Chapter 1 Quemu's Death

Quemu, dragged by the warhorse, was completely unrecognizable and long dead.

After a brief rest, the main army continued eastward. Many nearby tribes, watching the departure of this black-armored cavalry, breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Almost every tribe had sent tribesmen to aid in the battle, but thankfully, these terrifying Yan soldiers had no intention of punishing them.

However, their rejoicing was destined to be short-lived, because the two thousand-strong Left and Right armies of the Jingnan Army, who had followed that night, upon discovering that their Marquis had finished fighting and was already heading east without them, vented all their pent-up frustration on these savage tribes.

Having witnessed the Yan soldiers' power and terror during the day, the tribes simply didn't have the courage to organize any resistance against the Yan cavalry that came slaughtering in the night, and could only watch as they charged straight into their tents.

Burning, killing, looting, and venting – this was the ugly side of war;

Even the Jingnan Army, personally created by Tian Wujing and known for its strict discipline, was no exception.

Tonight, bloodshed and screams were the main theme.

There was no point in talking about justice or injustice. The Yan people could tolerate the existence of Cheng, but they could not allow a tribe similar to the desert barbarians to rise in their northeast.

Even if the savage king had once worked for the Yan army and might even harbor some longing for the Yan Kingdom, the Yan Emperor wouldn't gamble, especially when he had the ability to nip this ethnic group's rise in the bud. Why risk gambling on such ethereal goodwill?

This was, in essence, the Dark Forest Law.

The next day,

The Left and Right armies set off again, following the tracks of the main force, continuing eastward.

Several days later,

A "motley crew" initiated by Shengle City, composed of various local magnates and their fortresses, finally crossed the Heavenly Fracture Mountains.

This was an… army of opportunists.

………

The main army marched continuously for seven days. It was clear that the savage king's influence seemed limited to a portion of the snowfield and didn't fully cover it.

Especially in the western part of the snowfield, his presence was weak. This area was still the domain of numerous large and small savage tribes, and the savage cavalry that had initially attacked them should have been the only force the savage king had sent there.

Along the way, the Yan army defeated three more large tribes. A night raid, a flanking maneuver, and a "Wei besieges Zhao" tactic – Marquis Jingnan adapted to the situation, and the already powerful Jingnan Army, combined with Tian Wujing's brilliant command, didn't expend too much effort in crushing these three tribes with populations of over ten thousand.

As for the many more small and medium-sized tribes, Tian Wujing ignored them, knowing that the Left and Right armies would help clean up the rest in a few days.

The main army,

continued eastward.

Five days later, the main army finally stopped and began to set up camp because scouts reported that a well-organized savage army had appeared ahead.

Not a force cobbled together from tribes, but a true army. This meant that their advance was about to reach the savage king's actual area of control.

Or perhaps, the savage king had organized another large army to resist the enemy in advance.

The enemy's numbers were around thirty thousand and still growing.

Tian Wujing finally paused, allowing his soldiers to rest while waiting for the Left and Right armies, who had nothing to do but burn, kill, and loot along the way.

Furthermore, today was the Yan Kingdom's traditional "Wanfu Festival" (Ten Thousand Blessings Festival), with the theme of praying for health and freedom from illness and disaster.

If the savage army encountered just outside the Heavenly Fracture Mountains was an appetizer, then the tribes crushed during the ten-odd days of raiding the snowfield were side dishes. What came next was the real main course.

"Only by devouring the savage king's true main force ahead can we truly weaken his strength. Otherwise, everything our army has done before, while seemingly weakening the snowfield tribes, is actually helping this savage king," Zheng Fan said while brewing milk tea.

First, caramelize the sugar, then add the tea leaves and continue to stir-fry, before finally adding the goat milk.

"I thought you were only concerned with doing business."

Tian Wujing sat opposite Zheng Fan.

Having had the experience of traveling to and from the snowfield through the Heavenly Fracture Mountains together, the two were now accustomed to sitting together by the bonfire while eating.

Moreover, Zheng Fan could always come up with some new and interesting dishes.

"The snowfield is very similar to the desert, and different from our Great Yan and Qian. Even if there are alliances between the tribes, they still operate in isolation. If other tribes suddenly encounter disaster, the remaining tribes will actually be very happy, because they can take the opportunity to annex their populations and pastures, greatly increasing their strength."

This was the difference in political and military structure. In the orthodox Great Xia remnants, if a disaster or other misfortune occurred somewhere, as long as the central government hadn't completely collapsed, it would definitely organize forces to provide relief, and its national strength would naturally be weakened as a result.

But this kind of national ideology didn't exist in the desert or on the snowfield; they were more like a gu-raising model (referring to a process of cultivating poisonous insects).

"Therefore, this Marquis will definitely devour the army ahead."

"Marquis, the milk tea is ready."

Zheng Fan poured out the brewed milk tea and handed it to Tian Wujing.

Tian Wujing took the cup, took a sip, and asked,

"What is this?"

"Caramel milk tea, my own invention."

"A bit greasy."

"Next time, I'll add more tea leaves."

"Mm."

Inside the military camp, bonfires were everywhere, filling the air with the aroma of roasted mutton and mutton soup.

In this era, eating meat at every meal was truly a luxury for ordinary people. Even if the Jingnan Army soldiers had military pay, they had to support their families.

Even in later generations with advanced productivity, it was indeed no problem for ordinary families to eat meat at every meal, but that was meat shreds and meat slices. How many families could really afford to eat roast lamb chops at every meal?

"Soldiers are people, not objects. In your *Zheng Zi's Art of War*, some places are indeed too general. As it is now, it's been almost a month since we set off from Shengle City. Although the soldiers aren't necessarily homesick, their fatigue has indeed reached a certain level, so this Marquis has allowed them to enjoy themselves for the past two days."

Hearing this, Zheng Fan nodded thoughtfully. He understood that Tian Wujing was specifically teaching him.

"Even the strongest army will have problems if morale drops. As a general, you need to care not only about the soldiers' food and provisions but also empathize with them. The so-called unity of officers and soldiers doesn't just mean you go among them and eat a meal with them."

"Yes."

"As a general, you mustn't be too close to the soldiers. If you are too close, the soldiers will have no fear of you; nor can you be too distant. If you are too distant, the soldiers will inevitably turn away from you. There is a balance here that you need to grasp yourself."

Zheng Fan continued to nod.

"There's no need to worry about the twenty thousand soldiers of the Left and Right armies. After they arrive in two days, our army can continue eastward to fight the savages. Along the way, all they've done is burn, kill, and loot. The tough battles have all been taken by us. From the generals to the soldiers, they're all holding back a lot of frustration.

There's actually competition between them. They don't want to go back after the battle and find that they haven't even fought a decent battle when it comes time to assess their merits."

"Yes."

"Keep these things in mind."

"This subordinate understands."

"In the future, when our Great Yan uses its troops, whether it's continuing into the snowfield, going to the desert, or attacking Qian to the south, it will all be long-distance expeditions, extremely far away. Therefore, how to maintain the morale of the troops in these situations is extremely important."

Zheng Fan nodded like a pecking chicken, while maintaining an extremely sincere and grateful expression.

At this moment, a group of soldiers in the distance, having seemingly eaten and drunk too much, actually began to sing loudly.

The Yan people's songs carried a kind of Yan boldness, very rough and also very lofty. Gradually, more and more people joined in.

At this time, military songs hadn't actually appeared yet. What they were singing were also local folk songs from Yinlang County. After all, most of the veteran Jingnan Army soldiers were from Yinlang County.

This reminded Zheng Fan that after the battle was over, he could write a military song or something for his own troops to enhance their cohesion.

At this time, several adjutants gathered around, offering a toast to Marquis Jingnan.

The wine was milk wine, with a low alcohol content. People who didn't usually drink it really couldn't get used to it, but at this time, having an alcoholic beverage was already very good, and everyone wouldn't be too picky.

"Marquis, Wanfu!" (Ten thousand blessings)

"Marquis, Wanfu!"

A group of generals knelt down and raised their wine bowls.

On the Wanfu Festival, people congratulate each other with "Wanfu," meaning good health and freedom from illness.

Tian Wujing silently picked up the caramel milk tea that Zheng Fan had just brewed for him,

Made a symbolic toast,

And then everyone drank together.

They were all rough men who had come up through the ranks of the army. These generals didn't have Zheng Fan's thick skin, and they didn't dare to joke around with Tian Wujing like Zheng Fan did.

But under the release of emotions,

Everyone raised their arms together,

And shouted:

"Marquis, Wanfu! Little Marquis, Wanfu!"

The news of Tian Wujing's wife's pregnancy was naturally known throughout the Jingnan Army.

At first, only a few generals were shouting, but soon, more and more soldiers around began to raise their arms and shout:

"Marquis, Wanfu! Little Marquis, Wanfu!"

Immediately afterward,

Tens of thousands of people in the entire military camp began to shout together:

"Marquis, Wanfu! Little Marquis, Wanfu! Marquis, Wan Wanfu! (Ten thousand times ten thousand blessings) Little Marquis, Wan Wanfu!"

Zheng Chengshou silently continued to brew caramel milk tea, not joining in the fun.

Damn it,

The feeling of this group shouting "Wan Wanfu" felt the same as shouting "Wansui" (Long live the Emperor).

And Zheng Fan knew that most of these people were probably really shouting "Wansui" in their hearts.

The undercurrent was already surging.

No, to be precise, it had been rippling for a long time already.

In the eyes of these soldiers, what scholars thought of their Marquis, what the common people thought of their Marquis, was all nonsense.

With a knife in hand, they dared to tell the heavens to shut up!

Marquis Jingnan had been in charge of the Jingnan Army for more than a decade, and his influence was reflected in every aspect of the Jingnan Army. As Marquis Jingnan led everyone to victory after victory, this influence gradually transformed into a kind of personal worship.

At the same time,

Throughout the entire camp, everyone was shouting "Little Marquis, Wanfu," and no one added "(or) Little Princess."

This might be an omission, or it might be a blessing. After all, wishing you a baby boy is still considered auspicious in many places even in later generations, let alone in this era.

But, was that really all there was to it?

Zheng Fan grabbed a handful of tea leaves and threw them into the small pot.

The entire army was thinking about the Little Marquis, because it meant that Marquis Jingnan had an heir, that the Tian family had an heir, and that the Jingnan Army… had a successor.

Although there had always been rumors from the outside that Marquis Zhenbei had a son, a very mysterious son who had grown up in the army since childhood, no one knew if it was true or false;

But at least on the surface, the Zhenbei Marquis Estate only had one princess. Now that the Second Prince had entered the Eastern Palace and become the Crown Prince, the Zhenbei Marquis Estate Princess entering Yan Jing to become the Crown Princess should also be put on the agenda.

In the future, if there were no accidents, the Yan Kingdom's Imperial Grandson would be the Zhenbei Marquis Estate's grandson, with half of the Li family's blood flowing in his veins.

Although the Second Prince was Tian Wujing's nephew, if Tian Wujing had his own son,

A nephew was nothing in front of his own son.

For a moment,

Zheng Fan was a little dazed.

He suddenly remembered what he and Marquis Jingnan had said in the Heavenly Fracture Mountains more than a month ago.

Tian Wujing said he wanted a daughter.

Zheng Fan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

If,

what if Dujuan gave birth to a boy?

What would happen?