The Demon Lords-Chapter 722 - 152: Banquet_2

After that, in the vast land of Three Jin, the manor of Lord Jingnan and the Jingnan Army would be the true rulers of this region!

Li Fusheng's North Defense Army might eventually have to be absorbed by Lord Jingnan. After all, they still had to deal with counterattacks from the snowy plains and remain wary of Chu State. It would be impossible to maintain stability here without a true authority.

Only Lord Jingnan—or rather, only he—could effectively manage such a situation.

To put it another way, whether it was the original Cheng State Army, the Yan State Imperial Guard, or the local forces—even the North Defense Army—all would be thoroughly integrated in the not-too-distant future!

Perhaps, due to historical reasons, the North Defense Army might retain some degree of autonomy. Nevertheless, all other military forces would be incorporated into the Jingnan Army's ranks, subservient only to the commands of Lord Jingnan's manor!

However, these thoughts, these conjectures, he, an old Yanjing squad leader, could only ponder in his heart. They weren't fit to be spoken aloud.

But to be honest, as a soldier—someone who had spent half his life in the saddle and a lifetime as a common soldier—it was exhilarating to fight under Lord Jingnan's banner. As long as they kept winning, who wouldn't want that?

As for those damned troublesome matters like 'a tail grown too big to wag' or 'cooking the hounds after the hares are caught,' those could be left for the gentlemen in the imperial court to agonize over. What did any of that have to do with a humble soldier like him?

Men like us should just seek exhilaration and freedom in the moment!

Ran Min was unaware of these intricate considerations; he simply didn't want to remove his suit of armor. Moreover, having witnessed this spectacular, resounding victory with his own eyes, he had naturally developed a sense of awe towards the Jingnan Army and Lord Jingnan.

Lord Jingnan had once told Zheng Fan, when instructing him, that the method to win the hearts of soldiers was actually very simple: lead them to victory, keep leading them to victory, always lead them to victory.

As for the rest—eating and sleeping alongside the soldiers, showing concern for their well-being, and so on—those were merely embellishments, nothing more.

General Zheng had also specifically asked Liang Cheng about this. Liang Cheng's reply was even more blunt: Soldiers risk their lives to follow you. So-called empty gestures might move one or two, but can they move everyone?

The so-called 'loving your soldiers as if they were your own children' sounds wonderful, but in reality, aren't unfilial children who don't support their parents also countless?

Ran Min reined in his horse and dismounted. By the riverbank, a resilient wild person was climbing out of the icy water.

This was incredibly difficult. Firstly, the river water was frigid; secondly, this wild person was still wearing armor.

To be able to swim out while wearing armor, this wild person would indeed be considered a warrior on the snowy plains. However, even the most formidable warrior would have exhausted all their strength upon reaching the shore.

Ran Min waited for him on the bank. The wild person saw Ran Min too. He didn't look for long before collapsing face-up on the bank, gasping heavily for breath.

Ran Min walked over to him. The wild person closed his eyes.

Ran Min bent down. The wild person's body trembled slightly, as if wanting to resist, but he ultimately abandoned the thought.

He opened his eyes again. In them, there was no anger, no hatred. He was too exhausted to muster the energy for any superfluous emotions.

Ran Min's saber pierced his chest, plunging in viciously.

Ran Min felt he should be able to give him a quick end. Unfortunately, this person's armor was no ordinary mail; the saber, after piercing it, hadn't sunk deep into the flesh.

Ran Min could only twist the hilt of his saber. The wild person beneath him began to convulse in pain, mouth agape, seemingly cursing in a silent language of the wild people.

Ran Min twisted and twisted. It was somewhat like when he was a child, following his grandfather to pound glutinous rice cakes before the New Year. There was even a hint of joy in it.

Yes. In this place, killing wasn't a sin. It was a kind of pleasure.

Because when you were killing others, it meant you wouldn't be killed by others. Wasn't that worth being joyful about?

The wild warrior beneath him died.

Perhaps he regretted it. He had exhausted every last bit of his strength to swim to shore, only for a torturous death to await him. Thinking about it that way, he might have preferred to drown directly at the bottom of this icy river.

Ran Min pulled out his saber. He was also a bit tired; he had killed quite a few wild people along the way. Killing people was actually much more tiring than slaughtering pigs. The body might not be as fatigued, but the mind grew weary more easily than a blade's edge dulled.

The moment he withdrew the saber, a token fell.

Ran Min picked up the token. He knew he'd struck gold. This was the token of a battalion commander.

The squad leader, having completed another round of pursuit, rode back and saw Ran Min again, shouting, "What's that in your hand?"

Ran Min held up the token and then pointed with his saber at the brutally killed wild warrior at his feet.

The squad leader nocked an arrow to his bow, aiming it at Ran Min.

Ran Min continued to smile.

The arrow flew.

Ran Min didn't move.

The arrow struck the corpse of the dead wild person—unfortunately, not in the head, but in the calf.

The squad leader's old face flushed red, but he still shouted, "Alright, so we got to satisfy our craving by 'killing' a high-ranking officer of the wild people too!"

With that, he looked at Ran Min and roared with laughter, "You lucky bastard! You're making this old man so envious, Hahaha!"

Then, the squad leader spurred his horse on, continuing his search for prey along the river.

Ran Min didn't move anymore. He was somewhat tired and sat down on the riverbank.

On the opposite bank of the river, he saw a group of armored soldiers escorting several hundred wild people to the riverside.

The armor they wore was very familiar to Ran Min; he himself had worn such armor when he first came out of the prisoner soldier ranks. He, on the other hand, was currently clad in the armor of the North Defense Army. Therefore, Ran Min deduced, that group of armored soldiers across the river—wearing the very type of armor he once had—were most likely also part of the North Defense Army.