The Demon Lords-Chapter 774 - 169: King of the Wild People_5

Jin Shuke was on patrol duty outside the city today, responsible for ensuring the group of wild people captives didn't escape or cause any trouble. He had not attended the evening banquet, so the Eldest Prince specifically came to find him outside the city before returning to the capital.

"Your Highness, you are joking."

For Jin Shuke, there was simply no choice in this matter.

Not to mention that he had already committed himself to Zheng Fan, he had also revealed his intentions to Zheng Fan. If he were to leave with the Eldest Prince tomorrow, given Zheng Fan's temper, he would definitely send cavalry to hunt him down and kill him on the spot!

Hmm...

Because General Zheng was often lazy and didn't accomplish much, the various Demon Lords' exploits were often attributed to him.

"Heh."

The Eldest Prince merely smiled. Zheng Fan had been ennobled today, and he knew he could no longer poach Jin Shuke. Previously, he had merely been asking for the sake of asking.

Lord Pingye, Lord Pingye. His own father... had truly made a grand gesture this time.

The two men walked on for a stretch, neither spoke again.

They had forged their bond by risking their lives together on the battlefield, and it felt appropriate to say goodbye in this way.

At this time, a group of wild people prisoners approached from the front, transporting stones. A troop of cavalry was watching over them.

By nightfall, large-scale construction naturally had to be halted, though some simple preparations could continue. Most importantly, the Snow Sea Pass garrison didn't take the wild people's lives seriously. They even hoped some would die sooner to lessen their own guarding pressure. Consequently, they certainly wouldn't concern themselves with trivialities like whether the wild people rested well at night.

THUMP!

At this moment, a wild man threw down the basket from his shoulder and lunged forward. However, the iron chains on his feet prevented him from getting far; instead, he pulled down several other wild people in front of and behind him.

Two nearby knights reacted instantly: one raised his saber, while the other nocked an arrow to his bow, preparing to execute the wild man attempting to escape on the spot.

However, after falling, the wild man didn't struggle further. Instead, he shouted loudly, 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness!!!!!"

He was shouting in the Xia language.

Among the wild people captives, those who could speak the Xia language received significantly better treatment than ordinary wild people; after all, Snow Sea Pass also needed translators.

So, it seemed very strange that this wild man, who was clearly engaged in common labor, could speak the Xia language.

What was even stranger, the Eldest Prince realized, was that this wild man clearly recognized him.

The Eldest Prince and Jin Shuke immediately walked over.

At a wave from Jin Shuke, the nearby cavalry held back, not rushing to kill or punish.

The Eldest Prince crouched down in front of this wild man, staring at his face.

The face bore a fresh, terrifying scar. In this era, to survive such a grievous wound without succumbing to infection was no small feat.

"Do you recognize me?"

Upon hearing this, the wild man lifted his head, looked at the Eldest Prince, and said with a laugh,

"Recognize you? Of course, I recognize you. How could I not? Aren't you the one I defeated?"

「...…」

Just as General Zheng was dreaming, he was awakened. The one who woke him was Xue Three.

"San'er... what's the matter?"

He'd had too much to drink, and his head still felt a bit fuzzy.

"My lord, the Wild People's King! The Wild People's King has been caught!"

"Caught?"

Zheng Fan sobered up with a start.

"That's not right. Wasn't it said earlier that he'd already been captured by the Jingnan Army?"

The news of the wild people's main force being annihilated and the Jingnan Army capturing their king alive had, in fact, already been reported and had spread throughout the various armies.

"My lord, that one... the one the Jingnan Army caught... it seems he wasn't the real one. The one we've encountered this time might actually be him."

"What the devil is going on?"

Zheng Fan stood up, somewhat annoyed.

Just then, Ke approached, carrying a washbasin.

Zheng Fan took the towel and wiped his face. Only then did his head feel a bit clearer. He then asked,

"Where is he?"

"He's at the door."

"Bring him in."

Tactfully, Ke took back the towel and withdrew.

「A short while later,」

A bound wild man was dragged in by Fanli and thrown to the ground. Fanli then gave him a kick, forcing him to kneel properly.

What surprised Zheng Fan somewhat was that the Eldest Prince and Jin Shuke followed them in.

Truth be told, Jin Shuke was one of his, Zheng Fan's, current lucky generals. If an army was to continuously develop and strengthen, it couldn't rely on just one person; more talents like him had to emerge to alleviate some of Liang Cheng's pressure. But Jin Shuke was clearly a prized talent from his own ranks... so why was this Eldest Prince always trying to poach him? Moreover, with the Eldest Prince aware of this matter, it would become somewhat inconvenient to proceed.

The kneeling wild man immediately kowtowed and shouted,

"Gou Moli pays his respects to Lord Pingye! May Lord Pingye enjoy good fortune and health!"

It was a ludicrous scene: the Wild People's King paying homage to Lord Pingye.

The Eldest Prince then rose and said, "Lord Pingye, may we speak privately?"

Zheng Fan naturally rose and agreed. At the same time, he gestured to Xue Three, indicating that Xue Three should question the man first.

When Zheng Fan and the Eldest Prince entered a side hall, the Eldest Prince said straightforwardly,

"Lord Pingye, this man here today is definitely not the real Wild People's King."

"Oh?"

His brain was somewhat numbed by alcohol, and additionally, he had been pulled from sleep not long after lying down. Lord Zheng's train of thought wasn't quite normal at this moment, so he didn't immediately grasp the meaning behind the Eldest Prince's words.