The Demon Lords

Chapter 556 60: Old Silver Coin_1

Liang Cheng had returned.

He returned several days later than expected, as he had not only transported back the treasures from the Helian Family's treasure house but had also, on his way, eliminated two wild people's encampments. Furthermore, he compelled these two encampments to send the sons of their chieftains to Shengle City to meet the City Lord and express their submission.

Perhaps Emperor Wu of Han was somewhat uneasy when he first sent Huo Qubing on a military campaign.

Zheng Fan, however, was entirely at ease with Liang Cheng leading the troops.

A genius commander might need an army as a touchstone, a gamble, but a veteran of veterans like Liang Cheng truly required little worry.

When the troops returned to the city, Zheng Fan personally went out to welcome them.

Amidst the pageantry of kneeling and being helped up,

Liang Cheng advanced.

It was abrupt, yet somehow perfectly natural.

Consequently, when the Demon Lords dined together that evening, the pressure fell squarely onto Xue Three and the blind man.

Everyone was striving for progress; those two were undoubtedly holding the group back. Even Fanli had advanced, so what excuse could they possibly offer for themselves?

A Ming was not present. He had already departed for Yanjing with a caravan the previous day.

After the meal concluded, the others dispersed to attend to their various tasks, while Zheng Fan and Liang Cheng sat facing each other.

"Here is the news from the past few days, along with the orders from Li Tian City."

Accustomed to the efficiency and methods of later ages, written records and transmissions were indeed far clearer and more precise than verbal communication.

After Liang Cheng had carefully read through the documents, he nodded and said, "My Lord's speculation was correct. It appears the Yan State is planning to move against the wild people."

"Are you so certain?"

Zheng Fan was used to being a smokescreen.

From the very beginning in the corvée camp, he was used as bait.

It was the same fate when they went south to the Qian State; General Li Bao of the Zhenbei Army had even lost an arm because of it.

Zheng Fan felt he might as well change his name to Hsu Huang, as he was always the one thrust forward.

"My Lord, dispatching a large army requires extensive preparations. According to the intelligence we currently possess, there are no signs of large-scale war preparations within the Yan State. Therefore, the scale of this conflict will certainly not be large. By my subordinate's estimation, Lord Jingnan alone might be in charge.

In other words, this is not a national war, but rather a military operation directed by a military region.

After the campaign against the Jin State, Lord Jingnan took command of Li Tian City, and the Jingnan Army was expanded. However, troops are currently needed to suppress the New Jin territory. Moreover, the integration of new recruits inevitably leads to a decline in overall combat strength. Therefore, I estimate that Lord Jingnan himself might lead this expedition, with troop numbers likely between thirty thousand and fifty thousand.

Furthermore, considering the difficult terrain of the Skybreak Mountains and the even harsher environment of the snow plains, supplying a large army would be challenging. If they indeed take that route, rather than detouring through the Cheng State, the army's size would likely be thirty thousand at most."

"Can't they just head south from Jin State?"

"To the south of Jin State, the region blocked by the South Gate Pass is dotted with numerous small kingdoms. They may seem insignificant, but attempting to swallow them whole would be exceedingly difficult unless an army of hundreds of thousands was brought to bear. Otherwise, it could easily lead to indigestion.

Moreover, although the Chu State is embroiled in internal conflict, applying excessive pressure could inadvertently help them reunite. That would be an unfavorable trade."

Those small states at the borders of these major powers actually form a tacitly acknowledged buffer zone.

"This military expedition surely isn't because Tian Wujing is bored and fancies a horseback ride across the snow plains. So, what is the Yan Emperor after?"

In Zheng Fan's understanding, acts of international aid, especially military interventions, had, for a very long stretch of history, been thankless and arduous endeavors.

Liang Cheng seemed to have guessed Zheng Fan's thoughts and said, "My Lord, the Situ Family is no minor, remote state. In fact, occupying half of the Jin State, their strength is truly not to be underestimated.

Some time ago, the Situ Family's main army went northeast to resist the wild people, completely exposing their rear to the Yan people. This time, the Yan State should be returning the favor.

My subordinate speculates that the Yan Emperor might be attempting, through this action, to establish an unwritten reality: that the Cheng State is subordinate to the Yan State. By leveraging his magnanimity, charisma, and the decisive actions of the Yan Army, he aims to make the entire Situ Family deeply indebted.

There are many ways to deal with an enemy. If you can ensure an adversary won't make a move against you for twenty years, they essentially cease to be a threat. This allows you to conserve considerable energy to focus on other fronts."

"Don't you find that naive?" Zheng Fan asked.

Basing relations between nations on sentiment and friendship?

In later ages, there were countless examples of nations that were once the best of friends, calling each other 'big brother,' only to later turn on each other with bitter hatred.

"Such a relationship is, of course, not reliable. But if this move succeeds, it will provide a powerful justification for the conservative factions within Cheng State and the Situ Family."

"To achieve that kind of effect?"

"This outcome, however, fundamentally relies on Yan State's national power consistently overshadowing that of Cheng State. That is the crux of the matter."

"Oh, so that's how it is."

"Moreover, the Yan State's campaign might only involve Lord Jingnan and about thirty thousand troops. To put it bluntly, even if…"

"Silence!"

"…" Liang Cheng.

"Alright, I understand what you mean. You're saying the cost isn't substantial, correct?"

"Yes."

"Fine, I understand."

"In that case, your subordinate will lead the army back into the mountains tomorrow to clear a path first. Lord Jingnan's intention is likely to prevent his main army from being discovered by the wild people while crossing the Skybreak Mountains. This way, they cannot alert the wild people on the northeastern snow plains in advance."

"You've worked hard."

"My Lord, this time I plan to leave the one thousand Jingnan Army soldiers to guard our home base and take all other forces with me."

"Alright, you decide. Just consider it training through combat."

"Yes, your subordinate understands."

Not long after Liang Cheng departed, Xue Three entered, carrying a large box.

"My Lord, come, step inside."

"Hmm?"

"My Lord, come on, into the room. Come on now~"

Xue Three first carried the box into the room.

After Zheng Fan entered, Xue Three glanced around furtively before closing the door.

"What's in the box?" Zheng Fan asked, pointing to it.

Liang Cheng had advanced as soon as he returned with the troops and was now about to lead them back into the mountains almost immediately. It was as if his return was merely for a handover of spoils and a convenient advancement in rank.

Zheng Fan knew very well that Xue Three must be incredibly anxious at this moment.

"My Lord, here, take a look. These past few days, while I've been training those fifty blockheads during the day, I've spent my nights polishing these. This is a token of my filial piety, My Lord. Please deign to accept it."

Saying this, Xue Three opened the box.

Zheng Fan was stunned.

Xue Three, like someone presenting priceless treasures, began to take out the brand-new items one by one:

"My Lord, these are handcuffs."

"My Lord, look here, this is a rope made of sinew and hide, guaranteed not to chafe the skin."

"My Lord, this is a whip made from wolf hide bought from a merchant. This one is without barbs. I also specially made one with barbs. Oh, and underneath, I have some Healing Ointment I prepared myself."

"My Lord, this is a mask."

"Right, right, My Lord, this is a ball gag. I've disinfected it. After you use them, you can remember to disinfect them yourselves."

"Ah, and this, this is the main event! It's what I…"

…

So, that's life. When you find the path ahead blocked, perhaps it's time to consider a different approach.

With so many successful examples before him, by summarizing and analyzing, one could always find certain patterns.

Xue Three felt he had found the method and had succeeded. Once his aura surged, a profound sense of satisfaction filled the depths of his being.

The crushing psychological pressure instantly lifted; the sunlight seemed brighter, and the air fresher.

Originally, Xue Three had planned to go to the blind man's rooftop again that night to listen in on things.

Didn't the blind man say last time that if I went again, he wouldn't let me off? Ha! Come at me! Who's afraid of whom? Let's see who's tougher!

But in the end, Xue Three didn't go. Actually, the last time he had gone to the blind man's place, it was merely to see if the blind man had advanced; he hadn't truly intended to eavesdrop. The Blind Man, after all, understood the principle of "a friend's wife is not to be trifled with"; he himself wouldn't stoop to such a vulgar act.

As for going to My Lord's rooftop after leaving the blind man's place, that had been a moment of emotional instability. He'd actually forgotten that My Lord would toss Mo Wan out the window whenever he and Siniang were engaged in their 'needlework'!

Patience, patience! Must maintain composure, composure!

So, Xue Three lay awake all night.

The next day, when everyone gathered for breakfast—which also served as a send-off for Liang Cheng, who was once again leading troops into the mountains—Xue Three strutted over with an air of supreme arrogance.

The blind man sat there, sipping his porridge slowly, mouthful by mouthful. My Lord and Siniang hadn't arrived yet. Fanli and Liang Cheng were already there, eating their breakfast.

Xue Three deliberately sat down beside the blind man. As he settled, a shadowy aura began to emanate from him, gradually enveloping the blind man's arm.

The blind man paused his sipping.

Xue Three quickly said, "Oh dear, oh dear, my apologies, my apologies. I've just advanced, and I'm still having a little trouble controlling my power attribute. Oh dear, my apologies, so sorry."

The blind man heard this but showed no signs of anger, merely smiling before continuing to drink his porridge.

Go on, keep pretending! You're acting all cool, but you're dead last in the group now, the absolute bottom of the barrel! You must be fuming inside, furious, humiliated, restless, right? Act! Keep acting! Keep it up!

Xue Three picked up his chopsticks and said, "Looks like everyone else has advanced, huh? We should really celebrate, heh heh heh."

As he spoke, he continued to peek at the blind man from the corner of his eye, only to find him still calmly sipping his porridge, seemingly detached from worldly affairs.

At this moment, Zheng Fan and Siniang walked over to join them for the meal. Apart from A Ming, everyone was more or less gathered together again.

Xue Three continued to eat his steamed bun with great relish, his gaze fixed on the blind man. Ah, this was delicious, truly delicious!

Zheng Fan hadn't noticed at first. It was only when he saw Xue Three repeatedly glancing at the blind man that it dawned on him: of the seven Demon Lords, only the blind man had yet to advance.

Everyone else had advanced, but the blind man hadn't. Yet, his contributions and arduous efforts were, without a doubt, second to none among the Demon Lords.

At this moment, the blind man finished his bowl of porridge. He turned to Xue Three with a somewhat surprised expression and said, "San'er, you've advanced?"

Xue Three was taken aback. "Hmm?"

"Congratulations, congratulations! I'm truly envious of you. Congratulations, congratulations."

"What?"

The blind man then turned to Zheng Fan and said, "My Lord, I still have matters to attend to over there. A Cheng, please take care. My Lord, I'll get back to my work then."

The blind man rose.

He turned.

His back was slightly stooped, his temples touched with white. Ink stains marked his cuffs, and his cloth shoes were worn. Scene after scene…

A pang of guilt, ever stronger, struck Zheng Fan's heart.

And in the very next instant,

The blind man abruptly straightened his back, his aura flaring powerfully!

Xue Three was dumbfounded!