"Sir, are you sure you mean our entire army?"
Deputy General Lan Xiang stared at the other party in astonishment. He knew that the other party wanted to see his master alone before, and that this guy wanted the Duke to send reinforcements to Jiangnan. He had thought that the Duke would be persuaded, because he knew his general. If you were to ask who among the major dukes was most concerned about the people, it would be none other than his own master.
If the other side uses the pretext of rescuing the people of Jiangnan, there is a chance that his master will be persuaded. Therefore, he waited here early on so that he could quickly send troops to the other side.
As expected, the other party did obtain the military tally, but their opening statement was rather absurd.
The whole army?
In his mind, his master could only allocate a maximum of 10,000 soldiers, or at most 5,000 if he was stingy.
What the heck is "the whole army"? And what does "withdrawing troops" even mean?
Does this scholar even know how to use words? That's the kind of language only a defeated army would use, isn't it?
"There's no time to explain in detail!" Wang Ye said sternly, "Please receive the order, General!"
"This..." The deputy general frowned as he looked at the undeniably genuine military tally, but still cautiously said, "This subordinate receives the order, but the matter is of great importance, and this subordinate must confirm it with His Excellency the Duke!"
He didn't believe the other party would dare to be so bold, after all, the Duke was not far away, and such a lie that could be exposed at any time was meaningless, but it was still better to confirm such an important matter.
"It's too late." Wang Ye shook his head, looking southwest.
"Huh?" Lan Xiang was taken aback, looked up and followed the other person's gaze, and immediately felt a chill run down his spine!
What is that?
A thin mist rolled in, covering everything. Within the mist, countless scarlet eyes, filled with the terrifying chill of wild beasts, surged toward this place!
"Enemy attack!!"
Military gongs sounded in the distance, but the fog arrived suddenly. Before the soldiers in front could react, they were swallowed up by the fog, and countless screams instantly filled the entire camp.
"All troops, prepare!" Lan Xiang, who was sweating profusely, shouted sternly.
"General, we can't fight!" Wang Ye immediately grabbed the other man's shoulder. "Those monsters are coming with a magic array mist. Once we're enveloped in it, our formation will break apart, and in the chaos, we'll be no match for them. You should be able to sense it, General, right? The attackers aren't ordinary zombies; they're extremely terrifying monsters!"
Lan Xiang fell silent upon hearing this. He possessed the Jade Bat Bloodline, giving him extremely strong sensory abilities. He could sense from a great distance what those monsters on the other side were!
Those are the Golden Dragon Guard!
The Golden Dragon Guard has turned into a monster!
Moreover, the terrifying pressure was more than ten times greater than that of the Golden Dragon Guard he usually saw in the capital. His intuition alone told him that if they were to confront them now, they would have almost no chance of victory!
"What exactly happened? Do you know something?" Lan Xiang looked coldly at Wang Ye.
"The imperial court is colluding with that sea monster, vowing to exterminate the Duke of Qin's lineage. Ministry of War Lord Shen is an inside agent. There's no time to go into details now. General, please take your men and come with me immediately!"
"And what about the Duke?" When Lan Xiang heard that the other party said it was a scheme set up by the imperial court, he believed it to be true.
He knew very well how crazy that emperor of the Xiao Household was; there were some things he was capable of doing!
"The losses at the front are heavy, and it's inconvenient for the Duke to retreat immediately. He summoned me here temporarily to protect the Tian Household's soldiers. The Duke will join us later!"
"One last question. Why was the retreat to Jiangnan, instead of joining up with Lu Hong and the others in West Sea City?"
"One hundred thousand soldiers have already been dispatched to the West Sea. The Duke believes that gathering West Sea might be a trap. We shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket. If the General really doesn't believe me, he should go and ask the Duke immediately. I will be here waiting for you."
I don't believe you for a second!
Lan Xiang glared angrily. The situation was so chaotic, and none of his deputies were here. If he left now, the group would be leaderless, and the enemy might just take the military seal and run away with his troops!
Seeing the terrifying roars drawing ever closer in the distance, Lan Xiang finally gritted his teeth and ran to the rear military camp. "Everyone line up! Retreat to Jiangnan!!"
--
"What the hell is going on?"
Near the southwestern front line, two dukes, along with their personal guards, unleashed their full power, engaging in a bloody and brutal battle that left flesh and blood flying everywhere!
As soon as Tian Heng arrived to provide support, his blood vessels were activated, and with a muffled thud, the terrain changed dramatically. Hundreds of zombies were sent flying, allowing the two retreating dukes to breathe a sigh of relief!
"Old Tian, what's going on? Why are these monsters wearing Golden Dragon Guard armor?"
"They are the Golden Dragon Guard!" Tian Heng rushed over, his face also extremely grim. He now knew why they had tricked the Duke of Qin into leaving!
Is that how it is?
Has the imperial court gone mad?
How could they be so ruthless as to exterminate these military heroes?
Three hundred thousand Golden Dragon Guard!!
However, given the ruthless and insane nature of that Xiao Household, it's really hard to say!
"Don't fight!"
As one of the most renowned generals of our time, Tian Heng, who rose from humble beginnings in a small family to become a top-tier elite, assessed the situation almost immediately!
These monsters charged ahead, with the mist chasing behind. Once they engaged in battle with them, their group would be dragged into the mist as well. They had no idea what mysteries lay within the mist formation, and they would lose all their advantage!
The opponent chose the perfect timing, clearly having grasped all the positions of their troops, and the timing coincided with the time when their troops were preparing food, leaving them completely out of luck.
They've lost all advantages—favorable timing and terrain—and there's a traitor within their ranks. Their top-tier commander, the Duke of Duke of Qin, is also absent, and popular support isn't on their side. If they were to engage in this battle head-on, the likely outcome would be total annihilation!
"Retreat!" Tian Heng immediately pulled the two dukes who still wanted to fight back. "Summon your men immediately and retreat to the West Sea!!"
Upon hearing this, the two dukes reacted and were about to make a move when a Phoenix Cry soared into the sky. The next instant, a flaming blade that could almost completely illuminate the night attacked from the sky!
Golden Crow Flame?
That member of the Xiao Household is here too?
The two dukes roared and, defying their own blood pressure, forcefully took the terrifying blow. Instantly, they were both sent flying a hundred meters away!
The overwhelming force sent the two dukes flying backwards, leaving behind a sea of fire. Any soldiers who came into contact with it were burned to ashes within moments!
Tian Heng's pupils contracted. Naturally, he dared not face the Xiao Household alone. Although he despised the other party's character, he was well aware of the Xiao Household's strength.
In today's world, the pinnacle of martial prowess is such that, unless the King of Qin of Qin were to be resurrected, no one in the world could rival him!
Forced to retreat to the other side, Tian Heng originally wanted to find an opportunity to reunite with the two dukes who had been knocked away, and break through the encirclement with the strength of the three of them. However, he saw a very familiar figure appear where the two had been sent flying.
"You two dukes, this way!"
The familiar voice, with its cushioning force, stabilized the two who were flying backward, and allowed them to relax a little after seeing who it was.
" Lord Shen!"
"Look ahead, don't be afraid, it's not His Majesty coming!"
The two were taken aback and immediately turned around to look, only to see that a group of women in black armor emerged from the Golden Crow flames. The women's tall figures walked out of the flames, and they were extremely heroic!
"Your Highness, the Eldest Princess?"
The two looked utterly astonished, but deep down they breathed a sigh of relief!
To be honest, without Lu Ming present, facing the Emperor himself launching an attack, neither of them had a 50% chance of winning. But what the Princess said...
Although they knew that Her Highness the Eldest Princess was among the strongest in the world, she was still somewhat inferior to the one from the Xiao Household!
There's a chance!
The two dukes exchanged a glance, just as they were contemplating how to coordinate their attack to capture each other, when Tian Heng, seeing this from afar, shouted, "Watch out for that bastard surnamed Shen!!"
Almost the instant he saw that image, Tian Heng knew that his two old friends had been tricked!
With the military formation leaked, who is the most likely suspect?
Need I say more? Of course it's the Ministry of War who previously seemed the most impartial!
Sure enough, the next moment, Fifth Master Shen Family grinned and activated a spell. An incredibly strange power spread out around him, and in an instant, everything within a ten-meter radius slowed down. The flying sand, flames, and even the wind that was blowing around slowed down noticeably!
Isn't Fifth Master Shen's technique the art of celestial bodies?
Tian Heng stared blankly ahead, but it was clearly too late to investigate, because everything within the Ministry of War's spell had slowed down, including the two dukes!
The Duke, now in a slower state, was no match for the Eldest Princess.
Although they were both experts of the same level, the two, who were nearly ten times slower, were no different from ants in each other's eyes.
The flaming blade flashed past with incredible speed, and the two dukes were cut in two with almost no resistance!
The fact that the heads of two prestigious families could die so easily after such a scheme once again made Tian Heng feel the terror of this world!
Without hesitation, Tian Heng turned and ran!
The eldest princess is among the top five martial artists in the world. With the help of the fifth Fifth Master of the Shen Family's mysterious skills, and now that her two old friends have been tricked, she is facing them alone and is doomed to die!
The most urgent task is to see how many of our personal guards and their families we can lead out of this calamity!
What's strange is that the battle has been raging for so long, yet not a single one of our own soldiers has arrived?
Should we pursue them?
"I asked the Eldest Princess," said Fifth Master Shen.
The eldest princess closed her eyes, trying to calm the turbulent blood and qi in her body. In order to imitate the emperor, she used an overly domineering first strike with her flaming blade, and then used all her strength for the second strike, aiming to decapitate the enemy in one blow. The Xiao Household's martial arts were domineering, but they also injured the body. In fact, if Tian Heng hadn't been too cautious, he would have had a chance of winning if he had rushed over then.
"No rush." The princess swallowed a mouthful of blood and said, "He can't escape. Has the West Sea been sealed off?"
"It's already locked down!"
"Good!"
--
Tian Heng rushed to his own military camp with extreme anxiety, only to find several deputy generals standing dumbfounded outside the camp.
He was instantly enraged and shouted from a distance, "What are you all still standing here for? Call the soldiers and retreat!"
Upon hearing this, the lieutenants looked at their superior officer, then at the letter Lan Xiang had left in the camp. So, Lan Xiang wasn't joking? Was the general really ordering them to retreat?
"What are you all standing there for?" Tian Heng rushed up to them, ready to shout angrily, but then he saw that the military camp was completely empty, not a soul in sight.
What's going on?
Tian Heng was also dumbfounded!
"General, why didn't you let us know at all that you ordered Lan Xiang to withdraw?" The leading lieutenant asked, looking dumbfounded, holding the note.
Hearing this, Tian Heng's eyes widened in anger. "I didn't even get a heads-up from anyone!"
He thought he would snatch the note from the other person's hand.
The words written crookedly on it read, "General, we have been ordered to retreat to Jiangnan. We hope that you will come to join us as soon as possible!"
It's the handwriting of Deputy General Lan Xiang!
Tian Heng looked down at the note, and after thinking about it for a moment, he roughly understood what was going on.
His own soldiers were tricked by that brat Wang Ye!!