The Demon Lords

Chapter 504 19 Street Person_2

I am standing right before them, yet they dare not come to kill me. Should I then be grateful for their 'mercy' in not doing so?

This land is already Yan territory.

What gives them the right to come and go, fight and flee, as they please?

Chief Zheng, I admire you, but there is one thing I feel you lack. As a military commander, you must possess the ferocity of a wolf. You can retreat temporarily, but a retreat is not for self-preservation; it's to seek an opportunity to bite through the enemy's throat.

"I am instructed, Lord," he replied.

Zheng Fan felt that Tian Wujing had been unusually talkative today, clearly intending to offer him some guidance.

However, since Tian Wujing said to deploy troops, Zheng Fan would naturally comply. After excusing himself, Zheng Fan immediately summoned Blindman and Liang Cheng to delegate the tasks.

When the hour of Zi arrived, Lord Jingnan, clad in gilded armor and riding his rested Pixiu, emerged from the fort, followed by over a thousand knights.

The moon was dark and the wind high;

A thousand horsemen swept across the flatlands.

When this contingent arrived before Xinsu City, two flag-bearing knights brought by Lord Jingnan stepped forward.

「Shortly,」

The gates of Xinsu City opened from within. A Regional Commander rode out on horseback, bypassed the crowd, and came before Tian Wujing. Saluting from his horse, he said, "Greetings, Lord!"

"Leave a detachment to guard the city. The rest of the men, into formation."

"As you command, Lord!"

The Jingnan Army was personally forged by Tian Wujing. Thus, it mattered little whether he was currently Yan State's highest authority in the New Jin territory or held no title at all; he could still effortlessly mobilize the Jingnan Army here to obey his military orders.

Both the Zhenbei Army and the Jingnan Army, in truth, were forces whose men knew only their Lords, not His Majesty the Emperor.

Only the Yan Emperor could accept, and even actively foster, such a situation. Any other emperor, had he the capability, would undoubtedly be singularly focused on curtailing the power of his vassals and enacting his own "dismissing generals over wine."

Soon, four thousand cavalry poured out from Xinsu City and merged with Zheng Fan's forces, bringing the contingent to a strength of over five thousand riders.

For a medium-sized engagement, five thousand cavalry were indeed sufficient.

The troops were reorganized. Lord Jingnan was meticulous in his deployment of forces, preferring to unravel the tangled complexities of the battlefield, layer by layer, to find the opportune moment to dismantle or crush the enemy.

Zheng Fan's unit was temporarily incorporated into this army, with Zheng Fan himself accompanying Lord Jingnan.

The Demon Kings, however, did not follow, remaining with their own contingent. After all, in their view, their master was safest accompanying Tian Wujing, a Third Rank Martial Cultivator.

No scouts were dispatched. After the army had advanced eastward for several tens of li, Lord Jingnan ordered everyone to dismount and rest.

Zheng Fan understood this was to conserve the horses' stamina, allowing both men and beasts to recover to their optimal condition.

Tian Wujing leaned against his Pixiu. The creature, also very considerate, had voluntarily lain down to serve as a support.

This made Zheng Fan quite envious, and he thought to himself that he too would capture an intelligent demonic beast to be his mount in the future. Actually, if things had developed according to his earlier plans, after becoming the Chief of Shengle City, he would definitely have plundered the resources within the nearby Skybreak Mountain range. Demonic beasts, after all, were a scarce and precious "hard currency," not only highly favored in Eastern noble circles but also fetching high prices when sold to the West. But plans could never keep up with changes. First, after returning from the southern campaign, Hui Wenzu hadn't replenished his forces. Then came the attrition from two days of defending the city. It was foreseeable that in the upcoming cavalry charge, his own assets would be significantly whittled down once more. Damn it, this was truly burning through his resources!

Yet, Zheng Fan could not allow even a hint of dissatisfaction to show on his face; instead, he had to feign complete calm.

Tian Wujing, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them. Looking at Zheng Fan, he said, "Don't be so shortsighted."

Zheng Fan managed a simple, honest smile, much like Fanli's.

"The imperial palace in the capital city of Jin State... once we break in, your share of the wealth inside will be more than enough to cover your current losses."

Zheng Fan hadn't expected Lord Jingnan to say such a thing to him. Wealth was undoubtedly of paramount importance to a warlord. Although Prince Fu's mausoleum contained many treasures plundered from Chuzhou City, he hadn't been able to arrange for their covert transport because his own situation had remained unsettled. Besides, how could the wealth within Chuzhou City compare to that of the Jin State's imperial palace? Even if the Yu Imperial Clan had always claimed to be struggling, and there were even rumors that after the destruction of the Helian and Wenren families, Emperor Jin had depleted his treasury to recruit and integrate scattered soldiers. But a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. The grand imperial palace of Jin State had not been plundered for hundreds of years; the accumulation within was surely astounding. Though it's true that liquidating wealth takes time, as does recruiting and buying horses, reality had proven time and again: if you're poor, your time is basically worthless.

"After that war, many defeated soldiers went into hiding in the countryside. At the same time, local tyrants and major clans can also be won over with wealth. You like using barbarian soldiers, don't you? You can also use wealth to purchase the service of warriors from the wild people tribes in the Skybreak Mountain range."

"Thank you... thank you for your guidance, Lord."

"These are things you would do even without my pointing them out. Of the more than five thousand troops under my command, your men account for two-tenths. When the wealth is divided, you will take two-tenths."

"Your great kindness, Lord, I..."

"Enough. I don't like listening to your drivel."

Lord Jingnan looked up at the night sky once more, then rose to his feet. The Pixiu behind him also slowly stood up. This seemed to be a silent bugle call; like a ripple effect, the knights who had been resting nearby all got to their feet.

There was no shouting, no clamor, no slogans.

When everyone had mounted their horses, Lord Jingnan's arm swept down.

In an instant, hooves thundered like drums!

Actually, Lord Jingnan's experience in warfare was not extensive. Throughout history, some generals needed to learn from countless battles, even from repeated failures, to grow into brilliant commanders. But some people, it seemed, were truly gifted by a higher power.

In the ten-odd years the Jingnan Army had been stationed in Yinlang County, they hadn't fought any truly significant wars. Yet, the very first campaign on Lord Jingnan's record was securing passage into Jin, and in one fell swoop, conquering half of Jin State's territory for Yan.

However, as the main army galloped onward, one guerrilla general after another approached Lord Jingnan's side to receive orders and instructions, then led their respective units away from the main formation in different directions.

This made Zheng Fan realize that Lord Jingnan seemed to be extremely familiar with this capital city region of Jin State.

Unit by unit, the troops were detached—some as small as two hundred, others numbering over a thousand. By the time they reached the outskirts of the capital city, only three hundred riders remained with Zheng Fan and Lord Jingnan.

Each detached unit had its own specific target to attack. Lord Jingnan had even given instructions on where to penetrate the capital city region and the subsequent arrangements.

This was a combat style completely different from that of the Zhenbei Army. When Li Fusheng took to the field, he always charged at the very front himself, while the other units coordinated to annihilate the enemy based on long-standing tacit understanding. Lord Jingnan, however, delegated tasks and details to an extreme degree. It was as if the capital city region, shrouded in night, was merely a chessboard before him, upon which he freely placed his pieces, waiting to quietly slay the great dragon. According to Zheng Fan's aesthetic sense, this, damn it, was the true art of war! Not like the Zhenbei Army, which just relied on "strong soldiers and sturdy horses" to bully their opponents. Of course, with such strong soldiers and sturdy horses, adding Lord Jingnan's command and coordination, it was no wonder the campaign into Jin could directly annihilate two great clans.

Finally, Lord Jingnan looked at Zheng Fan and ordered, "Chief Zheng, your unit will patrol this vicinity for two hours, then advance directly into the Jin State imperial palace!"

He was actually handing over these three hundred riders, including the two flag-bearing knights who had accompanied him all the way from Li Tian City, to him! Zheng Fan felt a little panicked. If he had known this was going to happen, why hadn't he kept Liang Cheng by his side? The feeling was just like a novice driver, fresh with his license, about to hit the road for the first time right after leaving the driving school.

It was only then, belatedly, that Zheng Fan remembered to ask Lord Jingnan, "Lord, what about you?"

Tian Wujing, sitting atop the Pixiu, reached out and gently scratched the golden soft fur on the Pixiu's neck. He said, "As for me, I am now a man of the street."