Chapter 264: The Cicada Sheds Its Shell

On the second day after the Left and Right Armies arrived, the Yan army began probing the region occupied by the savages ahead.

Bands of light cavalry scouts were scattered outward. Almost at the same time, the savages expanded the range covered by their own mounted scouts.

The main armies had not yet truly made contact, but the scouts on both sides had already opened the prelude to slaughter.

“It feels very familiar.”

Seated atop his Pixiu, Tian Wujing gazed toward the savage encampment in the distance as he spoke.

Wang Ge, a General of the Jingnan Army, rode forward and joked, “That lot from the Zhenbei Army never had much skill when it came to building camps. I can’t believe this Savage King even treasured something like this enough to learn it from them. Heh.”

Truthfully, the Zhenbei Army was not particularly skilled at constructing fortified camps.

For the past several decades, when fighting the barbarians in the desert, the Zhenbei Army had almost always been on the offensive.

At first glance, the savage encampment ahead looked decent enough. It had all the proper forms.

But in the eyes of true experts, several crucial arrangements—and even the overall structure of the camp—were badly flawed.

Tian Wujing instead turned to Zheng Fan.

“What do you think?”

Zheng Fan glanced at Wang Ge first and cupped his hands toward him.

Only then did he answer, “Reporting to the Marquis, this general thinks the important thing is that the savages have actually learned how to build a camp.”

The Marquis of Jingnan nodded.

“Yes.”

The reason savages were called savages was because, in the eyes of the civilized world, they were uncultivated.

But now this people was learning and advancing in ways visible to the naked eye.

Whether the camp was built well or badly came second.

The fact that they had begun building proper military camps at all was what truly deserved vigilance.

It was like the difference between being nearsighted and being blind.

Wang Ge did not think Zheng Fan had deliberately tried to embarrass him.

He was a General, not some consort in an imperial harem fighting for favor. He was hardly going to grow jealous over something so petty.

Instead, he said, “Marquis, let this general take three thousand cavalry and test that camp. We’ll see what they’re made of.”

Wang Ge and the other Generals had spent the earlier part of the march cleaning up behind the main force.

Even burning, killing, and looting became tiresome after too much of it.

Yet every tribe large enough to count as a worthwhile target—every stubborn thorn—had already been uprooted by the Marquis ahead of them.

From commanders to ordinary soldiers, all of them had been holding back their frustration for days.

“Your troops only just arrived. The soldiers are tired.”

“Marquis, my troops—”

“Zheng Fan, receive your orders.”

Zheng Fan immediately dropped to one knee.

“This general is here!”

“Take your troops and attack the enemy camp from the northwest.

“If you tear open a breach, continue driving inward for this Marquis.

“If the enemy camp proves firm and you cannot force your way through, use your own judgment and withdraw.

“Wang Ge. Zhang Cheng.”

“This general is here!”

“This general is here!”

“Prepare to follow and support him.”

“This general obeys!”

After receiving his orders, Zheng Fan returned to his own troops.

Once he informed Liang Cheng, the force quickly began moving and soon rode out of camp.

On the road, Zheng Fan muttered quietly to Liang Cheng beside him, “Why are we the ones being sent in first?”

“Master, this subordinate went forward this morning to examine the area. San’er came along as well.”

“Oh? Find anything?”

“This subordinate and the others believe there may not be as many savages inside that camp as it appears.

“We do not know why the savages suddenly gathered troops and then withdrew them again, but the Marquis of Jingnan has almost certainly noticed something wrong as well.

“That is probably why he gave the vanguard attack to Master.”

“You mean he’s deliberately pushing me forward?

“Handing me military merit?”

“That should be the case.

“Destroying those savage settlements along the way does not count for much military merit.

“But these are the Savage King’s own troops ahead. That is an entirely different matter.

“It is much like the difference between the Zhenbei Army sweeping ordinary barbarian tribes in the desert and annihilating troops belonging directly to the barbarian Royal Court.

“If the savage camp ahead is not deliberately laying a false front, and is truly empty inside, this subordinate is confident we can break into it and tear open a breach.

“Once the reinforcements behind us follow through, the foremost merit of this battle will naturally belong to Master.”

Zheng Fan silently took out a cigarette.

Around the Marquis of Jingnan, he did not dare smoke too freely. Only once he returned to his own patch of ground could he properly enjoy the habit.

“Heh. You know what? Being personally chosen like this feels pretty damn good.”

In the past, Tian Wujing had deliberately suppressed him.

Zheng Fan had understood why. He had even agreed with it.

Now Tian Wujing intended to push him upward instead.

Tsk, tsk.

At last, he was getting to experience what it felt like to have someone powerful at court backing your career.

This was practically snatching Wang Ge and the others’ military merit out of their hands and placing it directly on Zheng Fan’s head.

The last person who had helped him this blatantly was Xiao Liuzi.

Unfortunately, Xiao Liuzi had only been an empty-shelled prince at the time.

His signboard was nowhere near as impressive as the Marquis of Jingnan’s.

Shengle City’s troops rode out first.

Behind them, the other Yan formations remained in reserve.

Zheng Fan silently lowered the face guard of his helmet.

Then he slapped the armor over his chest with his left hand.

That was his reminder to the Demon Child:

Your old man is heading onto the battlefield.

Hey.

Stop sleeping.

“Master, perhaps you should take two hundred cavalry and remain mobile while overseeing the overall situation?”

“Scram.

“I’ve been suffocating beside Tian Wujing for days.

“I want to fight!”

Liang Cheng nodded to show that he understood.

Anyone who had left school, gone out into the world, and worked for years, only to be forcibly “sent” back into the life of a student, would find the experience agonizing.

“Same as always. You command.”

“Then Master can give the order to charge.”

“Mm. Ahem...”

Zheng Fan cleared his throat.

Then he drew his saber and raised it high.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

All around him, every cavalryman raised his weapon in perfect unison.

Orderly.

Solemn.

They had specifically trained for this.

Liang Cheng had never drilled the troops in anything like marching in goose-step formation, but he had focused on several coordinated movements.

Their purpose was precisely to let Master enjoy himself properly at a moment like this.

Of course, when training these routines, they had deliberately excluded Fan Li.

No one wanted him corrupting the entire unit the way he had at the very beginning and leading everyone into shouting “Ura!”

“YAN ARMY!”

Every soldier roared three times in unison, striking his weapon against his armor three times.

“VICTORY!”

“VICTORY!”

“VICTORY!”

Haaa...

That felt good.

Very good.

Extremely good.

Zheng Fan pointed his saber forward.

“KILL!”

...

Inside the savage camp, the King sat upright atop an arrow tower, watching the movements in the distance.

His royal banner stood planted behind him.

Naturally, there was no hiding the disturbances in the Yan encampment from the savages.

All around, the savages inside their own camp began gathering and preparing for defense.

But because they were unfamiliar with this kind of warfare, the scene still looked somewhat chaotic.

The Savage King raised a hand and rubbed his forehead.

Then he sighed.

It was not that he failed to understand how confining his warriors inside a fortified camp effectively bound their own hands and feet.

Savages were still better suited to mounted archery and fighting from horseback.

But what choice did he have?

The enemy across from him was the finest cavalry army of the age—the cavalry of Yan.

Inside a camp, perhaps they could at least hold for a while.

If they truly rode out and fought the Yan cavalry in the open, they might simply be smashed apart in a single wave.

This sort of rigid, stupid battle was exactly what the Savage King disliked most.

But when both the enemy’s individual soldiers and collective military strength surpassed his own, he could only grit his teeth and fight this way.

The King tilted his head back and stretched.

Then he spoke to the only guard who had remained beside him, a man wearing an iron mask.

“Begin.”

The guard crouched down and started removing his clothes.

The Savage King crouched as well.

He too began undressing.

The savages below had no idea that atop the arrow tower over their heads, their King was currently stripping together with a male bodyguard.

“My King, now this slave finally understands.

“Back then, when you gave me this iron mask and said it was a reward for your most trusted and reliable warrior, you were lying to me.”

“You only figured that out now?

“Too late.”

“And I was happy about it for so long.

“I’ve worn this iron mask all these years.

“I don’t take it off when I sleep.

“I don’t even take it off when I bathe.”

“So that’s what it is.

“Do you never wash the damn thing?

“No wonder it reeks.

“There’s actually a layer of black filth caked inside.”

“My King, you never told this slave beforehand that I’d have to serve as your double one day.”

“Who told you to grow almost exactly the same height and build as this King?

“Even your face resembles mine by seventy percent.”

“My King, do I need to take off the underclothes too?”

“Take them off. Take them off.

“How many ordinary tribesmen have silk underclothes?

“If you accidentally fall or the outer armor gets torn and the silk underneath shows through, wouldn’t that expose everything?”

“My King truly thinks of everything.”

“Where are your underclothes?”

“My King, there are only a handful of people in the entire tribe who even wear underclothes.”

“Doesn’t the armor chafe?”

The two men crouched atop the arrow tower and swiftly exchanged clothes.

The Savage King took the iron mask into his hands.

Then he covered his face with it.

“My King, shouldn’t this slave make some request of you now?

“In those stories Angda used to tell about the Four Great States, it always works this way.

“Before a death-sworn warrior goes to die, he receives a reward.”

“Say it quickly.

“This King is in a hurry to run for his life.”

“My King, there is one thing I have never been able to let go of.”

“You are an orphan with no family or kin.

“What could you possibly be unable to let go of?”

“I’ve never tasted a woman.”

The Savage King reached out and patted the bodyguard on the shoulder.

His tone was deeply earnest.

“A’Lai, don’t worry.

“In the future, this King will just have to suffer a little more and endure a little extra hardship.

“I’ll taste a few more women for you.”

“Many thanks, my King.

“This slave can only repay your immense grace in the next life.”

“Mm.

“Don’t worry.

“In the next life, I’ll still come find you and have you continue serving as my bodyguard.”

“My King, this slave is so excited.

“This slave actually gets to be King.”

“You have to let the warriors below see that their King has remained here all along, standing together with them.”

“My King, rest assured.

“For all these years, this slave has always watched you carefully.

“I can definitely imitate you perfectly.”

With that, the savage bodyguard named A’Lai stood.

His gaze swept across the men below.

At that moment, quite a few savages were also looking up toward the arrow tower.

They knew their King was there, watching them from above.

A’Lai leaned back against the chair behind him.

He angled his body slightly to one side.

At the same time, his left hand began rubbing the scar on his own face.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared upon his lips.

Once his posture and expression were set, A’Lai asked, “My King, why haven’t you gone down yet?”

The Savage King placed a hand against the jaw of the iron mask.

He rubbed it thoughtfully.

Then said, “Did this King really spend all these years sitting around looking this stupid?”

[End of Chapter 264]