"Among the seven military generals under the Earl of North Border is a bowman named Li Chenghui. In his early years, during the wars against the Barbarians, he once ventured deep into the desert alone. Upon his return, he carried the thumbs of several dozen Barbarian archers. The swordsman is Li Liangshen, whose swordsmanship has already reached its zenith. The Sword Saint from the Jin State once visited the Earl’s residence just to meet him. After departing, the Sword Saint was quoted as saying that in a simple sparring match, Li Liangshen was not his equal, but in the chaos of war, he himself would be decapitated by Li Liangshen."
"It is said they are both warriors of the Third Rank, much like Shatuo Queshi, who came knocking on our doors the other day."
Zheng Fan nodded in response.
They are all formidable figures, and this display of power is truly immense. It’s only thanks to the Sixth Prince that I’m able to stand so close and witness this spectacle. Oh, right, what was it that the Hegemon-King of Western Chu said when he saw Emperor Qin’s imperial carriage?
The war chariot finally came to a halt.
All the surrounding soldiers of the North Border Army raised their weapons in unison.
Three tribal chiefs nervously approached. When they were still a fair distance from the war chariot, all three knelt and kowtowed their way forward.
Of these three chieftains, one was middle-aged, while the other two were white-haired old men, clearly much older than the Old Madam.
Yet, at this moment, the three tribal chiefs knelt together, kowtowing in trepidation and reverence, saying, "This child greets Mother! May Mother live for ten thousand years!"
"The chieftains of the surrendered tribes and the successive Earls of North Border share a bond like that of adopted sons to a father. This relationship is based on generational hierarchy, not age. Even if the current Earl were a mere child, they would still have to respectfully address him as ’Father’," the Sixth Prince quietly explained to Zheng Fan.
"This old woman is unworthy of such a grand gesture."
"This child is guilty!"
"This child is guilty!"
The three tribal chiefs knocked their heads against the ground.
"Tell me, are there any children in this world who would betray their parents?" the Old Madam asked.
Zheng Fan immediately glanced at the Sixth Prince.
The Sixth Prince, feeling uncomfortable under the gaze, retorted irritably, "Among the common folk, there are countless instances of sons and fathers turning against each other, even killing one another, over property disputes. Don’t just single out our royal family."
"The Nadu Department... they have become disloyal. With the Lord away, do you now look down upon the Li family’s widow and orphan?" the Old Madam said slowly.
"This child is willing to lead the warriors of my tribe to enact a bloodbath upon the Nadu Department for Mother!"
"The Nadu Department has rebelled, disregarding the grace of the Earl’s Residence! They deserve to be exterminated!"
The three tribal chiefs immediately pointed to the heavens, swearing an oath and requesting to go into battle.
The Old Madam lowered her eyelids and said, "Before dawn, I want the Nadu Department to be so silent that not even the bleating of a single sheep can be heard from them.
"If you cannot achieve this, then disobedient children and incompetent children... this old woman has no need for either."
The three tribal chiefs immediately rose, returned to their respective tribes, and summoned their warriors.
The soldiers on the training grounds also began to form neat ranks and march out. As the three tribes set out to attack the Nadu Department, the North Border Army would provide support from the flanks!
The Old Madam stood on the war chariot, moving slowly with the main army, truly possessing the bearing of Grand Commandant She, the matriarch of the Yang Family generals. Discover more novels at n0velfire.net
However, the tales of Grand Commandant She were mostly fictional, whereas the authority wielded by this Old Madam was undeniably real.
Compared to the Old Madam’s powerful and formidable aura, the young noblewoman standing beside her looked as cute and petite as a quail.
To bring peace within, one must first deal with external threats, eh. Zheng Fan mused.
The Sixth Prince looked at Zheng Fan with some confusion and asked, "I’m just curious, where do you come up with so many pithy sayings?"
Zheng Fan sighed and replied with an obviously perfunctory air, "Read more books."
"You!" the Sixth Prince huffed.
"Aren’t we going to follow and watch?"
"Why would we? Those Barbarians are a bunch of dimwits. Once they realize they have no hope of survival, there’s no guarantee they won’t try to take someone down with them to break even, just like that Left Valley King did."
"As a prince of Yan, I’m their favorite target. I’ve already been assassinated once; you expect me to shamelessly go again?"
"Zheng Colonel, could you block another blade for me?"
"This subordinate was previously unaware that Your Highness was such an idle prince."
"You’re brutally honest!"
The training grounds here had already emptied. Just as Zheng Fan was preparing to ride back to the residence with the Sixth Prince, he saw a bare-chested man holding twin hammers slowly walking towards the memorial archway.
"Li Yuanhu, one of the seven great generals of the Earl of North Border’s command," the Sixth Prince said.
This hammer-wielding general was indeed the one who had stepped forward to confront Shatuo Queshi when he came knocking that day.
However, the general currently had iron spikes embedded in his back, with clear bloodstains remaining—the very picture of someone atoning for a crime.
Li Yuanhu slammed the twin hammers onto the ground, instantly creating two indentations. He then sat down cross-legged, looked up, and stared at the mutilated corpse of Shatuo Queshi hanging above.
"I will wait for you. This time, I will not retreat again."
In the cold wind, Shatuo Queshi’s mutilated corpse still swayed gently.
On the periphery, another group of powerfully built North Border Army soldiers, holding battle-axes and heavy shields, stood sternly at attention.
"Zheng Colonel, why do I get the feeling from this scene that something is still going to happen with this corpse?"
The Sixth Prince was quick-witted. Although he couldn’t practice martial arts, he quickly sensed that something was amiss.
Zheng Fan nodded solemnly. "That’s why it’s crucial to implement cremation of corpses sooner rather than later."
The wolf cub, who had been nearly asleep, suddenly opened his eyes. Clutching his dagger tightly, he lay prone, his ear pressed to the ground, listening intently to the vibrations.
Siniang stood atop a sand dune, gazing at a black torrent surging forward under the distant moonlight.
She said, "Liang Cheng, it seems things have taken a bit of a turn."
The original "Gentleman on the Beam" scenario seemed to be morphing into the host "inviting the guest into the urn"—a carefully laid trap.
Liang Cheng, however, merely opened his eyes slightly, looked at Siniang, and said, "They are calling out to that corpse, the one about to be infused with baleful energy, intending for it to return directly to the Royal Court after its corpse transformation."
Siniang looked at Liang Cheng with some confusion and asked, "And then?"
"And then, because both parties are, so to speak, on the same ’channel,’ it seems I can also exert a summon on that corpse."
"Then let’s give it a try! Change its destination from the Royal Court to Hutou City... Oh, no, Mei Village."
Liang Cheng frowned slightly.
Seeing this, Siniang asked, "What’s wrong?"
"That corpse doesn’t know me; it won’t respond to my summons. Generally, a corpse will react to things it was familiar with in life."
Siniang hesitated for a moment then said, "Then ask it if it remembers Chongqing Hot Pot, Shaanxi minced meat noodles, or Northeast Hodgepodge Stew!"