CHAPTER 333: CHAPTER 20: LARGE AND SMALL PEARLS FALL ON THE JADE PLATE! _2

Moving south was not only the aspiration of every generation of Yan Emperors but also the aspiration of the Yan State’s people.

Zheng Fan quickly reached out to help Pheasant up, repeatedly saying, "Please, don’t. This is too much."

At this moment, the garrison captain from the city gate also approached. His reaction was far more composed than that of his men. Upon reaching Zheng Fan, the captain also bowed deeply.

One man’s foe is another man’s hero.

From the perspective of the Yan people and the soldiers of the Yan State, Zheng Fan’s accomplishments were indeed a significant morale boost.

The soldiers of the Yan State were straightforward. Compared to their counterparts in the Qian State, who were often suppressed by civil officials and constantly worried about being envied or marginalized, Yan soldiers truly embodied the military spirit.

Those who could earn merits, kill enemies, and win battles earned their trust and respect.

Poetry, songs, and moral essays couldn’t stop the Barbarians; the Yan people preferred to let their blades do the talking.

"I still need to get to the General Mansion. Please, if you would all make way."

Zheng Fan didn’t want to be the center of attention here. Besides, after he presented the heads from this military achievement, Hui Wenzu would undoubtedly help publicize it, and the imperial court would do the same. There was no need for him to personally step into the limelight.

It wasn’t that Zheng Fan disliked the feeling of being respected, nor was there anything he particularly wished to avoid. Rather, he was eager to use these heads as leverage to request more men and horses for himself.

While the night raid had been fruitful, yielding cart after cart filled with the heads of Wolf Land Soldiers, his own forces had also suffered considerable losses.

Zheng Fan, with the mindset of a small merchant, believed in first recouping his initial investment. Profit, whether large or small, was a secondary concern.

With the help of Pheasant and the garrison captain, the convoy quickly passed through the city gate.

Upon learning that Zheng Fan was headed to the General Mansion, neither Pheasant nor the garrison captain accompanied him further.

The convoy continued to move through the city.

Zheng Fan mounted his horse and cast a somewhat helpless glance at A Ming, who remained as indolent as ever.

"My lord, don’t you like this feeling of being adored?"

"It’s okay."

"But my lord seems somewhat impatient."

"I am but a simple man."

"A simple man would not think about so many things."

"Alright, alright, let’s focus on getting more troops and supplies first."

Ji Chengjue had invested in Green Willow Fortress for so long, and while the days of free food and drink were certainly pleasant, Zheng Fan wouldn’t mind having even more.

Although Hui Wenzu, leveraging his position as the commander of Nanwang City which offered geographical advantages over other regional commanders, had already opened many backdoors for Zheng Fan’s Green Willow Fortress.

But in such matters, who would ever feel content?

Ordnance, provisions, warhorses—Zheng Fan would take as much as he could get. If worst came to worst, even conscripting peasant levies to bolster his numbers would be beneficial.

「The story now splits, following two threads.」

As Zheng Fan’s convoy carrying the heads had just entered the city, the atmosphere in the signing room of Nanwang City’s General Mansion was already so charged it was almost suffocating.

The portly Hui Wenzu sat in the main seat. Below him were more than a dozen generals in armor, each a Regional Commander.

The Regional Commanders of the Yan State were generally generals capable of independent command.

However, due to the unique military structure of the Yan State, the Zhenbei Army, Jingnan Army, and the Imperial Guard each formed their own distinct systems, somewhat analogous to Jiang Jieshi’s Central Army in later eras.

Never mind the Regional Commanders; any officer from these three major armies carried an air of superiority when dealing with other military forces.

Excluding a few absentees, the dozen or so Regional Commanders in the signing room effectively represented all the principal military leaders along the Yinlang County line.

Each commanded numerous troops. Although recently, a steady stream of convicts from noble houses had been transferred to supplement their forces, they were truly struggling to keep up with Lord Jingnan’s military directives. These orders compelled them to repeatedly dispatch their units to the Qian State border to relentlessly engage the fortresses there.

Anyone who slacked off would face military punishment. Furthermore, the head of the Spy Bureau in Yinlang County was an intimate of Lord Jingnan. This Spy Bureau chief, Dujuan, made no secret of using her agents as a whip, relentlessly driving these commanders to go out and "bite."

It wasn’t just Green Willow Fortress that favored the strategy of "building high walls and slowly claiming kingship." Preserving strength and seizing opportunities for growth was the instinct of every rational military leader.

But they had no choice. The imperial court demanded they go out and "bite." While they received some "fodder" in return, they were losing their own "flesh" in the process. This exchange might not have seemed like a major loss on the surface; some had even seen their troop numbers increase due to the influx of convicts from noble houses.

However, the ones being expended were their own veteran soldiers. This kind of "blood exchange" might look balanced on paper, but internally, it was a grievous loss.

"Lord Hui, regarding this month’s allocations, we find them... unacceptable," the Regional Commander who spoke first declared. He had a dignified, square-faced appearance and a resonant voice.

In contrast, the portly Hui Wenzu, seated in the main chair, looked every bit like a corrupt official, a parasite enriching himself at the state’s expense, no matter how one looked at him.

Hui Wenzu said slowly, his eyelids drooping, "Gentlemen, don’t just look at the vast quantities of goods flowing in and out of Nanwang City daily. Heh heh," he chuckled. "I won’t hide it from you; I’m not short of grain, ordnance, or warhorses.

What I lack now are granaries to store the grain, armories to house the equipment, and stables and grooms for the horses."

Hui Wenzu sighed helplessly.