Chapter 1010 I'm Here!

On the Three Borders,

Beneath the great standard of the Great Yan Emperor,

The Emperor sat in his imperial carriage, gazing at the siege ahead.

In the distance on both sides, the wounded and corpses could be seen being transported down, while the siege battle in front continued in full swing.

Standing beside the Emperor were Grand Eunuch Wei and Grand Eunuch Zhang, as well as the Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet, Mao Mingcai, and a slightly trimmed mountain of flesh... Xu Wenzu.

Xu, the Fatty, was truly a brick of Great Yan; he was needed everywhere.

During the previous Yan-Chu war, Xu Wenzu was dispatched to Yingdu as an imperial envoy, overseeing logistics. After the more than half-year-long war concluded, he was transferred by the Emperor's decree to Yinlang County, returning to the place where his dream began.

Actually, it was also the place where Zheng the Defender's dream began.

For the past ten years or so, the Three Borders of Qian had been a very ambiguous existence;

The Qian people knew that their Three Borders were very solid, and the Yan people also knew this. Therefore, although the Yan people had repeatedly shouted the slogan of breaking through the Three Borders, they had only been shouting it all these years. Their purpose was to create a tense atmosphere on the border for their own needs, as a distraction for other battlefields.

But this time, it was different.

The Yan army had come, the Emperor of Yan had also come, and the Yan army had really begun to attack the Three Borders in earnest.

It wasn't a feigned attack, let alone a show; they were truly willing to pay a great price to gnaw at these rammed earth and mud walls!

And it did prove that the Three Borders were difficult to attack. This was still one of the main cities, and even after repelling other reinforcements, they still couldn't see the dawn of breaking through it in a short time.

"Hiss... hiss... hiss..."

The Emperor personally witnessed the stalemate and the tragic nature of the battle. Looking at the wounded and dead soldiers, he felt a pang of heartache and said:

"Every day, it not only consumes so much of my grain and fodder, but also costs me so much in bereavement silver. I feel heartache, ah."

Hearing this, Mao Mingcai had to advise:

"Your Majesty, please be careful with your words."

Right now, the soldiers were sacrificing their lives to attack the city. How could the Emperor behind them say words like "heartache" about silver?

If these words were to spread, it would be too disgraceful to the imperial name.

Xu Wenzu laughed and said, "Lord Mao is mistaken. Think about it. If the soldiers who died in battle have knowledge after death, would they hope that our Majesty sheds a tear for them, or would they be calculating the bereavement silver that will be given to their families?"

Mao Mingcai was stunned and said, "That's how it is, but His Majesty is His Majesty, he shouldn't..."

"Alright, alright, you're all family, what's there to worry about?"

The Emperor stood up,

And asked:

"Has Lanyang City not made any moves yet?"

Xu Wenzu said, "No."

"Heh, thankfully I brought the two of you with me this time. If I had brought those people from the court, they would probably have exploded by now, shouting that the Zheng fellow is deliberately letting the court's army be consumed while he watches the fire from the other side, preserving his strength."

"Your Majesty is wise. When it comes to fighting, your subjects are far inferior to the Regent."

"Add me too. I don't understand fighting either.

However,

Fortunately, in areas where I don't understand, I can listen;

Whatever he, that Zheng fellow, wants me to cooperate with, I will cooperate with.

Where are we now?

Even if the family fortune is lost,

I won't even blink an eye.

My father and the others gambled the fate of the nation at every turn. What's this?"

Xu Wenzu said, "It's all thanks to Your Majesty's personal presence."

The Emperor sighed,

And said:

"I didn't want to come either, but I was afraid that my elder brother and Li Liangshen wouldn't be willing to part with this family fortune.

This time,

I'm here to supervise the work.

Although I also think that this Zheng fellow is playing too big this time and taking too many risks;

But since he, that Zheng fellow, has already gotten on the gambling table,

Then I,

Can only follow along and bet the family fortune."

...

The Three Borders had long been engulfed in endless war;

But Lanyang City here was still peaceful and sunny.

The Yan army and its camps outside the city were densely packed, stretching as far as the eye could see, with the Yan Regent's banner fluttering.

And the camps behind Lanyang City were also densely packed, stretching as far as the eye could see, with the Meng, Zhong, and Han banners fluttering.

The two armies formed a confrontation, with Lanyang City as the boundary.

The Yan army didn't attack the city,

The Qian army didn't attack,

Everyone seemed to have tacitly agreed to continue this... tranquility.

Inside the Yan army's tent,

Gou Moli sat there, issuing military orders one after another, directing the army's daily activities;

And on the walls of Lanyang City,

Chen the Great Hero, holding a sword that he had bought from the blacksmith shop in Nanmen Pass with money given to him by Sword Maiden, and guarding the city with the soldiers,

His brow,

Grew deeper and deeper;

Because Chen the Great Hero knew that Zheng Fan regarded him as a friend,

But Chen the Great Hero also knew that,

His face wasn't big enough to make that Zheng fellow unwilling to order an attack on the city just because he was here.

Especially yesterday,

When the Lanyang Governor patrolled the city walls with a group of generals,

He had a very clear smile on his face, as if something big and happy had happened or was about to happen.

For some reason,

Seeing the smiles on their faces,

Chen the Great Hero's heart grew tighter and tighter.

He had stayed by Zheng Fan's side for a long time. Sometimes, when Zheng Fan wasn't using troops against Qian but against other places, he would stay in the commander's tent to protect that Zheng fellow.

So,

He had seen too many of that Zheng fellow's former opponents, smiling happily before...

Chen the Great Hero was a rough man, a warrior. He didn't understand military affairs, he didn't understand the overall situation of the world, and even... he was a bit uncultured.

Therefore, he couldn't analyze this feeling, and he couldn't write it down, but he instinctively wanted to say it, to inform the Governor.

But when he took the initiative to walk over, preparing to seek an audience to explain his feeling and worry,

He was stopped by the Governor's guards from a distance.

He had Yao Zizhan's protection and certification, he had the name of a great hero. Therefore, he could enter Lanyang, go up the city walls, and help defend the city. Since he was willing to serve the country in the name of a martial artist, no one could stop him;

But because everyone knew that although he was a Qian person, he had a close relationship with the Regent, the Governor didn't dare to let him get close.

But clearly,

When he first entered Lanyang City to report the already delayed military situation,

The Governor had warmly received him, showing him great enthusiasm.

Chen the Great Hero finally realized that,

That reception didn't seem to be out of respect for Master Yao,

Because the Governor had specifically asked him a question that day,

He asked:

"Is the Regent well?"

...

Upper Capital,

The Imperial Palace;

Having just finished today's imperial study council, Zhao Mugou, the official of the Qian Kingdom, returned to his bedroom and once again dismissed the eunuchs and palace maids, facing the portrait of the female sword immortal alone.

The official had a habit of talking to this portrait every once in a while;

And recently, the frequency had become higher and higher, to the point where it was almost once a day.

This meant that the official's heart was becoming more and more anxious.

"I asked Li Xundao, can we succeed this time?

Li Xundao's reply to me was that my Great Qian has already done everything it can do, arranged everything that can be arranged, and now, we only need to wait for the result in Jiangnan.

It's almost here,

Because even if the Yan people realize something is wrong,

It's already too late for him to do anything.

But if I don't receive a definite military report in a day,

No,

If I don't see the Regent's head placed on my imperial desk in a day,

My heart won't be at peace for a day.

Do you think that,

I, this emperor, am very uninspired and very useless?

So,

Where are you?

If you were by my side at this moment, accompanying me, then my heart wouldn't be so flustered.

Because,

Only when you are by my side,

Can it prove that my dream is real;

It means that,

I am truly... destined by heaven."

...

The Qian army sounded the gong to withdraw;

Xie Yu'an took off his leather armor, leaned back wearily, and sat down on the steps.

Ever since the Qian army started attacking the city, Xie Yu'an had been solely responsible for one side of the city wall.

It was tiring, very difficult,

When he lowered his head,

It could be seen that the two strands of long hair on his temples, which symbolized the elegance of the Great Chu aristocracy, had long been cut off.

The Sword Maker walked to his side. Although he had no injuries on his body, there were clear scorch marks on his clothes and face. Compared to his previous self-restraint, where he would even control the way his hair swayed in the wind, he was quite a mess.

A'Da offered a waterskin, but the Sword Maker shook his head.

A'Da handed the waterskin to Xie Yu'an, who took it and began to drink.

A'Er brought over a basin filled with clear water, and the Sword Maker began to wash his face.

After washing his face, just as A'Er was about to pour the water out, Xie Yu'an stopped him, took the basin, and used the water to clean himself.

"Ever since I personally witnessed your Xie clan's light cavalry being slaughtered in front of the city that day, you've become... more diligent."

It was also on that day,

That Xie Yu'an, who could have stood behind and directed like a scholar with a feather fan, put on leather armor and cut off the long hair on his temples.

"Wasn't I diligent before?" Xie Yu'an asked back.

"Oh, it's true that you were diligent before, but now, it's called risking your life."

Xie Yu'an took the handkerchief that the Sword Maker had used to wipe his face earlier and wiped his own face, sighing:

"I have a good father."

"It's strange, what exactly is going on?" The Sword Maker was truly puzzled.

"Many people call me the Xie family's prodigy, and I once thought so too, thinking about how much fortune my old man had to have to have a son like me.

But now, I realize how much fortune I have to have a father like him."

"I don't understand."

"You don't need to understand."

Xie Yu'an reached out and put his hand on the Sword Maker's shoulder, saying very seriously:

"I will take care of the Dugu clan."

"What makes you think you can take care of them?" The Sword Maker's eyes narrowed slightly. "I understand somewhat, but there's a key element missing."

"The world says that the Great Yan Regent values loyalty and keeps his promises. Right now, my old man is in Tongyan City. Only I am by his side. Just wait. The Prince will..."

The Sword Maker coughed lightly;

Xie Yu'an stopped talking.

Not long after, a figure in a black python robe appeared from the corner of the street in front. As soon as he appeared, the surrounding soldiers and wounded subconsciously stood up.

After defending the city for so long, they had finally seen their Prince.

No one would complain, and no one would grumble. This army, when facing their Prince, had nothing but loyalty.

The Prince walked straight over here, with the Heir Apparent and the Sword Saint following beside him.

Looking at his own dust-covered face and then at the Sword Saint's clean white clothes, the Sword Maker spread his hands, expressing his confusion.

And the Sword Saint,

Carefully scanned the Sword Maker from top to bottom,

And then,

Moved his gaze away.

This almost made the Sword Maker vomit blood. If he didn't know that he had expended too much energy defending the city earlier, if he didn't know that he was no match for the Sword Saint in a one-on-one fight, the Sword Maker really wanted to slap his sword box and use his sword to reason!

Why is it that when your family defends the city, I'm the one who works myself to the bone, while you're leisurely?

Similarly,

The Prince's python robe was obviously just changed for going out, but Xie Yu'an was in this state.

Could it be that the Qian people outside are working their butts off to attack the city to capture the Xie family's prodigy instead of you, the Great Yan Regent?

The Prince reached out and placed his hand on Zheng Lin's head.

Zheng Lin's expression was a little serious. Clearly, he had just experienced resistance, but it was also very clear that his resistance had been suppressed.

If you lifted the Heir Apparent's python robe sleeves, you could clearly see a series of tiny needle holes.

That was because he had had an argument with his father earlier, and as a result, his mother almost sewed him into a "scarecrow."

Zheng Lin stepped forward,

Bowed to the Sword Maker,

And said:

"I want a sword."

The Sword Maker's expression was first astonished, then delighted.

Although it wasn't an apprenticeship ceremony, it was at least half of one.

What was rare was that the Heir Apparent took the initiative to speak to him, and even rarer was that Yu Huaping didn't say a word.

"Easy to say, easy to say."

The Sword Maker hurriedly said.

He was too entangled in worldly affairs, and coupled with his obsession with sword making, it was already difficult for him to continue moving forward in the art of swordsmanship, trying to catch up with Yu Huaping. Therefore, he actually valued the matter of inheritance even more than the Sword Saint.

More importantly, the Heir Apparent wanted a sword from him. As long as he had this half-teacher's gift, then it would be equivalent to his Dugu family having a relationship with the Prince's Heir;

The family provided him with resources so that he could spend years making swords and playing around, living freely. As a member of the family, he had to take responsibility for the family's inheritance.

This was enough.

Next, he, the Sword Maker, could completely wander the martial world without any family worries.

Well,

Of course, all of this was based on the premise that Jinghai City would not fall and that this father and son could safely return to Jin Dong;

Otherwise, everything would be empty talk.

But looking at Xie Yu'an, looking at this Prince,

Although the Sword Maker didn't understand, he felt inexplicably reassured.

Immediately afterward,

The Prince sat down next to Xie Yu'an.

Xie Yu'an moved a small distance away and then lowered his butt a little.

"You have a good father."

The Prince said the words that Xie Yu'an had said earlier.

"Yes, Your Highness." Xie Yu'an replied.

"I'm very curious, did your father guess it early on?"

"This subordinate... doesn't know."

Zheng Fan nodded and said with emotion: "He is one of the Four Pillars of State after all."

Xie Yu'an didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and he deliberately showed this expression:

"Your Highness, it seems a little inappropriate for you to say that."

He is one of the Four Pillars of State after all. To outsiders, it was praise;

But the Prince, who has the heads of three Pillars of State... it just sounds strange.

"This Prince has been thinking about one thing lately. If we only judge success or failure based on life and death, it would be too arbitrary.

For example, those three who were once on par with this Prince,

To be honest, this Prince isn't very interested in what that little prince of the barbarians did in the desert, and I don't know much about it, but I imagine he wasn't a kind person. Otherwise, the old barbarian king wouldn't have done everything to push him to the top back then;

It's just a pity that he hadn't even shown his wings before he directly faced Jingnan King."

No matter how proud an eagle is, when facing Old Tian, it can only break its wings.

"And then there's Nian Yao..."

When talking about Nian Yao, the Prince's gaze clearly looked in the direction of the city wall. It was no secret that there were Chu troops in the Qian army outside the city wall.

Former allies who had entered Qian all the way instantly became the auxiliaries of the Qian army;

"Nian Yao first faced Old Tian several times and was suppressed without any temper. It was his great detour that, if this Prince hadn't made a desperate gamble, he might have succeeded.

His ending wouldn't have been so tragic, let alone so ridiculous.

Finally, there's Zhong Tianlang. He was restricted by the military strength of the Qian Kingdom, so he never had a good opportunity to show himself and had always been suppressed.

On the surface, those three are no longer worthy of standing with this Prince, but in reality, this Prince may just be lucky."

"Your Highness, you are too modest."

"Your father is the same." The Prince said, "Your father, that old dog, ah..."

It seemed a little inappropriate to call someone's father an old dog in front of his son.

However, it depended on who was saying it.

If someone else said this, Xie Yu'an wouldn't be worthy of being a son if he didn't show some reaction.

But now,

As long as Jinghai City doesn't fall for a day, the Regent's position would be far above that of a ruined Pillar of State from a ruined country.

After all, Xie Zhuyang was still a defeated general, and he had almost lost his life to the pursuit of the other side's two nephews.

"Old dog" had a bit of teasing in it, but there was also affirmation, and even some admiration.

Xie Yu'an knew that even if his father was standing there, being called "you old dog, ah..." by the Regent,

His father would probably still feel honored.

Status, fame, strength, class, were all essentially earned through fighting.

"This Prince sometimes reminds himself to be wary, lest he really become arrogant and underestimate the heroes of the world."

"Your Highness..."

Xie Yu'an really didn't know how to respond to this flattery, because he could hear that the Prince was saying this with genuine feelings.

But what he said was enough to make the heroes of the world blush with shame.

Back then, almost everyone in the armies of various countries admired Jingnan King;

But now, it was no longer the era of Jingnan King, but the era of the Prince of Pingxi, the Regent.

Even the Yan people themselves believed that the Regent was better than Jingnan King and a military god who was better at fighting.

The Prince was silent for a while,

Everyone in the circle also fell silent.

Although the Sword Maker was still in a state of confusion, he knew that after the silence, there would be... rewards.

Xie Yu'an had mentioned this to him earlier;

Moreover, his reward, or rather the Dugu clan's reward, had already been given.

So,

What about the Xie clan?

The Prince said:

"Divide half of Chu Nan,

Let the Xie clan,

Establish a country."

The Sword Maker's eyes widened;

And Xie Yu'an, after a brief moment of shock, immediately knelt down,

And said:

"Your Highness, the Xie clan will not establish a country."

"This Prince's brother-in-law's position as the Lord of Chu, after this Prince goes back, he won't be able to sit any longer."

His brother-in-law's backstab was a bit unethical and had crossed Zheng Fan's bottom line;

In the past, it would have been fine, but this time, he Zheng Fan was on the road with his son.

It was true that the Prince doted on his daughter, but although his son wasn't his precious treasure, as a father, he wouldn't allow anyone to dare to harm his child.

Xie Yu'an swallowed,

And immediately said:

"The Lord of Chu has betrayed Your Highness and deserves to be punished!

My Xie clan,

Has been greatly fortunate to receive Your Highness' appreciation and protection;

We dare not ask for heavenly grace."

The Prince laughed,

And said:

"There must be a reward."

The Xie clan's influence in Chu Nan was very great. One-third of Chu Nan was almost his Xie clan's private land;

Why didn't Zheng Fan take advantage of the victory in Shanggu County and continue to use troops against Chu?

There were many reasons, but one important one was that he was afraid that his brother-in-law would move the capital and the imperial court to Chu Nan, forcing Jin Dong and Great Yan's iron cavalry to be mired in the quagmire, facing endless chaos.

And once the local Chu Nan snake Xie clan decided to completely sever ties with the old Chu, where else could his brother-in-law run to?

Xie Yu'an's previous words were to agree to settle the score with the Lord of Chu after the war, but... he refused to establish a country.

"Your Highness has not yet established a country, how dare we, the Xie clan, father and son, overstep?

If Your Highness wants to support the Xie clan,

The Xie clan asks for...

Only a title of Prince of the Yingdu."

"The Prince's Palace of Cheng only has one Prince left." Zheng Fan reminded him.

It was he, Zheng Fan, who had cut off its wings.

"In response to Your Highness' words, to have wealth and honor last for generations is already a great blessing."

"Forget it, forget it, a Prince's Palace it is then. This Prince, on behalf of the Yan Emperor, grants your Xie clan a hereditary and real Prince's Palace. In the future, your Xie clan will inherit the responsibility of the Xiong clan from the Xia Dynasty, suppressing the Shan Yue and civilizing them into the Central Plains."

"Your subject thanks you for your grace!"

Xie Yu'an kowtowed.

At this moment,

The sound of gongs, drums, whistles, and arrows rang out again;

This meant that the Qian people were going to take advantage of the dusk to attack one more time.

The Prince laughed,

And said:

"Let's eat hot pot. The fire has been burning as strong as it can be. The vegetables and meat have already been put in.

The pot,

Is boiling...

It's time,

To reach for the chopsticks."

"Your Highness is wise, Your Highness is divine, An prostrates himself in admiration."

The last time, Xie Yu'an was the Chu army's commander and was personally defeated by Zheng Fan in Shanggu County;

This time, Xie Yu'an had been standing by Zheng Fan's side the whole time, but he had witnessed it with his own eyes and had once again been conquered.

Zheng Fan waved his hand,

And said:

"This is really not this Prince's plan. The reason why this Prince hasn't shown his face all these days is because this Prince is too lazy to pretend in front of you. Pretending to understand when you don't is quite torturous."

"Your Highness, you are again..."

"It's really not modesty. If your father hadn't sent a message, I wouldn't have known where the breakthrough would come from."

"This... how is this possible..."

"Hehehe."

The Prince reached out and patted Xie Yu'an's shoulder, saying:

"So, don't underestimate the heroes of the world.

Back then, this Prince led a solitary army, infiltrated the allied forces of the savage Chu army for thousands of miles, seized Xuehai Pass, and then gritted his teeth and defended it;

It should have been a situation where nine out of ten would have died,

But for some reason, this Prince wasn't worried at all at that time, but rather very calm."

He had a bottom line in his heart, and he was sure that the person could see the situation clearly, and he was also sure that the person could break this situation.

Xie Yu'an said: "That's because Jingnan King was there at that time."

"Right."

"But now that Jingnan King is no longer here..."

"But by this Prince's side, there has always been a person, from the very beginning,

Who,

Is no less than Jingnan King."

...

On the winding mountain road, there were dense masses of knights leading their horses, as well as teams of local Shan Yue people who had been organized to transport military supplies.

Jin Shuke took off his helmet and said with great surprise:

"General, I thought this mountain road would be difficult to travel and would take many days;

Who would have thought that,

This mountain road has been repaired so smoothly, and each temporary camp has been built so appropriately and so spacious.

Most importantly, each camp is equipped with military supplies such as grain and medicinal herbs.

Previously, Xie Zhuyang was opening the way for our Prince's vanguard army, but I really didn't expect that the road could be built so solidly and meticulously. Thanks to him, our army can be here without being delayed."

"Jin Shuke."

"This subordinate is here."

"Haven't you ever thought that Xie Zhuyang might have foreseen it and thus made arrangements early on?"

"But Your Highness clearly said that the Prince sent you to Lanyang City and didn't give you any other instructions. Since even the Prince didn't give any instructions, how would Xie Zhuyang know..."

"When you, Jin Shuke, were guarding the city gate back then, who would have thought that you would one day become the left and right arm of the Great Yan Regent?

Do not underestimate the heroes of the world.

As for the Prince's arrangements for me...

It's not because the Prince forgot or neglected it,

But because the Prince knew that,

There was no need to make too many arrangements for me."

"General, you are loyal to the Prince, and this subordinate admires you."

Liang Cheng shook his head,

And said:

"Arbitrarily changing the Prince's orders and independently deploying troops is a taboo in the eyes of others. Even if you have meritorious service, it is still a great mistake, and it is difficult to have a good ending;

However,

Our Prince knows that,

You, Jin Shuke, might rebel;

But I,

Will never rebel against him."

As he spoke,

The two great generals of the Jin Dong army walked to the top of the mountain. After passing this mountain, it would be the great plain east of the Qianjiang River in the Qian Kingdom.

Liang Cheng stood there,

Looking at the misty area shrouded in front of him,

Closed his eyes,

This usually cold and stiff great zombie,

Was moved at this moment,

And even couldn't help but sigh:

"After waiting for so long,

It's finally,

My turn."