This plan was inherently risky, its premise being that the Eldest Princess could be held back. Wei Gongcheng's arrival just now confirmed that the Eldest Princess was still at Great Azure Mountain. Could it be that Wei Gongcheng has betrayed us?
That shouldn't be the case.
No matter how risky his actions were, they were at least for the sake of Jiangnan. Once he captured the imperial army, even if it was only a portion, it would be of great benefit. Wei Gongcheng should have a stronger sense of loyalty to Jiangnan than he did. Where did he miscalculate?
Almost instantly, Tian Heng realized. "You... you schemed against Wei Gongcheng?"
"It's fortunate that this happened, otherwise, if I had faced General Tian just now, I would have been in a situation with no chance of survival," the princess said with a smile.
"Does Your Highness now think you can definitely beat me?" Tian Heng said coldly.
"You can't fake it," the princess shook her head. "This power of yours is not human; it can only be possessed by those chosen by Heaven. You've used it forcibly, and it's a miracle you're still alive. Trying to scare people is just wishful thinking."
The eldest princess turned and walked away without looking back.
The moment the imperial army saw the princess, they all immediately bowed in salute, and the chaos they had felt earlier due to the lack of a leader vanished without a trace.
"My lords, you have worked hard!" The Princess stepped forward and said, "You have traveled a thousand miles, and you have been living under the protection of others. To achieve such minimal casualties is truly remarkable. You are the strongest army I have ever seen!"
Upon hearing this, the imperial army all straightened their chests, their hearts filled with warmth.
It turns out that the eldest princess had seen their efforts and hardships.
" General Tian, you've worked hard too." The eldest princess turned around. " Lan Shang is rebellious and attempted to usurp military power. It's all thanks to General Tian's intervention."
"Your Highness is too kind," General Tian said politely, not daring to contradict him loudly in front of everyone. "As allies, we are one body, and this is all I should do."
" General Tian is right." The eldest princess took a step forward, seemingly without any imposing manner, yet that step was incredibly oppressive. At this moment, Tian Heng had no chance to resist.
Almost instantly, he lost his balance and fell backward.
The two lieutenants behind him reacted quickly and stepped forward to support him.
" General Tian's swordsmanship is astonishing, but it must have taken a great toll on him. I am ashamed. Rest assured, with me at the pass, no matter how many demons come, I will ensure they cannot cross the line!"
These words sounded grand and dignified, but Tian Heng immediately understood what they meant.
The other side wants command of the pass!
Moreover, the imperial army was to be the main force, while the West Sea Army was relegated to the position of deputy force.
This request immediately puzzled him.
If the enemy were to press their advantage and lead the imperial army into battle, they would be easily defeated without their own West Sea Army, which was already weaker than the imperial army. Once their morale collapsed, they would likely be captured in an instant.
If Jiangnan loses this line of defense, it is highly likely to collapse completely.
But the other side didn't do that; they only demanded command of the pass, and even wanted their own troops to defend against the demons outside?
He felt it was unreasonable, but it also didn't make sense to say that the other party had sided with demons, because in the current situation, the imperial army could completely wipe out the West Sea Army on its own.
But if she hadn't sided with the demons, why would the princess have taken command? And why would she send her own subordinates to be the main force against the enemy? Was she truly selfless?
" General Tian?" the eldest princess asked with a half-smile.
"Since that's the case," Tian Heng, supported by his deputy, couldn't very well argue with the other party. At this point, the other party was in a position of absolute power, and their demands weren't entirely unreasonable. He also needed to recover his strength, so he could only take it one step at a time.
"Then I will trouble Your Highness."
"It is what I should do." The princess smiled slightly. As the two armies talked, they finally breathed a sigh of relief, since neither wanted to actually fight with their own people.
--
Half an hour ago:
"Take command? Is that all?" The eldest princess frowned.
" The West Sea Army is not weak. Even if you can instantly kill Tian Heng, based on my understanding of Jiangnan, the West Sea Army will almost never surrender. Once you make a move, you will have no choice but to kill them all, which is not worthwhile."
Upon hearing this, the eldest princess frowned. The West Sea Army was not weak, and Tian Heng still had a group of Four Saints Guard under his command. If they were to fight a battle of total annihilation, her soldiers would lose at least a third of their strength!
"But what's the use of just having command authority?"
"It's useful," the King of Qin laughed. "It turns a passive situation into an active one. Before, it was the imperial army that was being monitored, but now at least the imperial army is the main force for the city's defense. They can't keep monitoring us anymore, can they?"
"The power of the Daoist School will need a few more days. What we need to do now is to keep things under wraps and divert attention from the outside world for the next few days, which Tian Heng can't anticipate."
"The outside world? You mean the Buddha Kingdom?" The eldest princess realized.
"Once Lan Shang is dead, his lieutenants will inevitably make a move. As long as we create the impression that we don't want to turn against Jiangnan, they naturally won't suspect us. In just a few days, when the divine plan arrives, Jiangnan will be ours!"
" Wei Gongcheng doesn't return, don't the Shen Family have any suspicions?"
"They may have suspicions, but the Shen Family won't know you arrived immediately. All they can do now is help Wei Gongcheng delay your progress. As long as the puppet imitating us doesn't give itself away, it will keep them occupied. All we need is time!"
--
" Wang Ye, what are you doing here?"
"Of course, it's your eccentric master's arrangement," Wang Ye said calmly, gazing ahead.
"Is that so?" Wei Gongzhan hesitated for a moment, but Wang Ye did have a very good relationship with the lord. It was said that Lord Wangye had intervened several times when the lord was in life-or-death situations.
"Are you confused?"
"No, no, no," Wei Gongzhan quickly shook his head, "It's just that I haven't seen Wang Ye for a long time, and it feels a bit abrupt."
"Really?" A rare smile appeared on Wang Ye's face upon hearing this. "Then it seems Chen Qing's plan was somewhat effective."
"His Majesty?"
Wang Ye looked ahead and did not reply.
Chen Qing had said long ago that someone like him, a descendant of the Evening Elephant, would easily attract attention and find it difficult to do anything. Therefore, he needed to gradually fade out of the public eye, but this fading out had to be done reasonably.
The first step is to send him to Data City. The secrets of Data City, the Genesis of the entire world, will make everyone believe that it is reasonable for Wang Ye to go there, because Wang Ye will not refuse this opportunity.
The second step was to convince those in the Data City that he and Chen Qing had differing ideologies.
Chen Qing's original plan was to destroy that world, and Wang Ye, as a native of that world, naturally resisted this plan. This was an irreconcilable conflict, and it was reasonable for the two to part ways because of it.
As for where Wang Ye went after they parted ways, that will eventually fade into obscurity.
The reason is simple. First, it's very difficult to pinpoint the location of Evening Elephant's successor. If he acts alone, it's very hard for anyone to find him.
Second: My own strength is limited. Although I have the powerful talent of the Evening Elephant, it is not very meaningful if I don't cooperate with someone like Chen Qing. So the danger is Chen Qing, not myself. When Chen Qing turns everyone's attention to him, I am easily overlooked.
At this time, having the seed of a supercomputer in my possession is the most suitable thing to do!