Back on my Nie sect is a borderlands/frontier clan and not gentry clan agenda https://twitter.com/in_seclusion/status/1266557633474916352

i'm just saying that NMJ was misunderstood bec gentry sects had the "luxury" of politics and grey areas, where in a conflict zone grey areas often get you and your men killed. lies (even by omission) costs lives, and as sect leader he's ultimately responsible for them.

NMJ is a general and a sect leader, who would understand politics but disdain having to play it. and it's understandable, because politics costs lives in the frontier. when MY can't find the usual weaknesses in NMJ, it's understandable: what are teas, ink, and women to him?

Why would teas, ink, books, women matter, when he's a younger Sect Leader whose father was murdered on a hunt by the sect leader of the neighboring territory, with whom his borders are in conflict year on year? Those are luxuries, and he does not have time for luxury.

When people say MY did not deserve being kicked out from the Nie sect DESPITE MURDERING A RANKED SOLDIER (CAPTAIN), it's clear they don't understand the repercussions of such a move. While the captain was an asshole, there are ways to deal with it, ie., COURT MARTIAL.

it would require swallowing pride (which MY treasures), but it would be the fair thing to do. Murdering the captain puts NMJ in the position of condoning a murder in favor of his trusted Vice General but losing the respect of all his troops, who could rightly refuse to follow him

because of favoritism, hypocrisy, and fragging unless he executes (or fires) MY to show that fairness rules the sect. MY should have been executed but he was exiled because NMJ cared for him, and i would argue that by doing so he took a grey stance in a black & white situation.

To NMJ, it was a black & white situation: you killed my captain because of your pride, so you have to be punished otherwise the troops will think it's okay to start killing asshole COs and focus on petty problems instead of the /frontier wars that can overrun Qinghe/

Normally murder of your captain is punished by execution. But in this case he decided to take the grey area and exile MY because he did care about him. And I'd argue the one time he took the grey option in a black and white option is the one time that killed him lol

For other sects it could be punished by jail, but on the frontier the stakes are higher and so are the punishments. It's a fundamental difference in how they operate, which people may think is irreconcilable but can actually be managed if people can communicate well (LOL NAH)

It's also just fascinating bec NHS has been trained to be a scholar and so is underestimated, but i've often seen that father/older brother will be the sect/clan leader/general, but the son/younger brother will play diplomat, so they are trained with other scholars in politics

NHS is often underestimated because he's seen as frivolous and frolicking but in FJ it was shown that this is bec NMJ has given him that space. But NMJ forcing NHS to train isn't unnecessarily harsh, it's bec if NHS cannot handle a saber his chances of dying are doubled.

But NHS being schooled as a diplomat makes sense - NHS as NMJ's diplomat brother and 2nd in command can meet with the gentry sects and communicate the needs/warnings at the border. NHS is easily underestimated, which is perfect, bec traditionally diplomats are also intel agents.

You can see this absolute perfect intelligence and diplomatic behavior in the TEN YEARS OF PLOTTING bec NHS plays the long con. He grew up in a conflict zone, cultivated heart and mind, did you think he would forget?

NHS is the perfect example of the most terrifying kind of intelligence agent and diplomat: i will smile and cry with you, and we will drink together, but you hurt me 10 years ago, and i will destroy everything you love without hesitation, and i will kill you after you've seen it.

tl;dr Nie sect operates under a different way of thinking which is harsher but necessary because they are in a state of constant conflict
NMJ is a general: straightforward, black and white, all he does has reason
NHS is a diplomat: shadowed smiles, grey areas

pls love them