The Demon Lords-Chapter 569 - 68 Kneel!_1

If Qian State was the sacred land to which scholars aspired, then Yan State, Beifeng Prefecture, and the residence of the Earl of North Border were places virtually all warriors had dreamed of.

Roaming the wilderness on horseback, battling fierce barbarian tribes beneath the solitary smoke of vast deserts—this was an indelible fantasy in the hearts of red-blooded men.

This was, in fact, a kind of cultural osmosis, much like with Angda, who now knelt on the ground.

In his heart, and even in the heart of the King of the wild people, there was a shared dream of black armor and black flags.

They couldn't erase that memory, because those days, those experiences, had been seared into their lives, impossible to sever.

Zheng Fan had once heard something from the blind man, something the blind man had heard from Wenter, the Western Region merchant in Tuman City.

It was said that after the barbarians' failed western expedition, many of their tribes did not return to the great desert but instead remained in the mountain forests bordering it.

Later, when Rome rose to power, it dispatched armies intending to annihilate the barbarians who had settled and multiplied there for one or two generations. However, they encountered staunch resistance from the barbarians there. The clashes and battles between the two sides lasted for several years. Although Rome consistently held the advantage, it could never completely pacify the region.

Ultimately, Rome used gold and "promises" to buy off the small barbarian tribes there, making them submit. Rome also demanded that they send the youth from their tribes to Rome.

Peace was short-lived. Less than twenty years later, the barbarian tribes in that region, due to Rome's cruel governance, once again launched a war of resistance. This time, Rome dispatched a general who, in less than half a year, completely suppressed the barbarian rebellion there.

And that general was one of the barbarian youths who had been taken to Rome, raised there, and had joined the Roman army.

What was even more interesting was that the one who incited the barbarian rebellion in that region twenty years later was his own elder brother.

Zheng Fan had heard this story before. Now, this scene felt somewhat reminiscent of that tale.

However, what surprised Zheng Fan somewhat was that Tian Wujing seemed to have no intention of cooperating with that wild man to continue this play.

He just sat very calmly on the Pixiu's back, watching everything with great indifference.

Chief Zheng, who was either guessing at something or on his way to guess at something, spoke up, "Lord, people like this absolutely cannot be spared, because they are adept at learning."

It was now almost certain that the King of the wild people had indeed served as a soldier in Beifeng Prefecture.

Tian Wujing looked at Zheng Fan, then shifted his gaze forward again and said lightly, "Are you afraid?"

"Er... Lord, for the sake of Great Yan, this kind of..."

"The decline and fall of any dynasty is not because its opponents grew strong by learning from it, but because it itself weakened by taking the wrong path. To fear others learning from you is, in itself, a sign of a guilty conscience."

"This subordinate is enlightened."

At this moment, Angda, who had been prostrating there and had received no response, could only raise his head and shout, "Let Lord Jingnan know that my King has always admired the majesty of Great Yan. When he heard that the Jin people dared to overestimate themselves and invade Great Yan, my King immediately raised troops to attack the Jin, hoping to offer some meager assistance to Great Yan. For the Heavenly Master of Great Yan to descend upon the snow plain is a grand event for our snow plain, one rarely seen in a hundred years. If my King knew of this, he would surely be overjoyed. Lord, this humble one has the finest milk wine, the most tender lamb, and the warmest tents here. I implore you, Lord, to grant us the honor of allowing this humble one to host a reception feast for you, Lord, and for the valiant soldiers of Great Yan!"

The Yan Army had suddenly appeared on the snow plain, and everyone, including Zheng Fan, knew what they were planning. The kneeling wild man was merely feigning ignorance despite understanding the situation.

That man did not want to fight Yan. To be precise, he did not want to go to war with Yan at this time. He was willing to trample his own dignity to seek even the slightest possibility that the Yan people might withdraw their troops.

Tian Wujing remained silent. The wind of the snow plain, carrying a slight chill, blew ceaselessly past.

Angda's heart slowly sank, but he was still somewhat unwilling to give up. He didn't know exactly how many Yan soldiers had come. After all, Yan's 200,000 iron cavalry had routed 600,000 Jin troops. Even considering the factor of Emperor Jin himself opening the gates to allow the Yan Army into South Gate, the Yan people's skill in warfare was known to all.

Now, at the Snow Sea Gate front, the situation was excellent for his King. If, at this moment, the appearance of the Yan people caused a flaw in the holy tribe's century-old grand plan, he, Angda, would not resign himself to it.

"Lord, my King had already dispatched an envoy mission to Yanjing before the onset of winter to convey our holy tribe's respects to Great Yan. Our holy tribe..."

Tian Wujing finally spoke, "They're all dead."

"..." Angda.

Angda silently stood up, remounted his horse, and slowly turned his horse around.

Before leaving, he once again looked back at the familiar Black Dragon flag.

Clenching his teeth, Angda brought his whip down hard on his warhorse. The horse, in pain, began to gallop wildly back.

Tian Wujing raised his hand. Orderlies relayed the commands to each unit.

The Yan Army began to spread out, gradually forming four sections: left, right, center, and rear.

The center was Tian Wujing's position, with 4,000 cavalry. The left and right flanks each had 3,000, and the rear guard consisted of the 3,000 cavalry from Shengle City, led by Liang Cheng.

Zheng Fan knew this wasn't Tian Wujing deliberately trying to preserve his strength. Rather, it was because Tian Wujing wasn't very confident in the actual quality of Shengle City's troops, even though they included 1,000 of his own Jingnan Army soldiers.

If the Earl of North Border was of the bold and unrestrained school, then Lord Jingnan was a representative of the graceful and subtle school. When Tian Wujing commanded troops, he liked to unravel everything thread by thread, completely grasping it in his own hands, disliking any uncertain factors.