The Demon Lords-Chapter 691 - 137 Arrangement_1

HISS... It hurts... hurts...

Zheng Fan sat in a chair, his armor and lining stripped off. Xue Three was busily applying burn ointment to his wounds with a homemade cotton swab.

Blisters had formed on his chest and the inner side of his right arm where he had been scalded, yet the situation was not severe. After all, while Fanli's armor had been scorching hot, the flames had already been extinguished for some time.

At least, he wasn't roasted alive.

However, being "baked" like this was an indescribably sour and invigorating experience.

Fanli stood to one side like a child who had done something wrong, rubbing his hands restlessly.

"My lord, it's not so bad. The medicine I use is excellent; it should not leave any scars. Please, be assured, my lord."

Upon hearing these words, Zheng Fan could only nod and say, "Find me some loose-fitting clothes."

"As you wish, my lord."

Xue Three left to find clothes, while A Ming sat across from them, drinking blood. He had deliberately not changed his clothes; there was still a hole in his chest, indicating he had previously taken an arrow for his lord.

Fanli wanted to find a stool to sit on, but he hesitated.

However, Zheng Fan did not blame him. Although this big oaf had nearly roasted him alive, he had been desperate to save his lord. He did, indeed, carry Zheng Fan back.

On the battlefield, one couldn't be overly sensitive. A few scalds were far better than being stabbed or shot with an arrow.

Actually, General Zheng was well aware of one thing: while he was being "barbecued," his body, which should have been asleep, had suddenly awakened, and he had regained control.

Damn it, such was the loving bond between father and son.

However, General Zheng could only turn a blind eye to this. As a father, you can't just force your son to take damage for you while you stay "anesthetized." Any father would shield their children behind them when danger appears, but his situation was the complete opposite: he usually wouldn't think of his son, but the moment danger arose, he'd call for him.

Regardless, last night's ambush was extremely successful.

Liang Cheng's control over details was truly masterful.

It could be said that, in terms of tactical details, the opposing wild people's general was thoroughly outmaneuvered by Liang Cheng.

It also made Zheng Fan realize something: there is no absolute defense or offense. Just because you're defending a city doesn't mean you have to obediently cower within its walls and take a beating.

"My lord, the wild people's troops that came yesterday have retreated. No, rather, they have scattered," Liang Cheng reported when he entered.

"Oh."

Zheng Fan nodded.

The outcome of last night's battle—a combination of fire and raiding the camp—had actually inflicted limited direct casualties on the wild people. Most of the losses resulted from their own infighting and trampling amidst the chaos in the camp.

"Additionally, my lord, the man you killed last night was likely their commander, possibly even a commander of ten thousand men."

Firstly, that man's armor was much better than that of an ordinary wild person. Secondly, that contingent of wild people's forces withdrew directly, which implied they had likely fallen into a state of leaderlessness. If their main general were still alive, the correct choice would have been to select a new, more distant, and safer location to make camp again, maintaining surveillance of Snow Sea Pass.

But now, all the wild people's scout cavalry on the outskirts of Snow Sea Pass had also withdrawn, indicating that the command system of those troops had collapsed.

Upon hearing this news, Zheng Fan paused before asking, "Are you sure?"

"Not entirely, but if we believe he's dead, then he might as well be."

"Very well put."

Zheng Fan nodded. The battlefield is vast, stretching from the Wang River all the way to Snow Sea Pass, for hundreds of miles. If I claim here that I killed a high-ranking general of the wild people, even if Lord Jingnan is superbly observant, could he possibly come at this time to verify it?

Besides, exaggerating achievements is commonplace in the military. As long as you've won the battle, and it's not a case of falsely reporting a victory after a defeat, even if the truth is revealed later, the higher-ups won't pursue the matter. After all, the battlefield is chaotic, isn't it?

Furthermore, there are so many wild people tribes. To win over various tribes, the King of the Wild People had lavishly handed out official positions. So, while commanders of ten thousand men were not as rampant as Yan State's captains, they were certainly not few in number.

In short, the current situation has indeed been temporarily resolved. Certainly, many more wild people's forces will arrive soon, outnumbering us by several times, but for now, we have gained a few days of respite.

"My lord, I have already sent men to continue felling trees and burning the forest outside. At the same time, we must spare some effort to repair the external fortifications as much as possible."

"Hmm, let Xue Three handle this."

Clever tricks work only once. The wild people aren't stupid; they can't be fooled repeatedly. Warfare ultimately comes down to extremely primitive close-quarters combat.

"Yes. By the way, there's something else. Although the main forces of the wild people are currently in Jin State, and our primary threat indeed comes from the south, the northern Snow Plains are not devoid of wild people. I'm worried…"

The defending garrison, the Shengle Army, numbered just under ten thousand men. Even counting the Jin male slaves who had been armed, their numbers were hardly abundant.

Facing an offensive from one direction might be manageable; after all, the city wall's perimeter is fixed, and we can just wear them down slowly. But if wild people also attacked from the north, the Shengle Army would be in a very difficult position, attacked from both front and rear. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

A Ming, drinking blood nearby, raised an eyebrow slightly.

This was a strategic issue, and A Cheng had deliberately come to ask his lord about it. This meant that, to some extent, his lord had already taken over the role previously filled by the blind man in their group.

"My lord, the clothes are here. Please try them on."

Xue Three brought the clothes.

Zheng Fan put the clothes on and, at the same time, said, "Ask the Eldest Prince to come over."

"Yes."

Before long, the Eldest Prince arrived, having been summoned. Upon seeing Zheng Fan, he unhesitatingly knelt on one knee in salute:

"General Zheng, this subordinate pays his respects!"

The Eldest Prince was truly impeccable in this regard.

Zheng Fan even felt that if the Eldest Prince were to succeed to the throne in the future, Yan wouldn't be too bad off.

Alas, he had long been tied to the Sixth Prince, just as he was tied to Tian Wujing. He couldn't switch boats even if he wanted to.

"Your Highness, I have a military order for you."

Zheng Fan didn't bother with the false pleasantries of rising to help the Eldest Prince up, muttering "Please don't, please don't," as one might for show.

The situation might seem to have just stabilized, but the real crisis was not far off. Who had time for continued affectations?

"Please issue your orders, General. I will strive to complete them, even unto death!"

Regarding Zheng Fan's ability to lead troops and fight battles, the Eldest Prince had begun to admire him. Once a military man respects your ability in warfare, many things become much easier to discuss.

At least, the Eldest Prince felt he couldn't have pulled off that smart trick of a surprise attack on Snow Sea Pass; such mastery in the art of deploying troops was truly stunning.

In fact, the Eldest Prince felt some regret. If Zheng Fan had not been promoted by Chengjue from the start, but instead had come under his own wing, then, wouldn't...

"Your Highness, I will give you eight hundred cavalry, led by Jin Shuke. He will be your deputy, and you will be the leader. I order you both to head north out of Snow Sea Pass and convey greetings from our Yan to the Snow Plains tribes."

The Eldest Prince immediately understood Zheng Fan's intention and said directly, "General, you want me to go on a diplomatic mission to the Snow Plains in my capacity as a prince?"

"Correct. Go tell the various tribes of the Snow Plains that our Yan Army has already crushed the army of their King of the Wild People, and we have also retaken Snow Sea Pass. Currently, Yan soldiers are busy exterminating the remaining wild people scattered within the borders of Jin State.

Command them to behave and not cause trouble. Otherwise, once we've finished cleaning up within Jin State, our Yan iron cavalry will inevitably march out from Snow Sea Pass into the Snow Plains again and annihilate their entire tribe!

Roughly, that's the gist. As for the specific wording, how to intimidate them, how to appease them, how to play good cop and bad cop, Your Highness can decide for yourself.

I have only one requirement: that the wild people north of Snow Sea Pass do not attack us from the north for a short period."

The Eldest Prince hesitated.

"What is it, Your Highness? Are you afraid?"

"This subordinate certainly does not fear death, but I am concerned I won't be able to fulfill the weighty task you've entrusted to me. Our army is stationed at Snow Sea Pass. Although we routed a contingent of wild people's soldiers last night, I fear a large army of wild people will arrive here in two or three days.

If I fail to complete your mission, Snow Sea Pass will undoubtedly be attacked from both front and rear…"

"Your Highness need not worry. I believe Your Highness can handle this matter well. Be bolder, show more resolution.

Currently, the most loyal core tribal forces of the King of the Wild People have long since followed him through the pass. Many of those now on the Snow Plains are tribes that joined later, and some are even still observing from the sidelines.

Your Highness can promise their tribal leaders that our Yan Emperor bestows upon them the title of King of the Wild People. East, South, West, North, Central—Your Highness can freely distribute the title of King of the Wild People."

This was, in truth, a highly presumptuous statement.

And to say it to a prince, no less. In any other country, General Zheng's head could have been chopped off and kicked around like a ball for it.

But in the current Yan State, the Yan Emperor was a magnanimous man. He didn't care for empty formalities, only practical results. He could even act as if Zheng Fan crippling his third son had never happened. This minor presumption was a matter of acting according to circumstances in an emergency; the Yan Emperor would likely understand if he found out later.

Furthermore, the Eldest Prince, regardless of whether he was putting on an act, consistently projected the image of a steadfast and sincere prince within the army. Such a person understood pragmatism better.

"Grant them the title of King?"

Even this military prince was momentarily stunned by General Zheng's audacity.

In Yan, the highest rank a non-royal could achieve was Marquis. Princes were customarily enfeoffed as Kings, but this was typically limited to the current reign. If a prince lacked great merit, once his father passed away and one of his brothers ascended the throne, according to Yan State tradition, the enfeoffed princes would themselves submit a memorial, citing reasons of state, to request the annulment of their royal titles.

Thus, Yan's captains were a dime a dozen, but the title of King was truly precious.

Therefore, when the Yan Emperor bestowed the title of Prince Cheng upon Situ Yu, son of Situ Lei, it shocked everyone, who marveled at the Yan Emperor's grand gesture.

Zheng Fan reached out, but the movement tugged at his burns, and he winced, sucking in a breath of cool air.

The Eldest Prince hesitated for a moment, then finally bowed his head and leaned forward slightly, allowing Zheng Fan to more easily pat him on the shoulder.

"Your Highness, what's there to fear in enfeoffing them as Kings now? Just do it. As long as it can scare those tribes that still have forces from coming south to attack us for a while, it'll be fine.

Once we've completely devoured these main forces of the wild people in Jin land, the lands of the Three Jin, the entire Snow Plains—won't Yan call the shots then?

If they claim Yan made them Kings, we'll just deny it.

If they still don't accept it, fine. Let their tribal chiefs personally go to the imperial capital and lodge a complaint with His Majesty. Heh heh."