Chapter 401: Chapter 257: A Mere Two Hundred Thousand Troops, Nothing to Fear_3

At this moment on the city walls, soldiers were setting up cannons. Seeing the huge metal tube beside her, Chen Wanrong finally couldn’t help but ask directly, “What is this?”

Lu Chen replied with a smile, “You’ll know once the war starts.”

Seeing that Lu Chen didn’t answer directly and instead put on an air of mystery, Chen Wanrong felt a bit emotional. She was already his woman, and yet he was still so guarded against her.

She would be by his side for the time to come, and when these things were used, she would be there to see them, so what was there to hide? Telling her now would be no different.

Just then, Mu Changtian and other military generals arrived on the watchtower, Mu Changtian holding a map in his hands. A soldier immediately brought over a table, and Mu Changtian laid the map on it.

“Prince, the scouts report that the Tianqi King has not divided his forces. Their main army is following behind the vanguard cavalry.”

“And their cavalry are heading straight for Ningbei City. They could reach Ningbei City in just a few days at most. As for the main army, it won’t take half a month for a high likelihood of their arrival at Ningbei City.”

Hearing this, Lu Chen approached the map, glanced at it, and the current positions of the Tianqi King’s army were already roughly marked on the map.

Lu Chen said with a laugh, “I thought the Tianqi King’s army would reach Ningbei City before us. It looks like I have overestimated their marching speed.”

Hearing this, Mu Changtian replied, “Prince, the marching speed of the Barbarian Tribe is already not slow. It’s just that they need to find water sources for supplies in the grasslands, hence their delay in arriving.”

Lu Chen said, “That is true, water sources indeed pose a problem.”

At this, Lu Chen fell into deep thought. Initially, he was considering whether they should pursue the Tianqi King’s army should they retreat after being defeated.

Mu Changtian’s words suddenly calmed Lu Chen down. In the grasslands, the situation was complicated, and supplies were hard to come by. It was better not to rashly give chase.

Just then, a Jinyiwei Guard came before Lu Chen, “Prince, intelligence from Yan County.”

Lu Chen took the envelope from the Jinyiwei Guard, opened it, and after scanning the intelligence in his hands, he said, “It seems that after the civil war within Great Sum is over, the North Country will face a true test.”

Curious, Mu Changtian asked, “Prince, is there some movement from the court?”

Lu Chen said indifferently, “Hmm, the court has dispatched troops to the north, to be stationed in Qi Country.”

At this, everyone was momentarily stunned before Mu Changtian said, “The Qi Prince surely won’t allow it, right?”

When they were heading north, the envoys from the Aristocratic Families of the South were still in the Qi Prince’s territory, hoping to persuade Qi Country to send troops south and flank the Imperial Army in a pincer move with the southern rebels.

And now, in such a short time, the court was actually planning to send troops north and be stationed in Qi Country. If the troops were stationed there, would the Qi Prince still consider rebellion?

Moreover, the court now has to deal with the southern rebels. How could it spare the forces to be stationed in Qi Country?

Continuing, Lu Chen said, “This matter has not been settled yet. However, the court has already issued an imperial edict, requesting Qi Country to cooperate with the stationing of the army.”

At this point, Xiao Pengthian spoke from the side, “Prince, in your view, will the Qi Prince rebel this time?”

With North Country having dispatched troops northward to resist the Barbarian Tribe, Qi Country has no need to worry that North Country will march south to support the king in time. At this juncture, they certainly could march south to attack the Capital City. Moreover, if one Seignior begins to rebel, it is highly probable to trigger a chain reaction, and the other Seigniors itching for a revolt will likely follow suit.

Lu Chen said, “It’s hard to say. The Qi Prince has shown no signs of movement yet, and it’s unclear whether he will rebel. If he doesn’t rebel, he will certainly agree to the court’s request and allow the troops to be stationed in Qi Country.”

“Now, we can’t worry about so much. Let’s first drive the Tianqi King out of the North Land.”

Lu Chen was curious in his heart. The court wanted to station troops in Qi Country at this time. Was it to guard against North Country, or to probe Qi Country?

If it was to guard against North Country, he was now leading an army of two hundred thousand to the North Land to fight the Barbarian Tribe, posing no immediate threat to the court. Moreover, the court was at a critical moment in quelling the southern rebellion, and there was no need to dispatch a large force to station in Qi Country at this point.

So Lu Chen had an inkling that the Sum Emperor was testing Qi Country, wanting to see whether the Qi Prince harbored rebellious intentions. If Qi Country rejected the stationing of troops, it would mean the Qi Prince had agreed to the southern rebels’ proposition and intended to rebel. However, if Qi Country accepted the court’s stationing of troops, it would prove Qi Country did not intend to rebel, at least not yet.

Of course, all these matters were not of great significance to him for now, as their immediate primary task was to resist the eastward advance of the Barbarian Tribe.

Meanwhile.

In the grasslands of North Land.

A gigantic eagle was circling in the sky, and beneath the clear blue, there were countless military tents. In a short while, the eagle descended, landing on the shoulder of a robust man who then removed the fur tied around the eagle’s leg and proceeded towards the Main Commander’s tent.

Inside the Main Commander’s tent, the Tianqi King and his men were drinking and feasting, not seeming to be in any particular rush.

In their view, the wealth and women of North Country were already within their grasp, merely waiting for them to come and take possession. Thus, their lack of urgency.

“Great King, a missive from the scouts up front!”

The robust man handed the fur that was just untied from the eagle to the Tianqi King. After receiving it, the Tianqi King opened the fur and scanned the content written on the inside.

Then, bursting into laughter, he declared, “A mere two hundred thousand soldiers, aspiring to halt the advance of this king, are utterly delusional!”

While Lu Chen and his men were gathering intelligence on the Barbarian Tribe, the Barbarian Tribe too was collecting information about North Country. The news of North Country’s military review had spread throughout the region, and the spies of the Barbarian Tribe naturally learned about Lu Chen leading an army of two hundred thousand northward.

To the Tianqi King, that posed no significant threat. In his eyes, the people of Great Sum had always been weak. Before the establishment of the Da Yue Dynasty, their Barbarian Tribe had directly attacked Great Sum, even occupying many of its cities. The Great Sum people had paid a hefty price to redeem their lands back.

However, that was before the division of the Barbarian Tribe. Afterward, the Barbarian Tribe’s royal court declined and split into several factions, with the North Land falling under the dominion of the Sky Wolf King, which prevented the Tianqi King’s tribe from moving eastward.

Even though the Barbarian Tribe had fragmented, the impression of Great Sum’s people being weak was still entrenched in the Tianqi King’s mind, so he didn’t consider North Country a serious threat.

A mere two hundred thousand soldiers, nothing to be afraid of.