"Among the seven military generals under the Earl of North Border is a bowman nad 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 et 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 ca knocking on our doors the other day."
Zheng Fan nodded in response.
They are all formidable figures, and this display of power is truly imnse. 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 ca to a halt.
All the surrounding soldiers of the North Border Army raised their weapons in unison.
"TIGER!"
"TIGER!"
"TIGER!"
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 n, clearly much older than the Old Madam.
Yet, at this mont, 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 re 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 , are there any children in this world who would betray their parents?" the Old Madam asked.
Zheng Fan imdiately 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 Departnt... they have beco 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 Departnt for Mother!"
"The Nadu Departnt has rebelled, disregarding the grace of the Earl’s Residence! They deserve to be exterminated!"
The three tribal chiefs imdiately 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 Departnt 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."
"TIGER!"
"TIGER!"
"TIGER!"
"This child obeys!"
"This child obeys!"
"This child obeys!"
The three tribal chiefs imdiately 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 Departnt, 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.
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 so confusion and asked, "I’m just curious, where do you co 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 soone 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 to shalessly go again?"
"Zheng Colonel, could you block another blade for ?"
"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 hamrs slowly walking towards the morial archway.
"Li Yuanhu, one of the seven great generals of the Earl of North Border’s command," the Sixth Prince said.
This hamr-wielding general was indeed the one who had stepped forward to confront Shatuo Queshi when he ca knocking that day.
However, the general currently had iron spikes embedded in his back, with clear bloodstains remaining—the very picture of soone atoning for a cri.
BANG!
Li Yuanhu slamd the twin hamrs 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 ti, 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 sothing 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 sothing was amiss.
Zheng Fan nodded solemnly. "That’s why it’s crucial to implent cremation of corpses sooner rather than later."
「The desert.」
「Sand dunes.」
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 seed to be morphing into the host "inviting the guest into the urn"—a carefully laid trap.
Liang Cheng, however, rely 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 so confusion and asked, "And then?"
"And then, because both parties are, so to speak, on the sa ’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, i Village."
Liang Cheng frowned slightly.
Seeing this, Siniang asked, "What’s wrong?"
"That corpse doesn’t know ; it won’t respond to my summons. Generally, a corpse will react to things it was familiar with in life."
Siniang hesitated for a mont then said, "Then ask it if it rembers Chongqing Hot Pot, Shaanxi minced at noodles, or Northeast Hodgepodge Stew!"
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