The Shenzhou Kingdom's Windriding Birds could cross the Wumeng Mountains, carrying five hundred thousand New Army troops on the long journey to the Han Palace Royal Court. Although the force was enormous, they hurried along and still arrived a step ahead of Violet's reinforcements.
Violet was not afraid of the five hundred thousand New Army troops who arrived first. What frightened her was that she still had not located the Self-Defense Army. So many people seemed to have vanished into thin air. No matter how many men she sent to scour the Han Palace Royal Court and the hundred li surrounding it, they found not a trace.
Once she engaged the New Army, she would also have to divide her attention to guard against the Self-Defense Army. She simply could not be in two places at once.
What she did not know was that Jiang Hao and his Self-Defense Army had never left the Han Palace Royal Court. They were hiding somewhere right there, somewhere no one could have guessed.
That place was the Imperial Palace Secret Passage.
Violet simply did not know that this secret passage existed, so naturally she could not find him or the Self-Defense Army.
Although Han Su disliked Jiang Hao-indeed, hated him so much his teeth itched-he understood the bigger picture better than Han Min. He knew that as fellow people of Shenzhou, they shared glory and disgrace alike. Thus, the moment he learned that the Self-Defense Army had taken the Han Palace Royal Court, he rushed over to support them, unlike Han Min, who hesitated over everything and sacrificed the greater gain for the lesser.
Even after learning that Violet's army had driven the Self-Defense Army into one retreat after another, he had no other thoughts and continued leading his army to their aid.