The Demon Lords

Chapter 563 66: Black Dragon Flag_1

"Within three days, everyone is to gather at the foot of the southern slope. Each of you must tie a wild person's head to your waist for me. It doesn't matter if it's a scout sent by the wild people of the snowy plains or a wild person hunting nearby, male or female, old or young. Whoever comes back without that head will have his own head twisted off by me and hung around his waist!"

"Understood, Sir!"

"Understood, Sir!"

In the mountains and valleys, fifty men whom Xue Three had trained by "force-feeding" knelt before him.

The soldiers from the city of Shengle, led by Liang Cheng as the vanguard of the Jingnan Army, were leading the way, with Xue Three's troops ahead of them.

Although Liang Cheng had already cleared this mountain route once, eliminating several outposts in the process, the vastness and complex terrain of Skybreak Mountain meant there was no telling if some small fry had slipped through the net.

At the same time, they needed to be vigilant against infiltration and surveillance by the wild people from the snowy plains. Xue Three might not know how to command a large army in battle, but he understood clearly that if the movements of this troop were discovered in advance, the wild people could assemble forces for an ambush on the Yan Army's route out of the mountains. No matter how skilled the Yan Army was at fighting, they would suffer a setback as a result.

"Go."

At once, everyone dispersed into the nearby woods, leaving only one man holding a cloth bag filled with hawthorns.

"Where did you get these?" Xue Three asked, looking down at this subordinate.

Xue Three held this subordinate in high regard, not due to any outstanding talent or aptitude, but simply because of his name. His surname was Dai, his given name Li. He was called Dai Li.

This name alone made Xue Three pay him extra attention. Dai Li, understanding this, often came over to flatter Xue Three and cultivate their relationship.

"They're my own, Sir. I thought I'd be able to stay by your side, so I carried them for you. Since we're to be separated for a while, I wanted to give them to you now."

Xue Three reached out, took the hawthorns, and nodded. His tone softened slightly as he said, "Be careful."

Dai Li was deeply moved. He quickly knelt and kowtowed to Xue Three three times before turning and disappearing into the woods.

He was one of the Jin people and a surrendered soldier, considered the lowest rank in the Shengle City military system. Thus, at this moment, gaining Xue Three's approval was something he would cherish all the more.

Truth be told, Xue Three didn't care whether others lived or died. But if this fellow, Dai Li, were to die, it would bring about an extremely unlucky, inauspicious feeling.

Moreover, after entering the mountains, he had his subordinates change how they addressed him. Since My lord is called Factory Chief, then I might as well be called Director.

He reached for a hawthorn, popped it into his mouth, and slowly chewed it. By the stream in front of him, Xue Three undid his belt and comfortably relieved himself. After a little shake, he walked a few steps upstream, bent down, and began to wash his hands.

Xue Three quite liked Lord Jingnan, not because of the man's relationship with his own lord, but because he felt Lord Jingnan waged war with finesse.

The Jingnan Army also sent out mounted scouts to hunt down and kill any wild people along their marching route. In my view, this is how proper warfare should be conducted. If everyone were like that Li Fusheng, rushing headlong into battle, then what use would people like us be? Alas, to not use spies to gain intelligence and expand one's view of the battlefield... it's simply a blasphemy against the art of war!

He splashed some water on his face, did a few stretching exercises, and then his figure also melted into the woods ahead.

The pace of a marching army was naturally not very fast. However, to save time, rest periods during the march were deliberately shortened. Fortunately, it wasn't a rapid forced march, so for these elite Jingnan Army veterans, all of whom had experienced warfare, it wasn't overly difficult.

After marching for ten consecutive days, Lord Jingnan finally ordered the troops to set up camp and rest.

The men needed to be tended to, and so did the warhorses.

Zheng Fan was sitting in his tent when Tufa Su came in, carrying a bowl of freshly cooked noodles she handed to him.

He didn't know who it was that couldn't keep their mouth shut, or perhaps it was that fellow, Tufa Chengji, who, after seeing Siniang, had tried to 'fathom his master's desires' and assumed he understood his preferences. That's why, during this march, whenever there was an opportunity, he (Tufa Chengji) had Tufa Su come and attend to Zheng Fan. Now that the army was encamped and would be resting for three whole days, it was the perfect time for some 'exercise', wasn't it?

Zheng Fan had brought his own chili powder. He sprinkled some on the noodles and started eating. During the march, with Siniang not around, being able to have this meal was already pretty good.

After eating and drinking his fill, he took the towel Tufa Su handed him, wiped his face, and then returned to his own tent to rest.

The human body, after all, has its fatigue threshold. Zheng Fan had journeyed to the snowy plains and back with Lord Jingnan without respite, and immediately after returning, he had set out on this campaign with the army. Even if his body could still endure, the mental exhaustion was already palpable. Lying on the blanket in his tent, all he wanted was to empty his mind.

Just then, Tufa Su entered, kneeling as she came. Zheng Fan turned his head to look at her, and she looked back at him. Then, she began to undress.

Actually, Tufa Su was quite attractive. Her face did bear some signs of hardship and had rather defined features, but that was unavoidable. In a place like Shengle City, for a woman to be out in public trying to make a living, it was unrealistic to expect her to be as well-maintained as a young lady from a prominent Qian State family. Moreover, her figure was undeniably excellent. He recalled San'er mentioning that she had a son and a daughter, and that her husband had died from an illness five years ago.