CHAPTER 424: CHAPTER 45 VIRTUE_1

At this moment, Zheng Fan truly felt as if destiny was on his side! If Li Fusheng weren’t above him, if the Earl of North Border and Lord Jingnan weren’t even higher, if the Yan Emperor and Eunuch Wei weren’t there... if he didn’t only have 2,500 men under his command, if there weren’t so many ’if onlys’... Chief Zheng could have given the blind man a knowing glance and smoothly ascended the throne.

However, the ever-cautious Zheng Fan immediately asked, "Could this be a trick?"

Liang Cheng shook his head, saying, "They can’t afford to play such a trick." He elaborated, "Feigning surrender to lure the enemy in for a counter-attack? You have to consider the enemy’s caliber. The local defenders of Qingshan County, a bunch of deserters, and the local townsfolk... could this ragtag group possibly pull off such a sophisticated ruse? It’s like feigning retreat—a tactic rarely used in ancient times because it often turned into a genuine rout."

Hearing Liang Cheng’s answer, Zheng Fan relaxed. Although he hadn’t planned to attack this city, now that its gates were open, he couldn’t very well refuse to enter, could he? He couldn’t possibly tell them, ’No, go back and continue defending. Wait for me to attack next time!’ could he?

Zheng Fan wasn’t Li Fusheng; he lacked such an intense bloodlust. At his signal, the cavalry advanced, and the entire formation pressed forward.

"This humble one, Kong Mingde, Chief Clerk of Qingshan County, pays respects, Your Excellency!"

"This humble one, Zhang Hongqi, Captain of the Forbidden Army, pays respects, Your Excellency!"

One was the local chief clerk, the other a captain of the Forbidden Army. The one tied up like a rice dumpling must have been the County Magistrate of Qingshan County. This County Magistrate, his mouth gagged, struggled vigorously. His eyes burned with indignation as he glared at the two men beside him and the Yan people with extreme loathing.

Zheng Fan pointed at this County Magistrate and said, "Cut him down."

Upon hearing this order, the County Magistrate struggled even more intensely!

Zheng Fan chuckled, though he felt it was inappropriate to laugh at such a moment. After all, since this County Magistrate had been dragged out by his subordinates to surrender, it was clear he had intended to resist and not give in willingly. He was a man of unyielding principle, someone worthy of respect. He must have resigned himself to his fate, but he was probably still preparing. Once the gag was removed, facing the Yan people’s attempts to persuade him to surrender, he would spit on the ground and curse loudly: "Bah! You Yan bastards! I swear I’ll die before I surrender!"

However, Zheng Fan simply skipped the formalities.

Liang Cheng stepped forward and, with a single stroke of his saber, beheaded the County Magistrate.

In truth, this County Magistrate probably only had his principles left. His intention to defend the city using deserters, coupled with his inability to manage the local factions in Qingshan County, clearly demonstrated his rather lacking administrative competence.

Kong Mingde and Zhang Hongqi, kneeling on the ground, trembled with fear.

Clearly, this skipping of formalities had caught both sides off guard.

"My lord, shall we enter the city?" Liang Cheng asked.

"We’ll go in, and then come right back out."

"As you command."

Then, a scene unfolded that greatly surprised the citizens of Qingshan County. The Yan Army charged into the city with imposing momentum, made a circuit within its walls, and then, under the watchful eyes of all, marched back out.

The citizens were dumbstruck. The defending soldiers were dumbstruck. Kong Mingde and Zhang Hongqi were also dumbstruck.

Zheng Fan rode up to the two men. Knowing the young man before them was the leader of this Yan Army, they hastily lowered their heads.

Zheng Fan unfastened his saber and tossed it directly in front of the two men. He said, "My name is Zheng Fan. I wonder if you’ve heard of me? Well, I’ve taken a liking to you two today. This saber is a gift for both of you."

Zheng Fan pointed at Kong Mingde and said, "You shall be the County Magistrate of Qingshan County."

Kong Mingde stared at the saber on the ground, then looked up at Zheng Fan, somewhat bewildered. He quickly understood, however, and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Excellency!"

Zheng Fan then pointed at Zhang Hongqi and said, "You shall be the Commander of Qingshan County."

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

"Send someone to Chuzhou City with a message for Wen Sutong. Tell him that you have pledged allegiance to Yan."

"This subordinate obeys."

"This subordinate obeys."

With that settled, Zheng Fan waved his hand. The soldiers followed him, bypassing Qingshan County, and departed.

Zhang Hongqi and Kong Mingde, who had remained kneeling for a long time, exchanged glances. Both saw confusion in the other’s eyes. What on earth were these Yan people up to?

In truth, Zheng Fan himself wasn’t sure what he was playing at either.

True, he had just remarked that this place was suitable for development, but he had never considered capturing the city today. The Yan Army hadn’t even left a single soldier to garrison Chuzhou City, so how could they possibly spare troops to guard Qingshan County? If he dared to station troops here, leaving too few would be useless, while leaving too many would undoubtedly result in severe punishment from Li Fusheng. This would be a direct violation of military orders, an error on the battlefield that couldn’t be excused, no matter whose favor Zheng Fan enjoyed or whose man he was considered to be. He had considered leaving one of the ’demon kings’ to oversee the area, to get a head start on organizing it. However, for one thing, the situation here could change in the future; it might even fall into other hands. In his heart, each of the seven ’demon kings’ was more important than thousands of soldiers. Secondly, they still had to continue south. They had all agreed to stick together; leaving someone behind now, so early on, just wouldn’t feel right. Besides, whoever was left behind would constantly live in fear of sudden, violent death. Most importantly, whether he would even be assigned to Qingshan County in the future was still completely up in the air!

So, he could only make these casual appointments and then promptly depart.