Chapter 1 The Most Important Thing

For an isolated army, the most important thing is hope.

Of course, the situation of the Shengle Army wasn't as pitiful as a "lone army" in the traditional sense, because the barbarians on the opposite side hadn't actually put much real pressure on them these days.

The city defense battle slowly turned into feeling like clocking in at the yamen (government office). Sometimes, when they were really bored, they would deliberately expose a flaw to let the barbarians in to play, and then enthusiastically put them up for the night.

However, when the barbarian front-line rout arrived, the atmosphere in Shengle City was still filled with excitement. They all knew what they were guarding here for, and understood what kind of rewards their General Zheng would receive and what kind of achievements he would make after the final battle was successful. Therefore, the cheers on the city wall rose one after another.

But Liang Cheng didn't let his guard down at all. He didn't leave the city wall at night, and continued to patrol above, in order to prevent the barbarians from launching a desperate last stand.

They had already walked ninety-nine steps; if they were to fall at the dawn of victory, it would be a real loss.

Zheng Fan came down early, and in a comfortable mood, he specially asked someone to boil some hot water for him, and took a nice bath.

Because the Demon Kings were dutifully carrying the weight for him outside, General Zheng could rest easy and enjoy the tranquility of the moment.

After taking a bath, he felt refreshed all over, and because he was too excited, he couldn't fall asleep for the time being. Zheng Fan simply walked out of the house and onto the street.

A Ming and more than twenty armored soldiers stood at the door, protecting General Zheng's safety.

There were actually a lot of people on the street, as many Jin people (residents of Jin) slaves had been driven over during the barbarians' first attack on the city.

As a result, because the barbarians messed up their own operation, these slaves basically didn't play any role.

Later, under Zheng Fan's instructions, adult women and children among the Jin people slaves below the city wall were allowed into the city, while the elderly and men were turned away.

Some who didn't meet the requirements saw the city gate open and thought about entering, but were directly shot and killed by the defending soldiers on the city wall.

Therefore, at this time, there were many women and children in Xuehai Pass. They found some things to set up tents, and each day they could be allocated a little bit of food, just enough to keep them from starving to death.

War doesn't allow for much compassion, and this was already the greatest kindness Zheng Fan could muster.

Old people, just let them die; they've lived a long life anyway, let the young people have the chance to survive.

Adult men, who knew if there were any spies from the barbarian side mixed in?

After all, they had already seen the barbarian king using Jin people as traitors.

As for the women, well, even if there was a "Kawashima Yoshiko" (historical female spy),

General Zheng would accept it.

So, that night outside the city wall was very touching. Most husbands and fathers tearfully took their wives and children into the pass, while they themselves silently curled up in the corners of the city wall, enduring hunger and cold.

When the barbarians came to attack the city again the next day, some were indeed still muddleheaded, but many people took the initiative to pick up weapons from the hands of the barbarian corpses around them and went up to fight the barbarians.

Although they didn't achieve much in the way of results, they were at least manly before they died.

Perhaps, they believed that their performance and death could secure a chance and qualification for their wives and children who had already entered the pass to survive.

Because of the barbarians' "hamster-like" behavior in the past, Xuehai Pass had a lot of food left over. However, food rationing had already begun a long time ago, because no one knew how long the battle on the front line would last, or when the main force of the Yan army would arrive. Therefore, they had to plan ahead and save money in advance.

These women and children had lost a lot of weight these days, and their faces showed signs of malnutrition.

However, extra food was delivered tonight, because barbarian routs had appeared outside, proving that the Yan army led by Marquis Jingnan had won the victory on the main battlefield. The time for everyone to continue defending here would naturally be greatly shortened, so there was no need to be so deliberately frugal.

Armored soldiers came over carrying porridge buckets and began to distribute porridge. It wasn't as thin as before; this time it was quite substantial.

The women and children lined up and began to receive porridge.

Those who didn't obey were killed.

Not out of cruelty, but in special times, tolerance for a few is irresponsibility to everyone.

Why did General Zheng need A Ming to lead a group of armored soldiers to wait here when he went home to take a bath?

Because once, when General Zheng came back from slacking off and taking a nap, he was attacked by a woman with an arrowhead hidden somewhere.

Fortunately, General Zheng was wearing armor when he went out. No matter how much he slacked off, Zheng Fan wouldn't dare to wander around in a battlefield environment in plain clothes. Moreover, General Zheng was also a seventh-rank martial artist, so he kicked away the woman who tried to assassinate him with one foot, without even needing Mo Wan to take action.

The woman was executed, along with her child.

During the interrogation before her death, the woman revealed the reason for assassinating Zheng Fan, because Zheng Fan didn't allow her parents and husband to enter the city, causing them to die outside the city.

The woman wasn't a barbarian spy. She assassinated Zheng Fan only because of this hatred, or more precisely, she placed this hatred on Zheng Fan's head.

Zheng Fan didn't feel much emotion about this, nor did he think that his good intentions were being treated as if he was a dog. After experiencing so much, he naturally understood that most people in this world can hardly remain absolutely calm and have clear likes and dislikes at all times.

The other women and children who had been taken in last time weren't implicated because of this incident. However, a group of Jin people female slaves who had been liberated in the city the earliest were holding simple sticks and specifically watching them.

The men didn't have time to do this work, because the city wall couldn't be short of people.

Zheng Fan walked to a woman's side. The woman was carefully blowing on the porridge, feeding her child.

Long-term malnutrition had left her with little breast milk.

This woman was the one Zheng Fan had personally seen on the city wall that day, curled up in a corner feeding her child.

That was how fate worked.

Because she had given Zheng Fan some emotion that day and left an impression, Zheng Fan would bring the child a piece of candy every time he entered and left the house.

The candy was brown sugar.

Yes,

That's right,

No matter how hard and tired they were, no matter how scarce the supplies were, the leader's share wouldn't be reduced. General Zheng still had a lot of snacks that Si Niang (Fourth Madam) had prepared for him when he went on the expedition.

A piece of brown sugar was put into the porridge bowl.

The woman looked at Zheng Fan, wanting to habitually get up and kowtow to Zheng Fan, but Zheng Fan habitually reached out and held the woman down, indicating that it wasn't necessary.

Every time, it was like this.

Actually, the first time was sincere.

The second time,

The woman's clothes were very simple and tattered, making it difficult to keep warm.

Zheng Fan didn't think the woman's behavior should be despised.

In this situation, she still had a child by her side, and there really wasn't much she could rely on.

However, even if her face was a little dirty, it was certain that with some grooming and dressing up, she would look quite presentable.

Although the Demon Kings privately thought that their master's tastes were no different from Cao Cao's (notorious historical figure known for his womanizing),

General Zheng wouldn't have any other thoughts in this situation.

Even though he had regretted more than once why he had kept Si Niang to guard the house!

Instructing A Ming to find a piece of clothing for the woman, and bringing some candy or other snacks for the child every time he entered and left here, was all Zheng Fan could do now.

Yes, he could give the woman and the child better dignity and special treatment, but now that everyone's future was uncertain, it really wasn't necessary.

This time, Zheng Fan quickly withdrew his hand and said,

"The battle is almost over."

The woman was stunned.

The child wanted to continue drinking the porridge, drinking the sweet porridge with brown sugar water, couldn't reach it, and started to cry, but the woman was indifferent.

Zheng Fan looked at her and continued,

"We are going to win."

The woman looked at Zheng Fan blankly,

Her face,

Was no longer the slyness of a bad older sister teasing a cute younger brother,

Instead,

Tears began to fall drop by drop.

"Will... will the barbarians die...?"

The woman asked.

"Yes."

Zheng Fan nodded,

And added, "Every single one of them, will die."

What kind of style of commander was Tian Wujing?

Zheng Fan understood when he ordered Zheng Fan to use corpses and feces to pollute the water source of the snow plains during the last expedition.

What's more, Tian Wujing's hair hadn't turned white last time he went on an expedition to the snow plains.

Although he hadn't received specific military orders, and although he hadn't yet established contact with the outside world, Zheng Fan knew that the barbarians who had entered Jin this time shouldn't expect a good end.

There is no Geneva Convention in this world.

The woman began to cry loudly,

While crying, she kept chanting several names.

It could be seen that the woman should have had a very good family background, but everything was destroyed.

After the child in her arms heard his mother crying, he stopped crying and began to rub his face against his mother's.

Zheng Fan got up, didn't linger here anymore, and walked towards the city wall.

Behind him,

A Ming pointed to the woman and child to an armored soldier next to him,

And said,

"Arrange for someone to take care of them."

"Yes."

Normally, people always want to test human nature from time to time, but in a war environment, there is no need to test anymore, everything has been torn apart.

When Zheng Fan walked through the open space between the "residential area" and the city wall,

He looked up at the nine wooden stakes.

Hanging on the wooden stakes, three were corpses of Shengle Army soldiers, and six were corpses of male slaves.

Because there were women in the city, and quite a few of them, many people had other thoughts.

For example, using a little bit of the food allocated to them, they could get something from the women...

Or, for example, if you wear the armor of the Shengle Army, you are the master here.

In fact, it sounds a bit cruel, but during wartime, letting the soldiers vent can effectively stabilize the morale of the army. Before the Shengle Army went on the expedition, the red tents in Shengle City were once full, and the line had to be queued on the street.

But here, Liang Cheng is a general with ambitions. He doesn't want the army he personally created and trained to become a pure warlord army that can't fight without rewards, women, and opium.

Under the strict punishment, everyone honestly controlled the little bird under their crotch.

Furthermore, as the barbarians' attacks became less and less powerful, everyone's restless emotions were greatly relieved.

When Liang Cheng explained to Zheng Fan later, he said that once Xuehai Pass was defended, and this battle was successfully concluded, then the Shengle Army that would go out from here again, whether they were Jin people, Yan people, or barbarians, their quality and core would be greatly improved and sublimated.

Even if they only had less than five thousand people left, or even only three thousand people, two thousand people, they could quickly support a strong army again with these people as the backbone.

This is the inheritance of an army, the foundation of an army, and the glory gained by the Shengle Army, which ranks first in merit in this great battle.

The army actually values this very much. It may be difficult to understand for outsiders, but the confidence of a truly strong army needs them to be the foundation.

The Zhenbei Army and the Jingnan Army have fought fiercely in recent years. Old soldiers died, and new soldiers were added. Why is their combat power still so strong?

It is for this reason that when a new recruit enters this army, he will immediately be infected by the atmosphere and glory here. When soldiers become fearless, even if they are not elite, the gap between them and the elite is not very big, not to mention that there are still veteran soldiers around to lead them.

Zheng Fan naturally unconditionally agreed with Liang Cheng's military plan. To repeat, professional people do professional things;

Zheng Fan is willing to be Liu Bang, and is also willing to let Liang Cheng be Han Xin. Most importantly, the special relationship between him and Liang Cheng will not lead to the kind of estrangement that occurred between Liu Bang and Han Xin in the future.

Since ancient times, it has not been difficult for superiors to have capable subordinates. The difficulty lies in how to prevent capable subordinates from rebelling and usurping power. The examples of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms are right there.

Only the special bond between the master and the Seven Demon Kings can truly fundamentally solve this predicament.

Didn't you see that even Mo Wan had to pinch his nose and protect his old dad?

On the city tower, everyone's emotions were very high, because the food ration at night had been increased by a factor of two, and even some wine was distributed, just enough to moisten their throats and drive away the cold. But people are always good at giving themselves a sense of happiness from comparisons.

The barbarian stronghold outside the city was still very quiet. No one knew what was happening in the barbarian stronghold now. Zheng Fan was also very curious whether the barbarian king was among the defeated soldiers, or whether he had been directly killed in the defeat on the Wangjiang front.

He was supposed to be a hero, but he ran into Marquis Jingnan.

Ah...

Zheng Fan took out a cigarette and lit it. He felt that the atmosphere at this time and the scene in the distance were very suitable for a cigarette.

Actually, to be honest, Zheng Fan still admired the barbarian king very much, because he was close to succeeding, but fate was so helpless.

The Jade Man Token once made a prophecy that the holy clan would prosper.

But the barbarians who were about to prosper ran into the Great Yan, whose national power was on the rise.

This sense of powerlessness was very similar to that of the former Southeast Asian tyrant.

Under the inner city wall, Xue San was directing the soldiers to readjust and inspect the catapults.

Fan Li was leading people to carry bundles of arrows and other city defense equipment and supplies to the city wall.

Liang Cheng was rearranging the number and equipment of the defending soldiers on the city wall.

A Ming stole a cigarette from Zheng Fan and bit it in his mouth.

"I don't have many left."

General Zheng said with some dissatisfaction.

"Sorry, Master, I've been drinking too much barbarian blood these days, I'm getting tired of it."

After speaking,

A Ming also lit a cigarette, and at the same time returned the small iron cigarette case that Xue San had specially customized for Zheng Fan to Zheng Fan.

The front of the cigarette case was engraved with two large characters: Zhonghua (China);

The back was six words: Smoking is harmful to your health.

It can be said that he was quite pursuing exquisiteness and a sense of ritual.

"You must miss the wine cellar at home, right?" Zheng Fan asked.

A Ming nodded.

"This battle is almost over," Zheng Fan said again.

A Ming nodded again.

"When the battle is over..."

"Master, don't set a flag." (Don't tempt fate with boasting)

"Right, my mistake."

Zheng Fan finished his cigarette,

A Ming reached out to take it,

Then he reached out and threw it out of the crenel,

When he retracted his hand,

He found an arrow inserted in his palm.

"Alas..."

A Ming sighed.

"Hehe."

Zheng Fan couldn't help but laugh.

Outside the city,

Arrows came flying in waves,

At the same time,

There was also the sound of barbarian shouts.

For the first time,

The barbarians launched a night attack on the city.

………

Alai, wearing white wolf skin, escaped again.

His ability to escape was indeed very strong.

Last time,

In the snow plains,

Facing the impact of the Jingnan Army,

He finally escaped, although he was almost caught by the short Yan people general, but in the end, he didn't, did he?

This time, the situation was even more dangerous than last time, but without that shorty, Alai still escaped.

He didn't know how much Yan people attention he had attracted, and he didn't have time to think about it. He knew that from the moment he put on the king's costume, the later he was caught, the less pressure there would be on the king's side.

The barbarian rout was everywhere.

After all, it was difficult for the Yan people to cut down more than 100,000 pigs in one breath.

But the spirit of the barbarian army had been destroyed by the Yan people. Unless they could return to the snow plains to reorganize and recuperate, it would be difficult to even gather these troops, let alone go to war with the wolf-like Yan people again.

But the laughable thing was that Alai knew that Xuehai Pass was still in the hands of the Yan people.

Alai wasn't particularly surprised by the sudden "rise" of the Yan army. He had personally witnessed and witnessed the power of the Yan people's Jingnan Army. However, he had actually had a fluke in his heart before.

He had hoped that the damned stars could help, considering that the holy clan had been worshiping them for so many years.

But obviously, the stars were still so high and aloof, untouched by dust.

Alai was a little tired. He had just killed a Yan people cavalryman who was chasing him. This was a difficult opponent. The other party stared at him, and he shook him off many times, but he couldn't get rid of him.

But fortunately, when they finally fought, his knife pierced the other party's neck first, but his abdomen was also stabbed by the other party with a saber.

The wound wasn't so easy to deal with, and now wasn't the time to stop and deal with it.

He couldn't stay here too long, he had to keep running.

His mission was probably completed, so now, it was about trying to survive.

Alai didn't know what use it was for him to survive. Maybe, the most simple idea was that if he survived and returned to the king's side, the king wouldn't have to find a new person to dress up as him next time.

This idea was a bit unlucky, but Alai couldn't care so much.

He continued to move forward, moving east, he knew that the defeated barbarians must also be heading east.

Suddenly,

An arrow shot over and landed in front of Alai.

Alai's gaze swept over the arrow,

It was a barbarian, one of his own.

Alai covered the wound on his abdomen with his left hand and roared,

"It's me."

Alai had already entered the state. At this time, he instinctively thought that he was still the king.

Maybe, on the one hand, he felt that the king's identity could make the nearby barbarians gather around him again, so as to attract the attention of the chasing Yan people and continue to reduce the pressure on the king.

On the other hand, it might be because he was injured now. If there were a group of barbarian warriors with him, he would have a better chance of going back alive.

As for which aspect was the main reason, even Alai himself might not be clear.

In front, more than thirty barbarians came out. Alai recognized the leader as a chiliarch (commander of a thousand).

"Greetings, King!"

A group of barbarians knelt down.

"Get up."

Alai waved his hand.

The chiliarch stood up and came over to help Alai's hand, but at this moment, he suddenly exerted his strength and threw Alai to the ground. The other barbarian warriors next to him immediately came over and tied Alai with horse ropes.

Alai wanted to resist, but firstly, his strength was almost exhausted, and secondly, he was injured. The chiliarch also had some skills. When he threw him down, he took the opportunity to hit his neck, causing his body to fall into paralysis.

"King, there are Yan people ahead too. We were just chased back. We have been defeated, King. Only by handing you over can we have a chance to survive in the Yan people's place. Don't blame us."

……

The Yan Kingdom's pursuing army spread out in a fan shape to the east, sweeping all the way and trying to annihilate the defeated barbarians as much as possible.

Of course, that was just cleaning up some scraps. According to the current situation, there was still a part of the organized barbarian rout that had been going east with all their strength from the beginning.

Marquis Jingnan personally led 30,000 iron cavalry, closely following behind.

In the Battle of Wangjiang, the barbarians were completely defeated. What needed to be done now was to seize the time and not allow the barbarians to reassemble.

It was best to defeat them again before they were about to gather or had just gathered, and the defeated barbarians were just a waste of effort for the Yan army to collect heads.

However, there was another purpose for Marquis Jingnan's hurried march, and that was that Zheng Fan's Shengle Army had been stationed in Xuehai Pass for a long time.

Just as Zheng Fan was unclear about the specific situation on the Wangjiang front, Marquis Jingnan was also unclear about what the situation was like for the Shengle Army in Xuehai Pass now.

Their battlefields were too far apart, and even if they wanted to send some news to each other, they could only rely on the sole messenger between them to convey it.

Yes,

That messenger was a barbarian.

Tian Wujing discerned the situation that there might be a problem with the barbarian's rear from the barbarian's reaction;

Zheng Fan saw the situation that the Yan army had won a great victory on the front line from the barbarian rout.

But this kind of communication was too brief, so brief that it was a truly meaningful "only to be understood, not expressed in words".

As far as Marquis Jingnan was concerned,

He didn't know that General Zheng had been eating well, sleeping well, and was so bored that he practiced his skills to the point where he felt like he was about to break through,

He didn't know that General Zheng would also take brown sugar to tease children, and that his fingers had curled up in a very evil and uncontrollable way once.

Standing from Marquis Jingnan's perspective,

Or,

Leaving aside the relationship between him and Zheng Fan as mentor and disciple,

Leaving aside the fact that his son called Zheng Fan godfather and was now being raised in Zheng Fan's Shengle City,

Simply starting from the perspective of a commander,

An isolated army, under the premise that it had already made such a huge contribution to the army's battle,

In any case,

You have to seize the time to support them and relieve them.

For a general, the most important thing is to distinguish between rewards and punishments.

Therefore,

Marquis Jingnan, who was afraid that Zheng Fan might not be able to hold on and was about to collapse, and would end up dying miserably, perhaps tonight or tomorrow morning,

This time, he directly led his cavalry to carry out a crazy military movement in an almost non-stop manner.

This was a very risky move, because once the barbarian rout in front echoed the barbarian soldiers and horses outside Xuehai Pass, they could completely turn around and carry out a reverse encirclement of Marquis Jingnan's pursuing Yan army.

But perhaps it was because the barbarian's courage had been lost, or perhaps it was because the barbarian's command system had collapsed,

It was even more likely because the banner of Marquis Jingnan chasing behind was too scary, and the barbarians no longer had the courage to face the cavalry led by the Yan people Marquis again,

In short,

This pursuit,

Was that Marquis Jingnan kept chasing, and the barbarians kept running away;

The barbarians in front would drop out from time to time, but Marquis Jingnan didn't bother to spare any energy to clean them up, and directly ignored them and continued east, which made those barbarians who were preparing to surrender or were preparing to fight the Yan people to the death and return to the stars feel very helpless, as if their feelings had been trampled on.

……

While the battle situation in the Three Jin lands, and even the overall situation in the north, was changing rapidly, two horses were galloping quickly in a place more than sixty miles south of Yupan City.

The Eighth Prince's face was very painful. He was used to riding in carriages, so how could he have endured such a painful horseback ride? He only felt that his legs had already been burning and bleeding.

But he didn't dare to complain at all, because if he didn't leave now, or if he delayed any longer, he might really not be able to leave.

Fortunately, the main battle between the Yan people and the barbarians took place to the north of Yupan City, that is, in the upper reaches of Wangjiang River, and then the barbarian's rout was also going east, and the Yan people were also going east to chase;

For Yupan City, the Yan people were currently mainly besieging it, so the Yan people had not had time to disperse too much force to expand southward, which also gave the Sword Forger and the Eighth Prince the opportunity to escape.

From here, going south along Wangjiang River, and then turning east along the tributary of Wangjiang River, and then crossing the river, they would be able to enter the Chu land.

Although it was still very far from the majestic pass between the Chu land and the Situ family, which was heavily guarded by the Chu army, that location was too far to the east, and the barbarians were also fleeing in that direction, so the Yan people would definitely chase after them. The two of them didn't dare to go there, and would rather climb mountains and ridges and work hard.

On horseback,

The Eighth Prince almost cried and wailed,

"Aren't you one of the Four Great Swordsmen? Can't you just carry me and fly with your sword like the sword immortals in the paintings?"

The Sword Forger replied,

"My sword can only carry one person."

The Eighth Prince said with a sad face very seriously,

"It's me who has been dragging you down."

As the most mysterious of the Four Great Swordsmen, the world only knew that he was good at forging swords, but no one had ever seen him take action.

Many people believed that this Sword Forger might not be a master at all, but purely because he gave his own forged Longyuan sword to the Sword Saint, and the Sword Saint helped him praise him a few times, which is why he became famous.

But many Chu people firmly believed that this one of the Four Great Swordsmen who belonged to the Chu Kingdom was just deeply hidden and too lazy to take action.

Regardless of whether you are a real Four Great Swordsmen or a watered-down Four Great Sword Saints,

For the Chu Kingdom's high-level officials and nobles,

As long as you bear the name of the Four Great Swordsmen, the Chu Kingdom will be extremely respectful to this Sword Forger. Even the late emperor, when he saw him, would call him "Sir".

Originally,

The Eighth Prince also had a strong curiosity about him,

He would also play Tai Chi pushing hands with him to test him,

But now,

Seeing that the Sword Forger was also clenching his teeth while riding a horse, with a painful expression on his face,

The Eighth Prince increasingly felt that this "Sir" might really be...

"If we go twenty miles further south, we can meet the Great Chu caravan that is coming to meet us," the Sword Forger said.

"Really?" the Eighth Prince said in surprise.

"It was personally arranged by me. That is my family's caravan."

"Sir is indeed farsighted."

"That's natural," the Sword Forger replied in this way.

In fact, this caravan came because people in the family wanted to transport wealth back. Not only were the barbarians robbing and plundering, but the Chu army wasn't idle either. However, because the Chu army needed to garrison Yupan City to guard against the Yan army, they didn't dare to be as exaggerated as the barbarians, but they also accumulated a lot of resources that originally belonged to the Jin people.

These resources were greatly devalued here, but if they were transferred back to the country, their value would be the real value.

People in the family sent someone to contact him by letter last month. The Sword Forger just put the letter down and didn't take it seriously, because not only was his family doing this, but Qu Tiannan's Qu family caravan had come long ago. This was also a tacit rule.

Since it was the nobles who sent their own private soldiers on the expedition, then the captured spoils of war and wealth, they would hand over 10% to the emperor's national treasury to show their sincerity, and the rest would be distributed to the soldiers, and the rest would naturally go into the pockets of the noble family.

However, this kind of good day would obviously not last long, because the Fourth Prince, who was about to ascend the throne, clearly wanted to learn from the Yan Emperor, judging from his previous actions.

The Eighth Prince suddenly asked,

"Sir, what should we do with the Qingluan Army in Yupan City?"

"After returning to the country, request reinforcements."

"Here, the barbarians have been defeated, and the Qingluan Army is trapped. Then Fourth Brother, what about Fourth Brother over there..."

The Sword Forger knew that the Eighth Prince was worried that the good situation of the Fourth Prince in the country would be destroyed. This child, although he looked like a little fox on weekdays, he hadn't completely grown up, and he hadn't really settled things down, so it was inevitable that he would panic at this juncture.

"What are you afraid of? After the Yan people drive out the barbarians, it is equivalent to annexing the entire Three Jin lands. The Yan people have already hit our doorstep, so how dare those old guys at home drag us down and continue to fight internally?

On the contrary, this is a good thing for the Fourth Prince."

Speaking,

The Sword Forger couldn't help but sigh,

"It's just that the Yan people's power has become a trend now. Our Great Chu must join forces with the Qian people next."

……

The siege battle that lasted all night saw the barbarians unleash amazing combat power, which was considered a desperation-driven spurt.

In fact, the barbarians once stormed the city wall, and occupied multiple points on the city wall.

But fortunately, the Shengle Army hadn't completely lost their minds because of the appearance of the barbarian rout, but instead actively prepared for the barbarians' last-ditch struggle.

When the barbarians stormed the city tower, the new forces would drive them down. Wherever there was a loophole, they would go to fill it.

After a night of fierce fighting, the barbarians withdrew their troops at dawn.

The Shengle defenders on the city wall could even hear the cries coming from the barbarian withdrawal team, which was a deep despair and sadness.

Their homeland was right in front of them, but they couldn't go back.

In the west, that terrible Yan people marquis was leading his troops to rush over, and they had already been miserably defeated by that marquis once, so they no longer had the courage to face him and the army he led.

The barbarians' cries were the most beautiful music to the Shengle defenders, because the Shengle Army had many Jin people, and many of the slaves in the city were also Jin people.

Therefore, no one knew who started it, but the folk songs of Jin began to be sung, carrying the most familiar tune of the Jin people in the Three Jin lands.

Zheng Fan was exhausted. He lay on the ground. Last night, he personally killed many barbarians. When the situation was most critical, even A Ming couldn't protect him, and a barbarian general, with tyrannical power, wanted to forcibly climb the wall. Finally, after killing several Shengle defenders, he was suddenly and treacherously attacked by Mo Wan and smashed his brain when he faced Zheng Fan.

In the darkness, on the chaotic battlefield, it was too convenient to use Mo Wan to attack treacherously.

Even so, General Zheng's right arm was also injured by a slash, and his back was shot by an arrow, but because his armor was of good quality, the problem wasn't very big, and it was far from the point where the injury was deep enough to see the bone.

But this was enough to see how critical the situation was last night.

However,

Fortunately, all this was over,

After experiencing last night's madness,

It was difficult for the barbarians to launch any more offensives.

The front line suffered a crushing defeat, the rear route was blocked, and all that awaited them was the destiny of destruction.

"Master, have some water."

Xue San diligently brought the water.

Zheng Fan nodded, sat up, took the water bag, first took two sips to rinse his mouth, and then took several big gulps down, before he felt like he had come back to life.

"Hoo..."

He let out a long sigh of relief.

Liang Cheng was still busy counting the casualties. At the same time, after the barbarians withdrew, he also used baskets to hang down the Jin people slaves, so that they could collect arrows and other military equipment under the city.

He was really a cold and emotionless zombie,

So meticulous at all times.

Zheng Fan supported his hands on the crenel,

He wanted to shout loudly, but when the voice passed through his throat, it suddenly became empty again. He had shouted too much last night.

In that chaotic scene, you had to cheer yourself up. The city wall was so wide, it was like constantly repeating the situation where the brave wins when enemies meet on a narrow road.

This was a war that had lasted for more than a year. Because of the Jin people's defeat, the barbarians entered the pass, which led to the devastation of the Jin lands, but in the end, it was also relying on this force mainly composed of Jin people that they guarded the barbarians' retreat, and closed the coffin lid on the barbarians who had entered the pass this time.

Zheng Fan suddenly felt a little tired,

He wanted to go home,

He missed the hot springs in the Shengle General's Mansion,

He missed Si Niang's smooth skin,

He missed the sunshine of Shengle,

He missed the stable days.

Just like a man who had messed around outside for many years, only to suddenly realize his conscience and hope to find the warmth of home.

But in addition to fatigue, there was also a great sense of satisfaction.

This time,

His credit,

Should be the greatest, right?

Territory, population, power, and status should all be there,

The bankruptcy crisis should also be eased.

Si Niang wouldn't be so tired, and could spend more time with him.

"Pa!"

Zheng Fan slapped his forehead.

Was he suffocating himself,

Why did he return to the same theme in the end, no matter what he thought about?

"Send the master back to rest," Xue San pointed to the two armored soldiers next to him and said.

Zheng Fan waved his hand and said,

"I want to bask in the sun for a while longer."

When the blood had just splashed out, it was hot, even scalding.

Even though the temperature of the blood was actually not very high, the psychological feeling it could give you made you feel very hot and very hot.

But soon, the blood would immediately turn cold, making you shiver.

The sun,

Was slowly rising,

General Zheng just raised his head like this, looking at the sun, feeling the temperature of the sunlight shining