Chapter 252: Sudden Arrival

No one could understand Xue San’s pain.

After assisting A’Ming’s advancement and then Fan Li’s advancement, he had gone on to help the Blind Man advance as well, completing an assist “hat trick” in a single round.

And by now, he had also figured something out.

If this were a game, then the Blind Man had probably understood the fundamental rules of this round long ago.

It was simple.

All their previous bootlicking had not been intense enough. They needed to create a deeper emotional impact in Master’s heart.

The Blind Man was not anxious.

He genuinely was not anxious.

He simply sat to the side, watching everyone else desperately scramble around trying to level up, leisurely drinking tea while quietly waiting for himself to become the last one remaining.

Once the other six had all advanced and only he was left, then no matter who that final person was, Master would inevitably feel awkward.

And guilty.

Because if one spoke from the heart, among Master and the Seven Demon Kings, the one who contributed least and acted most like a hands-off boss was actually Master himself.

That was the emotion the Blind Man had been waiting for.

In other words, he had already calculated long ago that whoever came last would inevitably level up automatically.

So what was there to panic about?

The gray at his temples had been carefully dyed by Yuexin after he got out of bed.

It could not be too much, but it could not be too subtle either.

The degree had to be just right.

If it was overdone, the result could easily backfire.

The ink stains on his cuffs had been added by his own hand.

Not too much.

Not too little.

Not too dark.

Even the clothes he wore that day had been specially chosen.

They had to look plain, but not shabby.

He could not speak too much.

Nor could he show too much expression.

The best choice was calm detachment.

It was just like political campaigns in Europe and America in later generations, where a public-relations team might even deliberately design how much dust should be visible on a candidate’s shoes.

The Blind Man had succeeded.

He turned, saluted Zheng Fan, then turned away again with effortless grace, flicked his sleeves, and went to work at the yamen.

Xue San suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of defeat.

He was skilled at concealment, but when it came to scheming, he truly could not compare with an old silver coin like the Blind Man.

After breakfast, Zheng Fan personally escorted Liang Cheng out of the city.

This time, even more troops were heading out.

Their morale, however, was extremely high.

After all, every soldier who had returned from the previous expedition had brought back a considerable amount of loot.

A soldier served for pay and rations.

That was the most basic truth of all.

Zheng Fan had always been extremely generous in rewarding his subordinates.

Usually, half the spoils of war were distributed directly among the soldiers who had taken part in the fighting.

It was much like bosses in later generations constantly complaining that young people were no longer willing to settle down and work, that they always wanted to jump ship.

At the root of it all was still the same problem the pay was too low.

Xue San did not go outside the city to see Liang Cheng off.

Instead, he returned to the barracks set aside specifically for him.

When he entered, the fifty soldiers he had selected were already training.

The place did not resemble a gym.

Nor did it look much like an ordinary martial training ground.

Instead, it looked more like a classroom.

When he had first selected these men, Xue San had followed the principle of choosing only the best.

Every one of them was agile, skilled with bows, and experienced on horseback.

That eliminated a large portion of the basic groundwork.

It also shortened the training cycle and allowed them to be deployed sooner.

So every morning, the men familiarized themselves with the newly improved equipment Xue San had personally designed for them.

In the afternoon and evening, they memorized texts.

Yes.

Xue San had written down some of the insights and lessons he had accumulated while infiltrating and hiding.

He had turned them into a “training manual” for these fifty soldiers to memorize.

What to pay attention to under different circumstances.

What choices to make in different environments.

Wind direction.

Weather.

And countless other factors.

The material was extremely detailed.

His method was simply to make them memorize all of it.

Xue San would sit in a reclining chair and randomly test them.

Anyone who failed to recite the required passage would receive a vicious beating with a ruler.

Because of that, many nearby households and even some of their former comrades had mistakenly assumed these men were preparing for the “imperial examinations,” abandoning the martial path for the literary one.

This method was certainly not ideal.

But in Xue San’s view, it was the most suitable method available right now.

Cramming was still cramming.

First force the knowledge into their heads and brand it into their memories.

They could sort out the deeper understanding later.

Scouts already suffered extremely high casualty rates.

Once these fifty men were deployed, after enough time passed and fewer than ten remained alive, the backbone of the unit would naturally have emerged.

Those survivors could then serve as the framework for expanding the force again.

It sounded cold-blooded.

But that was reality.

Just as Xue San was preparing to test his “students,” someone appeared at the courtyard gate.

It was Xiao Yibo.

Xiao Yibo had become something like the chief steward now, running around handling logistics and miscellaneous affairs.

“Third Master, this lowly one has brought something for you. Mr. Bei instructed me to deliver it.”

“What is it?”

Xiao Yibo gestured for the men behind him to carry the goods inside.

It was cotton cloth.

All of it white.

Xue San only needed one glance to understand.

He knew why Liang Cheng had only just returned before leading troops into the mountains again.

So this material was intended to help the scouts under him conceal themselves.

The snowfields were exactly what the name implied.

Perhaps they were not entirely covered in white snow, but most areas accumulated snow thick enough that a white cloak would greatly improve concealment.

“All right. I’ve received the goods.”

“Very well. Third Master, carry on with your work. This lowly one will head back and report.”

After Xiao Yibo left, Xue San gathered all fifty of his men together.

He pointed at the white cloth inside the chests and said, “Starting today, during the day, every last one of you is going to learn how to make your own clothes.

“At night, you keep memorizing.”

The moment they heard the order, everyone looked at one another.

They were all soldiers hardened by years of rolling around inside military camps.

Now they were being told to pick up needles and thread and make clothes for themselves?

This really was like forcing Zhang Fei to embroider flowers.

But Xue San had accumulated enough authority over them that no one dared voice the complaint aloud.

“Make them.

“Learn.

“I’ll go into the city later and borrow a few seamstresses to teach us how.

“A soldier who can’t make his own clothes isn’t a good soldier.”

...

Atop the city walls, several thousand slaves were being driven to work.

After his earlier experience defending the fort against Jin troops, Zheng Fan had developed an unusually deep attachment to city walls.

It was indeed satisfying to annihilate the enemy out in the field.

But when the crucial moment arrived, high walls and deep moats were what kept you alive.

Two hundred-man Jingnan cavalry detachments patrolled the nearby area.

On the worksite itself, however, there were no Yan men holding whips as overseers.

Instead, wild savages supervised other wild savages.

Fan Li himself was hauling bricks and moving earth.

He was stripped to the waist, his muscles bulging powerfully enough to draw constant looks.

After confirming the worksite was running smoothly, Zheng Fan and Siniang began walking back toward the residence.

Truthfully, every Demon King had some task they were responsible for.

Zheng Fan himself was the only idle one.

He could not stay cooped up in the residence doing needlework all day.

For one thing, Siniang had her own responsibilities.

For another, doing needlework required waiting for the cooldown period.

So, in order to maintain some sense of presence, Zheng Fan had started walking around various parts of the city and conducting inspections.

The process was actually extremely satisfying.

This was his own lair.

And it was flourishing before his eyes.

The satisfaction of being lord of an entire city was practically overflowing.

Seeing that it was getting late, Zheng Fan decided to return to the residence.

As he walked side by side with Siniang, she continued explaining, “Master, those holding the whips just now were specially selected by this servant from among the wild-savage slaves.

“Using them as overseers works much better than having our own people supervise the labor.

“Those promoted to overseer receive better food, clothing, and treatment than the ordinary savage slaves.

“That also lets the others see a real path upward.”

“You put thought into it.”

Management was a field of study.

But how to manage and exploit slaves while making the slaves hate one another instead of hating you that was an even more advanced field of study.

“This is only what this servant should do.

“We’re still short on manpower.

“I’ve already recruited civilian laborers from the surrounding regions to help repair the walls.

“The Jin laborers we hire are paid wages.

“As for the wild savages who perform well on the worksite, this servant has promised that once the walls are completed, they can earn their freedom.

“As for the other supplies, weapons, and armor we need, our workshops still haven’t been fully built.

“So for now, we can only purchase from merchant caravans while also recruiting blacksmiths from outside.

“Fortunately, Jin territory is not some barren wasteland.

“Skilled craftsmen aren’t particularly hard to find.

“The problem is that some fortified estates refuse to hand theirs over.”

“Pay them. Buy the craftsmen,” Zheng Fan said.

Yan control over Jin territory was gradually extending outward from Litian City.

But in most other areas, that control still floated on the surface.

In other words, Yan influence had not truly penetrated the countryside.

“Some people refuse to sell.”

“Then take the forts by force.

“Have Gao Yi detach another five hundred Jingnan troops specifically to raid those small fortified estates that refuse to cooperate.”

“But Master, A’Cheng already took most of our troops into the mountains.

“The only meaningful force left inside the city is this Jingnan Army contingent.

“If we send another five hundred out, there won’t be many soldiers left in Shengle.

“And if we provoke the local Jin estate lords too much, they might join forces against us…”

“Let them join forces.

“In a while, the Marquis of Jingnan’s army will be passing through anyway.

“I’d actually love it if those local Jin magnates banded together and started trouble.

“Then the Marquis of Jingnan can wipe them out for us while he’s passing by.”

At this point, Zheng Fan suddenly paused.

Then said, “Hey. Nearly forgot.

“Have Xiao Yibo go with them.

“Gao Yi stays behind him.

“Let Xiao Yibo carry the Marquis of Jingnan’s banner and say he has come under the Marquis’s orders to requisition grain and craftsmen.

“Anyone who refuses—exterminate the entire clan!”

“Master, is that really appropriate?”

This was effectively forging an order.

The Marquis of Jingnan might not be the emperor, but fabricating his command was not much different from forging an imperial edict.

“There’s nothing inappropriate about it.

“When the Marquis of Jingnan’s army arrives later, we’ll definitely have to contribute grain and supplies to support the troops.

“So really, we’re only requisitioning things on the Marquis’s behalf.

“Besides, with the Marquis of Jingnan’s reputation right now, hahahahaha—once you bring out his name…”

Tian Wujing’s reputation and deeds were already matters people in Yan preferred not to discuss too openly.

That was even more true here in Jin territory, which he had personally conquered.

A great demon who dared exterminate his own clan.

A murderous star.

To say that his name alone was worth ten thousand iron cavalry was no exaggeration.

“What is wrong with this Marquis’s name?”

At that moment, a man leading a horse appeared ahead.

As he spoke, he removed the conical hat from his head.

“The moment they hear it, won’t they immediately burst into grateful tears and rush to contribute grain and craftsmen to reward the king’s army?

“This subordinate, Zheng Fan, greets the Marquis of Jingnan.”

[End of Chapter 252]