"Your thinking is very dangerous." Official source is novel⸺fire.net
"The Blind Man wove a dream for them. In the dream, they returned to their desert homeland and, with our support, established their own tribe. In that tribe, there was no war, no slaughter—only livestock, oases, and the joyful laughter of children. For this dream, to realize this dream, these five hundred barbarian soldiers will to the death. Even if only one of them survives, that person will bear witness to this dream for them all."
"Suddenly, I feel a bit sorry for them."
"The truly pitiful ones are those living mundane lives, devoid of dreams."
"Alright, let’s get down to business."
"Yes, My lord. What are your plans next?"
"What else can I do? Hmph. We came out this time without notifying the Blind Man beforehand. If we just go back , do you know what stories he’ll spin about me?"
"The Blind Man wouldn’t dare slander My lord."
"He’ll say that Zheng Fan, captain of the Yan Empire’s Green Willow Fortress vice squad, led his valiant warriors across the border to help a neighboring country crack down on vice, assisting them in building a society of high moral standing."
"My lord, your thinking is also very dangerous."
"In any case, I’m not willing to go back just . This isn’t the war I imagined! Look at how those fellows reacted when we first charged in—cowering with their heads in their hands! This is a vice raid!"
Liang Cheng nodded. "This isn’t the war I imagined either."
Zheng Fan placed his hand on the crenellation and said thoughtfully, "It seems we overestimated how ’normal’ the Qian State would be."
Liang Cheng nodded, clearly in full agreement.
Because during the previous night raid, it wasn’t just Zheng Fan who had been shadowboxing; he had been too.
Thinking back to when he first approached this fortress—hiding, taking detours, lying in wait—even he, a cold Zombie, had the distinct illusion that his face was burning with embarrassment.
"A century of peace, the passing of several generations—it’s enough to erode so much. Actually, I should have realized it sooner, when I saw the crumbling walls of Green Willow Fortress. At the time, I just thought it was Yan arrogance, looking down on the Qian State, coupled with the Jingnan Army stationed in Yinlang County, which led to the neglect of the border defense system. But this is also an inevitable consequence of time. If machines rust after too long a period of peace, what about people? Did you hear what that fort commander just said? The Qian State’s border army is severely lacking in provisions and manpower. He, the fort commander, even turned a fortress meant to be the frontline defense against Yan into a brothel, all for profit."
"Corruption among officials, lax military preparedness—these are the inevitable fate no dynasty can escape," Liang Cheng said.
"Tsk, tsk. I’m actually rather looking forward to it. The current emperor of the Yan Empire is a formidable ruler, and this generation’s Earl of North Border clearly has an extraordinary relationship with him. I’m not too familiar with the Jingnan Army, but we’ve both seen how elite the North Border Army is. If the Yan Emperor resolves the issues with the domestic influential clans, pacifies the Desert Barbarians, and then moves the North Border Army south, do you think this rotten defensive line of the Qian State can withstand the North Border Army’s 300,000 iron cavalry?"
Liang Cheng shook his head and stated with certainty, "It cannot."
There was no disputing this; the North Border Army was indeed the world’s foremost iron cavalry.
"However, that’s a matter for later. My next step is..." Zheng Fan turned and pointed south. "To continue south!"
Liang Cheng sighed. "My lord, please allow this subordinate to say something I don’t truly mean."
"It’s too dangerous, and too reckless."
"And your true thoughts?"
Evidently, Liang Cheng hadn’t had his fill of excitement either.
Just then, the muffled thud of hooves rose from below the fortress; the sound was dull because the hooves were wrapped. The barbarian soldiers inside the fortress immediately opened the gates to let their comrades in.
"There’s one more matter I need to ask for your decision on, My lord. How should we deal with the remaining people in this fortress?"
Zheng Fan didn’t answer, instead asking, "What do you think?"
A gold-hilted dagger was tossed by Liang Cheng in front of Zhao Changgui.
Upon seeing the dagger’s golden gleam, greed flickered in the eyes of both Zhao Changgui and the Squad Leader beside him.
This fortress had one commander, Zhao Changgui. Originally, there should have been four Squad Leaders, each commanding forty garrison soldiers. Including other personnel, the full complement would have been over fifty men.
But the actual strength of this fortress was only about half that.
The Qian State’s supposedly vast border army likely existed only on paper; the number of ghost soldiers was already approaching half the roster.
There had been two Squad Leaders. One of them had been unlucky enough to be among those killed earlier.
So, the two highest-ranking individuals currently in the fortress were Zhao Changgui and this Squad Leader named Hsu Defu.
"The armies of Yan will soon march south. We are the vanguard, scouting ahead. Now, I have two options before me, which are also your two options. One: I order everyone in your fortress killed right now. We take your heads back as proof of our military achievements."
When Liang Cheng reached this point, terror flared in the eyes of both Zhao Changgui and Hsu Defu.
"The second option is simple. We can pretend tonight’s events never happened. As for how to deal with the dead and ensure the silence of the living, I trust the two of you have your methods."