The Demon Lords

"My lord, you're dressed," Dujuan said, stepping back after a moment.

Lord Jingnan reached out and pulled Dujuan into his embrace.

Dujuan murmured softly, offering no resistance.

"The old man, he has agreed to our marriage."

"My lord, the Old Master just said... it was merely for amusement."

"Isn't life all about amusing oneself as one goes along? The old man has agreed."

"My lord, you must be joking. How could the Old Master agree to your marrying a female operative from the Spy Bureau?"

"And why not? Even the Qian Emperor is generous enough to distribute women from his court. This excellent tradition, I believe our Great Yan should learn it. As for the old man, don't you worry. Next time, I'll take you home with me. He won't say a thing."

"This humble one defers to my lord's decision in all matters."

"That's more like it."

Having said this, Lord Jingnan lifted the carriage curtain. His Pi Beast had already moved to the side of the carriage, welcoming Lord Jingnan onto its back. The two goshawks that had been perched atop the carriage took to the skies, beginning to circle.

「The next moment」

Lord Jingnan raised his hand and declared solemnly, "The world knows that our Yan's Northern Army is invincible. Today, let the people of Qian State see that our Yan's Southern Army is also among the world's finest elite!"

With the command given, the Jingnan Army's tens of thousands of cavalry surged forward, their warhorses breaking into a gallop.

"We, the soldiers of Yan, swear to fight to the death and never surrender!!!!"

"Long live His Majesty, the Yan Emperor!!!!"

"May Lord Jingnan live a thousand years!!!!"

These cries echoed from afar.

A smirk touched the corners of Lord Jingnan's lips as he ordered, "Form ranks!"

"TIGER!"

"TIGER!"

"TIGER!"

...

The sudden appearance of the Jingnan Army threw the Qian army into disarray.

On the battlefield, when formations clashed, presence and morale truly played a vital role. The Jingnan Army, with its stern and murderous aura, exuded an unstoppable, oppressive force from the moment it appeared. In contrast, the Qian army's command system seemed sluggish in its response.

The Qian cavalrymen were unsure whether to form ranks to defend against the Jingnan Army's charge or to maintain their encirclement of the three hundred-odd Yan Army soldiers before them. Furthermore, the Qian cavalry present belonged to three different regional commands; not only was there little coordination between them, but there were also numerous underlying frictions.

Flustered along with them were Grand Commandant Yang and the three Jiedushi on the platform vehicle.

No matter how calm Grand Commandant Yang appeared, stroking his fine beard, he was, after all, a eunuch. When a true crisis struck, his lack of virile spirit immediately became apparent.

The three Jiedushi were all civil officials. Composing frontier poems posed no problem for them; indeed, even if they didn't write them personally, they would regularly have their scribes pen verses about patriotic sacrifice and border duty, sending them back to the imperial capital under their own names. This practice served to burnish their scholarly reputations and demonstrate their loyalty to the Emperor and the arduousness of their frontier service.

However, the Qian border had seen no war for nearly a hundred years. Even the career soldiers and military officers had become exceedingly rusty in battlefield command, let alone these civil officials.

At this moment, Grand Commandant Yang's first instinct was to order the rear guard to become the vanguard and escort his platform vehicle to safety.

Fortunately, Grand Commandant Yang retained some measure of sense. He knew that if he gave such an order, the Qian army's morale on the battlefield would likely shatter instantly. At that point, a mere sweeping advance by the Yan Army would lead to a total rout!

"Someone, take a message to the Yan commander opposite. Ask him if he intends to disregard the diplomatic relations between our two nations! Dare he bear the consequences of initiating war between our countries!"

Grand Commandant Yang almost roared the last sentence.

The messenger's expression was grim; he had clearly seen how the previous official messenger had been shot so full of arrows he resembled a porcupine. These Yan people, it seemed, did not adhere to the convention of sparing envoys during wartime.

But what could he do? The military order had been given. The messenger could only urge his horse forward, passing Zheng Fan and his men before continuing north.

Grand Commandant Yang clenched his fists. He turned to see the three Jiedushi behind him, their faces aghast.

Useless, utterly useless! What a bunch of incompetents!

Grand Commandant Yang was furiously cursing these civil officials in his heart. They all boasted of their mastery in civil and military strategy in normal times, yet when a true crisis struck, none of them were as composed as he, a eunuch.

Damn it all! His Majesty sent me here to keep these civil officials in check, thinking I'd trip them up, sow discord, and generally make trouble for them. Who would have thought that when it came to the critical moment, I'd be the one having to shoulder the burden?

「After a while」

The messenger rode back.

"Reporting to the Grand Commandant! It is Lord Jingnan of Yan State himself who has come."

"Lord Jingnan?" Grand Commandant Yang's lips twitched. He continued, "And what did this Lord Jingnan say?"

"Lord Jingnan demands that our forces withdraw the encirclement and allow that unit of the Yan Army to return."

"Impossible! That Yan Army unit trespassed into Qian territory, murdered Qian people, and slaughtered Qian officials! How can we simply let them leave like this!"

"Grand Commandant, this humble one has already conveyed this to Lord Jingnan."

"Good. And how did Lord Jingnan respond? I refuse to believe that he, a mere marquis and not the Yan Emperor, would dare to so casually tear up the hundred-year peace treaty between Qian and Yan!"

Hearing Grand Commandant Yang's words, the messenger's face suddenly showed a hint of difficulty, as if he didn't know how to begin.

Grand Commandant Yang immediately glared at him and snapped, "Speak! What exactly was Lord Jingnan of Yan's reply!"

"Lord Jingnan said... he said that ever since Qian State launched a sneak attack on Yan one hundred years ago, while Yan was fending off the barbarians, Yan has never acknowledged any peace treaty with Qian State.

"From that time one hundred years ago until today, Yan and Qian State have always been in a state of war."

Grand Commandant Yang was speechless.

"And Lord Jingnan also said... he also said..."

"What else did he say?"

"He said that His Majesty the Yan Emperor has been cutting back on palace expenditures for years and has not taken any new eunuchs into palace service for several years now. The palace is currently short on attendants.

"If our side does not release those men within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he will invite... invite you, Grand Commandant, to the Yan Imperial Palace to resume your original post."

"Insolent!"

"That Yan bastard is outrageous!"

Meng Changqi and Wu Yingwu, the two Jiedushi, roared in anger.

Grand Commandant Yang opened his mouth, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled, gesturing with his hand to silence the Jiedushi.

Grand Commandant Yang pointed at the messenger and said, "Go again. Tell him we will release the men immediately.

"And say this to Lord Jingnan:

"'This old servant is aged and frail, and fears he would be unable to serve the Yan Emperor with due diligence. Allow this old servant to return to the imperial capital to select some clever young lads, have them purified, and send them to the Yan Imperial Palace to serve in my stead and await His Majesty's command.'"