Chapter 255 - 173: Two Military Arrays Bear Down, the Great War Begins
Chapter 255: Chapter 173: Two Military Arrays Bear Down, the Great War Begins
After Lu Yuan and the others finished their meal, they headed for the border. Time was of the essence, by Lu Yuan’s estimation.
Once the Unparalleled Marquis joined forces with Prince Ze, they would almost certainly launch an attack against him.
That attack could come at any moment.
Therefore, he had to reach the border as quickly as possible.
The other generals also returned to their respective posts in the army after the meal. No one dared to delay.
This battle would determine the future of Great Qin.
Meanwhile, after abandoning his troops, the Unparalleled Marquis returned to Prince Ze’s army that very same day.
As soon as he entered the camp and saw Prince Ze, he bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."
Although he was proud, he was still outmatched by Prince Ze. The latter was also a Renowned General.
Most importantly, Prince Ze’s cultivation had already reached the Earth Immortal Realm.
After all, it was rare for a Renowned General to reach such a realm.
A person couldn’t have it all.
Once one chose the path of a Renowned General, their personal cultivation was bound to fall behind.
The Unparalleled Marquis had actually been the most promising candidate for a dual breakthrough.
But Prince Ze had beaten him to it.
Looking down at the disheveled Unparalleled Marquis, Prince Ze couldn’t help but frown. Still, he asked, "Where is Xiao Heng?"
As a veteran general of Dayong, Xiao Heng’s strength wasn’t top-tier, but he was a capable commander. Most importantly, he was loyal to the Yong Emperor, so the imperial court held him in high regard.
"Master Xiao is leading the remnants of our army back from the rear," the Unparalleled Marquis said softly. "I heard that Your Highness had arrived in Songzhou, and with the Great Qin army constantly advancing, I came to rendezvous with you at once."
He lacked the standing to act presumptuously before Xiao Ze.
"Without another expert, their chances of breaking out are much lower. You acted too hastily, Unparalleled Marquis," Prince Ze said slowly.
However, he didn’t blame him.
After all, the Unparalleled Marquis was one of Dayong’s Renowned Generals. Unless he committed a great crime like treason, the imperial court wouldn’t touch him.
"It was my oversight. I await Your Highness’s punishment." The Unparalleled Marquis’s attitude was impeccable; he clearly understood that Prince Ze had no intention of actually punishing him.
Sure enough, Prince Ze glanced at him and said, "Enough. Since you’re back, we can begin the counterattack. I’ve brought 800,000 Imperial Guards with me, and the 300,000 men you normally train have all arrived.
Our armies will be twenty li apart. We’ll advance side-by-side and launch an attack on Yan Province.
We’ll strive to crush Great Qin in one fell swoop."
"This general obeys!"
the Unparalleled Marquis replied at once.
Prince Ze swept his gaze over him. "Then go and make your preparations. Get some rest. We set out at dawn tomorrow."
"Yes!" the Unparalleled Marquis responded before leaving the tent.
Prince Ze watched him leave, his brow furrowed. He didn’t have a very high opinion of the Unparalleled Marquis.
The man was too cunning and utterly shameless in his actions.
But his skills were undeniable, so the imperial court had to make use of him for the time being.
As the Yong Emperor’s younger brother, born of the same mother, Prince Ze’s status was beyond that of any ordinary Prince.
Even the Crown Prince had to bow respectfully in his presence.
It was no exaggeration to say that his words could, at times, directly influence the Yong Emperor’s decisions.
Therefore, Prince Ze was utterly devoted to his duties to the imperial court, never slacking in the slightest.
He always maintained a scrutinizing eye on the officials serving under him.
After the Unparalleled Marquis left, he turned to the Vice General at his side. "Go and make your preparations. We begin the advance on Yan Province at dawn tomorrow."
"Yes, Your Highness." The Vice General acknowledged the order and withdrew.
Once Prince Ze was alone in the tent, he lifted his teacup and took a sip, a grave expression settling on his face.
For some reason, leading the troops out this time, he had a constant, palpitating sense of dread, as if something terrible was about to happen.
Yet he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what could be wrong.
After all, his side had 800,000 Imperial Guards and over a million elite Border Army soldiers drawn from various regions. Although their army’s numbers and quality were somewhat inferior to Great Qin’s, they had two Renowned Generals on their side.
It was no exaggeration to say that against such a lineup, an enemy would need ten times their numbers to even have a chance of victory.
While the Great Qin army had superior numbers, they were nowhere near that many.
’So why do I have this feeling?’
He pondered for a long time, but with no answers forthcoming, he decided to simply put it out of his mind.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan, after several hours of hard riding, had finally arrived at the border of Yan Province.
Here, Wu Han was leading his troops through their drills.
The sprawling encampment stretched for dozens of li.
A closer look, however, would reveal that while the camps seemed chaotic, they were incredibly orderly. The Warriors only had to take up their weapons to form tight formations.
But that wasn’t the most surprising part.
What was truly strange was their choice of campsites: some were on ridges, some in valleys, others by a lake...
The size of the units also varied.
Some phalanxes were large, others small.
Many couldn’t understand the reasoning, but no one dared to question it.
Lu Yuan’s own position was also unique.
Although he was at the very front, he was somehow connected to every single unit, no matter how you looked at it.
At that moment, he sat in his command tent, looking at Xiao Lie beside him. "Any movement from Dayong?"
He had arrived on the battlefield; now all he had to do was wait for the Dayong army to walk right into his trap.
This was his first time facing a Renowned General, and now he was up against two.
Far from being afraid, Lu Yuan felt a thrill of excitement.
"Reporting to Your Highness," Xiao Lie said softly, "the Unparalleled Marquis has likely met with Prince Ze. A contingent of the Imperial Guard, dozens of li from Prince Ze’s main camp, has raised the Unparalleled Marquis’s grand banner. It seems the two armies are preparing to advance on us side-by-side."