Chapter 252 Leading out the Shadow Guard

Wang Jiantao breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the two grandmasters wearing black armor entering the Beiwang Mansion. His heart was almost in his throat just now.

One of the two masters just glanced in their direction, and they felt the threat of death, which sent a chill down their backs.

In addition to the great master Zhuge Chongguang, there are actually such terrifying master generals in the Northern Kingdom!

Just when Wang Jiantao had just recovered, another shadow guard's voice came from beside him, "It's another grandmaster!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Jiantao immediately looked at the door of the North Palace. At this time, a strong man in cloth got off his horse, handed the horse to the servants of the palace, and then entered the palace directly.

Although the aura of the strong man was not as terrifying as the two men wearing armor before, the power emanating from him could also be seen from the power that he was a master-level strongman.

Shadow Guards have been trained since childhood and have been performing various tasks in secret all year round. Basically, they can easily judge the general state of a warrior.

At this time, Wang Jiantao frowned. There were actually four grandmasters in the Northern Palace. This was something they did not expect at first.

Just when Wang Jiantao was thinking about reporting the information about the North to Emperor Xia later, he suddenly discovered that another grandmaster had appeared at the door.

At this time, Wang Jiantao's eyes suddenly opened wide and he looked at the man at the door of Beiwang Mansion in disbelief.

That is……

Mu Changtian? ? ?

How can this be!

Wasn't Mu Changtian killed when he was exiled to the northwest?

How come you are in this place?

Wang Jiantao's face instantly darkened. He was very sure that he had seen the right person. The man at the door of Beiwang Mansion was Mu Changtian himself.

Counting Mu Changtian, there are five grandmasters in the Northern Palace!

It doesn't matter that there are five grandmasters. What matters is that the person Emperor Xia wants to get rid of is not dead, and also appears in the North Kingdom.

It’s impossible for the Northern King not to know who Mu Changtian is. He actually dared to take Mu Changtian in, and Mu Changtian’s presence here means that many of the soldiers who died at the inn were members of the Northern King. Killed.

Is the Northern King going to rebel?

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

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

Everything they saw today must be reported to Emperor Xia quickly so that Emperor Xia can prepare.

After Wang Jiantao and the others left, Wei Siyuan rushed to the North Palace. If Wang Jiantao saw another grandmaster coming, he would definitely feel even more uneasy.

About half an hour later, except for the generals guarding Yancheng, all the important generals from the North Kingdom arrived at the Beiwang Mansion.

In the political hall.

Lu Chen sat on the throne, and Zhuge Chongguang sat next to him. When Lu Chen saw that everyone was almost here, he said directly: "I just received urgent military information from the North. King Tianqi led the barbarian army of 400,000 to march eastward. It is suspected that they are going to attack the Northern Kingdom."

After hearing this, everyone in the hall looked at me and I looked at you. The generals in the North were not like the civil servants. They were more stable.

Although the news sounded very urgent, none of the generals showed panic on their faces. On the contrary, they could not wait to head north.

They have been training in the use of firearms since the Northern Kingdom's firearms were installed in the army. Now their use of firearms has reached the point of proficiency, and they have even developed many firearm-related formation methods.

Although fighting involves death, for these generals, their inner desire for war is very strong. In fact, it is not just generals. Under the existing military merit system in the North, many soldiers have also longed to fight. , only by fighting can they gain more military merit.

At this time, Mu Changtian said: "Your Majesty, the army of the Northern Kingdom is already ready to fight the enemies of the Northern Kingdom. As long as you give the order, they will march northward without hesitation."

Lu Chen said: "It takes a thousand days to raise an army, but it takes only a moment to use it. The army of the Northern Kingdom has been training for such a long time, and it is time to try the sword."

Wei Siyuan asked at this time: "Your Majesty, do the 100,000 troops from Fengyun Island need to be mobilized? They should have arrived in the North Kingdom."

Lu Chen said: "No need for the time being, let them station themselves at the seaside. I have already asked people to build a military base at the seaside."

Although the barbarians had an army of 400,000 this time, Lu Chen did not think that these 400,000 troops would be a match for the Northern Army.

For now, there is no need for the 100,000 soldiers who came from Fengyun Island. Those 100,000 soldiers have not learned to use firearms and have no relevant training. It will not be of much use to transfer them here now.

At this time, Zhuge Chongguang said: "Your Majesty, I suggest that the soldiers from Fengyun Island be transferred to Yancheng."

"After the Northern Army moves northward, the rear will be empty. If Dayue or Qi State has other ideas, the Northern Kingdom is likely to be faced with enemies from both sides. By then, the 100,000-strong army will also be able to act as a deterrent."

Hearing what Zhuge Chongguang said, Lu Chen realized that he had just received the news that the Jiangnan family sent someone to visit King Qi, so how could he forget about King Qi.

If the army of the Northern Kingdom goes north, it is very likely that King Qi will think this is an opportunity. King Qi may actually mobilize the soldiers in Qi Kingdom to go south and attack the capital.

But some of the 200,000 troops that the Dayue Dynasty transferred not long ago returned to the border area with the Northern Kingdom. The Empress Dayue seems to have been guarding the Northern Kingdom. Will the Dayue Dynasty take advantage of the emptiness in the rear of the Northern Kingdom? , suddenly sent troops to attack the Northern Kingdom, this is really uncertain.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen said: "What the bachelor said makes sense, General Wei, if those 100,000 soldiers have arrived at the seaside, you should ask them to rush to Yancheng as soon as possible."

Wei Siyuan said: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Xuanyuan Chen asked at this time: "My lord, how many black cavalry do you plan to send north?"

Lu Chen thought for a moment. Although the Cloud-Piercing Bow that could threaten the heavy cavalry has appeared in Daxia, what they have to deal with this time is not the court or the rebels in the south. Their enemies are the barbarians coming from the northwest. Those barbarians There is a high probability that there are no weapons to deal with heavy cavalry.

Before powerful cold weapons like the Cloud-piercing Bow became popular, heavy cavalry could still exert strong combat effectiveness.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen said: "Just send 40,000 black cavalry north, leaving 10,000 to guard Yancheng."

Speaking of this, Lu Chen looked at Xiao Pengtian.

"General Xiao, I wonder if you have heard of the barbarian King Tianqi?"

Xiao Pengtian replied: "Back to my lord, I heard that when the old Sirius King was still there, King Tianqi once sent people to the Sirius King tribe to try to recruit the Sirius King tribe to his command, and he also returned I heard that King Tianqi also sent people to the tribe of King Beixian, but in the end both of our tribes refused."

"It is rumored that King Apocalypse has reached the realm of Grand Master. His ambition is very great. He thinks that he is the one favored by the Barbarian God, so he changed his previous title to King of Apocalypse. He also wants to unify the entire barbarian tribe and become the Barbarian Emperor. .”

Hearing Xiao Pengtian's words, Lu Chen frowned slightly.

Grandmaster?

This is the first time that the Northern Kingdom has faced an enemy grand master entering the battlefield.

In this case, they must also have a great master.

Although the Grand Master may not be able to withstand the indiscriminate bombardment of the cannons, he can still disrupt their formation and destroy their cannons.

If the Grand Master is allowed to approach their position with cannons, their cannons will most likely be destroyed by the Grand Master.

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

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Chongguang said: "My lord, this is inappropriate. You are the king of the Northern Kingdom. You have to manage the entire Northern Kingdom. You should not appear on the battlefield."

Lu Chen is the son of destiny, how can he appear in a dangerous place? How can he lead the world if something happens to him?

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

Lu Chen said: "Firearms can be regarded as my invention. It was the first time that soldiers used firearms to fight. I will not go to the front line to teach the soldiers how to use firearms."

"There is no need to discuss this matter. I have to go to the front line in this battlefield."

Seeing that Lu Chen's attitude was so resolute, Zhuge Chongguang could not say anything more, "Since the prince insists on going, I will follow him north."

Lu Chen immediately said: "This won't work. The North Prince's Mansion and Yancheng still need you, the great scholar, to protect them. Once the king leaves Yancheng, it is likely that some young people will deal with the North Prince's Mansion."

Lu Chen was most worried about his wives and concubines. Although the Beiwang Mansion already had Chen Wanrong, a great master, Lu Chen still felt unsafe.

Zhuge Chongguang said: "Your Majesty..."

Seeing what Zhuge Zhongguang was going to say, Lu Chen suddenly thought that it was his first time to deal with a grand master, and he was not sure whether he was the opponent of that grand master, so to be on the safe side, it was good to be more prepared.

Since Zhuge Chongguang wants to protect the North Palace and cannot move, Chen Wanrong can always go north with him.

For now, Xuanyue Palace should not come to Yancheng to take Chen Wanrong away.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen said: "I know that the great scholar is worried about my safety. How about this. I bring a grand master with me, so that the great scholar doesn't have to worry."

Zhuge Chongguang said: "Your Majesty, as far as I know, there seems to be no third great master in the Northern Kingdom?"

Lu Chen said with a smile: "Why not? It's just that you don't know, Grand Master, that the owner of Xuanyue Palace is the Grand Master, and he just made a breakthrough not long ago."

"I am the Grand Master myself, and with the addition of another Grand Master, the Grand Master should feel at ease."

Zhuge Chongguang said: "If a great master follows the prince to the north, then I will be relieved."

At this time, Mu Changtian said from the side: "Your Majesty, do we need to tell the people about this trip to the north?"

"After all, the opponent has an army of 400,000. Although the Northern Kingdom has defeated two barbarian tribes, if the common people know about this, I am afraid it will still cause panic."

Lu Chen said calmly: "This time when we send our troops to the north, we should let the common people know. Not only do we want to let the common people know, we must continue to publicize it so that the common people of the Northern Kingdom understand that the soldiers of the Northern Kingdom are going north to fight against the barbarians to protect them. fighting."

Lu Chen's idea was simple. If the common people didn't know that these soldiers from the North fought against the barbarians for their safety, how could they respect those soldiers.

As for whether it will cause panic, Lu Chen is not too worried. Some people will definitely be afraid. Fear is human nature, but the Northern Kingdom has often faced barbarian plunder in the past, and some people have long been used to it.

Therefore, in Lu Chen's opinion, letting the common people know that the barbarians are heading south will not bring much trouble to the Northern Kingdom, even if the common people feel panic.

After hearing what Lu Chen said, Mu Changtian thought about it and felt that it made sense.

Lu Chen opened the map in front of him at this time, and then said: "Everyone, come here. We won't discuss the details for now. King Apocalypse's army will arrive in the North Kingdom soon. We must seize the time to deploy."

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

After the military meeting, Lu Chen asked Mu Changtian and others to go back to the military camp and gave the soldiers a day off to say goodbye to their families.

Although the war is imminent, the soldiers must still be given the opportunity to say goodbye to their families. These soldiers cannot be allowed to die on the battlefield. Their families still don't know where they have gone and whether they will come back.

In addition to letting the soldiers go home and say goodbye to their families, Lu Chen also asked Qin Yushan to clean up Yancheng's spies Xizuo. They were about to go north. He was not in Yancheng. Those spies might cause trouble, so he let him go in advance. It would be better for Jin Yiwei to clean up one side.

Speaking of cleaning up the spies of other countries, Lu Chen thought of what Bai Qingqing said some time ago. Emperor Xia had sent people to clear out the traitors in the Shadow Guard, and those who wanted to assassinate Bai Qingqing were most likely still in Yancheng.

Lu Chen planned to lure out these shadow guards and then eliminate them before going north. If he continued to let them stay in Yancheng, they would definitely take action against Bai Qingqing when he left. This time, he would not bother taking Bai Qingqing with him when he went north. Qingqing's, and there were Emperor Xia's shadow guards in Yancheng. Lu Chen was also very worried. He was worried that these shadow guards would cause trouble.

After deciding what to do next, the whole Yancheng became busy.

After Lu Chen held a military meeting in the morning, in the afternoon all the people in Yancheng knew the news that the barbarian army of 400,000 was about to move south.

Of course, Lu Chen asked the newspaper to release this news, and he wanted to publicize this war.

As soon as they heard that another barbarian tribe was heading south, the people of Yancheng instantly panicked, and some even planned to run away. However, more people chose to believe in the Northern King and his army.

The victory of the previous two wars gave the people of the North great confidence. Although there were rumors that the heavy cavalry of the North was destroyed during the battle with the King of North Xian, the soldiers of the North still defended Tianguang City that time and did not let the North King Xian went south.

For most people living in the North, as long as the soldiers of the North guard the north and prevent the barbarian cavalry from going south, it is a great victory.

At this moment.

In a private room of a certain restaurant.

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

He finally understood why so many masters went to the North Palace in the morning. They were probably discussing how to resist the 400,000-strong army of King Tianqi heading south.

At this time, a shadow guard said: "Commander, I heard that King Bei will go to the military camp east of Yancheng to inspect later. Bai Qingqing liked to follow King Bei in the past, and there is a high probability that she will follow him this time." It’s a great opportunity for us to go together.”

Wang Jiantao thought for a while and said nothing.

Zhuge Zhongguang is the Grand Master. A person of the Grand Master level should not follow a prince everywhere. If Bai Qingqing really follows the King of Bei to inspect the military camp later, and Lu Chen does not have many strong masters around him , that was indeed an excellent opportunity for them to get rid of Bai Qingqing, and they could even take action directly against King Bei.

Of course, getting rid of King Bei is not what he should do now. Before Emperor Xia's clear order, even if he knew that King Bei was now Emperor Xia's biggest concern, he, the commander of the Shadow Guards, could not take action against Lu Chen. .

After a while, Wang Jiantao picked up the bamboo hat on the table and said, "Let's go!"

…

At this time, Wang Jiantao and the other shadow guards didn't know that Lu Chen had deliberately let out the news about Lu Chen's inspection of the military camp. He just planned to lure out the shadow guards who wanted to kill Bai Qingqing, and then deal with them directly to avoid these shadow guards. After Wei left, he would jump out to cause trouble for Bai Qingqing, or create chaos in Yancheng.

Around four o'clock in the afternoon, Lu Chen sat in the carriage and let Bai Qingqing ride the horse. He casually took a few guards with him and left the city to the east military camp.

The military camp on the east side of Yancheng is some distance away from Yancheng, and there is a part of forest in this distance.

The forest is a perfect location for assassins like Shadow Guard.

Lu Chen believed that those shadow guards would definitely take action.

Not long after, Lu Chen's carriage entered the place where the shadow guards were ambush. Wang Jiantao felt a little strange when he saw that Lu Chen only brought Bai Qingqing and a few fifth-grade guards.

It stands to reason that Bai Qingqing should have noticed that Emperor Xia was already clearing out the shadow guards of the Northern Kingdom, and she was also one of the targets. So why did Bai Qingqing dare not let Lu Chen bring a few more experts to accompany him?

Could it be that Bai Qingqing didn't tell Lu Chen about the shadow guard? Or maybe Bai Qingqing didn't take Shadow Guard seriously from the beginning and thought no one would do anything to her?

After all, she is a master, and it is indeed not easy to kill her. It is normal for her to have this confidence.

Seeing that Wang Jiantao had not issued the order for a long time, a shadow guard next to him said: "Commander, if we let them go a little further, they will see the military camp of the North Kingdom, and then it will be too late for us to take action!"

Hearing this, Wang Jiantao asked the shadow guard who had been following the carriage out of the city from Beiwang Mansion, "Xiao Qi, are you sure there is only Beiwang in the carriage?"

"I'm sure, I saw the carriage on King Bei with my own eyes."

Wang Jiantao thought to himself that if there was only King Bei and a few guards, there would really be nothing to be afraid of.

Although it is rumored that Bei Wang is also a warrior, due to his age, Bei Wang cannot be much stronger no matter how strong he is.

Thinking of this, Wang Jiantao no longer hesitated.

"Do it!"