Chapter 246: Chapter 167: Explosive Increase in Strength, War Begins

"The Celestial King Stronghold’s army of a million has also been active recently. They are very strong, and our spies have spotted traces of Mantuo in their camp."

Lu Yuan nodded.

’I’ve been setting this up for so long. It’s about time to close the net.’

’I just wonder what the look on the Dayong Emperor’s face will be when the time comes.’

Thinking of this, he began to look forward to the battle.

’A hundred thousand Imperial Guards in the Northern Lands... Can they even withstand a single charge from my army?’

He raised his teacup and took a light sip.

Just then, a figure hurried inside.

It was Wei Yong. These days, when he had nothing to do, he would stay in the residence. His rushing here now must mean something had happened.

Sure enough, as soon as he entered the main hall, he bowed and said, "My Prince, Her Majesty has sent word, requesting your presence at the palace as soon as possible."

’So it begins,’ Lu Yuan glanced outside, thinking to himself.

It was already dark. If it weren’t for something urgent, Xiao Shi would never have summoned him to the palace.

For her to summon him now, it could only mean one thing.

’War is upon us.’

’I’m afraid Dayong has already made its move.’

With this in mind, he stood up.

He said to Wei Yong, "Prepare for a long journey. I’m afraid war is coming."

After speaking, he strode straight outside.

"Yes, my Prince." After Wei Yong responded, he scurried away.

As the liaison with the Celestial King Stronghold, he had actually known something was up for a while and was just waiting for the order.

After Lu Yuan arrived at the imperial palace, a Eunuch led him into Xiao Shi’s study.

A large number of key court ministers had already gathered inside.

Li Qing, Xiao Gu, Xiao Mie, Xiao Xiong, Mangu Tun, Mangu Hun, and other high-ranking officials were nearly all present.

As Lu Yuan entered, the others nodded in greeting.

Xiao Shi said, "Now that Prince Qin is here, let’s begin."

Then, Li Qing spoke. "We’ve just received news. Dayong has dispatched an army toward Great Qin, with Duke Zhenyuan, Xiao Ren, leading the Central Army. They’ve also sent their newly-appointed City Marquis and Marquis of Zhenbei, Wu Han.

"They have already passed the border forts. The people of our Wasteland have begun migrating inward, but we expect the enemy to penetrate deep into Great Qin territory within a month.

"This battle must be fought."

His words carried a hint of resignation. If Great Qin had been given more time to develop, the coming fight would be much easier.

But time was just too short.

Now, we can only call this a rushed confrontation.

"If we must fight, then we will fight. Are our provisions, weapons, and armor sufficient?" Xiao Shi asked coolly.

With two years of development, the Great Qin of today was no longer the Northern Barbarians of the past. Although it hadn’t reached its peak, it was not without the strength to fight.

"Our provisions are plentiful and can continuously supply the army. Our reserves of Elixirs are also sufficient. Under our command, we have 600,000 Beast Riders, 600,000 Wolf Riders, 600,000 Blood Riders, and 300,000 Tiger Warriors.

"This is enough to sustain several large-scale battles," Li Qing reported, taking stock of their forces.

In two years, Lu Yuan had brought all of South City under his control and established various Academy Palaces throughout the lands of Great Qin. This led wealthy merchants from all over to flock to them, unable to resist investing their silver.

Now, Great Qin did not have to worry about resources.

The other high-ranking ministers around them couldn’t help but nod.

However, Li Qing immediately added, "But we have no Renowned Generals. I fear we will be at a disadvantage in the long run."

As his voice fell, everyone lowered their heads, their expressions turning grim.

The lack of a Renowned General was indeed a weakness.

Without a Renowned General, even if they defeated the Celestial King Stronghold and Xiao Ren in a single battle, Dayong would surely counterattack later, and that would be a difficult fight.

But just as Li Qing finished speaking, Lu Yuan said calmly, "Who says Great Qin has no Renowned General?"

As soon as his voice fell...

HUMMM!

A golden Array Pattern materialized above his head.

A golden Array Pattern was the symbol of one who had entered the ranks of Renowned Generals.

However, Lu Yuan was no ordinary Renowned General. Most Renowned Generals only mastered a Seventh-Grade Military Array, but Lu Yuan possessed an Eighth-Grade Military Array—a qualitative leap.

It could be said that as long as other Renowned Generals had not advanced their Arrays to the Eighth Grade, no matter how many of them there were, they could not contend with Lu Yuan, provided the disparity in troop numbers wasn’t too great.

HISS!

The sound of sharp intakes of breath filled the study, followed by looks of pure excitement on everyone’s faces.

Great Qin finally had its own Renowned General.

They would no longer have to be intimidated by other nations flaunting their Renowned Generals.

In truth, the biggest reason Lu Yuan revealed his trump card was to secure command of the army.

He didn’t want his hands tied when he went on this campaign.

It wasn’t that he expected someone in Great Qin to deliberately oppose him, but disagreements were inevitable when strategic concepts differed.

After all, though he was a Prince and a powerful combatant, to the outside world, he was still only at the Divine Power Realm.

For a matter as crucial as leading an army of nearly a million, the court would naturally want to appoint a general of sufficient and recognized ability.

In that case, the position of Commander might not necessarily fall to him.

But now, things were different. As long as his status as a Renowned General was revealed...

All doubts would vanish in an instant.

If even a Renowned General couldn’t become the Commander of the army, then no one was qualified.

A look of delight now appeared in Xiao Shi’s eyes.

She truly hadn’t expected Lu Yuan to give her such a wonderful surprise.

She then swept her gaze over the crowd and announced, "Since Great Qin also has a Renowned General to lead us, there is nothing more to discuss. For this expedition, Prince Qin will be the Commander of the three armies.

"Two hundred thousand troops will be drawn from each of the Beast Riders, Blood Riders, and Wolf Riders. In addition, all Elite Cavalry from the border garrisons will be placed under Prince Qin’s command. You will depart in three days to engage Dayong."

With the order given, everyone immediately stood and declared, "As you command!"

Then, they withdrew to begin their preparations.

After returning to his residence, Lu Yuan immediately began issuing orders that very night to mobilize troops from various regions.

The storehouses for provisions were opened, and massive supply convoys began the long journey toward the border.

Selection also began within the three divisions of the Imperial Guard.

Messengers were also dispatched from the city early on to notify the various garrisons along the route to prepare their Elite Cavalry.

This could be considered Great Qin’s first large-scale military operation since its unification.

Furthermore, their opponent was Dayong, currently at the height of its power.

Therefore, no one dared to be careless.

「Three days passed in the blink of an eye.」

After bidding farewell to his mother and Xiao Shi, Lu Yuan led the grand army out at the break of dawn.

The 600,000-strong army spread out across the grasslands, a vast and mighty force that resembled a black ocean.

Xiao Hua did not join the expedition this time.

Although her cultivation, bolstered by all sorts of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, had also reached the Divine Palace Realm—a sign of extraordinary talent—Lu Yuan was being extremely cautious this time.

He had refused her request to accompany him.

This Crown Princess, whom even Xiao Shi could not control, had ultimately compromised when faced with Lu Yuan.

「Meanwhile, as Great Qin mobilized...」

...inside the Dayong imperial palace, the Yong Emperor looked down at the map on his desk and said with a smile, "Great Qin has deployed 600,000 Beast Riders, plus their Elite Cavalry. It seems they intend to face us head-on."

Chancellor Lv quickly replied, "Your Majesty, not only do we control the Celestial King Stronghold, but we also have Xiao Ren’s 100,000 Imperial Guards, plus the assistance of the Border Army. Our numbers already surpass theirs.

"Moreover, Your Majesty has other plans in reserve. If we can swallow up their 600,000 Beast Riders in this battle, Great Qin’s national strength will instantly plummet. The plains will be ours for the taking."

"Heh, you have a point. And to think they actually made Lu Yuan, a mere Divine Power Realm cultivator, their Commander. Great Qin is truly treating him as a Renowned General.

"My Dayong is not comparable to the Shengman or the Ancient Barbarians.

"I’m not worried about the fight with Great Qin; their strength is limited, after all.

"What I’m most looking forward to seeing now is the furious expression on the Yu Emperor’s face when he learns that we’ve seized all of Great Qin’s pasturelands."

"You are right, Your Majesty. Great Yu will definitely regret their initial decision," Lv Ze chimed in hastily.

Chang Dao, however, watched all of this with an indifferent gaze.

This time, the Border Army had been completely excluded from the order of battle. The ones sent to war were either men cultivated by the Crown Prince or nobles from the Imperial Guard.

’They’re clearly trying to suppress the Border Army.’

「Meanwhile, in the imperial court of Great Yu...」

The Yu Emperor calmly gazed at the officials below. After a moment, he said coolly, "Send an envoy to Great Qin tomorrow. Tell them to cede another piece of pastureland."

Clearly, he intended to take advantage of their plight.

The officials below immediately replied, "As you command!"

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