Chapter 1 The Beginning

The four gates of Shengle City each had a city gate commandant, a rank that could be said to be quite rampant.

Zheng Fan had complained more than once about the military system of the Yan State, especially in the Northern Frontier, where commandants were as common as dogs, just like the practice of buying official titles in the Qing Dynasty. Even some overseas Chinese with a little bit of status could scrape together enough wealth to buy themselves a set of "official robes" and a "mandarin hat."

But as the saying goes, where you sit determines what you see. When Zheng Fan was just a commandant, he would naturally criticize the devaluation of the rank. But when he became the city lord in charge of a city and the surrounding area, he instantly did an about-face and thought it was great.

Military pay naturally came from the public treasury, but compared to what was considered military pay, the ordinary soldiers valued this bit of silver greatly. However, for those who had already made a name for themselves, especially for those powerful clan leaders from Jin, it was inevitably not enough.

At this time, the "commandant" magic was naturally brought out.

Give you one, give him one, don't be impatient, don't rush, everyone gets one.

In an instant, everyone had an official position in the Great Yan, naturally becoming one big family, sharing the benefits equally.

Therefore, it was not at all strange that there were four commandants just guarding the city gates.

However, the city gate guards at these four gates were mainly composed of Zheng Fan's old subordinates, with the majority being barbarian soldiers.

Having worked so hard to build this city and protect their homeland, the keys naturally had to be handed over to their direct lineage.

Zheng Fan and his demon kings wouldn't trust anyone else to guard the city. In the past, they used to love sneaking into other people's city gates, so having done too many bad things, they were afraid that karma would come back to haunt them.

If, in the end, their hard-built, sturdy city walls were reduced to mere decorations because their subordinates were bribed and colluded with the enemy from within, then they would really have to compare their depression to the Gallic rooster during World War II.

Early in the morning, just as the sky began to lighten, Yu Huaping put on a set of leather armor. He didn't take a sword, but instead grabbed a Yan-made saber and walked out of the post station.

There was breakfast at the post station.

Steamed buns with fillings: shredded radish, pickled vegetables, sweet bean paste, and meat-filled buns, as well as porridge, shaomai, and pan-fried buns.

The saying that the King of Chu liked slender waists was vividly displayed in Shengle City. The daily diet of the General's Mansion gradually became the mainstream standard in the city.

However, tastes were not something that could be changed overnight, but there was no way to change it anyway, because Shengle City had been under military control since very early on.

The post station was a property of the General's Mansion. Walking out of the post station and down a street, all the businesses that were open were properties of the General's Mansion, or so-called state-owned enterprises.

Military personnel accounted for the majority of the population in Shengle City, which was actually a disguised way to facilitate management. Those who had families in the city would receive monthly rations of rice, flour, and oil based on the population, with different amounts for adults and children. Bachelors, on the other hand, ate and drank in the military camp anyway.

Merchant caravans coming to and from Shengle City all stayed at the trading house, which was also a property of the General's Mansion. The General's Mansion would take a 10% tax from every transaction.

It wasn't that no merchant caravans tried to evade taxes. In fact, it was almost an instinct for merchants.

However, after a clan leader who had privately set up a trading market within his own fortress was wiped out by troops sent from Shengle City, such things decreased a lot.

According to the General's Mansion, the reason why everyone could do business here without being affected was because the General's Mansion was maintaining the security here, so it was only natural for the General's Mansion to take a cut when everyone made money doing business.

There was a farmers market in the city, but it was also a property of the General's Mansion.

Originally, the sign hanging at the farmers market was Shengle City Supply and Marketing Cooperative, but later, for some reason, General Zheng saw it and was not satisfied, and ordered it to be changed to Shengle Market.

If you wanted to buy vegetables, you could go to the market to buy them. In addition, daily necessities such as coal and cloth were also available at specialized stores open to people inside and outside the city.

In other words, all the industries that could be done in the city were monopolized by the General's Mansion.

Yu Huaping instinctively felt uncomfortable about this. Walking on the streets of this city gave even this contemporary Sword Saint a feeling of being strangled and suffocated.

In fact, government-run businesses had existed since ancient times and had always occupied a large market share, but it was extremely rare to see a city like Shengle City that completely strangled the private economy in an all-round way.

Outside the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion, there were still a large number of local people opening shops and doing business. Zheng Fan and the Sixth Prince had also gone there to drink mutton soup.

But the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion had the entire Yan State to support it. To be honest, the support that Shengle City could get from the imperial court each time could only be described as better than nothing.

According to the imperial court's establishment, three thousand soldiers were the most that Shengle City could have, but in reality, adding up all the various troops, Shengle City already had more than ten thousand soldiers, close to fifteen thousand.

However, the Jin people accounted for the majority of them. Including the five thousand Jin troops that Zheng Fan had just brought over, as well as those who were already there, and the descendants of the clan families who had recently come to join them, the Jin troops in Shengle City were already close to ten thousand.

Among the remaining five thousand, barbarian soldiers accounted for the majority.

Therefore, in the Shengle City military camp, it was difficult to hear words spoken in a Yan accent.

Because the place could not be transfused, everything had to be coordinated. Si Niang and Xia Zi used this method, resorting to extraordinary measures in extraordinary times.

Yu Huaping was uncomfortable, but he was a martial arts person, instinctively disliking restraint and liking freedom, but he had nothing to say, because there were no vagrants or beggars on the streets.

As long as they were able-bodied, whether male or female, they had work to do in the city. The workshops outside the city were extremely short of labor. It was almost impossible to live idly in this city as a poor person and receive social security.

At the same time, children of school age could enter private schools for free enlightenment, and medical clinics would also provide extremely cheap treatment.

Yu Huaping felt that the rule of the ancient benevolent kings that the scholars sang praises of every day seemed to be nothing more than this.

The largest gold-selling cave in the city was also opened by the General's Mansion, a large-scale restaurant where everything from everyday banquets and gatherings to higher-level receptions could be held.

Behind the restaurant was also the largest and only red tent in the entire Shengle City. According to the price tags, it also fully met the needs of customers at all consumption levels.

Shengle City could be said to be the only city without privately set up brothels. Firstly, there was no need for it. Si Niang was truly adept at doing this, and all the rules were very mature. She would also collectively invite doctors to come for regular physical examinations.

The girls themselves were willing to come, and there was also a guarantee here.

Of course, there were also madams who wanted to "start their own businesses."

The result was that they were caught, and the madams and the girls were thrown into the city's prison together.

Yu Huaping knew that the soldiers of Shengle City had very high salaries, comparable to the Jingnan Army. This seemed like an unbearable burden.

But look,

After the salaries were paid to the soldiers, everything they did in the city, such as eating and visiting the red tents, was the General's Mansion's property. Often, half a month after the monthly salary was issued, half of the salary that had just been paid out would flow back. It was impossible to completely break even, but with the money circulating like this, the cost of the military salary was not as heavy as it seemed.

As he walked, Yu Huaping arrived at the east gate of the city.

There were two hundred armored soldiers responsible for guarding the gate. The city gate commandant was a barbarian who could speak Xia language, but with a heavy accent. He had one hundred barbarian soldiers and one hundred Jin soldiers under his command.

When Yu Huaping arrived, the barbarian commandant named Jin Shuke took the initiative to send him a pastry, which had the General's Mansion's mark on it, proving that it was bought from the General's Mansion's pastry shop.

"This is, yours."

Jin Shuke handed the pastry to Yu Huaping.

Yu Huaping nodded, finally remembering that a few days ago, someone among the city gate guards had specially called on everyone to pool some money because their commandant's wife had given birth, and everyone had to show their appreciation.

Jin Shuke's wife was a savage woman whom he had bought from the city's slave market. Of course, this market was also opened by the General. Only those who signed contracts here to buy and sell people were protected by the General's Mansion. The General's Mansion did not recognize privately traded slaves. There had even been cases where privately traded slaves who escaped were caught and, because they did not have the General's Mansion's official seal and contract, were judged to be free.

According to what his subordinates had originally thought, this barbarian army had always been General Zheng's trusted troops who had started from scratch. Jin Shuke was even from the earliest three hundred barbarian soldiers. As a barbarian general, not to mention the future, his current status was already very high. Even if he didn't extravagantly marry a young lady from Xia Hang in Yan, he could at least marry a Jin woman.

But he didn't. He married a savage wife.

In private, many of his Jin soldiers had joked that the barbarians' vision was really strange. Barbarians marrying savages was really like a turtle looking at mung beans, they just hit it off.

But in fact, Jin Shuke always remembered the scene when he accompanied his master to attack the first Qian fortress.

In that Qian fortress, there was a small red tent, and there were women inside.

The barbarian soldiers looked at those women with their eyes wide open, almost drooling.

But Jin Shuke noticed that at that time, his master's eyes revealed dissatisfaction.

Therefore, Jin Shuke didn't dare to touch Qian women, nor did he dare to touch Yan women. It was best not to touch Jin women either, so he bought a savage female slave.

This savage wife was also very promising, giving birth only five months after being bought.

She gave birth to three boys in one go, which made Jin Shuke extremely happy.

Yu Huaping knew that many Jin people below thought Jin Shuke was a bit silly, wasn't it obvious that they weren't his own children?

But Yu Huaping understood that in barbarian culture, as long as the child grew up with him and inherited his surname, then that was his "child," a member of his lineage.

When barbarians went to war, enemy males above the age of having their head reach the height of a cart wheel would be killed because they believed that these grown-up children could no longer be assimilated, while those young children had no such problem at all.

Jin Shuke's happiness was genuine happiness. He might have even sensed that the woman was already pregnant when he bought the savage female slave, and instead felt that he had gotten a great bargain.

But no matter how much they privately joked and teased this superior, he was still their superior after all, so everyone still sensibly pooled some money to give a gift.

Jin Shuke was also very savvy, and specially bought pastries to distribute to everyone. Then, Jin Shuke also said to everyone:

"After getting off duty tonight, I'm treating at Juyi Tower!"

Juyi Tower was the largest and only restaurant open to the public in Litian City.

"Thank you, sir!"

"Sir is generous!"

"Thank you, sir!"

Whether they were barbarian soldiers or Jin soldiers, they were all happy to hear this.

Yu Huaping carried his saber and stood in his position. The city gate was already open, and merchants sending goods were coming in.

There was no scene of many people selling vegetables and goods rushing in to catch the early market like in ordinary cities when the city gate opened in the morning. The General's Mansion sent people to go to the villages to purchase these things and transport them in a unified manner.

And although the clouds of war were already on the horizon, and the Savage Rebellion might affect this place at any time, as long as the war hadn't really started, those merchant caravans would still keep coming in.

This made Yu Huaping feel that the merchants' pursuit of making money was very similar to the swordsmen's persistence in the way of the sword.

Jin Shuke began to arrange for people to inspect the merchant caravans. They were only checking the first wave to see if any spies or traitors were sneaking in. Behind the city gate was a transfer area, a not-small area that had been specially designated, with special officials responsible for clearing the goods and registering them.

Anything, as long as it entered Shengle City, would inevitably leave a trace. These were also the vouchers for tax collection after the transaction was completed.

You could trade in the trading house, or you could directly hand it over to the General's Mansion's business office, but the price in the latter would be lowered.

It wasn't that there were no corrupt officials manipulating things. In the past month, Yu Huaping had heard news of more than a dozen officials being beheaded and skinned. In fact, there were even more officials who were punished.

The chair that the counting official sat on was already covered with two layers of human skin. The chair was not allowed to be replaced, and he had to continue working while sitting there.

Jin Shuke walked to Yu Huaping's side and reached out to pat Yu Huaping's shoulder.

The action of patting the shoulder,

Originated from the master of Shengle City, that is, General Zheng of the General's Mansion. It was said that he liked to pat his subordinates' shoulders when talking to them;

Gradually, this action was learned by others and imitated in the army and government offices.

"Little Yu."

"Yes, sir." Yu Huaping responded calmly.

Apart from Zheng Fan and others, no one knew his true identity.

"You haven't started a family yet, right?"

Although Jin Shuke's Xia accent was heavy, he spoke fairly fluently.

"Not yet, sir."

"How about I help you find a wife?"

The Sword Saint's expression was wonderful at this time.

He was really afraid that Jin Shuke would say, "A batch of savage slaves recently came to the market, and one of the female slaves is how-how, and has even helped you carry the seed in advance, how-how great the bargain is," and so on.

Honestly, the Sword Saint could understand some of the barbarians' customs and habits, and could even respect them to a certain extent, but he would never be willing to integrate into them.

Previously, there was a soldier in the city gate guard with the nickname Si Gui, who went to the city's red tent to get his first taste of women. He was greedy for cheapness and chose a savage woman, but it was said that he fainted from the stench after taking off his pants.

This incident became a joke among the east gate guards for a time.

Yu Huaping naturally would not participate in this kind of topic, but he couldn't help but hear it when others were talking about it.

"A good woman, a Jin woman, is a widow, and has a daughter of her own and a mother-in-law above her."

Yu Huaping blinked.

"That woman is good-looking, and most importantly, according to your Jin people's thinking, she is a woman who knows how to manage a household."

"Sir, I don't want to consider these things for the time being. I want to earn some military merit and find someone later."

Yu Huaping could only use this excuse to decline.

He had his own code of conduct. Since he had promised to help Zheng Fan guard the east gate, he would naturally not let himself give up halfway because of personal relationships.

Swordsmen, a sword, are sometimes so single-minded.

"It's never wrong to take a look."

Jin Shuke patted Yu Huaping's shoulder again, then lowered his voice and secretly said to Yu Huaping:

"You kid, I can tell, you're definitely not an ordinary person."

"What?"

"You are different from us, you are different from them."

"Different?"

"Yes, different. I don't believe your reason just now. They care, we care, about money, women, and status, but you don't care about these at all."

"I do care."

"Don't lie to me. I go to listen to Mr. Bei's evening class whenever I'm not on duty."

"Hmm?"

Xia Zi's evening class was themed on brainwashing.

But sometimes when he was in the mood, he would also talk about some philosophies of life, that is, the so-called output of three views, or to put it more simply, that is, mixing in personal opinions.

This was Xia Zi's instinct, an instinct that could not be changed, or it could be said that anyone who felt good about themselves would get a disease where they would feel uncomfortable if they didn't show off their personal opinions.

"Mr. Bei said that some people, seemingly the same as us, are actually different from us. He is like a wolf king, when the wolves are cheering for the food in front of them, he is worried about the coming winter.

The master is the wolf king."

The master naturally referred to Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan was very lazy and rarely attended public events, but it was precisely because of this mystery that the demon kings could shape his character.

If Zheng Fan had nothing to do every day and just jumped around and showed his face everywhere, it might not have had such a good effect on his character.

Therefore, every time Zheng Fan appeared, the surrounding armored soldiers would be extremely excited, like crazy fans who had seen their idol.

Stimulated by the reaction of the soldiers after Tian Wujing's appearance in the army last time, the demon kings had been sparing no effort in this deification movement during this period.

"Sir, I don't understand what you're saying."

"Since you came here to work, the number of times the master has walked through our east gate has started to increase."

"The general likes to walk through the east gate, what does that have to do with me?"

"Has nothing to do with you? The blacksmith shop is in the west of the city, but the master specifically passes through our east gate when he goes to inspect the blacksmith shop, and when he comes back from the blacksmith shop, he specifically detours to come back from our east gate.

It's fine if he's going out of the city for inspection, but the master, who doesn't like crowds on weekdays, has recently started to inspect the streets frequently, and whenever he inspects, he comes to our east gate to take a look.

Just the day before yesterday, the master came to our east gate four times."

Yu Huaping was a little helpless to hear this reason.

Indeed,

Zheng Fan liked to run to the east gate when he had nothing to do during this time.

One or two trips were fine, but it seemed that now he had to take a stroll this way after lunch and dinner.

Yu Huaping could understand why Zheng Fan ran here,

A Sword Saint was helping him watch the gate,

He had to come and take a look from time to time,

Each time, he would keep his mouth tightly shut and try to look serious, but in reality, he was secretly rejoicing and was very proud.

"Brother, I won't ask what kind of devil you are."

"It's a saint."

"Hmm, a saint, I won't ask you, you are also very conscientious in your duties on weekdays, and I can't find any fault with you, I'm very satisfied with this."

"Thank you, sir, for your appreciation."

"You have to come to Juyi Tower tonight."

"I have something to do tonight."

At night, the Sword Saint had to teach the little sword boy how to practice swordsmanship, which was a fixed lesson every day.

Jin Shuke did not get angry when he heard this, but instead nodded and said:

"Alright then."

After speaking,

Jin Shuke turned his head and pointed at the guards behind him and scolded:

"Eat the pastries after you get off duty, stand up straight, lest the discipline officer come and beat you with boards!"

………

In the bedroom of the General's Mansion's backyard,

The little marquis was lying on the bed with his butt sticking up, babbling something, not knowing what he was saying.

After seeing this child, Zheng Fan had Xue San make another special trip to Litian City to inform Tian Wujing of this news. The Marquis's mansion was still tightly closed, and the armored soldiers on the periphery were completely unsympathetic.

Later, Xue San was forced to sneak into the Marquis's mansion and left Zheng Fan's letter in the mansion.

As for whether the letter would be picked up by someone else and cause an accident, Xue San patted his small chest and said that it would definitely not happen. As soon as he sneaked into the Marquis's mansion, he immediately had a feeling of being stared at by a tiger.

Obviously, all his small actions had fallen into Tian Wujing's "eyes," so the letter could not be picked up by others, nor would there be any possibility of it being lost.

However, what Zheng Fan couldn't understand was that after his letter was sent out until now, Tian Wujing himself had not come, nor had he sent anyone to see the child.

It was as if he had forgotten that his son was still here with him.

However, according to Xia Zi, in this "view," was a Dragon Abyss sword and those five thousand Jin troops considered milk powder money?

At this time,

The little baby who was eating "sky-high" milk powder was still working hard to move forward on the bed. There was no one watching him in the room. Leaving a child on the bed like this was a very dangerous thing, and the identity of this child was so noble.

Finally,

Just as the little marquis's upper body was about to crawl out of the bed and fall down,

A stone that was originally placed on the bed suddenly flew up and pushed the child back.

The little marquis rolled over on the bed like a somersault, but didn't cry. Instead, his two bright little eyes looked at the stone.

"Wah oh wah oh."

The stone didn't move again.

Seeing this, the little marquis began to continue crawling out of the bed.

Finally,

The one in the stone couldn't help it,

A black infant shadow appeared,

The extremely terrifying magic core appeared,

Standing in front of the little marquis.

The little marquis didn't cry, but instead lay down on his side, laughing while waving his arms and legs as he watched the magic core.

The magic core had a cold face.

The little marquis slowly crawled up again,

Crawled in front of the magic core,

Looking up,

Sticking out his little butt,

"Wah oh wah oh!"

The magic core opened its mouth and said grimly:

"Jie jie…………jie jie…………jie jie…………"

"Wah oh…………wah oh…………wah oh…………"

"Jie jie……"

"Wah oh……"