Chapter 329: Radish Seals

“If those headmen really dare go to Yanjing to lodge a complaint, we’ll just write their title backward.”

From *headman* to *man’s head*.

Eight hundred cavalry.

The First Prince’s imperial blood.

And the Pixiu beneath him.

He would ride out first, make promises, hand out titles and rewards.

They were only words, after all.

It was not as though Zheng Fan had to pay for any of it himself.

As long as those promises could buy temporary peace north of Snow Sea Pass and free Zheng Fan to concentrate on the savage counterattack coming from the south, that was enough.

What more could he ask for a bicycle too?

As for whether the chiefs of those snowfield tribes would actually be fooled, Zheng Fan genuinely was not worried.

No one stupid enough to be a fool could become chief of a major tribe.

Whether they could be deceived depended entirely upon whether they were willing to deceive themselves.

The tribes that truly supported the Savage King with absolute loyalty had already followed him south to war.

Those that had originally waited and watched had later followed him through the pass as well.

Any major snowfield tribe that still had a significant number of warriors sitting at home by now was making it quite clear that it had no interest in obeying the Savage King.

Give those people a reason to be “fooled.”

Give them a suitable excuse.

Most of them would probably be perfectly willing to watch the fire from the opposite bank.

After all, even if the Savage King stopped fighting right now, he had already plundered an enormous amount of wealth and population for the savages.

If his main force returned to the snowfields intact, he would practically become the “Genghis Khan” of the snowfields overnight.

Would those great tribes that had spent the last hundred years dominating their own regions truly be willing to submit to him?

Would those lofty tribal chiefs genuinely enjoy having another man standing above their heads and issuing orders?

One should never imagine that every savage across the snowfields possessed absolute loyalty, that every one of them would sacrifice his own interests for ethnic development and some grand common cause.

That was impossible.

Even Great Yan itself would still be crippled by the chronic disease of the great clans if the Iron Triangle had never appeared.

Everyone understood that without the great clans restraining the state, Yan would possess far more strength to expand outward.

Yet across several hundred years, only one man had ever truly been willing to raise the blade against his own class.

Tian Wujing.

“General, this subordinate understands.

“This subordinate... this subordinate will definitely not disappoint the General’s expectations.”

Zheng Fan nodded.

His tone softened slightly.

“Your Highness.

“Truthfully, I know that ever since the defeat at the Wang River, guilt has remained in your heart.

“But some things must eventually be allowed to pass.

“Now we have an opportunity to swallow the main savage force inside Jin territory in one stroke and leave the savage tribes unable to recover for fifty years.

“That is the finest way to console the spirits of the brothers who died in that battle.”

“This subordinate knows.

“This subordinate understands.”

“Mm.

“Your Highness— take care.”

“Yes.

“Thank you, General.”

The First Prince left.

Presumably, he had gone to find Jin Shuke.

After he was gone, A’Ming shook his waterskin and asked:

“Master, do you think the First Prince truly has no thoughts about competing for the throne?”

“People change.

“He had no such thoughts before.

“He has none now.

“That does not mean he will never have them in the future.

“In the end— who knows?”

It was common knowledge that the Emperor of Yan did not intend for the First Prince to inherit the throne.

That was precisely why the First Prince had been allowed to participate so deeply in military affairs.

Perhaps, in the Emperor’s eyes, he would rather cultivate his eldest son into the next Marquis of Zhenbei or Marquis of Jingnan.

But the First Prince himself was unquestionably extraordinary.

If he never developed such ambitions, then fine.

But if the thought ever truly took root, there might yet be another struggle between dragon and tiger.

Zheng Fan almost felt sorry for the Emperor of Yan.

Every one of his sons was too outstanding.

Apparently, that could become a headache too.

Returning to the matter at hand, Zheng Fan looked toward Liang Cheng.

“For the northern side, let the First Prince and Jin Shuke handle things for now.

“But do not lower our guard.

“Try to send out more scout riders and keep watch on the snowfields.

“Our main attention, however, still has to remain on the south.

“Since we have decided to hold this place, then we have to hold it.

“More than half our family fortune is already sitting here.

“This time— success is the only acceptable outcome.”

“Yes, Master.

“This subordinate understands.”

“Good.

“You all go handle your work.

“I’m going to rest a little longer.”

Zheng Fan lay down.

He genuinely needed the rest.

He only hoped the burns would improve quickly.

Otherwise, once the savage armies returned in another two days and began assaulting the fortress, he would have to put his armor back on and climb the wall.

If those blisters were rubbed open beneath the armor...

Hiss.

Just imagining it hurt.

General Zheng had barely lain down on this side when, on the other side, the First Prince finished relaying Zheng Fan’s orders to Jin Shuke.

Jin Shuke’s reaction was overwhelming excitement.

“Aiyo, honored sir!

“You truly are my honored benefactor!

“My great benefactor!”

Jin Shuke felt as though he had spent the entire past half-year constantly running into benefactors.

That Brother Yu it was only during the battle at Fengxin, after seeing the man unleash his true strength, that Jin Shuke finally discovered who he actually was.

The Sword Saint of Jin!

According to Jin Shuke’s own “worldview,” the Sword Saint of Jin probably occupied roughly the same kind of position as the Left and Right Guli Kings of the desert.

All of them were individuals with terrifying personal strength.

And Jin Shuke had seen something else.

Even General Zheng himself showed that Brother Yu a considerable degree of respect.

So Jin Shuke’s own rise must surely have come because Brother Yu had spoken well of him before General Zheng.

And not long afterward, he somehow encountered another great benefactor.

One whose status was truly anything but ordinary.

If Jin Shuke had not spent so much time attending Mr. Bei’s lectures if his ideological and political... what was the phrase again?

Ah, right.

According to Mr. Bei, his ideological and political awareness had become relatively high then the moment he saw someone like this honored sir, his knees might have gone soft.

But none of that changed the fact that this great benefactor had now brought him another excellent assignment.

“You are not afraid?” the First Prince asked, looking at Jin Shuke.

“Afraid of what?

“I’m only afraid I won’t have anywhere to put my abilities to use.

“This mission is too important to us.

“If I help honored sir stabilize those tribes in the snowfields, that will be the same as blocking thousands upon thousands of soldiers for General Zheng.

“Lock this gate shut on one side.

“Then let the Southern Marquis’s army come killing from the other.

“Those savages will all be smothered inside.

“Not one of them will escape!”

“You are not afraid of dying?”

“Honored sir.

“I was born in the Convict Tribe.

“There aren’t many old people in the Convict Tribe.”

Hearing that, the First Prince nodded.

He did not select many men.

Only two hundred cavalry.

They were still the barbarian soldiers who had originally followed Jin Shuke.

Everyone knew one another, and Jin Shuke was accustomed to commanding them.

There was another reason.

The First Prince wanted to leave as many troops as possible at Snow Sea Pass.

Once he departed, this place was where the real killing and bloodshed would happen.

As for his own mission either nothing would happen, or something would.

And if something truly did happen, bringing several times more cavalry would make little difference.

The First Prince mounted his Pixiu and patted it gently.

Then he straightened his back.

His gaze hardened.

The noble bearing and oppressive authority of a man born to rule were no longer concealed in the slightest.

He was, after all, the eldest son of the current Ji imperial house.

Not long ago, he had still been Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Expedition Army, commanding one hundred and fifty thousand Yan troops.

Once Dacheng’s forces were included, the total under his authority had exceeded two hundred thousand.

That bearing.

That presence.

Neither could be faked.

If he was going out to intimidate people, then naturally he could not act timid and deferential.

The more arrogant and imposing he appeared, the more those savages would respond to it.

The First Prince understood that perfectly well.

In the past, he simply had not cared to put on airs.

But among the sons of great houses in Yanjing, whether one compared qualifications, status, real authority, or experience which one could possibly compare with Ji Wujiang?

He had simply disdained the performance before.

But if the time came when he truly needed to display grandeur who did not know how?

Jin Shuke and the barbarian soldiers around him all froze.

The First Prince before them seemed almost like a completely different man from the one they had known earlier.

Just then, Xue San hurried over.

“Aiyo, aiyo!

“Your Highness, you haven’t left yet?

“Wonderful, wonderful!

“I made it.

“I made it in time!”

Xue San came over carrying a sack.

Jin Shuke immediately took it from him.

He opened the bag and saw radishes inside.

With a laugh, he said:

“Third Master, we already brought dry rations.”

“Go, go, you fool.

“Who said these were for eating?”

Xue San pulled out two radishes.

They had already been cut and carved.

He flipped them over to show the First Prince.

At the same time, he explained:

“Your Highness, this one is the Marquis of Jingnan’s seal.

“This one here is His Majesty’s imperial seal.

“This is the Ministry of War.

“This one is the Ministry of Personnel.

“And here is the seal of the Grand Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan.

“And this one...”

“...”

Ji Wujiang.

The First Prince had already thought Zheng Fan was outrageous enough when, right in front of him, he ordered an imperial prince to go out and casually promise princely titles.

But one of Zheng Fan’s subordinates had actually gone so far as to carve all the necessary seals out of radishes in advance.

“And there are plenty of blank yellow imperial edict scrolls underneath.

“We seized them from Situ Yi’s residence during the attack on Fengxin.

“That bastard prepared a whole pile of them just so he could enjoy pretending to be Emperor and issue imperial decrees.

“We collected them all as spoils back then.

“Who would’ve thought they’d actually come in handy now?

“So, Your Highness— whenever you reach the entrance of some tribe, just write yourself an imperial decree in advance.

“Use whichever seal you need.

“Stamp however many you want.

“Grant whatever office you like.

“Bestow whatever title you want.

“Write it.

“Stamp it.

“Done.

“Convenient and properly ceremonial.

“Let me tell you something.

“Those tribal chiefs who’ve never seen the world?

“Heh.

“The more elaborate the performance, the more they eat it up.

“The Generalissimo back in the day used this trick all the time to fool people.”

The First Prince gave two dry laughs.

Faced with such enthusiastic assistance, he had an entire stomach full of words and no idea where to begin.

This was no longer a tiny matter of overstepping authority.

In ordinary times, this would have been more than enough to confiscate an entire clan’s property and exterminate nine generations!

And yet he also knew his imperial father’s temperament.

As long as they won this war, as long as they inflicted a devastating defeat upon the savages and swept away the chaos of the snowfields in one stroke, his father would absolutely not pursue such trivial details.

Still, as an imperial prince, Ji Wujiang instinctively felt uncomfortable.

But uncomfortable or not, he had to accept it.

He even had to squeeze out an amiable expression.

“Lieutenant Commander Xue.

“You have gone to considerable trouble.”

Motherfucker.

Just what kind of freakish talents had Zheng Fan gathered beneath him?

“Listen to Your Highness.

“This is only what we should do.

“Safe travels.

“Take care of yourself.

“And above all— be careful.”

Under Xue San’s enthusiastic farewell, the First Prince and Jin Shuke took the blank imperial edicts and a whole collection of radish seals, then led two hundred barbarian cavalrymen out through Snow Sea Pass’s northern gate.

Only after they had ridden beyond the gate did the First Prince’s brows furrow slightly.

Jin Shuke immediately asked:

“Honored sir, what is it?”

The First Prince shook his head.

Then he looked at Jin Shuke.

“Who is this Generalissimo?”

[End of Chapter 329]