Chapter 220: Being a Dog

Zheng Fan sat down in the chair. He actually rather liked this style of chair used by the savages. It was broad, large, and sturdy. There was no attention to fine detail, but it was comfortable enough to sit in and lean back against.

The Blind Man silently peeled an orange and turned toward Xiong Lie.

“Want an orange?”

“No, no. Please have it yourself, Mr. Bei.”

“Oh. If you don’t want one, why are you still standing here?”

“Yes, yes. This servant will withdraw. This servant will withdraw.”

Xiong Lie saluted and left.

After he was gone, the Blind Man finished peeling the orange and offered it to Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan shook his head. “I’m still more used to Siniang feeding me.”

“Mm. This subordinate really can’t take her place in that particular duty.”

“Right. And you’d better not force yourself.”

“Heh. Master, by tomorrow night, this city will belong to you.”

“I’m not particularly worried about that.”

A group of opponents who appeared united but were each harboring their own schemes—City Defender Zheng had seen enough of the world by now. If he couldn’t even deal with the likes of them, then all his years of experience would have been for nothing.

The Tufa Clan, the various merchant houses—before a regular army, every last one of them was a paper tiger.

“What is Master thinking about?”

“Blind Man, I feel like my cultivation realm is starting to loosen.”

At those words, a gleam seemed to flash in the Blind Man’s pitch-black eye sockets.

Any increase in Zheng Fan’s strength concerned every one of the Demon Kings. It was rather like parents watching their child go from kindergarten to primary school, then from primary school to middle school.

You desperately wanted him to skip straight to university and then get the hell out of the house, but you couldn’t rush him.

“I may just be missing that final bit of heat.”

“Master has worked hard.”

“There you go being polite again. By the way, take a look around this place. There are quite a few demon beasts here. It feels like walking through a pet market back in the day.”

“Yes, Master. There’s a great deal of profit to be made here.”

In later generations, the pet industry’s profit margins could only be described as terrifying, especially veterinary clinics. Treating a pet could cost more than treating a person.

“Good. As long as you’ve noticed it.”

“Master, this subordinate believes developing agriculture around Shengle City wouldn’t be particularly worthwhile. The climate here isn’t suitable either. Trade and commerce, on the other hand, are worth investing more effort into.

“At present, the State of Yan is recuperating. It’s unlikely to go to war with the Situ Clan in the short term. The State of Qian is behaving itself as well, accumulating strength while carrying out reforms.

“The businesses and networks of the other merchant houses suffered considerable disruption and losses in the great war that swept across three states. Now that we have Shengle City as a base, this is precisely the right opportunity for us to enter the trade.

“Most importantly, although the Sixth Prince’s businesses were handed over to the Ministry of Revenue of the State of Yan, businesses are businesses and talented people are talented people. This subordinate refuses to believe the Sixth Prince doesn’t still have a group of capable chief shopkeepers tucked away somewhere.

“Besides, the Ministry of Revenue couldn’t possibly keep all of the Sixth Prince’s people in place without replacing them. If they did, what would be the difference between taking over and not taking over at all?”

“You’re even more ruthless than I am.”

This was practically cracking Little Sixth’s bones open to suck out the marrow.

“Why let useful people go to waste? We already owe the Sixth Prince plenty of favors anyway. Besides, if we suddenly stopped asking him for things, the Sixth Prince might actually start feeling uneasy. Even his cornbread wouldn’t taste as good.”

“Mm. So really, we’re doing this for his sake.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Now that you put it that way, I feel much better.”

“Master, this subordinate will go make arrangements for our contacts inside the city.”

“All right. Go take care of it.”

After the Blind Man left, Zheng Fan walked over to the cage and opened it. Xiong Lie had trained the azure hawk until it possessed a fair degree of intelligence. It obediently hopped onto Zheng Fan’s shoulder by itself, raising its head and puffing out its chest.

“Heh. Interesting.”

City Defender Zheng immediately pictured himself in full armor atop a warhorse, with a gyrfalcon perched upon his shoulder.

Unfortunately, azure hawks were far too expensive and difficult to keep alive. They could indeed be used to carry military intelligence, but there was no way to deploy them on a large scale. Their usefulness was rather limited.

Just then, shouting erupted in the courtyard outside.

Zheng Fan returned the azure hawk to its cage and walked out of the small courtyard.

In the compound stood a visiting merchant caravan. Its leader was a woman in her early thirties.

Women of Yan and Jin rarely possessed the soft, delicate manner of women from Qian. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to; life and their surroundings simply didn’t permit it. The woman before him was the same. With a long saber clutched in her hand, she and the dozen or so people behind her were confronting Xiong Lie’s men.

Zheng Fan leaned against the railing, pulled a handful of roasted beans from his pocket, and tossed them into his mouth one by one.

When Xiong Lie saw Zheng Fan come out, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

Shengle City was still “behind enemy lines” at the moment. How could Zheng Fan show himself so openly? What if something happened to him?

Seeing Xiong Lie approach on his own, Zheng Fan smiled and asked, “What happened?”

“My lord, this woman belongs to the Tufa Clan. She’s always been responsible for transporting goods. The trade routes have been cut off for the past six months and have been difficult to travel. She brought people here to demand money from this servant.”

In business, you owed me, she owed him—it was perfectly normal. In later generations, the end of every year was practically debt-collection season. Zhang San would demand payment from Li Si, and Li Si would say he had to wait for Wang Wu to repay him before he could pay Zhang San.

“You didn’t pay her?” Zheng Fan asked, looking at Xiong Lie.

“I did!” Xiong Lie immediately replied. “My lord, at a time like this, how could this servant possibly create unnecessary trouble?”

After all, even if he paid today, there was a good chance the money would be taken right back tomorrow.

Zheng Fan dusted off his hands. “How much did you pay?”

“Everything. Cleared the entire debt.”

The instant Xiong Lie finished speaking, he froze.

He realized he had fallen into a trap.

If he had kept delaying and remained in debt, everyone would have grown accustomed to it.

But now, at a time when the Yan people might be coming and everyone was anxious and uncertain about what the future held, he had suddenly taken the initiative to settle all his debts.

How could that possibly fail to arouse suspicion?

“You cleared the debt. What excuse is she using to make trouble?” Zheng Fan asked.

“She says we’re preparing to withdraw into the mountains and stop doing business with her freight gang. She wants an explanation from me. After all, the brothers under her command still depend on this trade route to make a living.”

“Heh. That’s a pretty flimsy excuse.”

“My lord, this servant will deal with it immediately.”

“Don’t. Since she’s already noticed something and come knocking, we may as well entertain her. Bring her in.”

“Yes, my lord.” Xiong Lie licked his lips, then added, “This servant is guilty.”

“Use your head more next time.”

“This servant understands.”

“Mm. Go. Bring her in.”

With that, Zheng Fan calmly turned around and returned to the courtyard.

Watching Zheng Fan’s back, Xiong Lie couldn’t help sighing inwardly. Someone worthy of his own master’s esteem and support truly was extraordinary. That bearing and courage alone were beyond ordinary men.

What he didn’t see was that the moment Zheng Fan returned to the courtyard, he shouted inwardly:

“Blind Man! Blind Man!”

The Blind Man was in one of the rooms in the courtyard, not far away.

Very soon, the Blind Man answered in his mind.

“Master, what is it?”

“The Tufa Clan may have noticed something.”

“Master, there is no need to panic. If they noticed, then they noticed. How many men did they bring?”

As always, the Blind Man remained perfectly composed.

“A dozen or so. A woman is leading them. She came here looking for trouble.”

“Then perhaps Master should meet her?”

“I already told Xiong Lie to bring her in.”

“Master is wise.”

“I’ll meet her first, then we’ll talk.”

“That would be appropriate.”

In truth, Zheng Fan didn’t feel much of the panic one might expect from someone operating behind enemy lines. This was Xiong Lie’s stronghold in Shengle City, guarded inside and out by several hundred savage retainers. Even if the other factions in Shengle City wanted to storm the place, it would take considerable effort.

At the same time, all Zheng Fan needed was “one signal arrow piercing the clouds,” and A’Ming and the others lying in ambush outside the city would immediately send troops to attack.

The only reason he had taken a slight personal risk and entered the city ahead of them was to arrange matters a little more carefully, so that when everything was done, the transition would be smoother.

Brute-force assaults were not City Defender Zheng’s style during this period. Unless, of course, he someday possessed resources comparable to the Marquis of Zhenbei’s estate. Then he really could imitate Li Fusheng and roar: When it comes to war, the most important thing is having strong soldiers and plenty of horses!

A short while later, Xiong Lie led the woman inside.

Zheng Fan reclined sideways in the chair, a beast-hide blanket draped over him, while the Blind Man stood behind him.

The woman glanced at Xiong Lie, then looked at Zheng Fan.

Immediately afterward, she dropped to her knees before Zheng Fan and said, “This humble woman pays her respects to my lord!”

“You know who I am?”

Zheng Fan asked.

“My lord must be a noble personage from the State of Yan.”

“You’re from the Tufa Clan, aren’t you?”

“To answer my lord, this humble woman is called Tufa Su.”

“Cough…”

Zheng Fan couldn’t help coughing.

“My lord, the Tufa Clan is willing to submit to the State of Yan and become loyal subjects under Yan’s rule. We are willing to serve as my lord’s hounds and vanguard, sweeping away all who refuse to obey!”

“I’m curious. If I hadn’t told Xiong Lie to bring you inside today, what would you have done?”

“To answer my lord, this humble woman originally planned to find an excuse to come here during the day and take a look around. Tonight, I might have personally sneaked inside for another look.”

“You’re certainly candid.”

“Before my lord, this humble woman would not dare conceal the slightest thing. My lord, you need only say the word, and the head of my Tufa Clan, Tufa Chengji, will personally come here to hold your stirrup.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“My lord, among all the factions of Shengle City, which one hasn’t sent people out to make contact with the Great Yan Dynasty?”

Within and without Shengle City, who was not secretly communicating with Yan?

“It’s simply that Xiong Lie’s behavior was unusually conspicuous. That allowed our clan head to conclude that Xiong Lie must already have established contact with some noble personage from Yan.”

Everyone wanted a connection to Yan because the Yan people were terrifying, while the Situ Clan had very dishonorably stood everyone up.

During this period, the Situ Clan’s behavior rather resembled that of a certain chairman from another age, sending special envoys across the land to hand out official commissions wholesale to bandits and brigands, yet never actually launching the promised counterattack themselves.

The problem was, if you wanted to make contact with Yan—if you wanted to become a turncoat—you still needed connections. You still needed someone to introduce you.

Zheng Fan slowly narrowed his eyes and began calculating.

His original plan had been to clean Shengle City out completely. After all, this would be his first true base, his own nest. Naturally, one ought to sweep the house clean before inviting in guests.

But the allegiance of a local power like the Tufa Clan?

Tufa Su immediately continued, “My lord, the Tufa Clan has nearly a thousand men capable of bearing arms. They will become the most loyal guards at your side!”

A thousand men?

Under the fur blanket, Zheng Fan’s fingers began silently counting.

The Blind Man said nothing. This was a decision the Master needed to make himself.

Tufa Su remained kneeling on the floor, her expression solemn. She was extremely nervous, and there was something strange about that nervousness. Shengle City was clearly still in her clan’s hands. At least half of it was.

Yet despite that, she still trembled at the feet of this man from Yan.

Such was the power of a mighty state. When you were strong, you could look down upon all before you.

After one great war, the State of Yan had single-handedly taken on the two great powers of the east. On one front, it had fought all the way to the walls of Qian’s Upper Capital. On the other, it had swallowed half of the State of Jin. And in the west, it still had enough strength left to keep watch over the barbarians and frighten them from advancing even a single step eastward.

If the Situ Clan had intended to take advantage of Yan’s unstable footing and wrestle with the Yan people, these powerful local clans would not have minded following along and snatching chestnuts from the fire. After all, the Situ Clan was publicly acknowledged as the strongest of the Three Great Clans. It had also spent years fighting the savages and could certainly be considered rich in soldiers and horses.

But the instant the Situ Clan decided it wasn’t going to fight, all the spirit drained out of these powerful clans and local snakes. Before the iron hooves of Yan, they instantly turned into a flock of quails.

“Very well. Tell Tufa Chengji to come pay me a visit.”

Tufa Su immediately kowtowed.

“This humble woman will return at once and report to the clan head.”

“Good. Go. I’ll be waiting for him right here.”

“This humble woman takes her leave.”

Tufa Su left the courtyard.

Xiong Lie said anxiously, “My lord, what if…”

“If there’s a ‘what if,’ then so be it. Unless the entire Tufa Clan is determined to flee into the Tianduan Mountains, he’ll make the sensible choice. And even if he does hide in the Tianduan Mountains, do you truly think the elite troops of my Great Yan would be helpless against him?”

As Zheng Fan spoke, his gaze settled on Xiong Lie.

“There are some things I’m about to say that may hurt your feelings, so I’ll apologize first.”

“My lord, please speak freely. This servant would not dare harbor the slightest resentment.”

“Mm. Then I’ll tell you the truth. Savages and barbarians really aren’t all that comparable. I’ve heard that a king has emerged among the savages of your northeastern snowfields, but my Great Yan honestly hasn’t taken him very seriously.

“We’ve fought the barbarians for centuries. Think about how formidable they were at the height of their power, yet when has my Great Yan ever truly been at a disadvantage against them?

“Over the past century, we’ve beaten the barbarians until they’re frightened and hurting. His Majesty sent over a single imperial decree, and their Barbarian King truly did not dare advance one step farther east.

“It’s the same principle as playing chess. If you spend all your time playing against experts, then no matter how poor you are, there’s a limit to how poor you can remain. You people can weigh that for yourselves.”

“This servant harbors no disloyal intentions whatsoever. The settlements this servant regularly deals with would not dare harbor any either. This servant will stake his head on that.”

“Xiong Lie.”

“This servant is here.”

“I don’t regard you as a savage. To tell you the truth, the largest group under my command is made up of barbarians. There actually aren’t that many genuine Yan people. I don’t distinguish between civilized and barbarian, high and low. So long as someone is willing to serve me, I treat them all the same.

“But I’ll say the ugly part up front. I won’t behave like the Jin people, constantly entering the mountains to hunt down and slaughter savages.”

“On behalf of the many savage settlements in the mountains, this servant kowtows in gratitude for my lord’s immense benevolence!”

“Ah, don’t rush. Don’t rush. I haven’t finished speaking. If you don’t want me to regard you as a thorn in my side, then you’ll have to follow my rules.”

“What does my lord mean?”

“Pay tribute. Provide warriors from your tribes to serve as my personal troops. Send hostages to reside in Shengle City. Not one of those three conditions can be omitted.”

“This…” Xiong Lie faltered.

“What? Regretting it already?”

“This servant… this servant would not dare.”

“All right. Tell your men to prepare. In case Tufa Chengji suddenly loses his mind, you’ll at least have to hold him off for a while on my behalf.”

“This servant obeys!”

Xiong Lie withdrew to gather his men.

Zheng Fan turned toward the Blind Man, pointed at the beast-hide blanket covering him, and said, “I think replacing this with snow-wolf fur would suit my bearing better.”

“Master is absolutely right. Tiger hide is too coarse, while fox fur is too effeminate. Snow-wolf fur feels just right. This subordinate will keep an eye out for some in the future.”

“Mm. Good.”

“Master intends to bring the Tufa Clan under your command?”

“First we’ll see whether he knows what’s good for him. Truthfully, what I really want are his clan troops. Who can blame us for being short on soldiers? Those thousand Jingnan Army troops still have to be returned.

“It’ll just mean more work for you and A’Cheng.”

The troops under Zheng Fan’s command were an extraordinary mixture: barbarian cavalry, convict soldiers, defeated Jin troops, soldiers from powerful local clans, and, foreseeably in the near future, savages as well.

Truthfully, warlords who built this sort of motley army usually ended up dying miserable deaths.

Only in those Western heroic fantasy films did someone casually gather troops from half a dozen different races and somehow win the war.

But Zheng Fan trusted Liang Cheng’s ability to train soldiers and the Blind Man’s talent for indoctrination. They were professionals, after all.

“Master need not worry. None of this will be difficult. Once everything is in place, everyone will be able to perform their proper duties.”

“Mm. That’s what I was thinking too.”

As he spoke, Zheng Fan folded his hands over his abdomen and slowly closed his eyes.

“I’m going to sleep for a while.”

“Then this subordinate will go send word for them to move the operation forward and launch it tonight.”

“Mm. That’s the safest approach.”

“What would Master like to eat tonight? This subordinate will have someone prepare it.”

“No hurry. Tufa Chengji won’t come to visit me anytime soon.”

“That would be best.”

“If he comes too early, then in the future, we’ll send him down early too.”

…

“The noble personage from Yan said he wants me to go visit him?”

“Yes, Clan Head.”

Tufa Su knelt before Tufa Chengji as she made her report.

“Good. I understand.”

“Clan Head, then are you going now?”

“No hurry. Since he told me to pay him a visit, how could I possibly visit someone empty-handed?”

As he spoke, Tufa Chengji looked toward his three younger brothers. All three were warriors of the clan.

“The southern and western city gates are already in our hands. Pass down the order. Tonight, throw the gates wide open and light the torches. Fourth Brother, you handle this.”

“Yes.”

“Second Brother, Third Brother, muster the entire clan.”

“Big Brother, which family are we attacking?”

“Which family? Other than that savage household, we attack every last one.”

“Big Brother, do we really have to go this far?”

Tufa Chengji glanced at his younger brothers and cursed irritably, “They already dare enter the city openly ahead of their army and put on airs. What does that tell you? It tells you they’re extremely confident. Even if we decided to fight them to the death, they’re certain they could sweep us away.

“You should be grateful—grateful that I noticed something was wrong with that savage bastard Xiong before the other families did.

“Otherwise, we’d be the ones the other families used as their pledge of allegiance!

“If you’re going to offer gifts and become someone’s dog, then either don’t do it at all or lick properly.

“Since we’ve already decided to become dogs, then we’ll offer the biggest gift and be the dog that knows best how to wag its tail!”

[End of Chapter 220]