The Demon Lords-Chapter 783 - 171 Viewing the Scenery_2

If reinforcements were sent to the Snow Sea Pass at this point, the effectiveness of the incoming ten thousand wild soldiers might be diminished.

Hence, leaving such an important post without reinforcements was laying the groundwork for the complete incorporation of the wild soldiers later, leaving the court with no choice but to forcefully accept this arrangement for the sake of the greater good.

Liang Cheng, however, had a deeper insight. From a brainwashing perspective, the wild soldiers were indeed easier to control than the Yan people or Jin people, as they were more readily assimilated.

Moreover, sending reinforcements and deploying a few military commanders at this juncture would not be conducive to the Snow Sea Army's future integration.

My lord once said that Prince Jingnan's words back at the Snow Sea Pass were like a hands-on tutorial on how to be a warlord.

To ensure the stability of the Snow Sea Army, it naturally wouldn't be prudent to introduce complicating factors at this time.

In short, the final conclusion was quite simple: they would just wait.

The young lord—oh no, he's the young prince now—is still in our hands, and the support for Prince Jingnan's son cannot possibly be cut off.

Ever since meeting the Wild King, Zheng Fan had kept him imprisoned, restricting his access to anyone, with San'er responsible for delivering his meals every morning and evening.

Meanwhile, Lord Zheng resumed his life of leisure and luxury, practicing his saber in the morning and going for horseback strolls in the afternoon, all the while counting the days until Siniang and the others would finally arrive.

As winter drew to a close and the harbingers of spring approached, General Zheng's heart grew increasingly restless.

Then, one day, a military messenger arrived with a letter inquiring when Lord Zheng planned to retrieve the Pixiu being fostered outside Ying Capital City.

That night, without a second word, General Zheng donned his armor, mounted his horse, and rode out of the Snow Sea Pass with a hundred cavalry guards, heading straight for Ying Capital City.

Originally, Zheng Fan had intended for Blindman, Siniang, and the others to bring the Pixiu with them when they migrated through Ying Capital City. More importantly, no matter how long the Pixiu was fostered, given Lord Zheng's current status, no one would dare pursue him for upkeep fees or fear him defaulting on any payment.

Having climbed up from the grassroots, Lord Zheng naturally understood the intricacies involved.

Therefore, with a little thought, the meaning behind this inquiry by letter became quite clear.

It was probably Prince Jingnan who had asked, "Ask that boy when he's coming to get that Pixiu." Then his subordinates, following Prince Jingnan's orders, dispatched the messenger. The underlying meaning was that I should go now.

No formal military order was issued because, as the current Garrison Commander of Snow Sea Pass, for him to leave his post without authorization to go gallivanting, when there was no major war or need to dispatch troops, would be highly inappropriate.

This was particularly true since Lord Zheng's current status and position hadn't been fully clarified. Later, once Snow Sea Pass was truly established, with a burgeoning population and ample troops and armor, if Lord Zheng were to be absent from the city for three or four consecutive days, that piece of intelligence would likely reach the ears and eyes of many important figures: "Zheng Fan, what on earth do you think you're doing?!"

The actions of a regional hegemon, a general commanding troops in his domain, could easily trigger chain reactions and touch upon the sensitive nerves of various factions.

Of course, that was a potential future scenario; things hadn't reached that point yet.

Indeed, even if Prince Jingnan had directly issued a military order, no one would have objected, and Zheng Fan would have had to comply dutifully. However, Prince Jingnan believed that Zheng Fan, with his shrewdness in these matters, would understand the implied meaning, and thus Prince Jingnan couldn't be bothered to waste too much thought on such trivial details. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Lord Zheng arrived quietly and unannounced. He planned to see Prince Jingnan first; after all, his old superior had just been ennobled as a Prince, and he had yet to congratulate him in person.

Although Lord Zheng was also aware that Tian Wujing himself didn't actually care much about being Prince Jingnan.

Because before the Tian family was exterminated, the entire family, old and young, had actually been dreaming of coercing the court and the Emperor into bestowing a princely title upon them to ensure peace in the realm.

That day's Tian family gathering, it was said they were cheering for the Empress's visit to her family, but in reality, they were joyous and honored because the Tian Clan's prestige could be further elevated.

What significance did being Prince Jingnan, or whether the title was hereditary without peerage degradation, hold for the current Tian Wujing?

After meeting Prince Jingnan, Zheng Fan planned to wait there for Siniang and the others, and then return with them.

To be honest, with Liang Cheng overseeing the Snow Sea Pass, I really wasn't worried about any problems arising.

To reach Ying Capital City from the east, one would definitely have to cross the Wang River and also pass through Jade Plate City.

Zheng Fan saw the "city wall" encircling Jade Plate City. The wall wasn't very tall but was sufficient. This method could completely trap the Chu army inside the city, exerting both physical and psychological pressure on them.

Town South Pass was still in the hands of the Chu people. After Tian Wujing fought his way to the foot of Snow Sea Pass last time, he hadn't launched a northern expedition into the snowy plains. This was also because the original border between the Jin State and Chu State—the very pass where Situ Lei had once earned his fame and military merits—had been seized by the Chu army when they took advantage of the great chaos in Cheng State.

The recent troop replenishment and the rapid deployment of auxiliary forces predominantly led by Jin people generals actually also aimed at accumulating strength sooner. If the Chu people dared to advance north to rescue Jade Plate City, they could have a proper showdown with the Chu army on the open field.

Now, it all depended on how stable the internal situation in Chu State had become, and also whether the Chu people had the courage at this time to dispatch an army to clash with the Yan cavalry, fresh from a major victory, in a pitched battle on the open plains.

Choosing not to attack Town South Pass did not mean handing over the initiative. Even with Town South Pass in Chu hands, it was actually the Yan Army that held the strategic advantage.

Most importantly, thanks to the wild people's thorough plundering, which was tantamount to having already implemented a scorched-earth strategy in advance, if the Chu army attempted to forcibly dispatch a large force northwards, their logistical supply lines for provisions and fodder would inevitably become extremely long.

It was quite possible that this would be a repeat of the original Earl of North Border's crushing defeat of the Qian army a hundred years ago.

In Zheng Fan's view, the Chu people in Jade Plate City must be severely short of provisions. They hadn't initially anticipated that the wild people, their "blundering allies," would so impatiently raze their own controlled territories to barren land. Furthermore, Situ Yi, who was originally responsible for scouring for provisions for the Chu army in the rear, had been killed by Zheng Fan, and the provisions he had gathered, intended for transport to Jade Plate City to sustain the Chu army through winter, had also been unhesitatingly burned by Zheng Fan.

Therefore, Zheng Fan's outstanding contribution in the previous great battle was truly not as simple as just tenaciously defending Snow Sea Pass.

As Zheng Fan's contingent was quite large, cavalry scouts from the Jingnan Army soon approached to verify their identities. Subsequently, under the scouts' guidance, Zheng Fan proceeded alone to the bank of the Wang River outside Jade Plate City.

Up to now, Zheng Fan still didn't know why Tian Wujing had summoned him. Although I'm actually very idle, I've always tried my best to project an image of being incredibly busy, alright?

Tian Wujing's command tent had been pitched in a separate location by the Wang River. Numerous officials were seen entering and exiting—not officials from Ying Capital City, but from Yan State.

Furthermore, as Zheng Fan entered, he also noticed officials in differently styled official robes bustling about on the other side.

These aren't Yan official robes. I've seen what Qian State official robes look like too. So, are these envoys sent by the Chu people?

Zheng Fan had heard that Prince Jingnan once ordered that any envoy from within Jade Plate City was to be executed on the spot, giving Jade Plate City absolutely no opportunity to communicate or send messages to the outside world.

Therefore, these Chu officials before me must not be from Jade Plate City, but rather from Chu State itself. Are they... negotiating?

Given Zheng Fan's status, he faced no obstruction entering or exiting this place. However, after going inside and looking around, he discovered that Prince Jingnan was not within.

After leaving the command tent, he inquired with a personal guard and learned that Tian Wujing was outside the command tent. Eventually, Zheng Fan found Prince Jingnan, dressed in a white python robe, by the riverside.

"This general pays his respects to Your Highness, Prince Jingnan!" Zheng Fan saluted Prince Jingnan with great solemnity.

Tian Wujing bent down, dipped his hands into the river water to wash them, and then asked, "Do you know for what matter I summoned you?"

"Uh... private matters?"

"More or less."

"May I ask My Lord—no, Your Highness—to enlighten me."

"I called you here..." Tian Wujing flicked the water droplets from his hands and, without a hint of concern for the garment, casually wiped them on his python robe before continuing, "to look at the scenery."

"..." Zheng Fan.