The Demon Lords

Chapter 502 18 Illness_1

Close by, the hooves of the knights' warhorses pawed at the ground, while men and horses alike exhaled plumes of white mist with every breath.

Zheng Fan's left hand held the reins, his right clutched a long saber, and his eyes were slightly closed as if in meditation.

No one knew what was happening in the heavily surrounded area to the southwest, but everyone was on high alert, anticipating that at any moment they might have to spur their mounts into a brutal charge against the enemy.

Finally, there was movement from the Jin troops.

Zheng Fan opened his eyes, preparing to swing his saber and order a charge, but he saw that the Jin troops before him were actually beginning to retreat. Simultaneously, even those farther away started to withdraw.

And ahead of them, Lord Jingnan rode leisurely forward on his Pixiu, accompanied by two banner-bearing knights. Nearly ten thousand Jin soldiers surrounded them, yet not one dared to stand in their way!

When the distance between the two parties closed, Zheng Fan did not dismount but saluted from horseback, "This general greets Lord Jingnan!"

The knights under his command also chorused, "We greet Lord Jingnan!"

Lord Jingnan nodded, continuing to urge his Pixiu forward. Zheng Fan immediately turned his horse. After the knights behind him voluntarily cleared a path, he accompanied Lord Jingnan into the fort.

Then, the knights arrayed outside the fort also followed and returned.

As for the Jin army's encampment outside, as soon as their troops returned, they immediately began the numerous tasks of dismantling and departing. The process was swift; they took only easily transportable supplies like grain, military equipment, and tents.

Zheng Fan stayed by Lord Jingnan's side. When Lord Jingnan dismounted from the Pixiu, Zheng Fan did likewise.

"It's exhausted. Get it some human food, and if there's wine, get it some of that too," Lord Jingnan said, indicating his mount.

"As you command, my Lord. Rest assured."

The Pixiu was an exotic beast, far superior to any warhorse. Even ordinary Captains were no match for it in status. Special treatment for such a special entity was only natural.

Tian Wujing rubbed his wrist and said, "Take me to see Emperor Jin."

"This way, my Lord."

Fortunately, when Zheng Fan led Tian Wujing to the room, he didn't hear the sounds of 'conquest' from outside that he had earlier.

Upon entering, he found that Emperor Jin seemed to have received advance notice and was already waiting.

This immediately put Chief Zheng on alert. It seemed that upon his return, he would need Blindie and Liang Cheng to swiftly isolate and 'digest' those cavalrymen who had escorted Emperor Jin in. Now that Emperor Jin had become a mere figurehead, and one whose authority stemmed from his predecessor at that... These small gains, these cavalrymen—he would take them. Zheng Fan also believed that, except for a few die-hard loyalists, the rest would not be so foolish as to follow an emperor who had lost all his territory, not even the capital city.

"Yu Ciming, ruler of a vassal state, pays his respects to Lord Jingnan!" Emperor Jin knelt and kowtowed respectfully, his posture exceedingly humble.

The euphoria from the drugs he had taken earlier seemed to have completely dissipated, and the two young women from the fort were no longer present.

Tian Wujing did not help the kneeling Emperor Jin to rise but stood calmly in place.

After a moment, Tian Wujing spoke, "You are useless now."

Emperor Jin's body immediately went limp. He had been kneeling, but now he seemed to almost collapse.

Hearing this, Zheng Fan, standing by, could only marvel at Lord Jingnan's devastatingly blunt words. The statement was as direct as it could possibly be. Nevertheless, Zheng Fan reckoned that since Lord Jingnan had come, he must have his own perspective on this rebellion. He was, after all, a veteran general; there was no way Emperor Jin's schemes could have fooled him.

"I will have men escort you back to Yanjing. Live there quietly. If you entertain any other notions, you can choose between white silk and cyanide wine."

This was tantamount to deciding Emperor Jin's fate on behalf of the Yan Emperor.

Yu Ciming swayed slightly and remained silent. It was unclear whether he was utterly despondent or had already braced himself for this outcome.

Without another word, Tian Wujing turned and left the room.

Zheng Fan immediately followed him out. "My Lord, are you hungry?"

"A little."

"Shall we eat something?"

"Alright."

Zheng Fan wasn't sure what kind of relationship he had with Tian Wujing, but to be honest, Tian Wujing had saved him more than once or twice. Tian Wujing's reputation was currently quite poor. Even if Great Yan managed to unify the world, he would likely not be remembered favorably in the annals of history. But as the saying goes, even if a million people say he is bad, if he is good to you, you cannot say he is bad.

There was no formal banquet; there wasn't time to prepare one. Instead, there were freshly steamed buns, soft and white, radiating heat. Each had a large bowl of egg drop soup with a dash of vinegar, accompanied by two small dishes of pickles Siniang had personally prepared back at Green Willow Fortress.

"My Lord, this bun with one red dot is filled with shredded radish, the one with two dots has bean paste filling, and the one with three dots has salted vegetable filling."

Before the buns were steamed, red dots were marked on them to differentiate the fillings and cater to individual preferences. After all, once steamed, it was difficult to find one's preferred filling. Even if one broke open a bun to find a filling they didn't prefer, food couldn't be wasted, so they'd have to eat it anyway.

Tian Wujing asked, "Are there no buns with a pure meat filling?"

Clearly, Lord Jingnan was somewhat unaccustomed to the buns from Green Willow Fortress.

"Pure meat fillings can be too rich," Zheng Fan explained.

"Heh." Tian Wujing chuckled and said, "I'd long heard your family ran a tavern and was reasonably well-off. I never expected your palate to become so discerning that you'd find pure meat fillings too rich. If Li Liangting heard you say that, he'd grab a stick and break one of your legs."

"You jest, my Lord. In this life, this is the extent of my ambition—to treat myself a little better when it comes to food."

"That's not entirely honest of you. From the first time I met you, I knew you were ambitious. It's just that others hide their ambition in their hearts, rarely showing it, while yours is written all over your face."

Zheng Fan touched his face and chuckled. "Then my acting skills must be subpar. I'll need to practice more."

"It's not a bad thing for a man to have ambition."

"Yes, my Lord, you are right."

Tian Wujing reached out and took a shredded radish-filled bun. He took a bite. The first bite was just the plain dough; with the second, he reached the filling. The filling was salted. Eating it with the plain bun was like eating a plain steamed bun with a side dish.

"This steamed bun is indeed delicious."

"I have plenty more. These steamed buns don't spoil easily in winter after being cooked and can be stored for a long time. In the morning, when making porridge, you can put a few in a small steamer on the stove to heat them up. They go very well with porridge. If you're hungry at night and don't want to bother with much, you can heat a few to tide you over."

Tian Wujing nodded and continued eating his steamed bun.

Zheng Fan joined Lord Jingnan in the meal.

After each had eaten three steamed buns, they both tacitly stopped and wiped their hands on the damp towels placed beside them.

"You're rather quiet today."

"You're too kind, my Lord. I already owe you so much; further thanks would only make us seem distant."

"You are a man of Yan and were once a soldier under my command. When you're in trouble, I naturally wouldn't stand by and watch you die."

"Indeed. I will always be a soldier under your command, my Lord. Those Jin people actually thought we Yan people are like them, fond of such despicable tricks."

A faint smile touched the corners of Tian Wujing's lips. "Zhao Jiulang indeed arranged it this way. I also received the official documents from the central administration and was informed of this matter."

"..." Zheng Fan was speechless.

Does this mean that Lord Jingnan's visit this time was in defiance of orders? After all, the Prime Minister mostly carries out the Emperor's will, especially when communicating with Marshals at the level of Lord Jingnan. Even Zhao Jiulang doesn't have the authority to instruct Lord Jingnan on what to do.

"My Lord..."

"It wasn't solely for you. Even if it were other troops, I would have come to their rescue. Ultimately, since its founding, our Great Yan has relied on nothing more than the sons of the Yan region supporting one another, wave after wave. Back when you were targeted for assassination, I took you to the capital and had the Third Prince deposed. It wasn't purely to vent my own anger; I was genuinely furious. After such a long period of peace, many have forgotten their roots."

"Great Yan is not wealthy, nor is it large. The imperial court can play its courtly games; when the great clans and powerful families held sway, they could play their games. Peddlers, laborers, and common folk all have their own ways. But the military is sacrosanct; it cannot be trifled with or recklessly deployed. The Qian State is rich, vast, and culturally resplendent, but as long as its military is inadequate, the state is doomed to be weak. This is my conviction, and also my bottom line."

"This humble one will surely remember your teachings, my Lord."

"The art of war you wrote isn't bad either."

"It's hardly profound, I'm afraid I've made a poor showing, my Lord."

"A mere thousand words naturally cannot encompass the myriad changes on a battlefield, but it does mark you as a promising general."

"You praise me too highly, my Lord."

"The Situ Family now is just an empty shell. Most of their forces are stationed on the other side of the Skybreak Mountain range. Although I brought no troops this time, the Jin commanders opposite merely thought we Yan people were unwilling to reach that tacit understanding with them. Furthermore, they knew full well that the Situ Family's main army was not in the west at this moment. If war broke out now, their defeat would be certain. That's why they withdrew."

Zheng Fan was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood his meaning. He also suddenly grasped why Lord Jingnan, arriving alone, could compel the Jin army to retreat directly. So, he could reclaim his city, Shengle!

"It's rumored that the wild people settlements north of the Skybreak Mountain range have been restless lately and have even acclaimed a new king. Do you know why our Great Yan has currently halted its campaign against the Situ Family?"

Zheng Fan sat up straight and replied, "My Lord, this general has heard that when the Great Xia Dynasty was founded, our Great Yan's imperial ancestor, the Ji Clan, was enfeoffed in the north to suppress the Barbarians. The Chu State's Xiong Clan was enfeoffed in the southeast to suppress the Shanyue. The Jin State's Yu Clan was enfeoffed in the northeast to suppress the wild people. Compared to the Barbarians, wild people, and Shanyue, the four great states are more like brothers who may quarrel amongst themselves but will unite to resist external aggression."

"A hundred years ago, Emperor Taizong of the Qian State launched a northern expedition against us while our Great Yan was engaged in a decisive battle with the Barbarian tribes in the desert. That was their treachery. Currently, the wild people are showing signs of restless resurgence. Although the Situ Family are vassals of the Yu Clan, for centuries they have borne the responsibility of suppressing the wild people. At this juncture, since the Situ Family is dealing with them, our Great Yan is, after all, not the Great Qian. The magnanimity of His Majesty, the Emperor of Great Yan, is not something the Qian ruler can compare to."

"As long as the wild people's menace remains unquelled, and as long as the Situ Family continues its life-and-death struggle against them, our Great Yan's iron cavalry will not advance eastward into Dacheng. This fully demonstrates the broad-mindedness and grand vision of His Majesty, the Emperor of Great Yan! This general is in absolute awe, wishing I could shout 'His Majesty is wise!' ten times before sleeping and upon waking each day."

Hearing this, Lord Jingnan stated calmly, "Speak plainly."

Zheng Fan took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and said, "Could it be that His Majesty's health is failing?"