The Demon Lords-Chapter 561 - 65 Rhododendron Blooming_1

"Only after the Spy Bureau identified the Wild King's physical features and corroborated this information did we roughly determine his past whereabouts."

Zheng Fan nodded, thinking to himself:

So, if the Princess had been a bit more willful, a bit more domineering, a bit more arrogant back then—not just whipping him, but outright beheading him—would this current rebellion of the wild people even exist? Of course, one could also argue that if it wasn't this particular Wild King, another would have emerged, perhaps even more formidable. There's really no way to make assumptions about such things.

"My Lord, shall I dispose of these bodies first?"

"No need. It's good to keep them on alert, and it will also prevent them from just huddling together."

"Oh, very well."

Tian Wujing mounted his horse and said, "Let's ride a bit further east, then we'll head back."

Did Zheng Fan have any room to question? He could only follow suit, mount his horse, and continue with Tian Wujing deeper into the eastern snowfield.

The snowfield was vast. To a certain extent, it was no smaller in area than a desert. However, like a desert, most of the region was uninhabitable.

The two rode eastward for several more days. Along the way, they encountered people from several tribes and were even pursued by a squad of wild people scouts. However, Tian Wujing chose not to engage this time, instead opting to lose them.

Afterwards, the two began their return journey.

Several days later, Zheng Fan and Tian Wujing were back within the Skybreak Mountain range.

The main army's marching speed would certainly not be as fast. When Zheng Fan and Tian Wujing had set out, they each had two horses. They had also seized horses from the wild people in the snowfield for replacements. Thus, the time required for the army to advance would likely be more than three times what it took the two men.

By his estimation, by the time the army reached the snowfield, its snow and ice should have melted, ushering in the most "vibrant" time of year for the region.

"What are you thinking about?" Tian Wujing asked.

"My Lord, I was just thinking that your timing for this campaign is very clever. When our army enters the snowfield, it will be the most crucial production season for the wild people there."

It was the same during the previous campaign against Qian State. That war began in winter and ended in spring. Compared to the actual casualties inflicted, the greatest impact was the destruction of the spring plowing in Qian State's northern territories.

Lord Jingnan heard this and said, "The House of the Earl of North Border is the most adept at this strategy. In recent years, the number of beheadings might be far fewer than decades ago, but they always choose to strike when it's most inconvenient for the barbarians. Warfare is about killing, and that's not limited to the battlefield."

"I am enlightened."

This was truly Tian Wujing offering him guidance. To put it in more modern terms, the general idea was that war isn't a monolithic entity. When elevated to the level of national conflict, its impact is truly multifaceted. Using warfare to disrupt the enemy's production, thereby inducing an internal "famine," might not yield impressive casualty figures. However, the actual trauma inflicted could be more agonizing than a major defeat. This is what's known as depleting the enemy's war potential.

"It's commendable that you've grasped this point. However, there's strategic advantage, and then there are tactical methods. Without the support of tactical methods, strategic advantage is merely a castle in the air. In the imperial court of Qian State, there are many capable individuals; even their Emperor is no mediocrity. Yet, precisely because the Qian army dares not engage in open field battles, even the most well-conceived strategic advantages ultimately amount to fetching water with a bamboo basket—impossible to realize. The reason the barbarian tribes have had to endure decades of attrition and suppression from the House of the Earl of North Border is that they cannot defeat the North Border Army in a direct confrontation. If the North Border Army ever failed to maintain tactical dominance, then naturally, any talk of leveraging strategic advantage would be moot."

Zheng Fan mulled over these words, momentarily forgetting to offer any flattery. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Tian Wujing observed Zheng Fan's contemplative expression, and a faint smile touched his lips.

Over the next few days, Zheng Fan would pose various questions to Tian Wujing, mostly confined to military affairs, and Tian Wujing answered them all. As for personal or domestic matters, Tian Wujing never brought them up again, so Zheng Fan did not proactively steer conversations in that direction either.

This continued until the two of them finally departed the Skybreak Mountain range and returned to Shengle City. The entire excursion, going in and coming out, had taken a little over twenty days.

Several new sections of Shengle City's walls had been constructed compared to when they had left. Outside the city, an orderly military encampment had also been erected.

Lord Jingnan governed his army with rigor, and his Jingnan Army was renowned for its iron discipline. This strictness was not merely evident in their refraining from arson and plunder, but also in the fact that, despite being an army specializing in cavalry warfare, they were remarkably meticulous even when establishing camp.

"My Lord, shall we return to the city first...?"

"I shall return to the military encampment first. Chief Zheng, you are to assemble 3,000 troops and be ready to march out with me by noon tomorrow."

Tomorrow? Zheng Fan desperately wanted to curse but managed to restrain himself.

In the end, he could only cup his hands and accept the command.

Subsequently, Tian Wujing headed straight for the military encampment, while Zheng Fan returned to Shengle City.

Construction work on the city walls had ceased. Large numbers of slaves had been reassigned to logistics to support the newly arrived 30,000 cavalry of the Jingnan Army.

When Zheng Fan returned to his official residence, he found everyone within bustling with activity. Since the army was to campaign from here, the necessary preparations were naturally immense, and the bulk of this work fell upon Shengle City. On one hand, this demonstrated the trust placed in him by the higher authorities and by Lord Jingnan. On the other hand, it was an unavoidable burden he had to bear.