Chapter 384: Chapter 252: Luring out the Shadow Guard_1

Only after seeing the two Grandmasters dressed in black armour enter the North Prince Mansion did Wang Jiantao breathe a sigh of relief; his heart had almost leapt into his throat just moments before.

One of the Grandmasters had glanced in their direction, and they had felt the threat of death, sending a chill down their spines.

In the North Country, aside from Zhuge Zhongguang, the Great Grandmaster, there was actually another terrifyingly powerful Grandmaster-level military general!

Just as Wang Jiantao was recovering, a Shadow Guard beside him exclaimed, “Another Grandmaster has appeared!”

Upon hearing this, Wang Jiantao immediately looked toward the entrance of the North Prince Mansion. At that moment, a robust man in plain clothes dismounted his horse, handed it over to a servant of the Prince’s Mansion, and then proceeded to enter.

Although the aura of the robust man wasn’t as terrifying as that of the two men in armor, the power emanating from him made it clear that he too was a Master Level powerhouse.

Shadow Guards have been trained from a young age and often carry out various tasks in secret; they were generally able to easily gauge the approximate realm of a martial artist.

At this moment, Wang Jiantao furrowed his brows in concern. The North Prince Mansion actually housed four Grandmasters, something they hadn’t anticipated at the start.

While Wang Jiantao was pondering how to report this information about the North Country to the Sum Emperor, he suddenly saw yet another Grandmaster appear at the entrance.

Wang Jiantao’s eyes suddenly widened in disbelief as he stared at the man at the entrance of the North Prince Mansion.

Was that…

Mu Changtian???

How was this possible!

Wasn’t Mu Changtian killed during his exile in the northwest?

How could he appear in this place?

Wang Jiantao’s expression immediately darkened, certain he had not mistaken the man; the individual entering the North Prince Mansion was indeed Mu Changtian himself.

Counting Mu Changtian, there were now five Grandmasters in the North Prince Mansion!

The presence of five Grandmasters wasn’t the important issue; what mattered was that the man the Sum Emperor wanted to eliminate had not died and had even appeared in the North Country.

The North Prince most certainly knew who Mu Changtian was, yet he dared to harbor him. And Mu Changtian’s presence here also meant that many of the soldiers who had died in the inn previously were likely killed by the North Prince’s own men.

Was the North Prince planning a rebellion?

At a time when the Imperial Army was critical in suppressing the rebellion, if the North Prince led the North Country’s army south to coordinate with the rebels, then the Capital City would be in jeopardy.

With this in mind, Wang Jiantao immediately said, “Let’s leave!”

Everything they had seen today had to be swiftly reported to the Sum Emperor so that he could prepare for what was to come.

After Wang Jiantao and his group left, Wei Siyuan arrived at the North Prince Mansion. If Wang Jiantao had seen another Grandmaster arriving, he would have felt even more unsettled.

About half an hour later, except for the military generals defending Yan County, all the important military generals of the North Country had arrived at the North Prince Mansion.

Inside the Hall of Political Affairs.

Lu Chen sat in the prince’s chair, with Zhuge Zhongguang by his side. Seeing that most people had arrived, Lu Chen spoke directly, “I just received urgent military intelligence from the North Land. The Tianqi King has led an army of four hundred thousand Barbarian Tribe troops eastward, seemingly with the intent to attack the North Country.”

Hearing this, everyone in the hall looked at each other. The military generals of the North Country were not like the civil officials; they were more composed.

Although the news sounded very urgent, none of the military generals showed signs of panic on their faces. On the contrary, they were somewhat eager to head north.

Ever since the North Country equipped its troops with firearms, they had been continuously training in their use. Now, their proficiency with firearms had reached an exquisite level, and they had even developed several tactics related to the use of firearms.

Though war meant death, these military generals had a strong desire for battle. And not only the generals, but under the North Country’s existing military merit system, many soldiers were also longing for a fight as it was the only way for them to acquire substantial military merit.

At this time, Mu Changtian spoke up, “Prince, the North Country’s troops are already prepared to fight against our enemies. They are just waiting for your command to head north without hesitation.”

Lu Chen said, “An army is maintained for a thousand days to be used for a moment. The North Country’s troops have trained for so long; it’s time to put them to the test.”

Wei Siyuan then asked, “Prince, do we need to call over the hundred thousand troops from Wind Cloud Island? They should have already arrived in the North Country.”

Lu Chen replied, “Not for now. Let them stay stationed by the sea. I have already instructed people to build a military base there.”

Although the Barbarian Tribe had four hundred thousand troops, Lu Chen did not believe that they would pose a significant challenge to the North Country’s army.

For the time being, there was no need for the hundred thousand soldiers from Wind Cloud Island, as they had not learned how to use firearms or undergone the relevant training. Bringing them over now would not be of much use.

Just then, Zhuge Zhongguang spoke up, “Prince, I suggest we station the soldiers from Wind Cloud Island in Yan County.”

“Once the North Country’s army moves north, our rear will be exposed. If Great Jue or Qi Country has other designs, the North Country might face threats from both front and back, and the hundred thousand troops could have a deterrent effect.”

Hearing Zhuge Zhongguang’s suggestion, Lu Chen realized he had just received news of the aristocratic families from the South visiting the Qi Prince, and he had forgotten about Qi Prince.

If the North Country’s army moved north, Qi Prince might see it as an opportunity. It was entirely possible that Qi Prince could mobilize troops within Qi Country to head south and attack the Capital City.