The Demon Lords-Chapter 762 - 167 Dowry_5

By stationing yourself in Jin land and recruiting wild people into your army, you are only setting the stage for a major conflict within your own base. Moreover, your duty is to guard against the threats of the Snowfield. If you indiscriminately absorb a large number of wild people into your army, wouldn't Snow Sea Fortress become as porous as a sieve?

In the future, after your main army has expanded and strengthened, it's not a bad idea to form a subsidiary army of wild people to serve as cannon fodder when attacking Qian State or Chu State.

However, the order of these steps cannot be reversed.

"Your Highness, what instructions do you have for me?"

"General Zheng, you're being too formal. Wujiang meant to say that when the Barbarian King promised his daughter to Wujiang, he also promised to provide a dowry."

A dowry?

Zheng Fan's breath involuntarily grew heavier. Because he quickly deciphered its significance.

Barbarian soldiers!

Barbarian soldiers are excellent. General Zheng's initial fortune came from barbarian troops. Furthermore, based on the Blind Man's trials, it was discovered that brainwashing barbarian soldiers yields the best results. They are naturally born horsemen, very useful! Once you obtain them, you just need to equip them with excellent warhorses and high-quality armor. With a little integration, they will form an elite force!

"Wujiang will take the dowry," the Eldest Prince stared at Zheng Fan, choosing each word carefully, "but attracting the barbarian tribes to Yan is a very thorny issue for us, as Beifeng Prefecture absolutely cannot be infiltrated by barbarians."

For a long time, the Yan State has accepted alliances with many small barbarian tribes. However, Beifeng Prefecture's large scale and unique geographical location mean it would face problems similar to those Zheng Fan previously encountered. The fundamental dilemma is this: Our defenders in Beifeng Prefecture are there specifically to defend against barbarians. If we then bring a large number of barbarians into this very region, how can we possibly defend it?

Therefore, at Green Willow Fortress, Zheng Fan was able to obtain barbarian soldiers through a backdoor deal facilitated by Fatty Hui. The Royal Court intended to absorb these barbarians, but they would certainly not be stationed in Beifeng Prefecture. Instead, they were to be sent to other regions of the empire, using distance to sever their connection to the desert wastelands.

Zheng Fan stood up, looked at the Eldest Prince, and asked, "Does Your Highness mean to place this dowry at my Snow Sea Fortress?"

"Do you like barbarian soldiers, General Zheng?"

"I do." Zheng Fan nodded, then quickly added, "Very much so."

This isn't like a New Year's visit where a relative gives you a red envelope, and even though you earnestly want it, you have to keep saying, "No, no, please don't."

If I can secure more barbarian soldiers as a foundation, combined with the existing strength of the Shengle army, then after spending some time reforming Snow Sea Fortress from top to bottom and addressing the people's livelihood, I, General Zheng, can immediately show these wild people—our newly sworn blood brothers—exactly why the flowers are so red!

In the past, at Green Willow Fortress, it was the early phase of my career. After enduring the initial struggles, I successfully established myself and earned the appreciation of Lord Jingnan. From then on, everything went smoothly.

But now, isn't this the beginning of another round of entrepreneurship?

The sooner I stabilize the foundation of Snow Sea Fortress, the sooner I can begin to invade and expand, and the sooner I can realize my dream of holding a fiefdom.

This urgency is difficult for most people to understand.

"The Barbarian King is old, and the Royal Court needs to arrange for a successor. That's why, during the last great war among the three states, the Barbarian King chose to sit back and watch. This was partly due to an imperial edict from my father. However, the Barbarian King himself also knew that even if a full-scale war erupted, nothing good would ultimately come of it if his Royal Court's succession issue remained unresolved—even if the barbarian army successfully invaded Yan territory. This time, for the marriage alliance, the Barbarian King will certainly keep his promise. He needs a long period of peace to settle his posthumous affairs. Originally, this matter was supposed to be handled by Shatuo Queshi. The Barbarian King greatly trusted the Left Valley King, Shatuo Queshi, for his integrity. However, with Shatuo Queshi's death outside the Earl of North Border's mansion, the Barbarian King's original arrangements were ruined. For Great Yan, and for my father, what we truly desire is the fertile land of Qian State, not the barren wilderness. Integrating all Zhuxia territories is our true aspiration. If both sides can avoid fighting in the coming years, it would be best not to start a war."

At this point, the Eldest Prince paused, pointed to the ground, and said, "The placement of the dowry itself is a significant problem. However, for you, General Zheng, this is actually your greatest advantage. Beifeng Prefecture is the westernmost part of Yan, while Snow Sea Fortress is currently Yan's easternmost territory. Placing the barbarian soldiers here, far from the desert, can maximally limit the possibility of these barbarian soldiers colluding with the desert to cause trouble. Furthermore, barbarians and wild people have fundamental differences; they will not ally with the wild people. On this point, Wujiang asked your subordinate, Jin Shuke. They look down on the wild people."

Zheng Fan took a deep breath and uttered four words:

"Use barbarians to control barbarians."

The Eldest Prince's eyes immediately brightened, and he exclaimed with uncontrollable admiration, "Perceptive!"

Immediately after, the Eldest Prince continued, "Just those four words are worth a thousand. As long as someone utters these four words in the Royal Court, this dowry will undoubtedly be yours, General Zheng."

"Use barbarians to control barbarians." Whether from an "aesthetic" perspective, from the perspective of Yan state policy, or even from the self-congratulatory angle of the emperor and the courtiers, these words could be said to have perfectly scratched their itch.

Qian State is not barbarian; Chu State is also not barbarian. According to Yan State's official propaganda, everyone is a brother of the Xia, all ordered by the Xia Emperor in ancient times to expand the frontiers. Therefore, essentially, they are all one family.