Chapter 1 The Blunt Beginning

Zheng Fan's opening remarks left all the soldiers in the training ground somewhat stunned.

Including the barbarian soldiers; they'd been in the Yan Kingdom long enough, and after their daily training, they were forced to learn the language. Now, although they still stuttered a bit, understanding them wasn't a big problem.

But even the barbarian soldiers' simple honesty was shocked by their "master's" domineering and direct opening.

Huo Guang took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

Zuo Jiqian wanted to laugh, but couldn't.

In the training ground, the majority were aristocratic criminals. To some extent, they had once been the elite of the Yan Kingdom. Regarding the Emperor's order to exile them to the Southern Frontier after their families were overthrown, they had their own guesses, and it was actually easy to guess.

However, everyone instinctively avoided thinking about it, because their fate was already like this. It was better to be simple and fantasize about earning military merits to free their families from slavery, and to think further ahead, to dream of restoring their family.

The more desperate people were, the more they craved hope.

Earlier, everyone was clear that Cuiliu Fort was about to send troops out. Their military commander, who had to rest for half a month even with a cold, was finally going to lead them to earn military merits. They were all actually impatient.

However, since the military commander was going to speak, everyone sat down obediently to listen, then shouted a few slogans to show their determination, just going through the motions.

They understood etiquette better than ordinary soldiers, and were more cooperative in their demeanor.

However,

When such blunt words came from their military commander's mouth,

Everyone was dumbfounded, not knowing how to cooperate.

Were they supposed to shout in unison: Thank you, Military Commander, for translating the court's intentions to us?

The truth was always hidden because the truth easily hurt people.

Standing in front of the crowd, Zheng Fan smiled at the silent scene.

He wasn't good at speeches, because as a homebody manga artist in his previous life, and due to the nature of his work, there were basically no opportunities to appear in public.

But in this life, he had experienced and seen more, and his courage had been cultivated.

These were very taboo words, and people at most speculated about them darkly in their hearts, but not many dared to say them out loud.

Zheng Fan didn't know if there were hidden spies from the Secret Intelligence Division among these aristocratic criminals in Cuiliu Fort, but he wasn't afraid of being reported.

Others needed to be low-key, avoid suspicion, and be cautious.

But he, Zheng Fan,

Didn't need to.

As someone who had broken a prince's limbs, who would he be trying to avoid suspicion and be low-key for?

He had already done that, so why care about a few taboo words?

"What I'm saying is the truth, because that's what I think."

The criminal soldiers in the training ground were silent again.

"But how should I put it? Fate has already brought us here. I know that you were once young masters, people with status and position. Some of you may have even been graded."

Here, "graded" didn't refer to martial arts ranks, but to a political tacit understanding between the Ji family and the aristocratic families that had existed for over a hundred years. After all, the Yan Kingdom, unlike the Qian Kingdom, didn't have the imperial examination.

"However, the past glory, the past splendor, are all just fleeting clouds. Now, you are prisoners, and your families have been reduced to slavery.

They should be working now, pounding rice, weaving cloth, living the lives of official slaves. Those days are really hard, very tiring, and easily break people."

The expressions on the faces of the criminal soldiers began to change. Their emotions were gradually being aroused, but it wasn't clear if it was toward the court or toward… Zheng Fan.

"The court wants you to die here, because the court knows, and you yourselves know, that you hate the court."

Zheng Fan continued to speak the truth, and the atmosphere in the training ground began to become increasingly strange.

A good pre-war speech should have been high-spirited, with a broken wine bowl and a rousing slogan, full of heroic spirit, but Zheng Fan's speech felt like a funeral oration.

"Master, is this going too far?" Xue San asked the blind man.

The blind man shook his head and said, "Don't compete with Master on who can tell a story better."

Xue San nodded thoughtfully and said, "Oh, right."

Zheng Fan took a deep breath,

And continued loudly:

"However, meeting me is your good fortune. Less than a year ago, I was just a commoner.

To put it bluntly, if I had met you back then, I would have had to bow and respectfully call you 'Sir' or 'Young Master.'

I'm from Beifeng County. One day, I was conscripted to be a civilian laborer transporting grain and provisions.

Of the more than two thousand civilian laborers, most of them died in the desert, but I didn't die. Not only did I not die, but I also earned my first military merit!

The princess of the Zhenbei Marquis wanted to take me as a servant, but I refused!

Because I wanted to be an official, I wanted to get rich, I wanted to live a good life!

And don't laugh at me for being stupid, because I really thought I was going to be a servant in the Marquis's household. I was ignorant back then, a country bumpkin!

Later, I risked my life to save a prince, and although I spent a long time in bed, I thought it was worth it, as long as he didn't die!

After coming here, I was the first to lead troops to fight the Qian Kingdom. I entered the Qian Kingdom's Mianzhou City and brought back the heads of the officials there.

Don't look at these forts and warlords next door who are happily leading troops to make trouble on the border of the Qian Kingdom every day, they are all eating my leftovers!

I'm telling you all this not to brag about anything, but just to tell you one thing.

That is,

You are very lucky,

Because you met someone as lucky as me.

Following me, I can't guarantee that all of you will survive. I'm sure you don't believe that either. People will definitely die, but I will make your deaths worthwhile. I can let you survive as much as possible, and earn as much military merit as possible.

Following me, I can quickly help your families escape slavery with your military merits. Following me, I can help you make a comeback faster!

The Zuo family and the Huo family are gone,

But you still have a chance to rise again!

I give you hope. At this time, I am your last and best hope!

However, I have one more request for you, a very simple request. I hope you'll listen to it, considering that I've been feeding you so well these past two weeks.

That is, if I'm not completely dead on the battlefield and still have a breath left, don't forget to pull me along when you're escaping!"

"Hahaha…"

The very serious atmosphere suddenly erupted in collective laughter. Zheng Fan also laughed.

"Tsk." Ah Ming shook his head behind them and said, "Master used to like imitating Chen Daoming, but who is he imitating now? The Jingnan Marquis or the Zhenbei Marquis, or maybe the Yan Emperor?"

Liang Cheng said, "Can't it be… Master himself?"

Ah Ming's eyes widened slightly and said, "Hmm, as expected, the one who talks the least usually knows how to scratch the itch."

At this moment,

The blind man Bei clapped his hands,

And Xiao Yibo brought over a basket with his men. Inside were letters.

In this era, there was no free shipping. Sending letters by post was expensive and inconvenient, so sending letters, short distances were okay, but once the distance was a bit longer, it depended on luck.

"Whose letters are these?" Xue San asked the blind man.

"Letters from family members," the blind man Bei replied.

Zheng Fan didn't seem surprised at all by the basket that Xiao Yibo and the others brought up. He pointed directly at the basket and shouted:

"These are letters from your families. Not everyone has one, but there are quite a few. I've taken care of the local officials and guards. The work is still heavy, and life is definitely not as good as before. It's tiring, that's for sure, but I've done my best."

When their families were overthrown, their assets were definitely confiscated by the court. Their wealth and connections were directly severed under the iron hooves of the Zhenbei Army.

They were criminals, and their families were official slaves. Of course, they themselves had no way or ability to manage things, so when Zheng Fan said these words, the people from the Huo family and the Zuo family looked at Zheng Fan differently.

After all, not everyone in this world was Xiao Yibo, and not everyone was the Jingnan Marquis.

The Yan people, after all, weren't barbarians. Although they didn't have the flourishing etiquette, culture, morality, and writings like the Qian Kingdom, the Yan people still valued filial piety and loyalty.

They didn't choose to escape on the way they were being escorted, and they didn't choose to leave after Zheng Fan distributed armor and warhorses to them. What was the reason?

Wasn't it because their families were in the hands of the court?

You had to know that there were quite a few martial artists among the Huo family and the Zuo family who had attained a rank, and that Huo Guang was even an eighth-rank martial artist!

If they wanted to run, they could have run during the escort, but they didn't. They still wanted to use military merits to exchange for their families' freedom.

And now,

This military commander had actually taken care of things for them. This touched them even more than treating them to meat every meal.

Huo Guang stood up,

And after receiving the letter that Xiao Yibo handed him, he didn't rush to open it.

Instead, he slowly knelt down on one knee towards Zheng Fan.

Normally,

They had to salute,

Even though their military commander had been wearing a cotton-padded jacket for more than half a month and looked like a wealthy man, the proper etiquette was still there.

But this time,

This kneel,

Carried genuine sincerity.

Zuo Jiqian also stood up. He naturally knew that Zheng Fan was trying to win people's hearts, but there was nothing he could do. As one of those involved, he knew that he had taken the bait after Zheng Fan had done this.

So, Zuo Jiqian also knelt down.

In the training ground, the people from the Huo family and the Zuo family slowly stood up, and then knelt on one knee towards Zheng Fan.

"Hoo, Blind Man, this move of yours is really brilliant." Xue San couldn't help but admire.

The blind man Bei smiled and said, "It wasn't my idea."

"It wasn't your idea? Then who…"

The blind man Bei had actually thought of this method, but hadn't mentioned it in his correspondence with the Sixth Prince in Cuiliu Fort.

Because the blind man knew that the Sixth Prince's business and industries seemed vast, but the actual surplus wasn't much, because although he was surnamed "Ji," the protection fees he paid were probably more than those of ordinary big merchants.

The armaments and warhorses in Cuiliu Fort were, to be honest, a bit more luxurious than those of the Jingnan Army. It seemed that this was already close to the Sixth Prince's limit.

To ask him to help take care of the Huo family and Zuo family clansmen who had been demoted to official slaves would be expensive and, at this juncture, cracking down on aristocratic families was practically the political norm in the Yan Kingdom. Doing this now would entail a great deal of political risk.

However, although the blind man hadn't mentioned it, since Master had returned this time, he had started occasionally flipping through the letters and intelligence sent by the Sixth Prince, and would also occasionally reply to some of them.

This should have been what Master asked the Sixth Prince to do. What was interesting was that the Sixth Prince had actually managed to do it, despite such an outrageous request.

It seemed that the relationship between Master and the Sixth Prince was really good.

The blind man Bei initially thought that Master was flipping through the letters to seize power, but later Master explained that he was asked by the Sixth Prince in the roast duck restaurant, "Did you even read the letters you sent back?"

This made Master a little embarrassed, so he took the time to reply and casually sent some golden phrases to the Sixth Prince.

As for whether helping with this matter would cause the Sixth Prince to have a few more graves dug up,

That wasn't something Zheng Fan had to consider.

A渣男 (zhā nán, scumbag) was someone who demanded something, lit a cigarette afterward, and then turned around and asked: Who are you?

"Our Master has grown up," the blind man Bei said with emotion.

"Oh, I'm going to snitch later," Xue San said.

"Hehe," the blind man Bei said, unconcerned.

"I'm going to tell Mo Wan that you actually want to be his grandfather."

"…" the blind man Bei.

"We'll set off in half an hour. We either don't play, or we play big. Maybe, after we come back this time, your military merits will be enough to free your families from slavery."

"We are willing to die for you, my lord!"

"We are willing to die for you, my lord!"

First, state the purpose directly, and say something shocking,

Then, lay the groundwork and extend the idea, followed by a transition, then emotion, and finally, draw a big cake.

After the speech,

Zheng Fan didn't continue to watch the scene of the soldiers kneeling before him.

He just reached out and rubbed his temples.

Sometimes, when you use routines too much, they become instinctual. You don't even realize you're using them.

But this feeling of winning people's hearts was really good and could bring a great sense of satisfaction.

Si Niang stepped forward and draped a black cloak over Zheng Fan's shoulders.

"No, I'm not cold."

"Master, you just recovered from your cold."

"No, I don't want a cloak."

Zheng Fan was very firm.

The Jingnan Marquis's gilded armor and red cloak were indeed incredibly handsome, fulfilling people's perfect imagination of what a marshal should look like.

But the Jingnan Marquis was a third-rank martial artist. What was the concept of a third-rank martial artist? Back then, Sha Tuoqueshi, who was also a third-rank martial artist, had played the "magic power of love merry-go-round" for a long time under the charge of thousands of Zhenbei cavalry.

So, the Jingnan Marquis could be flamboyant and handsome in battle, but Zheng Fan didn't have that ability. Even his armor was the same as the armor of his subordinates.

Zheng Fan was afraid of death, and the battlefield was the easiest place to die.

"Master, rest assured, I will be by your side."

These words hurt a man's self-esteem a bit. A man actually needed a woman to protect him.

But you couldn't deny that if a beautiful mature woman said she wanted to protect you, the feeling was pretty good. Straight male machismo also needed to be applied in the right context.

However, Zheng Fan still smiled and said:

"When that time really comes, let the blind man and the others die in front of me, and you die behind me."

Zheng Fan's attitude towards Si Niang was different.

"Hehe, Master, it doesn't matter if I die behind you or not," Si Niang teased.

If you die, I might die soon after.

"That's true," Zheng Fan smiled as well.

However, Zheng Fan was still very much looking forward to this expedition.

Last time, he and Liang Cheng had casually gone out for a spin, but at that time, he had often thought that if Xue San was by his side, if the blind man and the others were by his side, wouldn't it be much easier to deal with these situations?

This time, everyone was setting off together. Zheng Fan was really looking forward to what surprises these demon kings, who had been suppressed for so long, could bring him.

The other warlord colleagues were like headless flies crashing around the border of the Qian Kingdom, but ultimately didn't make much of a sound. That was pretty good. With their foundation, he could shine even brighter.

At this time, Zheng Fan suddenly discovered that he really liked this Yan Kingdom. Under the strong leadership of the Yan Emperor and the two Marquises, the current Dayan was an enterprising country, and also the most suitable country for ambitious people to develop and grow.

At this time, Xue San walked to Xiao Yibo's side. Xiao Yibo understood and followed Xue San into the fort.

Xue San walked in front, and Xiao Yibo followed behind.

Xiao Yibo had a very good relationship with Xue San, because the other adults, Si Niang, was very beautiful, really very beautiful, but Xiao Yibo didn't even dare to fantasize about it in bed at night.

Because it was Si Niang who had brought Xiao Yibo the most terrifying psychological shadow. The other adults were very arrogant and didn't like to talk, and every time you talked to Fan Li, Fan Li would take you to chop wood…

Only Xue San was humorous, willing to talk to him, and didn't put on any airs.

"You're being left behind to watch the house. Are you unhappy about it?"

"No, this is the adults' trust in me."

"Tell the truth."

"A little."

"Well, but someone has to guard the house."

"I understand."

"Well, you don't have much talent for martial arts, but it's not bad to be a butler in the future."

"I understand."

"Well, by the way, let me ask you again. If, after we leave, the fort is suddenly attacked by bandits and you definitely can't defend it with the remaining people, what will you do?"

Xiao Yibo immediately said:

"I will immediately destroy the grain and weapons in the warehouse…"

Xue San jumped up,

And slapped Xiao Yibo on the head.

"Ouch… Lord, did I do something wrong?"

"Do you think it's easy for us to save up this little fortune? You're going to burn it just like that?"

"Ah… Um, then what should I do?"

Xue San pointed to the house in front,

That house wasn't any of the adults' rooms, but usually, no one was allowed to enter it. Several times when Xiao Yibo passed by the door of that house, he seemed to feel a chill coming from his heart.

"When that kind of situation really happens, you should run here and kneel down in front of this door."

"Kneel down?"

"That's right, kneel down."

"Lord, kneel down and then what?"

"Shout."

"Lord, what should I shout?"

"Grandpa, save me!"