Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

Chapter 252 introduces the Shadow Guard

After seeing the two grandmasters in black armor enter the Northern King's Mansion, Wang Jiantao finally breathed a sigh of relief. His heart had been in his throat.

One of the two masters merely glanced in their direction, and they immediately felt the threat of death, sending chills down their spines.

Besides the grandmaster Zhuge Chongguang, there is actually such a terrifying grandmaster general in the North!

Just as Wang Jiantao had recovered, another shadow guard's voice came from beside him, "Another grandmaster!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Jiantao immediately looked towards the entrance of the Northern Prince's Mansion. At this moment, a burly man dressed in plain clothes dismounted from his horse, handed the horse to a servant of the mansion, and then entered the mansion directly.

Although the burly man's aura was not as terrifying as the two armored men from before, the power emanating from him still indicated that he was a grandmaster-level expert.

Shadow guards are trained from a young age and carry out various missions in secret for many years. They can generally judge a martial artist's approximate level with ease.

At this moment, Wang Jiantao frowned deeply. The fact that the Northern King's Mansion actually had four Grandmasters was something they hadn't expected at first.

Just as Wang Jiantao was thinking about reporting the intelligence about the Northern Kingdom to Emperor Xia later, he suddenly discovered that another Grandmaster had appeared at the door.

At this moment, Wang Jiantao's eyes widened suddenly, staring in disbelief at the man at the entrance of the Northern Prince's Mansion.

That is……

Mu Changtian?

How is that possible!

Wasn't Mu Changtian killed while he was being exiled to the Northwest?

How did I end up in this place?

Wang Jiantao's face instantly darkened. He was certain that he had not misjudged the person; the man standing at the entrance of the Northern Prince's Mansion was indeed Mu Changtian.

Including Mu Changtian, the Northern Prince's Mansion now has five Grandmasters!

The fact that there are five grandmasters is not important; what is important is that the person the Xia Emperor wanted to eliminate did not die and even appeared in the Northern Kingdom.

The Northern King couldn't possibly be unaware of who Mu Changtian was. Yet he dared to take Mu Changtian in, and Mu Changtian's presence here meant that many of the soldiers who died at the inn were killed by the Northern King's men.

Is the Northern King planning a rebellion?

Now is a critical time for the imperial army to quell the rebellion. If the Northern King leads the Northern army south and cooperates with the rebels, the capital will be in danger.

Thinking of this, Wang Jiantao immediately said, "Let's go!"

They must report everything they have seen today to Emperor Xia immediately so that he can make preparations.

After Wang Jiantao and the others left, Wei Siyuan arrived at the Northern Prince's Mansion. If Wang Jiantao saw that another Grandmaster had arrived, he would definitely be even more unsettled.

About half an hour later, apart from the generals guarding Yancheng, most of the important generals of the Northern Kingdom had arrived at the Northern King's Mansion.

Inside the Council Hall.

Lu Chen sat on the throne, with Zhuge Chongguang sitting beside him. After seeing that everyone had arrived, Lu Chen spoke directly: "I just received an urgent military report from the North. King Tianqi is leading an army of 400,000 barbarians eastward, seemingly intending to attack the Northern Kingdom."

Upon hearing this, the people in the hall looked at each other. Unlike the civil officials, the military generals of the Northern Kingdom were all more composed.

Although the news sounded very urgent, none of the generals showed any panic. On the contrary, they were already eager to head north.

Since firearms were first introduced into the army in the North, they have been training in their use. Now they have mastered the use of firearms and have even developed many formation methods related to firearms.

Although war inevitably results in death, these military commanders harbored a strong desire for battle. In fact, it wasn't just the generals; under the existing military merit system in the Northern Kingdom, many soldiers had long been looking forward to fighting, as only through battle could they earn more military merit.

At this moment, Mu Changtian spoke up, "Your Highness, the Northern army is already prepared to fight the Northern enemy. They will march north without hesitation at your command."

Lu Chen said, "It takes a thousand days to train an army for one day to use it. The Northern army has been training for so long, it's time to test their mettle."

Wei Siyuan then asked, "Your Highness, should we transfer the 100,000 troops from Fengyun Island? They should have already arrived in the Northern Kingdom."

Lu Chen said, "Not for now. Let them set up camp by the sea. I have already had a military base built there."

Although the barbarian army numbered 400,000, Lu Chen did not believe that they would be a match for the Northern Kingdom's army.

At present, there is no need for the 100,000 soldiers from Fengyun Island. Those 100,000 soldiers have not learned how to use firearms, nor have they received any related training. Transferring them here now would not be of much use.

Just then, Zhuge Chongguang spoke up: "Your Highness, this old minister suggests that the soldiers from Fengyun Island be transferred to Yancheng."

"Once the Northern Kingdom's army marches north, their rear will be empty. If Dayue or Qi Kingdom has any other intentions, the Northern Kingdom may face a situation of being attacked from both sides. At that time, the 100,000 troops can also serve as a deterrent."

Upon hearing Zhuge Chongguang's words, Lu Chen realized that he had just received news that the Jiangnan aristocratic families had sent people to visit Prince Qi. How could he have forgotten about Prince Qi?

If the Northern Kingdom's army marches north, King Qi might see this as an opportunity. He might even mobilize the soldiers within Qi's borders to march south and attack the capital.

However, some of the 200,000 troops that the Dayue Dynasty had recently transferred have returned to the border area with the Northern Kingdom and are stationed there. It seems that the Dayue Empress has always been on guard against the Northern Kingdom. It is really hard to say whether the Dayue Dynasty will take advantage of the Northern Kingdom's weak rear and suddenly send troops to attack the Northern Kingdom.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen said, "The Grand Scholar is right. General Wei, if those 100,000 soldiers have already reached the seaside, you should have them head to Yancheng as soon as possible."

Wei Siyuan replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

Xuan Yuan Chen then asked, "Your Highness, how many Black Cavalry do you plan to send north?"

Lu Chen thought for a moment. Although the Cloud Piercing Bow, which could threaten heavy cavalry, had already appeared in the Great Xia territory, they were not dealing with the imperial court or the rebels in the south. Their enemy was the barbarians from the northwest, and those barbarians probably did not have weapons to deal with heavy cavalry.

Before powerful cold weapons like the Cloud Piercing Bow became widespread, heavy cavalry could still exert considerable combat effectiveness.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen said, "Let's send 40,000 Black Cavalry north, and leave 10,000 to guard Yancheng."

At this point, Lu Chen looked at Xiao Pengtian.

"General Xiao, have you ever heard of the barbarian King Tianqi?"

Xiao Pengtian replied, "Your Highness, I have heard that when the old Sirius King was still alive, the Tianqi King sent people to the Sirius King's tribe in an attempt to recruit them under his command. I have also heard that the Tianqi King sent people to the Northern Xian King's tribe, but in the end, both of our tribes refused."

"Rumor has it that the Apocalypse King has reached the Grandmaster level. He is very ambitious. He believes that he is the one chosen by the Barbarian God, so he changed his former title to the Apocalypse King. He also wants to unify the entire Barbarian tribe and become the Barbarian Emperor."

Upon hearing Xiao Pengtian's words, Lu Chen frowned slightly.

Grandmaster?

This is the first time the Northern Kingdom has faced a situation where an enemy Grandmaster has entered the battlefield.

In this way, they also need to send a Grandmaster.

While a Grandmaster might not be able to withstand the barrage of cannon fire, they can certainly disrupt their formation and destroy their cannons.

If a Grandmaster gets close to their artillery positions, their artillery will likely be destroyed by the Grandmaster.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen said, "In this battle against the Tianqi King's army, I will personally lead the troops north."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Chongguang said, "Your Highness, this is inappropriate. You are the King of the North and should be in charge of the entire North. You should not be on the battlefield."

Lu Chen is the chosen one, how can he appear in a dangerous place? If something happens to him, how can he lead this world?

From Zhuge Chongguang's personal perspective, he certainly wouldn't want to see Lu Chen go to the battlefield.

Lu Chen said, "Firearms were invented by me. This is the first time the soldiers have used firearms in battle. How can I not go to the front lines to guide them in using firearms?"

"There's no need to discuss this; I must go to the front lines."

Seeing Lu Chen's resolute attitude, Zhuge Chongguang could not say anything more. "Since Your Highness insists on going, then this old minister will also follow Your Highness northward."

Lu Chen immediately said, "That won't do. The Northern Prince's Mansion and Yan City still need your protection, Grand Scholar. Once I leave Yan City, there's a good chance some villains will target the Northern Prince's Mansion."

Lu Chen's biggest worry was his wives and concubines. Although the Northern Prince's Mansion already had Grandmaster Chen Wanrong, Lu Chen still felt uneasy.

Zhuge Chongguang said, "Your Highness..."

Seeing that Zhuge Chongguang was about to say something, Lu Chen suddenly realized that this was his first time dealing with a Grandmaster, and he wasn't sure if he was a match for that Grandmaster. So, to be on the safe side, it wouldn't hurt to have a backup plan.

Since Zhuge Chongguang is determined to protect the Northern Prince's Mansion and cannot be touched, then Chen Wanrong can at least go north with him.

As things stand, it's unlikely that Xuan Yue Palace would actually come to Yancheng to take Chen Wanrong away.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen said, "I know that the Grand Scholar is worried about my safety. How about this, I will bring a Grandmaster with me, so that the Grand Scholar will not have to worry."

Zhuge Chongguang said, "Your Highness, as far as this old minister knows, it seems that there is no third Grandmaster in the Northern Kingdom?"

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Of course there is! It's just that you don't know, Grand Scholar, the Palace Master of Xuan Yue Palace is a Grandmaster, and he only recently broke through to the next level."

"I myself am a Grandmaster, and with another Grandmaster added, the Grand Scholar should be at ease, right?"

Zhuge Chongguang said, "If a Grandmaster accompanies Your Highness on your journey north, then this old minister will be at ease."

At this moment, Mu Changtian said from the side, "Your Highness, should we inform the common people about this trip north?"

"After all, the enemy has an army of 400,000. Although the Northern Kingdom has already defeated two barbarian tribes, if the common people find out about this, it will probably still cause panic."

Lu Chen said calmly, "This time, when we march north, we should let the people know. Not only should we let the people know, but we should also keep spreading the word so that the people of the North understand that the soldiers of the North are going north to fight the barbarians in order to protect them."

Lu Chen's idea was simple: if the common people didn't know that these soldiers from the North were fighting desperately against the barbarians for their safety, how could they possibly respect those soldiers?

As for whether it would cause panic, Lu Chen was not too worried. Some people would definitely be afraid, which is only natural. But the Northern Kingdom had often faced raids by barbarians in the past, and some people were already used to it.

Therefore, in Lu Chen's view, letting the common people know that the barbarians were moving south would not cause too much trouble for the northern country, even if the common people felt panicked.

After hearing Lu Chen's words, Mu Changtian thought about it and felt that there was some truth to them.

Lu Chen then opened the map in front of him and said, "Everyone stand up. Let's not discuss the details for now. The Heavenly King's army will arrive in the Northern Kingdom soon, and we must hurry up and make our deployments."

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, the military officers in the hall immediately gathered around the table in front of the throne and began to discuss how to deploy their forces.

After the military meeting, Lu Chen let Mu Changtian and the others return to the barracks, giving the soldiers a day off to say goodbye to their families.

Although war is imminent, soldiers should still be given the opportunity to say goodbye to their families. We cannot allow these soldiers to die on the battlefield without their families knowing where they went or whether they will ever return.

Besides letting the soldiers go home to say goodbye to their families, Lu Chen also asked Qin Yushan to clean up the spies and agents in Yancheng. They were about to head north, and since he wasn't in Yancheng, those spies and agents might cause trouble, so it was better to have the Embroidered Uniform Guard clean them up in advance.

Speaking of clearing out spies from other countries, Lu Chen thought of what Bai Qingqing had said some time ago: the Xia Emperor had already sent people to eliminate the traitors in the Shadow Guards, and the person who wanted to assassinate Bai Qingqing was most likely still in Yancheng.

Lu Chen planned to lure out these shadow guards before heading north and then eliminate them. If he continued to let them stay in Yancheng, they would definitely attack Bai Qingqing once he left. This time, he would not disturb Bai Qingqing on his journey north. Moreover, with Emperor Xia's shadow guards in Yancheng, Lu Chen was very worried that they would cause trouble.

Once the next steps were decided, the entire city of Yancheng sprang into action.

After Lu Chen convened a military meeting in the morning, the entire population of Yancheng learned in the afternoon that the barbarian army of 400,000 was about to march south.

Of course, this news was released by the newspaper at Lu Chen's request; he wanted to publicize this war extensively.

Upon hearing that another barbarian tribe was marching south, the people of Yancheng panicked instantly. Some even planned to flee, but most chose to trust the Northern King and his army.

The victories in the previous two wars gave the people of the Northern Kingdom great confidence. Although there were rumors that the Northern Kingdom's heavy cavalry had been wiped out during the battle with the Northern Xian King, the Northern Kingdom's soldiers still managed to defend Tianguang City and prevent the Northern Xian King from advancing south.

For most people living in the North, a great victory was achieved as long as the soldiers of the North held the north and prevented the barbarian cavalry from advancing south.

At this moment.

Inside a private room in a restaurant.

Wang Jiantao looked at the newspaper in his hand and pondered for a long time.

He finally understood why so many grandmasters had gone to the Northern King's Mansion that morning; they were probably discussing how to defend against the Tianqi King's 400,000-strong army marching south.

At this moment, a shadow guard said, "Commander, I have learned that the Northern King will be inspecting the military camp east of Yancheng later. Bai Qingqing has always liked to follow the Northern King, and she will most likely go with him this time as well. This is a great opportunity for us."

Wang Jiantao thought for a moment, then remained silent.

Zhuge Chongguang is a Grandmaster. A Grandmaster of this caliber wouldn't be running around with a prince. If Bai Qingqing really goes to the military camp with the Northern King for inspection, and Lu Chen doesn't have many Grandmaster-level experts around him, then it would indeed be an excellent opportunity for them to get rid of Bai Qingqing. They could even directly attack the Northern King.

Of course, eliminating the Northern King is not something he should do right now. Without the Xia Emperor's explicit order, even if he knows that the Northern King is now the Xia Emperor's biggest threat, he, as the Shadow Guard Commander, cannot take action against Lu Chen.

After a moment, Wang Jiantao picked up the bamboo hat from the table. "Let's go!"

……

At this moment, Wang Jiantao and the other shadow guards were unaware that the news of Lu Chen's inspection of the military camp was deliberately leaked by Lu Chen. He intended to lure out those shadow guards who wanted to kill Bai Qingqing and then eliminate them directly, so that these shadow guards would not cause trouble for Bai Qingqing or create chaos in Yancheng after he left.

Around four o'clock in the afternoon, Lu Chen sat in the carriage, with Bai Qingqing riding the horse, and casually led a few guards out of the city to the eastern military camp.

The military camp east of Yancheng is some distance away from Yancheng, and there is a forest along that route.

Forests are ideal locations for assassins like Shadow Guards to carry out assassinations.

Lu Chen believed that the shadow guards would definitely make a move.

Before long, Lu Chen's carriage entered the ambush site of the Shadow Guards. Seeing that Lu Chen only brought Bai Qingqing and a few fifth-rank guards, Wang Jiantao felt a little strange.

Logically speaking, Bai Qingqing should have realized long ago that the Xia Emperor was eliminating the Shadow Guards of the Northern Kingdom, and that she was one of the targets. So why did Bai Qingqing dare not let Lu Chen bring more experts to accompany him?

Could it be that Bai Qingqing didn't tell Lu Chen about the Shadow Guards? Or perhaps Bai Qingqing never took the Shadow Guards seriously in the first place, thinking that no one would harm her?

She was, after all, a grandmaster, and killing her was no easy task. It's normal for her to be confident in that.

Seeing that Wang Jiantao had not yet given the order, one of his shadow guards said, "Commander, if we let them go any further, they'll be able to see the Northern Kingdom's military camp. By then, it will be too late for us to act!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Jiantao asked the shadow guard who had been following the carriage out of the city from the Northern Prince's residence, "Xiao Qi, are you sure the Northern Prince is the only one in the carriage?"

"I am certain that I personally saw the carriage that the Northern King boarded."

Wang Jiantao thought to himself that if it were only the Northern King and a few guards, there was indeed nothing to fear.

Although it is rumored that the Northern King is also a martial artist, given his age, he can't be that much stronger.

With that thought in mind, Wang Jiantao no longer hesitated.

"Let's do it!"

(End of this chapter)