The Demon Lords

Chapter 496 15: Head_1

Emperor Jin, has he gone mad?

The scene before him irresistibly brought to Zheng Fan's mind Murong Fu's fate in the finale of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils."

The dream of a dynasty... really, only a dream remained.

However, perhaps due to limited interaction, Zheng Fan didn't feel much sentimentality deep down.

Ultimately, a person's success depends not only on individual effort but also on the course of history.

Compared to the Yan Emperor, the Qian Emperor, and even those princes of Chu State vying for the throne, Emperor Jin Yu Ciming's starting position was truly as bad as it could possibly be. If events unfolded according to the grand tide of history, the division of Jin among the three great families was inevitable. What he did was nothing more than desperately struggle from his position.

Once, he had seen hope. Then, behind that hope, lay even deeper despair.

What Zheng Fan didn't know was that when Emperor Jin was returning from Yanjing, Zhao Jiulang had commented to his advisors about this Emperor Jin who had opened the South Gate.

He suggested that if this man had been born in the middle period of a dynasty, he might have had the potential to be a monarch capable of bringing about a resurgence. He lacked neither decisiveness, ruthlessness, nor resolve, and even possessed an air of defying convention.

Unfortunately, for such a person at the end of a dynasty, not causing trouble was one thing; once he started, he would only exhaust its last ounce of vitality and hasten his demise.

"His ambitions dwarfed the sky, yet his fate was as thin as paper"—that probably described Emperor Jin.

Zheng Fan silently rose. He had no interest in accepting the reward Emperor Jin offered. For one, since awakening in this world, even though the Demon Kings beside him had created favorable conditions, Zheng Fan had always been very restrained in his desires.

More importantly, with Siniang by his side, he had little interest in the common women out in the world.

Zheng Fan clasped his hands in a formal salute to Emperor Jin and said, "Your Majesty, I am a Yan official."

Emperor Jin frowned slightly. "I know. But my Jin can give you more. In the future, my dear minister, you can become the Great Zhuguai of my Jin, and the Grand Marshal of all Jin's armies!"

"Your Majesty, I don't wish to debate whether you are truly mad or merely feigning it. I only wish to say that if you are truly mad, then it's a blessing for you. If reality is too cruel, living in a dream can also be a form of happiness.

If you are feigning madness, I, your humble servant, truly feel it's unnecessary, given the current situation. Those beneath you won't care anymore, and those above you can hardly be bothered with you either. This isn't because you're a good actor, but because you've been reduced to a mere performer on a stage. No matter how convincingly you act, you've ultimately lost the qualification to grace the main hall."

Emperor Jin's eyes blazed with anger as he stared at Zheng Fan.

In this era, actors held no social standing and were widely considered to be of a lower class.

Zheng Fan's words implied: Your Majesty, you no longer have that status or qualification. There's no need for this charade.

Regardless of whether Emperor Jin could comprehend or accept it, Zheng Fan continued on his own, "Actually, it would be better to leave some dignity for yourself."

To leave Jin State with some dignity.

Having said his piece, Zheng Fan bowed and took his leave, leaving Emperor Jin standing there alone, dumbfounded, his lips trembling.

Exiting the room, Zheng Fan took a deep breath, feeling a suffocating depression in his chest that he couldn't vent.

If Emperor Jin had completely lost control and forfeited all his capital, then Zheng Fan himself felt more like he was being slowly bled by a dull knife. He had accompanied the Yan Army south into Qian State, fighting countless battles along the way and constantly losing men under his command. He thought he had earned enough merit and seen the hope of settling down to farm and develop, yet for some inexplicable reason, he was now stuck in this fort, fighting this inexplicable siege defense.

The Jin Army had failed to break in during last night's raid and today's siege, but the casualties among Zheng Fan's troops were not light either. All his resources were tied up here; every bit spent was a bit gone, like someone in modern times taking out loans to open a hotpot restaurant that operated at a daily loss.

This was truly agonizing.

"My lord, heaven never seals off all exits," A Ming said nonchalantly, still sipping from his waterskin.

In truth, the Demon Kings were more philosophical than Zheng Fan. Having experienced so much, their perspective was different; their understanding of 'being reduced to ashes' and 'staging a comeback' was not on the same level as Zheng Fan's.

"I'm just worried... where exactly is our path?"

"My lord, the path is..."

"If you're about to say the path is under our feet, then just shut up."

A Ming closed his mouth.

Looking up again, Zheng Fan saw the sunset-dyed clouds, a wave of emotion washing over him. In such a scene, it felt like a knight should appear to rescue him.

People always couldn't help but indulge in such fantasies in these situations, especially when heavily besieged.

It could be said that if Zheng Fan's men weren't elite troops, rather than a motley crew of new recruits or stragglers from defeated units, this fort would likely have fallen long ago. They could hold out; Zheng Fan had faith in Blind Man's psychological conditioning.

But would Yan State really send reinforcements?

Because by now, even Zheng Fan could see that this Emperor Jin was essentially useless.

Of course, such fantasies of a knight appearing at sunset to rescue him could only be entertained privately; he couldn't possibly voice them, or the Demon Kings beside him would surely laugh until they couldn't breathe.

SPURT!

A Ming, who was beside him, suddenly spat out a mouthful of the liquid he had just drunk. Of course, what he spat out wasn't his blood, but what he had just swallowed.