The Demon Lords-Chapter 656 - 121: Probably in Winter_1

There was still no news from Lord Jingnan. The Royal Court had not bypassed Lord Jingnan's estate to issue military orders to the Jingnan Army under its command either. Doing so would mean forcing the Jingnan Army to choose between Lord Jingnan's estate and the Royal Court. Indeed, knowing that the outcome of such a choice would not be favorable, why would they hasten to tear away that facade?

However, the troops from Shengle City and Xinsu City had mobilized. They voluntarily entered the territory of Cheng State and advanced towards Ying Capital City.

Previously, Chen Yang, the commander of the Jingnan Army in Xinsu City, and General Zheng Fan of Shengle City had completely ignored the Eldest Prince. Commander Chen had shut himself within his city, while General Zheng had gone even further, sending men to the Eldest Prince's main camp to demand provisions and supplies.

But now, following the defeat at the Battle of Wang River, it was perfectly logical for these two forces, already stationed on the Cheng State border, to march towards Ying Capital City, whether to stabilize public morale, reinforce defenses, or for other considerations. After all, they were all Yan people.

Of course, General Zheng's motives might have been less straightforward; his Shengle City was on the verge of bankruptcy if it didn't go to war soon.

Shengle City dispatched 10,000 soldiers and 5,000 civilian laborers. As soon as they stepped into Cheng State territory, they began notifying the local government offices to supply the army with grain and other provisions, emulating the actions of the Eldest Prince's Eastern Conquest Army when it had previously entered Cheng State. Not only that, they conscripted another 5,000 civilian laborers from Cheng State.

We're helping you fight your war; isn't it only right that you provide three meals a day?

If the Eldest Prince can plunder, why can't General Zheng?

A rather principled county magistrate adamantly refused General Zheng's demands. He stated bluntly that the people under his jurisdiction had few resources left, and conscripting more peasant workers would be devastating to the local region's vitality.

His words were not without merit. Since the Situ Family founded Cheng State, the wars—from the snowfields to Snow Sea Pass and then to the Wang River—had never ceased. After the Situ Family lost the territory east of the Wang River, the remaining regions were naturally burdened with heavier taxation and conscription of civilians and grain. Furthermore, they had already borne the costs of the Eastern Conquest Army. To say that the populace was exhausted was truly an understatement.

General Zheng admired the county magistrate's integrity and greatly praised his character, then had him beheaded.

His head was hung at the county town's gate.

Instantly, the prominent families in the county town pooled together grain and supplies to support the Shengle Army, and the conscription of civilian laborers proceeded swiftly.

「Inside the military tent.」

Zheng Fan was flipping through a book. It certainly wasn't the "Zheng Zi Art of War"; General Zheng hadn't descended to such levels of shameless narcissism and self-deception yet.

This book, acquired with great difficulty, was about magic, written by a Western magician. This was a translated version.

Of course, Zheng Fan had no intention of practicing from it. Who knew if the Eastern scholar who translated it had made some mistake somewhere? What if practicing it led to problems?

However, as a piece of popular science to broaden his horizons, it wasn't bad. On the monotonous march, with Siniang not accompanying him, he could only resort to reading about magic to pass the tedious time, just barely managing.

It was indeed boring. Although Zheng Fan felt he had attended the 'Masters' Military Academy' many times, and several masters had personally taken him under their wing, teaching by word and example, war was truly unpredictable. Sometimes, when you thought you were formidable and felt exceedingly good about yourself, you might just end up like Zhao Kuo.

Furthermore, given the precedent that even the Eldest Prince, despite his extreme caution, had suffered a major setback, Zheng Fan felt he should probably just continue to be a mascot in the military.

Every morning, Zheng Fan would ride his horse on a circuit around the barracks, receiving the gazes and cheers of the troops.

Zheng Fan didn't dismount, much less go down to offer condolences or share meals with the soldiers. Tian Wujing had once told him that sometimes, being too close to the soldiers could diminish their sense of reverence for you.

Zheng Fan had specifically asked Liang Cheng about this because he had read many "stories" and "accounts" describing how certain generals loved their soldiers as if they were their own children, even sucking pus from their wounds.

Liang Cheng had retorted with a single question: Who wrote those stories?

Then Zheng Fan understood. The person who wrote the story might have injected their own biases, what one might call wishful thinking.

An army is a terrifying killing machine. Strict discipline and rigid laws are key to ensuring this machine operates correctly. As for other "performances," if one was truly bored to tears, they could indulge in them as a pastime.

The Shengle City army moved at a crawl.

Correspondingly, as if by telepathic agreement, Chen Yang's forces seemed to be competing with Zheng Fan's to see who could move slower. After quickly entering Cheng State territory to live off the "supplies" from the local populace, both armies instantly transformed from spirited young lads into weary old men.

For one thing, on the east bank of the Wang River, the Chu people and the wild people seemed to have no immediate plans for a large-scale advance west of the river. Winter was approaching. Because the snowplains had been ravaged by Lord Jingnan's army earlier that year, many tribes would not survive the coming winter. This drove many tribes to proactively pledge allegiance to the Wild People King for survival. The Wild People King was currently busy overseeing the wild warriors entering Cheng State territory from Snow Sea Pass.

Secondly, the Chu State's Blue Luan Army had indeed not withdrawn. However, the Chu seemed to have only deployed this elite force of about 50,000. Because their nation was apparently still busy with internal consolidation and quelling rebellions, they had no plans to send further reinforcements or escalate the war.

Of course, the most important point was that although the Eldest Prince's Eastern Conquest Army had lost the main force of its Left Army, the Northern Guard Army had not been truly crippled. Furthermore, even though the Eldest Prince bore the stigma of defeat, he was still organizing defenses, managing the affairs of the Cheng State's fledgling court, and continuing to train his troops. The situation was still being maintained.

With the remaining 40,000 Northern Guard troops stationed outside Ying Capital City, supplemented by tens of thousands of troops from the Yan Army's right flank and combined with Cheng State's forces, the Chu and Wild People alliance would hesitate to cross the river and attack. They feared a repeat of their previous defeat, like when they were routed by Situ Lei in his final moments.

Thus, after the Battle of Wang River, both sides had tacitly settled into a period of "calm."

However, both sides also knew that this tacit "calm" was merely temporary.

Once the internal turmoil within Chu State was resolved, or largely resolved, the new Chu Emperor would inevitably send reinforcements to this region.

Alas, it was the same old reason.

Nothing helps a new ruler consolidate their position more effectively than a victory in a foreign war. Especially since the Chu people had already gained an advantage; they had indeed defeated the Yan Army, which had been considered invincible for years.

The Wild People King, meanwhile, was continuing to subjugate various tribes on the snowplains while incorporating batch after batch of wild warriors into his direct command.

Most critically, in the previous Yan defeat, the loss of life was one thing, but the loss of warhorses, armor, and other military equipment was far more devastating. Even if the wild people had plundered many craftsmen from Cheng State, acquiring so many finished products at once would undoubtedly cause their combat effectiveness to skyrocket.

In the history Zheng Fan was familiar with, the Jurchen tribes emerging from the Blackwater Whiteland were a similar example. After defeating the Liao and then annihilating the Northern Song, they absorbed spoils all along the way, to the point where the equipment of the regular Golden Army was even a notch more luxurious than that of the Song Army.

For Yan State, things were quite simple.

The Eldest Prince was waiting. Zheng Fan was also waiting. Chen Yang was also waiting. Everyone was waiting—waiting for news of that person.

This wait continued until winter was fast approaching.

But the news was still slow to arrive.

This inevitably forced the awkward situation to persist.

Zheng Fan and Chen Yang, each commanding ten thousand troops, adopted a stance towards the Eldest Prince in Ying Capital City: they could offer support but would never voluntarily heed his commands. The Eldest Prince, aware of this, refrained from issuing explicit orders to these two forces, merely sending a military envoy every three days as a formality.

"My lord, how long must we wait?" A Ming asked, growing impatient.

He missed the wine cellars of Shengle City and his personal collection.

Zheng Fan first shook his head, then, while carefully shaving his beard, said cautiously, "It's unclear. If there's no word from Lord Jingnan, we can't make any moves here."

Most importantly, if the main force of the Jingnan Army doesn't arrive, the Yan people simply won't have enough confidence to launch a war of revenge.

To lose once could be attributed to carelessness, the treachery of the Chu people, or the Eldest Prince's youth.

But to lose twice would truly shake the favorable situation painstakingly established by the Yan people.

"So, is Lord Jingnan still in seclusion then?" Xue Three asked, puffing on his cigarette.

"Who knows?"

After finishing his shave, Zheng Fan began to trim his nose hairs.

He was truly idle to be doing this. Back in the day, would one even care about such things when out on a campaign?

But now, there was genuinely nothing else to do.

However, there was one advantage: the army had been deployed, so their food and drink were entirely supplied by Cheng State. Furthermore, for expeditions beyond their borders, army wages were typically distributed after returning from battle, meaning payments could be deferred.

Thus, Shengle City was suddenly relieved of a huge burden. From Siniang's letters, it was clear her financial pressures had lessened considerably.

As for the burden on the people of Cheng State, it was manageable. The Yan people still exercised some restraint. Heavier taxes were far preferable to waiting for the wild people to invade and be treated as two-legged sheep. Therefore, the benevolent General Zheng felt no psychological burden for exploiting the local populace of Cheng State. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"My lord," Xue Three reported, "I've trained all the craftsmen in our ranks, and they're now teaching the conscripted civilians we brought. But there are no battles to fight."

"Those craftsmen and civilians who have learned your techniques must be strictly supervised."

"I understand, My lord."

"What's for dinner tonight? No more hot pot, I'm a bit tired of it."

A Ming suggested, "Wontons with wild vegetable filling?"

"Excellent." Zheng Fan nodded with satisfaction. "Make plenty, and send some over to Commander Chen as well."

"However, My lord, it's almost winter. Is Lord Jingnan coming or not?" Xue Three was still fixated on this question.

A Ming leaned back slightly, reclining on a blanket. "He might still be in a deadlock with the Royal Court."

Xue Three countered, "If this deadlock continues, it's bound to cause problems, isn't it? I'm genuinely worried that in the end, instead of us going off to fight the wild people, we'll be summoned back by Lord Jingnan to help fight a civil war."

Zheng Fan hummed comfortably while applying a hot towel to his face, singing softly, "In the days without you, I'll cherish myself even more…"

A Ming chuckled. "My lord is in high spirits, even singing."

Xue Three immediately said, "Are you an idiot? What My lord means is, Lord Jingnan is coming soon."

"What?" A Ming didn't understand, but he knew Xue Three was undoubtedly up to his usual elaborate flattery.

"It's from "Probably in Winter". Isn't it almost winter now? Lord Jingnan should be arriving soon."

"Is that it?" A Ming paused, then added, "But I am quite curious how Lord Jingnan will deal with Chu State's navy."

It was almost impossible for Yan State to build a navy in a short period.

Zheng Fan took the towel from his face, let out a long breath, and said, "Actually, there's no need to deal with it."

"No need to deal with it?" A Ming inquired.

"Yes, because the Wang River is about to freeze over."