Chapter 1 The New Stage of War

The new stage of the war has begun, and after a long period of calm, the sounds of clashing metal echo once more along the Wangjiang line.

If at first, the Yan people were helping the Cheng people, or rather the Jin people, to drive out the wild men and incidentally annex the Cheng state, now, the nature of the war has changed. This is a war of revenge for the Yan people.

The Yan people, proud for a hundred years, have never been defeated so miserably. They urgently need a new, great victory to brush away the dust that has just stained their glory.

Even during the most brutal battles with the barbarians, after a defeat, they would immediately gather a new group of men and continue to fight the barbarians, emphasizing courage and ferocity. This was etched into the bones of the Yan people. If they were even slightly softer, the Yan people would not only fail to have their current national power but perhaps their country would no longer exist.

On that day, tens of thousands of Yan corpses floated in the Wangjiang River. That was a debt of blood that must be repaid!

…

After nightfall, the Shengle Army began to cross the river. The frozen river surface had been covered with everything nearby that could be used to facilitate the army's passage to the greatest extent possible.

Because of thorough preparation, the army crossed the river very quickly. Everything seemed orderly, without the slightest chaos.

The thousand or so riders who crossed the river first, led by Liang Cheng, did not choose to deploy defenses or provide cover on the opposite bank. Instead, they proactively moved upstream, brazenly beginning to sweep and kill the Chu scouts.

This was a lesson learned from the previous failure of the left-wing army. They took the lead in expanding the blind spots in the Chu army's military vision along this line, preventing them from understanding the situation at the first moment. By the second half of the night, the entire army had crossed the river. The central army was directly converted into an advance force, the rear army became the central army, and scouts were sent to notify Liang Cheng's unit. The original advance force, after sweeping around, followed the main force as the rear army.

Perhaps the Yan people's river crossing was too fast and too sudden, and coupled with the fact that San'er and his men had thoroughly scouted back and forth for this river crossing, and with the advance preparation and paving by the laborers, the whole process went smoothly.

Before dawn, the Shengle Army had penetrated deep into the east bank, basically breaking away from the Chu army's Wangjiang defense line. The Chu people simply didn't have time to make any resistance or response.

Next, the Shengle Army would become a completely isolated force, and the following time would be the so-called… free rein.

Tian Wujing understood Zheng Fan's "capabilities."

Perhaps,

In the eyes of the Marquis of Jingnan, given Zheng Fan's military level and vision, sending his unit to the rear without imposing any restrictions or setting fixed targets would allow Zheng Fan to perform even better.

And to a certain extent, Zheng Fan could also be considered Tian Wujing's "prized student." The Marquis of Jingnan had only ever taught one student in his life, truly confining him to his side, instructing him morning and evening. Even the First Prince didn't receive such treatment.

During that time, Zheng Fan's performance satisfied the Marquis of Jingnan greatly.

And during that time, General Zheng certainly felt a lot of pressure, as if he had suddenly returned to school, busy preparing for exams every day. Fortunately, he had a top student by his side selflessly helping him, which allowed him to cope with the demanding mentor.

On the Marquis of Jingnan's chessboard, Zheng Fan's Shengle Army was a live piece. After placing it in that position, it could often bring you great variables.

As for the front,

The Marquis of Jingnan would naturally handle it personally.

…

After the army crossed the river,

General Zheng once again used the unique skill not included in *The Art of War by Zheng* – the double release.

In an instant, he went from being a high-ranking commander of an army to a simple, unassuming soldier.

So simple that even his warhorse and armor were no different from the other armored soldiers around him, truly an example of being people-friendly and absolutely not engaging in any special treatment!

And the command of the army was naturally handed over to Liang Cheng.

In fact, after two years of tempering, General Zheng's level had improved greatly. It wasn't that he didn't want to practice himself.

It was like someone who had just gotten their driver's license, looking at the steering wheel and feeling eager to try it out.

But the problem was that the cost of this operation was a bit too high, many times more serious than the consequences of scraping someone's car on the road.

Often the lives of tens of thousands of people were decided by your single thought, especially with the First Prince, who had just been highly expected and then suffered a defeat, as a cautionary tale. To be safe, General Zheng decided to continue observing.

Let's wait a little longer,

Until the family's foundation is thick enough, and it doesn't matter if I fail a little, then I'll personally handle it.

After the army advanced eastward, without any rest, the Shengle Army's luxurious equipment was fully displayed at this time. Generally, everyone had two horses, and some barbarian soldiers were even more extravagant with three horses per person, two warhorses and one packhorse. The army's mobility and sustainability were therefore well guaranteed.

This was also thanks to the Shengle City receiving a great replenishment of warhorses during the Marquis of Jingnan's conquest of the Snow Plains last time. This time, they brought out all their family wealth, betting on this one.

Win and become a model, lose and carry bricks on the construction site!

Zheng Fan reached out and touched the Demon Pill in the groove on his chest,

And looked at A'ming galloping on horseback in front of him,

And then looked at the Sword Saint riding alongside him,

*Hu*,

His heart,

Felt much steadier.

This feeling of ten thousand horses galloping made Zheng Fan unable to help but recall the scene when he followed Li Fusheng into the Qian Kingdom during the battle at Cuiliu Fort.

Only then, he and his soldiers were just an addition, and now, he was on his own.

The Sword Saint seemed particularly excited. To be honest, he had been suppressed for a long time. This year could be said to be truly unlucky; he couldn't do anything right, always messing up.

Now, he had unloaded all responsibilities and burdens. He only needed to be responsible for killing people, killing people with his sword.

Perhaps, this was the true happiness of the Sword Saint.

"How much further, how much further is Fengxin from here!"

The Sword Saint asked Zheng Fan.

The Sword Saint didn't need to shout to speak; he could directly transmit his voice with his qi. Zheng Fan heard it very clearly, but when Zheng Fan replied, he had to shout back, because the sound of ten thousand horses galloping around was too loud.

"Are you a Jin person or am I a Jin person? You're actually asking me about this!"

"I don't know."

The Sword Saint answered very directly.

Because Fengxin wasn't a famous city, nor was it a military stronghold. It was famous for Fengxin paper, a favorite of painters, so the Sword Saint had never been there.

It could be said that if Situ Yi hadn't moved the fake Cheng Dynasty capital here, this small county town called Fengxin probably wouldn't have needed to be paid attention to in this great war. These small county towns were basically places that could be captured by a simple announcement after the great war ended and the situation was set.

But history was often so magical. This small county town, famous for its papermaking industry, would inevitably be heavily marked in the history books because of this.

"Soon, probably by night," Zheng Fan shouted.

This was estimated according to the speed of a long-distance raid. The goal was to create a time difference. When the messenger sent by the front to report to the rear wasn't even as fast as Zheng Fan's army, how could Fengxin City have time to react?

And there weren't complete post stations along this line, nor were there any beacon towers. The Situ family's original beacon tower system relied on the line from the Tianduan Mountains to the Xuehai Pass. They never thought that their domestic hinterland would become a main battlefield for various forces.

And this was actually the terror of cavalry in this era. In an era without telegrams and telephones, the rapid movement of cavalry was enough to make the generals of any defensive side feel overwhelmed.

The Sword Saint's face was slightly flushed,

And he actually said to Zheng Fan in a somewhat chuunibyou manner:

"My sword, can't help but want to drink blood!"

It was clearly a top-notch sword in the world, and in Zheng Fan's opinion, some aspects of the Sword Saint's character could definitely make Zheng Fan willingly believe that he was the number one swordsman in the world.

It's just that the Sword Saint was a bit miserable. First, he ruined his family, then he ruined his country, and then he ruined himself. After three consecutive defeats, from the individual to the family to the country, almost everything was wiped out.

"I'll help you!"

Zheng Fan shouted loudly.

"You're a knife user, what do you know about swords?"

This was the weapon disdain chain; sword players looked down on knife users.

"I can help you package it!"

"What, coat it?" (referring to adding a patina to a sword)

"........." Zheng Fan.

…

Although the army's progress had been at a steady pace, the specific responsibilities of each unit were still very clear. At this time, Jin Shuke's troops were the vanguard army, and the First Prince was also among them.

The Pixiu's running speed was indeed faster than that of warhorses, and its endurance was also better. The First Prince was like a courier brother driving a Lamborghini to work at the courier station; he couldn't keep a low profile even if he wanted to.

However, he had always been very dutiful. Since he had been demoted by the Marquis of Jingnan to serve as a captain here, he had always followed Jin Shuke's orders and never overstepped his authority.

At dusk, the vanguard army arrived at the outskirts of Fengxin City.

"Listen to me, everyone. In the area ahead, shoot and kill everything you see, whether it's soldiers or civilians!"

Jin Shuke directly issued orders to his subordinates. He needed to quickly disperse his seven or eight hundred men to provide cover for the arrival of the subsequent army.

At this moment, there was no time for you to distinguish between enemy soldiers and civilians. Even if they were civilians, who could guarantee that they wouldn't pass on the message?

The shooting operation began, and the First Prince also drew his bow and nocked an arrow, joining in this cleanup without any complaints.

After the sun had completely set, Jin Shuke and the First Prince moved closer to the city.

Fengxin City was small, and the city walls weren't high. They seemed a bit dilapidated. In short, it wasn't a strong city. Outside the city, there were many tents, and cheers, laughter, and the cries of women could be heard from inside from time to time.

The west and north of the city were two military camps, built very casually. The south and east of the city were like settlements for refugees, with many refugees gathered nearby.

"Heh."

Jin Shuke couldn't help but laugh. Those who knew the situation would know that what was in front of them was the current capital of a country. Those who didn't know might think it was a den of bandits.

In fact, in the beginning, Situ Yi had some ambitions. The seven imperial edicts issued when he first ascended the throne and established the country showed that although he had done things that betrayed the country for his own glory, he wasn't completely brainless. He had really thought about doing things well and re-establishing a new Dacheng country to restore the glory of the Situ family.

But in the Battle of Wangjiang, Situ Yi was sold clean. Yupan City was occupied by the Chu people, and he could only "move the capital" to this remote small city. Therefore, he had completely given up on himself.

"I estimate that the total number of people inside and outside the city should be about two thousand," the First Prince said.

This was the last foundation of this "dynasty."

Perhaps Situ Yi himself was already prepared to ask the wild men or the Chu people for a "Duke" to be after the war, and he didn't intend to pursue anything else. The more he tried, the faster he might die. Being able to get the treatment of a "wealthy nobleman" would be enough for him.

Of course, the premise was that the Yan people couldn't defeat Wangjiang.

"I was saying that when we were cleaning up here just now, we didn't see many people on the road, and even in some villages, there weren't many left. These guys are crueler to their own people than we 'outsiders' are.

Your Highness, what do you think? If we led five hundred cavalry and charged directly, is there a chance of seizing the gate?"

The news of the frontline war restarting probably hadn't reached here yet, so Fengxin City was basically undefended. The city gate hadn't been closed after nightfall, and soldiers were constantly going in and out, not patrolling, but playing around. A den of bandits, wasn't it just for everyone to have fun at night?

"You want to do it?"

The First Prince looked at Jin Shuke.

Jin Shuke bit his lip, obviously weighing the pros and cons. After a short while, he shook his head and said:

"Forget it, the General has arrangements."

If he was just a pure vanguard army, then he could act on his own in many things, but before he set out, he had actually received specific military orders. In this case, if he still wanted to forcibly take risks, even if he succeeded in the end, the demerit would outweigh the merit.

"Arrangements?" The First Prince immediately understood and said: "General Zheng had his eye on Situ Yi a long time ago?"

Jin Shuke nodded and said: "Yes."

There was nothing to hide about this.

"Coo… coo… coo…"

When Jin Shuke heard the sound of a bird, he immediately got up, raised his hand, and shouted to a group of his subordinates:

"Our own people, lower your bows!"

The surrounding barbarian soldiers put away their bows and arrows.

Then,

From the dead forest in the west, Xue San's figure walked out.

There was a force that had actually arrived faster than the vanguard army, and that was Xue San and his scouts. They had secretly crossed the river and touched here almost two days before the main army.

Xue San simply nodded to Jin Shuke, then sat down, silently chewing on a stalk of grass in his mouth.

Seeing that Xue San didn't want to communicate, Jin Shuke obediently didn't go forward, but instead continued to arrange the defenses of his subordinates.

Not long after, a knight came riding a horse. After seeing Jin Shuke and Xue San on the other side, he immediately dismounted and knelt on one knee in front of Xue San.

Before he could speak, Xue San directly asked:

"How long until the main force arrives?"

"Half an hour."

"Good, I understand."

Then, Xue San turned his head to look at Jin Shuke, shook his head helplessly, and then Xue San's gaze turned to the First Prince and said:

"Your Highness, do you want to go in and have some fun together?"

"Seize the gate?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"If there's anything I can do, just tell me."

Hearing this, Xue San nodded with a satisfied smile.

Not long after, the sound of warhorses approaching could be heard. There weren't many cavalrymen who came, only a few dozen, and the leader was Zheng Fan.

Beside Zheng Fan were the Sword Saint and A'ming.

After Zheng Fan dismounted, he first looked at Xue San and asked: "How are the preparations?"

"Reporting to the General, this subordinate is ready. We can set off now."

Zheng Fan nodded, indicating that he understood, and at the same time said:

"Then let's begin, the main force is almost here."

"You, you, you, you, you, and you, and you, come with me, let's prepare and change clothes."

The last two "you's" were directed at the First Prince and the Sword Saint respectively.

The clothes had been prepared a long time ago. Xue San pushed aside the dead branches, and inside was a box. After the box was opened, it was found to contain a set of fairly exquisite civilian clothes, mainly literati robes.

"Take off your armor and change into these clothes. I've already made arrangements. We'll enter from the west gate, and we'll seize the west gate."

The people around him began to change clothes. The First Prince hesitated for a moment, then also took off his armor and chose a white literati robe to put on.

"Is it necessary to go to this trouble?"

The Sword Saint looked at Xue San with some doubt.

He felt that with his sword, and leading dozens of people, he could charge over and block the city gate, waiting for the main force to rush in.

He was the Sword Saint, and he certainly had the confidence to think that way.

But Xue San shook his head and said: "Life needs a sense of ritual. Besides, there are still quite a few troops in the military camp outside."

The Sword Saint didn't insist and chose a dark blue robe to put on.

Xue San took out a few more boxes from the box and said:

"Well, look at you guys, you all have such a strong horse smell on you, wipe this on, suppress the smell, don't let it be smelled."

As he spoke, Xue San also kindly and enthusiastically helped the First Prince wipe it on.

The First Prince stood there, letting Xue San apply the cosmetics.

Xue San then turned to the Sword Saint,

The Sword Saint was obviously a little resistant to this,

But under Xue San's statement that the overall situation was important,

The Sword Saint still succumbed.

Now, as long as he could go to the city gate and kill people, kill those dogs who recognized thieves as their fathers, he was willing to do anything.

Xue San then looked at A'ming and asked doubtfully: "Why didn't you change your clothes?"

"I have to protect the Lord." A'ming's answer was impeccable.

"Okay, everyone, follow me, my people are waiting for us in front. Be natural later, don't be restrained. After we get to the city gate, wait for my orders before taking action. No matter what happens along the way, you have to endure it!"

Xue San gave another instruction and left with these nine people.

Zheng Fan looked at A'ming with some curiosity and said: "Not going to play?"

A'ming shook his head and said: "Nothing good will come of it."

Zheng Fan nodded in agreement,

And said:

"That's why I didn't go either."

…

In front, there were indeed people to meet them, and there were three ox carts waiting.

Xue San signaled the First Prince and the Sword Saint and others to get on, and signaled the people in front to pull the carts.

The ox carts slowly moved forward,

The First Prince's gaze had been roving around, but he found that his team was actually passing through the military camp in such a grand and aboveboard manner. The rebel soldiers nearby saw them, but they were just laughing, and didn't come forward to stop them or interrogate them.

Was the laxity of the defenses to this extent?

Or was there something special about the team they were in? Were they trusted so much by the rebels here?

The Sword Saint also noticed that the rebel soldiers who passed by them were just pointing and laughing at the people sitting on the ox carts, but they didn't pay too much attention to them.

When the team was about to reach the west city gate, a pot-bellied man who looked like a general walked over drunkenly with a few guards and stopped the carts.

"Stop, don't go forward, stop, stop for this General!"

For a moment,

Everyone on the carriages held their breath,

Had they been discovered?

"Damn it, let this General take a look, let this General take a close look, tsk tsk tsk, so handsome."

This rebel general first approached, pointed at the First Prince, and said:

"A little dark, but tough, tsk tsk, there's that untamed wildness."

Then,

This rebel general looked at the Sword Saint sitting on the other side,

And said:

"A little old, but the face and hands are so white and tender, that body must be very soft and definitely knows how to serve people, hahahaha.

Alright, these two 'rabbit lords' (a derogatory term for homosexuals), this General has decided on them."

"........." The First Prince.

"........." The Sword Saint.