Chapter 1 The Wind of the Front Lines

The news from the front lines came wave after wave.

First, it was the great victory at Wangjiang, and then, in the pursuit, the remnants of the Barbarians were completely wiped out outside Xuehai Pass.

By this point, the main force of the Barbarians who had invaded Jin had been basically annihilated. There might be some scattered Barbarian soldiers hiding in corners east of Wangjiang, but they no longer posed any threat.

The more insightful nobles had already anticipated the outcome of the war when the news of the victory at Wangjiang first arrived. When the news of the annihilation of the main Barbarian force came later, they were not so surprised.

But for the vast majority of common people,

the former victory at Wangjiang only brought a sigh of relief; they had finally won a battle. The pursuit of the Barbarians and the annihilation of their main force was the real highlight, igniting the enthusiasm of the Yan people.

The Yan Kingdom was in a period of prosperity. In fact, the common people of any normal country would have a simple and spontaneous excitement and surge of emotion when their country kept winning battles abroad.

Inside Nanan County,

Head Constable Yan came to the teahouse entrance again.

The teahouse owner invited Head Constable Yan to take a seat. This time, Head Constable Yan did not refuse. He went inside and shared a table with a local cloth merchant.

These merchants might not be so afraid of the county magistrate, but they were still very polite to the head constable, whom they saw every day on the street. They specially ordered a pot of good tea for Head Constable Yan.

Head Constable Yan accepted it without ceremony and cupped his fist to the merchant in thanks.

Mr. Guo on the stage had just returned from a trip to the capital not long ago. The expenses for the trip back and forth, including taking a chubby apprentice, were all covered by the shopkeeper.

The purpose was to have Mr. Guo go to the capital and bring back the latest stories he had heard.

As the saying goes, all the world's writing is plagiarism;

The stories of storytellers are the same. Go to the capital and listen to what your colleagues are saying, and then go to the streets to find out. The stories, well, should be fifty percent true and fifty percent false.

Too true, and they lose their flavor;

Too false, and the flavor is too strong.

With a strike of the gavel,

Mr. Guo began his story.

As always, his apprentice was by his side, providing interjections: "How so?" "Oh?" "Indeed!" "That's right!" "Of course!"

Mr. Guo spoke with saliva flying and energy soaring to the sky.

When he got to the exciting parts, he would add some physical movements from time to time, telling the story of how the Jingnan (Pacifying South) Marquis mounted the Pixiu (mythical wild animal), and how he used his kunwu (legendary sword) blade to cut off the head of the Barbarian king, as if he were the sword himself.

Mr. Guo started with the ambush in the Wangjiang line, then the iron cavalry galloping across the frozen river, then General Shengle's "thousand-mile raid" on Xuehai Pass, and then the Sword Saint forcibly entering the Second Rank realm at Xuehai Pass to slay the Barbarian general Grimu!

This great battle really had too much to tell.

The sounds of metal clashing on the battlefield and the sword energy crisscrossing the martial world were all included in it.

In fact, the audience below was not very enthusiastic about how the Jingnan Marquis was.

Everyone wholeheartedly recognized that the Jingnan Marquis was good at fighting. No matter what opponent he encountered, if the Jingnan Marquis was appointed commander, they could just wait for the celebration banquet.

But the problem was that some children were influenced by this kind of story and shouted while playing games at home with wooden swords:

"I am the Jingnan Marquis, who are you!"

Their father would immediately take off his shoe and chase the child down the street.

Calling yourself the Jingnan Marquis? I'll call you the Jingnan Marquis! You're rebelling against the heavens!

But the Jingnan Marquis was an indispensable protagonist in this great battle, so Mr. Guo had to tell the story, and the audience below had to listen.

As he moved from the big picture to the details, the enthusiasm of the crowd gradually increased.

People of any era never lacked enthusiasm for "lone heroes."

General Shengle's ten thousand cavalry crossed the river by night, and the Sword Saint, with a sword in hand, seized the gate of Fengxin City, leading the iron cavalry into the city.

How heroic was that!

Some martial artists in the teahouse couldn't help but cheer when they heard this!

The martial world of Great Yan always lacked a bit of flavor. Li Liangshen, one of the Four Great Swordsmen, served as a general in the army, which made the martial world less exciting.

At the same time, after the rise of national wars in recent years, the so-called martial world was as fragile as paper in front of the sounds of metal clashing on the battlefield. There were really few things worth mentioning.

But the Sword Saint's performance in this eastern expedition was indeed eye-catching.

Moreover, with the Jin Emperor returning to Yan and the Situ family being made princes, the so-called Sword Saint of Jin sounded like half a family member to the Yan people, and they had a sense of belonging.

At this moment, the Sword Saint, who was still lying in bed at Xuehai Pass, did not know that his admirers had spread from the lands of the Three Jins to the Yan Kingdom.

Many wandering knights even stuck their necks out and said,

Sword Saint, which Sword Saint are you asking about?

The Jin Kingdom is gone, so Yu Huaping must be the Sword Saint of our Great Yan!

Didn't you see that he has joined our Yan army!

When Situ Yi and Situ Jiong were killed by General Zheng,

everyone in the teahouse cheered!

The Yan people had always had a very simple national outlook, which stemmed from their centuries of resistance against the extremely powerful Barbarians.

Moreover, the current Yan Emperor had been strengthening this concept since he ascended the throne.

That is, how we beat our own family is our own business. Getting involved with foreigners is like biting the hand that feeds you!

This was actually a political program of the Yan Emperor, blurring the racial divide between the four Eastern powers, paving the way for his dream of unification in the future.

Therefore, the Yan people hated the Situ Yi and Situ Jiong brothers, who colluded with the Barbarians, to the bone!

General Zheng's actions were truly satisfying!

This was also the reason why General Zheng did this. In order to boost his reputation, you had to know what kind of stories people liked to hear, and then you could cater to the market.

After that, the surprise attack on Xuehai Pass was truly a masterful display of the art of war!

General Zheng also benefited from the Jingnan Marquis. After all, the Jingnan Marquis had a reputation for exterminating his entire family, so his reputation among the people was unlikely to be good. No one wanted their son to become the next Tian Wujing.

But General Zheng was from Beifeng County. Although he was now labeled as a direct descendant of the Jingnan Army, his "clean background" meant that he didn't have the same black marks as the Jingnan Marquis. When the people needed a hero, they naturally chose him.

A grassroots rise, three hundred Barbarian soldiers captured Mianzhou City, attacked Mianzhou twice, beheading thousands, and at the same time, taking back the head of the Prince of Fu. From his debut, General Zheng was the most dazzling star of his generation.

Most importantly, General Zheng was indeed the first in merit in this battle!

Then, the story went on to the Sword Saint forcibly entering the Second Rank, slaying enemy generals and destroying thousands of cavalry!

Instantly, the martial world became mysterious and desirable again.

The Yan people liked to use sabers, but after the story of the Sword Saint spread, many children pestered their fathers to exchange their wooden sabers for wooden swords.

Its influence was no less than that of the Young and Dangerous movies on the younger generation in later generations.

After that, it was the bitter battle under Xuehai Pass, with corpses piled up like mountains.

The story told of how General Zheng took the lead,

how he fought bravely,

how he boosted morale,

how he was hit by several arrows and bleeding profusely, but still held his head high and shouted "Kill the bandits!"

Honestly,

if Head Constable Yan didn't know what kind of person that General Zheng really was, he might have actually believed it.

Mr. Guo spoke with excitement, and the audience listened with excitement. The reward money kept clattering excitedly in the large dustpan, and the teahouse owner was so excited that he pinched the buttocks of the proprietress a few extra times behind the counter.

Head Constable Yan silently walked out of the teahouse and came to the street. Unconsciously, the story had been told until it was dark.

He looked up a little lost,

gazing at the moon in the sky,

in his mind,

he suddenly recalled the scene when he met Zheng Fan in the desert.

"Based on your relationship with the Jingnan Marquis, a general's position is inevitable this time, right?"

Head Constable Yan rubbed his waist and stretched,

and muttered to himself:

"General of Xuehai Pass?"

Then said:

"I guess it's about right."

Immediately,

Head Constable Yan smiled,

"If they really give you the position of General of Xuehai Pass, then what does the Jingnan Marquis really mean?"

Some things, others didn't know, but Head Constable Yan knew.

Back then, that guy surnamed Zheng was always urging him to rebel, rebel, and rebel again, all day long.

From one leaf, you can tell the autumn. (idiom: A small sign can indicate a large trend.)

Head Constable Yan felt that he definitely saw Zheng Fan's true nature more clearly than the current Emperor.

Just like how the ministers below looked at the Emperor, high above and very vague.

The Emperor sits too high, and when he looks at the people below, sometimes, it's difficult for him to see clearly.

Smiling and smiling,

Head Constable Yan's expression,

became a little lonely again.

The person who said he wanted to help him rebel and seize the throne was about to become a general guarding a region. Given that kid's management skills, in time, Xuehai Pass might become another warlord domain.

And what about himself?

Head Constable Yan lowered his head,

looked at the constable uniform he was wearing,

and looked at the saber hanging at his waist,

He swayed his body,

swayed again,

swayed again,

Finally, a piece of broken silver fell out.

Head Constable Yan picked up the silver,

and went to the stall in front that specialized in selling braised pork head.

The stall owner was over fifty years old, short and fat with an oily face, but he had a daughter who was really pretty, it didn't seem like she was his own!

"Yo, Head Constable Yan, are you going to cut some to take back for wine?"

The stall owner asked enthusiastically with flattery.

It's not the tea that intoxicates, but the people themselves. (idiom: people get drunk not on wine but on the atmosphere)

At this time, Head Constable Yan's cheeks were flushed, and he was staggering as he walked, looking like he was drunk.

"Pa!"

Head Constable Yan slapped the small piece of broken silver on the chopping board with great heroism,

leaning his body,

pointing his finger at the young lady behind the stall owner,

The young lady was also looking at him shyly.

Head Constable Yan's bloodline was unquestionable,

Even wearing a constable uniform, he could still reveal an undisguisable handsomeness, naturally liked by girls.

Besides, a constable, could he be looked down upon by small vendors?

"Take the money, cut the meat."

"Yo, no, no, no, Head Constable Yan, if you're short of something to go with your wine, I'll personally prepare it for you, I can't take your money."

Head Constable Yan turned his body and continued to stare at the young lady,

His body swayed slightly, as if he was drunk and couldn't stand firmly,

Said:

"Tonight, if you dare to personally bring this meat to my room, do you believe that I will make you empress in the future?"