The Demon Lords

Chapter 812 179: Come and See

The feeling of advancement comes a bit too quickly; an instant of soothing pleasure, a moment of exuberance, a swift release;

The only regret,

is probably not being able to give you more time to savor it.

The process of "savoring" it is actually indispensable.

A lifetime of sixty years stormed through life, nothing more than preparation for brewing tea in one's later years.

Earlier, I washed my face with the reddened waters of the Wang River, which somewhat compensated for the missing exhilaration.

Zheng Fan did not know that Tian Wujing had been following him all along, he hadn't even fully reacted or realized how dangerous his previous situation had been.

It felt like he had a dream, or as if an unexpected sense of loss overwhelmed him, nearly suffocating when he fell into it, but after "waking up," it felt as if nothing had happened.

Tian Wujing walked up to Zheng Fan, who flicked the water off his hands and stood up.

At this moment, Zheng Fan's appearance hadn't changed, but there seemed to be a slight difference in his demeanor.

In Tian Wujing's eyes, the previous Zheng Fan didn't live as authentically;

It's like the western circus troupe in Yanjing, where there are fire-breathing magicians, and although their living expenses come from the city, there's always a sense of alienation when others look at them.

It's a feeling of... being a stranger in a foreign land.

But now, that sense of alienation seemed to have vanished, like a knot in his heart had been untied, accepting his surroundings.

But after all, Tian Wujing was Tian Wujing, he could say more to guide Zheng Fan, but he wouldn't just sit across from him and chat idly:

Have you gained weight recently?

You've lost weight recently!

You seem more spirited now!

If such topics came from Tian Wujing's mouth, the first one to be startled would probably be Zheng Fan.

"Although you started practicing martial arts late, you've progressed quickly, which could lead to an unstable foundation. From now on, focus on solidifying your state and strengthening your physique."

"Yes, Prince."

What is the greatest support for a martial artist?

It's not some legendary weapon, nor some miraculous secret manual,

it's one's own physique!

A martial artist who doesn't cultivate their physique, no matter how high their state, is like a rootless duckweed.

Actually, what Zheng Fan really wanted to say was, according to the speed of advancement, my Lord, you are the one who is truly young.

But Zheng Fan also knew that Tian Wujing had been tempered by his ancestor since childhood, endured much hardship, completely different from someone like himself who entered the path halfway.

And some people are naturally born with the protagonist template.

Such people, in this world, Zheng Fan had already seen quite a few, to the extent that Lord Zheng was a bit envious!

On the Wang River's surface, the bodies of the Chu people were already densely packed.

At first, the Chu people treated the Yan people in this way, and now, the Yan people have returned everything to them.

Zheng Fan took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

The sunset was beautiful, reflecting against the floating corpses on the river, forming a unique beauty of conflicting content yet harmonious colors.

Due to a professional instinct from his past life, Lord Zheng liked this kind of composition design very much.

Tian Wujing continued to walk forward, while Zheng Fan followed behind.

Although they were in the midst of a living hell, the two of them seemed to be taking a walk in a garden, breathing in the fresh air.

"Prince, what reaction will the Chu people have after this matter here is settled?"

The label of Yan people breaking agreements, betraying trust, and killing prisoners couldn't be removed, especially since killing prisoners is indeed against heavenly principles, easily stirring the Chu people's united and indignant feelings.

As for the reputational negative impact, Prince Jingnan didn't care.

Zheng Fan also felt that Tian Wujing didn't need to worry about it anymore either.

When faced with Zheng Fan's question, Tian Wujing's answer was simple:

"The Chu people will be angry."

Zheng Fan walked along, waiting for the next words.

Then, he kept waiting for the next words;

Only then did Zheng Fan fully understand Tian Wujing's meaning, the Chu people will be angry, and that's it.

They will be angry, but what can you do to me?

The Yan State had been exhausted by several consecutive years of warfare and continuing the war would be very unprofitable;

But in any case, Yan State had been the victor in the numerous battles over the past few years.

If they continue to fight, it will be very tough, they might even fall apart, but it's not like they have completely lost the ability to continue waging war.

If the Yan Emperor were to place a desperate bet, Yan State could still mobilize a large amount of civilian and military power to continue the war, even expand it again.

There's still a garrison of 150,000 strong at Beifeng Prefecture, as well as over 100,000 imperial troops who were sent there to train by the Yan Emperor.

If it came down to brainless conflict, there's no room for anything else.

"Inside Chu State, things haven't been fully settled, and with the regent's calm personality, if we go to full-scale war, Yan State dares to gamble on it, but Chu State doesn't."

Full-scale war would mean that Chu State mobilizes all its forces domestically, with hundreds of thousands of troops moving past the Town South Pass to compete in Jin land with Yan State legitimately once more.

If Chu State were to win, the Yan Army might lose Cheng State and even retreat further west, but for Chu State to invade Yan State's heartland is almost impossible.

But if Chu State were to lose,

there is a precedent,

when the Qian State was at the peak of its national destiny, Emperor Taizong of Qian State led an army of 500,000 on a northern expedition, yet they were defeated by the first Earl of North Border in one strike. Had the Yan people not been embroiled with the desert and the barbarians preventing any troop diversion, half of Qian State's territories might have been pushed back in return.

In simple terms, that's what war boils down to. Once you lose your main field army and your maneuverable troops, no matter how vast your land or how many cities you have, they'll all become lambs waiting for the slaughter, just waiting for your opponent to harvest slowly.