The Demon Lords

Chapter 505 20 The Ancestors Have Spirits_1

Lord Jingnan and his beast waited there, appearing to adhere to some kind of martial world code, but in reality, it was a strategic trade-off.

Li Fusheng had once told Zheng Fan that when two armies clashed, it was difficult to guarantee the enemy wouldn't have several experts among them.

There were only two ways to deal with such experts.

One was to besiege them with a large army. This was how Shatuo Queshi had been killed in front of the Earl of North Border's residence. Rumor had it that when the West Army Division of Qian State was at its peak, the Tattoo-faced Master had specifically trained a unit of eight hundred elite armored infantry to hunt powerful individuals among the indigenous people of the Southwest, achieving remarkable results.

The other method was the trade-off: send out one's own experts to either tie down the enemy's expert or kill him outright.

The Sword Saint of Jin State, surnamed Yu, had surprisingly been present in the Jin Army's camp. It was highly probable that he had now returned to the capital city with the Jin Army.

A Sword Saint, unless he was as foolish as Qian State's Second Sword—the little sword maid's master—should be able to kill about two hundred cavalrymen under the cover of night.

However, Lord Jingnan was confident that the opponent would specifically come for him. This wasn't due to some martial world code of honor, but because Lord Jingnan believed that even with his forces at less than half the enemy's strength, the Yan Army, under his arrangements, would inevitably force the Jin Army onto the defensive once they launched their attack.

By then, if the Jin Army wanted to turn the tables, they would have to rely on the Sword Saint to find Lord Jingnan and capture the leader to break the enemy, thereby forcibly reversing the situation. If he didn't come, it meant he admitted defeat; if he came, then Lord Jingnan would be here waiting.

This was no spur-of-the-moment arrangement. From the time Tian Wujing received the news from Xinsu City and arrived with only two flag-bearing knights, and especially since he forced the Jin Army to retreat and discovered the Sword Saint was also among their ranks, all the planning and arrangements had naturally fallen into place.

Frankly, fighting under such a commander, you felt reassured. It was as if everything was under his control; you just needed to follow his instructions diligently, and then you could wait to harvest the fruits of victory.

As for his spoils of victory? Perhaps due to Siniang's earlier influence, when Zheng Fan thought of the Jin State's imperial palace, it wasn't the gold and silver treasures that came to mind, but the Empress Dowager of Jin State. Then, the image of Princess Consort Fu floated into his mind. HISS… He was corrupt, truly corrupt.

He was just scouting, like an aimless stroll, leading his three hundred cavalry to the left, then to the right, with no specific target—just following orders to stall for time.

Half an hour later, the chaos in the capital city began. Fires broke out everywhere, and cries of battle echoed all around.

Zheng Fan took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the three hundred Jingnan cavalrymen behind him. They were Tian Wujing's personal troops; even at this point, not a single one showed any sign of restlessness or impatience. Everyone remained serious and focused, accompanying Zheng Fan as he continued to wander aimlessly.

With Liang Cheng not by his side, Zheng Fan didn't dare to make his own "assessment of the situation." Therefore, he resolutely carried out Lord Jingnan's orders, intending to wait out the full hour before taking action.

***

"Blast it, Brother Xu, this is truly humiliating this time, too damn frustrating!" The deputy general slammed his wine bowl on the table, unable to stop himself from cursing.

"Exactly! To think we let that Yan Lord, with just two men, scare away our army of over ten thousand! We've lost all face!"

"Completely lost face! A hundred years ago, the first Earl of North Border defeated 500,000 Qian State troops with only 30,000 men. The Qian border army was ridiculed for a century. Now look at us! Their three men terrified our fifteen thousand! Haven't we lost more face than the Qian people?"

"That's right, damn it! I still get angry just thinking about it!"

Hsu Youcheng listened in silence to the complaints of his subordinates as he re-dressed the arrow wound on his arm.

Let them complain. Hsu Youcheng didn't directly ask why, if they were so brave, they hadn't charged at the Yan Lord when their unit was the first to emerge from the camp and confront him. Hundreds of cavalrymen attacking at once—even if Tian Wujing was a Third Rank Martial Cultivator, he couldn't have withstood it for long, could he?

However, they were his fellow soldiers. Hsu Youcheng let them vent their frustrations, fueled by alcohol, and didn't try to pour cold water on them.

The events of today were destined to spread. The reputation of the men of Three Jin had been thoroughly disgraced by them.

If the previous annihilation of tens of thousands of troops from the Helian and Wenren Families in ten days was like having their clothes stripped off, leaving them with no face to ask, "How can our Three Jin knights not compare to those Yan iron cavalry?" then today was equivalent to having their last pair of underpants ripped away.

Their superiors, the Marshal and the lords, surely had their own calculations. But ultimately, it was because their Jin people had been beaten into submission, thoroughly intimidated by that Southern Marquis of Yan, terrified into a nightmare. Truly, they no longer dared to fight.

HISS… Applying the ointment, Hsu Youcheng gritted his teeth, sucking in a sharp breath as he bandaged his wound again.

Ignoring his men, whose complaints grew louder, Hsu Youcheng dressed, forgoing his armor, and walked out of the military camp in casual attire.

This place, called a military camp, was actually a former training ground repurposed to house the defeated soldiers of the Helian and Wenren families.

As for the original Jin Imperial Guards of the capital city, they were mostly locals who usually maintained only a small garrison. In times of war, they would answer the summons, riding their own horses and bringing their own armor and weapons to gather and serve as vanguards for the king.

Thus, after the main army's retreat this time, most of the Imperial Guards from the capital city had removed their armor and returned home. In the evening breeze, one could still smell the faint scent of ash and drifting embers, and hear faint sobbing; these were the families of the Imperial Guards killed in action, engaged in the mourning process.

Hsu Youcheng suddenly felt envious of them. When they died, at least they had relatives to mourn and hold memorial services for them. And him? As a general of the Wenren Family, his family was naturally in Li Tian City. But with the Yan people storming in, perhaps his own family had already been reduced to prisoners because of their connection to him.

The Yan people had spread word that Jin soldiers who surrendered could keep their families, and their slave status would be removed. Hsu Youcheng knew several commanders of a thousand men who had surrendered to the Yan people after the defeat.

But Hsu Youcheng hadn't. He wasn't quite sure why he could be so heartless as to disregard even his own wife and children. As a member of the Wenren Family, he naturally held no goodwill towards the Situ Family and had no intention of seeking refuge with them. Perhaps, deep down, he simply found it unbearable, as a knight from the Three Jin, to see the Yan people run rampant and domineer over the lands of the Three Jin. These inner thoughts he had never voiced. In others' eyes, even in the eyes of many of his own men, he was a ruthless man willing to abandon his family for fame and fortune. But it didn't matter anymore. Lately, Hsu Youcheng had already been living in a daze, and this state had only deepened. For a moment, he even hoped the Yan people would attack again soon, launch another assault quickly. He didn't want to die; he very much wanted to live. But if he truly died, it seemed like it would be a rather good form of release.

However, just as this thought began to form in his mind, suddenly, battle cries erupted from the west!

His mind reeled. Hsu Youcheng staggered and collapsed heavily onto the ground.

"Has... it really come?"

***

"Huacheng, tell me the truth, what has happened to the Emperor?!"

In a side hall, a noblewoman dressed in phoenix attire was pointing at Yu Huacheng, Marshal of the Capital's Forces, questioning him furiously. The woman was not yet forty, exceptionally well-preserved. Unlike Emperor Jin's dark complexion, she was fair-skinned. It wasn't that time had left no trace on her; rather, time had settled upon her, imbuing her with an intoxicating allure.

"Empress Dowager, I have come to the palace this time to see you one last time."

Yu Huacheng knew that his true actions in deploying the troops could not be hidden from this Empress Dowager. Although the Imperial Guards were under his control, the royal family held profound influence within their ranks. It was only natural that someone had tipped off the Empress Dowager.

"Do you intend to kill me as well, then?"

"Empress Dowager, you are Ciming's birth mother. For Ciming's sake, this servant would not dare to disrespect Your Majesty."

"You still have the gall to mention the Emperor? You still dare to mention him!"

"Empress Dowager, the envoys from Dacheng Kingdom will arrive the day after tomorrow. In these two days, please prepare yourself well and accompany the envoys back to Dacheng."

"Hahahaha… Hahahaha…" The Empress Dowager of Jin laughed heartily. "I truly regret it! When I discovered you fooling around with the Emperor, I should have ordered you beaten to death with a staff!"

Yu Huacheng knelt down and kowtowed earnestly, without the slightest hint of resentment. Only after finishing his obeisance did he slowly say, "After my elder brother became famous, Your Majesty even deliberately helped create opportunities for me and His Majesty."

"You… you… you…"

"Empress Dowager, the Yu Family's Ancestral Temple, the incense, the sacrifices—Huacheng will safeguard them. This throne has long been tasteless. To relinquish it now is, in fact, a blessing."

The Empress Dowager slowly retreated two steps. "Yu Huacheng, your surname is Yu too!"

"Your Majesty is correct. My surname is Yu."

"The ancestors of the Yu Family will not forgive you!"

"Your Majesty is mistaken. Ciming committed treason by opening the South Gate to Yan and willingly became Yan's puppet emperor. If our ancestors in heaven have spirits, the first one they would not forgive is Ciming—your precious son, Empress Dowager!"

With that said, Yu Huacheng spread his arms and retreated a few steps, looking around. The surrounding eunuchs and palace women dared not meet his gaze. They all understood that when Yu Huacheng had entered the palace this time, he had brought hundreds of armored soldiers and directly replaced the original guards within the palace.

Right now, the true person in charge of the palace wasn't the Empress Dowager, but this Marshal standing before them.

"Empress Dowager, if the ancestors truly have spirits, would they watch the descendants of the Yu Family be humiliated by the three major families to this day? If the ancestors truly have spirits, now that I, your servant, stand before Your Majesty, speaking so insolently, why then is there no heavenly retribution falling to punish me, this rebellious minister and traitor!"

As soon as his words fell, a sudden wave of fierce battle cries and terrifying screams erupted from outside the palace gates.

Yu Huacheng was rendered speechless.