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The Tianqi King was not like the Sky Wolf King, nor the North Fre King, the Tianqi King was a true Grandmaster, and he had quite a few Grandmasters under his command, not to mention a large number of high-quality warriors.

Though the Tianqi King had suffered defeat within the Da Yue Dynasty, this did not mean that his strength was weak.

The Heavy Cavalry of the North Country were indeed formidable, but they seemed somewhat insufficient when faced with the Tianqi King's 400,000-strong army.

For the time being, the only ones not focusing on the North Country were the rebels of the South from Great Xia, who, led by Lu Shuyun, had been under tremendous pressure lately. Their forces were simply no match for the Imperial Army, and upon entering the battlefield, they were generally crushed by the Imperial forces.

The Southern rebels were constantly being pushed back, losing key cities they once held, and now they were forced by the Imperial Army to keep shrinking their defensive line.

Even the use of the Piercing Cloud Bow had not given them much advantage on the battlefield, causing great concern for Lu Shuyun.

It was now clear to him why his royal father had not been worried at all about his rebellion, even forcing him to come to the South and lead these Aristocratic Families in revolt.

These Aristocratic Families were reluctant to give up their own interests, and even when united, they formed a loose alliance.

Fighting each for their own, with endless scheming and rivalry, they were fundamentally impossible to lead.

Lu Shuyun was beginning to regret coming to the South to rebel. Had he not, at worst he would have been stripped of his title as the Crown Prince.

Now he had put himself in a situation where retreat was impossible; once the bow was drawn, there was no turning back. He had no choice but to face the Imperial Army head-on.

The Wang Family.

The Council Hall.

Sitting in the Wang Family Head's seat, Lu Shuyun looked down at the Family Heads of the Southern Aristocratic Families and asked, "Has there still been no sign of the Dongfang Family?"

Upon hearing this question, not a single person in the Council Hall spoke up.

The disappearance of the Dongfang Family was so abrupt that they did not even know when the Dongfangs had vanished; perhaps others had already fled, and they were simply unaware.

At this moment, the Head of the Qin Clan spoke up, "Crown Prince, it's likely that the Dongfang Family has already defected to the Imperial Court. The Dongfangs have been a mercantile family for generations, with not much land in the South to begin with. For them, it makes no difference where they are; they had no need to take such a great risk."

Upon hearing this, the Wang Family Head snorted coldly, "Do they really think that by defecting to His Majesty they will be spared? His Majesty has long wanted to eradicate all ancient Aristocratic Families within the Great Xia territory.

Though the Dongfang Family doesn't have as much land as we do, with their commercial operations spread across Great Xia, manipulating prices would be effortless for them. I don't believe His Majesty would let them off in the end!"

It was then that Chu Liang said, "The Dongfang Family likely left by sea. Their merchant ships are so large that they could have transported all the Dongfangs away in a short time without any issue."

The mention of merchant ships gave Lu Shuyun a bad feeling. If the Dongfangs could transport their own people away so quickly, they could just as easily sneak Imperial soldiers behind their lines without anyone noticing.

If the Dongfang Family had indeed betrayed them and defected to the court, they would certainly look to demonstrate loyalty to his royal father by aiding the Imperial Army in attacking them.

Thinking this, Lu Shuyun's face turned dark in an instant, looking quite displeased.

Just then, a soldier rushed in, flustered, "Crown Prince, something terrible has happened. Imperial troops have been spotted to the southeast."

Lu Shuyun's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. His premonition had come true; he knew that if the Dongfang Family had betrayed them, they would definitely help the Imperial Court transport soldiers to their rear.

…

Several days later.

Ningbei City.

The vanguard Cavalry of the Tianqi King's forces had finally arrived at Ningbei City. However, they were only there to scout the way, and upon reaching the outskirts of Ningbei City, they did not launch an attack but simply surveyed the surrounding area.

Ningbei City was relatively isolated because it was surrounded by prairies and lacked any geographical advantages, not even a moat.

Such an isolated city, if besieged, would likely leave its soldiers trapped and doomed.

After scouting out the situation at Ningbei City, the Barbarian Tribe's vanguard immediately relayed the information to the Tianqi King. Hearing that the North Country's 200,000-strong army was mostly stationed in Ningbei City, the Tianqi King was overjoyed.

It was perfect that the North Country's forces were all in one place. Their Barbarian Army could defeat the North Country in one decisive battle, and after the collapse of the 200,000-strong North Country army, they could enter and plunder the North Country without hindrance, which was an excellent opportunity for them.

To prevent the North Country's 200,000-strong army from dividing their forces at this time, the Tianqi King quickly ordered his soldiers to hasten their march, fearing that if the North Country split up their forces, they would have to siege city after city.

Lu Chen stood on the city walls, gazing into the distance at the camp of the Barbarian Tribe's vanguard Cavalry, a slight smirk on his lips. In a few days, the North Country army's premiere show of firepower would begin.