The Ruse of Self-Inflicted Injury Succeeds, Star Luo's Full-Scale Counterattack!

"From today onward, Xue and Cheng will command the western army. Xiong Ao, you will stay with me and guard White Tiger Pass properly!"

"Drag him away and beat him hard!"

"No one is allowed to plead for him again. Whoever dares to plead for him will be punished as well!"

Xiong Ao still wanted to say something, but Generals Xue and Cheng covered his mouth.

They forcibly dragged him away!

Dai Yunzhao spoke sharply, "Xiong Ao is no longer a general. Whoever dares mention his military achievements before this commander again will be punished alongside him!"

Everyone fell silent in fear.

The two had erupted into such a fierce conflict the moment they met!

Below, the sound of military rods striking Xiong Ao's body rang out again and again.

With all his defenses removed, even an iron man could not withstand being beaten by two Soul Emperors!

But Dai Yunzhao had given the order beforehand, so no one dared plead for him.

They could only watch as blow after blow landed on Xiong Ao.

By the fiftieth stroke, Xiong Ao had already passed out!

Generals Xue and Cheng knelt down.

"Your Highness, the criminal general has fainted... He cannot be beaten any further!"

Dai Yunzhao, who had kept his back to everyone the entire time, slowly spoke. "Record the remaining strokes for now. Have him report to White Tiger Hall tomorrow!"

He had just received fifty strokes and was already being summoned again.

This was practically treating Xiong Ao like livestock.

Yet no one dared speak.

If they did, it would only make things worse for Xiong Ao.

This information reached the Heaven Dou army in just half a day.

Xue Qinghe, who had still been somewhat worried, instantly set his mind at ease.

"Dai Yunzhao has lost his mind! Is he afraid that Xiong Ao's military achievements will surpass his own? He actually removed Xiong Ao from the army!"

"This is our opportunity. We must seize it!"

The other generals in the army began voicing their agreement.

Prince Xue Xing raised a hand. "No! A few auxiliary-system Soul Masters can fully heal his injuries."

"We are currently at a disadvantage. We still do not know the situation within their army, so we cannot act rashly!"

"We should wait for reinforcements to arrive, encircle them with the full army, and then make plans!"

A trace of impatience appeared in Xue Qinghe's eyes.

Ever since Prince Xue Xing had arrived at the central command camp, he had been opposing him at every turn.

And...

Why had Dugu Bo not appeared during this time?

If Dugu Bo had other arrangements, then Xue Qinghe would have an opportunity to act.

Xue Qinghe raised his eyes toward Prince Xue Xing.

"Uncle, do you have some unspeakable difficulty?"

Prince Xue Xing's expression instantly turned cold.

"Your Highness, my loyalty to Heaven Dou is not the slightest bit less than yours. Please put away your wild suspicions!"

But Xue Qinghe pressed him step by step.

"Uncle, why have we not seen Senior Dugu Bo recently? Isn't he usually by your side?"

Prince Xue Xing clenched the hand hidden within his sleeve.

So he had indeed brought up Dugu Bo?

This person was actually so concerned with whether Dugu Bo was by his side!

His certainty about Xue Qinghe's identity had already begun to waver.

That letter from that day had planted the seed of suspicion toward Xue Qinghe.

Now, no matter what Xue Qinghe did, it seemed to him that he was weakening Heaven Dou!

That was why he had repeatedly obstructed him.

And now the other party had asked about Dugu Bo!

Prince Xue Xing's voice was icy. "He is a Titled Douluo. There is no need for him to report where he goes or what he does to me, nor does he need to tell you!"

Prince Xue Xing was now faintly showing signs of tearing off all pretense.

He felt that he was about to lose control of Xue Qinghe!

Xue Qinghe smiled faintly. "True enough. I merely regret that such a talent cannot remain in the army at all times."

The explosive tension between them left the generals below unsure of what to say.

Prince Xue Xing's gaze swept back and forth over Xue Qinghe's two guards.

"Your Highness, why do these two experts not take action on the battlefield?"

Xue Qinghe's eyes turned cold for an instant.

But she quickly smiled and said, "Uncle, you jest. They are my guards. If they leave, who will protect me?"

Though it had only lasted an instant, Prince Xue Xing had seen that chill clearly.

Prince Xue Xing's voice softened. "Your Highness, we should still wait for the reinforcements..."

Just as Prince Xue Xing was about to continue arguing, someone burst into the tent from outside.

It was a scout who had been sent out!

The man dropped to his knees before Xue Qinghe.

"Your Highness, this is a secret letter sent out from White Tiger Pass!"

"Our team had thirty-seven scouts. To escort this letter, only I survived to reach this place!"

The generals all turned to look.

Xue Qinghe swiftly accepted the secret letter. After opening it, she and Prince Xue Xing read its contents together.

The instant she saw the contents, joy appeared in Xue Qinghe's eyes.

She lowered her head to look at the scout. "Is Xiong Ao truly being treated as a stable hand by Dai Yunzhao now?"

The scout nodded.

"This information was sent back by our spies in White Tiger Pass. There should be no mistake."

Xue Qinghe quickly gathered the secret letter in her hand.

She clasped her hands together.

"Good! You have worked hard. I hereby promote you to deputy general. You will serve on standby before my tent from now on!"

The scout immediately prostrated himself on the ground.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Everyone looked at Xue Qinghe.

Only then did Xue Qinghe slowly open the letter in her hand and show it to everyone.

"Gentlemen, Xiong Ao could no longer endure such humiliation. He has volunteered to become our informant and is even willing to tell us the whereabouts of his entire family!"

That single sentence stirred up all the generals present.

They were desperately in need of military achievements!

They had been stationed at the border for a long time. If they still failed to accomplish anything, they would lose all face.

More importantly, continued defeats or an inability to advance the war would breed resentment among the soldiers!

That would affect morale and be extremely detrimental to the war effort.

This letter from Xiong Ao had truly given them a tremendous opportunity!

Prince Xue Xing had always felt that something was wrong everywhere.

Sure enough, just as he sensed the problem, another scout came to report.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Our central army has been driven back thirty li, and the vanguard has nearly been wiped out!"

The Star Luo central army, which had remained stationed at Three Gorges Pass, had actually moved!

And with thunderous force, it had annihilated his advance force!

One piece of news had barely been received when another arrived.

"Your Highness, the western army has suffered a swift enemy counterattack. It has now been cut off, and we can no longer receive any information from them!"

Xue Qinghe was instantly thrown into disarray.

Everything had been fine for so many days, yet problems arose just as he gathered the generals for discussion.

Was there a traitor in the Heaven Dou army?

And a traitor of extremely high rank at that?!

Otherwise, how could such a huge mistake have occurred!

At that moment, another scout rushed in.

"Your Highness, the eastern front, the eastern front..."

Xue Qinghe stepped forward and seized the man by the collar, a savage expression appearing on her face!

"What happened to the eastern front?!"

The scout instantly collapsed to the ground, his face filled with terror.

"The eastern front... has fallen!"