Chapter 160: Hooves Ride North, Men Gaze South

At present, throughout the Great Yan—even including the desert and the State of Qian—there were really only two people who dared make the Marquis of Zhenbei lose face like that.

One was the Yan Emperor, the sovereign who had grown up fighting Li Liangting over chicken legs since childhood.

The other was Tian Wujing.

Tian Wujing might be younger, but Li Liangting genuinely respected this southern Marquis whose fame stood alongside his own. At the very least, they were men who could sit at the same table, drink, and talk.

Naturally, that meant they could joke at one another's expense too.

The Marquis of Zhenbei felt like he had spent half the day swinging a shovel at someone else's wall one shovelful after another finally digging through, only to clear away the dirt and discover his own damned old face on the other side.

"This General knows his crime! This General will never dare do it again!"

Zheng Fan knelt on the ground with both hands placed neatly beside his body and spoke with tremendous sincerity.

As a transmigrator, being this cowardly truly was somewhat embarrassing.

But Zheng Fan knew exactly what had happened.

And because the man before him was Tian Wujing, Garrison Commander Zheng had decided from the beginning that he would grovel all the way to the end.

"Leave. At noon the day after tomorrow, assemble your own troops at Nanwang City and await orders."

"This General obeys!"

"Mm."

"This General takes his leave!"

Zheng Fan left his "fortune bag" behind and withdrew from the main tent.

The Marquis of Zhenbei glared at the Marquis of Jingnan and said irritably, "You knew all along that he had the head of a Qian Prince, didn't you?"

The Marquis of Jingnan nodded.

"Qian never publicized it, but Prince Fu's supposed death from illness in Mianzhou City occurred not long after Zheng Fan attacked the city."

"Heh. I say, I practically watched you grow up. And you still played me like this?"

The Marquis of Jingnan shook his head.

"When I was young, you did beat me several times."

"Hey, no. Don't.

"I'm old now. You're in your prime. This old man isn't fighting you."

The Marquis of Jingnan said nothing.

"And don't hold a grudge over those old matters either. Back then I only accompanied His Majesty over the wall of the Tian residence because he wanted to see what his future Crown Princess looked like.

"You insisted on running out to catch thieves.

"If that didn't deserve a beating, what did?"

For someone being told he had deserved a beating, the Marquis of Jingnan showed no anger at all.

Instead the corner of his mouth even lifted into a smile.

Because he had remembered the home of his youth.

...

The instant Zheng Fan stepped outside and the cold wind struck him, he suddenly felt the chill across his back.

Only then did he realize that while he had been inside the tent earlier his entire back had broken out in cold sweat.

Learn from the pain.

He truly could not keep underestimating the heroes beneath Heaven.

Certain mistakes touching fundamental principles should never be repeated, even if avoiding them meant sacrificing some capital.

Lose a little capital and you might still have the chance to rebuild.

Get your household confiscated outright and the game was over.

"Garrison Commander Zheng, take care not to catch a chill."

Qingshuang spoke.

Zheng Fan acted as though he had not understood any deeper meaning and cupped his hands.

"Many thanks for the reminder, my lord."

Beside him, Li Fusheng smiled.

"That thing from earlier—was it truly the head of a Qian Prince?"

"Reporting to my lord, it truly was."

Zheng Fan addressed everyone simply as "my lord," without adding surnames.

In truth, Li Fusheng had originally been surnamed Guo.

After entering the Li household as a retainer, he changed his surname to Li.

But that surname was mainly used in official matters.

In ordinary life, people still called him Guo, or Old Guo.

At home, he could openly enshrine the ancestral tablets of his original Guo family.

Every era possessed its own customs.

The people of Yan had fought the barbarians for centuries.

The war had begun almost as soon as the State of Yan itself was founded—even before the Ji Clan proclaimed itself imperial.

After fighting for so long, the two sides naturally began influencing one another.

The barbarians gradually learned "institutions" and "reform" from Yan.

The reason the Royal Court had once been able to centralize authority and unify the desert was precisely because several generations of barbarian kings imitated Yan and carried out political and military reforms.

Later, when they realized they genuinely could not break the Yan, they stopped gnawing at that hard bone and turned west.

Then they overreached completely.

The Royal Court's elites and the cream of the Golden Family were nearly annihilated.

After another century of suppression and attrition by the Marquis of Zhenbei's household, the Royal Court finally fell into irreversible decline.

Yan, meanwhile, showed barbarian influence in its own military system.

An elite central army surrounded by numerous military chiefs large and small was not all that different from the Royal Court using its own troops as the core while summoning nearby tribes to bring their own supplies and men into battle.

The Li Clan's custom of changing surnames was likewise remarkably similar to the desert tribes using tribal names as surnames.

If your tribe was destroyed and you wanted to join another tribe, you had to change your surname to demonstrate submission.

If one day you recovered enough strength to leave and rebuild your own people you could naturally restore the old surname.

This was one of the many ways Yan had absorbed barbarian customs.

So the name Li Fusheng was used primarily in formal court records, official rewards, and memorials.

At other times, his original surname was perfectly acceptable.

That was also why, back when Zheng Fan invented a grandfather named Zheng Zhilong and a father named Zheng Chenggong, Fatty Xu had not immediately become suspicious.

The custom made the story plausible.

"You've got some luck," Li Fusheng said with a smile. "But why did you only submit it today?"

"Reporting to my lord, the head was delayed on the road. It only arrived this morning."

"Mm."

Li Fusheng was actually asking on behalf of his Marquis.

He and Qingshuang had been sitting outside the main tent.

Nothing said inside would escape their ears.

Once a Martial Artist rose far enough in Grade, sharper hearing and eyesight came naturally.

Put another way even if Zheng Fan had been whispering with the two Marquises earlier, if the two men outside wanted to hear him, they certainly could.

Li Fusheng stood.

Although he wore armor, the suit was somewhat oversized.

And if one looked carefully, there was actually fur sewn along the inside.

Holy shit.

Across two lifetimes, this was the first time Garrison Commander Zheng had seen someone add an insulating layer inside proper armor.

This was not padded armor.

This was high-quality plate and lamellar protection, with fur awkwardly stitched underneath.

The result looked bizarrely mismatched.

Li Fusheng tucked both hands into the openings of his armor.

Once he rose, he hunched slightly forward and looked more like some idle loafer than a famous general.

"Garrison Commander Zheng, for this southern campaign, my command left half its troops in Beifeng Commandery.

"Barring surprises, your unit should come under my command."

"This is this General's good fortune!"

Li Fusheng nodded.

"I've spent most of my life in the north.

"This is actually my first time coming south.

"Garrison Commander Zheng, take me around Yin City."

Serving as a guide for his future superior was something Zheng Fan was perfectly willing to do.

If nothing unexpected happened, he would soon be fighting beneath Li Fusheng.

So Zheng Fan wisely kept quiet about the fact that he himself had also come from the north.

When Zheng Fan emerged, A'Ming was waiting outside the army camp.

Seeing Li Fusheng come out beside him, A'Ming did not approach.

He also signaled the thirty Green Willow Fortress cavalry not to follow.

One glance was enough for A'Ming to understand plenty.

And he knew that bootlicking was best conducted privately between two people.

One side could abandon all shame more freely.

The other could enjoy it more thoroughly.

Everyone went home happy.

A Demon King was still a Demon King.

Their strength might be far from recovered, but their awareness and judgment remained exceptional.

Every one of them possessed a distinct personality.

Sometimes one of them seemed deficient in some area, but in truth, most of the time they simply could not be bothered paying attention to it.

Even Fan Li who among them genuinely dared think he was nothing but an idiot?

Li Fusheng did not mount a horse.

Naturally, Zheng Fan did not either.

The two walked.

The military camp sat directly on the outskirts of Yin City, practically pressed against the walls.

So after leaving the camp, they reached the city gates quickly.

Li Fusheng raised his head and looked at the walls and bustling gate.

"This city is no smaller than Tuman City.

"But the smell of ordinary life here is much stronger than in Tuman."

"My lord, Yin City isn't the largest or liveliest city in Yinlang Commandery.

"That would be Nanwang City."

"We'll pass it the day after tomorrow.

"Unfortunately, I doubt there'll be time to go inside and look around."

Zheng Fan smiled.

"My lord, the splendid cities of Qian will only be finer than Nanwang City."

When it came to comfort, art, architecture, aesthetics the people of Qian absolutely crushed generations of rough Yan warriors.

"The Marquis was right.

"Garrison Commander Zheng really does speak pleasantly."

"Uh..."

"The Marquis also said that even if all we did was keep you in the tent to chat, giving you the rank of Assistant General would still be worthwhile."

"This General grew up among the marketplace.

"My family once ran a tavern.

"If you couldn't talk smoothly, there was no way to keep that business alive."

Li Fusheng nodded.

"Sigh.

"When I was young, I was pretty good at talking too."

Zheng Fan was beginning to notice that Commander Li Fusheng seemed determined to take liberties with him.

Several times now the man had insisted Zheng Fan resembled him.

If Zheng Fan had been a soul-transmigrator rather than arriving in his own flesh, he might genuinely have started wondering whether he was Li Fusheng's illegitimate son.

Then Li Fusheng's next sentence made him realize he had overthought things.

"Later, as I killed more and more people, I became less and less willing to talk."

"My lord has guarded the realm against the barbarians and rendered great merit for the state. Naturally..."

"No.

"I simply like hearing people scream."

"............" Zheng Fan.

The soldiers guarding Yin City's gate saw the two men in armor and did not hinder them.

"My lord, shall we eat something good today?"

Zheng Fan had already experienced the cuisine of the Marquis of Zhenbei's household.

Li Fusheng drew a deep breath.

Then nodded.

"Naturally!"

Immediately afterward, he reached out and slapped Zheng Fan on the shoulder.

"You.

"Very good."

The tone and gesture somehow resembled a Japanese occupier patting a compliant civilian.

Of course, Zheng Fan understood that Li Fusheng was simply too happy.

His method of expressing it was just somewhat aggressive.

Zheng Fan chose an expensive-looking restaurant.

When the two entered, the proprietor personally came out to welcome them and led them to a private room on the second floor.

"Two honored soldiers, today's meal is on this old man's account.

"Eat and drink well, then kill a few more Qian bastards for us."

The old proprietor clearly understood people.

Then he added with a rather pitiful expression, "But please, honored soldiers, don't tell anyone outside about this."

There were far too many Zhenbei Army soldiers camped outside the city.

If every one of them came here for a free meal, the old man's entire fortune would collapse.

"Business is business.

"Charge whatever silver should be charged.

"We have military orders forbidding us from eating without paying.

"If the proprietor truly wishes to show goodwill, simply have the kitchen make the dishes a little more carefully.

"No wine."

"Yes, yes, yes.

"This old man will personally supervise the kitchen."

After the proprietor left, Zheng Fan picked up the teapot and poured a cup for Li Fusheng and another for himself.

"When I fight, my killing tends to go too far.

"Once we're on the battlefield, I'll trouble Garrison Commander Zheng to remind me."

"Uh..."

"I don't like beating around the bush."

"This General understands."

A slaughter-madman with remarkable self-awareness.

Apparently, those stories about him were not groundless.

"In my view, Qian men lack courage.

"Kill enough of them.

"Kill until they're afraid.

"Kill until their guts freeze.

"Then naturally they'll submit."

Li Fusheng grabbed a handful of peanuts from the table and shelled them as he spoke.

Zheng Fan understood now.

This was the real reason Li Fusheng had invited him out.

People who enjoyed killing generally possessed some obsessive streak inside their personality.

Zheng Fan knew the type well.

There were seven Demon Kings living in his own fortress.

If Zheng Fan did not keep a leash on them, every last one could become a murderous psychopath who killed for fun.

Li Fusheng knew his own flaw.

At the same time, there were certain larger strategic issues he did not entirely understand.

Some things were also inconvenient to ask inside the military camp.

And a Commander like him did not want to lose face before his colleagues by admitting he needed advice from a minor Garrison Commander.

So he had brought Zheng Fan out to "stroll around."

"My lord, your view isn't wrong.

"People are afraid of death.

"If you kill enough, and kill viciously enough, of course they will become afraid."

"You think so too?"

"Yes."

Li Fusheng raised his teacup and clinked it against Zheng Fan's.

The two drank tea in place of wine.

Once the Zhenbei Army broke camp for campaign, from the Marquis of Zhenbei down to the ordinary soldiers, nobody was permitted to drink alcohol.

Li Fusheng set down his cup.

Just then, two waiters brought four cold dishes.

Li Fusheng picked up a slice of beef with his chopsticks and chewed.

"If I'm not mistaken, the next word out of your mouth is going to be 'but.'"

"My lord is wise."

"Don't flatter me.

"This place is stupid."

Li Fusheng tapped his own temple.

"I am actually quite easy to deal with—aside from enjoying killing people and exterminating clans."

"............" Zheng Fan.

"Since I brought you out, it's because I wanted someone to explain this to me.

"The Marquis said you're not only pleasant to listen to, but your perspective is good.

"So I figured you should be able to explain some of these principles."

"My lord, the people you killed before were barbarians."

"Mm?

"Are Qian people somehow harder to kill than barbarians?"

"Of course not.

"No matter how far the barbarians decline, Qian people still can't compare with them in that regard.

"The problem is that although the barbarians call themselves one people, they are divided into tribe after tribe.

"They are extremely scattered."

Li Fusheng picked up a slice of cold duck.

"Continue."

"So in the desert, my lord could wipe out one tribe, or two, or three, and use that to frighten ten or twenty others into staying still and not challenging the authority of the Marquis of Zhenbei's household.

"But that won't work in Qian."

"Why?"

"Because Qian is too large.

"And its population is far greater than our Great Yan's."

"Then kill longer."

"But if you truly want to keep killing until the problem disappears, you'll be killing for a very long time.

"Killing is necessary.

"In war, of course people must die.

"But we shouldn't kill merely for the pleasure of killing.

"I imagine neither His Majesty nor the Marquis intends merely to plunder Qian once and leave.

"They want to bring Qian territory under the Great Yan's rule.

"They want Qian's population to become Yan people."

"Mm."

"So once we've conquered this land, the Qian people living on it will effectively have become Yan people.

"If you then continue slaughtering them indiscriminately, you'll be killing your own people.

"That isn't worthwhile."

"I'm still a little confused."

"Pure killing can indeed solve many problems.

"But it only solves them in the short term.

"Or more precisely—it pushes the problem into the future.

"The Marquis is no longer young."

Li Fusheng glanced at Zheng Fan.

"You really do dare say anything."

"Yes."

"Good.

"Truth is better.

"Continue."

"Not only the Marquis.

"His Majesty isn't young either.

"And to be truthful, my lord, you yourself stopped being young quite some time ago.

"You can kill.

"You can fight.

"But after you die of old age?"

"Won't the younger generation still be there after I die?"

"It isn't the same.

"Everyone grows up under different circumstances.

"Every generation faces different problems.

"Most importantly, pinning all hope on the next generation is itself deeply irresponsible."

Because according to the usual pattern of states and dynasties, the founding generation or the generation of restoration was often the most formidable.

Then came the cycle of one generation being worse than the last.

"My head hurts."

Li Fusheng shook his head.

"We have to kill.

"We have to fight.

"Not killing is impossible.

"But there needs to be method to it.

"We can't simply butcher people because it feels satisfying."

"Fine.

"Once we enter Qian, stay near me.

"If there are times when you think I shouldn't kill people, stop me.

"I think I dislike Qian people even more than barbarians."

"Yes. This General obeys."

Truthfully, Zheng Fan had not explained the matter especially well.

This kind of abstract discussion was not really his strength.

He could only use bits and pieces of historical knowledge from his previous life and speak generally.

In the history he knew, plenty of minority regimes had conquered China's heartland.

Those that knew nothing except how to swing blades and butcher people were soon washed away by time.

The regimes that endured were those willing to lower themselves, recruit other social groups, divide interests, and govern through layered alliances.

Still, Zheng Fan was not particularly worried that Yan would develop the same problem.

Yan people were not barbarians.

They were certainly not uncivilized savages living on raw flesh.

Yan's war against Qian felt more like annexation wars from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States eras.

According to the Blind Man, Yan resembled the Qin State most strongly.

First, its overall atmosphere felt similar.

Second it would be best if Yan collapsed in the second generation too.

If it truly became an ironclad evergreen empire lasting ten thousand years, then wouldn't Zheng Fan and the Demon Kings be obedient subjects their entire lives?

Another point since Li Fusheng was troubled by this question, it probably meant the army's senior leadership, likely the two Marquises themselves, had already issued some kind of instructions for the coming campaign.

And Li Fusheng, who was accustomed to slaughter and genuinely enjoyed it, had likely been singled out for special warning.

Before long, the hot dishes arrived.

Everything was delicately prepared.

Li Fusheng ate with great satisfaction.

In the end he even carried out a literal clean-plate campaign, using steamed buns to wipe up every last trace of sauce.

Not a drop was wasted.

Garrison Commander Zheng had no choice but to follow his example and dip buns in the leftover sauces as well.

Once they finished eating, Zheng Fan went to settle the bill.

He still had the habit of not carrying silver.

So he left a jade pendant from his clothes as collateral and told the proprietor he would settle the account and redeem it next time.

The pendant was only a minor trinket.

Worth a fair amount of money, but possessing no special significance.

Afterward, Zheng Fan accompanied Li Fusheng back to the army camp.

At the gate, Li Fusheng looked at him.

"Do your troops still lack anything?"

"Uh...

"At present, not really."

"If you lack anything, go ask Xu Wenzu for it."

"Many thanks, my lord."

"The day after tomorrow, your unit will merge directly into my command.

"Our Northern Army's military law is strict."

"This General understands.

"However, there is one more matter I wish to ask so I can prepare properly after returning today."

"Ask."

"The day after tomorrow—are we entering Qian directly?"

If they were only gathering, training, holding an inspection, or listening to speeches from the Marquises of Zhenbei and Jingnan, then it did not particularly matter.

But if they were entering Qian and starting the real war immediately that required far more preparation.

"Heh heh.

"We enter Qian."

"This General understands."

"All right.

"You paid this time.

"Next time, I'll pay."

"My lord is too courteous."

"What's courteous about it?

"Since you came out of the Northern Army, you should know.

"Our Northern Army doesn't lack military pay."

Li Fusheng rubbed his mouth.

Then sighed.

"We just lack good food."

Zheng Fan could see it now.

From the Marquis of Zhenbei down to the Commanders beneath him every damned one of them was a foodie.

Watching Li Fusheng shuffle back into camp with both hands tucked into his armor like an idle bum, Zheng Fan turned and approached A'Ming and the others.

"Have you all eaten?" Zheng Fan asked.

He did not bother asking A'Ming.

A'Ming was living very comfortably these days.

The fortress ice cellar contained plenty of fresh blood.

"My lord, we all ate dry rations."

"Mm.

"Then let's go back."

Zheng Fan mounted his horse.

Beside him, A'Ming asked, "What rank does that man hold?"

"Commander of one of the Zhenbei Army's commands."

The Zhenbei Army was divided into six commands and had Seven Commanders.

The rank of Commander could vary enormously in actual weight.

If Li Fusheng stood before Xu Wenzu, Fatty Xu would be the one expected to salute first.

Same formal office.

Very different substance.

"Green Willow Fortress will merge under him the day after tomorrow.

"Then we enter Qian."

"The war is starting?"

Truthfully, the war had started long ago.

For months, the Yan-Qian frontier had been fighting viciously.

But everyone understood that until the Zhenbei Army or Jingnan Army truly marched south the curtain on the real war had not yet risen.

"Mm."

"How are we fighting it?"

"Don't know."

"Then Master and that Commander went into the city for...?"

"We only ate.

"Oh, right.

"Almost forgot.

"After you get back, ask the Blind Man something for me.

"Ask him why simple slaughter alone can't perfectly solve the problem of Qian, and what additional methods need to accompany it."

"Hm?"

Truthfully, anyone could give a few thoughts on that question.

Political answers.

Humanitarian answers.

But Zheng Fan had not been particularly satisfied with what he told Li Fusheng earlier.

"And have the Blind Man write the answer in an entertaining way.

"Humorous.

"Easy to understand."

"He has to write it down?"

"Mm.

"And remind him—the reader isn't very educated.

"Don't fill it with classical flourishes and archaic nonsense."

Every one of the Seven Demon Kings under him possessed ability.

If giant shoulders already stood in front of you, only an idiot refused to climb onto them.

"This subordinate understands."

Zheng Fan nodded.

Then coughed lightly.

"Let's go.

"Spread the word after we return.

"There are plenty of other preparations to make."

The group rode directly south toward Green Willow Fortress.

Near dusk, once Zheng Fan's news spread, the entire fortress instantly entered a frenzy of preparation.

Military grain.

Fodder.

Tents.

Other supplies.

Arrows and battlefield consumables.

Medicine.

Everything.

Truthfully, Zheng Fan could have simply led his troops to join the main army.

Nanwang City stored vast quantities of grain and military material confiscated from the Yan great clans.

Whatever the main army ate and used, Green Willow Fortress could simply draw from the same stores.

But they were going to war.

Not traveling on state funds.

And Zheng Fan had a feeling this campaign would be completely different from his previous two nights of sneaking out, stealing a chicken, and running away.

Since the fortress possessed the resources they might as well take proper care of themselves.

In the courtyard, Fan Li was trying on his armor.

Fan Li was enormous to begin with.

According to Xue San, paint him green and he could directly cosplay the Hulk.

Naturally, his armor was custom-made.

From helmet to bracers, the entire thing turned him into one enormous iron can.

But Fan Li was immensely strong and did not find it cumbersome.

The other Demon Kings had more or less begun displaying unique abilities.

Fan Li, aside from raw strength, seemed not to have awakened anything else.

Of course, on a battlefield, a huge man with monstrous strength was extremely useful.

Xue San's armor was miniature-sized.

Naturally, he did not wear it often.

It depended on circumstances.

Sometimes armor would only interfere with his speed.

Everyone else including the Fourth Lady wore armor of the same basic pattern as Zheng Fan.

After nearly being turned into hedgehogs by arrows at Mianzhou City last time, everyone had learned.

They had all become more cautious.

Because on a battlefield, sometimes one stray arrow was enough to end your life.

"What a pity.

"We still don't know the deployment," the Blind Man said with some regret. "Otherwise, we could make targeted preparations."

Liang Cheng replied, "On a battlefield involving hundreds of thousands of men, no amount of small preparation changes very much."

The Blind Man nodded.

Fine.

Who asked him not to understand warfare?

You had experience.

You were right.

"Pack everything that can reasonably be brought.

"But don't overdo it.

"Two horses per man anyway.

"We won't bring heavy supply wagons."

Empty the household.

The Sixth Prince had invested so much into Green Willow Fortress for this exact moment.

He wanted Zheng Fan to rise through military merit.

In the end, even if Zheng Fan could not help him seize the throne if the succession struggle failed, Zheng Fan might still be able to pull him back from the edge.

Sometimes, merely standing up and expressing a position was enough to preserve a Prince's life.

"Everyone check everything again."

"Yes, Master."

"Yes, Master!"

...

Black banners bearing the character "Li" appeared outside Nanwang City.

Xu Wenzu stood atop the walls with tears filling his eyes.

Beside him stood numerous commanders, large and small, from across Yinlang Commandery.

Today, they had all gathered in Nanwang City to watch the first-rate military might of the Great Yan!

Every one of them was an old soldier.

Naturally they understood what the orderly black ocean below represented.

That oppressive military momentum seemed capable of forcing even the wind itself to stop.

This was a true elite army!

One Zhenbei Army command after another entered the parade grounds outside Nanwang City's eastern gate.

Enormous crowds of common people had gathered nearby.

A scene similar to what had happened outside Yin City appeared once again.

But outside Yin City, the Zhenbei Army had only just arrived and stayed for two days of rest.

This time the army was officially marching out.

The murderous atmosphere alone was enough to force the common people into "order."

No one dared cheer wildly.

No one dared rush toward the ranks.

Everyone simply watched in silence.

Zheng Fan led Green Willow Fortress's twenty-five hundred cavalry and waited to one side, silently watching the endless tide of powerful riders pass before them.

Six Demon Kings sat on horseback behind Zheng Fan.

Using mental power, the Blind Man linked everyone's thoughts together.

"Master—there are no siege weapons!"

None.

Scaling ladders?

None.

Battering rams?

None.

Trebuchets?

None.

Not a single piece of equipment one might imagine using in ancient siege warfare.

"Surprise attack?" A'Ming guessed.

"Surprise attack?" Liang Cheng answered. "Look around.

"There are this many commoners here.

"How many Qian spies do you think are hidden among them?"

Zheng Fan added mentally, "A military mobilization this large cannot possibly be concealed."

Once an army exceeded ten thousand men, unless it moved through deep mountain ravines, concealing its movements on open plains was almost impossible.

And from the look of things, the Zhenbei Army had no intention of hiding itself.

"The Jingnan Army is coming too," the Blind Man, Bei, reminded them.

Jingnan Army formations began passing as well.

It was actually easy to distinguish Jingnan troops from Zhenbei troops.

The Jingnan Army was even more orderly than the Zhenbei Army.

It cared more about formation detail and already carried something of the flavor of later-era parade squares.

That alone revealed how rigorous the Marquis of Jingnan was in managing troops.

Tian Wujing had commanded the Jingnan Army for more than a decade.

His will had long since been hammered into the entire force.

The Zhenbei Army was also orderly but it did not obsess over those details.

Instead, one saw old and new scars cut into the armor.

One felt the murderous pressure rolling from the soldiers themselves.

That oppression was even stronger.

This was an army that had fought the barbarian tribes across the desert for a hundred years.

For many soldiers among them their grandfathers had worn this same sort of armor to kill barbarians.

Their fathers had done the same.

And now they did too.

A century ago, Yan placed a blade on the desert frontier.

For one hundred years it tempered that blade in barbarian blood.

Now the blade had been lifted.

It was about to cut toward the south.

"No, seriously.

"How exactly are they planning to fight this war?" The Blind Man, Bei, sounded baffled. "If the Jingnan Army moves too, who's guarding the house?"

Zheng Fan felt the same confusion.

He was still in the process of learning warfare.

But even he understood that war was not simply raising a saber and shouting, "Brothers, charge with me!"

Then everyone screaming "Ura!" and piling forward together.

That was not how armies fought.

That was how mountain bandits fought.

Yet right now both the Zhenbei Army and the Jingnan Army clearly appeared ready to move outward.

One had to remember the Jingnan Army's fifty-thousand-strong Rear Camp had already been transferred east to defend against Jin.

Most of Yanjing's Imperial Guards had been taken by the First Prince to Beifeng Commandery to guard against barbarian unrest.

The remaining portion had also been transferred east to watch Jin.

In other words, if the southern Zhenbei Army and Jingnan Army both marched out, then the Yinlang Commandery frontier would be left with only Fatty Xu and forty or fifty thousand miscellaneous troops.

Behind Fatty Xu all the way to Yanjing lay an open road with almost no organized army worthy of the name.

"Master, look at the bags hanging from their saddles.

"Looks like roasted flour.

"Or flatbread."

Liang Cheng drew everyone's attention to it.

Zheng Fan looked.

Sure enough.

The bags hanging from the horses of both Zhenbei Army and Jingnan Army troops were swollen full.

Roasted flour was not something Green Willow Fortress had invented as field rations.

Ancient people were not stupid.

They were simply limited by the conditions available to them.

And in war, feeding soldiers was already an enormous burden.

Eating well eating nutritiously was a luxury almost beyond imagination.

Keeping troops half-fed could already count as good treatment.

Only a few months earlier, many Qian soldiers inside frontier forts had still lived through hunger and freezing cold.

"Xu Wenzu prepared it.

"And not a single rumor leaked," the Blind Man guessed.

Within Yinlang Commandery, only Xu Wenzu possessed enough grain and manpower to produce this volume of field rations in a short period.

This was absolutely not a small undertaking.

Even if you possessed enough grain, you still needed to mobilize an enormous workforce.

And yet not a whisper had escaped.

You could say the Sixth Prince's merchant networks were outsiders when it came to investigating military logistics.

But one still had to admit—

Xu Wenzu had handled this beautifully.

The fat man truly possessed both ability and methods.

Suddenly, Zheng Fan understood something.

Why had Xu Wenzu tried to gather five Generals and their forces for a major attack some days earlier?

Perhaps he already knew.

If he did not make a move before the Zhenbei Army and Jingnan Army entered the war then his position, half a step above ordinary Generals and almost resembling a regional military governor, would become extremely difficult to solidify.

Because once the Zhenbei Army and Jingnan Army joined the conflict who would still need these miscellaneous forces?

"ROAR!"

At that moment, a low roar from a Pi Beast sounded.

Zheng Fan shifted his gaze.

He saw the Marquis of Jingnan seated atop his Pi Beast, wearing gilded armor.

To the Marquis of Jingnan's left, the Marquis of Zhenbei, Li Liangting, wore black armor and carried a face as still as deep water.

The Pi Beast beneath the Marquis of Zhenbei was even larger than the Marquis of Jingnan's mount.

Every time its four hooves came down clear prints sank into the frozen earth.

White steam poured from its nostrils.

One had the feeling that if you put your hand in front of that breath you would be burned.

The moment the two Marquises appeared the surrounding common people, the Nanwang City garrison maintaining order, and every civil and military official present all knelt.

A tidal wave of greetings rolled outward.

"Greetings, Marquis of Jingnan!"

"Greetings, Marquis of Zhenbei!"

"Victory to the Marquises! Victory to the Great Yan!"

"Victory to the Marquises! Victory to the Great Yan!"

Everyone shouted until their voices tore.

The winter wind was vicious.

Yet among the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and common people gathered nearby, men and women, old and young alike faces glowed red with excitement.

The cries were not especially synchronized.

They rose one wave after another.

But the clamor the momentum was already enough to shake the heart.

Earlier, outside Yin City's military camp, Zheng Fan had merely felt the enthusiasm of Yan's common people.

But now, as a transmigrator, as an outsider who had lived in this state for barely a year—

Zheng Fan suddenly felt he truly understood the people called Yan.

Decades of peace might have passed.

But the instinct branded deep in Yan blood joy at the sound of war had never disappeared.

This was a warrior people.

From the moment the state was founded, it had always fought.

Always struggled.

Suddenly the vanguard and rear ranks alike, Zhenbei Army and Jingnan Army together raised their weapons.

And roared, "HU!"

"HU!"

"HU!"

The sound was like a raging sea.

Even Zheng Fan felt his blood begin to surge.

He was completely pulled into the atmosphere.

If some other commander departed beneath a scene like this forget this scale.

Even one-fifth or one-tenth of it would probably frighten him into dropping to his knees and shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

Anything to prevent the sovereign from suspecting him.

But at this moment both the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Jingnan continued onward with absolute calm.

Then suddenly a group of children ran out from the crowd.

Every child held a willow branch.

At that exact moment, Li Fusheng's command was passing.

They made no effort to stop the children and allowed them to run joyfully toward the central formation.

"Let them come!"

Li Liangting gave the order.

Naturally, the nearby cavalry opened the way.

When the dozen or so children finally reached the two Marquises, they immediately knelt.

Then, more than half burst into tears.

They were frightened.

Understandable.

Even a grown adult might go weak in the knees when suddenly placed before two Marquises and two savage Pi Beasts.

Never mind a group of children.

But one child remained standing firmly.

He raised the willow branch in his hand and shouted, "A hundred years of national hatred—not even the sea can wash it away!

"Marquis—please break the willow!"

"Isn't that Wolf Cub?" A'Ming muttered from far away.

The first barbarian troops with which Zheng Fan had built his foundation came from the condemned tribe to which Wolf Cub belonged.

Back then, the child had ridden on Liang Cheng's shoulders into Mei Family Fort.

Because of his age, he naturally could not serve in the army.

There was no need to ask.

This whole scene had been arranged by Zheng Fan.

Li Fusheng had helped coordinate it.

In Zheng Fan's original world, whenever a senior official came to inspect somewhere, finding the most presentable elementary-school students, dressing them neatly, and handing them flowers for the leader was practically standard procedure.

Truthfully, if he had not been an adult who was about to go fight a war himself, Garrison Commander Zheng almost wanted to carry a willow branch up personally and flatter the Marquis.

But after thinking about it he rejected the impulse.

Why?

He still had some face left.

Fortunately, Zheng Fan had deliberately placed Wolf Cub among the group.

Otherwise, if all the children ran forward, immediately burst into terrified tears, and could not speak at all how awkward would that have been?

The planned ceremony might have turned into an enormous public reunion for the Marquis of Zhenbei's hidden illegitimate sons and daughters.

Wolf Cub truly was an unusual child.

A hundred years of national hatred.

One century earlier, the barbarian Royal Court had stood at its absolute peak.

Its commands reached across the entire desert.

No tribe dared refuse.

That year—

Yan gathered the strength of the entire state for a life-or-death battle against the barbarians in the north.

At that exact moment, the Qian Emperor personally led five hundred thousand troops on a northern expedition.

Had the first Marquis of Zhenbei not defied Heaven itself and smashed Qian's army with thirty thousand iron cavalry—

Yan might truly have died beneath attacks from two directions.

And if Yan had fallen, the barbarian Royal Court would naturally never have launched its western expedition.

It would have expanded east instead.

Without Yan standing there could Qian and the other two states truly have resisted the barbarians at their absolute height?

That year the first Marquis of Zhenbei planted a willow branch along the Yinlang Commandery frontier.

That was the origin of the name Green Willow Fortress.

Unfortunately, the first Marquis of Zhenbei never fulfilled his lifelong wish of riding south and watering his warhorse in Upper Capital.

A hundred years passed.

Now this generation's Marquis of Zhenbei had arrived with the Zhenbei Army.

The Marquis of Zhenbei dismounted.

He bent down and lifted Wolf Cub into his arms.

Tears glimmered in the old man's eyes.

This was no performance.

No act.

At his level, he had no need to hide or dress up his emotions.

He took the willow branch from Wolf Cub's hand.

Then gritted his teeth.

This campaign against Qian had two purposes.

One expand the borders.

Two take revenge.

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

The Marquis of Zhenbei threw back his head and laughed.

At that moment, a Zhenbei Army Lieutenant Commander broke away from the ranks and rode toward Zheng Fan.

"Garrison Commander Zheng Fan of Green Willow Fortress—by order of the Commander, join our formation!"

Zheng Fan cupped his hands.

"This General obeys!"

The Lieutenant Commander smiled.

"Garrison Commander Zheng, the Commander asks you to join him personally."

"I understand."

Under Liang Cheng's command, Green Willow Fortress's twenty-five hundred cavalry merged into the marching formation without incident.

Zheng Fan himself rode to Li Fusheng's side.

Li Fusheng looked toward him from horseback.

"Your method was good.

"The Marquis is very pleased."

Zheng Fan gave a modest and polite smile.

"Heh heh.

"Having you beside me really is useful."

"Following my lord is this General's honor."

"They used to say I knew nothing except how to kill people.

"Now they have nothing to say.

"I also know how to flatter."

"............" Zheng Fan.

"Keep your unit beside me.

"Serve as my personal cavalry camp."

"This General thanks my lord for the consideration."

A personal cavalry camp generally saw fewer chances for direct battle.

At the very least they were less likely to serve as the vanguard or be thrown into the ugliest fighting.

"I wasn't considering you.

"My original personal cavalry camp knelt outside my tent for half the night yesterday.

"I couldn't out-stubborn them.

"So I let them move to the front."

"............" Zheng Fan.

"Remember this.

"Once we enter Qian, if you think there are people I shouldn't kill, remind me."

"This General obeys."

Once the army left the Nanwang City region, its pace accelerated noticeably.

Zheng Fan did not know how many groups the two hundred thousand Zhenbei Army troops and fifty thousand Jingnan Army troops had been divided into.

Nor did he know which group was personally led by the Marquis of Jingnan or the Marquis of Zhenbei.

When an army this large moved truthfully, you felt like one drop in an ocean.

All you knew was to follow the tide.

But the acceleration became increasingly obvious.

From far away, Zheng Fan thought he saw the shadow of Liang Garrison to the west.

A fortified city.

An immensely strong strategic fortress.

But the army clearly had no intention of attacking it.

The army continued south.

South.

South.

Later, Zheng Fan noticed his unit passing through terrain that looked strangely familiar.

He knew this area.

Mianzhou City lay only a little more than eighty li away.

During his first incursion into Qian, after leaving Mianzhou City and trying to avoid pursuit by Qian cavalry, Zheng Fan and Liang Cheng had led their men back and forth across nearly the entire east-west line around Mianzhou.

And Mianzhou City was the Western Army's defensive line.

Yet the army did not turn.

It continued south.

South!

They were not attacking the Three Frontiers.

They were not attacking the Western Army either.

They had already jumped directly over two of Qian's defensive lines!

And the army showed no intention of slowing.

At last, Zheng Fan could not restrain himself.

As commander of the personal cavalry camp, he naturally remained beside Li Fusheng.

He shouted, "My lord!

"Where exactly is our army going to fight?"

They ignored Qian's major frontier garrisons.

They ignored the Western Army.

Were they planning to attack Qian's third defensive line directly?

Wouldn't that risk being surrounded from every direction?

Truthfully there was one even bolder possibility.

Zheng Fan did not dare think in that direction.

Because during all the repeated discussions between himself and the Demon Kings about how the Marquis of Jingnan and Marquis of Zhenbei might break the deadlock none of them had dared imagine this.

Because it would mean between the Yan Emperor in Yanjing and Qian's seven hundred thousand troops there would be only Fatty Xu and a few tens of thousands of miscellaneous soldiers!

Had any general in history ever fought like this?

Had any general ever dared?

Open the gates of your hollow homeland.

Leave your own Emperor exposed!

A smile appeared at the corner of Li Fusheng's mouth.

He seemed extremely satisfied by Zheng Fan's expression.

Then, he flicked his riding crop forward and shouted, "UPPER CAPITAL!"

(End of Chapter)