Warhorses charged, the bitter wind blew against their faces, armor felt cold, and swords were stained with frost. This was undoubtedly an uncomfortable experience, yet most men had, at some point, fantasized about such a scene.
Zheng Fan realized he probably truly liked Yan. Although he had seen so much brutality in Yan, setting aside personal human emotions, he genuinely liked this... freedom that Yan offered. Leading troops to slaughter, to indulge, to roam freely across the vast, boundless land—it was all yours to command. Perhaps, in this current world, only Yan could offer him this kind of freedom. Zheng Fan was unsure how long this freedom and indulgence could last, but that didn’t prevent him, in this moment, from enjoying it.
When you’re out to have fun, you should have fun to your heart’s content. No need to fret about mortgages, car loans, or the endless overtime waiting after the vacation ends.
Zheng Fan knew that these Demon Lords under his command were also very excited. Liang Cheng, needless to say, had always harbored a powerful obsession with returning to his old profession of leading troops. It had been hard on him. Liang Cheng’s manga backstory was set in the modern era, and in that modern setting, he naturally couldn’t lead thousands of soldiers across battlefields. As for the others, they had truly been cooped up for too long. Siniang, Blind Bei, Xue Three, Fanli, A Ming—this time, they could finally stop tinkering with minor skirmishes as before and could instead unleash themselves to their hearts’ content.
Zheng Fan chuckled softly. Even though the cold wind numbed his lips and teeth, he still wanted to laugh, because he suddenly felt: This time leading 1,500 cavalry into Qian State territory... it’s less like a border war and more like a collective team-building exercise for my Demon Lord company.
Got to hold it in. Can’t laugh. Mustn’t spoil the mood.
Mianzhou City. What a familiar city. It just sat there quietly, with a friendly and humble demeanor, awaiting his repeated ’graces.’ However, this ’grace’ was a bit more convoluted this time. Last time, Zheng Fan had led 400 barbarian cavalry straight here, encountering no resistance; even the city gates hadn’t been closed. But this time, Zheng Fan and his men had actually run into three waves of scouts one after another. However, thanks to Xue Three’s assassination skills and Blind Bei’s foresight, those three waves of scouts hadn’t truly managed to be effective. Huo Kuang, leading the Huo Family disciples, had dealt with them. It was just that there weren’t many heads to claim, far fewer than what Zuo Jiqian had "gotten rich" on at the previous fortress. But Huo Kuang was not in a hurry, because he knew the real show had not yet begun.
The column of troops halted outside Mianzhou City.
Only, Zheng Fan couldn’t find the grave he had erected on his last visit.
That old man holding a spear... everyone else retreated, but he advanced alone, attempting to block hundreds of barbarian iron cavalry with a single long spear. And that man who, knowing he would die, still hid on the city tower and shot that arrow at him.
A city with only two real men. The source of thɪs content is 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝘯𝘦𝘵
In these two men, Zheng Fan, the ’invader,’ saw true mettle. Although this mettle couldn’t truly affect the overall situation, it deserved respect.
The grave mound was gone.
Liang Cheng stood behind Zheng Fan; he knew what his lord was searching for.
"That old man?" Blind Bei asked Liang Cheng.
Blind Bei smiled, stepped forward, and said to Zheng Fan, "My lord, I didn’t tell you about this. According to information from the Qian State side, after your last attack on Mianzhou City, Qian State’s official account was that the Mianzhou City prefect fought to the death, and the city fell with him."
Zheng Fan laughed. He still remembered the scene he had witnessed that day when he stormed into the rear courtyard of the government office: that Prefect was partying with his subordinates, and they were even doing drugs.
"Those you buried here that day, My lord, were a father and son."
Their father went against the fleeing crowd and was killed by my barbarian soldiers. That son, however, had waited on the city tower, waiting for me to emerge, to avenge his father.
Having seen the likes of Xiao Yibo, the Sixth Prince, the Yan Emperor, and Lord Jingnan, and then thinking back to this father and son he had once buried here, only then did Zheng Fan feel that *this* was what a normal father-son relationship should be.
The ones I encountered before were all extreme examples.
"They were branded with the crime of colluding with the enemy, claiming they were spies who opened the city gates."
Zheng Fan laughed out loud.
"This is necessary for official propaganda," Blind Bei continued. "The Qian State imperial court has to spin it this way. When an embarrassing situation occurs, the first reaction is to eliminate the negative impact. Obviously, the Qian State imperial court couldn’t possibly publicize the truth about Mianzhou City’s fall. If word got out that a mere 400 Yan State cavalry could take a city, what kind of blow would that be to the morale of Qian State’s army and people? Shifting the blame onto the dead was also the most suitable choice, because the dead can’t talk, and meanwhile, the living still had to go on living. Given the prevailing attitudes in Qian State, such an arrangement is perfectly understandable."
"TSK... I don’t ," Zheng Fan said.
He didn’t feel much of a sense of injustice for this father and son; it was more a simple feeling of disgust.
"My lord, this city is heavily fortified now," Liang Cheng stated.
Zheng Fan nodded. Compared to his last visit, the city indeed felt different. Firstly, the city gates had finally ’learned’ to stay closed. Moreover, one could see garrison soldiers patrolling on the city walls. These things should have been basic precautions, but during his last visit, they didn’t even have the basics. There was only an old man holding a double-headed spear who jumped down from the city wall.