Chapter 1 Sitting

"Pa!"

Zheng Fan tossed the military order from the Jingnan Marquis onto the table.

This action wasn't meant to express any dissatisfaction. After all, no matter how much Master Bo struggled, he wouldn't have any opinions about old Tian.

Even the demon kings themselves admitted that as long as old Tian was around and didn't plan to rebel, everyone could only continue to be loyal subjects of Great Yan.

"There are two copies of the military order. One is a military situation report written by the military scribes, and the other is the military order written in the Marquis's own hand."

Zheng Fan reached out and tapped the table,

and said to the demon kings sitting below,

"The military order is very simple. Just two words: sit."

The blind man nodded upon hearing this. Obviously, he had expected this military order.

Si Niang also breathed a sigh of relief, and the speed of knitting her sweater increased a bit. With so many people inside and outside Xuehai Pass now, the original food reserves were only enough to get through the winter smoothly. If there were to be any more military affairs at this time, then this winter would be difficult.

After all, not every battle could be profitable. Many times, some battles were pure consumption, and it was difficult to find a place to replenish.

The Barbarian King sat in an inconspicuous position at the very bottom, still wearing shackles. He had no seat, just sitting on the brick floor.

"Anyway, everyone is sitting now, so let's talk about our opinions."

Zheng Fan silently took out a cigarette, but didn't light it, just fiddling with it between his fingers.

The blind man stood up and said,

"My lord, the beacon fires that have arisen along the Zhennan Pass and Nanwang City line this time should not be a harbinger of a three-nation war. The Qian people are using their newly built and precious cavalry to carry out sneak attacks. And on our side, although Zhennan Pass is said to be the territory of the Chu people, it's just that Xue Rang, the original Sima family's surrendered general, is acting as a figurehead and has raised a collateral descendant of the Sima family to be emperor. The Chu people are just standing behind."

"The Chu-Qian lines should be all thunder and little rain, just making a show and creating a tense situation. They don't intend to really go to war with the Yan Kingdom in a real and forceful way."

At this time,

the Barbarian King saw that the blind man had finished speaking,

and immediately added,

"Master Bo, Mr. Bei is right. I know the Chu people's temperament best. To put it nicely, they think of themselves as having the foundation of aristocratic heritage. To put it bluntly, they don't have the courage to risk their lives to fight with others, especially the Regent of Chu, whose style is to manipulate everything between his palms. Unlike our Great Yan Emperor, he doesn't like to gamble, he likes stability."

"The Chu people's purpose in putting forward a facade this time is just to stir up the pool of water, to make us move, and to exhaust our army."

The Barbarian King needed to seize the short time to show himself as much as possible, because his time was limited. Every time he showed his value, he would likely get a slight improvement in his living conditions.

Now, he was trying to get into a prison on the ground as soon as possible.

Because since the Pingye Marquis Mansion was built, and he moved into the underground prison of the Pingye Marquis Mansion, he had been having nightmares every night, and he often felt cold. In short, that place revealed an evil aura. Because the Barbarian King often called himself a cockroach and could live anywhere, but this time he really didn't want to stay in the prison. He was really afraid that he would die suddenly if he stayed any longer.

Zheng Fan nodded when he heard this and said,

"So this time, it's a fatigue strategy from the Qian and Chu countries, huh."

With Zheng Fan's current status, he could actually stand in a slightly higher position to overlook the overall situation.

Earlier, when he was征讨 (zheng tao - campaign) the barbarians, the Eastern Expeditionary Army suffered its first defeat. The pot, the First Prince, did need to bear part of it, but the root cause was the exhaustion caused by the Yan Kingdom's years of wars.

What kind of army did the Yan Kingdom use in the early years?

Those were the Zhenbei Army and the Jingnan Army. The local army and the Imperial Guards were only responsible for drumming on the sidelines. When Xu Pangpang initially gathered the military leaders in Nanwang City and desperately suppressed the probing of the three border armies of the Qian Kingdom, this was already the greatest achievement made by the local army in the first three-nation war.

The reason why the Left Route Army chose to be formed for the first Eastern Expedition was because the territory had spread too far and garrisons were needed everywhere. At the same time, the two elite troops of Great Yan had suffered great losses themselves, leading to the use of local troops and Imperial Guards to maintain and support the empire's pace of conquest.

The fundamental reason why the Left Route Army was full of floating corpses in Wangjiang was that the quality of the Left Route Army was far inferior to that of the Zhenbei and Jingnan armies.

Afterwards, the Jingnan Marquis took command of the expedition, the so-called "transplanting flowers and grafting trees,"

seemed clever and profound,

but in essence, it was nothing more than "Tian Ji's horse race." (a strategy of using one's best assets against the opponent's average assets)

It was to disguise the local army, the Imperial Guards, and the Cheng State's attached troops, these "inferior horses," as the Jingnan Army and Zhenbei Army and send them to the Jade Plate City. Then, the Zhenbei Army and Jingnan Army, after changing their equipment, were used as the main force to defeat the main force led by the Barbarian King in one fell swoop.

The problem was still there. The replenishment and growth of soldiers couldn't keep up with the consumption brought about by years of war. To put it bluntly, the Jingnan Marquis's approach was to completely hide his shortcomings.

Furthermore, after defeating the main force of the barbarians, neither the stalwart Jingnan Marquis of Great Yan nor the stalwart Emperor was promoting the Northern Expedition to the snowy plains, which meant that they themselves were clear about the extent of the Yan Kingdom's exhaustion. It wasn't that they didn't want to fight, they couldn't fight.

The clearest example was that in the past, if Zheng Bo Ye took three thousand Zhenbei or Jingnan troops, he would dare to talk and laugh freely even if he faced tens of thousands of enemy cavalry. There was no psychological burden to ride his face directly, anyway, if he couldn't beat them, it wouldn't be a big problem for him to break through.

But now, if Zheng Bo Ye were to randomly pick out three thousand Xuehai Pass cavalry, even if they were his own cavalry, Zheng Bo Ye wouldn't have the confidence to do whatever he wanted.

Elite soldiers and good generals were really too valuable, not something that could be quickly mass-produced by simply pulling in people.

In addition, Jin was shattered and hadn't recovered yet. The Yan Kingdom's treasury and people's strength were already in a state of near exhaustion. This was another level of influence on the military level. Although it wasn't on the same level, the influence was interconnected.

Zheng Bo Ye sighed helplessly and said, "Isn't this the trick that the old毛子 (Maozi - a derogatory term for Russians) used to deploy troops in the north to deal with us?"

It was just relying on the fact that I was larger than you, I could afford to consume, so I deliberately consumed with you.

The blind man then said, "But this method has a small cost and a large return, and it's really easy to use. We used to deal with the Little Overlord in this way."

Immediately,

Zheng Fan and the blind man smiled at each other, and the other demon kings also nodded.

Only the Barbarian King sitting on the ground looked dumbfounded.

What Maozi, what Little Overlord,

what kind of riddle was this?

After realizing that he couldn't keep up with the rhythm, the Barbarian King was immediately plunged into a deep sense of crisis.

Zheng Fan then continued, "So, the Jingnan Marquis's military order can be regarded as seeing through the Chu people's plan."

If they want to make trouble over there, let them make trouble.

The advantage of the Yan Kingdom now lay in its absolute confidence in field battles. Whether it was that Xue Rang or the Chu army, as long as they dared to leave Zhennan Pass and ventured too far, the Yan army had enough confidence to defeat them.

After all, the Jingnan Marquis himself was now sitting in Fengxin City.

"A Cheng."

"Your subordinate is here."

"I think the Chu people probably won't send out a large army, but they are likely to send out small groups of troops to harass us. After you go down later, arrange for Jin Shuke to lead two or three thousand cavalry to expand outwards. Our main force can stay still, but necessary defenses must be done well."

"Yes, your subordinate understands."

"Si Niang."

"Your subordinate is here."

"I know that life is tight now, and our food supply can only barely get us through the winter safely, but think of another way to see if you can raise a surplus of grain. It's unlikely that we'll go to war, but we have to be prepared for the unexpected."

According to Yan army tradition, especially the Yan army stationed in Jin now, when they were ordered to go on an expedition, they had to prepare a large portion of their own food and grass. They couldn't wait for the rear to transport and supply them.

Coming from Yanjing was too far away, and distant water couldn't quench the present thirst. Furthermore, the beacon fires along the Nanwang City line could be said to be directly pointing at Yanjing, and the imperial court was focusing on defending against the situation there.

And in Yingdu, the military supplies and money that had been raised for the second half of the year were already a bit of "scraping the ground three feet," after all, Jin had long become a mess because of the ravages of war.

In short, if a war really broke out next, the various armies of Great Yan in Jin would have to be prepared to feed themselves.

"San'er."

"Your subordinate is here."

"Without affecting the autumn harvest, manufacture more components for siege equipment."

"Yes, my lord."

Siege equipment could not be carried with the army, but if some key components were prepared in advance, they could be quickly manufactured after the local people had cut down the wood.

After one task after another was assigned,

Zheng Fan waved his hand,

and said,

"You may all leave."

But at this moment, a soldier came from outside, bowed, and reported:

"Master Bo, we just received a letter from a scout saying that the Zhenbei King's Mansion's郡主 (jun zhu - princess, but used loosely here for daughter of a king of the first rank) carriage team is approaching my Xuehai Pass, with an escort of 800 cavalry. The Princess's carriage team has about 200 people."

The escort cavalry should have been sent by a nearby general, and the people that the Princess actually brought over herself were only 200.

The Barbarian King didn't show any abnormal reaction at all upon hearing this news.

Si Niang looked at Zheng Fan with a smile on her face,

obviously,

Si Niang had been looking forward to teaching the Princess a lesson for a long time, which would give her a great sense of accomplishment.

Zheng Fan touched his forehead and said helplessly, "I thought that the Princess would stay in Yingdu after something happened at Zhennan Pass, but I didn't expect her to continue east and come to us here."

The blind man said, "And it looks like she learned about the situation at Zhennan Pass and sped up her progress to get here."

A Ming then said, "A Li and Jian Bi haven't returned yet, so they are likely to be in the Princess's team."

Zheng Fan looked at Liang Cheng and said, "Send 800 cavalry to meet them."

"Yes, my lord."

The situation outside was very tight now. Although Zheng Fan didn't like this Princess very much, he didn't want anything to happen to her near his territory, otherwise he would be wrongly blamed.

Si Niang asked,

"My lord, what kind of reception should we give the Princess when she comes?"

"Si Niang, just take care of it yourself. Don't be too grand, and skip the welcome ceremony. Oh right, arrange for the Princess to live in the south of the city."

The Pingye Marquis Mansion was in the north of the city.

"This servant understands, my lord."

The meeting was over,

and the Barbarian King was once again escorted to the prison.

However,

this time,

after the blind man left the small hall where the meeting was held, he followed the escorting soldiers all the way to the entrance of the dungeon.

The Barbarian King said with some emotion,

"I trouble Mr. Bei to see me off. I'm so embarrassed."

"It's okay, let's go in and chat."

The Barbarian King was escorted in, and after being thrown into the iron fence, at the blind man's signal, all the surrounding soldiers responsible for guarding left to avoid them. In the dungeon, only the blind man and the Barbarian King were left.

This was actually a common way for the two of them to get along.

"Does Mr. Bei have something to say?"

"Since learning that the Princess was coming here to see the snow, I've been thinking about one thing."

"Mr. Bei can tell me."

"I'm wondering, what else in our Xuehai Pass can attract the Princess besides my lord.

Moreover, even if it's my lord, to be honest, he's not someone the Princess can win over if she wants to."

"So?"

"So, I'm wondering if there's a possibility that the Princess is coming to Xuehai Pass, and her purpose, or rather her main purpose, isn't my lord."

"If it's not our Bo Ye, then who else could it be?"

"What do you say?"

"It's impossible that it's for me, right?"

The Barbarian King pointed to himself and ridiculed.

"That's right, why can't it be you?"

"..." The Barbarian King.

The blind man reached out and took out a tangerine that had already shriveled up and lost a lot of its moisture from his pocket, peeling it as he said,

"Let's put it this way, a man used to secretly love a woman, secretly loving her to death, but his status was too humble in the past, and that woman's identity was extremely noble, so there was no possibility between the two.

But if that man suddenly succeeded and made a career, what would he want to do most?"

Putting a piece of tangerine flesh into his mouth, he continued to chew as he said,

"You should have contacted the Princess before, right? Telling her that in the distant snowy plains, there's a man who has secretly admired you for so many years, and now, he has conquered most of the Cheng State and become the King of the Snowy Plains.

This is a执念 (zhi nian - obsession) rooted deep in people's hearts, and few people can control it, and most of the time, there's no need to control the emotion of returning home in glory."

"You're joking, Mr. Bei, how is that possible."

"No, before you led your troops to break through Xuehai Pass, the Great Yan Secret Spy Division had already detected that you had served in the Auxiliary Soldier Camp in the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion in Beifeng County.

So, even if you endured it and didn't send someone to send a letter or take the initiative to contact the Princess, the Princess should remember the slave soldier who was whipped by her back then."

"But, but, isn't there already a Barbarian King being escorted to Yanjing?"

"I don't know about that, but I think I shouldn't be wrong.

Gou Moli, you are a talent. Your talent is not only limited to the snowy plains. In fact, no matter where you go, there are many people who are willing to use you, but they all have to guard against you backstabbing them.

And that woman,

she is very confident, and she is also very 任性 (ren xing - willful, capricious).

She may not worry about your backstabbing.

Even,

if she knows that there is a man like you who used to be so infatuated with her, and is still so infatuated with her now, she should be very interested in taking you into her possession.

There's a term called psychological profiling, you may not have heard of it. Well, let's put it this way, my specialty is actually揣摩人心 (chuai mo ren xin - speculating on people's hearts).

I think doing this is very in line with that Princess's persona."

"Mr. Bei, since you are so sure, then what if that Princess really names me and wants me? After all, secretly hiding me is a big crime."

The blind man smiled,

and this smile, combined with his empty gaze,

seemed very gloomy.

"She doesn't have that qualification. This is Xuehai Pass, not the Zhenbei King's Mansion in Beifeng County."

"But she is, after all, the daughter of the Zhenbei King, and His Majesty will also take care of her."

The blind man then said, "Huo, who isn't a baby?" (sarcastic way of saying everyone has backing)

"Huh?" The Barbarian King was a little puzzled.

"She has the Zhenbei King behind her, and our Bo Ye has the Jingnan Marquis behind him. Moreover, the local official is better than the central one. Here, we can give her face, or we can not give her any face at all."

The Barbarian King was silent.

The blind man then continued, "Some things, you may not have been told because you are locked up here. The son of the Jingnan Marquis is now being raised in our Pingye Marquis Mansion. My lord is still the godfather of the little Marquis."

"Little Marquis?"

The blind man pointed to the top of his head and said, "He should be right above you, next door."

Shatuokeshi was lying next to the Barbarian King's prison, and directly above Shatuokeshi was the little Marquis's nursery.

In fact, the blind man had also noticed the Barbarian King's depression these days, so he couldn't help but marvel at the little Marquis's八字 (ba zi - the eight characters of the birth date in Chinese astrology), which was really tough. He had been "bouncing around on the墳頭 (fen tou - grave mound, meaning dangerous situations)" most of the time since he was a child, but he was still eating well and sleeping soundly.

"Mr. Bei, you didn't have to come and tell me this."

"No, I have to tell you, because I value you, and the lord also values you very much, because we all think your value is very great. Therefore, I am telling you in advance so that you can make your own choice."

"What choice?"

"That's something you'll have to think about yourself."

As he said this, the blind man clapped his hands, stood up, and looked like he was about to leave.

The Barbarian King then smiled and said,

"Are you going to send someone to seal off the entrance here?"

Sealing off the entrance could prevent people from劫獄 (jie yu - rescuing prisoners).

Leaving enough food, drink, and ventilation would be enough.

The blind man shook his head and said,

"No, it's said that the Princess has many experts around her, but in fact, we don't mind the Princess sending someone to try and rescue you."

As he said this, the blind man casually reached out and touched the wall on the north side of the prison.

As he touched,

the smile on the blind man's face

became brighter,

as if he had thought of something extremely interesting.

In fact, when the blind man's spiritual power tried to penetrate this wall, it encountered great resistance. This was because Shatuokeshi was lying there and forming his own aura, which could shield the outside world from sensing this place.

Therefore, the Barbarian King only felt uncomfortable, unwell, and prone to体虚多梦 (ti xu duo meng - physical weakness and frequent dreams), which was affected by the evil aura and feng shui. But this was only the lowest level of manifestation. In fact, although it was only a wall apart, it was impossible for him to sense the existence next door, or even hear a sound.

And at this time,

Zheng Fan, who had just finished the meeting, walked down with a pot of wine,

looking at the coffin placed in front of him.

Zheng Fan felt that

fate was really a circle, and it could always give you a sense of being at the end but also standing back at the starting point without you realizing it.

In Zheng Fan's memory,

that man stood at the gate of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, carrying a wine jar, and shouting:

"I am but a barbarian from the desert!"

It seemed like just yesterday.

That day, Shatuokeshi, the Left Guli King of the original Barbarian royal court, died in front of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion,

just to ask the Zhenbei Marquis Princess, who had wiped out his entire Shatuobu clan, for an explanation!

After a while,

Zheng Fan placed the wine pot on the coffin lid, reached out, and stroked the coffin lid, using a tone like he was whispering to someone who was asleep,

and slowly said:

"She's coming."