Chapter 1 Zheng Fan is Asleep

Zheng Fan really was asleep. It wasn't a deliberate act to show off his nonchalant attitude, but rather, the afternoon sun was too comfortable. Plus, these past few days, from defending the city to entering the Jin Kingdom's imperial palace and then rushing with his army to the Shengle City area, he hadn't had a real rest. So, he genuinely fell asleep.

When he opened his eyes, he realized it was already dark.

The Blind Man was still sitting next to Zheng Fan, holding some documents and writing something.

This was the Blind Man's job. He was currently doing the work of ten people. Even with his mental power, he would eventually die of exhaustion if he kept going like this.

But thankfully, after everything was settled, those dozens of scholars from the Wen family could be trained as scribes, which would relieve a lot of the Blind Man's workload.

"You didn't wake me up, letting me sleep for so long," Zheng Fan said.

"My lord, I left the courtyard door open for you. Many of Xiong Lie's barbarian subordinates saw you. You slept very soundly."

"That was thoughtful of you."

"It's my duty."

"Aren't you afraid I'll catch a cold?"

"I was negligent."

"Pay attention next time. At least put a blanket over me or something."

"Understood."

"Is the matter over?" Zheng Fan asked.

"From dusk onwards, faint sounds of fighting could be heard outside. It has stopped now, so it should be over."

"Oh."

Zheng Fan rubbed his face and yawned, saying:

"Sleeping so long in the afternoon messes up my schedule, and I won't be able to sleep tonight."

"It just so happens that Si Niang will be entering the city tonight as well."

"Heh."

At this moment, Xiong Lie, in full armor, entered the courtyard and reported to Zheng Fan:

"My lord, Tuoba Chengji, the head of the Tuoba family, requests an audience. He came alone, without any subordinates."

"Let him in."

"Yes."

Shortly after,

Tuoba Chengji entered, covered in blood. He held a head in his left hand, a head in his right hand, and another head hung from his waist, looking like a newlywed daughter returning to her parents' home for the first time.

He walked straight to Zheng Fan, ready to kneel, but Zheng Fan spoke first:

"The blood on your armor and face looks like you smeared it on yourself."

"............" Tuoba Chengji.

City Lord Zheng had experienced battles and was used to being splattered with the blood of enemies. Moreover, he had followed Li Fusheng for a long time, and Li Fusheng was the type who liked to bathe in blood. So, he could clearly distinguish these details.

This made Tuoba Chengji somewhat embarrassed. He stood there for a moment, his knees half-bent, not knowing whether to kneel or stand straight, looking like he was doing a horse stance.

Zheng Fan smiled and said:

"Regardless, you've put in the effort. I accept your goodwill."

Tuoba Chengji felt a sense of relief upon hearing this.

But then he saw that Zheng Fan was looking at the ground when speaking to him, not at his face.

"Thump!"

Tuoba Chengji immediately knelt down,

And said:

"Tuoba Chengji pays respects to the honored guest."

"Introduce the gifts. I like making friends the most, and I also like looking at the gifts my friends give me. I'm a bit greedy and have bad manners, don't mind it."

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."

"Get to the point."

"Yes, this is Zhou Zhengwen's head. He was a dog raised by the Helian family in Shengle City. The Helian family dared to offend the heavenly might of Great Yan, sending unjust troops to invade Great Yan. It is truly outrageous!

Now that the Helian family has been annihilated by the iron hooves of the Great Yan royal army, Tuoba Chengji has specially beheaded the thorns and offered them to the Great Yan royal army!

This is Ning Cuicui's head, she is ......"

Three heads,

Three family heads.

It was as if the five people who had lunch together had become heads, except for Xiong Lie, the other three.

They agreed to unite and resist the Yan dogs, but in the blink of an eye, they resolutely sold out their teammates.

After Tuoba Chengji finished his report,

Zheng Fan looked at him sideways,

And asked:

"Those highbrow words, are they difficult to memorize?"

"Honored guest, you see everything clearly. I'm a boor, afraid of offending your ears, so I asked someone in advance ......"

"Alright, I said you put in the effort."

"Thank you, honored guest!"

"I accept your gift."

"Thank you for your kindness, honored guest!"

"Courtesy demands reciprocity; we always have to greet your family."

"Yes ..."

"How many members of the Tuoba clan are there in the Shengle area?"

"Core members, over a thousand."

"That's so few, that's no fun."

"Including peripheral members, over five thousand. We can provide nine hundred tribal soldiers. Please be aware, my lord, that we lost many tribal soldiers in suppressing these rebels this time."

"Hmm, that's not bad. Then, is the Tuoba clan willing to serve my Great Yan?"

"Of course, we are willing!"

"Good, I like that attitude. I believe the Marquis and His Majesty will also like it very much." As he said this, Zheng Fan pointed at Xiong Lie and said, "Take these three heads down first. I'm a coward and can't stand such scenes."

I don't believe you!

But Xiong Lie obediently came over and took the heads down.

Zheng Fan pointed at Tuoba Chengji again and said:

"The Tuoba clan is considered a large clan in the Shengle area. You should have accumulated a lot, right?"

"Under the heavens, all land belongs to the king. Everything of the Tuoba clan belongs to the Great Yan royal army, and it also belongs to you, my lord!"

"Yo, those words sound good too. But rest assured, I don't lack wealth."

This wasn't just polite talk. The wealth in the tomb of Prince Fu outside Chuzhou City hadn't been transported out yet, and the wealth he had plundered from the Jin Kingdom's capital was piled up like a small mountain. Zheng Fan could now pat his chest and proudly say:

I'm not short of money.

Of course, once the family business was established, this money would probably be spent quickly. Otherwise, the Marquis of Zhenbei wouldn't have risked his life for meat.

Raising troops was an expensive affair, and raising elite troops was even more expensive. Raising peasant soldiers and bandit soldiers was cheap, but those things had no combat power.

Great Yan was to the west, the Situ family was to the east, and there were barbarians to the north. None of them were pushovers. Without elite troops, there was no confidence in speaking.

Zheng Fan didn't let Tuoba Chengji get up. Tuoba Chengji could only continue kneeling.

But neither side spoke. This pressure made beads of sweat appear on Tuoba Chengji's forehead.

The people of Jin liked to play with falcons. Tuoba Chengji felt like he was a falcon being tormented.

In fact, he had misunderstood Zheng Fan. Zheng Fan didn't know what to say, so he simply didn't speak. He had the confidence to do so. If there was an awkward silence, so be it, it didn't matter.

Finally, Zheng Fan thought of something to say. He opened his mouth and said:

"I heard people say that no matter who controls Shengle City, they have to rely on you local snakes for help?"

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Chengji immediately turned his head to look at Xiong Lie.

Xiong Lie stood there silently, not speaking.

But everyone knew that this was Xiong Lie's report!

"My lord, this is my delaying tactic, used to deceive others, to secretly accumulate opportunities to welcome the Great Yan royal army!"

Zheng Fan nodded,

And looked at Tuoba Chengji with a smile,

And said:

"Speak plainly."

"Yes, I was delusional and didn't recognize the might of heaven. I deserve to die!"

Tuoba Chengji kowtowed his head on the floor tiles.

Hey,

The way of speaking learned from the Marquis of Jingnan was really useful. The Marquis of Jingnan used to scare himself with these words, and now he was putting them to good use.

"Chieftain Tuoba."

"I am here."

"I can let bygones be bygones."

"Your Lordship is benevolent. My entire clan will surely be grateful!"

"But it still depends on your future performance."

"I understand, I understand."

Zheng Fan was too lazy to do such things himself. After the army entered the city and he completely took over Shengle City, his demon kings would be clear about how to play with people's hearts, how to control subordinates, and how to suppress people.

All he had to do was pretend to be a big shot at this time and enjoy being a eunuch.

This feeling was also quite good,

You do the work,

I put on the act.

At this moment, a barbarian guard came in. Xiong Lie immediately went over to listen to his whisper. Then, Xiong Lie knelt down and reported:

"My lord, the royal army has entered the city."

This meant that the situation in Shengle City was settled!

Zheng Fan nodded,

Turned his head to look at his side, but found that the Blind Man had disappeared at some point.

Zheng Fan lifted the blanket on his body, got up from the recliner, and just at this moment, the Blind Man came out with a set of armor in his hands,

Knelt down,

And respectfully said:

"Please, my lord, put on your armor!"

Then,

The Blind Man scolded:

"You two slaves, why aren't you serving your lord to put on his armor? Are you blind like me!"

An expert knows what's what as soon as they make a move. The Blind Man was good at creating an atmosphere and stirring people's hearts. In addition, he used a mental rendering offensive when he spoke, which carried a deterrent to Xiong Lie and Tuoba Chengji's minds.

Upon hearing this, the two immediately got up and stood next to Zheng Fan, like servants, and began to help Zheng Fan put on his armor.

Xiong Lie was a little better. Even if he had some small thoughts in his heart, he was, in name, a family slave adopted by the Sixth Prince. Now that the Sixth Prince had transferred him to Zheng Fan, it was only right for him to be Zheng Fan's slave.

Tuoba Chengji was a little dazed. He originally thought that he could come over with these great gifts to talk about future "salary and benefits," but how did he automatically become the lowest level of servant?

It could only be said that since he entered the door, he had been beaten down and completely lost his momentum.

But in this atmosphere,

The two of them obediently began to help Zheng Fan put on his armor,

Zheng Fan supported himself with his arms,

Letting them serve him.

And in the Blind Man's mind-link channel,

"Blind Man, why does this scene feel so familiar?"

"My lord is wise, *Kangxi Weifu Sifang Ji* (a popular TV series about Emperor Kangxi's incognito visits)."

"That's not enough fanfare."

"My lord, rest assured, Liang Shilong has just entered the city."

"Then you've stolen the show. Wouldn't the effect be better if I put on my armor when A Cheng leads his troops over and the surrounding soldiers are all lined up?"

"Yes, I was negligent."

"Just pay attention next time."

"Yes, I understand."

"Alas, it's really uncomfortable to put on hard armor right after waking up."

"My lord."

"Hmm?"

"Si Niang has already embroidered the dragon robe, which should be more comfortable than armor. How about we change it now?"

"............" Zheng Fan.