Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

In Wayne's vision, the scene of entering the city should be like this:

First, the Unicorns, a special operations unit skilled in stealth and surprise attacks and extremely fast, infiltrated Princeton County. They then took advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness to eliminate the guards at the Oripathy quarantine gate and the nearby patrols undetected. They were then dispersed to outposts to provide lookout and support.

Then, Wayne, Mudrock, and Surtr quietly sneaked in through the quarantine gate and, depending on the situation, decided whether to directly summon the Lava Giant and Leivadin to create chaos and attract the enemy's attention, or have the supporting Unicorn use electronic warfare technology to send incorrect information to the enemy and confuse their intelligence.

Finally, the steam-armored troops took advantage of the enemy's confusion and leaderlessness to quietly enter the village, without firing a shot, and blend into the Princeton Earl's territory. They then hid and met up with Wayne and the others to discuss the attack on the core city.

The central principle throughout is to avoid direct confrontation with the enemy.

Just kidding, how many people does Wayne have? The steam-armored troops number only fifty, and ordinary soldiers are practically useless in this blitzkrieg. So, the students guarding the Royal Military Academy were sent. Fifteen Unicorns came, plus Wayne, Mudrock, Surtr, Kal'tsit, and Ernest—the commanders—making a total of seventy, maybe even less than a hundred. To directly confront tens of thousands of regular enemy troops is suicide. After all, even capturing a hundred thousand pigs would exhaust you to death.

Wayne's idea was brilliant. Using this plan, they could sneak into the city undetected, while simultaneously drawing the enemy's main force to the outside for searching and garrisoning. This would greatly reduce the troop strength in the core city, allowing them to create a time difference during their frontal offensive and defensive battles and gain a greater chance of victory.

But the plan seems to have encountered some problems from the very beginning.

Wayne was pointing at the mobile city of Princeton County, the Earldom of Princeton, in the distant suburbs when he heard the sound of hooves approaching. Just as he was about to order his steam-armored knights and unicorns to intercept them, a squad of soldiers riding camels, wearing steel helmets and dressed as a patrol, shouted:

"Long live Prince Wayne!"

This shout completely baffled Wayne. Aside from the fact that Wayne couldn't determine his origins after the shout, what Wayne found most perplexing was that the nearest city watchtower was at least thirty miles away—how did they see him?

The patrol was swiftly intercepted by the reacting unicorns and brought before Wayne. The leading Liberian soldier immediately recognized Wayne, his eyes welling with tears, and cried out:

"Welcome back to the North, Your Highness Wayne!"

Judging from his appearance, Wayne had no doubt that if the unicorn hadn't been holding his shoulders down so he couldn't move, he would have raised his arms and shouted "Long live the king!" three times.

What's happening here?

Wayne scratched his head, looking quite uncomfortable. Was this some kind of intelligence machine delivered right to his face?

After having his men thoroughly check the man and confirm that he didn't possess anything like listening devices, remote-controlled bombs, high-energy stone worms, or "American cockroach tentacles," Wayne finally stepped forward and asked:

How did you find us?

"report!"

The Liberian soldiers shouted loudly, making Wayne's ears ache. He waved his hand dismissively.

"This isn't a military camp, you don't need to submit reports like this. Just say what you need."

"As ordered!"

Another loud shout rang out. Wayne began to think that this guy was probably sent by the enemy to assassinate him using a sonic weapon.

Wayne ordered the unicorns to release the soldier, merely standing guard nearby. The soldier had no complaints about the unicorns' actions and even nodded approvingly at the other unicorns.

The whole unicorn thing is so weird, I just want to ask, who are you?

The Liberian soldier stood at attention, gave Wayne a solemn salute, and introduced himself:

"Your Highness Wayne, I, the former squad leader of the first squad of the advance reconnaissance unit of the Northern King's Guard and now the deputy commander of the Northern Garrison's investigation unit, codename: Falcon, extend my highest respect to you!"

After giving a formal self-introduction, he immediately broke into a friendly smile and said:

"I was the one who found your location. I felt that the figure looked a lot like you, so I brought people over to check, and sure enough, it was you! You may not remember me, but no matter what, your image will forever remain in the hearts of us Northern Army soldiers!"

Wayne nodded blankly.

To be fair, he had tried to search his memory of the falcon after its self-introduction, but as expected, he had no recollection of it.

This is quite normal. The King in the North basically doesn't allow Wayne to get involved in military affairs, and he's focused on grooming Wayne into a general unlike himself, but rather a ruler who is both scholarly and martial. Wayne's impression of the Northern army is limited to knowing that its core leadership, such as Ernest and the Duke of Normandy, is only that.

Eagle Falcon was just a soldier. He may have only seen Wayne once, but he remembered him and even after so many years, the image of him remained vivid in his mind.

Wayne had to think: if he was in such a predicament, what about the other armies in the North?

Lion has been out of the public eye for a long time, as evidenced by the fact that most people, including observant individuals like Chen Huijie, instinctively mistook Wayne for a larger version of Felin. However, the Northern Army firmly remembered and recognized Wayne's status as the "Heir to the King of the North."

Is this something that can be used to make a big deal out of it?

After all, Wayne had already noticed some of the strange things about the Northern Rebellion.

As a Northern rebel forced into rebellion, it was impossible for them to openly use the pretext of "noble republic," which had never been laid out and had no appeal or attraction, to win over the Northern army and people to participate in this absurd rebellion.

Therefore, the Earl of Princeton, manipulated by the Celts, launched the rebellion from the outset with the slogan "Restore the Glory of the King in the North," a slogan with immense appeal in the North. His speech, "Victoria Has No King," ostensibly denounced the flaws of monarchy, but in reality, it was aimed at the current Queen Vigna. It was "anti-monarchy" rather than "anti-establishment."

That's quite strange. He not only betrayed his own father, the Duke of Normandy, but also a large number of nobles who dreamed of a noble republic. In the end, his goal was just to change the name but not the substance. What was he after?

Wayne also considered the Earl of Princeton's reasons for doing so. It wasn't for a dream, because if it were, he wouldn't have merely criticized Vina for "usurping" Wayne's throne, but would have launched a full-scale anti-imperial campaign. But it also didn't seem to be for personal gain, because the losses from launching a rebellion would far outweigh those from directly helping his father, the Duke of Normandy, to cover it up.

After all, even if we take a step back and assume he could actually pull Vina off the throne, so what?

He's not Aslan, and he can't be king.

However, the fact that Wayne couldn't figure out the reason immediately doesn't mean he couldn't use this excuse to his advantage.

The persona Wayne presented to everyone was that of a "poor prince who had been usurped from the throne by his sister and was imprisoned in the Iron Palace of Londinium." Before this, he had never considered using this persona for anything, believing that since the North was determined to rebel, even if it wasn't a united front, it wasn't something a "heir to the throne of the North" like himself, who wasn't heavily involved in the military, could easily turn against them. He figured it wouldn't be worth wasting a persona on something meaningless.

But now it seems that the situation is quite different from what he expected.

The Earl of Princeton is merely using the false title of "King in the North," and in fact, his charade only bolsters the prestige of the real young lion, Wayne. By skillfully employing this facade, Wayne could seize power from the Earl of Princeton without firing a shot, leveraging popular and military support. If the Earl relinquishes power, Wayne can take control of the rebels without shedding a drop of blood, resolving the rebellion at its root. If he refuses, his banner will be torn down, his true colors exposed, and the rebels will crumble from within. Wayne can then sit back and watch the infighting unfold, quelling the rebellion with minimal losses.

In this way, what could have been a devastating rebellion for Victoria and the Aslan royal family could have become a positive development that enhances the prestige of the royal family and strengthens the hearts and minds of the people of Victoria!

Monsters from Londinium have begun their invasion.

The shunned sons of the Aslan royal family marched northward.

The despicable and shameless descendants of those who usurped the country have conquered Dolon.

Wherever Wayne Bruce went, soldiers and civilians welcomed his army with food and drink!

His Highness Wayne Bruce, the Prince of Wales of the Great Aslan, son of the King of the North, has arrived in his loyal Princetonshire!

This is perfect propaganda, a head-on blow to all those in the country who are tempted to betray the Party!

Great news! Excellent news!

Wayne took a deep breath, winked at Ernest and the others, and gestured for them to be quiet with his hand behind his back, which he had been holding in a pretentious manner. He said calmly:

"I remember you."

“Sir, you are a very promising talent. I have gone through many hardships to come to Princeton County from Londinium—this territory of my father’s king. As the first person to greet me, you deserve to be honored.”

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a handful of "military funds," and handed it to the falcon:

"Give these first, the rest will arrive soon. Distribute these to my people, and inform them, inform all the soldiers, residents, and merchants of the North, inform people of all trades and social classes—"

Wayne grinned, revealing a smile that Vina had described as "wicked," and said loudly:

"Tell them that Wayne Bruce is back!"

It's time to play the open game!

Chapter Seventy-Three: The Earl of Princeton is a wonderful man!

Victoria, Princetonshire – The mobile city of Princeton, the Earldom, quarantine gate.

Led by the eagle reconnaissance squad, Wayne and the others followed behind, successfully arriving at the last barrier before the Earl of Princeton entered the city—the Oripathy quarantine gate.

Victoria maintained a moderate level of oppression and restriction on those infected with Oripathy. On the one hand, the infected were still sent to mines on the outskirts of the city to earn a living through their blood and sweat. On the other hand, they were not subjected to the same unwarranted oppression by overseers as those in the Ursus tundra mines, nor were they subjected to the same illegal practices of killing for amusement. As long as they did not cause trouble, they could still purchase their own property on the outskirts of the city, marry, have children, and enjoy a minimum standard of living.

There's not much Wayne can do for the infected. Things have to be done one step at a time, and systems have to be changed step by step. The union system and eight-hour workday that Wayne forcibly implemented have already caused dissatisfaction among some of the domestic upper bourgeoisie with the royal family. If he were to forcefully take away their share of the "infected" pie at this point, he would be taking too big a step and risk tearing his own eggs.

However, this situation should improve after the Northern Rebellion ends. When Wayne returns to Londinium as a member of the royal family, riding high on his victory and immense prestige, he will undoubtedly settle scores with those who have been dragging his feet and are on his list. After the war ends and another round of looting occurs, the resistance to reform will be significantly reduced.

But that's a story for later. Right now, Wayne has to face the heavily guarded quarantine gate.

Eagle gestured to the crowd, signaling Wayne and the others to stop. He then quickly walked to the quarantine gate alone, said something to the soldiers who were on guard, took out a few Victoria gold coins from the money bag Wayne had given him, and placed them in their hands. Visibly, the soldiers' expressions changed from suspicion to surprise and joy. Finally, they smiled and patted Eagle on the shoulder, as if to say, "Leave it to me," and walked towards the guard post inside the quarantine gate.

A few minutes later, the Earldom of Princeton, which had closed all entrances and exits to the city and built itself into an impregnable fortress city, opened a gap right in front of Wayne.

"The strongest fortresses are always breached from within."

Wayne now understood what those words meant. Those heavy defensive cannons erected on the city's edge, those towering city walls, those patrols of fully armed soldiers—they hadn't even fired a single shot or cannon, yet they had willingly let their most fearsome enemy in.

I wonder what the Earl of Princeton would think if he found out.

Eagle waved to Wayne and the others. Wayne smiled slightly, took a step, and walked towards the open quarantine door.

Regardless of his thoughts, what Wayne needs to do now is simple: use his status and the power of public opinion to force the Earl of Princeton to relinquish power or break off relations.

He wanted to follow the tiny opening in the seemingly unbreakable alliance of the rebels, tearing it apart bit by bit until it created a fatal wound that would cause them to collapse without a fight!

Halfway there, he paused, turned around, and glanced at everyone present. He skipped over Mudrock and Surtr, who looked obviously poor, and then skipped Kal'tsit, who had changed into a suit and had a handsome hairstyle that exposed her forehead. He shook his head at the group of steam-armored soldiers, and finally his gaze fell on Ernest, who was dressed in a ducal robe and looked very rich.

Hmm, I was in such a rush that I forgot my wallet. Mostima seems to be in the North, but Wayne can't find her either. Oh well.

For the sake of the nation, Duke Ernest, act as an emergency purse!

Under Wayne's gaze, Ernest suddenly felt a chill for some reason.

.......

The once bustling Princeton Earl's mansion was now deserted. A Luper soldier patrolling with a crossbow sat down in his guard post, puzzled, and asked the dozing Felin soldier inside:

"What's going on today? Usually, there are so many people that we have to send out several extra teams just to maintain order. Why is there not a single person here today? Where are all those nobles who wanted to curry favor with us?"

The dozing guard, Felin, was woken up. He glanced at Guard Lupo with an expression that said, as if he were looking at someone from Mars. Seeing Lupo's bewildered look, he muttered under his breath, "Idiot," and explained:

Haven't you heard?

"What did you hear?"

"You didn't know about something this big? It's quite a big deal, the news has spread throughout the North! His Highness Wayne, His Majesty's own son, our prince, returned to the North this morning! He's currently in the central square comforting the soldiers and civilians!"

He pointed towards the central square where the clock tower stood in the distance and said:

"Compared to His Highness Wayne, what is the Earl of Princeton? Of course, the nobles are going to the central square to see His Highness Wayne! Not only them, but also the soldiers who are not on duty today and most of the citizens are going. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the Emperor directly."

"Ah? His Highness Wayne is back?"

The Rupert soldier suddenly realized what was happening, and a look of joy immediately appeared on his face.

"Prince Wayne is back! He must be here to lead us back to the capital and seize the throne! I always said that little empress wouldn't amount to anything; Prince Wayne is much better!"

Upon hearing this, the Felin soldier sized him up, then suddenly remembered something and said:

"I remember you're a member of the Northern Queen's Support Group, right?"

The soldier, Rupert, turned green with fright and hurriedly waved his hands in denial, saying, "No, no, you've mistaken me for someone else." Then, he suddenly realized something and asked, "Wait a minute, how did you know?"

"I am the president."

"That's what the guard, Felin, replied."