Emerging from Seclusion, Double Standards

It is inevitable that the Three Kingdoms cannot join forces.

All those rumors being thrown out at once—what effect will they have, will things turn for better or worse—Nolan cannot control that. The only thing he can be sure of is that the Three Kingdoms and the remaining Six Cities absolutely cannot unite.

Men die for wealth, birds for food. For the Three Kingdoms and Six Cities, their greatest enemy is not the Former Dynasty Remnants, but each other.

The Former Dynasty Remnants, whether Jason Lan or Ghost Hall, do not have enough strength to challenge the Three Kingdoms. As for Nolan and Serena, whether or not they are Former Dynasty descendants does not matter, because no one can do anything about them.

In the short term, Eastlyn will not face large-scale battles. Eastlyn can take this opportunity to recuperate, restoring its agriculture, economy, and population after the ravages of war.

With the Former Dynasty Imperial Hoard as bait, and Jason Lan and Ghost Hall as targets, Southlyn and Northlyn have no time to watch us. What we need to do now is to quickly find the Former Dynasty Imperial Hoard and arm Eastlyn’s armies. To unify the Four Kingdoms and Nine Cities, no amount of scheming will work; only military power can conquer all, only iron cavalry can crush all resistance.

Nolan wants to use the time while Northlyn and the other kingdoms are focused on the Former Dynasty to quietly strengthen his own forces. When the time comes, Eastlyn will send out its armies again, and that will be the moment of unification.

Serena knows this is an opportunity and naturally won’t let it slip by. She smiles and says, “The Phoenixfield Clan revealed themselves in the battle for Tyre City—do you want to recruit a Phoenixfield general?”

“You’re willing to let Victor Phoenixfield come out of hiding?” Nolan raised his eyebrows in surprise. He’s short on military commanders right now, and he certainly wouldn’t let such a talent slip away.

Serena sat up, looking serious. “Why not? Victor Phoenixfield is a born general—his military talent even surpasses General Warren Yu. Isn’t the Southlyn–Tyre City border in need of a garrison? Do you trust the Phoenixfield Clan?”

Since Nolan says her identity won’t affect the bigger picture, the Phoenixfield Clan no longer needs to stay hidden. But as for occupying Tyre City, Serena doesn’t dare to think about it.

They learn both the civil and the martial, then sell themselves to the imperial house. The Phoenixfield Clan excels only in leading troops in battle, not in governing the world; serving the emperor is their best path.

“Of course I trust them.” Nolan’s eyes brightened; he made his decision instantly: “Have Victor Phoenixfield come to the Capital—I’ll formally grant him rank.” This was to announce to the world that he, Nolan of Eastlyn, would not persecute the Phoenixfield Clan and Lan descendants like the other three kingdoms, but would boldly employ them.

“Aren’t you afraid Southlyn will raise troops in protest? The rumors outside say the Phoenixfield Clan has emerged to avenge my father, and Southlyn is supposed to be our number one enemy.” Whether people believe the rumors or not is a matter of perspective; what the Southlyn King thinks, no one knows.

With Victor Phoenixfield here, Southlyn won’t dare to move. Not to mention the old King of Phoenixfield, just your father, Great General Feng of Eastlyn, was enough to make Southlyn tremble with fear.

Nolan knows it’s not that the emperors of the Four Kingdoms don’t want to use the Phoenixfield Clan, but that they don’t dare. The Phoenixfield Clan’s military talent is plain for all to see—they want to use them, but they’re afraid…

The Phoenixfield Clan is born to fight; they fear the clan will seize power and try to restore the Former Dynasty, and even more, they fear the clan will seek revenge—because in the past, they killed far too many Phoenixfield people. Every emperor of the Four Kingdoms has blood of the Phoenixfield Clan on his hands.

Nolan isn’t worried about any of this, because he has a true Phoenixfield heiress at his side. With her there, he doesn’t fear betrayal from the Phoenixfield Clan.

“I value talent above all. Whether he’s a Former Dynasty general’s descendant or anything else doesn’t matter—as long as he’s loyal to me, I don’t care about his origins.” Nolan even dares to use Nathan of Southlyn and Titus of Lyndaria—there’s nothing in this world he doesn’t dare to use.

With these words from Nolan, Serena felt at ease and said on the spot, “I’ll write to Shandong and have Victor Phoenixfield come to the Capital. The rest is up to you—I won’t get involved. Don’t worry, I know the rules. I’ll have Victor bring the clan’s children and women to the Capital.”

Generals stationed at the frontier always leave their families in the Capital as hostages. Serena does this partly as a rule, and partly to signal to outsiders that the Phoenixfield Clan is pledging itself to Eastlyn.

Shandong... When Victor Phoenixfield received Serena’s letter, he didn’t speak for a long while. He stared at the paper, still unable to decide, and finally took the letter to his father and the clan elders.

“We’ve long expected this day. We Phoenixfield Clan are born generals; only when an emperor values us do we have a way forward.” Victor’s father was not surprised.

When he saw Nolan and Serena appear together in Northlyn, he knew this day would come. The men of the Phoenixfield Clan would return to the battlefield, and these children would not have to be like them—talented but unable to use their skills.

Trust the judgment of the Eldest Young Lady. No matter how hard it is, our clan’s children persist in training in martial arts, learning to read, and studying military strategy—not to stay farmers in the mountains, but for a chance like Eastlyn offers. Unless the Phoenixfield Clan forever stays hidden, we must find a master. Nolan is a good choice.

“That’s true, but...” Victor Phoenixfield looked worried. The elders could easily guess what troubled him.

The elders exchanged glances and spoke slowly: “We know what worries you, but it doesn’t matter. Nolan’s origins have nothing to do with us. He isn’t a Lan, and even if he were, he wouldn’t be our mortal enemy. There was no right or wrong in those days; all our clan’s glory and wealth came from the Former Dynasty royal house. Though things changed, we and the Lan family are not enemies.”

Victor’s father nodded and said, “Our Phoenixfield Clan has come out not for revenge, but to forge our own legend and glory. When you reach the Capital, meet the Eldest Young Lady in private and tell her we won’t let her lose face.”

Revenge... The old enemies are all dead; who is left to avenge?

In a way, helping Nolan unify the Nine Provinces Realm is a kind of revenge.

“Father, I understand.” Victor Phoenixfield nodded solemnly. Just as he thought the matter was settled, his father added, “But if you meet that Mr. Jingyang, remember to kill him. No daughter of the Phoenixfield Clan may be bullied, even if he is a Former Dynasty royal descendant.”

The Phoenixfield Clan is clear about grudges and favors—they may be skilled in strategy, but they prefer straightforward methods.

Victor Phoenixfield gave a wry smile and said nothing.

Just now they said not to hold grudges, but now they’re talking about revenge again—truly a double standard…