Chapter 381: March!

The old man’s name was Yu Minren.

Snow Sea Pass gave him a magnificent funeral.

Truthfully, from Zheng Fan’s perspective, when he gave the order for a “grand burial,” he had two things in mind.

First, he had been impressed by the old man’s backbone and temperament.

Second, he wanted to give the Sword Saint face.

The Sword Saint stood many levels above Hero Chen, but the two men shared a great deal in common. From the perspective of “currying favor with honest men,” there was no essential difference between them.

Before Dujuan died, she had dared entrust her child to the Sword Saint.

And the Sword Saint had carried the son of his enemy through an encirclement and fought his way out.

There was simply nothing to criticize about the man’s character.

Give someone like that a few bowls of water today, and one day he would repay you with an entire waterfall.

A guaranteed profitable investment.

But once Zheng Fan handed the burial arrangements to the Blind Man, the matter immediately drifted far beyond what he had originally imagined.

This was no longer merely a grand burial.

It became a true funeral of splendor and honor.

Every Jin-born soldier throughout Snow Sea Pass tied white cloth to his weapon.

Two thousand cavalrymen opened the road and escorted the coffin to its burial place.

For the occasion, even some of the urgently needed construction work was suspended so the common people could gather and witness the funeral.

Every part of the ceremony followed the customs of Jin.

For the details, the Blind Man personally questioned elderly people among the civilians, trying to make everything as meticulous and proper as possible.

That was why, after watching the funeral from the city wall, the Sword Saint released his crutch and bent forward in a deep bow toward Zheng Fan.

He bowed for the respect Zheng Fan had shown his Clan Patriarch.

And he bowed for the immense kindness Zheng Fan had shown Yu Huaping himself.

Count Zheng did not put on some hypocritical show of refusing the bow.

He merely said calmly:

“It was what I should have done.”

After the Sword Saint left, Zheng Fan remained alone on the city wall.

One hand rested on the battlement.

His fingers slowly rubbed across the stone as he felt the warmth of the wall beneath his palm.

Inside, he could not help sighing.

The Sword Saint truly did not understand politics.

A short while later, the Blind Man—who had spent the entire day busy with the funeral—walked up onto this section of wall and stopped behind Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan did not need to turn around.

He knew who it was merely from the footsteps.

Siniang arrived with fragrance before she arrived in person.

Liang Cheng walked with straight, measured steps.

Fan Li’s footsteps were heavy.

Xue San’s were extremely light.

A’Ming’s boot soles made a crisp sound.

Only the Blind Man even his footsteps carried that same relaxed, leisurely ease.

“You handled it well,” Zheng Fan said.

He had understood the Blind Man’s intention somewhat belatedly, but he understood it now.

The man being buried was the Grand Patriarch of the Yu Clan.

Before dying, the old man had exposed two Silver-Armored Guards from Qian.

Then he had calmly asked for one stroke of the saber and gone to his death.

And the entire thing had happened in full view of a crowd.

Yes, Count Zheng had personally cut off the old man’s head.

But that had only been to fulfill the old man’s final wish.

Yu Minren’s actions were unquestionably positive from the local point of view.

He had acknowledged Count Pingye’s contribution during the defense of Snow Sea Pass.

By doing so, he had also acknowledged the contributions made by all those surrendered Jin soldiers who had stood beside Count Zheng and defended the pass to the death.

It was a form of positive recognition.

At the same time, the funeral was being held for a Jin man.

And not some ordinary Jin man.

The old man’s status had been lofty.

No matter how far the Yu imperial clan had fallen over the years, its members had once been, in name at least, among the most exalted people in all the lands of the Three Jin.

Hold a grand funeral for such a Jin man.

Have Jin-born soldiers perform the mourning rites.

Let the surrounding civilians—most of whom were themselves Jin people—come and watch.

This became an enormous political stage.

It could stabilize military morale.

More importantly it could harvest public sentiment by the armful.

At the end of the day, no matter how one dressed it up, Zheng Fan had risen from the “Yan” side.

He was a Yan general.

He was Count Pingye, personally enfeoffed by the Emperor of Yan.

The fundamental reality that he represented an invading, foreign power—and the class contradictions that would inevitably emerge in peacetime—could never be erased completely.

Since they could not be erased then the answer was to blur them.

A warlord’s true foundation never came from the court’s favor and appreciation.

Any central government with half a functioning brain instinctively resisted and rejected autonomous military governors.

The center pursued concentration of authority because it was instinctive.

Regional military powers pursued autonomy for exactly the same reason.

The two instincts might coexist for a time when both sides needed one another.

But eventually the contradiction could not be reconciled.

So from Zheng Fan’s perspective, winning popular support as quickly as possible was one of the most important tasks before him.

The ideal result would be this:

Yes, you were an official of Yan.

But the people of Jin still regarded you as one of their own.

The Blind Man had thought of that.

And he had done it.

“Master, the best kind of mutual benefit is when one event satisfies the people who need satisfying— and satisfies us as well.”

Zheng Fan shook his head.

“I’m not sentimental enough to object to that.

“What you did was right.”

Mixing political effects into a funeral and squeezing every possible use from it certainly amounted to exploiting the dead.

One could even call it a form of desecration.

But at least the living were satisfied.

Count Zheng did not suffer from moral cleanliness.

Nor was he the sort of man who failed to recognize a favor done well.

The Blind Man walked to Zheng Fan’s side.

“Master, Siniang and I went through the accounts.

“Our money and valuables are still fairly abundant. Military pay is not a major problem.

“But grain, fodder, and other supplies will be tight this winter even after including shipments from Yingdu and the Ministry of Revenue.”

Being tight on supplies was normal.

Especially after a major war.

Life everywhere would inevitably be strained.

In an age like this, if a ruler could merely keep the people beneath him from starving to death, that already counted as competent governance.

But Snow Sea Pass aimed higher.

After all the effort they had put in, if their only dream was to keep soldiers and civilians from dying of hunger that would be far too pathetic.

The Blind Man continued:

“At the same time, right up until winter—and even during winter itself—we expect refugees will continue coming toward us looking for a way to survive.

“Naturally, we should accept them.

“But that will increase the pressure on our food supply even further.

“This year will unquestionably be the hardest one.

“Our plan is to finish repairing the city defenses before winter and settle more than ninety percent of the population under our rule.

“Then, during winter, we can finally free enough manpower to establish our own workshops and restart our own merchant caravans.

“We can rebuild the system we originally created in Shengle City.

“Once the merchant caravans begin moving regularly again, shortages of grain and other supplies will be greatly reduced.”

There was no rule saying every transaction had to be conducted in gold and silver.

Prices could be calculated in grain and needed materials.

Goods could be exchanged directly for goods.

That would turn merchant caravans into voluntary supply convoys.

Gold and silver were wonderful things.

But when matters became desperate, you could not eat silver.

Nor could you forge it into useful weapons.

Back in Shengle City, they had already begun creating such a system.

But moving everything at once meant rebuilding machinery that had previously been running smoothly.

And that required time.

At the same time, if the State of Yan did not resume war with Chu or Qian, commercial activity would begin recovering again.

In short if they survived the difficulties of this year, Snow Sea Pass could enter a virtuous cycle of growth afterward.

“As for grain,” Zheng Fan said, “we can borrow some from our neighbors.

“Follow the plan we discussed before.

“You and Liang Cheng put more effort into training that barbarian force properly.

“Our savage neighbors on the snowfields are warm and hospitable people.

“They would never stand by and watch us go hungry.”

“I feel exactly the same way, Master.”

Zheng Fan turned toward the Blind Man.

“Anything else?”

“No.

“Master can go back and rest properly.”

That surprised Zheng Fan slightly.

Fan Li and Liang Cheng had already advanced for apparently no reason.

Yet the Blind Man showed no hurry to pursue his own advancement.

Still, the Blind Man had always been patient.

So Zheng Fan said nothing more.

He descended from the wall and returned to the residence where he was temporarily living.

The moment Zheng Fan arrived, Madam Ke proactively fetched hot water and began washing Count Zheng’s feet.

Her technique was visibly improving.

This time, while washing them, she had even added a foot massage on her own initiative.

Zheng Fan had no idea where she learned it.

But her movements were surprisingly proper and practiced.

The life originally intended for this woman had probably been simple.

She should have remained in the relatively prosperous household she married into, supporting her husband and raising children until old age.

War destroyed that household.

And so she had been forced out of the life originally laid before her and into a struggle for her own survival and that of her child.

“Did Siniang come back?” Zheng Fan asked.

“Replying to the Count, Madam sent someone back to say the accounting office is very busy today.

“She will not return to sleep here tonight.”

Zheng Fan nodded.

After a moment, he said:

“That’s enough.”

“Yes, Count.”

Madam Ke carefully dried his feet.

Zheng Fan went into his bedroom alone and lay down.

His mind was surprisingly clear.

He could not call himself happy or sad.

There was no particular worry inside him either.

He slowly closed his eyes and maintained that empty state of mind.

Gradually his breathing became steady.

After reaching Sixth Grade, the circulation of qi and blood could be integrated far more closely with the body.

To a certain extent, sleep and meditative trance could almost be switched between at will.

One obvious benefit was that, as long as the mind was not filled with too many stray thoughts insomnia almost ceased to exist.

After Zheng Fan entered his bedroom, Madam Ke carried hot water into her own room and poured it into a bathing tub.

Then she removed her clothes and began washing herself.

Her hands moved slowly across her body.

She felt the smoothness of her own skin.

The entire process seemed almost sacred and solemn.

There was none of the usual pleasure of bathing.

Instead it carried the gravity of a condemned prisoner preparing for the execution ground.

Yes.

An execution ground.

That truly was how it felt.

She was a widow.

Through luck, she had been allowed to remain beside Count Pingye as a servant woman.

But what she wanted was far more than the position of a maid.

Precisely because she had endured displacement, terror, and days without security, she felt an even more urgent need to seize every opportunity before her.

She believed Count Pingye was interested in her.

She trusted her face.

She trusted her body.

Otherwise, back when the savages attacked the city, there had been so many refugees in the streets.

Plenty had been women.

Why had Count Pingye singled her out?

She still remembered the time she had deliberately rubbed her breast against Count Pingye’s hand.

His reaction then was genuinely amusing when she thought back on it now.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Madam Ke’s mouth.

Back then, she truly had been more open-minded about everything.

Part of her had simply been bold enough to tease the man before her on purpose.

But this time...

Madam Ke drew in a deep breath.

She feared Siniang.

She truly, genuinely feared her.

Madam Ke understood perfectly well that she was no match for that woman.

Inside the residence, people called Siniang “Madam.”

Outside, they called her **Mr. Feng**.

She was a woman capable of handling major affairs for the Count.

That made her stronger than every ordinary woman of the inner residence.

Her position was correspondingly more impossible to shake.

But tonight was an opportunity.

Madam Ke had to seize it.

She had to become a woman of the Count’s bedchamber.

Even if she became only a concubine.

Even if she received no formal status at all.

She would still accept it willingly.

Because that identity would be protection.

For that protection, she was willing to endure whatever consequences followed once Siniang learned what she had done.

*Splash...*

Madam Ke rose from the bathing tub.

She put on a black dress.

Then she opened the door and stepped outside.

A covered corridor connected the front and rear compounds.

It was not very long.

This was only the Count’s temporary residence, after all. They would leave once the Count Pingye Residence was finished.

The weather had grown hot.

Even at night, the air remained muggy and damp.

Yet Madam Ke felt strangely cool.

She walked.

And walked.

And kept walking.

A corridor that should have taken only moments to cross somehow never ended.

At first, Madam Ke was too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice anything strange.

Gradually, however, she realized something was wrong.

Why had she still not reached the end of the corridor?

Madam Ke steadied herself and continued forward.

But the passage seemed to have stretched to some impossible length.

She still could not leave it.

Now genuinely alarmed, Madam Ke turned around and tried walking back the other way.

She walked until her feet ached.

Still she did not escape.

Before marrying, she had once heard her grandmother tell stories about **ghost walls**.

A person caught inside one could walk and walk without ever finding the way out.

Usually, the trap only broke at dawn.

But this was the residence of Count Pingye.

Even if evil spirits existed in the world how could any dare run wild here?

Old people said butchers could suppress evil things because they carried so much blood aura around them that spirits dared not approach.

How many human lives must Count Pingye have stained himself with?

What evil thing would dare come near him?

What Madam Ke did not know was that on the steps just outside the corridor stood an infant with hollow eyes.

And behind that infant, another baby wearing split-crotch pants was crawling toward him.

The second child did not dare crawl directly down the steps.

So he turned his body sideways, lowered his bottom half over the edge first, then carefully stretched out one little foot to search for the next step.

What Madam Ke understood even less was this:

Inside Count Pingye’s household the one thing they possessed in greatest abundance was evil spirits.

A terrifying smile appeared at the corner of the Demon Child’s mouth.

Every person released a certain aura.

As a spiritual entity, the Demon Child was exceptionally sensitive to such things.

Earlier, while Madam Ke was bathing the Demon Child, who had been babysitting in the rear compound, suddenly smelled an extremely rich aura of spring and all things returning to life.

If one ignored outside interference and spoke only from the heart almost no son wanted his father to find him a stepmother.

Once, the Demon Child had personally appeared to prevent Siniang from getting too close to his father.

Unfortunately his shameless father had actually learned to throw him out of the room beforehand.

Gradually, the Demon Child had been forced to accept reality.

At the very least, Siniang was one of the Demon Kings.

He might not approve.

But psychologically it was still somewhat easier to tolerate.

But what the hell was this woman?

She actually dared reach her filthy claws toward his father’s bed?

Insolent!

Brazen!

Arrogant!

Dream on!

*Keep walking in circles until dawn.*

*You aren’t even wearing anything underneath.*

*Serves you right if you catch cold.*

The Demon Child turned around.

By now, the Young Prince had almost succeeded in climbing down the steps.

The Demon Child walked over, picked him up directly, and carried him back into the bedroom.

To an outsider, it would have looked as though the Young Prince were floating through the air by himself.

Apparently he still wanted to play outside for a while.

His little fleshy legs kicked repeatedly in protest.

Then, a stone flew over.

*Smack! Smack! Smack!*

It swatted his little backside several times.

The Young Prince immediately stopped resisting.

He merely put one finger into his mouth and sucked on it with an aggrieved expression.

...

“Haaah.”

Xue San stretched as he walked into a secret chamber.

The place was heavily guarded.

Every guard posted along the route respectfully saluted Xue San when he entered.

Not a single one dared ask what had happened to his injured face.

This place was Xue San’s nest.

In professional terminology his demon den.

Xue San had personally trained a group of men.

During wartime, they served as scouts and gathered military intelligence.

During peacetime, they monitored the surrounding region.

They were effectively this era’s version of the **Juntong**.

Naturally, their organization was still nowhere near the scale of the State of Yan’s Secret Intelligence Department or Qian’s Silver-Armored Guard.

As for the future who knew?

Xue San had not originally intended to come here today.

But he could not sleep, so he decided to drop in.

The moment he entered the prison, he saw one of his subordinates crouching beside the older female prisoner.

The man’s hand was moving over her body.

A lecherous smile hung on his face.

“Third Master.”

“Third Master.”

The guards outside announced Xue San’s arrival.

The man immediately sprang upright.

He turned toward Xue San, straightened his back, and shouted:

“Third Master!”

Xue San pointed at him.

“Don’t stop.

“Go on.

“Keep going.”

“No, Third Master. This subordinate was interrogating her.

“This Silver-Armored Guard has an extremely tight mouth. This subordinate believes there’s no chance she’ll talk unless we use torture.”

“Oh?

“Interrogating her?

“Comfortable?”

“No! No, Third Master, I...”

“It’s fine.

“Why are you panicking?

“They’re only two Silver-Armored Guards.

“In Qian, naturally, they’re impressive people. Hardly anyone dares offend them.

“But this is Yan soil.

“This is Snow Sea Pass.

“This is our territory.

“We can’t exactly let them act arrogant here, can we?”

“Yes, yes, yes, Third Master.”

“The brothers have been lonely too.

“Letting everyone have some fun would only be reasonable.”

“Thank you, Third Master! Thank you, Third Master!”

Xue San kept smiling at him.

Then he turned toward the other subordinates nearby.

“Seize him.”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Several men immediately stepped forward and pinned down the subordinate who had been molesting the Silver-Armored Guard.

“Third Master? Third Master, what’s going on? Third Master?”

“Heh.

“If you want women, it isn’t as though there are no Red Tents inside the city.

“The sisters there are still waiting for you bastards to bring silver over and give them business.

“And if that isn’t enough, there are countless refugees outside.

“Finding a girl to marry isn’t especially difficult either, so long as you can afford to feed her family.

“But her— and her do you know who these two women are?

“Yes, they’re Silver-Armored Guards.

“But they’re also women the State of Qian delivered to our Count.

“Our Count will never take them as concubines.

“He won’t keep them either.

“But both women have already been marked with the Count’s seal.”

Xue San waved one hand.

“Castrate him first.

“Then chop off his hands and feet.

“Feed him to the dogs.”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“No! Third Master! Third Master, please! Give this lowly one another chance! Third Master! Third Master! AAAAAAAAH!”

Xue San turned his back.

He took a few mint leaves from a small box, placed them in his mouth, and slowly chewed.

“Don’t blame your Third Master for being ruthless.

“A man who can’t even control his own hands and feet will only get everyone killed when he’s sent out on a mission.

“Drag him outside afterward.

“Don’t wash the blood away.

“I’m sleeping here tonight.

“I sleep more soundly when there’s a little smell of blood.”

...

The next morning, Zheng Fan immediately noticed something wrong with Madam Ke during breakfast.

“What happened?”

“Replying to the Count, nothing.”

“Your voice is hoarse.

“Did you catch cold?”

“Perhaps this servant slept too greedily in the cool air last night.”

“Go to the dispensary and have a physician look at you later.”

“Many thanks for the Count’s concern.”

“Mm.”

Zheng Fan picked up a fried dough stick and had just started tearing off pieces to dip into soy milk when Fan Li hurried in.

“Master, something happened outside the northern side of the city.”

“The north?”

The north faced the snowfields.

What could have happened there?

Zheng Fan abandoned the rest of his breakfast.

He stood and left the residence with Fan Li.

Riding the Pixiu through the northern gate, he soon reached an area less than five li from Snow Sea Pass’s northern wall.

A large number of Snow Sea Pass cavalrymen were already circling the area.

Several hundred corpses dressed in Jin clothing had been stacked into a tall, orderly mound.

The bottom layers were men.

The middle layers were women.

At the top the bodies of children.

From large to small, the dead had been stacked into a pyramid.

The patrol cavalry that left the city that morning had probably discovered it and reported upward.

At that moment, Liang Cheng came riding back from the north.

Xue San rode beside him.

When Liang Cheng reached Zheng Fan, Zheng Fan lowered his voice and asked immediately:

“What happened?

“Didn’t I tell you to suspend the arrangement?

“Even if you wanted to stage something, a little token effort would have been enough.

“You killed this many people just to frame someone?”

Liang Cheng immediately understood what his Master meant.

“Master, this matter has nothing to do with this subordinate.

“I did not do it.”

Xue San added:

“Master, these people did not come from Snow Sea Pass.

“Look at their clothes.

“They’re dressed like Jin people, but almost everything they’re wearing is torn to pieces.

“This subordinate suspects they escaped from the snowfields.

“I’ve already sent someone to ask around at a small nearby savage tribe.

“I developed a source there recently.

“We should be able to obtain information.”

Zheng Fan nodded.

The main savage forces that entered Jin had largely been buried there.

But before Count Zheng’s surprise strike seized Snow Sea Pass and closed the road, the savages had already transported enormous quantities of plunder and captives back onto the snowfields.

So large numbers of Jin slaves still existed north of the pass.

As Xue San said these corpses were most likely Jin people who had previously been carried north as captives.

They did not have to wait long.

The small savage tribe was nearby, and this time it did not send only the source.

Its chieftain came personally.

Clearly, the “source” Xue San maintained inside the tribe had probably been arranged with the chieftain’s knowledge from the beginning.

The small tribe was called the **Hailan Tribe**.

Its population numbered only one or two thousand.

It lived directly along the Snow Sea Pass frontier.

Precisely because it stood so close to Snow Sea Pass, the tribe was terrified.

That was why its leader maintained contact with the Yan inside the pass through a “source.”

This time, however, he clearly understood something serious had happened.

He no longer dared rely upon a middleman to carry the message.

“Hailan Yanggu, chieftain of the Hailan Tribe, pays respects to Count Pingye.

“May the Count enjoy long life and good fortune beneath the protection of the stars.”

Zheng Fan remained seated on his Pixiu.

After Hailan Yanggu saluted, Zheng Fan merely dipped his head slightly.

Then he pointed toward the mound of Jin corpses.

“Who killed them?”

The question was direct.

“Replying to Count Pingye, men of the Naiman Tribe killed them last night.

“They also stacked the corpses here.”

“Naiman Tribe?”

Zheng Fan narrowed his eyes.

“That sounds familiar.”

“Replying to the Count, the leader of the Naiman Tribe is the Naiman King enfeoffed by the State of Yan. He is—”

*Crack!*

Zheng Fan’s whip lashed downward from atop the Pixiu.

It struck Hailan Yanggu across the face.

A bloody welt immediately appeared.

Hailan Yanggu did not dare complain.

He did not even dare cry out in pain.

He immediately prostrated himself and began kowtowing repeatedly.

“The Naiman Tribe was originally a medium-sized tribe on the snowfields.

“They had a population of more than twenty thousand and nearly eight thousand bow-bearing warriors.

“Recently, they absorbed several tribes whose warriors suffered major losses in Jin, so their power has expanded extremely quickly.

“These Jin slaves—

“No.

“These Jin people escaped from the Naiman Tribe last night.

“They wanted to flee back to Snow Sea Pass.

“But Naiman cavalry caught them here and shot them all to death.”

“Then why stack the bodies?” Zheng Fan asked.

If nothing unexpected had happened, the leader of the Naiman Tribe had probably attended the earlier alliance gathering where peace was proclaimed.

That would explain why the tribal name sounded familiar.

“The prince of the Naiman Tribe wanted to build a corpse mound here.

“He wanted every slave who might try escaping in the future to see what happens to runaways.”

“Oh?

“So it was built for the slaves to see?”

“Yes.

“Yes, Count.”

*Crack!*

Zheng Fan’s whip came down again.

It struck Hailan Yanggu across the body.

The savage chieftain trembled.

His teeth clenched tight.

He did not dare make a sound.

“Say it again.

“Who exactly was this built for?”

Zheng Fan did not wait for an answer.

His voice sank.

“This was obviously built for Snow Sea Pass to see.

“It was built for this Count to see.

“It was built for the Great Yan Dynasty to see!

“Excellent.

“This Count has not yet gone looking for trouble with him— and he dares climb onto my face first!

“A thing that doesn’t know whether it wants to live or die!

“Does he truly think this Count is made from clay?”

Zheng Fan pointed directly toward Hailan Yanggu.

“Carry one message from this Count to every tribe across the snowfields:

“The Naiman Tribe has offended the majesty of Great Yan!

“Its crime deserves extermination!

“The iron cavalry of Great Yan will soon march forth and flatten the Naiman Tribe!

“I will exterminate the tribe down to the last household— and leave neither chicken nor dog alive!

“Any tribe on the snowfields that dares assist the Naiman Tribe will be judged guilty of the same crime!”

...

“General, is that Snow Sea Pass ahead?

“It truly is magnificent.

“It doesn’t lose to Tuman City at all.”

Keyan Dongge stared ahead in admiration.

Jin Shuke rode beside him.

“Young Chieftain, that is indeed Snow Sea Pass.

“But Snow Sea Pass is much larger than the city alone.

“Look.

“From this mountain range to that one, all those beacon forts and fortified posts are part of the Snow Sea Pass defensive system.

“The area undergoing major construction over there will become civilian housing.

“Your tribe will also be properly settled.

“Our Count has already prepared enough tents.

“You’ll have to endure them for a little while, but before winter our Count guarantees that Young Chieftain and all your tribesmen will be able to move into proper houses.”

“Hahahaha!”

Keyan Dongge laughed.

“Brother Jin Shuke, you must have lived in Yan territory too long.

“Have you forgotten?

“How could we barbarians possibly regard living in tents as suffering?”

Jin Shuke burst into laughter as well.

The two men laughed together.

Then, Jin Shuke’s laughter abruptly stopped.

A figure was galloping toward them from ahead.

The rider wore ordinary issue armor.

But the mount beneath him was no ordinary warhorse.

Keyan Dongge saw the approaching rider as well.

He pointed ahead and asked Jin Shuke:

“Is that a Pi Beast?

“Are even your Snow Sea Pass scouts this extravagant?

“Hahahaha!

“Then maybe I can ask for one to ride too?”

Jin Shuke did not answer.

He immediately swung down from his horse.

Then, dropped to his knees.

“This subordinate pays respects to Count Pingye!”

“...”

Keyan Dongge.

The approaching rider was Zheng Fan himself, mounted on the Pixiu.

Across all of Snow Sea Pass, there was only one man qualified to ride that beast.

Keyan Dongge had not been mentally prepared in the slightest.

His tribe had not even entered Snow Sea Pass yet.

He had never imagined he would suddenly encounter Count Pingye like this.

In an instant, Keyan Dongge remembered the terror of being crushed beneath the Marquis of Jingnan’s presence inside that military camp.

His own father and all the tribal elders were still serving beside the Marquis of Jingnan as personal guards!

*Crash!*

The Young Chieftain of the Keyan Tribe panicked so badly that he fell straight from his horse.

Ignoring the pain, he immediately prostrated himself before Zheng Fan.

“Keyan Dongge, Young Chieftain of the Keyan Tribe, pays respects to Count Pingye!

“May Count Pingye enjoy ten thousand blessings!”

The Keyan warriors and nearby tribesmen froze for an instant.

Then they followed their Young Chieftain and knelt toward the approaching rider.

“You are Keyan Dongge?”

Zheng Fan held his riding whip and pointed toward the kneeling man.

“Yes!

“This lowly one is Keyan Dongge!

“This lowly one is terrified.

“I should have led the tribe into Snow Sea Pass first and entered the city on my knees to pay respects to the Count.

“How could I dare trouble the Count to personally come out and receive us?

“This truly leaves this lowly one and every person of the Keyan Tribe—”

“Enough nonsense.

“This Count has no time to trade pretty words with you.”

“Yes, yes, yes. Of course.”

“Keyan Dongge.

“In my authority as Chief Commander of Snow Sea Pass and Count Pingye personally enfeoffed by His Majesty, I order you to immediately assemble the warriors of your tribe and await my command.”

“Yes!

“Keyan Dongge receives the order!

“Every man of the Keyan Tribe is willing to die in the Count’s service!”

Keyan Dongge immediately began ordering the men around him to gather every adult male warrior in the tribe without delay.

At that moment, Jin Shuke—who had already stood again—deliberately walked to the side of Zheng Fan’s Pixiu.

He looked up.

“Count, are we going to...?”

Truthfully, Jin Shuke was deliberately showing off his relationship with Count Pingye in front of Keyan Dongge and the other barbarians.

They might not belong to the same tribe.

But in a foreign land, they were still countrymen of a sort.

Jin Shuke wanted them to see the privilege and intimacy enjoyed by a favorite who stood close to the Count.

Put another way he looked almost exactly like another version of Zheng Fan back when Zheng Fan stood in front of the Marquis of Jingnan.

The instant Jin Shuke asked the question, Keyan Dongge pricked up his ears as well.

His tribe had not even entered Snow Sea Pass yet.

Count Pingye had personally ridden out alone to requisition their troops.

Who exactly were they about to fight?

After giving Keyan Dongge his orders—and seeing the Young Chieftain was extremely obedient—Zheng Fan’s expression softened when he answered Jin Shuke.

He pointed north.

“There’s a little child up there who hasn’t been behaving.

“This Count is going to spank his backside.”

Then, as though knowing Keyan Dongge was listening too, Zheng Fan straightened and said:

“This will also give this Count a chance to see whether barbarian cavalry are actually capable of dealing with savages.”

Keyan Dongge immediately struck his own chest and roared:

“The warriors of the Keyan Tribe will never disappoint the Count!”

Zheng Fan smiled.

“Whether something is a mule or a horse, you have to take it out and run it before you know.

“If the Keyan Tribe fights well, this Count will reward you with cattle, sheep, and fine wine.

“From that day onward, your treatment will be the same as the regular troops under my command.

“But if mighty barbarian cavalry cannot even handle a savage tribe— then turn around early and crawl back wherever you came from.”

“Count, please rest assured!

“We will fight to the death!”

Keyan Dongge had effectively issued a military pledge.

Jin Shuke, being a barbarian himself, knelt beside Keyan Dongge as well.

After all, this battle concerned the future standing of every barbarian formation serving beneath Snow Sea Pass.

“Good.

“Then fight properly.

“Show me your might.

“You should understand— back then, the First Prince practically wanted to kneel before this Count and beg a thousand times over before I reluctantly agreed to take in this ‘dowry’ of his.

“But if you yourselves prove useless— do not blame this Count for refusing to give the First Prince face.

“Snow Sea Pass— is no place for useless trash!”

————

[End of Chapter 381]