The two men fell silent. They both knew very well that this matter would be difficult—extremely difficult—but they had to try.
After a long while, the scarred man asked, "Did you see that?"
"Yes." The tall man's voice was laced with disbelief. "I saw it. Gefeng is building city walls, and there are large fields of crops planted outside the city."
From where they stood, they couldn't see the situation over at the North Gate, but on their way here, they had seen from afar the walls under construction outside the North Gate, as well as the lush green crops.
The distance was too great to see exactly what was planted, but such a massive expanse had to be agricultural crops. It was impossible that they were just growing grass for fun during a severe drought.
After all, it hadn't rained yet this year. Most of the crops planted in their Ze'a Commandery were half-dead. Although they wanted to divert water from the river for irrigation, the constant warfare had drained them of the energy to do so.
"I wonder which faction is in control of Gefeng to be this formidable," the scarred man said, bending slightly and licking his cracked lips.
The prolonged journey had left him physically and mentally exhausted. He wished for nothing more than to rest immediately, but he couldn't. Ze'a Commandery was still waiting for them.
The tall man shook his head. "I don't know. It's as if these people just popped out of nowhere."
Although they had been confined to a remote corner these past few years, as an established noble family of Fengzhou, they still had their information channels.
They knew that Gefeng had changed hands, and they also knew that Gefeng had relieved the sieges of Quzhao several times.
Now, it seemed Gefeng was far more than that; they definitely had hidden trump cards.
At this moment, he felt a glimmer of hope for the purpose of their trip.
He looked up at the soldiers standing perfectly straight on the city walls, feeling that something was different about them.
Just as he was lost in thought, he heard the sound of the city gates opening, and the drawbridge was lowered.
Shortly after, a man on horseback rode out from the city. It was Xie Nanxiao. "Follow me."
The two men didn't speak. They merely nodded to Xie Nanxiao, spurred their horses across the drawbridge, and followed him into the city.
Upon entering the city, they were shocked once again. The scene inside showed absolutely no signs of decay.
The streets were clean, and the commoners walked about freely in twos and threes. Their expressions were relaxed, completely lacking the panic typical of a war-torn era. The prosperous and peaceful atmosphere gave the two men the surreal illusion of being in a golden age.
A short while later, Xie Nanxiao led them to the county magistrate's office. He dismounted first and led the way inside.
The scarred man and his companion exchanged a glance, dismounted swiftly, and followed behind Xie Nanxiao.
"Take a seat for a moment. My Lord will be here shortly," Xie Nanxiao told the two.
Hearing the title 'Lord,' a flicker passed through their eyes, though they didn't show it on their faces, and they quickly expressed their thanks.
At that moment, a maidservant entered and served them each a cup of water.
The two picked up the cups and gulped the water down. They were simply too thirsty.
The water they had brought from Ze'a Commandery had been finished long ago, and pressed for time, they had just endured the thirst the entire way.
They weren't worried about Gefeng poisoning them; after all, if the other party wanted to kill them, there would be no need to resort to such methods.
After finishing the cup, they licked their lips, still wanting more. The maidservant was very perceptive and poured them another two cups of water.
The two drank five cups of water in a row before finally letting out a comfortable sigh. Looking up, they saw the man who had brought them in earlier watching them with a strange expression.
For a moment, the two felt a bit embarrassed. "Excuse our manners."
Xie Nanxiao let out a hearty laugh. "It's no trouble at all."
The tall man cupped his hands in greeting. "May I ask your esteemed name?"
Xie Nanxiao returned the gesture. "Xie Nanxiao."
The names and backgrounds of these two men had already been reported at the city gates.
The tall man was named Sheng He, holding the rank of Commandant.
The scarred man was named Sheng Shang, holding the rank of Army Protector.
Logically, since both were private soldiers of a noble family, they shouldn't have been appointed with official military titles. However, in this era, the aristocratic clans held extremely high status, practically monopolizing political resources and wealth.
Especially in times of a fallen nation, many prominent noble families crowned themselves kings and formed their own factions. Thus, private soldiers becoming regular armies was perfectly understandable.
Furthermore, both men shared the surname Sheng. Whether they were born into the Sheng clan or bestowed the surname, it proved one thing: these two were deeply trusted by the Sheng family.
The two didn't wait long before they saw a young woman walking in, leading the way. She exuded an aura of iron and blood, making one only notice her unparalleled beauty upon a second glance.
Sheng He and his companion quickly lowered their heads, not daring to look further, but from the corner of their eyes, they caught sight of a somewhat familiar figure.
His brow twitched. He looked closely and exclaimed, "You... are you General Yun?"
As an established noble family of Fengzhou, the Sheng family naturally had dealings with Yun Ci.
Back when the Northeast Army was trapped, Yun Ci had even sought help from the Sheng family, hoping both sides could cooperate to fend off the enemy together, but the Sheng family had refused.
At the same time, taking advantage of Yun Ci dealing with the Quzhao army, the Sheng family had allied with other noble families and retreated to Ze'a Commandery.
They had also taken away a massive amount of gold, silver, money, and grain.
Yun Ci sat in a wheelchair, letting a servant push him inside. Beside him was Zhou Sui.
Hearing his words, Yun Ci smiled at him. "Are you members of the Sheng clan?"
The two hurriedly bowed in respect. "Indeed, we are."
The two cast a subtle glance at Yun Ci's legs, keeping their faces completely expressionless.
Jiang Jin had already taken her seat in the position of honor. She wasn't surprised at all that the Sheng family recognized Yun Ci. Both were in Fengzhou; one represented the military, and the other was a prominent noble family.
Yun Ci nodded at the two and introduced her, "This is the Lord of Gefeng, and also my Lord."
Jiang Jin had never used her title as a princess, mainly due to four considerations.
First, her goal was not merely the Yan State. The identity of a Yan Princess might become a limitation in the future.
Second, the title of Yan Princess inherently carried a responsibility toward the Yan State, and she was unwilling to bear that responsibility.
Or rather, she was unwilling to take responsibility for certain things.
Third, the identity of a Yan Princess was of no benefit to her at present. A princess title wouldn't bring her any advantages, nor did she need it to scheme for anything.
Fourth, if she conquered the world under the identity of a Yan Princess, would the world belong to the Yan State or to her? One must know that since ancient times, there had never been a precedent for a female emperor.
Not to mention that the Yan State still had living princes. Even if they didn't, there were still the collateral branches of the royal family.
Sheng He and his companion were stunned, feeling a sense of absurdity in their hearts. Gefeng was actually ruled by a woman?
And Yun Ci had already acknowledged this woman as his Lord?!
When they saw Jiang Jin walk in leading the way earlier, they had a faint suspicion, but they simply found it hard to believe.
Now that they had the definitive answer, they couldn't quite describe the feeling in their hearts. It felt incredibly surreal.
However, their expressions didn't change much. They hurriedly stood up and bowed. "Greetings, City Lord of Gefeng."
They didn't know how to address Jiang Jin, so since she was the Lord of Gefeng, they simply decided to address her as City Lord.
Jiang Jin had no objections to their form of address. "No need for formalities. Have a seat."
Once the two were seated, she cut straight to the chase. "May I ask what brings you two to Gefeng?"
Sheng He glanced at Yun Ci, then at Zhou Sui, feeling that this man's identity was not simple either.
Seeing that both of them were looking straight ahead, maintaining a calm demeanor as if the matter had nothing to do with them.
He pursed his lips and deliberated for a moment before saying, "We have come this time to seek rescue and reinforcements. We are all citizens of the Yan State, and we ought to protect one another."
Seeing that Jiang Jin remained silent and showed no change in expression, he continued.
"I trust City Lord Gefeng understands the principle that if the lips are gone, the teeth will freeze. Once our Ze'a County is breached, Quzhao's next target will be your Gefeng."
Jiang Jin's lips curled into a smirk. "If the lips are gone, the teeth will freeze. Indeed. I wonder, when you retreated to Ze'a County back then, did you ever consider that the teeth would freeze without the lips?"
