Chapter 468: Military Review!

To be safe, Count Zheng ultimately chose to shove the saber into the Pixiu’s mouth together with its sheath.

The Pixiu looked miserable and resisted fiercely. Despite being a Pixiu, it apparently had no idea that it possessed the ability to “swallow objects.”

Unfortunately, Count Zheng had always coveted the effortless battlefield flourish with which the Marquis of Jingnan produced his saber. So the poor beast had no choice but to provide mandatory service.

At first, the opening was extremely narrow.

No matter how hard Zheng Fan pushed, the saber simply would not go in.

Tears were already welling in the Pixiu’s eyes when, gradually, a faint blue glow appeared around its belly. The glow moved upward, traveling along its body until it finally reached the saber in Zheng Fan’s hands.

Buzz!

The saber disappeared inside.

The Pixiu collapsed onto the ground and began panting heavily. At that moment, there was not the slightest trace of a mighty demon beast about it. It looked as though its entire body had been hollowed out.

Count Zheng stared at his empty hands in surprise at first, then slowly smiled.

It seemed the result was quite good.

Most demon beasts in this world were, at the lowest level, simply strange-looking animals. Above that came those that had awakened intelligence and spiritual awareness.

The Princess’s Green Python belonged to that category.

Beyond those were creatures like the Black Cat Zheng Fan often stroked and Huaji, the fox following Xue San. Those beings possessed unique abilities of their own.

That did not mean the Green Python was necessarily weaker than the Black Cat or Huaji. These things could not be ranked by a simple ladder. It was much like the time Xue San had directly assassinated Prince Fu, despite Prince Fu being a Sixth Grade Martial Artist.

If one truly tossed the Black Cat and Huaji in front of the Green Python, the Green Python could absolutely take them both at once and swallow them. The talents of those two spirits simply did not lie in direct combat.

As for “swallowing objects,” that was one of the Pixiu’s abilities.

Swallowing an entire warehouse was obviously impossible, but swallowing a single saber posed no problem at all.

Moreover, sabers and swords alike benefited from long-term nurturing. The spiritual aura of a treasured weapon could help stabilize the Pixiu’s body, while the Pixiu itself could in turn nourish the weapon.

Zheng Fan crouched down and patted the Pixiu’s head. Then he placed all the dried meat Siniang had brought beside it.

“Tired, aren’t you? Rest properly. When you’ve recovered, eat as much as you want.”

Then Count Zheng stood, straightened his clothes, took Siniang by the hand, and slowly walked away beneath the Pixiu’s resentful stare.

He looked exactly like some irresponsible scumbag who finished using a lover, pulled up his trousers, and walked away hand in hand with his lawful wife.

That night, following his old habits, Count Zheng took a bath. When he was ready to sleep, he saw Siniang seated behind the table beside the bed, writing out a gift list.

No matter what, social obligations could not simply be discarded. It was not about deliberately groveling before anyone. Relationships obtained purely through flattery were useless when things truly mattered. But there was also no need to perform some ridiculous white-lotus act of exaggerated purity and aloofness.

For this journey to the capital, Siniang needed to consider what gifts should be brought, who should receive each one, and which gift would produce the best effect.

Count Zheng lay on his side in bed, watching the full, graceful curve of Siniang’s profile and the faint crease between her brows.

For a moment, it felt strangely like a husband lying in bed while his wife sat nearby calculating the household’s social expenses for the month.

Perhaps this was what home felt like.

Count Zheng yawned.

Then he fell asleep.

Even after the imperial decree arrived, Zheng Fan did not depart immediately.

First, Feng Guan and Zhang Yuanshan had arrived quickly enough that they had left him ample time to reach the capital. Their own party had also traveled desperately all the way here and needed a chance to rest.

Second, Zheng Fan supposedly had affairs to handle.

Of course, the second reason was merely a reason in name. The actual day-to-day work of Snow Sea Pass was handled by the Demon Kings. Count Zheng’s primary role was closer to that of a mascot.

But even a mascot needed to be brought out and displayed from time to time.

So the military review scheduled for three days later proceeded as planned.

The review ground was not south of Snow Sea Pass, but north of it, and quite far north at that, out on the snowfields themselves. Several Savage tribal chiefs and elders had also been invited to observe.

That morning, Siniang helped Zheng Fan into armor.

He wore the imperially bestowed golden set.

As she fastened it, Siniang laughed.

“Master, this armor is fine for ceremonies, but you absolutely must not wear it onto a real battlefield.”

“I’m not stupid. Wearing this into battle would draw every bit of aggro on the field.”

“Mm. Once A’Ming wakes up, we can let him wear it.”

“A’Cheng said the same thing.”

“Hehehe.”

Siniang laughed as well, then seemed to remember something.

“Master, the Headmaster from the schoolhouse requested an audience last night. He mentioned something.”

“What?”

“The court is holding a provincial examination in Yingdu. According to the original decree, we were allotted examination places as well. After all, Jin territory has only just emerged from war and everything needs rebuilding. The examination itself is not especially difficult at the moment. Even licentiate status is basically being granted directly by local authorities.

“So quite a few instructors from our schoolhouse became interested. They were born in Jin and wanted to try their luck in Yingdu. If they pass the provincial examination, they may even receive official appointments.

“The Blind Man knew about it and approved their departure.”

“And then?”

“They left after spring began. But not long ago, they sent back a letter through a traveler. They said that even though they carried documents and travel permits issued by Count Pingye Residence, the education authorities in Yingdu refused to recognize their eligibility to enter the examination compound.”

“I’ll remember that. I have to pass through Yingdu on my way to the capital anyway, so I can ask about it there.”

“The Blind Man’s meaning is that the court wants to use the examination system to select Jin natives for office. To pacify the region, many successful candidates are being appointed back to their home localities.

“If our Snow Sea Pass instructors can pass, then returning here as local officials would save us trouble while also giving the court what it wants.

“The old arrangement, where a military commander controlled both the troops and local administration, was useful when the region still needed emergency stabilization during wartime. But now that Jin is becoming more settled, the court no longer wants that system to continue.”

“Mm. I understand.”

Once the armor was fastened, Zheng Fan walked out of the hall.

Zhang Yuanshan and Feng Guan were already waiting outside. Naturally, both Imperial Envoys would attend the military review.

Feng Guan had behaved very properly throughout his stay in Snow Sea Pass. He ate whatever was provided, accepted the gift list prepared for him, and generally made it clear that he had traveled thousands of li to deliver the decree partly to gain experience and partly to pick up some benefits along the way.

A man like that was actually reassuring.

Zhang Yuanshan, however, had spent almost all his time outside according to Xiao Yibo’s reports. He either observed the daily lives of the soldiers and civilians or wandered along the city walls. He had barely remained idle for a moment.

Perhaps he was simply curious.

But whether that curiosity concealed deeper intentions was difficult to say.

Especially now that the court was steadily appointing civil officials to take local administrative authority back from military commanders throughout Jin, Zhang Yuanshan’s behavior became all the more intriguing.

“Greetings, Count.”

“Greetings, Count.”

After delivering the imperial decree, both men naturally lowered their posture somewhat before Zheng Fan.

“After you, gentlemen.”

“Count, after you.”

The three left Count Pingye Residence.

A refined carriage was already waiting outside.

Xiong Liqing sat within it.

A military review was, after all, a military review. Naturally, one ought to bring the newest “spoils of war” along to reinforce one’s influence over the soldiers.

What Count Zheng wanted was that legendary feeling where, after he landed somewhere and waved once, an army immediately changed sides to follow him.

That was the creation of a personal cult within the army.

More importantly, it was necessary.

If the soldiers did not worship him, then they might worship someone else.

For example, an imperial decree.

Or the Emperor of Yan.

Count Zheng absolutely would not allow that.

These were troops he had painstakingly raised himself. How could they be allowed to follow someone else?

The Princess herself understood perfectly well that, for the next several years, she would inevitably become part of Count Zheng’s prestige.

That was her value.

Since she had chosen to follow him into Yan, this process was unavoidable.

She did not wallow in self-pity. She understood her position clearly.

Siniang had once discussed with Zheng Fan the difference between Xiong Liqing and Yuexin, the Blind Man’s wife.

Both women were clever.

But Yuexin came from the Wen Clan and had inherited Wen Sutong’s style of “managing the household.” She understood how to establish herself, how to settle into circumstances, and how to make a place for herself wherever she landed.

Xiong Liqing, by contrast, had been born into an imperial family. Her personal experience was not especially rich, but from birth she understood how to view things from a position above ordinary people. Naturally, she was less likely to trap herself in petty emotional corners.

Liu Ruqing was the exact opposite.

That woman had little force of will of her own. Most of the time, she floated with the current like duckweed on a river.

But that too was part of her charm.

Sometimes being nothing more than a pure ornamental vase was also a talent. It could not be learned later in life. One simply had to admit defeat and blame one’s parents.

Inside the carriage, Xiong Liqing wore magnificent formal robes.

Siniang had embroidered them herself based on her memory of a phoenix robe.

Naturally, the clothing violated plenty of ceremonial restrictions. There was the gold edging, the phoenix embroidery, and other details ordinarily reserved for imperial use.

But Xiong Liqing was herself a Princess, and Great Chu was recognized by Great Yan as an equal great state. No one could reasonably criticize her for dressing this way.

Quite the opposite.

Even if the Emperor of Yan himself were present and saw the robe with his own eyes, he would not be displeased.

Only when a Princess dressed like a true Princess could the pride of the Yan people reach its peak.

Two days earlier, while Siniang had been altering the robe for her, Xiong Liqing had jokingly asked:

“Elder Sister, did you make this outfit long ago?”

Siniang had replied:

“Mm. I’ve already made three dragon robes too.”

“Your Highness, have some water. The sun is strong outside.”

Zhao Cheng brought a cup over.

Xiong Liqing shook her head.

“No. By the way, has the Count still not come out?”

“He should be soon, Your Highness.”

“Haa.”

Xiong Liqing sighed.

She had already finished washing, dressing, and preparing long ago, yet Count Zheng was still dawdling. Somehow she had ended up waiting for him instead.

Fortunately, she had grown accustomed to it.

After spending more time together, she had slowly discovered that in certain daily habits, her own husband was even more particular than she was.

At last, Zheng Fan and the others emerged.

Count Zheng rode his Pixiu at the head of the procession.

Feng Guan and Zhang Yuanshan followed on horseback.

The group passed directly through the northern gate and entered the snowfields.

The review platform had been constructed from timber frames packed and reinforced with earth. Black Dragon banners of Great Yan and banners bearing the Zheng character covered the structure.

When Count Zheng’s party approached, the Savage tribal chiefs and elders who had already been waiting there immediately prostrated themselves.

“May the Count enjoy health and fortune!”

“May the Count enjoy health and fortune!”

Under the gaze of everyone present, Zheng Fan reached down and patted the Pixiu’s head.

The Pixiu understood.

It opened its mouth and lifted its forelegs.

A moment later, the barbarian saber shot straight out.

Count Zheng was, after all, a Sixth Grade Martial Artist.

His left hand caught the sheath.

His right drew the blade.

He raised it high before him.

The Pixiu immediately pushed upward from its hind legs, lifting its body as tall as possible to make the figure on its back appear even more imposing, while releasing a long, powerful cry.

Around them, the Snow Sea Cavalry drew their sabers simultaneously and struck them against their armor in perfect rhythm.

The sound rolled across the snowfields with murderous force.

Zheng Fan shouted:

“Great Yan is mighty!”

The Snow Sea riders roared back:

“Count Zheng is mighty!”

“Count Zheng is mighty!”

Zheng Fan shouted again:

“Great Yan is ever victorious!”

“Count Zheng is ever victorious!”

“Count Zheng is ever victorious!”

The roar surged straight into the clouds.

Sweat broke out across the brows of the surrounding Savage nobles.

The Snow Sea Cavalry might not be enormous in number, but every rider wore excellent armor and possessed outstanding skill in mounted archery. They were not inferior to the elite iron cavalry of the Jingnan Army.

On the snowfields, cavalry like these could often be used as though one rider were worth five ordinary men.

Years ago, the Marquis of Jingnan had led thirty thousand troops into the snowfields, annihilating tribes and tearing down strongholds all along his path. Nothing had been able to stop him.

Now the Savage tribes had no King leading them. They were scattered sand and were, if anything, even weaker than before.

At that moment, a swordsman in white robes and a bamboo hat slowly walked out from the rear of the procession.

Every gaze immediately turned toward him.

Even Feng Guan and Zhang Yuanshan, who had accompanied Zheng Fan out of the city, had not realized this man was traveling within the party.

The Princess lifted the carriage curtain slightly and watched the white-robed swordsman walk past her carriage.

Zhao Cheng, who was waiting beside her, asked curiously:

“Who is that?”

Then realization struck him.

He immediately covered his mouth.

By the time the swordsman in white approached the front, many people had already guessed his identity.

In the old jianghu rankings, there had been Four Great Swordsmen.

These days, few people used that phrase anymore.

The Four Great Swordsmen belonged to the past, because one of them had already transcended the level at which the four had once stood side by side.

The Sword Saint of Jin.

Before Snow Sea Pass, he had slain a Savage general.

More terrifyingly, one sword had broken a thousand cavalry.

Li Liangshen remained in the army.

The Swordsmith of Chu had yet to reveal his sword.

The Hundred-Li Sword had once faced Yan cavalry beneath Shangjing and retreated without fighting.

Among the countless swordsmen beneath Heaven, who could now compete with him for brilliance?

Rumors said that after the battle at Snow Sea Pass, the Sword Saint of Jin had vanished.

Some claimed he had died in that battle. After all, the feat of one man cutting through a thousand riders was simply too terrifying to imagine.

How could human strength achieve such a thing?

To force it through was to defy Heaven itself. Surely no one could escape the consequences.

Others said he had simply left Snow Sea Pass after the battle and returned freely to the jianghu. Perhaps, somewhere right now, he was sitting in the corner of a teahouse with one sword and one jar of wine, listening to a storyteller recount his own legend.

Still others said the Sword Saint might still be beside Count Pingye.

That theory had drawn widespread ridicule.

First, Count Pingye was Yan while the Sword Saint was Jin.

Yan had destroyed Jin’s state. For the Sword Saint to help Count Pingye expel the Savages could already be called an act of unparalleled righteousness. How could he possibly remain afterward, coveting office and becoming one of Yan’s hunting dogs?

Second, a figure like the Sword Saint had already transcended the old Four Great Swordsmen and established a realm of his own. If he carried a sword for another man, would that not shatter the sword-path dreams of countless young heroes and heroines?

Yet today’s scene proved one thing to the world.

The Sword Saint of Jin was still at Snow Sea Pass.

The moment he appeared, every Savage noble present felt a chill along his neck.

The Sword Saint’s most famous battle had been forged with Savage blood.

The Sword Saint walked to Zheng Fan’s side.

Then he reached out and took hold of the reins at the Pixiu’s neck.

Before the stunned gazes of everyone present, the Sword Saint of Jin began leading Count Pingye’s mount.

Zheng Fan had invited him personally, asking him to help support the occasion.

The Sword Saint had asked why.

Zheng Fan explained that he was about to travel to the capital. His original plan to send troops into the snowfields therefore had to be postponed, but before leaving he needed to frighten the surrounding tribes badly enough that they would not dare cause trouble in his absence.

Using the Savages as justification was perfectly reasonable.

Count Zheng was very skilled at using grand principles to fool honest men.

The Sword Saint agreed.

But he had one condition.

Leading Zheng Fan’s mount was fine.

In exchange, Zheng Fan had to carry water for his household water vat for three days.

So for the past several days, after finishing his saber practice, Count Zheng had not gone directly to bathe as usual.

Instead, he had gone next door to haul water.

Glory before others.

Suffering behind their backs.

The ancients truly did not deceive him.

But in the eyes of everyone watching, the meaning was completely different.

Why was the Marquis of Jingnan so terrifying?

Because the elite Jingnan Army rode beneath his command.

And because the Marquis himself was a peak Third Grade Martial Artist of terrifying strength.

Count Zheng now commanded more than twenty thousand Snow Sea cavalry, with the Sword Saint at his side.

It was difficult not to imagine that given enough time, might another Tian Wujing emerge?

The procession reached the foot of the review platform.

Zheng Fan dismounted and walked toward the carriage.

The curtain opened.

The Princess emerged.

Dressed in magnificent ceremonial robes, she was dazzling.

The bearing of true imperial blood could not be faked.

Count Zheng took her hand and helped her down from the carriage.

Then he walked ahead while the Princess followed behind, and together they slowly ascended the review platform.

The Savage nobles gathered nearby all belonged to tribes close to Snow Sea Pass. More distant tribes had not been invited.

Naturally, Snow Sea Pass had no intention of attempting some absurd extermination of every Savage on the snowfields.

Like the desert, the snowfields were simply too vast.

Pull some tribes close.

Strike others.

Split the rest apart.

Only then could the greatest benefit be extracted.

Count Zheng wore golden armor today.

On a real battlefield, the armor would have been a foolish choice.

Here, however, it created exactly the imposing spectacle he wanted.

Liang Cheng stood behind Zheng Fan.

Count Zheng himself stood alone at the very front.

The Great Chu Princess accepted a wooden drum mallet from a strongman behind her and struck the great drum.

Boom.

The sound was not especially deep.

Nor especially sharp or resounding.

In fact, it sounded somewhat muffled.

But the review platform stood high enough that everyone below, Savage and Snow Sea soldier alike, could clearly see who was beating the drum.

Count Zheng turned around and looked at Xiong Liqing, whose forehead was already beaded with fragrant sweat.

This had not been part of any rehearsal.

She had simply acted on impulse.

Then Zheng Fan looked down at the army.

In the eyes of his soldiers, he saw something burning.

A beauty beating the war drum.

To scholars obsessed with strict ritual, such a thing might represent true decadence and disorder. How could the military drum be treated as a toy?

King You of Zhou had lit the warning beacons to amuse Bao Si and was remembered as absurd only because the affair ultimately ended in disaster.

History judged heroes by success and failure.

The soldiers below were not thinking about ritual law.

They looked up at that noble figure in splendid robes beating the drum for them, and what appeared in their eyes was an almost explosive fervor.

Tian Wujing had gained the collective loyalty of the Jingnan Army through a hundred victories and through the military framework he personally built.

This Snow Sea Cavalry had likewise been built by Count Zheng himself.

On the grand scale, Zheng Fan could not compare to Tian Wujing.

But since the day he entered military service, Count Zheng had never lost a battle either.

Pay them enough.

Treat them well enough.

Give them enough respect.

Those were the foundations of an army.

Beyond that, the charisma of the commander himself was also an essential force binding an army together.

A commoner rising from nothing, receiving noble rank entirely through military merit.

The Sword Saint leading his mount.

A Princess worth a thousand pieces of gold beating the war drum for him.

From the very beginning, the Blind Man and the others had deliberately built Count Zheng into a military “idol.”

Year by year, layer by layer, they had continued adding to that image.

By now, the foundation was solid.

Count Zheng raised one hand.

Shing!

Shing!

Shing!

Below, more than ten thousand riders raised their weapons together.

At that moment, with his hand still lifted, Zheng Fan suddenly felt as though some invisible thread connected his thoughts with this army he had personally created.

He was their model.

Their idol.

The object of their worship.

Their... totem.

He believed that from this day onward, no matter who tried, no one at Snow Sea Pass could rebel against Zheng Fan.

Even if some commander somehow fooled an entire army into marching against him, so long as Zheng Fan himself stood atop the city wall and waved once toward those soldiers, the rebellion would collapse on the spot.

In short, that feeling and that confidence were intoxicating.

At that moment, Feng Guan, who had come onto the platform with him, held the imperial decree and asked quietly:

“Count, may I read the decree now?”

There were two imperial decrees.

One was for Count Zheng himself, which had been the primary reason for this entire mission.

The other was addressed to the army of Snow Sea Pass. It expressed the Emperor’s concern for the troops and included modest rewards of wine, meat, silver, and grain.

The second decree was essentially an accessory, a standard piece of ceremony. When the court sent an Imperial Envoy to a commander in the field, it commonly included something like this.

Feng Guan had waited until today to read it for two reasons.

First, he knew there would be a military review three days later, making this the most convenient time.

Second, their party had been traveling too quickly to escort the rewards all the way here. Transporting silver, grain, wine, and meat even from Yingdu would have taken too long.

So while staying at Count Pingye Residence, Feng Guan had simply asked Zheng Fan to advance the rewards himself. The Ministry of Revenue would reimburse that amount from the next quarter’s military allocation.

It was merely an expedient arrangement.

Their main task had always been to reach Zheng Fan quickly, deliver the summons, and give him enough time to enter the capital.

“You may.”

Zheng Fan nodded.

Feng Guan unrolled the decree and stepped forward.

The young eunuch’s voice carried remarkably well.

“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees...”

Then Feng Guan stopped.

Every rider below still had his saber raised.

According to Great Yan’s military traditions, soldiers receiving an imperial decree in the field did not need to dismount and kneel. They could salute from horseback.

But not kneeling was one thing.

What was this supposed to mean?

More than ten thousand men holding weapons aloft toward the imperial decree?

Feng Guan began to panic.

He forced himself to endure the unease and called again:

“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees...”

Below him, not one of the armored riders lowered his weapon.

The atmosphere atop the review platform suddenly became painfully awkward.

Feng Guan’s expression stiffened. He turned toward Count Pingye beside him with an almost pleading look.

Zheng Fan smiled faintly.

Then he lowered his hand.

In an instant:

“HU!”

More than ten thousand armored soldiers sheathed their sabers as one.

————

[End of Chapter 468]