Li Liangting’s eyes widened.
If it weren’t for the consideration that Tian Wujing, having just slaughtered his entire family last night, might not be in a good mood, the Earl of North Border would have truly cursed aloud.
How much confidence do you, Tian Wujing, actually have to dare not raise the price at all?
Well, the price was settled. Now it was his turn to choose.
Zheng Fan suddenly felt that something was off, very off. In his previous life, he ran a horror-themed comic studio and had genuinely never created any saccharine works.
However, Zheng Fan quickly suppressed his slightly uncomfortable emotions. In truth, he had long since thought it through and made his decision.
Immediately, Zheng Fan took two steps forward, bowed to the Earl of North Border, and said, "Thank you, My Lord, for your appreciation."
This was an expression of gratitude, but in reality, it was a refusal.
The Earl of North Border raised his hand, stopping Zheng Fan from uttering the sour, deferential nonsense he was about to say.
The Earl of North Border asked directly, "Give me a reason."
"My Lord, this humble official wishes to go to war," Zheng Fan stated.
The Earl of North Border’s gaze hardened. He first looked at Lord Jingnan, but then it occurred to him that Tian Wujing was unlikely to have told this young man about this matter either. So, did this lad figure it out himself?
The Earl of North Border suddenly felt he was at a disadvantage again.
Zheng Fan moved to stand behind Lord Jingnan.
Lord Jingnan continued to stand there, showing no elation of a victor, still perfectly calm.
I want to go to war, I want to go to the front lines; that’s why I didn’t choose you.
Because Zheng Fan knew that Lord Jingnan’s annihilation of the Tian Clan yesterday was merely the beginning. After today’s court assembly, the Yan Emperor would mobilize the full might of the three armies to bring down the great noble houses of Yan.
To scrape the poison from the bone, one must use strong medicine—it must be harsh, it must be decisive!
Clearly, the North Army would be this bone-scraping blade.
Firstly, the North Army was the foremost elite fighting force of the era. Using them to trample the noble houses would be enough to make those houses despair.
Secondly, the North Army had always been under the firm control of the Earl of North Border himself, its allegiance more unadulterated. They might not obey the Yan Emperor, but they would absolutely follow the will of the Earl of North Border.
As long as the Earl of North Border pointed his blade, the iron cavalry of the North Army wouldn’t care if their target was a family with centuries of scholarly tradition or some great noble house—they would simply flatten it.
Thirdly, when conducting a major cleanup at home, you need someone guarding the door to prevent neighbors from casually pilfering things as they pass by. The Jingnan Army was originally established to counter the Qian State. Thus, it was perfectly logical for Lord Jingnan to continue the standoff in Yinlang County while simultaneously initiating the first phase of the strategy to attack the Qian State. As long as the Yan Emperor and the Earl of North Border were in their right minds, they would surely choose this path. Chapters fırst released on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥
Therefore, in the coming period, the North Army and Li Liangting were unlikely to appear on the front lines against the Qian State.
What Li Liangting had to do was lead the North Army under his command, like a plow, to first till the fields of Yan’s noble houses back and forth several times over. Only after this could the North Army be redeployed to the Qian battlefield.
Originally, according to the plan Blind Bei and Zheng Fan had devised, they would first develop their strength by farming at Green Willow Fortress. Then, once the Yan Emperor decided to move against the noble houses, they would immediately position themselves as the vanguard in toppling these houses to seize the opportune moment.
But plans could never keep up with reality.
Furthermore, and most importantly, Zheng Fan had no desire to spend the next six months to a year leading his men to attack one noble house after another.
The majority of the private armies of Yan’s noble houses had already been concentrated in Tiancheng County. As long as swift and decisive action was taken, eliminating them wouldn’t be overly difficult. While the peasants could indeed be armed by the noble houses to become their private soldiers, if they weren’t given the time to arm and mobilize, most would end up just like the Tian Residence last night.
It was clearly a behemoth, yet its collapse was so swift and complete.
Fighting the Qian State was far more interesting. Zheng Fan held no personal animosity towards the people of Qian, but at least his opponents would be the armies of the Qian State; he wouldn’t have to relive the scene from last night’s banquet at Elegant Garden.
The Earl of North Border said nothing more, simply standing there. Qingshuang, like Zheng Fan, also stood behind his own Lord.
This continued until the bells rang, whips cracked, the palace gates opened, and the officials began to enter.
"One leg of lamb truly isn’t enough to share."
"Your Majesty, the palace gates are open," Wei Zhonghe reminded him from the side.
The Yan Emperor tore the last morsel of meat from the lamb leg and popped it into his mouth, even licking the remnants from his palm.
Muttering to himself, he said, "But one must first eat one’s fill to have the strength to go out and snatch more sheep. Wei Zhonghe, help me change."
Ji Runhao couldn’t recall how many times he had worn this dragon robe over the past ten-plus years.
Previously, he always felt this dragon robe was somewhat ill-fitting, uncomfortably tight.
But today, he suddenly felt it was a bit looser; after putting it on, his breathing also felt smoother.
"Your Majesty, the imperial chariot is waiting outside."
"No need. This time, I shall walk."
Clad in his dragon robe, Ji Runhao stepped out of the Imperial Study.
The light of dawn illuminated him, not glaring, but casting a slightly hazy aura.
Ji Runhao’s ten fingers slowly clenched into fists, then just as slowly, unclenched.
The day we have longed for...
Court assemblies in the Yan State differed from those in the Qian State; they didn’t convene quite so early. This time, however, long before the palace gates were due to open, the officials had already gathered outside.