Soul Guidance Battleship

"Killing Zhu Youlan is pointless. After all, she was the Empress of the Star Luo Empire, or rather, the Empress Dowager now. She still has a lot of value to her."

Seeing that Yu Tianmeng murder, Xue Ke shook her head and sneered, "Originally, out of respect for Zhu Zhuqing, I was hesitant to deal with her harshly, but since she's courting death, she can't blame me for being ruthless!"

After a pause, Xue Ke looked at Zhu Zhuqing, who was looking indignant, and said slowly, "Zhu Zhuqing, what do you think? If you can't bear it, I can spare her. After all, she is your aunt..."

"No need, you can do whatever you want with Zhu Youlan!"

Zhu Zhuqing said without any mercy.

As a woman about to become a mother, what Zhu Zhuqing could not tolerate most was someone plotting against her child.

Zhu Youlan's actions have crossed her bottom line.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony!"

Xue Ke's lips curled slightly, and she said with a cold laugh, "Zhi Xin?"

"Your subject is here!"

Duke Zhi Xin of the Rose Duke suddenly appeared from somewhere, knelt on one knee, and said respectfully.

"Issue my order: seize Zhu Youlan and send her to the frontline army camp near the border of the Star Luo Empire. Use this Empress Dowager of the Star Luo Empire to thoroughly test the strength and weakness of the Star Luo Empire!"

"Yes, sir!"

Zhi Xin immediately and decisively got up, ready to carry out the orders Xue Ke had given her.

Just then, Yu Tianmeng suddenly said, "Zhi Xin, wait a minute, there's another task."

"I'm all ears."

Zhi Xin turned her head and listened quietly.

"Here's the thing, I need you to dispatch a team to the Star Luo Empire to deliver a letter to the Zhu Family the Netherworld Spirit Cat..."

Dragon Rise City, on the border of the Star Luo Empire.

Dragon Rise City, located in the northern part of the Star Luo Empire, is a true border city.

Dragon Rise City itself is not directly governed by the Star Luo Royal Family, but is a territory within a subordinate kingdom, serving as a buffer zone between the two great empires of the Tiandou Empire and Star Luo Empire.

However, since the death of the former Star Luo Emperor Dai Tianfeng at Jialing Pass and the capture of Empress Zhu Youlan, the conflict between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire has become public, which can almost be considered a formal declaration of war.

Therefore, Dragon Rise City, which held a strategically important position, was taken over by the Star Luo Empire's army and became the first line of defense against the Heaven Dou Empire.

Of course, the Star Luo Empire did not consult with its subordinate kingdoms when it took over Dragon Rise City, since in this Douluo Plane, might makes right far outweighs justice.

Originally, Dragon Rise City was extremely prosperous due to trade, with a constant stream of merchants coming and going.

After being taken over by the Star Luo Empire's army, and with a major war looming, merchants naturally dared not come. Even those who were willing to risk their lives for money often had to endure layers of exploitation by the Star Luo Empire's garrison soldiers, leaving them with no profit whatsoever.

It's quite normal for goods to be swallowed up by the Star Luo Empire if one is not careful, and the number of merchants who are killed and robbed is countless!

Merchants are always driven by profit; traveling the trade routes through Dragon Rise City not only yields no profit but could also cost them their lives. The enormous risks and extremely low returns have scared away many traveling merchants, leading them to change their routes.

Moreover, the nobles and Soul Master families in the city who did not want to be caught in the crossfire also began to evacuate. For example, the Plate Armor Rhinoceros Defense Clan, one of the Single Attribute Clans, evacuated through the tunnels that had been dug in their mansion on the first day that the Star Luo Empire's army entered the city.

As a result, Dragon Rise City declined and became desolate at a visible speed. Now, it has become a large military fortress for defense, with very few pedestrians coming and going.

However, Dragon Rise City was quite lively at this moment.

Because the army of the Heaven Dou Empire had already arrived outside the city and quickly set up camp!

At a glance, banners embroidered with golden Swan fluttered in the wind, and the army's camp stretched out like a majestic dragon.

"Why aren't they attacking yet?"

On the city wall of Dragon Rise City, a Star Luo Empire in full armor paced back and forth, looking somewhat puzzled and anxious.

The general's guards and staff looked at each other, none of them daring to speak.

Their commander was too volatile and prone to killing. Most of the advisors and staff who had given him advice were killed by him.

Therefore, unless someone was tired of living, no one dared to offer advice to this hot-tempered general.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of thunderous war drums could be heard, and the camp of the Tiandou Empire Army finally moved.

One after another, formations appeared outside the camp. These formations included heavy infantry and Cavalry Legion, lightly armed swordsmen and archer Cavalry Legion, and Soul Master legions entering the battlefield surrounded by heavy infantry.

With a series of orders issued, the army of the Heaven Dou Empire slowly moved forward, like a torrent of steel, and the overwhelming pressure made the earth tremble!

On the city wall, the hot-tempered general of the Star Luo Empire calmly surveyed the battlefield, saying, "The Heaven Dou Empire's momentum is considerable, but they are not qualified to breach Dragon Rise City!"

After a pause, the Star Luo Empire slammed his large hand on the battlement and shouted sternly, "Pass on my order: heavy infantry and light cavalry, engage in battle! Heavy cavalry, form ranks in front of the pass!"

"My lord, you mustn't!"

An elderly man with a white beard, clearly an advisor, walked shakily to the general's side and said, "My lord, the Tiandou Empire Army has obviously come prepared. If we go out of the city to fight them recklessly, we will easily suffer heavy losses. If morale collapses, it will be a complete rout! We must be careful!"

"You old scoundrel, you're talking nonsense!"

Upon hearing this, the hot-tempered Star Luo Empire general immediately exploded, shouting, "Old man, are you trying to sow discord among the troops? The defenders forming ranks with their backs to the city walls is a strategy from military texts. I was merely following the texts in troop deployment; is there anything wrong with that?"

Upon hearing this, the old advisor was so angry that his beard bristled, and he wished he could beat the stupid pig in front of him to a pulp.

However, the elderly advisor, who wasn't even Soul Master, had virtually no martial prowess. He could only suppress his anger and say in a deep voice, "My lord, military texts do indeed mention the strategy of fighting with one's back to the city walls. However, to deploy troops and form ranks with their backs to the city walls, one must first build camps outside the city, creating a defensive triangle with the city, mutually protecting each other!"

"With the construction of camps, the defending troops could establish a foothold and rely on the trenches, chevaux-de-frise, and palisades in front of the camps, as well as the crossbows and fire stones on the city walls, to block the enemy."

Stroking his white beard, the elderly advisor continued, "But not only have you not built any camps, you haven't even dug any trenches. How can you possibly stop the enemy's offensive with just the flesh and blood of your soldiers?"

After a pause, the elderly advisor bowed slightly and pleaded in a humble tone, "Therefore, I beg you, sir, to rescind your previous order and prevent the garrison from leaving the city to engage in reckless fighting. They must only rely on the city walls to defend themselves and avoid suffering heavy losses!"

"Heh, this is your suggestion? You old fool, how dare you question my orders?"

The hot-tempered general of the Star Luo Empire chuckled coldly, his inner rage rising!

What kind of nonsense is this? How dare you give advice to your wise and mighty general?

Did you not know that my wisdom and strategy are so outstanding that even His Majesty Dai Weisi, who has just ascended the throne, praised me for being both wise and brave?

You've ruined my good mood, you old bastard! Go to hell!

The more the general thought about it, the angrier he became. He drew his sword and stabbed the old advisor in the abdomen. Blood gushed out like a waterfall!

With a kick to the corpse of the old advisor, the general drew his sword and chopped down a flagpole of the Star Luo Empire, wiping the blood off his blade with the soft flag.

Then, the general raised his head, glanced around at the trembling guards and staff, and said coldly, "That old scoundrel spouted wild words, attempting to sow discord in the army, and has already been executed by me! I hope you will not follow in his footsteps, do you understand?"

"Clear!!"

Those present shouted in unison, afraid that if they shouted too softly, they would displease their commander and be cleaved in two with a single blow.

The elderly advisor, a man of great prestige, died so tragically that everyone present felt a sense of shared sorrow.

However, most people used the old advisor as a negative example, reminding themselves that they must never tell the truth, and that they must never reprimand their commanders for their own safety in order to save the empire. The consequence of telling the truth was certain death.

Without the elder advisor's obstruction, the main gates of Dragon Rise City opened simultaneously in a short time. The huge drawbridge spanned the moat with the creaking of the ropes. The clanging of armor and the sound of horses' hooves echoed as a large number of the Star Luo Empire soldiers poured out!

Due to the tradition of establishing a nation through military force and the iron-fisted style of the Star Luo Royal Family Dai Family, the Star Luo Empire's army, in terms of the quality of its soldiers and combat experience alone, is far superior to that of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Therefore, judging from the lineup, although they are both heavily armored legions, these heavily armored soldiers of the Star Luo Empire look more murderous and have a much stronger presence than the heavily armored soldiers of the Heaven Dou Empire!

The light and heavy cavalry of the Star Luo Empire were highly skilled in archery and horsemanship, their hooves moving in perfect unison, advancing in formation like a wall, a truly awe-inspiring sight.

Seeing that the garrison of Dragon Rise City had actually come out of the city to form ranks, the commander of the Heaven Dou Empire laughed wildly and said with delight, "How foolish are the generals of the Star Luo Empire! Victory is assured in this battle!"

After a pause, the Tiandou Empire Commander laughed and said, "Order the army to halt its advance and bring that esteemed Empress Dowager of the Star Luo Empire to the front lines!"

"Yes, sir!"

Soon, under the orders of messengers and generals, commanders, and captains at all levels, the Tiandou Empire Army halted its advance. The Cavalry Legion lined up in a row, while the light and heavy infantry corps followed behind, clearing a wide path for their flanks.

"What's going on?"

On the city wall, the Star Luo Empire general, who prided himself on his exceptional wisdom, was puzzled by what the soldiers of the Heaven Dou Empire were doing. Were they welcoming guests?

Actually, if you insist on considering it as welcoming guests, then that's fair, since Zhu Youlan, the Empress Dowager of the Star Luo Empire and the biological mother of Emperor Dai Weisi, is indeed a distinguished guest of the Heaven Dou Empire.

The next second, a small group of Soul Master on horseback escorted a beautiful and noble woman as she slowly walked from the passage to the front of the formation.

This scene left the soldiers of the Star Luo Empire utterly astonished.

When two armies are at war, why bring up a woman first? What's the purpose of this?

As low-ranking soldiers, they had never seen Zhu Youlan before, let alone knew that this woman was the former Empress of the Star Luo Empire and now the Empress Dowager.

Not only were the soldiers unaware, but even the generals of the Star Luo Empire on the city walls were unaware that, as city garrison commanders, they were not qualified to meet such esteemed figures as the Empress and the Empress Dowager.

The advisors behind this Star Luo Empire general did have some who had met Zhu Youlan before. However, they dared not confirm that she was the Empress Dowager, nor did they dare to speak to this ruthless general.

"This is... a woman?"

The hot-tempered general of the Star Luo Empire was completely bewildered. Could it be that the Heaven Dou Empire had also heard of his reputation and knew that they couldn't defeat him, so they brought him a beautiful woman to make him indulge in pleasure every night and neglect his duties of defending the city?

Or is he planning to have this woman assassinate me, leaving the garrison of Dragon Rise City leaderless?

Hmph, dream on!

I saw right through your plan!

The Star Luo Empire general was feeling quite smug when he suddenly heard a loud shout coming from outside the city:

"Soldiers of the Star Luo Empire, listen up! The woman standing before you now is Zhu Youlan, the former Empress of the Star Luo Empire, the birth mother of your Star Luo Empire Dai Weisi, and now the Empress Dowager!"

"If you withdraw from Dragon Rise City immediately, the Empress Dowager will be spared; otherwise, she will die on the battlefield!"

These words caused an uproar among the soldiers of the Star Luo Empire!

What the hell is this?

The woman in front of them, who had fallen into the hands of the Heaven Dou Empire, was actually the Empress Dowager of their Star Luo Empire?

On the city wall, the hot-tempered general of the Star Luo Empire was completely dumbfounded, speechless with shock.

After a long silence, the general suddenly roared, "The Empress Dowager? Impossible! Impossible! How could the Empress Dowager of our Star Luo Empire be captured by the Heaven Dou Empire?"

"But the Empress Dowager... was indeed captured by the Heaven Dou Empire. However, the royal family concealed this news to protect their reputation."

One of the aides couldn't hold back any longer and boldly spoke up.

"Real?"

The general quickly turned around, looked at his staff behind him, and shouted, "Has any of you seen the Empress Dowager? Is that woman standing at the front of the battle really the Empress Dowager? Don't worry, speak freely, I won't kill you this time!"

Upon hearing this, the advisors finally spoke up:

"It seems so."

"I once caught a glimpse of the Empress Dowager from afar in Star Luo City; she truly resembled the woman on the battlefield!"

"In the Battle of Jialing Pass, it was quite normal for the retired emperor to die in battle and the Empress Dowager to be captured..."

The general's heart sank to the bottom after hearing his advisors' words.

With Empress Dowager Zhu Youlan in the hands of the Heaven Dou Empire, how can this war be fought?

At this very moment, the Soul Master of the Heaven Dou Empire have already put a knife to Zhu Youlan's neck, threatening the Star Luo Empire's army to retreat. What should be done?

If we retreat, we'll definitely get our heads chopped off by Dai Weisi if we go back.

If we don't retreat, and this leads to the death of Empress Dowager Zhu Youlan, we'll still be beheaded by Dai Weisi when we get back.

Thinking of this, the hot-tempered, brain-dead general looked up to the sky and sighed, saying, "Heaven has forsaken me, not because of any mistake in battle. What can I do?!"

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