The Demon Lords-Chapter 692 - 138: Big Radish Seal_1
"If those tribe leaders dare go to Yanjing for a petition, just write their names in reverse."
From tribe leaders to... human heads.
The eight hundred riders, the Eldest Prince's royal lineage, plus the Pixiu beneath him.
First, make promises and offer rewards. Anyway, they're all verbal commitments, not requiring any tangible sacrifices. As long as it can temporarily bring peace to the north of Snow Sea Pass and free up our hands to deal with the counterattack from the wild people in the south, that's enough. Who needs anything more?
As for whether the tribe leaders in those snowy plains would be fooled, frankly, Zheng Fan wasn't worried about this at all.
Because those who could become leaders were definitely not fools. Whether they could be deceived or not depended on whether they themselves were willing to be deceived.
The tribes that truly and staunchly supported the King of the Wild People had long followed him south to battle. Those who were originally watching from the sidelines had also subsequently followed them across the border. The large wild people tribes that still had warriors at home were clearly ignoring that King.
Give them a reason to be deceived, a suitable excuse, and they would likely be willing to "watch the fire from the other side of the river."
After all, even if the King of the Wild People stopped fighting now, he had already plundered a huge amount of wealth and population for the wild people. By the time his main force returned to the snowy plains, he would truly become the "Genghis Khan" of the snowy plains.
Were those large tribes, which had dominated various regions of the snowy plains for centuries, really willing to submit to him?
Did all those lofty great tribe leaders truly like having someone above them issuing orders?
Don't expect all the wild people in the snowy plains to be utterly loyal, willing to sacrifice their individual interests for the development of their ethnic group and the greater good. That's impossible. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
Even in Yan, if not for the emergence of the "iron triangle," the persistent problem of the influential aristocratic families would still be irresolvable. Everyone knew that without the constraints of these families, Yan would have more strength to expand outwards. But in hundreds of years, only Tian Wujing had been willing to take a knife to his own class.
"General, this subordinate understands. This subordinate… this subordinate will definitely not disappoint you."
Zheng Fan nodded, switched to a slightly gentler tone, and said, "Your Highness, I actually know that you've been feeling guilty because of the defeat at Wang River. But some things, once past, should be left in the past. Now, we have the opportunity to completely eliminate the wild people's main force in the Jin land, ensuring their tribes won't recover for fifty years. This is the best way to comfort the spirits of our fellow soldiers who died that day."
"This subordinate knows, this subordinate understands."
"Yes, Your Highness, take care."
"Yes, thank you, General."
The Eldest Prince left; he was probably going to find Jin Shuke.
After he departed, A Ming shook the waterskin and said, "My lord, do you think the Eldest Prince truly has no ambition for the throne?"
"People change. Just because he had no such ambitions in the past, and has none now, doesn't mean he never will. In short, who knows?"
It was well known that the Yan Emperor didn't plan to let the Eldest Prince inherit Dabao, which was why he was allowed to participate in military affairs. Perhaps, in the Yan Emperor's view, he would prefer to cultivate the Eldest Prince into the next Earl of North Border or Lord Jingnan.
However, this Eldest Prince was indeed extraordinary. It was fine if he didn't harbor any ambitions. But once he did, it might ignite another round of fierce power struggles.
Zheng Fan even felt a bit sorry for the Yan Emperor; having so many outstanding sons seemed to be a headache in itself.
Returning to the main topic, Zheng Fan looked at Liang Cheng and said, "For now, let the Eldest Prince and Jin Shuke handle matters in the north. But don't lower your guard. Try to send out more scouts to keep an eye on the snowy plains. However, our main focus must still be on the south. Since we've decided to defend, we must hold our ground. Most of our assets are staked here. This time, only success is permissible; failure is not an option."
"Yes, this subordinate understands."
"Alright, you all go get busy. I need some more rest."
Zheng Fan lay down. He really needed to rest. I hope this burn heals quickly, he thought. Otherwise, when the wild people's army returns in a couple of days to lay siege, I'll have to put on my armor and go up on the city walls. If the blisters burst again... HISS... the pain would be unbearable.
General Zheng had just lain down.
「Elsewhere」
The Eldest Prince had just conveyed Zheng Fan's orders to Jin Shuke.
Jin Shuke reacted with immense excitement. "Oh my, sir, you truly are my benefactor, my great benefactor!"
Jin Shuke felt that he had been encountering benefactors for the past six months.
That Brother Fish—he hadn't realized his true identity until the Battle of Fengxin, where he witnessed his awe-inspiring power. The Sword Saint of Jin State!
According to my "worldview," Jin Shuke thought, the Sword Saint of Jin State's status is equivalent to the Left and Right Kings Guli of the desert. Both are individuals of terrifying personal strength.
Moreover, Jin Shuke had also noticed that even his own General Zheng had to show considerable respect to this Brother Fish.
My good fortune must be due to Brother Fish putting in a good word for me with General Zheng. Not long after, I unexpectedly met another benefactor, and his status is truly extraordinarily high! If I hadn't regularly listened to Mr. Bei's lectures and achieved a high level of ideological and political... what was it called again? Oh, right, according to Mr. Bei, 'ideological and political consciousness,' I might have gone weak at the knees just seeing this benefactor. But that didn't stop this benefactor from bringing me another great assignment.
"Aren't you afraid?" The Eldest Prince looked at Jin Shuke and asked.
"Afraid of what? I'm more afraid I won't have a chance to be useful! This diplomatic mission is hugely important for us. As long as I can help you, sir, stabilize those tribes on the snowy plains, it's like I'm holding back a massive army for our General Zheng. If this northern 'door' is locked tight, and the Southern Marquis's army attacks from the south, these wild people will all be trapped and finished here—not a single one will escape!"
"Aren't you afraid of death?"
"My lord, I come from a penal-colony tribe. In such tribes, there are very few old men."
The Eldest Prince heard this and nodded.
The Eldest Prince didn't select many men, only picking out two hundred cavalry. They were the same barbarian soldiers who had originally followed Jin Shuke—all familiar faces, and thus easy to command.
Furthermore, the Eldest Prince also wanted to leave more troops for Snow Sea Pass, because after his departure, that would be the place of real slaughter and bloodshed.
As for my mission, he thought, either there'll be no trouble, or if there is, bringing even several times more troops would be meaningless.
He swung himself onto his Pixiu and patted it. The Eldest Prince straightened his posture, his gaze hardening. The innate noble air and the imposing aura of a superior were no longer concealed in the slightest; they flowed out from him completely.
He was, after all, the eldest son of the current Ji Family. Not long ago, he was the commander-in-chief of the eastern expeditionary force, leading one hundred fifty thousand soldiers of the Yan Army, and if you included the Cheng State troops, it was an army of over two hundred thousand.
This kind of bearing, this kind of presence, could not be faked.
If I'm going to bluff them, I absolutely cannot appear submissive. The more overbearing I am, the more those wild people will buy it. The Eldest Prince was very clear on this nuance. Previously, I disdained such behavior. But in Yanjing city, which of those young masters from prominent families could compare to me, Ji Wujiang, in terms of qualifications, status, actual power, or experience? I used to disdain it, but when it's truly necessary to put on airs... who wouldn't know how?
Jin Shuke and the other barbarian soldiers were all stunned. They felt that the Eldest Prince before them was like a completely different person from before.
At this moment, Xue Three rushed over. "Well, well, well, Your Highness! You haven't left yet! That's wonderful, just wonderful! I made it in time, I made it!"
Xue Three came over, carrying a bag.
Jin Shuke immediately took the bag from Xue Three's hands, opened it, and found radishes inside. He quickly laughed and said, "Xue San, we've all brought dry rations."
"Go on, get out of here, you rascal! Who said these were for you to eat?"
Xue Three took out two radishes from the package. The radishes had been carved. He turned them upside down to show the Eldest Prince and said, "Your Highness, this is Lord Jingnan's seal. Here, this is His Majesty's royal seal. This one is from the Ministry of War. This is from the Ministry of Personnel. And this one is from the Chief of Clan Affairs at the Zongren Mansion. And this..."
"..." Ji Wujiang.
It was already outrageous enough that Zheng Fan, right in front of me, suggested that I, a prince, should go out and freely promise to confer kingships, the Eldest Prince thought. But this subordinate of Zheng Fan's had even carved radish seals!
"There are also quite a few blank imperial edict scrolls under here," Xue Three continued. "We found them all in Situ Yi's courtyard during the last attack on Fengxin City. That fellow, to satisfy his craving for playing emperor, had prepared a whole stack of them for issuing edicts. We confiscated them as spoils of war back then, and now they've actually come in handy! My Lord, when you arrive at a tribe's gate, just write up an imperial edict yourself beforehand. Decide which seals to use, how many, what official post to grant, what noble title to confer—you write it, stamp it, and you're done! It's convenient and looks perfectly official. Let me tell you, those tribe chiefs who haven't seen much of the world, heh, they really eat this stuff up. The Commissioner used this trick to fool plenty of people back in the day."
The Eldest Prince chuckled dryly. Faced with this kind of enthusiastic "assistance," he truly had a stomachful of thoughts he didn't know how to begin to express. This was no longer a minor issue of overstepping boundaries. In the past, annihilation of his entire clan down to the ninth degree of relations would not have been an excessive punishment for this! But he also knew his Imperial Father's temperament. As long as they could win this war, heavily damage the wild people, and quell the chaos of the Snow Plain in one fell swoop, his Imperial Father would absolutely not pursue such minor details. Yet, as a prince, he still felt instinctively uncomfortable. But no matter how uncomfortable, he had to accept it. He even had to force a pleasant expression... and said,
"Thank you for your trouble, Field Officer Xue."
Damn it! What kind of bizarre talents did Zheng Fan have under him!
"Don't mention it, Your Highness, it's what I should do! Safe travels, take care, and be careful out there!"
Amidst Xue Three's enthusiastic farewell, the Eldest Prince and Jin Shuke, carrying the blank imperial edicts and a large pile of radish seals, led two hundred barbarian cavalry out through the North Gate of Snow Sea Pass.
After they exited the North Gate, the Eldest Prince frowned slightly.
Jin Shuke quickly asked, "My lord, what's wrong?"
The Eldest Prince shook his head, looked at Jin Shuke, and said, "Who is the Commissioner?"
