The Demon Lords-Chapter 721 - 152 Feast_1

Both banks of the Wang River teemed with Yan horsemen, galloping freely. They swung their sabers relentlessly, harvesting the lives of the wild people. At this moment, this place was their "pasture," or perhaps they were farmers wielding sickles during the autumn harvest.

The last Battle of Wang River had led to a catastrophic loss for the Yan Left Army. Tens of thousands of young men from the Yan region had perished in the river, marking the Yan State's most devastating defeat in foreign warfare in decades. Now, the cycle had restarted, only this time, the roles were reversed.

Some Yan horsemen patrolled the riverbank, using their bows to shoot down wild people on the ice or struggling in the water. They competed in archery, and whoever missed a shot would immediately face loud mockery from his companions.

In their eyes, the wild people were merely toys to be trifled with. It was rumored that the Emperor of Qian State possessed a grand imperial garden outside the imperial capital, where various wild animals were kept. Generations of rulers would periodically hunt there to display their "martial prowess."

But shooting animals kept in enclosures couldn't compare to the thrill of shooting people.

One could more clearly perceive their expressions, more intensely feel their fear, and more deeply taste their despair. This, in turn, would stimulate one's nerves far more.

The Yan region did not indulge in Five-rock powder, but it seemed the sensations experienced here were even more intoxicating than taking drugs.

The lament, "When will this cycle of vengeance ever cease?" found no place in this moment.

In this world, idealistic notions often held no sway. The law of the jungle, no matter how many layers of civility it wore, never truly changed its essence.

Most importantly, when the Yan Army suffered its devastating defeat last time, neither the wild people nor the Chu people had shown an ounce of mercy. Thus, they could hardly blame the Yan people for repaying them in kind, with interest, today.

Some Yan Army soldiers, ordinarily reserved in nature, acted with deliberate savagery at this moment. They laughed boisterously, intentionally creating a greater din, and reveled in tormenting the wild people, whether they were fleeing or kneeling and begging for mercy.

In their minds, the souls of the tens of thousands of their fellow soldiers who had perished here in the last battle must still be lingering in the skies above. They had to let them see this.

Groups of Yan soldiers relentlessly pursued the scattering wild people. Having completely lost their formations and the will to fight, the wild people could no longer muster any meaningful resistance.

Even when cornered into a desperate last stand, roaring in defiance as they turned to fight, they found it nearly impossible to take even one enemy down with them.

Whether it was the North Border Army or Lord Jingnan's Army, their coordination was impeccable. Without needing orders from their Squad Leader, everyone instinctively knew their roles—who would bait, who would kite, who would charge, and who would make the piercing attack.

Even the fiercest tiger would struggle against such a disciplined pack of wolves, much less the wild people, who were hardly tigers when facing the elite of the Yan Army.

The slaughter continued unabated. The true toll of casualties in a war often mounted most rapidly after one side had been routed.

The Yan Army's accumulated resentment and bitterness, coupled with Lord Jingnan's order of "no prisoners," transformed the wild people's rout into a gruesome feast of slaughter for the Yan soldiers to indulge in.

This was the first time Ran Min had witnessed such a victory. He saw the once-arrogant wild people now resembling terrified chickens and ducks, wailing, weeping, and begging for their lives.

When his saber sliced through their necks, the gushing blood scalded his wrist and face.

Blood was, of course, hot. Freshly spilled blood, naturally, was even hotter.

Ran Min, who had once made his living as an escort in the street, was no stranger to blood or death. However, a slaughter on this grand scale was an entirely different kind of experience.

Compared to the scene unfolding before his eyes, his killing of Hou San back then at the government office, which had seemed so heroic in the ways of the street, was truly nothing more than a crude, insignificant scuffle.

A true man should kill on the battlefield, amidst the storm of war!

Ran Min touched his armor again. He knew that this suit, which he had worn for only a few days, would soon have to be returned.

The squad leader galloped past Ran Min, laughing heartily. He shouted, "Don't you worry about a thing! Just slaughter a few more wild people, and who knows, this armor might just become yours to keep!"

There was a time when many Yan people, including numerous court officials, believed that the Yan State possessed three preeminent armies: the North Border Army, Lord Jingnan's Army, and the Imperial Guards stationed in the capital.

After the campaigns to conquer the Qian State and annex half of the Jin State began, the Imperial Guards were mentioned less frequently. Instead, they were broken into several units and tasked with assisting in regional defense.

Now, after this Battle of Wang River, the North Border Army and Lord Jingnan's Army would once again, and this time decisively, cement their reputation as Yan's most formidable cavalry.

Actually, there was something more the squad leader hadn't said, something not quite suitable to voice aloud.

The squad leader was originally from the Imperial Guards and was a seasoned veteran. Though he hailed from Yanjing and usually liked to boast, always carrying himself with an air of "Heaven is first, and I am second," his perceptiveness in certain matters was indeed a cut above the rest.

At present, the Earl of North Border's daughter was betrothed to the Crown Prince, and half of the North Border Army had been given as part of her dowry.

In reality, this meant that the North Border Army, to a certain extent, had already been assimilated by the Emperor and integrated into the state's forces.

But Lord Jingnan's Army was still an independent force!

Li Bao had fallen in battle, leaving the position of General of Quhe City vacant. Now, Li Fusheng, under the direct command of Lord Jingnan, had just led them to victory in this battle of vengeance...

Once they continued eastward, they would completely expel the wild people from the Three Jin region and, at the same time, remove that thorn in their side—Jade Plate City...