they possess, and the current power vacuum within the Brahman sect, there seems to be a lot we can scheme against, and we can only gain more.
If designed properly, a single opportunity can save a family decades or even centuries of hardship.
The mere thought of such a bright future is enough to make one smile from the bottom of their heart.
However, this is only the future, and we still need to work hard to make it a reality.
With the idea of further consideration in mind, Sima Zhang learned more information from the people, including some secrets, such as the secrets of the core Brahman family in the past.
None of the Brahmins present felt there was any need to keep these family secrets confidential.
After all, most of those people are dead, and only a few of them are left. They can't even control a small part of their respective families' power. Why bother with these secrets?
Among the living people today, quite a few know about these things, and they can be used as casual conversation over tea; it's not a big deal.
"So, you still have quite a few troops in Jambo?" Sima Zhang, who was listening intently, quickly heard a crucial piece of information. "That's right, but those troops only nominally belong to the family. The actual command has probably been taken over by Rahul long ago. We can only shake our heads and sigh. Moreover, now, if we have any ideas, Rahul would definitely not hesitate to kill us..." As one of the Brahmins trained by Sima Zhang, Banmosi, who did not hide these confidential information, spoke with dejection, and even when he mentioned Rahul, his tone revealed fear.
When Rahul first arrived, everyone present regarded him as a savior and thought he was a true Brahmin.
However, when they saw Rahul personally begin the crackdown and purge his own people, the few people present abandoned such ideas and began to think of ways to protect themselves.
Since none of us are particularly smart, we need wisdom and connections to protect ourselves.
Realizing their own lack of wisdom, the Brahmins eventually set their sights on Sima Zhang.
Although Sima Zhang was ostensibly a master of the Shramanas, and the relationship between Brahmins and Shramanas was not particularly friendly, what did that have to do with them?
The discord and contradictions between the different systems did not affect their relationship with Sima Zhang.
Considering Sima Zhang's actions, everyone present felt that Sima Zhang truly deserved to be called a master, as he was still willing to help them even when they were in danger.
Based on this behavior alone, even if Sima Zhang were a master of the Buddhist order, it would not diminish the respect that the people present had for him.
“I see. I thought Rahul, as a rare and renowned general among the Brahmins, would embody the qualities and responsibility expected of a Brahmin. I never imagined he would be like this…” Upon hearing this, Sima Zhang wore a rather shocked expression, as if he had never witnessed anything like this before. His tone carried a hint of sympathy as he said with concern, “Since things have come to this, and Rahul has left with his army, it means the matter is over. Since the matter is over…”
He uttered a statement that appeared philosophical on the surface, but actually contained words that most people couldn't understand, further enveloping and deceiving the other party.
In this gradually harmonious atmosphere, Sima Zhang obtained intelligence information that he would never have been able to obtain under normal circumstances.
Based on this information, Sima Zhang realized that these Brahmins in front of him had only lost their overt power; the special authority they actually possessed was not affected.
In this way, much of the information we want to explore will no longer require going through great lengths and taking risks to investigate.
In particular, the intelligence that Ban Moses explained about Jambo City allowed Sima Zhang to understand the in-depth defense system of Jambo City on the front line.
Based on the marching speed of Rahul's army and the current risk to the enemy, it can be concluded that Rahul would absolutely not abandon his army and head straight for Champa City alone.
This would indeed be the fastest way to reach Champa City, but no one could guarantee that there wouldn't be any accidents along the way.
No, it should be that if you do it this way, something unexpected will definitely happen.
With the backup plans left behind by some Brahman families, it's really not difficult to take down a skilled fighter who has no one to protect him.
Rahul, who commands an army, is the unassailable commander-in-chief and a renowned general. (End of Chapter)