Chapter 836: One Battle Topples a State!

The Blind Man asked:

"About the prophecy. I want the exact details. The one from the snowfields you mentioned earlier... he is the servant?"

"Yes. That is how the prophecy describes him. He will find the reincarnated loyal souls of Great Xia, gather them together, surround the true Son of Heaven, and restore Great Xia."

The Blind Man "looked" toward Zheng Fan.

The Demon Kings had not been without guesses concerning the black-armored man's identity.

Even in his "weakened" and "innately incomplete" state, the man was already terrifyingly strong.

By all appearances... he ought to qualify for one of the "Demon King" positions.

But Master had said:

No.

Now it appeared Master's judgment had been correct.

The black-armored man wearing armor branded with the Helian Clan crest should be investigated again, specifically in relation to any old connection between the Helian Clan and remnants of Great Xia.

In truth, after capturing the black-armored man, the Residence had already conducted one round of investigation.

A'Ming and even the Blind Man himself had gone out searching for clues.

A'Ming had even taken time to make a trip to Yanjing.

But aside from filling in some historical gaps, they had found very little information with a clear direction.

It was not that someone had deliberately hidden the truth.

History was simply too long.

Written records could never preserve everything completely or accurately.

Unless one of the Demon Kings dedicated an entire lifetime to compiling the histories of the Four States, the way Meng Shou of Chu once had, finding every forgotten fragment would be nearly impossible.

"What else? I want concrete information about the Dem... no, the loyal souls of Great Xia."

Chen Ning was extremely cooperative.

She truly answered whatever she was asked.

"The Three Marquises opened the frontiers, yet stood by while Great Xia collapsed. According to the guesses of my ancestors and my father, those three houses betrayed the old Great Xia covenant and must therefore suffer Heaven's punishment.

"So Father believed one reincarnated loyal soul should first appear in each of Yan, Jin, and Chu, overturning the dynasties of those three houses.

"Qian occupies the magpie's nest as a turtledove. It should have one too."

Zheng Fan listened carefully while thinking.

Resist.

Overthrow.

According to their earlier speculation, Tian Tian could probably count as one.

He should have hated Great Yan.

Perhaps even hated his own father.

And given his identity, he would also possess extraordinary rallying power.

Otherwise Zheng Fan would not have brought him to South Gate Pass during this campaign.

Prince Jingnan died in battle.

The Jingnan Army fell apart.

Tian Tian, as the Heir, gathered his father's old subordinates and overthrew the Ji family's empire.

As a motive, it made sense.

Any missing details in the middle could be patched however one liked.

As for Xie Yu'an... the Blind Man had specifically collected intelligence on the Xie Clan some time ago.

Put simply, the Xie Clan differed from Chu's other great aristocratic houses.

It possessed greater independence.

In that respect, it resembled the old Marquis Zhenbei Residence of Yan, or the present Prince Pingxi Residence.

Then look at the performance of the Xie Clan's thousand-li colt.

Give him twenty peaceful years to develop and prepare.

Would anyone truly find it strange if he rebelled against Chu?

He had family foundations.

Prestige.

He had been intelligent since childhood.

Every condition was there.

Why would he not reach out and ask whether the cauldron of the realm might belong to him?

Tian Tian in Yan.

And assuming the Xie Clan's thousand-li colt truly was one of the Demon Kings... then Chu had one too.

What about Jin?

Unknown.

Qian?

Also unknown.

Qian constantly boasted that Four Marquises had opened the frontiers, though the orthodox Three States had never truly respected that claim.

Still...

Qian's sheer size was there.

Its territory covered most of the ancient heartland of Great Xia.

So Qian should logically produce one as well.

That made four.

The remaining three... would be much harder to find.

"Father also once said..." Chen Ning looked toward Zheng Fan. "If, twenty years from now, Your Highness Prince Pingxi raises troops and rebels against Yan, then you would probably be one of the reincarnated loyal souls too."

Zheng Fan picked up his cup.

Softly, he said:

"Thank you."

The Blind Man said:

"Later we'll give you brush and ink. Think carefully about anything else you can tell us and write it all down, so nothing is missed."

Chen Ning nodded.

"All right."

"Good. Now you may state your conditions."

Chen Ning raised one hand.

"There is still one thing you have not asked."

"Oh? Go ahead."

"Father worried he might not live another twenty years. So he told me and my elder brothers that the servant who would return from the farthest north requires the blood of Great Xia to guide him."

"Awaken him?" the Blind Man asked.

Chen Ning hesitated.

Clearly, she did not know the exact circumstances.

And the word "awaken" itself was somewhat difficult to understand.

The Blind Man said:

"Enough. We understand."

What the woman seemed to mean was that the black-armored man required blood from the legitimate Great Xia imperial line to be "nurtured."

But this condition could not yet be treated as fact.

The woman might have invented it in order to preserve her own life.

Whatever the truth... they would keep her alive for now.

Chen Ning looked at Zheng Fan.

Then at the Blind Man.

"Now I want to state my conditions."

Zheng Fan gave a slight nod.

"Your Highness, if my father and brothers are still alive, I ask that you rescue them."

Prince Pingxi answered without the slightest tact:

"They're probably dead."

The corner of Chen Ning's mouth twitched several times.

The considerate Prince Pingxi spoke again:

"Choose something more realistic."

The woman drew in a deep breath.

"That was actually my second condition."

In truth, Chen Ning herself understood that her father and brothers were most likely gone.

"I hope Your Highness can build an ancestral shrine for the remnants of Great Xia. With Your Highness's present status and power, you are capable of doing so."

Zheng Fan frowned.

Then said:

"Too troublesome. Not doing it."

The woman's meaning was obvious.

She did not want some hidden little shrine.

She wanted an open and proper ancestral temple for Great Xia, one that would receive incense and worship.

Of course, given Zheng Fan's present position, even if he did such a thing, nobody would truly dare say much.

Even Little Sixth would probably only complain:

What strange performance are you putting on this time?

Inside Great Yan, Zheng Fan's political freedom had become absurdly broad.

As long as he did not openly raise a rebel banner and announce treason, Yanjing could swallow almost anything he did.

Chen Ning immediately said:

"There are still quite a few remnants of Great Xia scattered across the realm. Your Highness could take them into your service. As long as Your Highness gives them a recognized identity, they..."

"A pack of useless trash."

"..."

"Your family was probably among the ones doing rather well, correct? Yet one little political storm in Liang almost exterminated the entire clan. The others are probably no more than rotten fish and spoiled shrimp. What do I need them for?

"If Great Xia had fallen less than a hundred years ago, perhaps they might still be useful.

"But several hundred years have already passed.

"Speaking from the heart... if we're discussing actual usefulness...

"I might as well build an ancestral temple for the old State of Liang and cry injustice for the former Liang dynasty. At least that could still disgust the imperial house of Qian."

The "old State of Liang" here did not mean the present Liang.

It referred to Qian's predecessor, the dynasty usurped by Qian's founding Emperor.

Zheng Fan waved his hand.

"Everything happened too suddenly. You never properly thought through your request?"

The woman could no longer maintain her forced composure.

She nodded.

"Yes."

Today had originally been an accident.

She never expected to encounter a Yan army.

And she had certainly never planned to defect to Yan.

In fact, in her father's view, Prince Pingxi could reasonably be described as an "executioner" waiting for the remnants of Great Xia.

"No hurry, then. This Prince will leave that condition open for you. Take your man and go rest for now."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Liu Dahu entered again and escorted the woman out of the command tent.

Zheng Fan flipped through the memorials in front of him.

He said to the Blind Man:

"We're fighting a war right now, so you can't spare the energy. Once the campaign is finished, search her soul."

A soul-search carried a high chance of reducing the person being searched to an idiot.

But the body would remain alive.

The implication was... the blood... could still be used.

Naturally, with the Sword Saint sitting here, Zheng Fan could not state matters too explicitly if he wished to preserve a little of his image.

Fortunately... the Blind Man understood.

He nodded.

"Understood, Master."

"Let's leave it there for today."

Zheng Fan pretended to yawn.

But at that exact moment... a messenger's urgent cry rang out from beyond the tent:

"Report! Great victory!"

"I expressly forbade them from starting battle on their own. What happened?"

There was not the slightest joy on Prince Pingxi's face at hearing of a great victory.

His strategy still contained several moves that had not yet been played.

If someone forced battle now, he might very well end up picking up sesame seeds while losing the watermelon.

...

"I say, Count Yishan, don't take a mile after being given an inch. Have you even looked at the situation you're in right now? And you still dare change the Prince's strategy on your own?"

Third Master might have been short.

But standing inside the military tent with Prince Pingxi's command token raised above his head and the Prince himself behind his words... he instantly seemed several feet taller.

Chen Yang's force had been assigned to Zheng Fan's own Central Army.

There was no choice.

Put him under one of the other routes and nobody could truly suppress him.

Whether Luo Ling or Ren Juan... both were, in seniority, essentially Chen Yang's peers.

And this man had only just committed an enormous mistake.

He was desperate to earn merit.

If sent under another route, his urge to seize accomplishments could easily drive him into another reckless advance.

Prince Pingxi therefore kept him beside himself where he could be pressed down directly.

Who could have imagined... the man really was beginning to lose his head again.

Xue San, who noticed unusual movement among the forward troops in advance, immediately came carrying the princely command to stop him.

Xue San was responsible for scouts in the vanguard.

Fan Li commanded one force here.

In truth, the two Demon Kings also served as supervisors.

Chen Yang cupped his hands toward Xue San.

"I am not trying to steal merit. Look at the map. Once our army approached the Zhao capital, the Zhao troops stationed at Sanshan Pass immediately began withdrawing to reinforce it.

"Here.

"Here.

"And here.

"The returning troops must pass along this road.

"And this position happens to be ideal for an ambush.

"If our army conceals itself here in advance, we are certain to win a major victory with few casualties.

"This is merit being handed to us for nothing!"

Xue San laughed.

"Well, we don't happen to enjoy eating food handed out in charity."

"You..."

Xue San's expression turned stern.

"My Prince has already calculated the greater situation. If you have objections, write a memorial and send it to the Central Army command tent."

At present, the vanguard's purpose was simply to keep circling near the Zhao capital.

Force the Zhao army to return in defense.

Remove the obstruction on the road into Liang.

Right now...

Fan Li was leading troops beneath the Zhao capital's walls, riding back and forth and making a great show of force.

"Battle opportunities vanish in an instant! If we wait for reports to go back and forth, even the daylilies will have gone cold!"

"Then don't move. Our Central Army has only just entered Zhao. The other two armies have only just entered Wei and Qi. Everyone is probably busy gathering grain and provisions right now. The iron-wall encirclement has not even been built yet. What's your hurry?

"Even if we're going to surround a point and strike its reinforcements, is destroying one little Zhao army really that exciting?"

"Then we simply sit here and wait?"

"Yes. We sit and wait."

Xue San gave a cold snort.

"Everything proceeds according to the Prince's command. Count Yishan, I do not want to remind you again. The wisest thing you can do right now is obediently become a puppet in my Prince's hands. When a real opportunity comes to charge a formation, the Prince will certainly let you go first. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Gathering grain and fodder for the army's logistical needs. I know that. I understand it.

"But the Prince created a mobilization of this scale. The Yan and Jin armies of central and western Jin nearly emptied their nests. Yet after everyone entered these states, he suddenly slowed the pace.

"What exactly does the Prince intend to do?

"Does he want to wait until the Qian-Chu coalition sees the danger and withdraws on its own, then conveniently pick up this 'great victory'?"

Chen Yang was a veteran commander.

And a Garrison Commander personally elevated by Prince Jingnan.

His temper genuinely had problems.

But his battlefield instincts were unquestionably sharp.

As one of the vanguard commanders, he knew perfectly well that he could do much more in a short time.

They could directly assault Sanshan Pass.

Or bypass it and enter Liang first.

Bite down on the Qian-Chu coalition and keep it pinned.

Then cooperate with the other armies and churn the entire battlefield upside down.

If they wanted to be more cautious... the Central Army and Rear Army could stabilize the rear.

The moment anything looked wrong, they could pull units apart.

Disengage.

Avoid repeating Count Huwei's disaster.

There were too many options.

Far too many.

Yet right now... he could only sit here and watch.

That forced him to wonder.

Had Prince Pingxi come here in high profile, gathered a great army, let everyone burn, kill, and plunder across the three states, then simply intended to wait until the Qian-Chu coalition sensibly withdrew before squeezing Liang a little and reporting a great victory on the way home?

The ordinary soldiers below would not be dissatisfied.

The generals would not either.

They could treat it as taking their troops out for a rich meal.

But Chen Yang could not endure it.

He was a guilty man awaiting judgment.

Whether from personal interest or from guilt over Li Fusheng's death, he desperately wanted a hard battle.

He wanted to tear flesh from the Qian-Chu coalition.

"It was the Prince himself who said, while beating the drums and assembling the generals in the command tent, that we would give Qian and Chu the fury of thunder. That we would take back ten times the face Great Yan lost.

"So... this is how?

"Through mutual understanding?

"Through unspoken agreement?

"Through you being happy, me being happy, and everyone being happy?

"This is how we take it back?"

Xue San narrowed his eyes.

"My Prince has his own plans."

Chen Yang's fist tightened hard.

"Count Yishan, have you considered that perhaps you believe you're standing on the second level, while my Prince is already standing on the fifth?

"If you truly cannot endure the humiliation... well...

"I happen to have a dagger here.

"I forged it myself.

"Poisoned blade.

"Blood-sealing throat.

"You can use it."

As he spoke, Xue San tossed the dagger in front of Chen Yang.

Chen Yang stared at the weapon lying on the ground.

His whole body trembled with anger.

But in the end... he did not pick it up.

Xue San chuckled.

"I don't believe for one damned second that when Prince Jingnan was still alive, you dared make this kind of scene. Weren't you always obedient then?

"Put plainly... your thoughts have simply grown wild now.

"What?

"Getting one Count Huwei killed wasn't enough?

"You want to get another one killed too?"

"You!"

"Besides, it's only one Zhao force from Sanshan Pass. What does swallowing them accomplish? How much influence could it possibly have on the overall battle?"

"Then what do we have to swallow for it to matter?" Chen Yang demanded.

Xue San stretched lazily.

"For example, swallow the Zhao capital. Forget the stores inside the city. The city itself alone would be enough to serve as a logistical base for our entire army.

"If Count Yishan can accomplish that, I'll personally go before the Prince and request merit for you.

"Of course, gathering a huge army and launching a full assault on the walls is impossible. We are not wasting the army's strength and sharpness here."

"Then how the hell do you expect me to take the city? Run beneath the gates and shout once, asking Zhao to open its capital and surrender?"

"I never said you absolutely had to do it. I was only jok..."

Third Master did not even finish speaking.

A messenger's roar came from outside:

"Report! General Fan has broken the Zhao capital and captured the Ruler of Zhao alive!"

"Joking? Just because you can't do something, you really think we can't?"

...

That day... as usual...

Fan Li led one Yan force back and forth beneath the northern wall of Zhao's capital.

The Zhao troops on the wall watched nervously.

After the Yan army entered Zhao, the Ruler of Zhao immediately began calling every nearby force back to defend the capital and protect himself.

As for how the Yan abused and plundered his own subjects... he did not care.

If one ignored the Ruler of Zhao's vainglorious yet fundamentally cowardly personality, the decision actually made military sense.

It prevented Zhao's already limited forces from being scattered and swallowed one by one.

It also preserved some seed for a possible counterattack.

But Zhao's soldiers were simply too timid.

Over these past days, Fan Li had ridden his horse right beneath the city walls several times.

Not one Zhao soldier above dared shoot down even a single arrow.

Instead, every day the city sent envoys requesting an audience with Prince Pingxi.

The vanguard commanders rejected them all.

That was not even the end of it.

The Zhao capital also sent out wine and meat, together with several local singing girls, saying Prince Pingxi had endured hardship on campaign and they wished to comfort him.

Fan Li made the decision himself.

He accepted the wine and meat and distributed them among the soldiers he had only recently taken over.

As for the singers...

Fan Li sent them back.

He cursed:

"Damn fools. Don't they know what sort of women our Prince actually likes?"

And so... many times, even Prince Pingxi himself wondered exactly how his reputation had been ruined so thoroughly.

Fan Li made those decisions on his own.

Because Master had never intended for them to attack the city or actively begin battle.

Their only purpose here was to buy time while the forces behind them gathered grain and provisions.

But who could have imagined... after receiving the singers back, the Ruler of Zhao actually decided to send out his own Queen.

Yes.

There truly were rulers this absurd beneath Heaven.

The Blind Man's earlier assessment had merely been that this Ruler of Zhao stood far, far below small-state revival rulers like Helü or Goujian.

Nobody expected him to skip straight past mediocrity and qualify to call Emperors Huizong and Qinzong his brothers.

In the Ruler of Zhao's mind, this was knowing when to bend and when to stretch.

Besides, he was about to marry a Commandery Princess from Qian.

His Queen had grown old and lost her beauty, yet still occupied the position.

Mm.

As mother of the state, surely she ought to make a little sacrifice.

If she could entertain Prince Pingxi with her beauty and satisfy him, then the Ruler of Zhao and Prince Pingxi would effectively become brothers-in-law.

Would that not make everyone one family?

Then... the plan leaked.

The Crown Prince of Zhao was an able heir.

Over these days, he had been the one rushing around organizing the capital's defenses.

After working himself half to death for an entire day, he suddenly learned... his own father intended to send his mother outside the city to the Yan?

The Crown Prince was genuinely furious.

Blood rushed straight into his head.

He immediately led a force loyal to himself into the palace and seized his own father.

After that... he had no intention of continuing to fight the Yan either.

He had never understood his father's arrangement at Sanshan Pass in the first place.

A tiny state like Zhao actively provoking a great power?

What sense did that make?

So the Crown Prince simply carried the matter through to the end.

After tying up his own father, he ordered the city gates opened and surrendered to Yan.

After all, a huge Yan army genuinely stood outside the capital.

And that army truly placed enormous pressure on everyone inside.

So when the Crown Prince raised the banner of "purging the ruler's side and calming Yan's wrath," many people inside the capital who possessed the ability to protect the Ruler simply chose silence.

Exactly as they had remained silent when the Ruler intended to send the Queen to the Yan.

Once the Crown Prince personally acted... everyone else actually released a breath of relief.

Wonderful.

Someone else had done the wicked thing for them.

Now they could surrender and preserve their lives.

There was no helping it.

They did not know the Yan had come in three separate armies.

Nor did they know the Yan had no intention of attacking their capital at all and merely planned to take grain and leave.

From their perspective, the Yan had clearly come specifically to punish Zhao.

Otherwise... why would the Yan army enter Zhao instead of marching straight into Liang?

...

Outside the capital...

Fan Li happily raised his axe.

He shouted:

"Ura!"

The soldiers behind him excitedly raised their weapons and followed:

"Ura! Ura! Ura!"

Once, long ago, Zheng Fan had raised his saber and shouted a battle cry.

The Barbarian soldiers behind him had only known how to shout "Ura," completely destroying Master's majestic atmosphere.

From that day onward, Fan Li had been forbidden from spreading that particular cry among his own troops.

It had nearly suffocated him.

Now, for once, he was commanding someone else's soldiers.

Naturally, he had to recover the memories of youth.

"Ura! Ura!"

Fan Li waved his pair of great axes and set the rhythm.

"Ura! Ura!"

Everyone responded enthusiastically.

Fan Li tossed one axe into the air.

Then pointed one finger toward Heaven.

"Ura!"

Mm?

Why did everyone stop answering?

Why were they staring?

Fan Li looked confused.

The axe had already fallen.

He turned to retrieve it.

And at that moment... he saw the gates of Zhao's capital slowly opening from inside.

The Ruler of Zhao had been tied up and thrown onto a donkey cart.

The cart rolled out.

A lamb had been tied beside him.

Behind came the Crown Prince and a group of Zhao officials.

Every one of them wore coarse mourning clothes.

Fan Li frowned.

The situation seemed to have slipped beyond his control.

"Uraaa... mm..."

...

In the first year of Longping, Prince Pingxi of Great Yan obeyed the Son of Heaven's edict and led the various Yan and Jin armies of central and western Jin out through South Gate Pass to campaign against the surrounding states.

Fan Li, foremost famous general beneath Prince Pingxi... broke the Zhao capital in a single battle.

And toppled an entire state!

[End of Chapter 836]