Chapter 126 A Marquis

Hearing the sound from outside,
Zheng Bo immediately turned his head to look at the Sword Saint.

It was nothing for the Prince of Jingnan to come straight in; the soldiers outside wouldn't dare stop him upon seeing him, unless Zheng Bo had given the order in advance.

And if they tried to report it, given the Prince of Jingnan's temperament, the messenger probably wouldn't be as fast as him.

Sure enough, the messenger's voice came after the Prince of Jingnan's:

"Bo Ye, Prince of Jingnan is here, um..."

Clearly, the messenger discovered that the Prince of Jingnan, who had entered from outside a moment ago, was now standing right in front of him.

But, the gatekeeper couldn't have sensed it beforehand, so how could the Sword Saint not have sensed it?

The Sword Saint smiled and said,

"The blind man likes to play this game on others, and I wanted to try it too."

"..." Zheng Fan.

Having said that,
the Long Yuan in the Sword Saint's hand suddenly let out a trembling sound. Although the Prince of Jingnan's voice had arrived early, he himself hadn't entered.

The Sword Saint hesitated for a moment, shook his head, and left with his sword.

Immediately afterward,
the Prince of Jingnan walked into the room.

It was better for them not to meet; their respective positions and past entanglements were simply too complicated to sort out, so it was better to leave them aside, and for each to continue living in their own preferred way.

Of course, the reason why Tian Wujing didn't directly come in to face the Sword Saint earlier wasn't because he was afraid, but because he was showing respect.

Seeing Tian Wujing appear before him, Zheng Bo immediately knelt down to pay his respects, and then his body went limp, and he fell to the side.

Tian Wujing went straight to a chair and sat down.

The help Zheng Bo had expected didn't come;
but fortunately, Zheng Bo was already used to it. After rolling over on the ground, he silently got up and stood in front of the Prince of Jingnan.

Tian Wujing wasn't just a martial artist; although the world knew that his Third-Rank peak martial physique was awe-inspiring, he was also proficient in esoteric arts.

One of the esoteric arts was "face reading," which was actually very similar to the "observation" in traditional Chinese medicine's "observation, auscultation and olfaction, inquiry, and palpation." Daoists needed this to perceive the physical condition of the person being observed, so that their "deductions" could be targeted.

Therefore, Tian Wujing could tell at a glance from Zheng Bo's complexion that Zheng Bo was actually fine.

At most, he was just "mentally exhausted." This usually happened more often to young ladies from noble families, who were confined at home all day, thinking about this and that, and easily becoming ill from sorrow and sentimentality. Overthinking and excessive worry could easily lead to illness.

But if this illness fell on a grown man, especially a general, no one would think it was a big deal. At least, compared to a broken arm or leg, or being poisoned by an arrow, this didn't even count as an illness.

"Your Highness."
Zheng Bo took the initiative to pick up the teapot, preparing to pour water.

Tian Wujing reached out to stop him, took the teapot himself, poured a cup for himself, and said to Zheng Fan,

"You've just eaten; don't drink tea yet."

"Yes, Your Highness."
Zheng Bo also sat down opposite the Prince of Jingnan.

"Dongshan Fort was captured quite quickly."

"It's all thanks to Your Highness's skillful command."

"Speak normally."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"This Prince didn't expect that Shi Yuantang would play such a trick, but it's estimated that Shi Yuantang didn't expect that he would be pushed to his death so directly by you."

Zheng Bo nodded and said,

"Yes, so although this subordinate won this time and captured Dongshan Fort, the casualties of my troops were truly extremely heavy."

"With Dongshan Fort broken so early, the situation has been completely opened up, and even with a royal guard stationed there, it still couldn't change the outcome of the city being captured and annihilated.

The Chu soldiers' lower-level determination to hold out will waver, and the Chu generals will also waver in the face of this tactic of stubborn resistance. When the rest of our Yan troops sweep through the remaining forts and strongholds, the resistance they face will be much less."

"Yes, it's just that my subordinates suffered too many casualties this time. Alas, they were all brothers who had followed me in battles north and south for so many years."

Tian Wujing shook his head, lowered his head, and took a sip of tea.

Zheng Bo could see that the Prince of Jingnan was in a very good mood right now.

This kind of good mood was roughly the same as the feeling he had when he saw Jin Shuke earlier.

"You captured Yangshan Village, and you also captured Dongshan Fort. You even killed a Pillar of the State of Chu. The greatest merit and the second greatest merit in the campaign against Chu so far have been taken by you alone.

Well, that's about enough.

Next, your unit will stay here to rest and reorganize."

Zheng Bo let out a long sigh of relief.

That was what he wanted,
that sentence!

In the previous battle of Dongshan Fort, half of the Xuehai Pass troops that he had brought out this time had been lost. If he continued fighting, there wouldn't be many of his own troops left.

Fortunately, it was like doing business. He had invested capital in the early stages to pave the way for the market, and now, he was finally seeing returns.

"Next, this Prince will confer the title of Grand General with actual power to three people, who will be under this Prince and will control the central, eastern, and western forces of my army respectively.

You will take the position of Grand General of the Eastern Army."

In fact, Zheng Bo had the title of "Cheng Guo Grand General," but that was just an honorary title that was linked to his treatment, while the Grand General here was a real military post in the army, ranking above the chief military commander. Although it was somewhat temporary in nature, when the war was over and rewards were given, the starting point would be different, and the degree of distinction would be clear.

Of course, even without this "Grand General of the Eastern Route Army," Gongsun Zhi and Gong Wang had already fallen into Zheng Bo's hands. This was actually the same as what Zheng Bo had said to Jin Shuke earlier: I'll remember your merits;

There was no difference.

"Your main force can be stationed in Dongshan Fort, and you, well, you can stay by this Prince's side, and follow this Prince to see the siege and raid battles of the other armies. You can also act as an advisor."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Zheng Bo knew in his heart that a new round of teaching courses was about to begin.

"Also, send one of your capable officers to the rear to maintain the supply lines and organize the laborers."

If someone didn't understand the situation, they might think that this was asking Zheng Bo to draw some of his troops to provide logistical support. Generally speaking, only useless troops would be assigned to this task.

But who was Zheng Bo?

He immediately heard the unspoken meaning.

The Prince of Jingnan had said earlier that he would let him replenish his troops, and then he said that he would let him send a unit of troops to escort the laborers. Wouldn't this be letting him choose auxiliary soldiers directly before the entire campaign against Chu?

Hundreds of thousands of troops, so many chief military commanders from various routes, would have to line up behind him, and choose from what he had left over.

And there was still a gray area here: when choosing soldiers, who could limit how many you could choose?

Would you stop when you had filled your quota?

But...
Although Zheng Bo had set quotas for each town under his command, the higher-ups had never told Zheng Bo how many quotas he actually had.

In theory, there was a line, and that line was the amount of food and military supplies that the imperial court gave you each year. If you wanted to raise more, you had to consider the amount of food you had at home, right?

But Zheng Bo's Xuehai Pass wasn't as poor as the outside world imagined. The Prince of Jingnan in Yingdu had always opened the door to his military needs, and Little Sixth was also supporting him in the imperial court. There were also wild people from the snow plains who would occasionally contribute manpower and material resources...

Therefore, Zheng Bo had always taken the route of elite soldiers and hadn't thought about expanding his forces, because for a period of time in an area, there were only so many suitable soldiers. Expanding too much with peasant soldiers would not only be meaningless, but even Zheng Bo himself and the demon kings wouldn't be satisfied with the aesthetics.

But on the basis of a national war, the laborers who were transferred from the rear to the front were definitely not ugly or deformed, and were basically strong men from Yan and Jin.

Some, even before their departure, were like the people of Gu County, and already had mountain camp organizations similar to militia. Even more, there were villages that practiced martial arts or towns with a tradition of families serving in the military for generations. If these soldiers could be recruited, and Liang Cheng polished them a little, they could immediately form combat power. Then, with the original veterans as a foundation, and the blind man deepening their ideological and political education, their combat power and loyalty could be improved in less than half a year.

After all,
excluding the Prince of Jingnan,
Zheng Bo could be called one of the most dazzling generals in the current military of Great Yan. With this battle record, the words "one of" could be removed.

The title of Earl of Pingye was already a great attraction to those ambitious and capable auxiliary soldiers!

It was like filling out college applications in later generations. Most candidates and parents didn't have the ability to specifically analyze which major at which school was strong, or what research results the professors in the department had made and how many papers they had published. They only cared whether they had heard of the university's name. Holy crap, awesome!

If a general under Zheng Bo led a unit of troops with the banner of the Earl of Pingye to recruit soldiers,
to be honest,
how many of the chief military commanders at the front lines knew and recognized the laborers transferred from Yan and Jin? But the title of Earl of Pingye could be said to be known to everyone.

Even if they didn't care about military affairs before, they would have heard about the Earl of Pingye snatching the princess back to be his wife, right?

That was prestige, that was popularity, that was fame!

To put it even more exaggeratedly,
after two consecutive hard battles, he had won them all, and his military achievements were outstanding. Shi Yuantang's head was hanging there. If he restricted the flow of people there and ate first, or even monopolized it, who at the front would dare to say anything?

Even if they were dissatisfied, they wouldn't dare to say it publicly. After all, the military merits were there. If they weren't convinced, they could only hold it in.

Unless the Prince of Jingnan personally issued a royal order to reprimand Zheng Bo for going too far, but... the one who was saying these words and making this suggestion now was the Prince of Jingnan himself.

With this "manipulation,"
he wouldn't just be replenishing his original troop numbers; he might even dare to directly double the number of troops under his command in Xuehai Pass!

He dared to expand the original 20,000 Xuehai Iron Cavalry regular army to 40,000!

If Zhennan Pass was captured and his territory could be expanded again, then it would be 50,000!

50,000 troops! If he really had 50,000 iron cavalry in his hands, he could truly be said to be on the stage, with both name and substance.

Zheng Bo's heart was beating "thump, thump" at this moment.

Old Tian was almost explicitly telling him to replenish his strength, no, to take the opportunity to expand his strength.

Gong Wang and Gongsun Zhi's units were just appetizers; you can eat the dishes in the back yourself.

"The craftsmen in your team and some of the skilled laborers must first be taken out and lent to other chief military commanders, because, in terms of siege equipment, your place is the best.

After they're used, they can be returned to you."

"That's natural, that's natural. We're all soldiers of Great Yan, all brothers. There's no need to talk about returning or not; it hurts feelings."

Compared to the watermelon he was about to harvest, losing a few sesame seeds wasn't a concern for Zheng Bo.

After all, what was being handed over was only craftsmen, but the people from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion and the core talents that Third had trained were definitely not going to be sent out.

"You don't have to participate in the next battles for the time being. First, stay with this Prince, and this Prince can teach you how to handle military affairs. Second, you can seize the time to let your troops recuperate and recover."

"I don't have to participate in the next battles?"
Zheng Bo suddenly felt a little unreal.

He was just thinking that he could lie down for two months and rest, but the Prince of Jingnan seemed to be planning to give him a long vacation.

"For the time being, that's the arrangement. This Prince doesn't intend to let your unit participate in the next battles, including the final battle to attack Zhennan Pass."

I don't even have to attack Zhennan Pass?
Zheng Bo wasn't happy;
instead, he felt a little uneasy.

He knew that the Prince of Jingnan was good to him, that was for sure, but the Prince of Jingnan wasn't the kind of person who wholeheartedly gave him special treatment. When he used him, he had never hesitated or been soft-hearted.

The reason why he was favored by the Prince of Jingnan, after excluding some other reasons, the most important thing was that as long as he could be fed well, and then let him out to do things, he had never disappointed the Prince of Jingnan.

Therefore, he was being so generous this time, paving the way like this, being so good to him, and in the end...
The Prince of Jingnan looked at Zheng Fan's expression;

In fact, just as Zheng Fan was familiar with him, often imitating and analyzing his behavior and purpose in his chats with the demon kings,
the Prince of Jingnan also knew Zheng Fan very well.

"This Prince won't harm you."

"Your Highness, what are you saying? I never thought that you would harm me."

"Rest and reorganize your troops well. This Prince does have a great use for them, but the time is still early. This campaign against Chu won't end in a short time."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Tian Wujing stood up and walked to the door.

Zheng Bo followed him, and the two stood together at the door.

The sun was good today. Zheng Bo, who had just woken up from a coma, felt a little dizzy from the sun.

"Although you won in the end, although winning is the hardest truth, you probably didn't know about what Shi Yuantang was doing inside Dongshan Fort."

"Yes, Your Highness, this subordinate really didn't know beforehand. In fact, when the Chu army rushed out of the city, this subordinate was a little dumbfounded."

"Therefore, this Prince still thinks that next time, you should choose to withdraw your troops temporarily. Military affairs should still be handled with ease.

This Prince is still here,
so,
you don't need to risk your life yet."

As long as the green hills remain,
there will always be firewood.

Zheng Bo nodded. When he heard these words, it would be a lie to say that he wasn't warmed or touched. He immediately said,

"I understand. Actually, I was just impulsive at the time. I felt a little unwilling in my heart."

"Heh, if outsiders knew that my Great Yan's meritorious Earl of Pingye was actually someone who acted on impulse, many people might be shocked."

"Isn't that because I have Your Highness to back me up? I know that even if I lose badly and fall miserably, as long as Your Highness is here, I will still have a day to rise again."

"No, that's not what you think."

"Your Highness..."

"You don't care." Tian Wujing turned his face to the side, his deep eyes staring at Zheng Fan. "Because you don't care, so it doesn't matter."

"Your Highness, I, I care very much..."

"In the martial world and among the people, there are indeed such people. They are usually stingy, but when something really happens, they can have the spirit to spend all their money and start over again.

You are that kind of person. You seem to care about your wealth more than anyone else, but when you use it to seek your own pleasure, you can be more decisive than anyone else.

Perhaps that's what Shi Yuantang didn't count on, so he lost, and he also died.

For a general to have this state of mind is not bad, and there are also fewer restraints."

"Your Highness..."

Just then,
Gou Moli learned of Zheng Bo's awakening from Jin Shuke, who had just come out, and rushed over to pay his respects.

"Bo Ye, this subordinate I..."

Then,
Gou Moli saw the figure wearing gilt armor standing next to Zheng Bo.

"Plop!"

Gou Moli immediately knelt down. He really didn't know that the Prince of Jingnan was here.

Because the Prince of Jingnan had come quickly, and Gou Moli had been in a hurry, so he had come around from the back door and hadn't met the gatekeeper in front.

The Prince of Jingnan's gaze fell on Gou Moli.

Gou Moli immediately felt a mountain-like pressure fall on him.

Back then, he had more than 100,000 wild horsemen under his command, and with that as his backing, he dared to play chess with Tian Wujing.

Now, Gou Moli had just started from scratch and was showing signs of improvement, but he was no longer the same as he was back then.

Fortunately, the Prince of Jingnan didn't seem to care too much about him, even though he knew, because Zheng Fan had told him, that the wild man king was in Zheng Fan's team.

Tian Wujing raised his head slightly, looked at the sky, and said,

"Rest for a few more days, then come to this Prince's camp to find this Prince."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Does this Prince need to go to Gongsun Zhi and Gong Wang's places again to take a look?"

"This... there's no need, right, Your Highness?" Zheng Bo replied.

Tian Wujing raised his hand,

"This Prince didn't ask you."

Then,
Tian Wujing pointed his finger at Gou Moli, who was kneeling below,

"This Prince is asking him."

Gou Moli immediately raised his head and said,

"In response to Your Highness, our Bo Ye has already settled things with General Gong Wang and General Gongsun Zhi."

Tian Wujing nodded when he heard this.

Immediately afterward,
Tian Wujing suddenly asked,

"Zheng Fan, is your title of Earl of Pingye hereditary?"

Zheng Fan immediately replied,

"In response to Your Highness, it is not."

If it wasn't a hereditary title, it would be lowered when it was passed on to his son, and lowered again when it was passed on to his grandson. If he was unlucky, it might be lowered by more than one rank at a time.

Zheng Bo immediately added: "Please rest assured, Your Highness, this subordinate will work hard to make more contributions and turn it into a hereditary title."

Tian Wujing shook his head.

Zheng Fan was a little confused.

Tian Wujing said,

"An earldom, even if it's hereditary, isn't very meaningful."

"Um..."

Tian Wujing turned around, looked at Zheng Fan, and said,

"Zheng Fan."

"This subordinate is here."

"After the campaign against Chu, be granted a marquisate."