Chapter 137

Tian Wujing seemed to have come just to take a look. After confirming that Zheng Fan was fine, he left directly.

This is probably the style of the Jingnan King of Great Yan; he can switch between the big picture and the details with ease.

In the morning, he could arrange a new round of battle plans for hundreds of thousands of troops. In the afternoon, he could walk and observe alone outside the military camp, just because he was Tian Wujing.

The Sword Saint once said that a martial artist's peak physique is the strongest reliance.

Even back in the Jin capital, when facing Tian Wujing, who didn't retreat and wanted to exhaust him first, the Sword Saint, even with the power of Long Yuan in his hand, spent a long time just shaving off Tian Wujing's protective qi and blood. It even made the Sword Saint feel very tired.

Unless there are extreme unexpected circumstances, Tian Wujing doesn't even need to bring many guards with him, because any force that attempts to "capture the king first" will not be small, and this will inevitably cause a reaction from the Yan troops in the vicinity. The Jingnan Army's iron cavalry will immediately set out to protect their king.

Zheng Boye doesn't have this kind of confidence, because correct confidence must be based on a clear understanding of one's own strength.

Therefore, Zheng Boye has always believed that his actions from the heart are not because he is a coward;

If he also had the same strength as Tian Wujing, he could also be high-spirited, wearing golden armor and riding a Pixiu, strolling leisurely in front of the two armies.

Alas,

He doesn't.

After Lao Tian left,

Zheng Boye sat down on the threshold, basking in the sun.

Gou Moli silently approached;

In the past, he knew that the Jingnan King valued the Boye in front of him, but just now, he clearly felt it.

The Jingnan King asked himself if he wanted to go see Gongsun Zhi's and Gong Wang's troops again.

The implication was,

Can you suppress these two people?

If there are still problems, this king will help you pull out the thorns.

The reason for specifically asking himself was to place himself between Gong Wang and Gongsun Zhi, with the intention of beating him down a peg.

"Boye."

Gou Moli asked softly,

"Are you, alright?"

Zheng Fan took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, saying:

"Do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

"Your subordinate just came from outside, and because I took the back door, I didn't know that the Jingnan King had already arrived here. Therefore, your subordinate thinks that what you're thinking right now is probably that the people around you aren't comprehensive enough."

Not comprehensive enough,

Is a euphemistic way of saying it.

Its deeper meaning is that the Jingnan King wanted to come, so he just came.

Zheng Fan looked at Gou Moli, reached out, patted him on the shoulder, skipped this topic, and said:

"Go and call them here, let's discuss something."

"Yes, Boye."

Gou Moli didn't ask who "they" referred to, and went down directly.

Then,

Zheng Boye got up from the threshold and walked into the house.

The Sword Saint leaned against the pillar and said, "Perhaps because he knows I'm by your side, there aren't many armored soldiers guarding outside."

Dongshan Fortress has already been captured, and both inside and outside the fortress are Yan soldiers, and here with Zheng Boye, there is also the Sword Saint accompanying him.

Ordinary assassins, when they come, the Sword Saint can solve them, and large-scale assassins can't even get in, so the defense here seems a little lax.

Zheng Boye smiled and waved his hand, saying;

"Don't listen to that dog's nonsense, why would I care about this."

"Why do I feel like you're just caring about this."

"You're thinking too much, Lao Tian won't harm me."

"But what if the next person who comes isn't Tian Wujing, but another expert?"

"Isn't there you?"

"What you said makes so much sense."

"That's right."

"But this time I promised to accompany you out, next time, I might not."

"There are still not enough people. When I was in Yanjing City, the Sixth Prince recruited a group of subordinates to defend his house on weekdays, and when he went out, he used his carriage as a guide, and several experts provided protection and support.

"I'm in wartime, and it's also a time when people are needed, so it's inevitable that I can't cope. When there are enough troops under my command next time, these arrangements will probably be able to keep up.

"At that time, you can also rest at home, teach the sword maid to practice swords, and teach Dahu to read. Oh, right, Tiantian is also growing up, why don't you take him as a disciple too?"

"How old is the child?" The Sword Saint was speechless.

Tiantian has just learned to speak, and he's going to learn swordsmanship?

Even the sword maid, he didn't rush her to advance at this age.

Of course, the most important point is that he is Tian Wujing's son. No matter what, if he asks, he'll agree. Does the dignified Sword Saint of Jin not have any face?

"You take him as a disciple, and I'll take Liu Dahu as a godson?"

Zheng Boye put forward his conditions.

The Earl of Pingye only has one godson, and that is the only son of the Jingnan King.

If Liu Dahu can be adopted by the Earl of Pingye as his godson, then he can walk sideways in Xuehai Pass and become Tiantian's sworn brother.

For a young man from an ordinary family, this is a chance to soar to the sky.

The Sword Saint shook his head and said, "Liu Dahu is my son now, he doesn't need to covet wealth, and furthermore, in my opinion, he doesn't necessarily have to pursue any glory or prosperity in this life. It's enough to be simple and cherish blessings."

Zheng Boye immediately retorted:

"You're saying that without feeling any pain yourself. You've killed 'emperors', and you've seen all kinds of big scenes. There are legends about you in the martial world, and your name is also spread in the imperial court.

"You've stood on the top of the mountain and seen the scenery, so you feel that it's just that.

"But whether or not a person can see that scenery in this life is not the most important thing, because the vast majority of people in this world are destined to never reach the summit.

"Everyone just likes climbing the mountain, likes this process.

"You've seen through the changes in the world, but Dahu is still young after all. You can't let such a young child be bound by you for the rest of his life and live with you like an old monk in meditation.

"You think you're doing this for his own good, but isn't this also a kind of domineering and autocratic behavior as a father?

"Even cruel.

"The road is under his feet, and he still has to choose it himself. Perhaps, he will be addicted to the scenery on the top of the mountain and get lost, or perhaps, he can be like you, after seeing it, it's just seen.

"But, he has to walk up there himself.

"You have this condition, and you also have this face. I, too, have this capital;

"When this campaign against Chu is over, I can personally ask Dahu if he's willing to be my adopted son."

"You're too good at fooling people, making people die for you. Gou Moli does it openly, but you're even more insidious than him."

"Don't praise me like that, I'll be proud."

"But I'm very curious, why did you suddenly say this to me?"

"There are three reasons. One, you and I are, to a certain extent, the same kind of person, that is, we will be very serious about treating our own recognized... family members. If Tiantian recognizes you as his master, you will protect him;

"Two, Lao Tian's only defensive heart right now is actually Tiantian. I want to add another guarantee for that child."

"I thought this second point should be the third, the finale." The Sword Saint said.

"The sword maid is a born sword embryo, but my godson is definitely not ordinary either. His aptitude is absolutely amazing. I can see it."

Tough life, and good physical fitness.

Look at what the Savage King has been tortured into by living next to Shatuo Queshi, but Tiantian grew up on the coffin lid of Shatuo Queshi since he was a child, and nothing happened, and he still eats well.

He can also let the magic pill treat him as a playmate to care for. The magic pill is a "spirit," and the spirit is only interested in existences with "spirituality."

"It's too early to say these things now. I don't want to get too involved with you."

"So distant?"

"It's not distant, it's just that getting too involved is inconvenient for each other."

"Alright, then we'll talk about it after this war is over."

At this time,

Gou Moli called the people.

Liang Cheng, the Blind Man, Fan Li, A Ming, and also Jin Shuke.

Jin Shuke had just eaten here not long ago and was sent out to work, and he had just had time to put on his white mourning clothes before being summoned again.

The Sword Saint didn't like this kind of scene, and besides, he didn't need to participate in this, so he left again.

Zheng Boye sat on the bed, and the others sat below.

"Just now, the Jingnan King came and told me some things..."

Zheng Boye repeated the Jingnan King's words, without making any concealment.

Then,

The Blind Man opened his mouth and said, "Master, this is a good thing."

Gou Moli also nodded and said, "Boye, no matter what difficult tasks there are in the future, let's not mention that for now. In short, the top priority is to restore vitality and take this opportunity to expand our strength.

"If there's food in front of us, we should eat it first, that's for sure."

Zheng Boye nodded and said, "Eating is definitely necessary, after all, we have no other choice but to eat. It's just that next, some things have to be arranged.

"I'm going to report to the king's tent in two days.

"We have to leave someone to guard Dongshan Fortress; and we also need someone to be responsible for absorbing soldiers in the rear."

This is a meeting to arrange tasks.

When a force develops to a certain extent, and it's no longer just one old nest, the opportunities for subordinates to take charge of their own affairs will become more and more.

The Blind Man's eyes swept around. Among those present, Fan Li could be excluded first, because he was only suitable for running errands and charging, not for doing things.

As for the Savage King, he's temporarily responsible for the wild man slave soldiers, and that's it. Although he's very capable, he still has to be used sparingly.

So, after a careful calculation, there are not many people to choose from to take on the task.

The Blind Man wasn't in a hurry to say his opinion, but was waiting for the master to speak first.

"I'm planning like this, A Ming, accompany me to the king's tent."

Hearing this, A Ming said, "Master, isn't A Cheng going with you?"

With Liang Cheng around, there can be a standard answer.

Although Liang Cheng almost broke down in the previous battle of Dongshan Fortress, this was not Liang Cheng's responsibility, it was not a crime of war.

In fact, it was precisely because Liang Cheng's command of the siege was proper that Shi Yuantang was forced to launch a counterattack early, because he found that he had no way to support himself until the Yan army was completely exhausted before launching an attack.

Liang Cheng then opened his mouth and said, "Master is fine."

Zheng Boye smiled and said, "It's not that I don't want to take A Cheng with me, but Dongshan Fortress, from top to bottom, needs someone to be able to hold the situation.

"At the same time, don't forget, we still have Gong Wang's and Gongsun Zhi's troops around us, so we have to leave someone who can represent me to suppress them."

Hearing this, the Blind Man nodded, obviously approving of the master's decision.

Of course, Zheng Boye dared to be confident this time without taking A Cheng with him, one because he had already graduated, and in the past few years, he had experienced so much and seen so much, he was no longer the former Huto A Fan.

The second is because the basic teaching stage has passed, and even Tian Wujing himself said that this time he was asked to stay by his side in order to teach him how to coordinate military affairs, and he shouldn't test himself with basic questions anymore. The more advanced military questions have actually become open-ended essays.

As long as you can say your own reasoning and views, there is no absolute right or wrong.

For example, this time, facing Shi Yuantang's counterattack, the correct approach was to temporarily withdraw the troops to avoid his sharp edge and ensure that the situation was still under his control, but Zheng Boye insisted on fighting him head-on and pushed Shi Yuantang to his death.

Can you say that Zheng Boye's choice was wrong?

He won, and Shi Yuantang died, so even if it was wrong, there was nothing to criticize.

"As for the matter of coordinating the transportation of corvée laborers in the rear..."

Zheng Boye's gaze fell on Jin Shuke, but he found that Jin Shuke was still wearing white mourning clothes, and couldn't help but frown.

Seeing this, Jin Shuke immediately realized what was happening, took off the white clothes on his body, and threw them on the ground, saying:

"This subordinate has lost his manners, please forgive me, Boye."

Zheng Boye waved his hand, indicating that it was nothing.

After all, he had asked him to pull the funeral procession earlier.

"Jin Shuke."

"This subordinate is here."

"This scene of organizing the funeral for Shi Yuantang, you probably won't be able to go. You can't be in the limelight either."

"This subordinate will listen to Boye's orders in everything!"

For Jin Shuke, it didn't matter whether he was in the limelight or not, the key was that his thinking couldn't decline.

He was also prepared to be a brick under Boye's hand, to be moved wherever he was needed.

"Alright, I order you to lead a troop to escort the corvée laborer team to the rear. Remember, eat with confidence, eat boldly, and select a batch of good soldiers for us."

Hearing this, Jin Shuke immediately knelt down excitedly;

"This subordinate will definitely live up to Boye's expectations!"

This task was much better than organizing a funeral, and it was countless times more practical, because the new soldiers you selected would naturally become a part of your own prestige in the Xuehai Army in the future.

In the army, there are big cliques, and there are also small cliques.

If your own clique is not strong enough, even if you want to lead a large army out in the future, you won't be able to convince the public.

For example, if Zheng Boye didn't have the Xuehai soldiers under his command, Gongsun Zhi and Gong Wang wouldn't be so obedient, let alone restrain the two generals.

It doesn't matter whether you send the dead or not, or whether you're in the limelight or not, this is the real good task, just like the emperor opening the imperial examination and letting you be in charge.

Zheng Fan looked at the Blind Man again and said:

"Blind Man, you go with Jin Shuke to help him."

"Yes, Master."

The ideological education and coaxing of new soldiers require the Blind Man to take action, and no one is more suitable than the Blind Man to deal with the officials in the rear and the local bullies.

Zheng Boye looked at Fan Li again: "You go to the funeral, you have a loud voice."

Fan Li's Adam's apple moved, his brow furrowed, and he nodded.

Finally,

Zheng Boye looked at Gou Moli,

Said:

"Build the First Town as soon as possible. This time, Dongshan Fortress was captured, and the armor captured and left behind by the Chu people is piled up like a mountain."

"Yes, Boye, when Boye returns, this subordinate will definitely present Boye with a First Town that can fight and dare to fight!"

"Mm."

"That's it, you guys go and get busy, I'll rest for a while longer."

"This subordinate takes his leave."

"This subordinate takes his leave."

Everyone left, Zheng Boye lay on his side on the bed, gently patting his legs while humming softly.

"Your posture is really indescribable."

The Sword Saint appeared again.

He didn't really want to appear, but there was nothing he could do. He had to stay by Zheng Fan's side to protect his safety.

Moreover, there are only these two days left.

"Hehe."

Zheng Boye smiled, reached out and took the big iron box from the head of the bed, took out two mints from it, put them in his mouth, and said:

"The most tormenting part for me is over. It's like a peasant who has paid the taxes he should pay and served the corvée labor he should serve. Next, it's up to the harvest in the fields this year."

The battle of Yangshan Village and the battle of Dongshan Fortress were both battles that had to be fought to the death. They were over, and they were over. According to Tian Wujing, he wouldn't have any other tasks for a long time to come, and he could develop in peace.

The Sword Saint said:

"Under normal circumstances, they just let you fatten yourself up happily, so that it will be convenient to slaughter you again in the future."

"Can't you let me be happy for a while longer?"

"I'm just telling the truth. In two more days, you'll go to Tian Wujing's place, and I can go back to Xuehai Pass."

Zheng Fan is in Tian Wujing's royal tent, with Tian Wujing by his side, and the Great Yan Central Army around him. Unless the Chu army suddenly descends with divine power and breaks through the Great Yan Central Army in one fell swoop, it's hard to imagine a situation where Zheng Fan would be in danger.

Oh,

There's one more,

That is, being beheaded by Tian Wujing's order.

Of course, this possibility is almost non-existent.

"Then when I come back again, you have to come over again." Zheng Boye hurriedly laid the groundwork.

"I don't want to go back and forth."

"One thing doesn't bother two masters, you're just on temporary vacation, the campaign against Chu hasn't finished yet."

"We'll talk about it later."

"I'll take that as your agreement."

The Sword Saint didn't speak.

Zheng Boye reached out and patted the sheath of the Long Yuan sword in the Sword Saint's hand,

Said:

"If this battle is fought smoothly, Jin East will be completely peaceful, and in the future, the people here will be able to be sheltered by me and live and work in peace..."

"Maybe it's because I've been with you for a long time." The Sword Saint said.

"Hmm?"

"I suddenly feel that the lives and deaths of the Jin people have nothing to do with me anymore."

"No, you can't be like this."

"Do you know why I avoided Tian Wujing earlier?"

"Because you can't beat him?"

"..." The Sword Saint.

"Just kidding, just kidding, don't be serious, don't be serious."

The Sword Saint shook his head,

Said:

"I've seen through it long ago, but he has no way out. Whether you see through it or not is meaningless.

"So,

"Right now, I'm living a more comfortable life than him. Whether I win against him or not, or whether I want to fight again, doesn't make any sense."

The Sword Saint let out a sigh,

And continued:

"You tell me, why is he doing this."

Zheng Boye smacked his lips lightly and said, "I can only say that the problem is not here."

"Then where is it?"

"Jin is gone, but Yan is still here;

"You've lost everything, so you can leave the table freely, but the people on the card table have already bet everything and can't get down."

The Sword Saint frowned slightly,

Said:

"These words sound like they make a little sense."

"Right?"

"But why do I feel a little uncomfortable?"

"The truth is always easy to hurt people."

"I'm going back now."

"Don't be impulsive."

"Anyway, I've lost everything."

"No, don't be impulsive."

Just then, someone outside reported:

"Boye, Third Master is back!"

Zheng Boye immediately rejoiced that someone had come to his rescue, pointed outside, and shouted:

"Let him in."

Then, he said to the Sword Saint, "Just two days, two days later I'll go to the king's tent, and you'll be able to go home to see your wife and children."

The Sword Saint sat aside, closed his eyes, picked up his teacup, and didn't bother to argue anymore.

Not long after,

A passionate shout came from outside:

"Master, your loyal Third Son is back, I've missed you so much!"

Then,

An even more high-pitched and emotional shout from a woman came:

"Master, your loyal Third Son, my beloved husband, is back, he misses you so much!"

"..." Xue San.

——————

Thanks to Bridgesis for becoming the 137th Alliance Master of *The Descent of Magic*!

I'm a little stuck, but everyone's voting and rewarding is so enthusiastic, Xiao Long is really embarrassed to slack off. There will be another chapter tonight, it will be a bit late, you can get up and read it tomorrow morning, don't panic!