Chapter 1 The Descent of Magic

Pi Xiu, under the deliberate control of the master on its back, took slow steps, only able to watch as warhorses sped past, spurred on by their knights.

A little later,

Seeing that the sounds of battle ahead were still loud, Zheng Boye simply reined in his mount, signaling for the Pi Xiu beneath him to turn around.

He couldn't go any further; it was dangerous.

Sword Saint had already gone home to his wife, children, and a warm bed. Without him at his side, Zheng Boye truly lacked a sense of security on the battlefield.

Especially now, with the fighting at Xishan Fort still ongoing, possibly lasting until tonight, it was easy to encounter scattered Chu soldiers here.

Forget it,

A son of a noble family does not sit in a dangerous place;

He shouldn't take the risk.

Zheng Boye returned to the city gate, where Xue San, legs clamped, was still bandaging Fan Li, demonstrating the profound friendship between Demon Lords.

Dismounting from Pi Xiu, Zheng Boye walked onto the city wall.

This section of the wall had borne countless battles between the soldiers of both sides in recent days. Now, it was piled high with corpses, making it difficult even to climb the steps.

But in the end, Zheng Boye made his way up.

On the wall, a team of Yan soldiers were bandaging each other's wounds. Seeing Zheng Boye appear, they immediately wanted to salute.

"Sit, sit."

Zheng Boye waved his hand, then walked to the city gate tower in front.

Half of the city gate had been destroyed, and it was covered with arrows and scorch marks.

A'ming pulled out a chair from inside. Zheng Boye didn't rush to sit, but tore off a Chu army flag from the side and wiped the chair clean before sitting down.

Then, A'ming dragged over another chair, wiped it with the flag, and took out peanuts, melon seeds, and other snacks from his pocket.

Zheng Boye was a little surprised.

"You don't seem like the type to eat these things?"

"I thought you might want some melon seeds while commanding, Master."

Zheng Boye shook his head and said, "The wind is too strong up on the platform; how can you eat melon seeds? Besides, it's not obvious enough."

"Can't exactly set up a zither, can we?"

"Well, that reminds me, I'll learn the zither or pipa when I have the chance. Next time I encounter a scene like this, I can sit there and play 'Ambush from Ten Sides' to set the mood."

When it came to acting cool, the Demon Lords and their master were professionals;

Moreover, they would deeply analyze and summarize their experiences to achieve better and more original results.

Zheng Boye grabbed a handful of peanuts and slowly began to shell them.

Although the sounds of fighting still rose and fell within the city, Xishan Fort could be considered breached.

Taking down the Dongshan and Xishan forts was like cutting off the two big claws of a crab;

It meant that the Chu's defensive system north of Zhennan Pass had lost its support and reliance.

The Yan army could brazenly press forward with their main force, concentrating superior forces to clear out the remaining forts and strongholds. It was only a matter of time before they shaved the area north of Zhennan Pass clean, forcing the Chu forces back to the Zhennan Pass line.

But,

This was just the beginning.

Based on his last conversation with Tian Wu Jing, Tian Wu Jing probably wasn't planning to really attack Zhennan Pass head-on. Dongshan Fort and Xishan Fort had already been so difficult to take; Zhennan Pass was a formidable pass that could be mentioned in the same breath as Xuehai Pass. Behind it, there was a constant stream of Chu reinforcements. It would be too difficult to chew through.

And, it didn't seem necessary.

The reason for clearing out these forts and strongholds was actually to create a wider space.

Losing the land but keeping the people means losing both people and land; keeping the people but losing the land means gaining both people and land.

This was probably the theme of Jingnan King's campaign against Chu.

However, it wasn't prepared for himself, but for the Chu.

The strategic pass was here. Its advantage was its towering height, but its disadvantage was also its towering height.

Because it couldn't grow legs, couldn't move, and could only stay in that place from beginning to end.

Just like when Tian Wu Jing led his army to invade Jin, fighting a thousand miles in ten days, directly crushing all the main forces of the Helian and Wenren families. Next, almost half of Jin was pacified with just a proclamation.

Even Zheng Boye's Shengle City had surrendered early. The later back-and-forth was due to local ruffians causing trouble.

Outside, a banner was erected.

When Zheng Boye entered the city, he was surrounded by a group of Li Fusheng's personal soldiers.

When Li Fusheng went to the front lines to fight, he didn't forget to order some of his personal guards to stay behind and protect him.

And according to the rules, wherever Zheng Boye went, the banner would be erected.

"Hey, I'm not eating anymore."

Zheng Boye clapped his hands.

In the end, he couldn't learn Li Fusheng's style of sitting there covered in blood, eating snacks and drinking strong liquor while treating his wounds.

It wasn't because he was afraid of corpses or the surrounding environment giving him a queasy feeling,

It was just that he couldn't find that kind of mood.

"Squeak, gurgle, gurgle, gurgle..."

Zheng Boye turned his head and saw A'ming drawing blood from a wineskin.

The deceased was wearing a good set of armor, probably a general. Being chosen by A'ming meant that he must have had decent cultivation in life.

A'ming finished draining the blood and threw the corpse aside.

"I say, couldn't you drain it a little more?"

It was obvious that it wasn't completely drained.

"Master, the blood in the human body is actually divided into regions and parts. Your subordinate has already drained the best parts; the rest doesn't have that flavor."

"Wasteful."

A'ming sat down on the threshold to the side, took a sip, and ran his tongue across the corner of his mouth, licking away the faint bloodstains.

This posture, this expression...

Later generations of young idols would have to use a lot of makeup and specific lighting angles to achieve this, but A'ming had this temperament from the inside out.

"I heard from Si Niang that back in Tiger Head City, a wealthy woman wanted to take care of you?"

A'ming shook his head and said, "That's not true."

"It is!"

Xue San, who now walked with a slight bow-legged gait, came in and shouted,

"Master, we all advised him to go for it back then, to cheat some gold and silver and then some connections to help us gain a foothold in Tiger Head City. But he just wouldn't go. In the end, he still relied on the blind man's talisman water to get his first pot of gold."

A'ming raised his eyelids and glanced at Xue San.

Xue San, who had already advanced in cultivation, glared back. He wasn't afraid at all now!

This was also where he got the confidence to tell Fan Li the truth in front of Fan Li earlier.

But Fan Li was really too inconsiderate!

Just then, there was a commotion outside.

A lieutenant came over with a group of his men, bringing with them a man with disheveled hair wearing blue armor.

"Thump!"

The man was thrown to the ground.

The lieutenant saluted Zheng Fan:

"Boye, this person should be Zhou Huaizong."

Zhou Huaizong, one of the spokesmen of the Zhou family, Shi Yuantang's adopted son.

After the city was broken, these Chu generals were naturally big fish.

They caught one,

But because Li Fusheng didn't know where he was fighting in the city with his personal guards, and no one could be found, and because the banner was erected here, the lieutenant sent this big fish to Zheng Boye.

Zheng Boye nodded and said:

"Record the merit."

"Thank you, Boye!"

The lieutenant led his men down. The fighting hadn't ended, and the hunt hadn't stopped.

Zhou Huaizong, with his arms tied, struggled to raise his head and look at Zheng Fan.

"You...you are Zheng Fan?"

"This Boye is."

"Beast, beast!"

Zhou Huaizong cursed.

He was injured, and some of the joints in his body had been dislocated. He couldn't struggle at the moment.

But in his curses, one could clearly feel the heartfelt anger.

"Heh."

Zheng Boye just smiled.

Shi Yuantang had already died in his hands. He would gain merit from the battle of Xishan Fort, so Zheng Boye really couldn't bring himself to pay attention to these small fish.

"A scholar can be killed but not humiliated, Yan dogs! One day, you won't have a good end!

The evil you do today will surely become your fruit in the future!"

"Oh, do you often listen to Buddhist scriptures?"

Zhou Huaizong still glared fiercely at Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan had lost interest. If he hadn't taken the medicine that day, if Shi Yuantang hadn't long been intent on seeking death, perhaps he would have liked to have a drink and a good chat with that old pillar of Chu.

It could only be said that too many coincidences made their contact extremely brief.

"My adoptive father's remains, remains..."

The city had already been broken, but he was still thinking about this.

It could only be said that Shi Yuantang did a really good job in educating his juniors. One had to know that this was just an adopted son.

"Sorry, they've probably been crushed into mincemeat."

"Beast...beast, you beast!!!!!"

"The winner is king, the loser is a bandit. This Boye doesn't think I've done anything wrong."

Although, he only let Fan Li issue the funeral announcement; the twist dance today was something Fan Li added to the show himself.

But there was no need to explain to outsiders.

In fact, even among the Yan people, this kind of behavior of insulting the deceased general's remains would be despised.

However, firstly, Jingnan King's killing of prisoners under Yupancheng had attracted most of the criticism;

Secondly, the Chu people came out of the city, and then the city was broken.

The so-called desecration of remains became a tactic to attack the enemy's morale.

Everything depends on the result. This is an unchanging principle. In this way, no one would despise it; on the contrary, they would sincerely shout: "It's so good."

Zhou Huaizong looked at Zheng Fan. He could no longer communicate with Zheng Fan. He hadn't intended to communicate anything.

The differences between their concepts were too great.

The Chu people pursued ancient rituals and loved romance;

When nobles in Chu had wars, captured enemy nobles were to be well treated and sent back, and fallen nobles were to be properly buried or have their bodies preserved and sent back.

Therefore, Zheng Boye's actions really touched the Chu people's inverse scale.

Well, it seemed very civilized, and indeed it only seemed to be.

Xiong Liqing had told Zheng Boye about this war etiquette one night.

Zheng Boye just smiled at the time and said;

"In your Chu, only nobles are people."

The Chu people's romance, etiquette, and morality were only established on the noble class.

Therefore, even if Nian Yao sat in the position of Great General, he still had to call himself a servant.

Zheng Boye didn't intend to erect the banner of equality for all in this world, but this didn't prevent Zheng Boye from criticizing and expressing his disdain for it.

Just as Zheng Boye was about to have someone take Zhou Huaizong away to avoid him shouting and making him upset,

A captain led someone and brought another person over.

This person still retained a bit of elegance.

To see if a Chu person was embarrassed or not, look at his hairstyle.

Although the helmet of the person in front of him had been removed, his hair on both sides of his temples was long and smooth, which meant that he had combed his hair himself when he was captured.

"Feng Yuanyang of the Great Chu, pay respects to General Li!"

As he spoke,

He actually knelt down to Zheng Boye to salute.

"Presumptuous, this is the Yan's Boye of Pingye!" The captain scolded.

Feng Yuanyang raised his head and looked at Zheng Boye again, and a smile actually appeared on his face,

Said:

"Son-in-law?"

For some reason, after seeing Feng Yuanyang, Zheng Boye felt much more comfortable.

He was really tired of seeing loyal and good generals, and finally met a soft bone.

If all the Chu people were unyielding, it would be really a headache for the Great Yan cavalry to fight down.

"Get up."

"Thank you, Son-in-law."

The captain said:

"Boye, this person took the initiative to surrender with his personal guards."

"Also record a merit for you."

"Thank you, Boye!"

The captain also left with his men.

Then,

Zheng Boye pointed to Feng Yuanyang with his finger,

Said:

"Give him a seat."

Xue San pulled a chair over.

Feng Yuanyang sat down with a noble air and flicked the long hair on both sides of his temples.

Zhou Huaizong looked at him and shouted:

"What are you going to do, what are you going to do!"

Feng Yuanyang seemed not to have heard him at all, and turned to Zheng Boye and said;

"If I had known that the Son-in-law was coming here, Yuanyang would not have dared to order resistance, and would have taken the initiative to open the city gate and ask the Son-in-law to surrender.

In Yuanyang's opinion, surrendering to the Son-in-law is not only not shameful, but also an honor for Yuanyang in this life. After all, not everyone is qualified to be a defeated general under your command, Son-in-law."

This person spoke really nicely.

"The Feng family is not a big family in Chu." Zheng Boye said while admiring his nails.

"But it's not a small family either." Feng Yuanyang replied with a smile.

"Looking at this, are you planning to be a hero who understands the times?"

"Yes, Yuanyang is afraid of death."

"What about the family?"

The garrisons in the various forts and strongholds outside Zhennanguan were mainly composed of private soldiers from various noble families.

The reason why Nian Yao dared to do this was that if these aristocratic children dared to surrender, their families in the rear would immediately be purged.

"It's fine to report the news that Yuanyang has died in battle. Who can verify it?

Even if the Phoenix Nest Guards are powerful, it will be difficult to really infiltrate the Yan army, right?

Perhaps, the Feng family can still receive a pension from the imperial court."

Zheng Boye nodded when he heard the words. He was a very shameless person.

"Feng Yuanyang, the Feng family will die because of you!"

Zhou Huaizong on the side began to scold.

Feng Yuanyang finally looked at Zhou Huaizong, who was tied up and lying on the ground on one side,

Said;

"It was you and Shi Lao San who insisted on opening the city gate and sending a cavalry out to grab the father-in-law's remains. I was against it, but you didn't listen to me. Without your stupidity, how could this Xishan Fort have been broken?"

"You are shameless, you are a beast!"

Zhou Huaizong was furious and continued to curse.

Feng Yuanyang ignored him and smiled at Zheng Fan:

"Boye, Yuanyang sincerely admires Boye and hopes to serve under Boye before the Yan cavalry enters Chu."

This was to win treatment as a prisoner of war for himself.

Obviously, following the Pingye Boye, who was in the ascendant in front of him, would allow him to maximize his interests.

It was impossible to go back now, and he didn't mention it.

If he could be a surrendered general in the Yan army, if the Yan people could enter Chu like they did with Jin, then he and the Feng family could continue to be preserved.

Zheng Boye looked at him, looked at him, looked at him,

Then,

Smiled.

Feng Yuanyang also smiled, revealing a slightly shy smile, and said:

"Boye, you need me."

"Oh?"

Feng Yuanyang looked around.

Zheng Fan waved his hand and asked someone to gag Zhou Huaizong's mouth and drag him down.

The guards outside also exited the gate.

Feng Yuanyang also looked at the terrifying man sitting at the door and A'ming and Xue San who were still left in the house.

Zheng Boye said;

"Our own people."

Feng Yuanyang nodded, then stood up, knelt down in front of Zheng Fan,

Said;

"Boye, there is something that Boye will definitely be very interested in."

"Say it."

Feng Yuanyang took a deep breath,

Said in a deep voice;

"General Nian has long had the intention of rebelling."