The Demon Lords

The person holding the imperial edict was a young eunuch with fair skin, likely in his early twenties. To receive such a position at this age, he must have done quite well in the palace.

Behind the young eunuch was a young official, looking dignified and impressive. His left waist was adorned with a Flying Fish Pendant, and a sword hung at his right waist, making this combination somewhat unconventional.

Though civil officials in the Yan State were not as focused on etiquette and scholarly demeanor as those in the Qian State, they still maintained some semblance of formality. Few carried swords, let alone knives.

The two groups of people approached each other,

The young eunuch raised the imperial edict,

"Lord Pingye, General of Snow Sea Pass, Zheng Fan, receive the edict!"

"Your servant Zheng Fan, pays respects to His Majesty, ten thousand years!"

Lord Zheng knelt down,

Following him,

all the generals also knelt.

"By the mandate of Heaven, the emperor declares: Lord Pingye Zheng Fan, for defending the country’s borders with diligence and merit, and for the extraordinary feats achieved beyond our borders, I, since ascending the throne, have known the importance of fair rewards and punishments to establish order..."

The feats beyond the borders refer to recapturing the princess from the Chu State.

In the imperial edict, naturally, it couldn’t be written so bluntly: Zheng Fan, you kid, snatched the Chu princess for me, and I’m thrilled!

Thus, it’s omitted, but everyone knows the underlying truth.

"Specially bestow upon Lord Pingye Zheng Fan, General of Snow Sea Pass, the title of Grand General of the Cheng State, and a tribute saber from the barbarians..."

The young official took a long box from a servant behind him, walked up to Zheng Fan, and opened the box.

Inside the box lay a knife with an ancient design.

The barbarians are indeed poor; it’s true. Many barbarian warriors lack full armor, and even have to shape arrowheads out of bones, yet the weapons and armor used by the barbarian elite are surprisingly good.

Because the barbarians are located between East and West, they can absorb forging and smelting techniques from both sides. However, due to their poverty, they cannot produce on a large scale, resulting in the ironic situation where the barbarians, known for their exquisite swords and armor, have a low rate of armored soldiers under their Royal Court’s Golden Tent cavalry.

"Lord Zheng, please accept the knife," the young official reminded.

The young official’s enthusiastic smile made Lord Zheng somewhat overwhelmed.

Still, Lord Zheng nodded and pulled out the saber; it was heavy, and he could sense its cold sharpness even with just a part revealed.

This was indeed a treasure blade!

Lord Zheng never had any commendable weapon. Though he encountered many famous swords, he unfortunately didn’t practice swordsmanship; otherwise, he would have long stolen the Longyuan from the Sword Saint’s house next door for a table leg.

Regarding famous knives,

Lord Zheng knew that Lord Jingnan’s Pixiu stomach contained the Kunwu knife, a state treasure bestowed by the Yan Emperor.

He knew it,

but Lord Zheng dared not steal it.

Now, this was good,

he had one too,

though he didn’t know its exact value, it was certainly better than the knives he used before.

The most important thing was, it had no embedded jewels or a unique shape; it was simply ancient.

This greatly aligned with Lord Zheng’s battlefield aesthetics; a knife, as long as it cuts cleanly, is sufficient. Too many unnecessary embellishments are just burdensome.

Seeing Zheng Fan accept the knife,

the eunuch continued reading the edict:

"Bestow a set of golden armor."

"Huh?"

The young official waved, and two servants came over carrying a chest, opened it, revealing armor glistening with gold.

This armor, of course, couldn’t be solid gold; how would solid gold armor be practical in battle?

But since it was called golden armor, one thing was guaranteed: under the noonday sun, you would be the most dazzling figure among a thousand armored men.

Lord Zheng quietly spoke to Liang Cheng beside him:

"You wear this armor."

"My lord, this is an imperial gift, isn’t it inappropriate?"

"On the battlefield, you are me; what’s inappropriate?"

Liang Cheng thought for a moment and suggested an idea which showed he truly was pondering and improving his conduct,

He said:

"Let A Ming wear it."

Lord Zheng’s eyes lit up and said:

"That’s a good idea."

Currently, A Ming, still lying in the ice cellar and being watered every three days while unconscious, had no idea he was already sorted out and assigned, shimmering in gold.

"Ahem..."

The eunuch delivering the edict coughed as he noticed Zheng Fan whispering with a general beside him.

Of course, this was not considered severe disrespect as it could be seen as Lord Zheng being overjoyed and touched for being favored by the emperor.

The young official quietly reminded, "Lord, the edict has more."

"Huh?"

Lord Zheng immediately knelt properly.

The eunuch continued to read:

"Lord Pingye is hereby ordered to present himself in the capital by mid-May, without fail, thus decreed!"

What?

What.

What!

Lord Zheng’s eyes widened instantly; to the capital?

I just returned from Chu. Now you want me to go to the capital?

How far is the capital,

well,

heading east from Yanjing to the Horse Hoof Mountain Range marks the original border between Yan State and Jin State, which was the westernmost point of Jin State. Lord Zheng was currently at the easternmost point of Jin State.

Previously, when Lord Zheng entered Chu, he went via Mong Mountain, and came out along the Town South Pass, which meant travelling from the western to the eastern end of Chu State. Now, he had to undertake another long east-west journey across Jin State.