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"Targeting me?"
Dai Chengfeng raised an eyebrow slightly. "I've barely arrived at Wu'an City, haven't even stepped into the city lord's residence, and suddenly the Tian Dou Empire surrounds the city?"
"Is it their intelligence network, or could it be…"
A faint smile of interest appeared on Dai Chengfeng's lips. "Interesting!"
With that, he turned around and headed toward the city gates. "Let's go take a look at the city walls."
Zhu Fan quickly followed, staying close behind Dai Chengfeng, his eyes filled with vigilance.
Watching their retreating figures, Zhu Yan wore a face full of bitterness. "The Tian Dou Empire didn't come early or late—just as the Fourth Prince entered the city… What should I do?"
"If anything happens to this Fourth Prince in my Wu'an City, and the higher-ups blame me, my parents, wife, and children will all suffer!"
"Now, I can only hope this is all just a coincidence. Sigh!"
After a long while, Zhu Yan shook his head and hurriedly jogged to catch up with them.
Meanwhile—
Outside Wu'an City, the army of the Tian Dou Empire surged forward like an iron tide. Banners bearing the emblem of the Tian Dou Empire fluttered fiercely in the wind .
The soldiers were clad in heavy armor, wielding sharp spears. The cold metallic gleam shimmered under the sunlight, exuding an aura of killing intent.
Inside the central command tent—
The atmosphere was oppressively tense.
A golden-haired youth leaned over a map spread across the table, his handsome face tinged with coldness. This was none other than the current crown prince of the Tian Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe.
His pale, slender fingers lightly tapped the location of Wu'an City on the map as he muttered to himself, "So this is Wu'an City?"
He straightened slightly, crossed his arms, furrowed his brows, and traced the mountains and rivers on the map with his gaze.
"Indeed, it's easy to defend but hard to attack."
At this moment,
An old general, clad in heavy armor with white hair and beard, stepped out of the ranks. He approached Xue Qinghe, knelt on one knee, and clasped his hands with a worried expression. "Your Highness!"
"I know well that you've just been appointed crown prince by His Majesty, and your position isn't yet secure."
"Coming here to our Wu Ping City and requesting this campaign is clearly your attempt to secure a great victory to impress His Majesty and the court ministers."
"But…"
"This sudden mobilization of thirty thousand troops is still far too risky."
"For years, the two empires have maintained a delicate peace through mutual understanding. Once this balance is broken, those vultures from the Spirit Hall will surely seize the opportunity, and the consequences would be unimaginable…"
"Enough!"
Xue Qinghe, who had been studying the map, raised his hand to interrupt the old general. "General Li, there's no need for further explanation."
"I'm confident that the Spirit Hall won't intervene."
"Besides, the Star Luo Empire has repeatedly provoked us along our borders for years. Are we just supposed to endure their bullying without retaliation?"
"As long as we don't occupy Wu'an City,"
"I'm sure that even if the Star Luo Empire harbors resentment, once the deed is done, they'll have no choice but to swallow this bitter pill."
Hearing this, General Li still wasn't convinced and tried to persuade further. "But Your Highness, Emperor Dai An of the Star Luo Empire is known for his iron-fisted rule. How could he possibly swallow this insult easily?"
"Enough!"
Xue Qinghe slammed the table, causing the teacup to jump and tea to spill. His eyes filled with displeasure, his face darkened as he barked, "My decision is final."
"General Li, are you disobeying my orders?"
Instantly, the old general's heart sank. He sighed helplessly, slowly rose to his feet, and clasped his hands. "This old servant wouldn't dare…"
"I'll begin preparations for the siege immediately."
"Mm, go ahead."
The old general turned and left the tent with heavy steps.
As the old general departed, a middle-aged man clad entirely in golden armor, with blood-red hair and a rugged face, abruptly emerged from the shadows.
Looking at Xue Qinghe, he said, "Young Master, that old fool truly doesn't know his place. Shall I go and…?"
As he spoke, the man made a throat-slitting gesture with his hand.
Xue Qinghe shook his head slightly. "Forget it."
"Compared to that old man, I'm far more interested in that Fourth Prince of the Star Luo Empire, Dai Chengfeng!"
Ci Tun Douluo was momentarily stunned, then realized. "So that's why, Young Master. You deliberately waited until today, when Dai Chengfeng entered the city, to launch the attack, instead of striking earlier?"
Xue Qinghe nodded slightly, a deep smile curling at the corner of his lips. "A prince who once stood so close to the throne, only to be suddenly disinherited and exiled here…"
"Do you think he'd be content with this?"
Ci Tun Douluo's eyes flashed with ruthlessness. "Him? I don't know…"
"But if it were me, I'd definitely feel dissatisfied and want to reclaim everything that belongs to me!"
Pausing, he looked up at Xue Qinghe again. "So, Young Master, are you planning to recruit him for our Spirit Hall?"
"After all, though his martial soul supposedly lost its potential due to a conflicting soul ring, that's only the Star Luo Empire's judgment…"
"Our Spirit Hall has many methods. Perhaps we can fix it."
Xue Qinghe smiled, nodding and shaking his head at the same time. "It's not that simple. He's still a prince, after all."
"And before this, I knew nothing about Dai Chengfeng's character or personality. I can't determine if he can serve our purposes."
"This time, it's merely a test."
"If he's truly discontent and still harbors ambition, then perhaps he can be useful. But if he's just a useless lump of clay, I won't waste my thoughts on him."
"After all, capturing Wu'an City and solidifying my position as crown prince is my top priority."
"As for him?"
"He's just a side matter. Waiting a few more days won't hurt."
Ci Tun Douluo bowed deeply, admiration filling his face. "Young Master, your wisdom and foresight are unmatched. Truly admirable!"
Xue Qinghe chuckled softly.
At this moment, a soldier's loud announcement came from outside the tent: "Your Highness, our thirty thousand troops are fully assembled and await your command!"
Instantly, Xue Qinghe's eyes sharpened like an eagle's. He strode out of the tent, mounted a tall white warhorse, and issued a loud order:
"All troops, advance and attack the city!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Tian Dou soldiers marched forward in perfect unison, their footsteps shaking the earth.
On the other side—
By now, Dai Chengfeng and his group had already ascended the city walls.
Gazing at the dense, surging waves of Tian Dou soldiers charging forward outside the city, each clad in heavy armor, weapons gleaming coldly, and equipped with siege engines, Zhu Yan felt a deep sense of unease.
"It seems the Tian Dou Empire is serious this time!"
Thinking this, he cautiously approached Dai Chengfeng, his voice trembling slightly.
"Your Highness, what should we do?"
"They have thirty thousand troops, and it's clear they're all heavily armored elites."
"In contrast, our city's garrison numbers only ten thousand, most of whom are old, weak, or sick. The number of actual combat-ready soldiers is barely a thousand. The disparity is immense."
"How about I send a squad to escort you and Lord Zhu Fan to safety first?"
Dai Chengfeng's expression remained calm as water. His deep gaze swept across the Tian Dou army, searching for the commander.
At the same time, he calmly said, "Flee first? A son of the Star Luo Empire knows the honor of death and refuses the shame of survival."
"I'll stay here and see what tricks they can pull!"
"You go arrange the city defenses and tell the soldiers that I, the Fourth Prince of the Star Luo Empire, stand with them!"
As he spoke—
Dai Chengfeng suddenly spotted the golden-haired youth riding a white horse, surrounded by guards, at the center of the enemy formation. His pupils contracted instantly.
"Qian Renxue?!"
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