Chapter 1 The Descent of Magic

The ship docked, the army disembarked, deployed, divided its forces, and laid siege. Although special emphasis was placed on caution, even to the point of deliberately committing murder to silence witnesses in order to minimize the chance of exposing their movements;

But this kind of concealment was destined to be unsustainable.

Surprise attacks have a limited time frame, especially when it involves more than ten thousand soldiers, not just a hundred or so bandits. This might have worked in the desert, snowy plains, or even on Meng Mountain or Qi Mountain, but in the capital region, it was a laughable notion.

However, it was enough.

At least, for now, Zheng Boye's unexpected military maneuver had achieved excellent results. The Zhang family, who had proactively "thrown themselves into his arms," was the best example. No one had ever imagined that Yan troops would appear here.

The idiom "darkness under the lamp" is something that anyone who has attended a private school can recite, but very few dare to use it in military strategy, and even fewer have used it effectively.

But,

Who asked me to have such good luck?

As the military orders were issued,

Fan Li, Gou Moli, and Jin Shuke's three divisions no longer concealed themselves and began to charge, outflank, and encircle rapidly.

The Yan army was already experienced in dealing with cities. The first step was to clear the periphery to isolate the target city.

The post stations, residences, and imperial cavalry used to deliver edicts to the north and south of Sheep City were all targets to be eliminated.

This process was not difficult and progressed smoothly. Except for a few Chu cavalrymen who managed to escape, most of the rest were annihilated.

At the same time,

The Yan army ostentatiously displayed the Black Dragon Banner and the Zheng character flag, shouting loudly at the city walls, acting extremely arrogant.

The series of events outside the city naturally alarmed the city. On the city walls, teams of royal guards were added to strengthen the defense. At the same time, all four city gates began to be sealed.

However, before the sealing, the southern gate, which was the last to be surrounded, released dozens of riders. After suffering nearly half casualties, they successfully broke through.

They were clearly going to call for reinforcements.

Zheng Boye didn't take it seriously, because judging by the looks of Sheep City, there shouldn't be many defenders inside, probably only about five thousand. These five thousand should be the most elite Chu imperial guards, personally guarding the Chu emperor.

In addition, there were the original defenders of Sheep City, plus the civilians who could be mobilized to help defend the city.

Under the banner of the Chu emperor,

These Chu civilians would definitely fight the Yan people desperately to protect their emperor.

There were no exploitable opportunities outside,

And elite troops guarding inside.

Unless Zheng Boye could conjure up a sufficient number of siege weapons out of thin air, plus a group of civilians who wouldn't sabotage and were wholeheartedly on his side;

Otherwise,

If he really forced a siege,

The outcome would definitely not be good.

One,

Mustn't be too greedy.

Zheng Boye felt that he had finally matured. After learning that his brother-in-law was actually in this city, and after personally observing the situation at the front line, his originally excited brain immediately cooled down.

Tsk,

I've improved,

And grown.

Zheng Boye even felt that if the Prince of Jingnan were standing beside him at this moment, he would praise him a few words.

Then,

After praising him,

He would immediately lead the troops to charge and eliminate the Chu regent. That would be the end of the war!

Great Yan, at this stage, cannot lose the Yan emperor;

His Chu kingdom, at this moment, cannot afford to lose the regent!

"Sigh..."

Zheng Boye sighed and sat down after A Ming unfolded the small stool.

Lao Tian is Lao Tian,

And I,

Am me.

He already had a kind of blind confidence in Lao Tian, but to be honest, he didn't dare to gamble.

If the hope was great, he would take a chance, and a mule might turn into a pixiu (mythical wild beast);

No problem, he could do it!

But precisely because the hope was too slim, and this was, after all, the capital region, with the regent's banner erected in this city, who knew when the Chu reinforcements would arrive, and they would definitely be extremely eager.

If he couldn't take it down, he would break a tooth, and then get surrounded like a dumpling, and that would truly be losing both his wife and his army.

Right now,

Surrounding "Brother-in-law" would force the Chu troops from all directions to converge here;

In this way,

Liang Cheng, who was active in the Jincheng area, would have much less pressure;

At the same time,

This was no longer exceeding the task given to him by the Prince of Jingnan; it was a huge overachievement!

Lao Tian only asked him to do six points, and he had already done twelve points;

Which meant that Lao Tian, who might have had to continue his superhuman performance,

Could now,

Perform normally.

Gou Moli, who was standing to one side, must have read Zheng Boye's mind from his expression, and immediately said:

"Lord, let me lead the troops and charge. We can build siege ladders tonight. The materials can be dismantled from the residences outside the city, which is very convenient."

Not charging was, after all, a bit unwilling.

Gou Moli was actually able to see things clearly. Back when the savages were at their strongest, and had just heavily damaged the Yan army in the first Battle of Wangjiang, he was already thinking about transporting the looted wealth, food, and population back to the snowy plains as soon as possible, sort out a retreat, not be attached to the old Jin lands, and return to the snowy plains for long-term planning.

In enduring what ordinary people cannot, Gou Moli was a model.

Zheng Boye shook his head,

And said:

"No need."

Gou Moli was slightly surprised. As an outsider who had gradually integrated into the core of the savage group;

He could actually perceive the changes, or rather... progress, in this lord more clearly than those demon kings who had been following Zheng Fan for many years.

That young man from Tiger Head City was now, even without those "teachers," actually capable of accomplishing great things on his own.

"Is the Chu regent really inside?" the Sword Saint asked.

"It's almost certain. Didn't you see how quiet the defenders on the wall are? This quietness first means that these defenders are elite, and second, it means that there is someone with absolute authority to keep the situation under control, giving the soldiers and civilians of the entire city peace of mind."

A county town in the capital region was suddenly surrounded by an Yan army bearing the Black Dragon banner;

Don't think that the people living in the capital region, the people under the emperor's feet, would be so loyal and brave. Although, according to common sense, they should be the people in a country who are living the best, they are often difficult to become the pillars of the empire, and instead often turn into the soft flesh of the empire.

Right now,

Outside Zhennan Pass, a million Yan and Chu troops were engaged in a fierce battle. According to normal understanding, the Yan army suddenly appearing outside Sheep City would cause the soldiers and civilians inside the city to react by thinking that the front lines had been completely defeated, the Yan people had invaded, and then they would begin to abandon the city and scatter.

But now,

It was quiet,

Quiet,

Very quiet.

"Really not attacking?" the Sword Saint asked again.

The Sword Saint liked to ask questions and didn't feel any shame in it because he also knew that Zheng Boye seemed to enjoy answering his questions.

Zheng Boye shook his head,

And said firmly:

"No attack."

At this moment,

A golden phoenix banner was suddenly raised on the walls of Sheep City.

The banner of the Chu Pillar State was also a golden phoenix, while the Chu imperial flag was embroidered with five golden phoenixes.

Four at the bottom, and one proudly at the top, symbolizing the Four Pillars of State supporting the emperor.

When this five-phoenix imperial flag was raised, the defenders on the city wall let out a neat cheer.

This meant that,

The morale of the army was available, and their morale was strong.

"Tsk."

Zheng Boye pointed to the city wall and said to the Sword Saint beside him:

"My brother-in-law is okay, right?"

The Sword Saint nodded and said, "He can be considered one of the more courageous emperors."

"Don't underestimate him. He's a good fighter."

The Sword Saint smiled:

"I didn't say I was going to help you assassinate him."

"Don't want to try?" Zheng Boye looked at the Sword Saint with anticipation.

"I'm just protecting you."

"Oh, all right."

Zheng Boye looked back and shouted to the guards:

"Didn't eat enough? Wave the flags and greet the Chu regent on the other side for me!"

The guards immediately used all their strength to wave the flags.

Great Yan once had a noble family, surnamed Zheng.

But after Zheng Boye rose to prominence,

When the Black Dragon banner and the "Zheng" character flag were put together, they often only represented that one particular person.

………

"Zheng..."

The regent stood on the city tower, looking at the flags waving below.

The development of events had exceeded his expectations. He really didn't expect that the Marquis of Pingye of Great Yan, his own brother-in-law, would suddenly appear before him.

The last time they met, he was a disciple of Yao Shi, sitting in the same carriage with him, talking and laughing freely, and even wrote a poem: "My hair bristles in rage, I lean on the railing";

This time they met, he brought so many troops and unknowingly killed his way into the heart of his Great Chu.

The changes in the world are always so unpredictable.

He really wanted to see him again,

It would be best,

If they could sit down,

And have a drink.

But this trend, which was once very popular before the two armies fought, had been ruined by one person.

………

"No need to convey these words. There's no point. He's too important to risk coming down for a meeting."

Zheng Boye decisively rejected He Chunlai's suggestion.

Everything was because of one person's disobedience to the rules, the bastard!

Yes,

Zheng Boye was cursing himself!

What was a Grimm?

How could he be worthy of being compared to the Great Chu Emperor in name, the Great Chu Regent?

Damn it,

If he had known that there was such a big fish waiting for him later,

He would have been blinded by lard to break the rules on Grimm in advance!

Wouldn't it have been better to save it for now?

Let the Sword Saint be the flag-bearer again, and he would go and catch up with his brother-in-law. How great would that be.

Of course,

This was just wishful thinking.

Zheng Boye had seen his brother-in-law fight before, although he believed that his brother-in-law would never be a match for the Sword Saint, it would be difficult to kill him.

Moreover, how could the Chu Emperor lack experts by his side?

Even if that Chu swordsmith wasn't by his side this time, there would definitely be someone who was no less than him to fill the gap.

Under the Tian Ji horse race strategy (a strategy of ordering one's assets, such as horses, from worst to best, and matching them with an opponent's),

He was really no match for his brother-in-law. He was the one holding him back.

"However, if I just stand here under the city and he stares at me from above, it would be a waste of this great atmosphere."

"Write a letter?" Gou Moli suggested.

Zheng Boye shook his head and said, "Not dramatic enough."

"Dramatic?"

Gou Moli realized that he still had a layer of separation from this core team.

A Ming suggested, "You can have the soldiers help shout."

Zheng Boye turned to look at A Ming and said, "I actually thought of Sima Yi."

A Ming smiled.

"Do you have a fan? You can give it to me first." Zheng Boye said, "So that it won't be 'Zheng Boye has' again later."

A Ming and Si Niang both laughed.

Gou Moli and He Chunlai looked at each other, unable to understand.

It wasn't that they couldn't find a fan,

But they couldn't find a suitable one that could be paired with his image at this time.

How should he put it,

Although he wasn't planning to attack the city, he still had to do something that could be boasted about and interpreted later. Sitting here dryly was too lacking in romance.

Zheng Boye looked at the Sword Saint,

And said:

"Can you help me with a favor?"

"What to do?"

"Later, let Long Yuan (sword name) be unsheathed and spin around my head a few times to make me more conspicuous."

This request was strange,

But the Sword Saint, who had even agreed to requests like killing pigs, still nodded.

Then,

Zheng Boye said to Gou Moli:

"Find two rows of people with loud voices and stand behind me. They will relay my words for me later."

After thinking about it,

Zheng Boye added:

"No, stand a little further away from me. You relay my words to them in the middle."

With Gou Moli's intelligence, he wouldn't make a fool of himself.

"Yes, Lord. I'll go now."

"Si Niang."

"I'm here."

"Help me put on the golden armor."

"Yes, Master."

………

On the city walls of Sheep City, the regent was holding a bowl of mutton soup that had just been sent to him, holding it in one hand, taking small sips.

Xiong Tingshan had led five thousand imperial guards north the day before, resulting in an insufficient number of defenders in his city. If Xiong Tingshan was still here, he could have opened the city gates and let his fifth brother lead the soldiers to charge.

But now,

He didn't need to gamble.

He should be able to defend this city, and most importantly, that person didn't seem to have any intention of preparing to attack the city.

Sighing,

The regent was a little helpless,

If Li Qing really wanted to be with him and not that young master Qu, she could have told his older brother in advance.

Clearly, these two had been secretly flirting for a long time.

He was right here. As long as he broke through this city wall, he could come directly to him.

The regent knew how attractive he was and knew what his identity meant.

But even so,

That person,

Actually still held back.

Alas...

The regent was really a little helpless. What a talented person.

However, the messenger had already been sent out. In fact, even if he hadn't specifically sent them out, as soon as his decree and memorial were interrupted, a large army would rush here.

Therefore, the regent wasn't worried about his safety.

What he was more worried about was the situation at Zhennan Pass.

It could be said that,

Because of Zheng Fan's appearance, the situation at Zhennan Pass would become extremely bad.

He didn't know if that slave, Nian Yao, could hold on.

He had tried his best, but sometimes, when faced with certain situations, such as now, he still felt a little helpless.

Just then,

From the Yan army's camp below the city wall,

Suddenly came several consecutive rounds of unison shouts:

"People on the city wall, listen up!"

"People on the city wall, listen up!"

"Whoosh!"

A sound of breaking through the air came. Long Yuan was unsheathed, dancing like a dragon in the sky, forming brilliant silver flowers, and then falling vertically, hovering below.

Under Long Yuan,

A man in golden armor stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the city walls of Sheep City.

"Marquis of Pingye..."

"That Yan lord..."

"The one who robbed the princess..."

On the city wall, people began to whisper.

Yan and Chu were currently at war, so although it was impossible for the Chu people to remember most of the Yan generals, they naturally knew those representative generals.

Not to mention their outstanding achievements,

Just the fact that he had snatched the princess back to be his "lady of the manor" was known to almost everyone in Chu.

Before long,

The orderly shouts came again from the Yan army formation below:

"Brother-in-law, have you eaten?"

"Brother-in-law, have you eaten?"

"Brother-in-law, have you eaten?"

For a time,

The Chu defenders on the city wall looked at each other in dismay.

In this tense situation, suddenly bringing up family relations, the contrast was too strong.

Most importantly,

That Yan lord below, he wasn't just trying to build a relationship, the relationship was indeed real, right there.

The regent lowered his head and looked at the mutton soup in his hand, of which only half remained,

And smiled.

Regardless of the outcome,

At least the situation at hand,

Was interesting.

………

Zheng Boye still stood there with his hands behind his back.

His expression was calm,

But his lips were moving slightly,

"A Ming, stand a little further forward. I'm afraid there are sharpshooters on the other side."

"You don't have to be afraid of sharpshooters." The Sword Saint said.

"You stand a little further forward too." Zheng Boye said.

Wearing golden armor and standing in front of the army to be conspicuous;

He had the style, but he was also a little nervous.

At this moment,

A uniform shout came from the city wall:

"Son-in-law, come up for soup!"

"Son-in-law, come up for soup!"

"Son-in-law, come up for soup!"

The Sword Saint said sarcastically, "They're calling you up for dinner."

Zheng Boye just smiled "hehe".

The Sword Saint added, "I suddenly realized that you seem to be the one who benefits the most from this Yan-Chu war."

The Marquis of Pingye of Yan, the son-in-law of Chu;

When it came to the ability to hedge on both sides, no one could match him.

Even, to imagine it in a more cynical way, did this lord dare to go so deep alone because he was sure that even if he was defeated and captured, he would still be well-treated and live a life of luxury?

So, he had no fear?

The Sword Saint said, "If you defect and surrender at this time, that person would probably give you the title of king without hesitation. It would be more cost-effective than continuing to follow Tian Wujing."

Zheng Boye shook his head,

And said:

"Without Lao Tian's guidance and support, how could the princess have taken a fancy to me."

"Is that the truth?"

"The truth. As a person, you can't forget your roots."

"It seems that Tian Wujing was right to choose you." The Sword Saint said with emotion.

"There's no right or wrong. I actually prefer the territory and foundation that I've personally worked for."

"That's true."

……

The regent took the handkerchief from the eunuch beside him and wiped his mouth.

At this moment,

From the Yan army camp below the city wall, they shouted:

"Brother-in-law, your sister is calling you home for dinner!"