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Chapter 94: Chapter 89: Baihua Palace is Broken (Fourth Update, Please Subscribe)
Xingzhou.
Luo Royal Mansion.
The major movements of the Divine Sword Sect were crystal clear to Luo Royal Mansion.
"This fool was so careless as to leak the news ahead of time, infuriating me immensely."
The King Luo sat on his throne, frowning, his expression stern.
Originally, he had planned to concentrate his forces to catch the Divine Sword Sect off-guard and seize them quickly to block the passages between Tai Xing Road and Kunwu Road.
Now that the plan was leaked prematurely, everything had to be laid out in the open.
"Has there been any response from Baihua Palace yet?"
He suddenly asked.
"Your Highness, the response from Baihua Palace was ambiguous, clearly wishing to remain neutral."
The black-clothed strategist with a feather fan spoke.
"Hmph, Hua Lianhua is truly foolish to think she can stay out of it and remain neutral – a woman’s perspective indeed."
King Luo scoffed, "Fine, let’s grant her the opportunity to stay neutral for now, but we’ll deal with Baihua Palace later."
"Your Highness, we could alter our plan slightly; since the Divine Sword Sect knows we’re about to strike them... why not fake an offensive and instead seize Baihua Palace? Baihua Palace is adjacent to Sichuan Road. Occupying it places us next to the weak and indecisive Fan Royal Mansion in the Sichuan Road sealed nation, where there are only two major martial factions, none too strong."
The black-clothed strategist’s eyes sparkled as he lowered his voice, "As the saying goes, plan for defeat before seeking victory. If the situation turns dire, we could retreat to Sichuan Road. Just by holding Jing Pass, Your Highness could protect yourself without being cut off."
Upon hearing this, King Luo displayed a thoughtful look.
He knew Mr. Wen was extremely wise and capable of making accurate judgments in advance; like during the Jade Capital rebellion, Mr. Wen sensed something wrong and promptly withdrew their men, thus the losses were minimal.
He had long coveted Sichuan Road.
But Baihua Palace stood between Luo Royal Mansion and Sichuan Road, always a thorn in his side.
"What about the Divine Sword Sect then? If we don’t seize them, how can we block Night King Mansion’s advance..."
A close confidant of King Luo couldn’t help but speak up.
Sudden plan changes might lead to unpredictable consequences...
"Actually, with the plan leaked, seizing the Divine Sword Sect quickly is nearly impossible now and might even drag our Luo Royal Mansion into the mire."
The black-clothed strategist Mr. Wen walked over to a large map, picked up a pointer, and pointed at a certain location, "We only need to seize Xuanzhou City...and deploy heavy forces along Qi River, which should be sufficient to block the Divine Sword Sect and Night King Mansion’s southern advances."
King Luo couldn’t help but walk over, subconsciously drew a large circle with his hand, and then burst into laughter, "Mr. Wen, with you advising me, it’s as if I have the aid of two Heavenly Persons."
"Follow the orders, adjust our deployment immediately as Mr. Wen dictated."
Following that, he returned to the main seat and issued the command.
"As you command."
Several of his confidants promptly received their orders.
....
Xuanzhou City.
This area was one of the most crucial resources within the Divine Sword Sect’s territory. The Divine Sword Sect bolstered the garrison here, even having real-power elders like the Great Grandmaster stationed.
Moreover, a Martial Arts Army of thousands was also urgently mobilized to the vicinity of the city.
The Dachang army mainly split into two types: the regular army, which was adjusted by the imperial court and local governments, and the Martial Arts Army, under the command of the Martial Emperor.
Most of the commanders and generals of these Martial Arts Armies were either from the Imperial Family or martial powerhouses related to the Imperial Family.
Many of whom graduated from the Royal Divine Martial Academy.
Though called a Martial Arts Army, not all soldiers were entry-level Martial Artists; the lowest-ranked soldiers were typically Martial Apprentices, mainly trained in military martial arts.
Military martial arts were purely killing techniques on the battlefield emphasizing formations and cooperation.
Thus, even though the Martial Arts Army chiefly consisted of Martial Apprentices and low-level Martial Artists, they possessed a formidable combat strength in regimented warfare.
Most importantly, a complete Martial Arts Army could consolidate morale and greatly resist the deterrence of a Martial Artist’s Martial Intent.
It’s also why the Imperial Family could suppress forces across the land, not only because they cultivated enough high-level martial prowess but also because they controlled numerous powerful Martial Arts Armies.
The Imperial Family had a major prohibition against the forces of local kings, specifically stringent restrictions on the number of private armies.
This private army, in fact, referred to the Martial Arts Army.
Once a Martial Arts Army reached a certain size, it was formidable.
By night.
Within Xuanzhou City, Divine Sword Mansion was brightly lit.
Many people were entering and exiting, bustling with activity.
In the underground chamber.
Elder Shi sat cross-legged.
As the only Great Grandmaster of the Divine Sword Sect stationed in Xuanzhou City, he was now in a perilous situation.
Once Luo Royal Mansion launched an attack on the Divine Sword Sect, Xuanzhou City would essentially be the frontline, the first to errupt in battle, and as such a Great Grandmaster like him would be a prime target for beheading.
However, his presence meant he was prepared to die in battle.
"Elder Shi, here is today’s list of personnel entering and exiting Xuanzhou City..."
A person came in, handing over a stack of papers.
"It seems they aren’t hiding anything."
Elder Shi muttered after reviewing the list.
From this list, many strangers had entered Xuanzhou City.
As a major city of metallurgy and mining, Xuanzhou City always had a high influx of trading caravans and frequent civilian traffic.
But these days, it was exceptionally high.
With the situation tumultuous, Luo Royal Mansion might strike against the Divine Sword Sect at any moment, and with many trade caravans coming in, it was clear there was an issue.
