The Demon Lords-Chapter 759 - 167: Dowry_2

General Zheng couldn't be bothered with further charades, so he decisively sent Fanli out.

He was treating it purely as a special cultural exchange gala, Yan field style.

After the grand yangko was performed, the ceremonial preliminaries for both sides concluded.

General Zheng rode his horse forward, while the wild people chieftains dismounted and advanced on foot.

The Eldest Prince rose and fell on one knee before Zheng Fan, performing a military salute. He was indeed a prince, but he had been demoted to Captain by Lord Jingnan, so he naturally had to salute according to military regulations. This was actually one of the Eldest Prince's personal charms—he was very meticulous about rules.

This scene greatly surprised the wild people chieftains. For even a Prince to kneel before this young general meant his power was truly terrifying. Thus, these wild people chieftains also quickly knelt before General Zheng, who remained on his horse.

General Zheng was currently only General of Shengle; his appointment as Regional Commander had not yet been issued. He didn't know if he would receive any noble titles, but this didn't prevent him from accepting the obeisance of this assembly of 'royalty and nobility.'

These chieftains weren't fools. The titles previously conferred on the Eldest Prince by their own king were hardly something they could flaunt before the Yan people now. They understood the principle of being fish on the chopping block.

Over a hundred thousand wild people soldiers, led by their King, had been annihilated in Jin land. The Snowfield was currently in an absolute power vacuum and wracked by instability. What these chieftains wanted was an immediate truce with the Yan people, after which they could pacify the Snowfield. This, of course, would involve a period of consolidating power and expanding their own territories.

The entire Snowfield, in fact, was like a breeding ground for Undead Insects. Big fish devouring smaller fish, and smaller fish eating shrimp—this was the norm. Those tribes that had answered the Wild People King's call and sent their warriors were now weakened. Wouldn't they be doing themselves a disservice if they didn't seize this chance to plunder?

Conversely, General Zheng's forces and the civilians from Shengle had not yet arrived. He lacked the strength to dispatch troops and also needed time to establish his position.

In short, circumstances change. Today, we'll put on a grand show of harmony. In the days to come, we'll resume our 'greetings' with real blades and true guns.

General Zheng dismounted and approached a large vat of wine. He reached out and took a dagger from a nearby soldier.

Damn it.

SWOOSH!

After cutting his palm, General Zheng let his blood drip into the vat.

Then, one by one, the wild people chieftains came forward, cut their palms, and let their blood drip into the wine.

Finally, someone came to pour the wine.

General Zheng accepted a bowl filled with the blood-tinged wine and immediately felt a wave of nausea.

Normally, seeing A Ming drink this stuff from his wineskin every day didn't bother him. But now that it was his turn, he was a million times unwilling. Heaven knew if these old wild men harbored any diseases.

Nevertheless, General Zheng immediately took the lead, raising his wine bowl above his head. The assembled wild people chieftains quickly followed suit.

"For the peace between my Yan and the Snowfield, and for the harmony between our peoples, bottoms up!"

As soon as he finished speaking, General Zheng brought the bowl to his lips. He swallowed a few times to moisten his throat, then theatrically let the wine dribble down his chin, feigning a hearty drinking style.

Then, with lightning speed, he smashed the bowl on the ground and roared, "Satisfying!"

The wild people chieftains all copied him, smashing their bowls.

The ceremony was complete.

The wild people chieftains soon departed. General Zheng then escorted the Eldest Prince back to Snow Sea Pass.

The ceremony could be considered one where 'both host and guests were thoroughly content.'

Upon entering the city, General Zheng led the Eldest Prince to his private residence.

"Your Highness has endured much," General Zheng said, wiping his neck with a hot towel handed to him by Xue Three.

"Are you mocking me, General Zheng?"

"How could I dare?"

Zheng Fan tossed the towel to Xue Three, sat down in a nearby chair, and gestured to the chair opposite, indicating for the Eldest Prince to sit as well.

The Eldest Prince cupped his hands in salute to Zheng Fan before sitting down.

"Your Highness made great contributions in this battle. Our destinies are soon to intertwine."

A prince was a prince, after all. The Yan Emperor had seven sons. Counting them on his fingers, only a few were truly capable. The Third Prince had been crippled by yours truly and was probably still admiring the snow at the Lake Heart Pavilion. Chengsu, the Seventh, was still young. The Fourth and Fifth Princes, for some unknown reason, had always been suppressed, never given a chance to prove themselves in an official post. Moreover, with the head of the Deng Family dying at the Wang River, the Fourth Prince had effectively lost his greatest pillar of support. As for Chengjue, the Sixth, he was a blockhead. Putting myself in the Yan Emperor's shoes, I wouldn't give up on this eldest son so easily either.

"I am merely atoning for my sins," said the Eldest Prince.

"Your Highness is too harsh on yourself."

Ke approached and served hot tea.

Zheng Fan lifted his teacup, took a sip, then slowly set it down.

"In this world, those who always enjoy smooth sailing are not unheard of, but they are truly few and far between—as rare as phoenix feathers or unicorn horns. Although I haven't had many dealings with Your Highness before, to speak from the heart, I genuinely admire your integrity and disposition.

"Our Yan is currently in an era of expansion. I hope Your Highness will not lose heart. In the future, there will surely be opportunities for us to join forces once more in external campaigns."

The tone of his words, in fact, placed himself on an equal footing with the Eldest Prince. It might have seemed somewhat disrespectful, but since they were both military men, speaking this way actually felt more sincere.

General Zheng had always liked making friends with straightforward people. To some extent, the Eldest Prince possessed the qualities of such a person; at the very least, he had principles.