Chapter 140: Entering the City!

Warhorses thundered forward. A cold wind lashed their faces, armor and weapons were icy to the touch, and frost clung to the blades.

It was by no means a comfortable experience, yet most men had imagined a scene like this at some point in their lives.

Zheng Fan realized that he probably truly did like the State of Yan.

Although he had witnessed so much brutality in Yan, if he set aside personal feelings and human sentiment, he genuinely liked this sort of... freedom that Yan possessed.

Take soldiers with you, go cut people down, indulge yourself, run wild. Across the vast earth, you could gallop wherever you pleased.

Perhaps, in the world as it was now, only Yan could give him this kind of freedom.

Zheng Fan did not know how long this freedom, this abandon, could last. But that did not stop him from enjoying it immensely right now.

If you came out to have fun, then you ought to have fun.

No more worrying about mortgages, car loans, or the endless overtime waiting for you once vacation ended.

Zheng Fan knew the Demon Kings under him were excited too.

Liang Cheng went without saying. He had always harbored an intense obsession with returning to his old profession of commanding troops.

It had been hard on him, really. Liang Cheng's comic had been set in the modern era, and in a modern setting there was naturally no way for him to lead thousands upon thousands of soldiers galloping across the land.

As for the others, they had been stifled for far too long.

The Fourth Lady, the Blind Man, Xue San, Fan Li, A'Ming—this time, they could finally stop fooling around on such a small scale and truly let themselves loose.

"Heh heh..."

Zheng Fan laughed. Even though the cold wind had numbed his lips and teeth, he still wanted to laugh, because it suddenly occurred to him that leading fifteen hundred cavalry deep into Qian territory this time felt less like a border war... and more like a company team-building trip for his own Demon Kings.

Hold it in. Don't laugh. Don't ruin the atmosphere.

Mianzhou City. What a dear, familiar city. There it sat in peaceful silence, friendly and humble, waiting for him to grace it with his presence again and again.

Only this visit had come with a few more twists.

Last time, Zheng Fan had led four hundred barbarian cavalry straight here without encountering any resistance at all. The city gates had not even been shut.

This time, however, Zheng Fan and the others had actually run into three separate groups of scouts.

But with Xue San's assassinations and the Blind Man's advance warnings, none of those three groups had managed to serve their purpose. Huo Guang had led the Huo Clan men in finishing them off.

There were not many heads to show for it, though, nowhere near as many as Zuo Jiqian had "struck it rich" with back at that fortified outpost.

Huo Guang was in no hurry. He knew the real show had yet to begin.

The column halted outside Mianzhou City.

Zheng Fan could not find the grave he had raised here during his previous visit.

That old man with the spear—when everyone else fled, he alone had advanced, trying to stop hundreds of barbarian cavalry with a single long spear.

And there had been that man who knew he would die, yet still hid atop the gate tower and loosed that arrow at Zheng Fan.

An entire city, and only two men.

In those two men, Zheng Fan, the "invader," had seen courage and spirit. It could not truly change the greater situation, but it deserved respect.

The grave was gone.

Liang Cheng stood behind Zheng Fan. He knew what his Master was looking for.

"That old man?" the Blind Man asked Liang Cheng.

Liang Cheng nodded.

The Blind Man smiled, stepped forward, and said to Zheng Fan, "Master, there was something I didn't tell you. According to news from Qian, after Master's last attack on Mianzhou City, the official account from the Qian authorities was that the Prefect of Mianzhou fought desperately to resist and died when the city fell."

"Heh."

Zheng Fan laughed.

He still remembered what he had seen when he charged into the rear courtyard of the yamen that day.

His Excellency the Prefect had been throwing a party with his officials.

And taking drugs.

"Master, the two people you buried here that day were father and son."

"Oh? They were?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

The father had gone against the tide while the crowd fled and had been killed by Zheng Fan's barbarian soldiers.

The son, meanwhile, had remained on the gate tower the whole time, waiting for Zheng Fan to emerge so he could avenge his father.

After seeing so much of Xiao Yibo, the Sixth Prince and the Yan Emperor, and the Marquis of Jingnan... then thinking back to the father and son he had once buried here, Zheng Fan finally felt that this was what a normal bond between father and son ought to look like.

The ones he had encountered before were all extreme exceptions.

"They were branded collaborators. The authorities claimed they were the inside men who opened the city gates."

"Heh heh heh..."

Zheng Fan laughed aloud.

"It was necessary for the official narrative. The Qian court had to present it that way."

When an embarrassing disaster occurred, the first reaction was to contain the damage.

Obviously, the Qian court could never publicize the truth of Mianzhou City's fall. If four hundred Yan cavalry could take a city, what would that do to the confidence of Qian's soldiers and common people?

Throwing the dirty water onto dead men was also the most convenient choice. Dead men could not speak, while the living still had to go on living.

Given the State of Qian's usual habits, such an arrangement was entirely to be expected.

"Tch... I don't like that," Zheng Fan said.

He did not feel any overwhelming urge to redress the injustice done to that father and son. He simply found it distasteful.

"Master, this city is heavily guarded now."

Zheng Fan nodded. Compared to his last visit, the city truly did feel different. For one thing, its gates had finally learned how to close.

There were even sentries patrolling atop the walls.

These were really the most basic precautions imaginable, but last time they had not even managed that much. There had only been an old man who jumped down from the wall wielding a double-headed spear.

Zheng Fan was neither nervous nor troubled. Last time he had only four hundred barbarian cavalry with him. This time, he had fifteen hundred horsemen.

The enemy had learned vigilance.

His side, meanwhile, had grown stronger.

Of course, storming the city was out of the question. Even if Zheng Fan could bear the losses, the Sixth Prince all the way back in Yanjing certainly could not.

He had painstakingly sunk his capital into raising troops for Zheng Fan. He had not done so to have them swarm up city walls like ants and die as cannon fodder.

If they were attacking Shangjing, the capital of Qian, that would be another matter.

But attacking this place... heh. Not worth it.

Besides, they had ridden here at full speed and had brought no siege equipment. They did not even have scaling ladders. What were they supposed to do, start chopping down trees and building them now?

"Let's steal the chicken again."

Zheng Fan spoke.

The Blind Man nodded.

Stealing the chicken was the best choice.

And once you started stealing chickens, it was addictive.

Last time, the city gate had been open on its own, and there had even been a blockage at the entrance that gave Zheng Fan an opening to exploit.

This time, Zheng Fan intended to put in a little more effort and open the gate himself.

Other commanders might not be able to afford playing this sort of game, but Zheng Fan was different. His force was packed with experts. The Seven Demon Kings might not yet have regained their true demonic grandeur, but using them as a special-operations squad ought to be no problem, right?

"By the way, Blind Man."

"Yes, Master?"

"I was thinking. If we charge right now, with you at the very front, once you reach the gate could you use your mental power to lift the bar directly?"

The Blind Man froze for a moment.

Putting aside the possibility of being turned into a pincushion by arrows, it was actually a rather innovative idea.

Running openly beneath the city gate to pick the lock...

Just thinking about it was thrilling.

But the Blind Man immediately said, "Master, this gate is reinforced with iron."

"Oh. And?"

"The gate bar isn't that easy to lift either."

Normally, it took several men on the inside working together to move it.

"My mental power probably isn't strong enough for that."

Pushing himself around or controlling needles was no problem. But lifting the gate bar so the men behind them could ram the gates open? The Blind Man was not completely confident.

Even though Zheng Fan had entered the Eighth Grade and everyone's strength had recovered another layer along with him, the Blind Man still lacked absolute confidence.

If everyone charged over shouting "Ura!" only for him to fail to open the gate, wouldn't that leave the whole group standing under the gate tower like a pack of idiots waiting to be shot?

"Ah. Then when we get back to the fortress, we'll build a gate of our own. Whenever you've got nothing else to do, you can practice on it as exercise."

"Very well, Master."

"So we're still going with special-forces tactics."

"I agree."

"Liang Cheng stays behind to command the troops."

Someone had to remain here and keep the force under control, and Liang Cheng was naturally the best choice. Zheng Fan could have done it too, of course, but when everyone was out having fun, how could the leader possibly stay in the rear?

"Master is wise."

The Blind Man knew that in terms of individual strength alone, Zheng Fan was probably the weakest of the Demon Kings, even though he was now an Eighth-Grade Martial Artist.

But Zheng Fan had the Demon Maru inside him.

That instantly made him the strongest one among them.

"Have everyone get ready."

...

Aside from one hundred barbarian cavalry sent out as mounted scouts to watch the surroundings, the rest of the force dismounted and removed their armor on Liang Cheng's orders, settling down to rest.

Doing something like this here was outrageously brazen. Liang Cheng dared to do it partly because of his understanding of the Qian army's quality, and partly because of his confidence in the barbarian cavalry. With them screening the surrounding area, Liang Cheng believed that unless the attacking force had a dozen or so Xue Sans among them, there was simply no way anyone could sneak in and launch a surprise attack.

Huo Guang and Zuo Jiqian sat behind Liang Cheng. Both were somewhat nervous, but at a time like this they were earnestly regulating and settling the qi and blood within their bodies.

Up ahead, Zheng Fan was leading the Blind Man, the Fourth Lady, Fan Li, Xue San, and A'Ming through a warm-up routine—

The Times Are Calling!

Doing broadcast calisthenics in full public view was the sort of thing that could make a person feel deeply embarrassed.

But Zheng Fan still stood at the very front, calling the count as he led the routine.

The Fourth Lady, Xue San, Fan Li, A'Ming, and the Blind Man all followed along with complete seriousness.

Stretching exercise. One, two, three, four...

Chest expansion. One, two, three, four...

Sitting behind them, Liang Cheng watched the scene ahead and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

At that moment, he felt rather fortunate that his Master had told him to stay behind and control the troops.

Otherwise, right now he would have had to...

"My lord, what technique is that?"

Huo Guang, sitting nearby, asked Liang Cheng.

Liang Cheng did not actually hold any official post, but they all knew his standing at Green Willow Fortress. More importantly, they deeply respected his ability to command troops.

Zuo Jiqian said solemnly, "At first glance, these movements seem perfectly ordinary. But if you study them closely, they contain a profound principle of natural wholeness."

"..."

Liang Cheng said nothing.

These two were not flattering him. They genuinely believed this was some sect's unique method of body cultivation.

And Huo Guang and Zuo Jiqian were clearly not the only ones thinking that way. The members of the Huo and Zuo Clans sitting behind them thought the same.

From their perspective, Green Willow Fortress naturally belonged to Zheng Fan, but Zheng Fan was surrounded by a group of extraordinary figures.

And now, it seemed they had been granted a glimpse into the true secrets of those extraordinary people!

Some of the men, though still seated, could not resist mimicking the movements with their arms while desperately committing them to memory.

That was not actually so strange. Calisthenics capable of being promoted nationwide in later generations naturally had movements that had been studied and validated from many angles.

In truth, those actually doing the exercises—including the Blind Man—did not feel particularly embarrassed.

Everyone wore a smile as they went through the routine.

It was rather like how, in later generations, posting on social media after a trip to Lhasa saying, "Ah, I feel like my soul has been purified," would make people think you were a pretentious idiot; but if you took a yacht full of young models out to international waters, did absolutely nothing with them, merely ate barbecue, clapped your hands, took some photos, and came home, people would somehow think you had class.

In this atmosphere, in this setting, doing a set of broadcast calisthenics was actually rather amusing.

They were out to have fun, after all.

Having fun was what mattered most.

Once the routine was finished, Zheng Fan called back to Liang Cheng. Then the six of them began their infiltration.

Mianzhou City's defenses truly looked the part now. At the same time, the escalating friction between Yan and Qian had severed the trade route through the area, so the merchant caravans that had once bustled through here were nowhere to be seen. The city felt somewhat deserted.

The city wall, however, was broad and extensive, and it was night. Unless the defenders packed the entire wall with men, preventing a small group from slipping close was genuinely difficult.

Zheng Fan and the others carefully crept beneath the wall. Xue San had a rope and iron grappling hook strapped to him, and he began scampering upward at astonishing speed.

Watching Xue San's nimble, rapid movements, Zheng Fan decided that Xue San truly was an indispensable product for both warfare and travel.

Once Xue San reached the top, he waited for a gap in the patrols, quickly secured the grappling hook, and dropped two ropes.

A'Ming took one. The Blind Man took the other.

A'Ming relied on his agility, using the rope for leverage as he climbed. The Blind Man was much more elegant about it. He merely used both hands on the rope for a little leverage and balance while his mental power pushed him upward from below. He was considerably faster than A'Ming.

Only after those two were up did Zheng Fan, the Fourth Lady, and Fan Li begin climbing.

At last Zheng Fan reached the top and saw the corpses of two Qian soldiers lying on the ground.

With Xue San and the Blind Man already up here, there were simply too many ways for them to kill two patrolling Qian soldiers without making a sound.

Once everyone was atop the wall, they started toward the stairway down.

Another Green Willow Fortress tradition: the Blind Man led the way.

He walked at the front, periodically telling the others where men were stationed and where patrols were moving. Any guards they could not avoid were left for Xue San or A'Ming to eliminate.

And so, without incident, they made it down into the city.

There were roughly twenty soldiers at the gate, slouched about, some leaning against things and others lying down. At least none of them were asleep.

"Get ready."

Zheng Fan drew his saber.

Fan Li slapped his chest, reached over and seized a large flatbed cart beside him, lifted it up sideways in front of himself, and charged!

They had to do it this way because the bottom of the wall stairs was some distance from the city gate, with virtually no cover in between.

The soldiers at the gate reacted. Some began shouting while others nocked arrows and drew their bows.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

More than a dozen arrows came flying at them. Guards in a watchtower above and to the side had joined the shooting as well.

But every arrow struck the wooden cart in Fan Li's hands. The others ran behind him.

Xue San was the first to break away from the formation. Using both hands and feet in an absurdly swift, almost bestial rush, he shot up the watchtower.

Two muffled grunts soon came from above.

No more arrows fell from there.

Below, when Zheng Fan and the others reached the gate, Fan Li roared and hurled the flatbed cart straight ahead. Four or five Qian soldiers were sent tumbling by the impact.

The Blind Man spread both hands and unleashed his mental power. Five Qian soldiers to the left froze where they stood, their movements stopping completely.

The Fourth Lady flicked her fingers, sending embroidery needles streaking out.

This time, she made no attempt at artistic elegance.

The needles mercilessly pierced the Qian soldiers' hearts.

Fan Li's axe came swinging down. None of the Qian soldiers before him could withstand even a single exchange. Against his axe, if you blocked it, you were smashed to death. If you failed to block it, you were chopped to death.

A'Ming found an opening and appeared behind two Qian soldiers. His fingernails gently caressed the backs of their necks.

Both men immediately collapsed.

Thus, by the time Zheng Fan charged in with saber in hand, there were no heads left for him.

For a moment, it was rather awkward.

"Open the gate!"

The special-operations approach had succeeded. In fact, it had succeeded spectacularly.

The commotion had inevitably drawn attention, and Qian soldiers could already be seen converging on them from the surrounding area. But after a roar from Fan Li, several of them put their strength together.

The city gate... was pushed open.

Outside, the thunder of hooves erupted at that very moment!

...

"Brother Meng, Brother Meng."

Wen Le called out to Meng Gong and stopped him.

"Mr. Wen."

"Brother Meng, you were still too rash. Why did you have to contradict His Highness like that?"

"Ah. His Highness has shown me tremendous kindness. I... I simply couldn't bear to deceive him."

"I know Brother Meng is a man of great ability, but please learn to bend a little when circumstances demand it. Otherwise, if all that ability of yours never gets a chance to be put to use, would that not be a great loss to our Great Qian?"

"Thank you for the guidance, Mr. Wen."

"Brother Meng is too courteous. You needn't worry about His Highness. His Highness has an excellent temper. Oh, right. I had some wine and food prepared. It's bitterly cold tonight. If Brother Meng doesn't mind, why not come to the side room and have a few cups with me to warm yourself?"

"Thank you, Mr. Wen, but I still need to go check on those native troops. We're inside the city, and I'm worried they may cause trouble."

"Ah, that's true. Heh. If Brother Meng hadn't been leading the first contingent of native troops north with us, neither I nor His Highness would have dared come north to proclaim the imperial edict at a time like this. Those damned Yan dogs have been causing no end of trouble lately.

"By the way, if I remember correctly, those Wolf Native Troops were quartered in the warehouses inside the city?"

Because the city had been breached last time, and because the trade route was now cut off, most of Mianzhou City's warehouses were empty.

"Yes. And it was only because His Highness spoke on our behalf. Otherwise, His Excellency the Prefect might still have refused to let these native troops into the city."

"Native troops are wild and difficult to discipline. It was only natural for the Prefect to have such concerns. Brother Meng, don't take it to heart."

"Mr. Wen is too kind."

"Then how about this? I'll go with Brother Meng to have a look at those native troops. Mianzhou's officials, high and low, were only just replaced wholesale. Who knows whether they can properly settle all five thousand of these men."

(End of Chapter)