The flickering bonfire, wavering gazes, unsteady expressions, a precarious atmosphere;
In Zheng Fan’s silence, everything within the fort seemed to hang in anxious suspense.
The barbarian soldiers standing around unabashedly cast their gazes towards the women in the corner, their eyes burning.
Ever since that night, when they followed the young tribal leader’s trail to this fort, they had felt like wild animals trapped in an iron cage.
From north to south, and now here—a foreign land, war, the dark night—all these elements were loosening the bars of their cages. Some of their fundamental instincts were gradually reviving.
The people of Qian State called the Yan people "Yan barbarians," a form of regional discrimination, similar to the mutual disparagement among different regions in later generations.
Yet, whether for the Yan people or the Qian people, their name for the barbarian tribes transcended mere inter-group disparagement, elevating to a racial concept.
The barbarians—they were a pack of humanoid beasts!
Liang Cheng stood to the side, his eyes slightly closed, as if oblivious to everything happening around him.
Zheng Fan slowly raised his head. His gaze swept across the barbarian soldiers as he began to speak in their language,
The barbarian soldiers nodded frantically. Some even swallowed subconsciously; Zheng Fan’s words carried a strong implication, and they were growing impatient.
"Whether it’s the women of Yan State or Qian State, whoever I find touching them, I’ll make them regret ever being born into this world."
All the barbarian soldiers dropped to their knees, trembling uncontrollably. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novęlfire.net
Liang Cheng also opened his eyes slightly.
"I will say this only once. When the rest of your kinsmen arrive later, pass this message on for me."
With that, Zheng Fan stood up and walked towards the steps of the fort.
Liang Cheng glanced around and issued a simple command in the barbarian tongue,
"Keep watch. Be alert."
Afterwards, he also walked up the steps.
Tonight, few stars were visible, and the moon was hidden; it looked like rain was coming tomorrow.
Zheng Fan heard footsteps approaching from behind. He naturally knew who it was and said,
"Do you think the order I just gave was inconsiderate?"
Some things were hard to avoid. The sharp screams of women were an inevitable part of every war and massacre.
"I am only responsible for carrying out my lord’s orders."
"I thought you would think I was giving clueless orders."
Zheng Fan, of course, knew that letting the barbarians under his command cut loose could, firstly, boost their morale and, secondly, earn their loyalty.
When gangsters in later generations chose their leader, they also chose the one who could provide them with food, money, and women.
"Actually, if they weren’t barbarians but genuine Yan cavalry, I probably wouldn’t be against it. After all, the women in this fort aren’t exactly virtuous ladies; they’re accustomed to this life. We could just give them a gratuity afterward, and perhaps everyone would be happy."
"My lord, I believe that if silver were offered, the women below would also be willing to entertain the barbarians."
Zheng Fan turned, his gaze on Liang Cheng somewhat profound.
He slowly said, "I’m applying a double standard. Is that okay?"
"I don’t see myself as a Yan person. To be honest, I don’t feel much sense of belonging to Yan State. Perhaps I would have, if I had lived in Hutou City a bit longer, or if I hadn’t been forced to act as bait among those ill-fated civilian laborers."
Liang Cheng stood by and listened quietly.
"I don’t feel a sense of belonging to Qian State either. Perhaps because I once served as an official in Yan State, I have an instinctive aversion to Qian State. But as for the barbarians... even though Shatuo Queshi still lies in his coffin at Green Willow Fortress, and I respect him, I harbor no goodwill for the barbarian people themselves. I don’t know where my allegiance truly lies, but if I see a barbarian lay a hand on these women, I will be furious."
"My lord, you don’t need to explain so much to me."
"I’m afraid my capriciousness will affect how you lead them in the future."
"My lord, you worry unnecessarily; you underestimate our methods," Liang Cheng said. "From the night they entered Mei Village, we have been constantly working to sculpt your image in their minds into that of a terrifying devil.
Every night, the blind man indoctrinates them.
In their minds, you *are* the devil. And for the devil to command them to do things against their very nature is, to them, perfectly normal.
In fact, they might even perceive it as a form of punishment from their devil—a torment they willingly embrace.
The command you just issued, while seemingly difficult for them to accept, might actually provide them with a pleasure more intense than any woman could offer."
Zheng Fan was momentarily speechless.
So, I really shouldn’t have been so lazy, he mused. All that time spent practicing needlework at night meant I couldn’t get up early to join them for training. Then, because I had to practice needlework, I had to go to bed early and couldn’t join them for their ideological education sessions. If I hadn’t been, I might never have realized what kind of image my own subordinates had crafted for me in the minds of these barbarians. This image... it’s so damn twisted!
"Actually, for any army, using food, wine, money, or women to boost morale is an inferior method," Liang Cheng continued. "The most important thing is to attract them with something that transcends material existence."
Zheng Fan glanced at Liang Cheng.