Damn it, Gan

Bai Zixuan had never cared much for Bai Li.

Deep down, she had always despised her.

She knew that Bai Li had not been in their Concentric Alliance for long, had no achievements, and had done nothing noteworthy. It was just that the First Palace Master, for some unknown reason, took one look at Bai Li and felt she was a talent worth cultivating.

That was why so much effort had been spent.

Helping her fake her death to escape, taking her as a personal disciple, and training her behind closed doors.

Yet even so, Bai Li was still unworthy in her eyes.

In terms of ability, seniority, and loyalty to the three palace masters and the entire Concentric Alliance, Bai Zixuan far surpassed Bai Li, yet she was forcibly kept a step below her.

And it seemed she would be kept beneath her forever.

But now, hearing Bai Li's words, Bai Zixuan's expression changed.

She stood up abruptly, her demeanor solemn and dignified.

A strong sense of admiration instantly burst forth in her eyes.

"Third Palace Master, you are simply amazing!"

"Before, I was blind and couldn't understand why the First Palace Master insisted on choosing you. Now, I finally understand."

"You have completely exceeded my expectations."

"You are my role model!"

The more Bai Zixuan spoke, the more excited she became, and her respect for Bai Li grew.

"According to the Concentric Alliance's investigation into Ren Tianye, he is a man who doesn't understand love, with a heart sealed by molten iron. He believes military power is everything, ignorant of the fact that the beauty of love is the true meaning of life."

"Getting close to him is incredibly difficult."

"But you, Third Palace Master, actually thought of using this two-hundred-thousand-strong army as a bargaining chip. This is simply a genius idea."

"In the words of the First Palace Master..."

"Damn brilliant!"

"And this move strikes exactly where Ren Tianye must defend. With his personality, how could he refuse? Then you, Third Palace Master, can openly and justifiably walk right into Ren Tianye's life!"

"Get close to him, understand him, and then..."

A trace of ruthlessness appeared on Bai Zixuan's face. "Ruthlessly take revenge on him."

However, this ruthlessness quickly turned into heartfelt admiration and reverence. "The most commendable thing is that your goal in taking revenge on Ren Tianye, Third Palace Master, targets exactly what he lacks the most."

"He doesn't understand love."

"So let him fall into the vortex of love!"

"He despises worldly love and romance, so let him be trapped by it, lose the one he loves, and die alone in solitude for the rest of his life."

"This will be a hundred times more agonizing than killing him!"

"No, ten thousand times!"

Bai Zixuan was indeed the elite of the elites in the Concentric Alliance. She quickly and clearly grasped all of Bai Li's maneuvers and intentions, and a deep sense of high approval for Bai Li surged from the bottom of her heart.

This brought a slight smile to Bai Li's face.

A soulmate is hard to find, but Protector Bai was truly someone who understood her intentions.

"Third Palace Master, since you have already made a plan for this matter."

"Your subordinate will definitely do everything in my power to accomplish it for you!"

Bai Zixuan took her leave. After exiting the tent, she saw the Seven Heroes of Chifeng who had been waiting at the entrance of the commander's tent.

The Seven Heroes of Chifeng swarmed around her, asking all sorts of questions, but she ignored them all and directly issued an order. "Now, I, Bai Zixuan, under the orders of the Third Palace Master, am issuing a military order to you."

"Kneel down and listen to the Third Palace Master's decree!"

The seven members of the Seven Heroes of Chifeng were infuriated again, but they had no choice and knelt down one by one.

Then they heard Bai Zixuan's military order.

The two-hundred-thousand-strong army was to be given to Ren Tianye.

The Seven Heroes of Chifeng instantly exploded in shock!

"What?"

"Zixuan, did you speak wrong, or did I hear wrong?"

"We are handing over our two-hundred-thousand-strong army to Ren Tianye on a silver platter? This is our blood, sweat, and guarantee!"

...

Bai Zixuan's gaze was icy cold as she slowly swept it over the Seven Heroes of Chifeng.

Facts proved that any single movement or subtle change in expression from Bai Zixuan could make the Seven Heroes of Chifeng obediently submit.

And so, unsurprisingly...

The Seven Heroes of Chifeng ordered the drums to be beaten.

After three rounds of drumming, everyone in the Lin Family Army was in position.

After Lin Zixiao's disruptive antics, the current Lin Family Army no longer had two hundred thousand troops. However, with the later support of the ten-thousand-strong Divine Machine Camp, they had managed to gather back quite a few.

There were still well over a hundred thousand.

Right now, they stood in a massive, dense crowd, with strict military discipline and an awe-inspiring presence.

Xiao Lie, the eldest of the Seven Heroes of Chifeng, began to announce.

"Our Lin Family Army now has a new commander-in-chief. She is a natural-born talent capable of planning for the nation, and moreover, she is a woman..."

Xiao Lie worked hard to build up Bai Li's sacred image, just as they had done for Lin Zixiao in the past, saying, "She has now issued a military order."

"Ordering us..."

Xiao Lie paused, his gaze sweeping over all the soldiers.

They all had looks of anticipation.

Then, Xiao Lie said, "Ordering us to pack our bags and prepare to surrender. From now on, we will be under Ren Tianye's command."

Boom!

It was as if a sudden clap of thunder had erupted from the flat ground.

The army, which had been as cold and stern as iron just a moment ago, instantly erupted into chaos.

Like boiling water.

Everyone was doubting.

They were either doubting that Xiao Lie had spoken wrong, or doubting that they had heard wrong.

It wasn't until the other six members of the Seven Heroes of Chifeng also stepped forward one after another to confirm that this military order was correct that the soldiers became even more unsettled.

"Didn't we agree on the merit of supporting a new emperor? Why are we surrendering again?"

"We fought a bloody battle with Lin Zixiao precisely because we didn't want to surrender. Now... the bloody battle is over, we won, and yet we have to surrender?"

"I tied the lives of my entire extended family to my waistband to follow you in rebellion. My own brothers are dead. What are you trying to do? Fight for a while, surrender for a while, then fight again, and surrender again?"

"If I had known it would be like this, I might as well have surrendered to Lin Zixiao and saved all this trouble."

"Sigh, don't count on Lin Zixiao. I heard he slipped and fell off a cliff."

"Ahhh, I'm going crazy! I knew being a soldier was hard, but I never thought it would be this hard!"

...

The Lin Family Army's reaction was obviously much bigger than when Lin Zixiao tried to recruit them to surrender earlier. The main reason was that having experienced it, they knew what to expect, and over these past few days, they had all become clear about their respective choices.

In addition, the prestige of the seven members of the Seven Heroes of Chifeng was, after all, quite a bit lower than Lin Zixiao's, which was why there was so much commotion.

However, all their commotion was useless.

The Seven Heroes of Chifeng were, after all, capable of controlling this Lin Family Army. Especially since there was also the ten-thousand-strong Divine Machine Camp standing by, glaring like tigers while armed with firearms. The soldiers might be breaking down, but they were already like meat on a chopping block, completely at the mercy of others.

There was simply no room for much resistance.

As a result, the military order was quickly passed down. Then, an envoy, a fine horse, and a few attendants set off from the Lin Family Army camp, galloping swiftly toward the capital.

Upon arriving beneath the city walls, they shouted loudly, demanding to see Ren Tianye.

Ren Tianye wouldn't refuse.

After all, the advantage lay with the enemy, and he had reached a point where he had to consider using scorched-earth tactics.

The arrival of an enemy envoy proved there was a chance for peace talks.

He had to seize it, and then accumulate his strength.

He would also damn well build firearms.

And fight his way back.

Therefore, he treated the matter very seriously and personally met with the envoy.

"This is a letter written personally by our army's commander-in-chief."

Deputy General Wang Ming took it. Fearing there might be poison in the envelope, Wang Ming, at Ren Tianye's signal, opened it first and inspected it.

Wang Ming had no intention of reading it.

But his gaze accidentally swept over the contents, and immediately after...

He looked as if he had been struck by lightning!

...