The Demon Lords-Chapter 682 - 132: Praising General Zheng_4

"Let's see. Since General Zheng is leading us north, there must be a place for us to take a shit."

It was said with clear intent.

However, the Eldest Prince was already accustomed to Jin Shuke's forceful way of speaking the Xia language.

"I think if we continue to venture deeper, there will be danger," the Eldest Prince said after a moment's hesitation.

He was adhering to his current duty; regardless of his thoughts, he wouldn't seek out Zheng Fan to discuss them. In an army, how could a mere officer casually approach the general to speak?

Therefore, certain matters could only be relayed to his superior, in this case, Jin Shuke.

Jin Shuke turned his head to look at the Eldest Prince, pointed at his own nose, and chuckled, "Your Highness, are you implying that *we* are in danger, or the entire army?" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"The army."

"Oh?"

"The news of Fengxin's fall wasn't concealed at all; too many routed soldiers escaped. Judging by the timeline, the wild people and Chu people on the front lines should have received the news by now. Our northward journey was indeed a startling act, like walking into the lion's den. However, the wild people or Chu people only need to dispatch a force to Fengxin City. By following the traces, it wouldn't be difficult for them to pinpoint our army's location. Moreover, in the past few days, you commanded us to wipe out several groups of wild people's cavalry. The wild people are not stupid. Their military system might seem loose, but they actually have their own methods. We should have been exposed by now. Our exposure, in turn, means that the main army following us has also been exposed. I previously observed with you outside Ming'an City that the wild people's looting of Jin land hasn't ended. Once they learn that Lord Jingnan is leading the campaign, compelled by Lord Jingnan's reputation, they will definitely accelerate the transport of everything they've plundered back to the tundra as their ultimate safeguard. But look now, outside Ming'an City, do we still see columns of slaves and treasure moving in and out? The entire city appears unchanged, but it's actually lax on the outside and tight on the inside; they are clearly waiting for us. And I am certain that in the surrounding areas, wild people's troops have likely bypassed Fengxin City and are now scouting this region. A net is probably already closing in on us. Right now, we are focused on Ming'an City, on its wealth and slaves, but the wild people may already be watching us. I am not comfortable saying these things to General Zheng directly. I sincerely request that you, Sir, relay this counsel to him."

In the Eldest Prince's view, Zheng Fan's northward move was indeed unexpected. However, the wild people were not fools, especially their Wild People King and the several wild people generals under his command; they were no easy adversaries. The Ming'an City before them might just be bait.

Jin Shuke scratched his head, fell silent for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry, Your Highness, I cannot relay these words."

"Why?"

Having been in the Shengle Army for a long time, the Eldest Prince naturally understood an atmosphere prevalent within it—an atmosphere of absolute reverence and faith in General Zheng.

The Eldest Prince didn't particularly dislike this atmosphere, as it was already a tradition in Yan. How many of the Earl of North Border's soldiers had dreamed of storming Yanjing and seizing the Emperor's throne for their own Lord?

The soldiers of the Jingnan Army, without exaggeration, would truly dare to accompany their Lord to "cleanse the monarch's side" if Lord Jingnan gave the command!

But the Eldest Prince believed that even worship and obedience had their limits; at the very least, offering counsel should be permissible.

Jin Shuke removed the waterskin from his belt and said, "Because before my unit set out as the vanguard, the General had already told me everything you've just said."

"He did it on purpose?"

So, deliberately eliminating small groups of wild people's outriders was also intentional? Exposing our position was also intentional? Was it to draw the wild people's forces in this area to converge and encircle us?

If Zheng Fan had indeed planned all of this, then he must have already considered the situation and the dangers we would face.

For a moment, the Eldest Prince felt somewhat relieved, glad that he had adhered to protocol and hadn't gone to the Central Army Commander's Tent to discuss this with Zheng Fan. Otherwise, he would have truly made a fool of himself.

"If all this is General Zheng's stratagem, then I can only say his methods of deploying troops are far superior to mine."

When Jin Shuke heard this, a look of profound agreement spread across his face. "Our General is not only divine in his command of troops but is also proficient in forging, smelting, construction, medicine, poetry and literature, astronomy, and geography. There is nothing in this world our General is not proficient in. To be able to follow in the General's footsteps is the honor of our lives."

As he spoke, Jin Shuke balled his right hand into a fist and struck his left chest with a dull THUD.

At the same time, the surrounding barbarian soldiers, who had been resting, also adopted solemn expressions and made the same gesture.

Every time Mr. Bei finished his speeches, he would lead everyone in this gesture to express their respect and admiration for General Zheng.

As a prince, he naturally felt a sense of unease witnessing this scene. Because, inevitably, if this army continued to develop, Yan would gain another force like the Jingnan Army—one that knew only its Marshal and not His Majesty the Emperor.

But the Eldest Prince soon dismissed the thought.

After all, this was already a tradition in Yan. Besides, was it really his place to worry? He had never coveted the throne. If anyone should be concerned, it was his second brother. Or perhaps... Chengjue?