The Demon Lords-Chapter 615 - 104 Preparations_1

"Presumptuous! Is there no end to this? There surely is no end to this! Do Xinsu City and Shengle City still belong to the Yan Empire? Do they really?! That Chen Yang doesn't leave his city is one thing, but that Zheng Fan dared to drive away my envoy sent for grain collection and even sent a letter to us begging for money! Unacceptable, truly unacceptable! Is that Lord Jingnan's Army? Do they even have our emperor in their eyes? Do they even respect His Majesty!"

The old man was so angry he was blowing his beard and glaring, and the numerous generals beneath him were filled with righteous indignation, banging on the table and cursing along with him.

The old man was Deng Jiuru, the helmsman of the Sanshi Deng Family, a veteran in the Yan Army. Moreover, his daughter was the mother of the Fourth Prince, an imperial consort.

When the Yan Emperor rose to power, the Sanshi Deng Family had chosen their side early. Being a military family, they did not suffer any repercussions. Now, in the entire Yan Army, if Lord Jingnan, who guarded the north, was the main pillar, then his Deng Family was the second-line flag bearer. Its tentacles were deeply embedded in the local systems, and many local military heads had once served under the Sanshi Deng Family.

"Press them! Keep pressing them for me! I don't believe they dare to rebel. Even if they want to rebel, with our large army here, we'll quell the uprising for His Majesty before entering Cheng State. We must secure our internal stability before dealing with external threats!"

"The Marshal has arrived!"

"The Marshal has arrived!"

The guards outside the tent shouted in unison.

"We greet the Marshal!"

"We greet the Marshal!"

The military tent flap was lifted from the outside, and the Eldest Prince, in full armor, walked in, looking at Deng Jiuru, who was seated at the head.

Deng Jiuru stood up to greet him. "Greetings, Your Highness."

The many generals of the Left Army also greeted him in unison, "Greetings, Your Highness."

The Deng Family's power was mainly concentrated in the local regions, and this Left Army was essentially formed by gathering local county troops. Thus, Deng Jiuru was its commander.

"General Deng, you seem quite incensed. Speak up, let me hear who dared to act so rebelliously and upset our old general."

"Your Highness, look at this! When our troops passed through Xinsu City, that General Chen Yang dared to ignore us! The grain collection envoys we sent out were turned away from various places. We haven't seen a single grain of food, nor a shadow of a single laborer! That General of Shengle actually wrote a letter to us crying poor, claiming the court has owed him army provisions and pay for a long time, and he even has the gall to ask us for support!"

"Oh?"

The Eldest Prince walked further in. Deng Jiuru hesitated for a moment, then stepped down from the commander's seat.

The Eldest Prince smoothly sat down, reached out, and picked up the letter from the table to examine it.

"This is indeed somewhat outrageous."

"Isn't it, Your Highness? These people, they simply have no respect for..."

"General Deng, watch your words." The Eldest Prince interrupted Deng Jiuru.

"What? They can do such things, but I can't speak of them? This land, ultimately, belongs to Yan! It belongs to His Majesty! It is not the domain of that Mr. Tian!"

The Eldest Prince rubbed his temples and said, "I will handle this matter. General Deng, please calm yourself. Once our army enters Cheng State, Cheng State will be responsible for supplying our army's needs. The troops in Jin land have indeed had a hard time. We should also bear some of the burden."

"But..."

"What are you still standing there for? Help General Deng to go and rest!"

"Yes."

"Yes."

A group of Left Army generals stood up, first bidding farewell to the Eldest Prince, then half-supporting, half-escorting Deng Jiuru out of the main tent. Although Deng Jiuru was still grumbling, he offered no real resistance as he was escorted out.

The command tent was emptied, leaving only the men brought by the Eldest Prince. The personal guards outside also surrounded the tent.

At this moment, a young general bowed to the Eldest Prince and said, "Your Highness, these local generals are trying to badmouth others to you." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Do they think I can't see through it?"

"Yes."

"These old fools are used to lording it over their territories. Even on an expedition, they want to throw their weight around. The war hasn't even started, and they're already thinking of acting high and mighty and lining their own pockets! Before the expedition, the court allocated some rations and military supplies, ordering them to conscript laborers locally. These people embezzled it all themselves. Now they dare to come here and try begging for money from the Jingnan Army, hah."

The Eldest Prince reached out and picked up another letter. "They even dared to dispatch vanguard officers in my name. By the way, the men I asked you to send, have they been dispatched?"

"Rest assured, Your Highness, they have been sent."

"This needs to be explained clearly. I can't let them pin this blame on me so obscurely."

"However, Your Highness, this Jingnan Army is indeed being too disrespectful."

"Respect is earned, not seized by relying on status. Besides, without Lord Jingnan's orders, how would these men of the Jingnan Army dare to do anything?"

"Then why did Lord Jingnan..."

"Is that something you should be asking?"

"Your subordinate understands his mistake."

Few people knew that ever since the death of his Marquise, Lord Jingnan had secluded himself in his mansion. Initially, he refused to see the envoys sent by the court to offer condolences. Later, he also refused to see the imperial envoys who came with decrees. Yet, the court dared not take action against Lord Jingnan for such behavior and even had to help cover it up.

"Now I understand why Father intended for me to lead these troops into Cheng State," the Eldest Prince mused. "The renowned fighting prowess of Yan lies not in the Yan cavalry itself, but in the Zhenbei and Jingnan Armies. Look at those old foxes, look at those fellows! How similar they are to that scum from Qian State! After we enter Cheng State and the war begins, I will personally lead the Northern Army to hold the line. Then I'll find an opportunity to eliminate a batch of them; otherwise, they'll really think this prince is a pushover. For now, I must endure. Just endure a little longer."

The Eldest Prince propped his forehead with his hand and said with some relief, "Thankfully, when I presented my strategy to Father, I advocated for a gradual approach. This has given me the leeway to respond calmly. If I had rashly made some binding military pledge, there are no empty words before the sovereign. I would have been forced into a hasty, aggressive assault, and that truly would have led to major problems.

Oh yes, you personally lead a contingent of men to Shengle. Take a portion of the supplies and armaments from my Central Military Camp and deliver it to Shengle. Isn't Zheng Fan crying poor? We'll give it to him. Anyway, once we enter Cheng State, if we're short of anything, we'll just ask the Situ Family. It would be a waste not to take what's available."

"Your Highness, wouldn't this just boost his arrogance?"

"You're being shortsighted. Shengle's location is too important. Once our army enters Cheng State, if there's any unexpected development in the war, our rear must first be secured. Chen Yang in Xinsu City didn't open the gates when we went, but if we truly need him to cover our retreat, I believe the Jingnan Army wouldn't stand by and watch us perish. As for Shengle, Lord Jingnan passed through there during his expedition to the Snowy Plains. We must guard against the wild people copying his tactics to raid our rear. Sending Shengle a little something to ensure they diligently watch our backs is worthwhile."

"Your subordinate understands. I will go shortly."

"When you meet Zheng Fan, say some kind words. Don't be too proud to be courteous."

"Your subordinate understands."

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now. I'm genuinely a bit tired. Back when I was just a staff officer under someone's command, things felt much easier. I just had to follow orders. How could I have imagined all these damned troublesome matters that come with leading an expedition myself?"

「...」

In the Central Military Camp, Li Fusheng and Li Bao were sitting together. Li Fusheng had a plate of peanuts to himself, while a plate of pickled garlic was placed in front of Li Bao.

"Hey, have you heard? That old fellow Deng Jiuru has started making trouble again," Li Fusheng said.

"I've had a bad feeling about this expedition from the very start." Li Bao was peeling garlic with one hand.

"Isn't that the truth? Our Eldest Prince, when it comes to military skill, is far inferior to those two Lords."

"Heh, you old fart. The battle hasn't even begun, and you're already spouting such nonsense."

"Does it even need to be fought to see it? If our Lord or Lord Jingnan were here in command, would Deng Jiuru and his cronies dare to act up? What the hell kind of people are they? Fighting a war alongside this bunch just pisses me off."

"That's true. But I reckon His Highness is just biding his time for now. None of the scions of the Ji Family are pushovers."

"By the way, I have something good here." Li Fusheng surreptitiously pulled out a jar of wine from beneath him. He uncorked it, and instantly, the rich aroma of wine filled the air.

Li Bao's face lit up with enjoyment. He exclaimed, "This wine! The smell alone is intoxicating! Shall we have some?"

"Have you forgotten the Lord's rule? No drinking in the army."

"But we haven't entered Cheng State yet, and the fighting hasn't started. Just a small bowl, a tiny bowl."

"Alright, just a tiny bowl."

Li Fusheng poured a small bowl, then took out two chopsticks. The two commanding generals of Yan each took a chopstick, dipped it in the wine, took a sip, and then ate a peanut or a clove of garlic.

"This wine, it's got a real kick! You old dog, where did you get it?"

"That young fellow Zheng Fan had someone deliver it. Three large carts full."

"That guy from Shengle City? That damn rascal! I live so close to him, and he's never once sent a tribute!"

Li Fusheng heard this and laughed even harder. He said, "You have no connection with him, so why would he send you anything? Do you know how valuable this wine is? It's not really for drinking. When soldiers are wounded, pouring this on their injuries can prevent festering."

"Fine, fine, go on and gloat in front of me."

"And why shouldn't I? Besides the wine, that kid also sent many other rare trinkets. We haven't seen each other in almost a year, yet he still remembers me. It wasn't in vain that I thought so highly of him back then."

"To have such consideration is truly commendable. Back then, he was just a minor Commander and naturally had to suck up to you, old fellow. Now that he's a General of Miscellaneous Rank, for him to still remember you isn't easy. However, he's thriving under Lord Jingnan now. It's impossible for him to switch allegiance to our Lord's banner. Back then, our Lord also valued that kid highly; it's just that Lord Jingnan beat us to it and snatched him up."

Hearing this, Li Fusheng suddenly found the wine before him less fragrant. He lamented, "After our Lady enters the capital, our Lord's manor won't be the same as before."

Li Bao, upon hearing this, wiped his eyes and said, "How could our Lord bear to let her go? I can't bear it. I really can't."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's this, crying now? A grown man, what the hell are you crying for?"

"Direct Thief! I'm not crying!"

"Not crying? Then what's this? What's this?"

"I just forgot I'd been peeling garlic with my hands!"