Chapter 1 How Did You Get Back?

"Your Highness, why are you back?"

"The Chu army at Xilin Fort has withdrawn, so I came back."

"The Chu people withdrew?" Zheng Bo immediately realized the change in circumstances. "What about the other forts and strongholds?"

"We must wait for the scouts to return. However, in my opinion, the Chu people are preparing to contract."

Yangshan Fort, this pivotal point, was broken through by Zheng Bo in one fell swoop during the exchange of large armies, the fort burned and prisoners taken.

After the two most solid gatehouses, Dongshan and Xishan Forts, were breached, the remaining forts and strongholds were completely exposed to being divided up and gnawed away.

In the past month, the Yan army's speed of "destroying cities and seizing fortresses" has been astonishingly fast.

The Chu's defense system north of Zhennan Pass was severely damaged, unable to "repel the enemy outside the gates" and "wear down the Yan army's advance" as expected.

Furthermore, delaying the Yan army's progress to exacerbate their logistical pressure was not worth the casualties the Chu were continuing to suffer.

Therefore, the Chu people chose to withdraw.

Preserve the men, lose the land; with the men, the land can be recovered.

This could be considered a timely loss-cutting by that Chu general, Nian Yao.

It is conceivable how much pressure Nian Yao would bear for this, as this strategic model was his own design. Because of this, the Chu court even gave him the nickname "Earthworks" General.

Referring to the fact that this general only knew how to build walls, build walls, and build more walls when facing the Yan.

Slapping himself in the face, admitting that his initial strategic deployment had failed, was undoubtedly a huge blow to his prestige.

Most importantly,

Zheng Bo knew,

Nian Yao's political position in his country could not be compared with Lao Tian's in Yan.

During this period, Zheng Bo was processing these reports, from military discipline to logistics, and because of the absolute prestige of the Prince of Jingnan in the army, everything was handled smoothly. Just now, for example, those two commanding officers still had to kneel down to admit their mistakes and be punished.

The logistics were also smooth;

This was very comfortable.

Because throughout history, the most headache-inducing issue for large armies on the march was the logistics problem.

The Yan army themselves were aware of their great logistical pressure because the army was fighting across the entire Jin state. The Chu side was also aware of the Yan's logistical pressure, so they initially wanted to exhaust and drag out the war.

But what Zheng Bo "saw" was that while the logistical pressure should be quite high, officials from all walks of life in the rear were actively organizing and running things.

Some reports requested delays for a few days, and there were objective reasons;

This smooth overall direction was very comforting.

Once, when the Yan Emperor trampled down the aristocratic clans, the most criticized aspect was how the Yan court would fill the vacancies after the collapse of the clans.

The war in Jin had been going on for years, the Si Tu family had experienced traitors, and the He Lian and Wen Ren families were directly exterminated by the Yan army for offending the Yan state first, and their deeply implicated family officials were also implicated.

But facts proved that in just a few years, not only was the Yan land operating in order, but even the Jin land was showing a kind of... not efficient, but truly stable.

Of course, beneath this stable facade was the reality of the Yan and Jin people being exploited.

Currently, it was still supported by the continuous great victories and territorial expansion of the Yan in the past few years, so the people's tolerance, especially the old Yan people, could still withstand it;

But if the war continued to be deadlocked for a long time, or if the situation reversed, then there would really be poets singing "How many have returned from ancient battles?" and "The people suffer when a new power rises, and the people suffer when it falls."

However, the current situation was that the Chu were taking the initiative to contract, which meant that the Yan army would clean up the area north of Zhennan Pass more quickly and easily.

At the same time...

The Prince of Jingnan looked at Zheng Fan,

And said:

"You won't have time to train new soldiers."

It had to be launched ahead of schedule.

One was to respond to the Chu's initiative to contract; to continue dragging on would truly be dragging on for the sake of dragging on.

The second was to consider the overall situation in the country, for the sake of the people, and also for the sake of His Majesty's health.

The original plan was for Liang Cheng to absorb new soldiers and train them. The best situation would be to not only make up for the previous losses of his own troops before entering Chu, but also to inflate the numbers.

Now, due to time constraints, there was not enough time.

"Your previous choice was not bad, I will allow you to draw five thousand men from the various armies into your central army."

Five thousand men was not a small number, but placed in the hundreds of thousands of troops attacking Chu, it was nothing.

Of course, you can't fleece just one sheep, you have to spread the wealth, digging up two or three hundred people from each commanding officer.

Fully armored, well-trained, and experienced in battle formations, they would be elite troops ready to fight when summoned after being integrated and coordinated.

In addition, with Zheng Bo's current prestige, none of the officers below would dare to cause trouble in front of him; in fact, most of them would be sincerely convinced.

This time, Zheng Bo didn't decline or act coyly, and said directly;

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Return to Dongshan Fort and prepare early. The matters at Wangjiang should be almost settled. Whether we can quickly complete the campaign against Chu depends on you."

"Your Highness, rest assured, this subordinate will certainly not fail my mission!"

...

Leaving the military tent,

Zheng Bo walked to the water source and washed his face.

A Ming came over and handed him a towel.

A Ming was wearing fancy long boots, while Tian Wujing wore war boots that matched the armor on his body.

Zheng Bo's current level of strength naturally could not sense the aura of anyone nearby in advance. Moreover, for an existence of the level of the Prince of Jingnan, unless the Sword Saint was here, it would be difficult for anyone else to sense him in advance.

This was why the Prince of Jingnan suddenly appeared several times while Zheng Bo was speaking.

His status allowed his peripheral guards to remain silent;

His strength allowed him to avoid most people's senses;

But

Even if Zheng Bo was slow, he could tell the difference in the sound of boots landing.

This was like how Xiao Liuzi was still able to develop his "underground forces" under the eyes of the Yan Emperor; it wasn't that the Yan Emperor couldn't see it, but that their sights were too high, and they often ignored or didn't look at or care about these small details.

"We need to prepare."

Zheng Bo said.

A Ming then said: "So fast."

"The Chu people have begun to contract."

Zheng Bo looked back at the entrance of the military tent. Tian Wujing had already walked out of it and entered his own royal tent.

In fact, Zheng Bo had asked the Sword Saint about the perception of things around them for existences of their level.

The Sword Saint's answer was, who would be idle enough to turn on their perception and scan around all the time? Wouldn't that be tiring?

At that time, the Blind Man standing beside him frowned slightly.

Therefore, unless Tian Wujing wanted to deliberately "listen" to what Zheng Bo said, he would not hear it.

Moreover, with Tian Wujing's character, he would be too lazy to listen to these whispers. However, Zheng Bo had already made caution a habit.

"Help me relay a few orders."

"Please speak, Master."

"First, order Jin Shuke and the Blind Man to bring back the new soldiers selected from the rear. Jin Shuke will join the ranks, and the Blind Man will take those people to Xuehai Pass. Let the Blind Man do some ideological and political education and transformation first;

Second, let Si Niang complete the handover work. The affairs of Xuehai Pass will be taken over by the Blind Man. He is capable and hardworking, and he can handle it all alone. Let Si Niang come over and enter Chu with us.

Third, notify Gong Wang and Gongsun Zhi to select four thousand of their own direct descendants, and let them personally lead the troops.

Fourth, notify A Cheng to send seven thousand men from our department, and bring me the Wild Man King's First Regiment."

Throwing the towel into the basin,

Zheng Bo let out a long breath,

And said;

"Finally, tell the Sword Saint that his vacation is over."

"Yes, Master."

Zheng Bo shook his hand and walked back to his military tent.

The royal seal and tiger tally were still placed there; Lao Tian had not taken them away.

Zheng Bo sat down,

And began to write a memorial,

Ordering the various commanding officers to select two hundred elite armored soldiers from their subordinates, led by a captain, to enter the central army and guard the central army tent.

After writing it, he stamped it with the seal.

This memorial would be passed down later.

The reason for not directly asking them to send the selected elites to Dongshan Fort was to avoid making the movements too obvious.

It was just an extra step, but it could provide an extra layer of concealment, a very worthwhile deal.

Some military deployments were difficult to escape the eyes and ears of those who were interested. Zheng Bo believed that the Chu's Phoenix Nest Guard could probably detect it as well, but it was better to delay it as long as possible.

Most importantly,

Lao Tian's plan was to use the "power of nature." This arrangement shocked Zheng Bo when he first heard it. Even if the Chu's Phoenix Nest Inner Guard was capable of unraveling every thread and being omnipresent, it would be almost impossible to discern the Yan army's military plan in a short period.

To put it another way, even if it was really discerned, with the communication speed of this era, by the time General Nian received this intelligence, their side should have already "sailed lightly past ten thousand mountains" and be gazing at Jing City.

For some reason,

Perhaps it was really because he was repeatedly dragged into the car by Tian Wujing,

He had gotten used to it.

It made Zheng Bo not feel any sense of crisis at all now.

It was clearly an extremely dangerous war behind enemy lines,

But he now felt like it was just an ordinary march.

Although there had been a surprise attack on Xuehai Pass in the past, to be honest, the Chu were not comparable to the wild men.

Sigh,

Zheng Bo stretched lazily,

Suddenly inspired,

Unable to suppress the surge of chuunibyou emotions,

He hummed:

"Invincibility, how lonely it is..."

...

Xuehai Pass,

Earl's Residence.

Tian Tian sat in the courtyard every day.

Beside him were a fox and a black cat.

This child,

From childhood to adulthood,

Slept on top of zombie heads,

Played with the Ninefold Vengeful Infant,

Most importantly, he was a demon pill; whenever Zheng Bo needed to go out, he had to follow. Therefore, most of the time, Tian Tian played by himself.

He didn't fuss or make a fuss.

He could sit there by himself and happily play all afternoon.

When it was time to eat, he would eat, and when it was time to sleep, he would obediently climb into bed and cover himself with a blanket.

Si Niang came to see him once a day, and he was very happy.

Now,

Tian Tian was playing with two demons.

Both the fox and the black cat knew that this young master's status was noble, so they also tried their best to play with him.

Fortunately, this young master didn't have any special tendencies and had a good temper. During the day, he would take them for walks and look around, and at night, he would share his snacks with them.

The outside world was too dangerous, even for demons.

Therefore, these two demons quite liked their current peaceful life.

Most importantly, they were surprised to find that since they had accompanied this young master, the effect of cultivating and absorbing the essence of the sun and moon was much better than before.

Leisurely, safe, and helpful to cultivation, what could be happier than this in the world?

At this moment,

The Sword Saint walked in from outside.

Tian Tian recognized the Sword Saint because the Sword Saint would occasionally come to see him.

Tian Tian stood up, patted his butt, and raised his chubby hand:

"Hug..."

The Sword Saint bent down and picked up Tian Tian.

To be honest,

Liu Dahu was his stepson; when he was with his mother, Liu Dahu already had memories.

And Tian Tian was held by him all the way east not long after he was born.

Strictly speaking, his relationship with this child should be closer.

"Tian Wujing is such an unapproachable person, but his son is so lively and cute."

The Sword Saint threw Tian Tian into the air, and Longyuan flew out, carrying its scabbard, to hold Tian Tian up.

Tian Tian was not afraid at all, but shouted excitedly.

The two demons beside him trembled when they saw this scene; they knew what was what.

Longyuan had a spirit. In fact, famous swords themselves had auspiciousness. They could express some simple likes and dislikes. At this time, Longyuan was actually making a joyful tremor.

This meant that it was extremely close to this child.

The Sword Saint suddenly thought of what Zheng Fan had said to him at the beginning, asking if he wanted to take Tian Tian as a disciple.

He didn't agree at the time.

No matter what, the one in front of him was Tian Wujing's son, and he would have to accept him just because someone said so?

At the very least, Tian Wujing himself would have to open his mouth, and then he, Yu Huaping, would have to look at his mood and hesitate whether to agree.

But the scene in front of him,

Made the Sword Saint's heart move.

When people reached a certain age, they thought more about inheritance.

Ordinary people thought about inheriting their bloodline, because nine out of ten people in the world had nothing to inherit except that.

And people with skills thought about inheriting their craft, or their way.

Finding a talented successor was even more exciting than the birth of their own son.

Jian Bi was a born sword embryo.

This kind of person was born for the sword.

The Second Sword of Qian was unreliable in his actions throughout his life, but he was extremely attentive to this disciple and always kept her by his side.

And there was another kind of person,

They relied on their acquired keenness to walk this path.

This kind of person was not stupid, but a piece of jade surrounded by a layer of stone, which needed to be chiseled to reveal the green water.

The Sword Saint,

Was this kind of person.

The child in front of him,

Was actually not this kind of person,

Because he seemed to be not only sensitive to swords, but probably any spiritual thing would resonate with him.

Tian Wujing had already been at the peak of a Third-Rank Martial Artist for several years;

This was not the most terrifying thing,

The most terrifying thing was that Tian Wujing had also cultivated Taoist magic, and at the same time, his most powerful ability was leading troops to fight!

When people talked about the Great Yan Prince of Jingnan, their first reaction was his title of Military God, and then they would talk about his personal strength.

This meant that his main focus was not on cultivation.

But still...

This was Tian Wujing's talent, and his son's... talent?

The Sword Saint retracted his palm,

Longyuan flew back,

And Tian Tian landed.

"Mmm..."

Tian Tian squatted down and reached out to touch Longyuan.

"Fly, fly, fly again, mmm, tired?"

Tian Tian thought that Longyuan must be tired.

Then, he took out a small handful of dried fruit from his pocket and placed it on Longyuan's sword body.

"Eat, eat full."

The Sword Saint stood there,

Looking down at him,

And asked:

"Tian's son, are you willing to take me as your teacher and learn the sword!"

Tian Tian was stunned for a moment.

He spent too much time alone on weekdays, and besides, he was still young, so he was a little slow in speaking and expressing himself.

But it could be seen that he was thinking very seriously.

Tian Tian pointed to Longyuan, who was on the ground with the dried fruit on it,

And said:

"Sword?"

Longyuan trembled, and the dried fruit fell, as if in response.

The Sword Saint nodded.

Tian Tian shook his head,

Struggled to gather his hands over his head and waved them down, and then staggered himself and took several steps back, saying:

"Tian Tian... Godfather... learn... saber."

...

Above,

The Sword Saint was asking the child if he would become his disciple;

Below,

Si Niang stepped onto the stairs of the secret chamber.

That coffin,

Was quietly placed there.

From Meijiawu to Hucheng, then to Cuiliu Fort, to Shengle City, and finally to Xuehai Pass here.

Zheng Bo's story of taking a coffin on his military campaigns had been praised in the army,

But little did they know,

What he carried was his true first bond in this world...

Before Lao Tian,

There was a person, the first person, who was really good to him.

He,

Had been sleeping for a long, long time.

Si Niang held the Jade Human Token in her hand, and the Jade Human Token emitted a clear light, like a lampshade.

Walking to the coffin,

Si Niang knelt down.

Strictly speaking,

She was a Demon Lord, Zheng Fan's subordinate.

On another level, she was also Zheng Fan's woman.

In terms of emotion and reason,

It was right for her to kneel to this "Godfather."

"A big war is about to begin. Master has left, and they are leaving too. I am leaving too, and the one who uses the sword is leaving too.

There are enough soldiers in the pass, and the wild men on the snowfield dare not act rashly at this time.

But I am still worried, what if someone wants to attack this child when none of us are in the pass?

I don't know,

How long you need to sleep,

But if possible,

I hope you can wake up at this time,

When we are not here,

Help take care of this child.

After all,

This child grew up watching you. He has been eating, playing, and sleeping on your head since he was a few months old. You should be able to sense him, and at the same time, I believe that he has always been able to sense your company."

Si Niang kowtowed,

Three times.

"Buzz!"

The coffin,

Began to tremble.

"Clang!"

The coffin lid slowly moved away on its own, and a black mist emanated from the coffin.

Vaguely,

A figure could be seen slowly sitting up from the black mist,

His eyes,

Released a dark green luster,

But it did not appear eerie,

On the contrary,

There was a barbaric domineering spirit that was pouring out.

There were no crazy words after awakening,

There was no arrogant attitude of a hero returning,

There was,

Only a simple

One word:

"Okay..."