Chapter 152: The Outbreak of War (I)

Without modern firepower, it would be practically impossible to turn the tide of the war. Guo Lang could not possibly say to the opponent, "Allow me a few months to develop my forces first, and then we will fight head-on; whoever cowers is a coward!"

Given the power scaling of this plane, coupled with the enhanced attributes of the enemy troops, the probability of both he and Alice going on an invincible rampage was likely not high. After all, neither of them had yet advanced to the Silver rank, and even if they had reached Silver rank, trying to rampage through a mid-magic plane would be nothing short of wishful thinking!

Even so, Guo Lang still decided to go and take a look—what if there happened to be an opportunity? Thinking of this, Guo Lang looked down at Al, who was prostrate on the ground, his gaze shifting between uncertainty and determination. If he wanted to sneak into the army, it was naturally best not to expose himself; theoretically, silencing witnesses was the right thing to do.

Yet, facing a family of four like this, Guo Lang still found it somewhat hard to strike. Besides, the other party was a deserter, and logically speaking, he probably wouldn't actively report them either, since his own mess was far from cleaned up.

Still, no matter how slim the probability, it was not entirely impossible; silencing them was the safest method.

Seeing Guo Lang's expression, Alice took a slight step forward. Al seemed to sense something, suddenly throwing himself to the ground and banging his head heavily against the floor. "My lord, Al begs you not to kill my wife and children! I will do whatever you ask, please, my lord!"

Recovering her wits, the woman also began kowtowing on the ground alongside her husband. The two young children, surprisingly obedient, did not cry or make a fuss, merely looking at Guo Lang with a hint of fear. Seeing this scene, a trace of irritation flashed across Guo Lang's face.

"Can you help me sneak into the military camp?" Guo Lang asked.

"Yes... yes, I can!" The man continued kowtowing. "I've been a soldier for over ten years and I know the situation in the camp very well. As long as you take me with you, the chances of sneaking into the army successfully will be much greater, my lord!"

Well, this fellow was still useful. Guo Lang found an excuse for himself, and then used his communicator to notify Kelly and the others, telling them to rendezvous here!

When they arrived, Guo Lang clearly noticed some bloodstains on both of their hands. Frowning, he asked about the situation. The two replied with a helpless air that when they broke in, the occupants inside had immediately tried to shout at the top of their lungs. Fearing they would alert the cavalry outside, they had struck to kill right away, including a five-year-old child!

How truly decisive. The caliber of his own soldiers was even higher than his own. Guo Lang gave a bitter, self-deprecating chuckle, then pointed at Abel and said to Al, "Can someone with his skin color and build manage to blend in?"

Al took a look. Abel was a pure white-skinned giant with gray eyes, a bald head, and a towering stature. Seeing this, Al nodded. "Yes. Although there are some subtle differences from us, once he puts on armor, smears some soot on his face, and makes himself look a bit disheveled, it won't be noticeable at all!"

Hearing this, Guo Lang nodded, then turned to Kelly. "The three of us will sneak into the camp with him to scout the situation. You stay right here. If we don't return, kill them all." This last sentence was naturally meant for Al.

Al lowered his head, wearing a heavy expression, while his wife clutched her two children, looking at her husband with deep concern.

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On the city wall, a middle-aged, heavily built man dressed in high-end leather armor looked down gloomily. Seeing him standing so dangerously close to the edge of the wall, the guards behind him frowned with concern and said, "My lord, that position is too dangerous. Won't you please step back?"

"What danger could there be?" the man retorted irritably, turning his head. "If the enemy can injure me from such a height, then there's no need to fight this war at all!"

Saint Lander Fortress was a universally acknowledged formidable stronghold. This city wall, standing over ten meters high, was majestic and solid. For years, it had served as the divine barrier of the Ross Empire's northern frontier, standing firm and steady through the ages—and it was the source of his current confidence!

Just ten years ago, the Prince of the Baira Royal Court, Raphael, had personally led an army to capture this formidable city, which had resisted the Royal Court's iron cavalry for nearly a century. At that time, it caused a massive uproar in both the Ross Empire and the Baira Royal Court. That battle completely incorporated the six northern cities into the Royal Court's territory, marking the most progressive campaign in a century. Prince Raphael thus gained immense prestige, even threatening the imperial throne!

Now, the internal situation of the Royal Court was volatile and plunged into civil strife, yet the land that the Prince had painstakingly conquered back then was actually being driven back by a blond punk in his early twenties. To him, this was simply an utter humiliation!

His name was Batu, which translated from the steppe language as "firm." He was one of the veteran generals who had followed the Prince to conquer the six northern cities a decade ago. After the Prince's return, he was assigned here to serve as the border defense commander. Originally, the Prince's intention was to directly enfeoff these six cities to several generals, including himself, as their personal territories. However, His Majesty the King at the time did not agree, choosing instead to grant this place to his favored Seventh Prince. Moreover, this newly appointed lord had replaced the original generals one by one; only he had managed to retain his position due to his powerful influence!

This had left the old generals, including himself, deeply dissatisfied. Didn't men like them risk their lives back then precisely for fiefdoms and noble titles? Therefore, their discontent with the current king grew ever deeper, and they secretly supported Prince Raphael. Over the years, his faction had maintained a mutual state of vigilance against this new lord.

When the Fourth Prince of the Ross Empire had first begun his siege so smoothly, apart from his own formidable strength and military talent, a major reason was that he, Batu, had not provided immediate support to the front lines. He had originally wanted to put some pressure on this newly appointed lord so that he would scram on his own, after which he himself would lead troops to drive away these weaklings of the Ross Empire. In this way, while acquiring military merit, he could also successfully oust the lord. Fleeing in the face of battle—such a crime was unforgivable in the Baira Royal Court, even for the King's son!

However, to his unexpected surprise, this prince turned out not to be a coward and decided to stay and fight to the end—something Batu had never anticipated. Following that, on the front lines, he had not expected the enemy to be so capable. Even with him holding back just a little bit, the enemy had swept like a hot knife through butter, capturing five consecutive cities in one go!

Realizing he had slightly overplayed his hand, Batu, while feeling deeply annoyed, immediately sent a request for reinforcements to the rear. But then, an even worse piece of news arrived: the King had suddenly passed away, the Royal Court's political situation had turned bizarre and plunged into total chaos, and naturally, no one paid any attention to his pleas for rescue. With the throne at stake, no matter how much the Prince supported him, he had to sort out the immediate crisis first; there was simply no way he could spare any energy for his side right now!

Bad news coming one after another made Batu increasingly irritable, but in his heart, he wasn't actually panicking. He was not a man afraid of war. Back then, following Prince Raphael with merely a few thousand cavalry, they had marched in triumph all the way without a single defeat. In his eyes, that Fourth Prince might have some small measure of skill, but he was still just a blond punk. Capturing five cities in a row must have been because the lords at the front had arranged for those incompetent fools brought from the Royal Court to man the defenses!

Occupying the most majestic fortress and holding the Red Lotus Cavalry Guards left behind by the Prince, he did not believe he would lose to a blond punk, even without reinforcements!

"Have the cavalry assembled yet?" Batu asked, turning back.

"My lord, they are fully assembled. What are your orders?"

"Open the city gates! We are going to deliver a welcoming gift to these Ross weaklings first!" Batu said with a ferocious grin.

"This?" The supply officer standing nearby asked anxiously, "Isn't it a bit too risky to take the initiative and meet them in battle?"

Batu cast a disdainful glance at the supply officer. This person had been brought along by the lord—who was none other than the Seventh Prince—specifically to keep him in check within the military. He had not a shred of favorable feeling toward this man and sneered unceremoniously, "What? Scared out of your wits by the enemy's brilliant and mighty Fourth Prince?" Then he let out a mock laugh, "Well, it's only natural... all those people brought by the lord were beaten until they pissed their pants, so your current state is quite understandable..."

"You!" The man pointed a pale, trembling finger at Batu, but ultimately failed to utter any harsh words. Taking a deep breath to steady his emotions, he said, "Right now, the Lord's Consort is personally writing a letter proposing peace talks. If you take the initiative to attack now, where does that leave her?"

"The Lord's Consort?" Batu sneered. "You mean that second princess of the Ross King whom we terrified into a marriage alliance back then? Ha!" Then he suddenly burst into loud laughter, bending almost double at the waist, nearly choking as he gasped, "Were you beaten out of your mind or something?"

"Mind your language, General!" the man snapped angrily.

"Language?" Batu straightened up, his nearly two-meter-tall physique forcing the frail supply officer to tilt his head far back just to look at him. Looking down from above, Batu sneered, "This is war, Uengici. Do you really think the enemy will halt their weapons and stop fighting just because of a letter written by a woman? Ha? Being cowardly is one thing, but lacking a brain as well—how on earth did you ever become the supply officer?"

Uengici was struck dumb. With a livid face, he wanted to retort, but he could find no words to refute him. After all, what the other man said made absolute sense; how could a war ever be halted by a mere woman? He and the lord had simply been deceiving themselves all along...