Chapter 597: War beings, Cloud Realm Continent in chaos (2/2)

“Prepare your poison needles, then. Your lordship will take you out to play a round!” Long Feiye’s eyes flashed with a sinister light. The Chu Clan had played with huge stakes this time, so he would keep them company until the end! They’ve claimed their life mission to hunt down the West Qin heir, is it? Then I’ll bring West Qin’s last princess to their battlefields and kill the whole way over!

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At high noon, the guards of the Chu Clan troops were just changing shifts. General Chu and Chu Yunyi were still waiting for news from Ning Cheng within the city when drumbeats filled the air. Boom! Boom! Boom! The beats were urgent and heavy, loud enough to shake the earth!

This is the signal for deployed troops! Did Western Zhou release its soldiers?!

Chu Yunyi and General Chu were both caugh toff guard, but they remained calm. With four red coat cannons at their command and the Chu Clan’s own crack archers, they weren’t afraid of Western Zhou’s troops.

“Emperor Kang Cheng’s finally given up on Empress Xue!” Chu Yunyi mocked.

“So what if they sound such strong drums? Heheh, I’d like to see which is louder, their drums or our cannons!” General Chu was extremely confident.

They were waiting for Ning Cheng’s forces to supplement them so they could guard against the Duke of Qin’s army. If it was just battle against Western Zhou, they were confident of victory. Even before the arrival of the red coat cannons, they were evenly matched. Now they had an even stronger advantage.

“Big bro, let’s go. Come with me to witness the battle from the city gates!” General Chu boldly strode out the door.

But before they could reach the gates, another soldier came with an urgent report. “General! General, it’s bad!” His face was pale as he gasped for breath before falling to his knees in front of General Chu.

“What’s bad? What are you getting so worked up for?” General Chu asked unhappily.

But the soldier only stammered, “Tianning….Tianning’s Duke of Qin…is personally…personally…”

Before he could finish, General Chu was already alarmed at the mention of the ‘Duke of Qin.’ He grabbed the soldier by his collar and demanded, “What’s going on with the Duke of Qin? Speak!”

“The Duke of Qin is personally…person…personally leading the troops! As head of the military expedition!” the soldier gasped out.

General Chu’s grip grew slack as the messenger nearly tumbled to the ground.

“Personally… Long Feiye is personally leading the expedition?” Chu Yunyi muttered to himself in shock.

How can this be? It’s not time for the three armies to meet yet! Ning Cheng said he’d arrive ahead of time, but why is Long Feiye already leading the army without him here?!

What kind of troops does he have to lead? Did his soldiers arrive even earlier than Ning Cheng’s? Instead of tricking Long Feiye, was he tricked by the man instead?

General Chu rushed up the watchtower first, only to see a a row of fierce cavalrymen heading their way. They were about 5,000 men total, all dressed in black. Although they were still some distance away, making it impossible for General Chu to spot Long Feiye in the crowd, he could see about one to two hundred men riding treasured red horses ahead of the flank like a burst of scarlet flame against the landscape.

He couldn’t see their leader, but he saw their billowing banners well enough! They were white on black, colors of the Tianning army, and each was emblazoned with a “Qin” character. As the word fluttered and unfurled in the breeze, it seemed almost alive with bloodthirsty intent!

For a split second, General Chu had a moment’s hallucination and mistook the fierce forces for the East Qin soldiers of the bygone Great Qin Empire! After all, the East Qin Dynasty also had banners of white on black, while West Qin used black on white. Both armies sported the same character on their banners as well: Qin!

In Cloud Realm Continent, Qin (秦) was a highly respected character. When Tianning’s late emperor conferred the title of “Qin” to Long Feiye, there had been talk aplenty across the continent. But the emperor had insisted, raising rumors that he had placed heavy aspirations on the Duke of Qin. Although Long Feiye went by the Duke of Qin, this was the first time since the Great Qin’s fall that any banners bearing this character had shown themselves on the battlefield.

General Chu quickly recovered his wits. He knew that the Qin banners could only prove that Tianning’s Duke of Qin really was personally leading the troops. Most likely, he was the man in front of all the soldiers! 5,000 men were nothing in the Chu Clan troops’ eyes, but if they were part of Long Feiye’s army, he had to be careful. Chu Yunyi quickly caught up and saw the army as well, causing his complexion to turn ghastly.

“Do we defend or attack?” he asked.

If they defended, they would turn the city into a fortress and attack any invaders that tried to scale the walls. If they attacked, they would have to open the gates and charge out before the army reached them to take the initiative in battle! Both options had their advantages and shortcomings. General Chu had plenty of battle experience and never hesitated to make decisions, because he knew a moment’s doubt could mean the difference between victory and defeat. But this time, he had no choice but to reconsider the question! That was because his opponent was Long Feiye, a man who had never participated in the battlefield before.

“What are you dawdling for?” Chu Yunyi asked. “Are you afraid of that calf who’s never been on a battlefield before? A single man might be powerful enough to have no peers, but a single army? Heheh, not necessarily the case! Many a time, an ambitious man has lose his entire army because of his wild aspirations!”

Chu Yunyi’s words made sense. There was no reason for General Chu, who had experienced hundreds of battles, to fear Long Feiye. Long Feiye had never led troops into battle before, much less fought wars. He was simple a fresh recruit before the likes of General Chu. Still, General Chu dawdled and muttered, “I’ve never measured my strength against him in the battlefield before…”

But as he watched the troops grow closer and closer, General Chu knew he would lose his advantage so if he didn’t release his troops. He prepared to issue deployment orders when another soldier suddenly came with the newest report. “General, something’s happened! Something big…”