The Demon Lords-Chapter 702 - 146: Beating the Drum to Rally the Generals_1

Xue Three used a rich broth made from precious medicinal herbs to forcefully sustain the Sword Saint's life.

Some of these herbs were picked from the Skybreak Mountain range. As the saying goes, "live off the land." Originally, in Shengle's foreign trade, demonic beasts were extremely profitable, but some precious specialties from the Skybreak Mountain range, especially rare medicinal herbs, also accounted for a significant share.

Some of these herbs Xue Three had never seen before, meaning they were unique to this world. So, he tried them himself to ascertain their properties.

In addition, many precious herbs were also collected during the southern attacks against the Qian State and the looting of the Jin State royal palace. It pained him to sell such things, so he kept them for his own use.

The 'fortifying tonic bath' Xue Three had previously prepared for his lord also contained many precious herbs.

On this expedition, these supplies could never be left behind. To put it coldly, if an ordinary soldier encountered a problem and didn't pull through, that was that. However, if any of the Demon Kings, including their lord himself, encountered any issues, then naturally, every effort would be made to save them, no matter the cost.

This was true not only in this world; even in later eras, whenever an epidemic broke out, those with money and power would be the first to get tested and treated.

That's reality. And the Sword Saint, well, he fit the criteria of this 'reality'.

As soon as Xue Three finished his work, Zheng Fan immediately asked, "How is he?"

Xue Three looked grave and said, "The situation is very serious. His meridians are a wreck—some severed, some torn. It feels like even if he pulls through and survives this, he'll be crippled, barely able to care for himself."

"Is it that bad?" General Zheng's heart was bleeding.

"Er, but we still have to save him," Xue Three said.

"I understand the reasoning," Zheng Fan nodded.

The Sword Saint had to be saved. Even if he became an invalid, his understanding of sword cultivation was such that those who could match him in this world were extremely rare.

Not to mention, there was a natural Sword Embryo in Shengle City. If the Sword Saint continued to instruct her, Zheng Fan might have another female Sword Saint under his command in ten years.

Take, for instance, the feat of forcefully breaking through to the Second Rank; even Liang Cheng had thought the Sword Saint was certain to die. But... Damn it! Who knows!

Zheng Fan suddenly realized that in this world, Mr. Chen was one, and the Sword Saint was another—both, damn it, possessed the kind of fate reserved for protagonists.

As a former manga creator, he naturally understood what such a fate entailed: even if one were in the most dire, fallen, and disgraceful state, they might suddenly rise again after a few years.

Logically speaking, the Sword Saint was now crippled, and the probability of him making a comeback was almost negligible. But Zheng Fan didn't mind waiting; he was willing to wait. In any case, the Sword Saint hadn't cost much to maintain before, and a crippled Sword Saint would naturally cost even less.

It was just that the reward for a thousand heads, when converted to silver, still stung a bit.

But it still had to be given; there was no question about it. As stingy as General Zheng was, he wouldn't go so far as to withhold the salaries of his officers and men.

Delaying laborers' wages only required guarding against them causing trouble; but delaying the salaries of these soldiers—they had blades in their hands!

"Assign two of your trusted subordinates to look after him carefully."

"Rest assured, My lord. I understand."

"Alright, I'm going to get some rest."

"Good night, My lord."

Today, Zheng Fan hadn't done much of anything besides running for his life, but even that had left him drenched in a cold sweat.

The luxury of a bath was out of the question. He could only wash his face, then lay down beside the brazier and fell asleep directly.

Zheng Fan fell asleep quickly, his mind much more at ease.

Now that the wild people had lost Geremu, let's see how they try to siege the city.

As expected, the following three days passed peacefully.

The wild people had lost their commander-in-chief and the generals who understood siege warfare. Both their morale and tactical capabilities had suffered a severe blow.

During these three days, Liang Cheng took the opportunity to train those Jin slaves. He had veteran soldiers impart some experience to them, trying, it could be said, to quickly turn them into somewhat qualified cannon fodder.

To the north, small groups of wild people cavalry would occasionally cross the snowy plains to check on the situation. It was likely that some nearby tribes had discovered Snow Sea Pass was closed and Yan State's Black Dragon Flag had been raised there, so they came to investigate. However, no organized forces of wild people appeared.

Finally, on the fourth day, the army of wild people from the south began their assault on the city.

Geremu was dead, their commander-in-chief was dead, and they had lost their 'professional' siege commander. Yet, none of this could deter the wild people's determination to attack Snow Sea Pass.

Because they had no other choice; they had to capture Snow Sea Pass.

Zheng Fan had gone up the city wall early. Fanli stood to Zheng Fan's right with a shield, and A Ming was on his left.

Outside the city, the army of wild people was already forming up.

It was evident that they had managed to construct a fair amount of siege equipment in those few days, mostly scaling ladders and also battering rams. However, the battering rams looked rather crude and makeshift, as if wheels had been forcibly attached to them.

The number of wild people was considerable, and visually, they certainly exerted immense pressure.

However, the wild people likely hadn't managed to construct more sophisticated siege equipment like movable siege towers. Firstly, time was short; secondly, they lacked skilled artisans; and thirdly, the nearby forests had been stripped bare, forcing them to travel much farther to fell trees, which severely hampered their efficiency.