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After ascending the city wall, Mu Changtian took up a loudspeaker and called out loudly, "Zhao King, hope you've been well. It's been over a decade since we've last seen each other, hasn't it?"

Hearing this voice as Mu Changtian's, the Zhao King's eyebrows immediately knitted together.

He was somewhat confused. Wasn't Mu Changtian long dead? How had he turned up in North Country?

After his mind paused momentarily, Zhao King regained his composure and shouted back, "Indeed, it has been ten years."

"You really do have a large life, I thought you had died long ago, but unexpectedly, you are still alive!"

Mu Changtian let out a laugh, and then said, "I also did not expect I could live until today."

Zhao King said, "You coming out at this time, I'm afraid it's not to get chummy with me!"

Mu Changtian didn't entertain Zhao King's words, but instead said, "Zhao King, who would have thought that after seeing the outcome of myself and old Zhou, you would still stand by Lu Xingqiu's side! A tyrant like Lu Xingqiu, who disposes of his millers and kills his donkeys, is he really worth your loyalty?"

Upon hearing Mu Changtian's words, Zhao King's face turned dark in an instant.

Although Zhao King indeed stood on the side of the Sum Emperor, his men were never aware of this fact; they all believed that he fought to annihilate the Seigniors within Great Sum's territory and chose to march north in order to vie for the throne.

By Mu Changtian speaking such words outright, if Zhao King's men were to believe them, they would certainly feel discontent towards Zhao King.

They had followed Zhao King through thick and thin, all for the purpose of putting him into that position, so they might themselves become ministers beneath a dragon. And yet, Zhao King, seemingly a dog serving the Sum Emperor in secrecy, how could his men possibly tolerate that? Your journey continues with empire

Zhao King let out a cold laugh and said, "As a Seignior of Great Sum, naturally, I cannot stand by as treacherous officials usurp power!"

Zhao King neither confirmed nor denied, considering they marched north under the banner of loyally supporting the Emperor; his men would find nothing amiss with these words.

"As for you, Mu Changtian, His Majesty had suspected that your Mu Family was contemplating rebellion. Who would have thought you would actually rebel!"

"However, I am quite curious - the North Prince is also the Emperor's son, yet why have you pledged loyalty to the North Prince? Aren't you still a servant of the Lu family, a dog of the Lu family?"

Mu Changtian calmly replied, "The North Prince is a wise and enlightened monarch, far from comparable to the tyrant Lu Xingqiu."

Upon hearing these words, Zhao King burst into laughter, "A person plotting to kill his father and seize the throne can be a wise and enlightened monarch?"

Mu Changtian ignored Zhao King's words and stated, "Zhao King, before the battle begins, considering the camaraderie of our youth, I advise you one last time to surrender to the North Prince. It is your only choice!"

Zhao King said, "Ridiculous,why would I surrender to a traitor and usurper!"

Mu Changtian said, "Since Zhao King remains obstinately ignorant, then further talk is pointless. Let the battle commence!"

As Mu Changtian's voice fell, Zhao King immediately drew his sword from its sheath, "Attack!"

The next instant, drumbeats sounded, and countless arrows shot forth from the ranks of soldiers.

Mu Changtian also raised his sword and commanded, "Attack!"

Immediately, the "woo woo woo~" sound of horns filled the sky above Jingjiang City.

The instant the horn calls sounded, the booming of cannons reverberated over Jingjiang City.

In an instant, numerous cannonballs fell amidst Zhao King's army. His soldiers had not yet responded when they were overturned by the cannon fire.

Where the cannonballs exploded, bodies were flung in disarray, dust filled the air, limbs scattered in all directions, with barely one in ten of Zhao's soldiers surviving.

Seeing this, Zhao King's soldiers were all struck with terror; panic spread through the ranks at once.

Zhao King muttered to himself, "So, these are the weapons of North Country!"

"No wonder Great Wu fell to North Country."

Zhao King quickly came to his senses and shouted loudly, "Retreat!"

Originally, his attack was merely a probing one, and he had no intention of taking Jingjiang City.

Now, having witnessed such a terrifying weapon from North Country, not just the soldiers but Zhao King himself had lost the will to fight.

As the retreat horn sounds and the command flags waved, the Zhao army soldiers quickly withdrew. The speed of the Zhao army's withdrawal was very fast, and most crucially, there was not the slightest disarray.

Even under cannon fire, the Zhao soldiers managed to steady their inner panic.

At that moment, a deputy beside Mu Changtian said, "General, should we pursue?"

Mu Changtian immediately replied, "No need."

The orderly retreat of Zhao King's army demonstrated its exceptional nature; pursuing them now without the ability to bring heavy cannons and relying on muskets and hand grenades might not yield significant results.

While firearms were relatively powerful, enemy arrows were not to be underestimated either.

Of course, the key point was that Lu Chen had said in the military orders to deter and persuade to surrender the armies with strong combat capabilities as much as possible.

After all, Great Sum was to be Lu Chen's in the future, and if he completely decimated it, leaving hardly any men left in Great Sum, how would he then unify the other dynasties?

For Lu Chen, the population was still a crucial resource.

Mu Changtian believed that the weapons of North Country had already deterred Zhao King; now it was a matter of how Zhao King would choose. If Zhao King insisted on standing with the Sum Emperor, then there was nothing to be done.

After Zhao King retreated to a city they had occupied, his emotions still could not settle for a long time. He had anticipated that North Country's weapons might be extremely formidable, but he had not expected their power to rival that of a Grandmaster's.

How could those exploding iron balls be made, and how could such a small iron ball possess such tremendous power?

It was fortunate that Mu Changtian did not lead a chase; otherwise, they might have lost at least a third of their troops today.

Now, there was trouble. With North Country possessing such formidable weapons, his soldiers could not defend the path to the Capital city, and he feared he might not be able to complete the task given to him by the Sum Emperor.

Thinking of this, Zhao King felt immensely depressed—how did the North Prince manage to create so much in such a short time in North Country? Previously, there were no such things as exploding iron balls in this world.

Zhao King started to worry. The outcome of the battle was now difficult to predict.

The upcoming war was not something ordinary people could interfere with; the only hope rested on the Grandmasters and the Celestials.

If the Sum Emperor could kill Mysterious Moon Palace's Celestial and become one himself, then North Country's weapons might be ineffective against him, allowing a possible turnaround.

But if the Sum Emperor's plan failed, he would have to step down from his position.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

If the Sum Emperor failed, what should he do?

Zhao King furrowed his brows, inundated with thoughts. In the following days, Zhao King would guard against Mu Changtian's eastward advance while pondering his next move.

Meanwhile, the war by the sea had also essentially reached a conclusion. Although Great Sum dispatched elite forces, under the bombardment of North Country's artillery, the Imperial Army was still consistently beaten back.

Seeing the situation so critical, the Sum Emperor had even considered sending a Grandmaster to support the fight. However, just then, the North Country armies from both the east and west stopped their advance, as if they were waiting for something.

At the same time.

In the Royal Capital of Qi Country.

Amidst the farewell of the common people of Qi Prince, Lu Chen embarked on his journey to the south.

Lu Chen, sitting on his horse, gazed in the direction of the Capital city and murmured to himself, "This prince has returned!"