Immediately,
he slapped himself across the face,
returning to his original state.
"It's difficult..."
...
On the battlefield, nothing can be perfectly planned and executed without any surprises; unexpected events always occur.
For example, according to the original plan, the over seven thousand barbarian cavalry led by Zheng Fan should have reached the west side of the deep snow lake a day later, but they arrived half a day early.
While Liang Cheng's troops were cleaning the battlefield, the vanguard of the barbarian cavalry had already arrived. As a result, Liang Cheng handed over the task of cleaning the battlefield and guarding the prisoners to others and led his freshly-battled subordinates to set off again, beginning a strategic flanking maneuver.
This kind of situation could only happen with a demon king, giving no face to the leader, leaving the leader to clean up the battlefield. If this happened with other lords and generals, it would be the epitome of defying authority.
Lord Zheng arrived around noon; the marching speed of the troops was faster than expected.
When these Keyan Division warriors heard they were going to the snowfields to seize the wild people's cattle and sheep and could turn the wild people into their slaves, they were as excited as if they had been injected with adrenaline.
Their initiative was amazing, showing no signs of fatigue from the long migration.
Actually, this was normal because although the Keyan Division was not a major tribe in the desert, it was definitely not a small tribe. Being resented and marginalized by the Barbarian King meant they must have had some skills.
During the long migration, the herd started to dwindle, which was like watching their property shrink in front of their very eyes, a true torment.
Migration was for survival, and plundering was for a better survival. When there was a target in front of them, the passion everyone erupted with was indeed terrifying.
According to the pre-arranged plan, the barbarian cavalry led by Zheng Fan would camp here, acting as the overt expedition force to draw the troops of the Naman Tribe, while also serving as a diversion, covering for the troops led by Liang Cheng.
So, after dismounting, Lord Zheng sat directly by the edge of the deep lake.
The deep lake was actually a large lake, said to have a deep center, but the surrounding areas were no different from ordinary shallow waters.
Lord Zheng took off his boots and placed his bare feet into the lake water.
The water was cold and icy, causing him to shiver involuntarily, yet it dispelled the fatigue from the long march.
Jin Shuke set up a pot nearby to heat some water.
Keyan Dongge was a young chieftain eager to learn. His learning target, naturally, was Jin Shuke, believing that as a fellow barbarian, he could replicate Jin Shuke's path.
So, Keyan Dongge stripped off his armor and clothes and jumped into the lake to catch fish.
Although there were rivers and lakes in the desert oasis, they were smaller and less dense, yet Keyan Dongge was a good swimmer and soon caught two cod.
This cod wasn't the same as the oceanic cod Zheng Fan knew from his previous life; it was a unique fish found only in the snowfields.
At this moment, Xue Three happened to join them, casually taking the cod from Keyan Dongge and pulling out a small knife to expertly slice it into sashimi.
Keyan Dongge was intrigued by Xue Three's knife skills, surprised that this short fellow had such abilities. It's like the saying goes, the amateur watches the excitement, while the expert sees the skill. Keyan Dongge, who could eat ten large steamed buns in one sitting, was a Seventh Rank warrior and quite adept with blades himself.
Having prepared the sashimi, Xue Three took out two small bottles—one for soy sauce, the other for chili sauce—and poured them into separate dishes.
He then placed a pair of silver chopsticks in the hot water to rinse them, handing them to Zheng Fan, saying:
"My lord, we don't have wasabi, so please make do."
Zheng Fan took the chopsticks, picked up a slice, and put it in his mouth. It was very fresh, without a fishy taste.
However, Lord Zheng wasn't very fond of sashimi; after eating just two or three slices, he gestured for them to eat together.
Xue Three came over eagerly, saying:
"My lord, there's a big fish among the captives this time; it's the Third Prince of the Naman Royal Family."
"Third Prince?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Let's go, take a look."
Xue Three picked up a towel to help Zheng Fan dry his feet, but Zheng Fan dodged, saying:
"Alright, alright, no matter how uncouth you might be, there's no need for you to do such things."
"Hehe." Xue Three scratched his head, smiling like Fanli, saying, "I was just going through the motions."
"Ha."
Zheng Fan chuckled, took the cloth, wiped his feet, put on his boots, and after standing up, kicked both Jin Shuke and Keyan Dongge, who were still squatting there eating sashimi.
"Get to work, don't just eat!"
Liang Cheng had already led the Snow Sea cavalry on a flanking maneuver. Someone was needed here to handle the scene and manage affairs. Lord Zheng could leisurely play the role of the hands-off manager, but those two could not.
Moreover, these two were the real practical leaders of these barbarian soldiers.
Jin Shuke quickly grabbed the last few pieces and stuffed them into his mouth, smiling as he saluted Zheng Fan before running off to handle military affairs.
Keyan Dongge, after being kicked by Zheng Fan, had tears welled up in his eyes.
"Hey, what's wrong, crying?" Zheng Fan asked.
Keyan Dongge shook his head, swallowed the sashimi in his mouth, and said, "Lord, I miss my father. My father often kicked me like this."
Reviews
All reviews (0)