Deploying Troops and Arraying Firearms

Outside the capital, a fierce wind swept across the official road. The sky, filled with swirling dust, carried an oppressive aura of slaughter.

An hour later, the Great Zhou's massive and cold state war machine began to operate under the supreme ruler's command.

Wei Zhongxian returned to the Eastern Depot headquarters and assembled his core force of three thousand elite agents overnight. These three thousand men were all skilled martial artists. Usually hidden in the shadows, they were now fully armed with black clothes and long swords, like three thousand vicious wolves that had caught the scent of blood.

Without stopping to rest, he hurried to the Northern Mountain Camp and went straight into the central military tent of Wei Jing, the Duke of Zhenguo.

"Elder Lord Wei, His Majesty has issued a decree!" Wei Zhongxian held the imperial edict, speaking in his high-pitched voice. "Six divisions of the Imperial Guard! Four divisions of cavalry! The runic firearms troops of every division—not a single cannon or gun is to be left behind! Bring them all out! A total of one hundred and twenty thousand troops, move out immediately!"

Wei Jing's eyelids twitched wildly upon hearing this, and even his beard trembled. "Eunuch Wei, one hundred and twenty thousand troops? And bringing all the runic firearms? With this kind of formation, are we going to annihilate the capital of the Northern Barbarians? To deal with a mere den of petty thieves..."

"Lord Duke!" Wei Zhongxian suddenly closed in, staring at him intently. "This is His Majesty's absolute command!!"

Wei Jing, the Duke of Zhenguo, stiffened. "I will lead the men personally."

At the same time, Yu Huatian of the Western Depot was not idle either. Excitement flickered across his handsome, demonic face as he finished assembling two thousand elite agents of the Western Depot. Immediately after, Yu Huatian turned and went straight to the three great magnates of the Inner Palace—Hai Dafu, Cao Shaoqin, and Cao Huachun.

"You three, how we usually fight in the palace is a family matter. Today, His Majesty is handling business outside and specifically asked for a grand display." Yu Huatian sneered, playing with a dart at his fingertips. "Two divisions of the Imperial Guard, twenty-four thousand men, move out immediately. If anyone is a step too slow and lets that rebel disturb His Majesty, none of us will live to see tomorrow's sun."

Cao Shaoqin coughed twice, his eyes bursting with a terrifying glint. "Rest assured, Eunuch Yu, this old servant will go break camp right now." Cao Shaoqin then directly drew his long sword, giving a sinister laugh. "Twenty-four thousand Imperial Guards. I will let those rebels know what an inescapable net truly is!"

"Elder Eunuch Cao, His Majesty ordered you to guard the Imperial City with the Royal Army."

Although Cao Huachun also wanted to go, he could not defy His Majesty's orders and could only nod.

On the other side of the valley, Pei Jingzhe, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, moved like a ghost in the night. Leading five thousand elites dressed in flying fish suits and armed with embroidered spring swords, he had already silently completed a flanking maneuver.

"Listen up," Pei Jingzhe lowered his voice, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding battalion and company commanders. "Seal all the exits! Not even a dog or a bird is allowed out! If anyone lets a single living creature slip through their post, bring your own head to see me!"

...

Ninety-six thousand Imperial Guards, twenty-four thousand Purified Army soldiers, five thousand Embroidered Uniform Guards, and five thousand agents from the Eastern and Western Depots.

A terrifying total force of one hundred and fifty-four thousand men, including the Imperial Guard's over eight hundred heavy runic cannons and twenty-four thousand runic musketeers, formed a black torrent of steel. They surrounded this already small, nameless valley with layer upon layer of troops, making even the air feel solid. Forty-eight thousand cavalry acted as a mobile strike force.

At this moment, in the shadows of the dense forest that was about to become a slaughterhouse, the supreme ruler of the Great Zhou, Wang Hao, was squatting in a patch of wild grass without any regard for his image.

He gently tapped the hilt of the short sword at his waist with his fingertips. Tap, tap, tap, the rhythm was slow. His eyes, like ten-thousand-year-old black ice, stared fixedly at the movements at the valley entrance.

Beside him, Sun Li was restless.

"Your Majesty... my lord, you should return to the palace! This is the lair of the rebel Ye Chen! It's too dangerous, truly too dangerous! You have a precious body, you are the master of the world, how can you wrong yourself by squatting in this wild grass blowing in the cold wind?"

As Sun Li spoke, he beat his chest fiercely. "Your servant begs you! If nothing else, just drink tea in the rear army camp, and your servant will lead the troops to charge in! Your servant guarantees to personally twist off that traitor Ye Chen's head for you to kick around like a ball! Please do not risk your own life!"

Wang Hao turned his head slightly and glanced at Sun Li. Seeing his loyal and anxious appearance, he almost couldn't hold back a laugh.

But in his mind, he wildly activated his furious roasting mode:

You go? Give me a break!

Ye Chen is a Child of Destiny! The biological son of the Heavenly Dao!

Do you believe that if you lead men to charge in right now, not only will you fail to twist off his head, but you'll also hand over your own head along with the national destiny of the Great Zhou?

Don't I understand you villain NPCs?

You people are usually shrewder than the next in the royal court, playing schemes and tricks flawlessly. But once you run into this True Son of Heaven level protagonist, you will definitely be forcibly afflicted by an Intelligence-Lowering Halo!

If I really let you go, what would happen? I could guess with my eyes closed!

When you could clearly hack him to death with one sword, you'd insist on martial world rules; when you could clearly gang up and kill him, you'd insist on one-on-one duels to feed him kills; when you could clearly pull up the weeds by the roots, you'd suddenly have a burst of kindness and let the tiger return to the mountain...

How many web novels did I read in my past life? How many powerful big shots and ruthless villains fell for this exact feeding kills trope of yours!

You go suppress him? Is that freaking called suppressing bandits? That's called delivering charity! It's called showing up at his door to deliver experience points, equipment, high-level cultivation methods, and elite troops! You might even deliver female supporting characters!

Ye Chen is currently worrying about not having enough experience to level up. If you lead people in, you are just handing him the stepping stones for a cross-level counter-kill!

No way, absolutely not.

I am a transmigrated Emperor who has read through the tropes of satisfying web novels a hundred times, and I deeply understand the nature of these protagonists who grow stronger against strong opponents and find great fortune if they survive.

Unless I personally hold the line and teach him how to behave using materialistic cannons and absolute firepower coverage, anyone else coming today would be unreliable!

Wang Hao took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the boiling complaints in his heart, his facial expression remaining as cold as iron.

But he spoke a faint sentence that allowed no rebuttal:

"I am not leaving; I will wait right here. Companion Sun, shut your mouth, speak less, and just keep a good eye on the valley for me."

Sun Li choked up and stared wide-eyed, wanting to kowtow and bitterly advise again, but Wang Hao remained unmoved.

"Your Majesty..." Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, Sun Li tried a softer approach. "Then... then let your servant stand in front of you and guard this place for you. In case there are hidden weapons, your servant can at least block them for you..."

Wang Hao pretended not to hear, narrowing his eyes slightly and staring fixedly at the entrance of the valley.

Suddenly, Wang Hao's ears twitched slightly.

With his current Fourth Realm Martial Arts cultivation, even from a great distance, he acutely caught the sounds coming from the valley. He immediately held his breath and concentrated, channeling his hearing so that the movements deep within the valley could be heard clearly.

From the center of the valley, Ye Chen's voice suddenly rang out. That voice carried an unsuppressible, mysterious confidence:

"Brothers! Heaven is helping us! Right now, the capital is playing with some stock market, and everyone has fallen into the money hole. The officials and noble families of the capital are all focused on this matter! This is a great opportunity!"

Ye Chen's voice grew increasingly resonant, as if he could already see the dawn of victory:

"We have eight thousand brothers, and each is a formidable fighter capable of taking on ten men! Since that foolish little tyrant has given us such a golden opportunity, we need wait no longer! There is no time like the present. We will take advantage of the capital's lax defenses and launch a surprise attack! In one fell swoop, we shall overthrow this rotting Great Zhou dynasty!"

Inside the valley, there was a moment of silence. It seemed as though even the rebels themselves were stunned by the sheer scale of this ambition.

But immediately after, Ye Chen's highly inflammatory voice boomed out once more:

"Once the deed is done, I, Ye Chen, shall forge a new world! Everyone present here will be the founding ministers of my new dynasty! You shall be crowned kings and appointed as chancellors, granted your own lands and territories! My brothers, I will share the boundless wealth and glory of this world with you all! Brothers, follow me—let us rebel!"

With these grandiose promises laid out before them, the valley instantly descended into a frenzy.

Soon after, deafening roars pierced the heavens, startling the birds in the forest into a panicked flight:

"Kill the Emperor! Seize the empire!"

"Follow Big Brother Ye, and we'll feast on the best meat and wine!"

"Kill the tyrant! Snatch the women!"

"Breach the imperial city, loot the silver!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Listening to the earth-shattering chants echoing from the valley, Wang Hao's mouth twitched violently before curving into a cold sneer full of mockery.

"Delusional."

Wang Hao slowly stood up, lightly dusted the dirt off his knees, and then raised his hand, making a subtle gesture in mid-air.

From the dense forest behind him, Pei Jingzhe materialized like a phantom, dropping to one knee.

"Pass my orders to Wei Zhongxian and Wei Jing," Wang Hao's voice was kept very low, yet it carried a chilling, murderous intent. "Load the cannons and chamber the muskets. Have everyone on high alert. Wait for my command, and prepare to send these people on their final journey."