Real and Fake Army Lords!

Several hundred cavalrymen burst in from outside the Death Row Camp, forcibly trampling through the barricades. Behind them followed more than ten thousand soldiers.

With the several hundred cavalrymen brutally clearing the way, the soldiers of the Death Row Camp and Mad Dragon Camp, who had been locked in fierce combat, were forcibly separated.

In the blink of an eye, the ten thousand soldiers poured smoothly into the Death Row Camp's drill ground. They were the troops of the Town Mountain Camp, led by Ding Yishan!

And it was not just the Town Mountain Camp. Soldiers from the Fierce Tiger Camp, Sever River Camp, Divine Machine Camp, and the other camps had all arrived, some earlier and some later!

However, unlike Ding Yishan, who had charged straight into the battlefield, these camps remained outside under their respective commanders, watching cautiously!

After all, whenever there was a military mutiny, choosing one's side was an enormously important matter!

One wrong step, and one's future, life, and even one's entire clan of nine generations could be finished!

Under the watchful eyes of the soldiers from every camp,

the moment Ding Yishan arrived, he led his troops to stand on the Death Row Camp's side.

His eyes burning with anger, he glared at Zhang Dalong. "Zhang Dalong, what the hell are you doing? Starting an internal conflict? Rebelling? Launching a mutiny?!"

Yet faced with the huge accusation Ding Yishan had slapped on him, Zhang Dalong remained unusually calm. He sneered disdainfully, "Ding Yishan, are you blind? Can't you see that I'm leading the Mad Dragon Camp in clearing out the death row prisoners?"

"Clearing out death row prisoners? Whose order gave you the right to do that? Without an order, you are launching a mutiny, which is no different from rebellion!"

Ding Yishan roared, "For a rebellious camp, the entire army has the right to execute them!"

Whoosh!

All the Town Mountain Camp soldiers drew their blades. Murderous intent shook the drill ground, and with the Death Row Camp added in, the two sides now had nearly equal numbers!

At the same time, the other camps outside the Death Row Camp began to stir restlessly!

After all, compared with the ever wild and overbearing Zhang Dalong, their hearts leaned more toward Ding Hao and Ding Yishan.

But Zhang Dalong merely burst into wild laughter at the sight.

"HAHAHA! Is that so? Then I'll show you who the real rebel is!"

"Men, bring out the Imperial Edict!!"

In an instant, Zhang Dalong's personal guards unfurled the imperial appointment edict from the court and read it aloud before all the soldiers!

Once it had been read, the soldiers present erupted into an uproar. No one had expected it!

The court had actually appointed Zhang Dalong as the new Army Lord of the Divine Phoenix Army!

And as Army Lord, ordering the slaughter of the death row prisoners was naturally justified!

"What?! The new Army Lord!"

"So Zhang Dalong really is one of Empress Weiyang's people!"

The expressions of Ding Yishan and Ding Hao both turned grave at once!

At that moment, Zhang Dalong shouted toward the camps outside, "Fierce Tiger Camp, Sever River Camp, Divine Machine Camp... as Army Lord, I now order you to join the Mad Dragon Camp in clearing out the death row prisoners and annihilating the rebel army! Any who defy this order will all be deemed rebels!"

"And for rebels, the laws of Great Zhou have always demanded the Execution of Nine Generations of Kin!!"

Execution of Nine Generations of Kin!

The moment those three words were spoken, it was as though a mountain had come crashing into the hearts of every soldier in the army.

No matter how strongly their feelings leaned toward Ding Hao and Ding Yishan, they could no longer afford it!

After all, Zhang Dalong was the new Army Lord. Defying him meant rebellion, and no one dared lightly challenge something like the Execution of Nine Generations of Kin!

"Fierce Tiger Camp, prepare!"

"Sever River Camp, prepare!"

"Divine Machine Camp, prepare!"

Following the shouts of one commander after another, the various camps began entering the field!

They surrounded the Death Row Camp and Town Mountain Camp so tightly that not even water could pass through!

"HAHA!"

Zhang Dalong laughed savagely, just about to give the order to begin slaughtering the two camps!

But unexpectedly, Ding Yishan on the opposite side shouted, "Wait!"

"Zhang Dalong, your position as Army Lord is fake! The true new Army Lord of the Divine Phoenix Army is—Ding Hao!!"

At that moment,

Ding Hao also knew how perilous the situation was. He hurriedly took out the Appointment Letter Luo Shenhuang had given him and shouted at the entire army, "Fellow soldiers, this is the Appointment Letter personally issued by Army Lord Luo before she departed, appointing me as the new Army Lord of the Divine Phoenix Army!"

At this sight, the entire army erupted again. Countless soldiers looked at one another, utterly bewildered!

Two Army Lords?

What was this supposed to be?

A real and fake Army Lord?

Zhang Dalong's eyes darkened. He truly had not expected Ding Hao to have such a move up his sleeve, but he immediately rebuked him, "Bastard! Ding Hao, you dare forge an Army Lord's Appointment Letter? This is simply outrageous treason!"

"Forge it?"

Ding Hao snapped coldly, "Zhang Dalong, open your dog eyes and look carefully. This Appointment Letter bears the great seal of the Divine Phoenix Army!"

But Zhang Dalong continued to question it. "That still won't do. The position of Army Lord can only be conferred by the court, like mine. How can it be privately appointed? Even if Luo Shenhuang issued it, it doesn't count!"

Ding Hao had long anticipated this. He said again, "Zhang Dalong, you are right, but there is an exception—during wartime!"

"The position of Army Lord may be designated by the previous Army Lord, and this Appointment Letter was issued on the day we crushed the Northern Barbarians. Therefore, my position as Army Lord is completely genuine and valid!"

Having said that, Ding Hao turned the question back on Zhang Dalong. "As for your Imperial Edict, where did it come from? Why had none of us received even the slightest news? I think your Imperial Edict is the true forgery!"

"Bullshit!"

"My Imperial Edict is the real deal! Your Appointment Letter is the fake one!"

Zhang Dalong was clearly getting anxious. He hurriedly urged the other camps, "What are you all standing around for? Immediately slaughter these rebel troops for your Army Lord!"

But looking at Zhang Dalong's Imperial Edict, then at Ding Hao's Appointment Letter, the soldiers of the entire Divine Phoenix Army had already fallen into a dilemma!

Two Army Lords!

And both had official documents. That made them afraid to act rashly!

After all, if they chose the wrong side, what awaited them would be eternal damnation!

Thus, in perfect unspoken agreement, every soldier in the army stopped moving. Since helping either side was wrong, they would help neither!

In such a complicated situation, they sought no merit, only to avoid fault!

"You lot!!"

Zhang Dalong's face immediately turned ashen.

Without the aid of the other camps, relying solely on the Mad Dragon Camp to swallow the Death Row Camp and Town Mountain Camp would clearly be difficult!

Ding Hao, on the other hand, let out a quiet breath of relief. As long as he was not besieged and slaughtered by the entire Divine Phoenix Army today, he still had room to maneuver and resolve this!

He put away the Appointment Letter, stepped forward, and swept his gaze around.

His voice boomed like thunder.

"Fellow soldiers, including those of the Mad Dragon Camp, when all is said and done, we are all comrades. Not long ago, we fought shoulder to shoulder, yet now we are here slaughtering one another. Does that not pain your hearts?!"

The moment those words fell, they struck deep into the hearts of every Divine Phoenix Army soldier!

Because no one wanted internal conflict, no one wanted to fight and kill their brothers-in-arms here. Even most of the Mad Dragon Camp soldiers were unwilling; they were merely Zhang Dalong's troops and could only obey the orders from above!

"Today, to put it plainly, this is a struggle between Zhang Dalong and me, Ding Hao. None of you here should be dragged into it!"

"So, Zhang Dalong!!"

At the end, Ding Hao fixed his gaze firmly on Zhang Dalong across from him. Fighting intent and killing intent intertwined in his eyes. "Stop playing these pointless games. Since the Divine Phoenix Army can only have one Army Lord!"

"Then let us decide life and death in a single battle. Whoever lives will be the Divine Phoenix Army's—new Army Lord!!"