The Demon Lords

Chapter 857

The Sword Saint was tired and sat down on a stone block outside the city gates.

Zheng Fan sat next to him, pursed his lips, feeling somewhat thirsty; the lamb pie was a bit salty.

"These houses are built outside the city. What if enemies attack the city?" the Sword Saint asked.

"There's a saying: keep the enemy outside the national gates."

"Indeed, it's much more gallant than before; no wonder you're a lord now."

"Indeed."

Right in front of where Zheng Fan and the Sword Saint were sitting, there was a large living area with many tents set up.

Inside, it was mostly women in charge of doing laundry and cooking, with some elderly and children bustling about.

"Actually, there is still room for many more people inside the city," the Sword Saint said.

Snow Sea Pass is vast, truly vast, capable of accommodating a large population.

"There always needs to be some distinction."

"I remember you once told me that all people are born equal."

"Yes, but here, I don't distinguish between Yan people, Jin people, and Barbarians; that's already quite equal. Families of soldiers can live inside the city."

"What about those women?"

"If they marry soldiers, they can also live inside the city."

"That's somewhat crude."

"This brings us back to what you said earlier about keeping the enemy outside the national gates; having the northern snowfields and city walls for protection is good, especially with you guarding the North Gate in the future;

but to the south,

to speak frankly,

in my vision,

without thirty thousand cavalry, no, without at least fifty thousand cavalry, it is impossible to push the enemy out."

"That's still quite a gap."

"Yes, a very big gap, but the family foundation can be slowly built up."

Just then, a team of cavalry rode out from the city gates of Snow Sea Pass, led by none other than Jin Shuke.

As the official army emerged, the common people outside the city immediately stepped aside.

Because of the remote position where Zheng Fan and the Sword Saint were sitting, Jin Shuke did not notice them; he was preoccupied with military duties, paying no heed to other matters.

"It's apparent, he's doing quite well," the Sword Saint remarked with emotion.

Jin Shuke was someone he had recommended to Zheng Fan.

"He's quite a talent."

Whether in military strategy or personal conduct, this Barbarian man exhibited an extraordinary talent and subtlety.

Sometimes, watching Jin Shuke, Zheng Fan felt as if he were looking into a mirror; in many ways, Jin Shuke was somewhat like himself,

except not as handsome.

After all, the appearance of those from the Barbarian tribe did not align with the common aesthetic of the people of Zhuxia at the time.

"The Eldest Prince married the Barbarian King's daughter and brought a tribe of nearly thirty thousand people as a dowry. That tribe is quite close to us.

I instructed Jin Shuke to lead forces to greet them."

"Looks like Lord Zheng now has many more troops at his disposal?"

"Ten thousand Barbarian cavalry."

Zheng Fan proudly raised a finger.

"Oh, that's quite impressive."

"Actually, I quite like employing Barbarian soldiers; they have fewer concerns and, being in a foreign land, they are more willing to risk their lives."

"No, aside from Yan soldiers, you like all kinds of soldiers. If not for the consideration that this is Jin land, and the fact that the wild people recently massacred so many Jin people, you'd even want the wild people as soldiers."

"You've figured it out."

"It's because you didn't hide it."

"Alright, I'll reflect on that."

"Jin Shuke's fortunes have indeed risen. Sometimes, a person's fate is like this; grasping an opportunity, they rise up.

Of course, some people indeed have true skills and can rise with their own abilities."

"Are you talking about yourself?"

With just a sword to overturn his fate, shedding the identity of a fallen descendant of the Yu family, his influence surpassed that of the Emperor Jin, who had long become a mere puppet.

"I'm talking about him."

"It's not the same. In this world, there are few who can break through shackles and rise, holding only a sword, like you.

Take Jin Shuke, for instance; if it weren't for you guarding the East Gate and noticing him, and recommending him at the start, I might not have promoted him to commander of a thousand.

He likely would have died in some conflict or in a scout skirmish.

They say that gold will always shine; that's true, but there is a lot of survival bias involved."

"Survivor bias?"

Evidently, the Sword Saint couldn't immediately grasp the meaning of that phrase, but upon reflection, it indeed had a certain flavor to it.

"Pa!"

Just then,

a cracking sound was heard.

On an ox cart sat an old man, with several small wine jars beside him, one of which had just been broken in front of the ox cart, spilling no wine, indicating it was empty.

After breaking the wine jar,

two women hurried over from the area where laundry was being done.

Both women wore patched clothing; one older, retaining some of her former beauty and still possessing a certain charm—the old man's concubine, likely.

The younger one, though plainly dressed, could not conceal her prettiness, likely the old man's daughter.

The old man's clothes were shabby, but traces of former luxury were visible. He was probably once from a well-off family, but war ruined them, and his wife and daughter had to rely on work for the Earl's Mansion to sustain themselves.

The blind man and Siniang, bringing along the people from Shengle, had absorbed many refugees on their journey, snowballing in numbers such that now, those who migrated to the inside and outside of Snow Sea Pass were largely not originally from Shengle City.

The old man had smashed the wine jar, right on the official path leading from the city gates, and his wife and daughter immediately squatted down to clean it up.