The Demon Lords

Chapter 519 31 - Level Up! _1

"Are you trying to get me killed?"

"This subordinate wouldn't dare."

"You must be inwardly cursing me for being melodramatic and demanding."

"My lord is wise."

"Hah, but I am curious. What color was the dragon robe Siniang embroidered herself?"

"Golden yellow, in line with our aesthetic tastes."

The dragon robes of the Yan State favored black, emphasizing the Son of Heaven's martial prowess. Those of the Qian State revered Daoist mysticism, highlighting the Son of Heaven's enigmatic nature. Chu State dragon robes were heavily ornamented, with every intricate piece telling a story.

As for the dragon robes of the Jin State… The Jin State was no more, so their style was irrelevant. Even for good fortune, future generations would not emulate the dragon robes of the fallen Jin State.

"Better hide it well."

"This subordinate understands."

Zheng Fan knew that if he indulged in a moment's satisfaction and wore the dragon robe today, Lord Jingnan, struggling despite his injuries, might very well come to take his head within three days.

Truth be told, thus far, whether facing the Yan Emperor or the two Lords of the North and South, Zheng Fan felt no confidence. It wasn't just him; even these Demons under him felt uncertain.

Once his armor was donned, Zheng Fan stepped out of the courtyard. Outside, someone had long since prepared a horse.

Zheng Fan swung himself onto the saddle. He turned to look at Xiong Lie and the Tufa successor, waved his hand, and said, "Follow."

He spoke casually, as if calling his two dogs out for a walk.

It wasn't that he was deliberately trying to demean them. Many people naively believed that by constantly showing kindness—sharing baths, meals, and beds—they could win hearts. How utterly naive.

In this world, there are many people whom the less courteous you are to, the more loyal they become. Conversely, the warmer and gentler you are, the quicker they are to betray you.

As a conqueror in a new land, the first priority is to establish dominance, not virtue.

The Tufa successor moved first, positioning himself to take Zheng Fan's reins and blocking Xiong Lie behind him.

Although he didn't quite understand how he had inexplicably become an attendant, since his head had already touched the ground in submission, it would be foolish to act coy now.

Xiong Lie, behind them, was grinding his teeth in anger. It was strange how something you didn't think much of suddenly became incredibly desirable the moment someone else vied for it.

But there was no precedent for two men holding the reins together, so Xiong Lie could only trail behind the horse, step by step, his already dark and stout face growing even more sullen.

The blind man also rode a horse, maintaining a respectful distance from Zheng Fan. A supporting character should know his place and not steal the spotlight.

On the periphery, Xiong Lie's wild people guards and a contingent of Tufa Tribe soldiers waited. The Tufa successor had come alone, but his tribesmen hadn't returned home. Now, seeing their tribal leader leading the horse for that Yan State nobleman, some of the Tufa warriors' expressions turned uneasy, though none dared to cause trouble.

Zheng Fan also spotted Tufa Su. If this woman were better looking, he wouldn't mind sacrificing a bit for a marriage alliance to win over the Tufa Tribe.

But then again, what kind of man relies on marriage alliances for power?

Many people had gathered here. Shengle City wasn't large, but its population was diverse, especially after the recent turmoil of war, when all sorts of people had poured in.

At this moment, countless pairs of eyes were fixed on this spot. They held no decision-making power, nor the ability to influence the grand scheme of things, yet they were instinctively curious—curious about the true nature of the new sky above their heads.

Would it be a scorching sun, or a roof that frequently leaked rain?

「 」

Finally, the ground began to tremble faintly.

All eyes turned towards the street ahead, the source of the vibrations.

The Yan Army's entry into the city this time had been remarkably smooth. With the Tufa successor stabbing them in the back—dealing with other families and opening the city gates himself—Liang Cheng had managed to enter without firing a single arrow. But breaching the city wasn't the hard part; the subsequent tasks were crucial.

The reputation of Yan's Iron Cavalry had intimidated the local tyrants of Shengle City before a battle even began, but they still needed to witness something tangible to be completely subjugated.

This was propaganda, a display of muscle, a show. The Demons all knew how to stage it, how to perform in a way that would compel the onlookers to crush any lingering rebellious thoughts in their own hearts.

The first to enter the city were the Jingnan Army.

The Jingnan Army had never been large in scale. After ten consecutive days of battle upon entering the Jin State, their losses were naturally not insignificant. Fortunately, the original rear camp troops had been formally incorporated, and the size of the Jingnan Army's main force was steadily increasing. According to the Yan State's imperial court, the Jingnan Army's main force was to be expanded to 100,000, with a matching 100,000 troops for its rear camp.

Following the original tradition of 50,000 main troops and 50,000 rear camp troops, this meant it was set to double in size within the next two years.

Such rapid expansion in a short period would naturally cause some decline in the army's quality. Even if Tian Wujing was a master at training soldiers, he couldn't negate this process entirely; he could only try to shorten it.

However, this 1,000-strong cavalry unit of the Jingnan Army that Zheng Fan had borrowed from Ren Juan was a genuine veteran force, with no dilution. They were part of the original 50,000 main troops personally trained by Tian Wujing, true elites tempered by the crucible of war in the Jin State.

The Jingnan Army led the way. From armor to horse to rider, every knight controlled his mount's speed, the warhorses trotting lightly. Yet, the palpable killing intent of this disciplined formation was already pouring forth.

The wild people present, the Tufa tribesmen, and even the common folk of Shengle City who were watching, having been born and raised in these lands, had all witnessed bloodshed and experienced battle. Unlike the citizens of the Qian State's imperial capital, who only valued ornate and shiny armor, these people could discern whether a military unit was truly capable of fighting, of killing. They could even sense how many men they had killed.

Otherwise, how could such a murderous aura cling to them?

Even the Tufa Tribe soldiers who had previously harbored discontent subconsciously lowered their heads at this moment. They knew very well in their hearts that if they were to face this cavalry before them, 1,000 against 1,000, they would stand no chance of victory.

When the Jingnan Army knights arrived before Zheng Fan, their commander was a man surnamed Gao, named Gao Yi.

He looked at Zheng Fan, and Zheng Fan looked back at him.

Zheng Fan appeared calm, but inwardly he was wondering if Liang Cheng and the others had managed to persuade them on the way. At the very least, they had to be willing to drop their airs and cooperate to make this show perfect and complete.

「 」

Finally, Gao Yi dismounted. He knelt on one knee before Zheng Fan and declared loudly, "This general, Gao Yi, greets the Chief!"

Behind him, the 1,000 knights of the Jingnan Army simultaneously raised their sabers, roaring in unison, "We greet the Chief! We greet the Chief!"

A thrill coursed through Zheng Fan. It seemed Liang Cheng and his group had done a good job persuading them.

Truth be told, Chief Zheng had risen to power relying on his Savage Soldiers. These soldiers were brave and skilled fighters, natural cavalrymen with high combat prowess. To a certain extent, they were also easy to indoctrinate.

But the Savage Soldiers lacked a certain finesse in their bearing; they were a bit too rough around the edges, unable to provide Chief Zheng with the kind of refined deference he desired.

He fondly recalled the time at the Prince's mansion when he had led Tian Wujing's personal guards, basking in borrowed glory. Ah, that feeling of comfort and exhilaration had stayed with him.

The prisoner soldiers were more astute, but they were few. Then another wave of Savage Soldiers had arrived... alas.

So now, looking at this 1,000-strong Jingnan Army unit, Zheng Fan made a firm decision: no matter what, he would absolutely not return these troops!

Even if it meant resorting to the tactic of "nurturing bandits to bolster his own importance," he had to keep this Jingnan Army unit and make them his core fighting force.

Zheng Fan didn't care if Ren Juan would be angry. As for Lord Jingnan, well, Lord Jingnan wouldn't have the heart to behead him anyway, even if he was furious.

Following the Jingnan Army were the Savage Cavalry and the prisoner soldiers. Both were battle-hardened veterans who had been drilled in formation marching. Though they might lack a fraction of the sharpness of the Jingnan Army, which had campaigned across half the Jin State in ten days, their neat formations still presented an incredibly powerful visual impact.

Bringing up the rear were 2,000 Jin puppet troops, with Hsu Youcheng among them.

Yes, Hsu Youcheng had not died. After the annihilation of the Wenren family, he had wandered into the capital city in a daze. When the capital city was razed, he was captured and subsequently handed over to Zheng Fan.

He was still in a daze, and he knew this daze would persist.

This was because a few nights ago, the blind attendant of that Yan nobleman had told them that the Chief himself would pay, out of his own pocket, to redeem any of their family members who had been conscripted as official servants.

The 2,000 Jin soldiers still had some morale issues, but they were Jin soldiers nonetheless. Their appearance made the people of Shengle City feel a subconscious sense of familiarity. After all, they were their own people; perhaps not to the extent of being "our boys in uniform," but they at least spoke the local dialect.

Liang Cheng rode forward, came before Zheng Fan, dismounted, and knelt in salute. "Greetings, Sir!"

The Tufa successor knelt. Xiong Lie knelt. The wild people and the Tufa Tribe soldiers also knelt. Many of the surrounding commoners knelt as well.

This was highly unconventional and broke etiquette.

However, the current atmosphere in the Yan State was quite liberal; such taboos weren't in vogue. The spectacle the two Lords had created before Nanwang City had been far grander than this.

Zheng Fan made no move to dismount and help them up. Clad in armor, he sat somewhat languidly on his horse, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings.

This was his city.

This was his territory.

This was his future home.

And this would be the place where he built his fortune!

It had been a year since he transmigrated to this world. He had been a laborer, been hacked at by others, and had hacked others in turn. Through wind and rain, through toil and hardship—it felt just like people in his previous life who worked themselves to the bone while pooling resources from six family 'wallets' just to make a down payment on a house.

I finally have a home!

A surge of heroic pride welled up in Zheng Fan's heart, instantly spreading through his entire being.

At the same time, the vital energy and blood within his body seemed to be drawn by this emotion, like long-accumulated magma finally finding release.

BOOM!

A gentle black light flowed out from Zheng Fan's body.

Zheng Fan felt so invigorated he almost wanted to roar.

In that moment, he advanced a level!

「 」

At the same instant, a sharp glint flashed in the eyes of Liang Cheng before him, the blind man at his side, and A Ming, Fanli, and Xue Three nearby!

Siniang, in the distance, licked her enticing red lips.