The Demon Lords-Chapter 648 - 118: The Most Bitter Peak_1

"Has My Lord already determined that the Imperial Court will allow Lord Jingnan to retake the field?" asked A Ming.

"Previously, the Yan Emperor ordered the Eldest Prince to take command. In my view, there was no issue with that, nor with the Eldest Prince's performance. Replacing him with another general wouldn't necessarily have yielded a better outcome. Who could have predicted the Chu people would suddenly interfere, right?"

Of course, there was another layer of meaning to this statement: if Lord Jingnan had been commanding the expedition, even with Chu interference, would the situation truly have deteriorated to this extent?

Firstly, events that haven't occurred always present endless hypothetical possibilities, and people tend to be more optimistic about the alternatives.

Secondly, Lord Jingnan's military record was simply too brilliant; it seemed nothing was impossible for him, no opponent undefeatable.

Zheng Fan paused for a moment, then continued, "The Eldest Prince has failed. As I see it, the current situation necessitates that the original expeditionary army shift from offense to defense. Relying on the Ying Capital City defensive line, they must, at the very least, prevent the allied forces of the wild people and the Chu from crossing the Wang River and pushing further west.

But this stalemate cannot last long; reinforcements must be sent. And given the temperament and pride of the Yan people, the Eldest Prince will inevitably become a target of intense public criticism. It's impossible for him to continue commanding the expeditionary forces."

"But our Yan Emperor is a man of strong will; he genuinely doesn't seem to care if others accuse him of favoring his own son."

"Yes, our Yan Emperor is indeed that kind of person. He can pursue and persist in his decisions without hesitation.

But the problem is no longer whether he persists. The issue is that when the Eldest Prince previously marched east, neither Lord Jingnan nor the Jingnan Army made a move. This inaction served as a form of insurance, a safety net.

Now, with defeat a reality, if the Imperial Court wishes to mobilize forces, they have two options. They could continue to deploy the remaining North Border Army from the Yanjing region, or they would have to draw troops from Fatty Hui's forces at the Nanwang City defensive line, which were originally tasked with defending against Qian State.

The long and arduous journey aside, neither of these locations can easily spare additional troops.

Therefore, mobilizing the Jingnan Army, already stationed in Jin land, is the most suitable and indeed necessary course of action. The generals of the Jingnan Army have already demonstrated through their actions to the Eldest Prince—and by extension, to His Majesty—that they will not obey any orders without a direct command from Lord Jingnan.

Furthermore, Yan State cannot afford another defeat. If this second eastern expedition fails, not only will the favorable situation created by Cheng State's annexation be entirely lost, but the Jin territories previously seized from the Helian and Wenren Family will also be in danger of being forfeited.

Under such circumstances, the commander must be changed, and it must be Tian Wujing. There is no other choice."

Because they could not afford to lose, there was no room for wishful thinking; they had to deploy their ace.

The Southern and Northern Lords had always been the two pillars of the Yan military. However, Li Liangting was stationed at the Earl of North Border's Manor in Beifeng Prefecture, where he was needed to guard against the barbarians. Thus, he could not possibly be deployed to command this war.

Besides, when the Eldest Prince previously led the army, you, Yan Emperor, wished to cultivate your son. Everyone could reluctantly understand that. But if you were to dare transfer Li Liangting to command the Jingnan Army, it would thoroughly dishearten them. At that point, perhaps even if Tian Wujing remained silent, the Jingnan Army itself would revolt!

"My Lord is truly insightful. I genuinely hadn't realized that punishing the head of the Spy Bureau involved so many underlying calculations."

The relationship between the Zheng Family and Lord Jingnan's manor had become inextricably close. Indeed, it was so established that Zheng Fan could not simply switch allegiances. Therefore, Zheng Fan had no choice but to align himself as closely as possible with Lord Jingnan.

More importantly, once the war began, it was highly probable that the Shengle Army would once again fall under Lord Jingnan's command. If he didn't seize this opportunity to curry favor and warm the hearth, when else would he do it?

It could only be said that Xiao Liang had chosen the wrong person to target in his ambition to rise. Previously, out of consideration for Tian Wujing's standing, Zheng Fan had dealt with the Third Prince, and the Yan Emperor hadn't even batted an eye. Now, the Yan Emperor was counting on Tian Wujing to clean up the mess in Cheng State. So, who knew if punishing the head of the Spy Bureau—or even if Zheng Fan were to march over and shout, "You've been castrated!" at Eunuch Wei—would result in any repercussions.

The Yan Emperor was an emperor pragmatic to the extreme.

However, Zheng Fan didn't take A Ming's flattery to heart, merely saying, "Ultimately, I am the lad's godfather. As a godfather, I should act the part, shouldn't I?"

"Yes."

"Are you free now?"

"The workshop operations have ceased."

A Ming's position was equivalent to that of a research and development manager. However, for some time now, Shengle City's already scarce manpower and resources had been prioritized to meet the needs of the departing army. Consequently, he genuinely had nothing to do.

"Alright, then accompany me for archery practice."

"..." A Ming.

「...」

The order for total war mobilization had been issued. Thanks to Shengle City's propaganda methods—advanced for this world—and a universal principle of viral dissemination, the atmosphere was different.

Unlike other places where the news of war incited panic, Shengle City seemed to thrum with a sense of excitement at the prospect of battle.

In fact, subjective drive is crucial most of the time. In Zheng Fan's opinion, both the Jingnan Army and the North Border Army had moved past the stage of 'wholeheartedly seeking battle.'

Half of the North Border Army had even been enfeoffed, meaning they no longer had to endure harsh conditions like "eating sand" at the border as they once did. The Jingnan Army, too, had departed the confined Yinlang County and was now stationed in Jin land.