CHAPTER 821: CHAPTER 500: FORCEFUL TAKEOVER (5K)_3

"Next, everyone in the tent, just follow me and watch the battle. If anyone tries to leave, don’t blame me for being ruthless!"

After a pause, Zhao Douan leaned on his saber, his tone eerie, "Who agrees? Who objects?"

Yuan Feng and the others felt a chill in their hearts, and no one dared to refute.

...

...

The Qingzhou Army, inside the main tent.

"Bang!" Prince Heng, who bore a striking resemblance to Xu Zudi and maintained a youthful appearance despite being over fifty, slapped the table fiercely with a hand adorned with a jade ring, his face darkened.

Anger surged like thunder between his brows, but upon close observation, one could detect in the furious prince’s eyes a trace of uncontrollable panic and fear!

"Zhao Douan!"

Prince Heng’s chest heaved violently, breathing like a bull, as he looked around ferociously at the ministers in the tent.

Moments ago, an attendant who had been deliberately released returned, delivering the news of the Princely Heir’s capture and the message Zhao Douan conveyed to the Qingzhou Army camp, unaltered.

Immediately, the Qingzhou Faction generals, who had relaxed and were preparing to celebrate, became alarmed and gathered in the main tent to discuss countermeasures.

"War! War! Launch a full-scale attack, flatten them!" Prince Heng shouted angrily.

A strategist braced himself and advised, "Calm down, Prince. We mustn’t act rashly now. We should think calmly and devise a strategy."

Another general hurriedly added, "Yes, if what Zhao Douan said is true, we might find it difficult to capture the Capital. Acting rashly now would be unwise."

Another person said:

"Prince, this matter may not be true. Besides, whether the ’Zhao Douan’ in the tent is real or not has yet to be verified. Even if he is real, is what he says absolutely accurate? Everyone knows the Empress of Luo Mountain is seriously injured; can she still hold the Capital? In my opinion, we should investigate clearly before making plans. But before that, we should focus on rescuing the Young Master."

Prince Heng’s expression was unpredictable; he suddenly looked at Ning Xianzong: "Xianzong, what do you think?"

The Qingzhou Army Commander, who had previously advised everyone that the negotiation was a trap but was besieged and questioned, stood silently in a corner of the tent.

He watched coldly, feeling a chill inside.

When it came to seizing credit, his words were sidelined and ignored; now in a crisis, they thought of him again.

Ning Xianzong raised his head, suppressing the various emotions in his heart, and calmly said:

"Prince, we have no choice but to fight. If the Empress has indeed returned to power, attacking the Capital is already extremely unlikely. We should retreat to Qingzhou and plan again. But if we retreat hastily, I’m afraid we’ll be pursued and defeated.

On the other hand, with our current peak morale, we can advance or defend, placing us in an invincible position.

Moreover, in my view, Zhao Douan is likely posturing, trying to scare us into hesitation. Otherwise... why would he put on this ’negotiation’ charade? Why not just openly clash in battle?

Therefore, I believe that even if he brought some reinforcements, they wouldn’t be enough to threaten us, so he’s resorting to intimidation tactics to buy time, which aligns with his past cunning and manipulative style."

Ning Xianzong’s reasoning was clear and powerful, and everyone in the main tent nodded, finding inner peace from chaos.

Many even had bright eyes, the more they pondered, the more they felt that the ’empty city strategy’ was highly likely.

Prince Heng also seemed to grab onto a lifeline, his eyes brightening, as he excitedly stepped forward and grasped Ning Xianzong’s hand:

"So, that ’Zhao Douan’ might be posturing? Perhaps that ’Zhao Douan’ doesn’t even exist? Could someone from the Five Army Camp have disguised themselves in a desperate situation?"

Ning Xianzong frowned, resisting the urge to pull his hand away, and hesitantly said:

"This matter needs verification. I am willing to lead troops to immediately capture the Five Army Camp; by then, the truth will naturally emerge."

Prince Heng rejoiced: "Good, the task of rescuing Zu Di shall rely on you, General."

The others also chimed in with flattery, noting that the Qingzhou Army’s success in three battles was not only due to the Prince Heng’s secret weapon but also Ning Zechen’s command in the battle formations.

This previously unremarkable commander had shined brilliantly in recent battles, even suppressing Yuan Feng.

...

...

At the order, the intersecting border of Qingzhou, both military camps started up like enormous machines, rumbling into action.

The Divine Mechanism Camp, though they had been on the road, still retained high spirits due to the short distance, and the soldiers were ready for battle.

With Zhao Douan’s order, Shi Meng, Chen Gui, Tang Ping, and others led the Divine Mechanism Camp to domineeringly seize the battlefield.

The troops of the Five Army Camp, whose morale had already plummeted, naturally cooperated closely upon learning that reinforcements had arrived and requested to retreat into the camp.

In a blink, the Divine Mechanism Camp settled into the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Zhao Douan led a group of senior leaders from the Five Army Camp, ascending on foot to a hill behind the military camp.

In the midsummer season, the hillside was lush with vegetation, the sky filled with thick clouds, and a cold wind brushed their faces.

Zhao Douan had switched back to his official robes—his cultivation made wearing armor more of a hindrance.

At this moment, he stood at the forefront of the crowd, supporting the hilt of his Chasing Saber with his right hand, looking far ahead.

On the flattened open ground, the two military camps were distantly facing each other, with the rumble of war drums pounding in the background, the sound resounding like strikes on everyone’s hearts.

The battlefield below was like a chessboard.

At this moment, the cavalry and infantry of the Divine Mechanism Camp were arrayed in formation and ready to charge, led by the Young Master Tang Ping, clad in silver helmet and armor, carrying a bow and arrow, and wielding a spear.

Meanwhile, hidden behind another hill and perfectly obscured by trees, Chen Gui stroked his beard while commanding artillery soldiers from the Divine Mechanism Camp, unloading the newest generation of Divine Might Cannons from carriages, with rainproof cloths, burying them, and swiftly calibrating them according to the "Artillery Manual."

However, neither the Qingzhou Army nor the leaders from the Five Army Camp atop the hill knew of the scene here.

"The battlefield is like a chessboard, and this officer has never commanded a campaign. Today is like a young woman on her first sedan ride, a first experience."

Zhao Douan gazed at the hillside, a sense of excitement rising in his heart, as he pointed forward with one hand while holding the saber with another:

"Is that where the main tent of Prince Heng is located?"

He pointed to the rear of the Qingzhou Army camp, towards a "Observation Tower" constructed from wood.

Commander Yuan Feng, who had been forcibly stripped of his command by Zhao Douan, was full of worries. Hearing this, he became even more anxious, even preparing for potential defeat and retreat.

However, the scene where Zhao Douan instantly killed the gray-robed elder in the tent made Yuan Feng realize that their martial arts were no match for Zhao Douan.

Only then did he belatedly realize Zhao Douan’s true intention of fighting in the tent might not have been about the Princely Heir at all but "killing a chicken to scare the monkeys," to intimidate them and lay the groundwork for a strong takeover of the camp.

As his thoughts fluctuated, Yuan Feng murmured, "Yes. When the battle begins, Prince Heng will also watch from there."

"I see," Zhao Douan quietly calculated the distance, mumbled softly:

"I wonder if a single cannon can bring down a prince."