The Demon Lords

Follow me,

As my achievements today will be your successes tomorrow!

I believe in the future we will have opportunities to go to battle together. By then, I will be with you, using mountains of enemy heads to exchange for everyone’s glory and wealth, to honor our families,

to bring,

you,

you,

you,

and you,

all of you,

us,

honor to the family,

eternal nobility!

Long live Yan!!!

"Long live Yan!"

"Long live Yan!"

At this moment, the prepared guards would shout:

"Long live Lord Pingye!"

All the soldiers around would immediately follow and call out:

"Long live Lord Pingye!"

"Long live Lord Pingye!"

Straightforwardly gathering the soldiers’ loyalty, this manner may seem unsightly, taking others for fools, but if you establish everything under the banner of loyalty to the Emperor, others would have nothing to criticize.

And for these soldiers,

the Emperor is too distant,

while Lord Pingye is right before their eyes.

To Lord Zheng’s surprise, the enthusiasm from the two major camps, north and south, toward him is even more fervent than that of the Yan Army.

The underlying reason for this is because under Lord Pingye’s command, true Yan people are the minority; Jin soldiers and barbarian troops make up over eighty percent.

As Yan took control of Jin, while they may be lenient to the noble families, literati, and officials of Jin, for the troops of Jin region, it’s mainly caution.

Use them, but use with caution, it cannot be avoided.

Other Yan generals also have Jin army camps under their command, but those are really just used as auxiliary forces or cannon fodder; the main force is still their own Yan army headquarters. Only Lord Zheng genuinely likes to use foreign troops and treats them equally, making him a unique stream among the many Yan generals stationed in Jin region.

......

"Hehe."

Sitting inside the carriage, Lord Zheng handed the second letter in his hand to the princess who was massaging his leg.

The princess took it, glanced at it, and smiled:

"It truly shows genuine emotion."

The two letters were from the leaders of the north and south camps of Ying Capital City, expressing their admiration for Lord Pingye and their desire to achieve feats under Lord Zheng’s command one day.

"My lord, this time you’ve gained a lot. These north and south camps must have over ten thousand soldiers."

The princess was genuinely pleased, having left behind her royal honors to follow this man to the Yan region, essentially hoping to create a better life for herself with him.

She really seemed like a wife managing the household, always feeling a great sense of satisfaction whenever there was income for their family.

Lord Zheng shook his head and said:

"It’s not that simple, a letter itself can’t be taken seriously."

Originally, they wanted to present gifts to Lord Zheng. Though his intent was to reward them, one is the public reward and the other personal affection.

But Lord Zheng declined due to being busy with his journey to the capital.

Social relationships are unavoidable, and Lord Zheng’s Snow Sea is a prominent figure in this regard.

Under Siniang’s planning, during festivals and such, gifts were sent to Lord Jingnan and Li Fusheng, even to the capital, never falling short, and they would present thoughtful rather than cliché gifts of silver and gold.

"Not taken seriously?" The princess seemed somewhat unable to comprehend because yesterday she personally witnessed those soldiers’ admiration for her husband.

"You know about the Sixth Prince’s commerce, don’t you?"

"How can I not know? The pageantry on the Sixth Prince’s wedding day directly upgraded my own wedding spectacle, even the Fan Family is tied to the Sixth Prince’s line, isn’t it?"

"Yes, that’s how it is. Everyone thinks he has agents across various countries, everywhere there’s someone under him, some secret agents, but the reality isn’t like this. Neither the Spy Bureau, Silver Armored Guard nor your Chu’s Phoenix Nest, even with state power behind them and official banner, can achieve such seemingly widespread influence.

Ultimately, those people perceived as his are not truly his own.

When the Emperor ordered Lord Jingnan to eradicate the Min Family, they did not touch the Min Family’s hidden businesses, which naturally pledged allegiance to Ji Chengjue.

Because Ji Chengjue also has half Min Family blood flowing in him, but this is only an additional factor."

"An additional factor?"

"Yes, an additional factor. Merchants seek profit, yet another difference between people and beasts is that humans cherish sentiment. However, with the Min Family gone, while those shopkeepers might still hold nostalgia for the Min family, whether this sentiment shifts to Ji Chengjue remains unknown.

First, the Yan Emperor only extinguished the Min Family’s main house, though they didn’t act against those shopkeepers originally under the Min Family locally, the threat remained at hand;

Under this hanging threat, these shopkeepers, willing or not, must pledge loyalty to Ji Chengjue, even if only maintaining appearances.

Because even if Ji Chengjue appeared unappreciated at that time, in the end, he is a prince.

These shopkeepers are savvy enough to know that seeking another patron or shelter might immediately result in accusations of being Min Clan remnants.

Moreover, Ji Chengjue’s talent is not unremarkable, his skill is strong, perhaps unknown to outsiders, but those truly significant shopkeepers should be aware, of course, this is also an additional factor.