Chapter 013: Ten Gold Coins

Prince Fischer stood on the platform, watching everything coldly. There was not a trace of fear or tension in his eyes; instead, he wore an expression of utter calm, as if everything that was happening was within his expectations.

After observing for a while longer, he saw his elite inner court guards—though only over two hundred in number—manage to form a defensive line, holding back the nearly thousand swordsmen and axe-wielders outside the platform. Almost each of them had to face five or six of those attackers. Those with weaker combat skills couldn’t last long before being chopped to pieces, while those skilled in martial arts continued to fight relentlessly. Sparks of combat energy flashed everywhere across the training ground.

Almost every time a flash of combat energy appeared, a life was lost; with each swing of an axe, blood sprayed into the air.

Some time passed, and although nearly half of the swordsmen and axe-wielders had died, almost all of the inner court guards had also fallen in a pool of blood. The few remaining struggled on, but they were all injured and unlikely to hold out much longer.

Seeing this, Prince Fischer finally raised his hand and tapped it lightly twice. Immediately, about a dozen of the court magicians who had been forming the formation flew up from their positions. They left the protective barrier and waved their hands simultaneously, sending waves of magic indiscriminately toward the training ground.

It was then that the true cruelty of war became evident.

The dozen court magicians kept waving their hands, unleashing various spells at the battlefield without targeting anyone specifically. Whether they hit their own men or those of the Crown Prince, those struck were instantly torn to pieces. Though the swordsmen and axe-wielders had been brave against the inner court guards, they were utterly helpless against the floating magicians and were wiped out in no time. The inner court guards, of course, were not spared either.

After completing this, the dozen court magicians returned to the protective barrier. By now, most of the arrow rain had been blocked by Abraham. But he did not retreat. Instead, he floated in midair with his hands behind his back, staring coldly in the direction of the Crown Prince.

After this brief but intense clash, the training ground was littered with corpses, and blood and flesh had almost dyed the entire area red. Prince Fischer showed calmness at this moment; as if he hadn’t seen anything before, he stepped back a few paces to Du Fan’s side and said calmly, “Du Fan, what do you think my elder brother will send next?”
Du Fan glanced in the direction of the eldest prince. Though puzzled by why Prince Fischer would ask him this question, he thought for a moment before saying, “I’m afraid he won’t send anyone else this time. Instead, he’ll keep using crossbows to wear us down.”
“Crossbows?” Prince Fischer smiled faintly. “Du Fan, you don’t understand… My elder brother is eager for quick success. Ever since he learned of the power of these military crossbows, he ordered the archers in the army to stop practicing archery and start using crossbows instead… Normally, an archer would be exhausted after drawing the bowstring ten times, but with crossbows, that’s not an issue. In other words, as long as they have enough arrows, they can keep attacking. In this way, the strength of one archer can equal that of ten, even a hundred… It was originally a good idea, but…”
Du Fan frowned. “But what?”
“But these military crossbows are quite difficult to manufacture. If only a few hundred soldiers are trained, they can be highly effective in battle. But if all archers are trained this way… Not to mention anything else, the military expenses will multiply several times over, and the supply of those special arrows will become even more insufficient.” Prince Fischer sneered. “If my estimates are correct, given my elder brother’s hasty actions, the special arrows those archers have can be used for at most three waves of attacks. With his personality, if the first two waves prove ineffective, he definitely won’t use the last one unless it’s a critical moment. So, what will follow are definitely infantry… My elder brother will definitely use infantry to break through the defense line formed by the palace magicians, because he thinks… I no longer have any tricks up my sleeve!”
Du Fan was stunned, looking at Prince Fischer’s expression… What other cards could he possibly have?

The entire imperial city was in the hands of the Crown Prince, and almost all of his men were gathered here… If the Crown Prince’s troops charged over soon, would he have to rely solely on Master Abraham to resist? But the Crown Prince’s side would surely be prepared for this. If they sent just a few magicians to hold off Abraham, then…

As he was thinking, indeed, he saw that at the edge of the Crown Prince’s camp, the front troops retreated while the rear troops moved forward; the archers quickly disappeared into the crowd, replaced by elite soldiers in full armor. At the Crown Prince’s command, those soldiers charged toward the platform at once, and cries of battle filled the air. The nobles of Prince Fischer’s faction paled, and even the few high-ranking nobles on the platform couldn’t hide their shock.

Yet Prince Fischer remained calm and composed. At this critical moment, he still had the leisure to point at the nobles below the platform and say calmly, “Du Fan, look. These are the nobles of the Gavin Empire. The Gavin Empire was built on strength, but which of these nobles still possesses any fighting skills? They’re already terrified by such a small confrontation—how can you expect them to fight on the battlefield? Thinking this way, it makes sense why we’ve lost every battle against the Lani Empire over the years!”

Du Fan gave a bitter smile and said, “Your Highness, isn’t now the time to talk about this?”

Prince Fischer shook his head slightly and said, “Enough, Du Fan… Don’t worry… How about we make a bet? These soldiers won’t be able to reach the edge of the platform before they have to retreat.”

Seeing that Prince Fischer still had the mood to joke at such a time, Du Fan was even more surprised.

Noticing Du Fan’s astonished expression, Prince Fischer seemed to find it very amusing. He glanced at Du Fan a few times before looking away and at the sky, saying calmly, “Considering the distance to the palace and the speed of the soldiers, it’s almost time!”

Just then, several lights suddenly appeared in the once-dark imperial city. Then, several magic blasts, like fireworks, flew into the air and dispersed immediately. After that, faint sounds of fighting seemed to come from behind the Crown Prince’s troops: “Execute the rebels! Protect the emperor! Those who kill the Crown Prince will be granted the title of marquis and rewarded with ten thousand gold coins! Kill!!!”

The rear troops of the Crown Prince’s army immediately became chaotic. Someone shouted first, “Enemy attack!”

Then, they saw countless Imperial City Guards pouring in from all directions. These guards were dressed almost identically to those of the Crown Prince, with the only difference being a red silk scarf tied atop their helmets, clearly distinguishing them from the Crown Prince’s men!
The Crown Prince’s forces consisted of archers in light armor in the rear, armed only with crossbows. Suddenly, those newly appeared troops rushed at them with gleaming long swords. Bright flashes of light flashed as heads rolled to the ground one after another!
The armies surging from all sides were like red-hot knives plunged into solid butter—indeed unstoppable. The Crown Prince’s side had never anticipated such a situation, and their rear forces immediately collapsed.
Du Fan was stunned. Standing on the platform, he cast an Eagle Eye spell to observe carefully and immediately realized that these troops from all directions were well-trained, and judging by their high morale, they had clearly been preparing for this…
Yet, judging from their banners and uniforms, they were clearly Imperial City Guards. How could this be… turning against the Crown Prince so easily?
Suddenly, Du Fan’s eyes lit up as he noticed a person in control amidst the chaos—Knight of the Lake, Alex…
So, these troops were led by Alex!?
Prince Fisher seemed to sense Du Fan’s confusion. Standing beside him, he said calmly, “Du Fan, you need not doubt… These people are not Alex’s. After all, Alex’s troops were painstakingly trained by me for future battles in the South. How could I waste them here? Those are Imperial City Guards, under Redcliffe’s command. Redcliffe is my man, and his troops have simply defected to me… But Du Fan, don’t you think it’s quite interesting that my elder brother’s own Imperial City Guards turned against him at such a time?”
Du Fan was utterly shocked and finally couldn’t help but sigh. “Your Highness… how on earth…”
“Interests! Only absolute interests can ensure loyalty. For these Imperial City Guards, ten gold coins each is enough to buy their loyalty… Du Fan, don’t you see? In such situations, money is truly the best thing.”
Du Fan smiled bitterly. Ten gold coins?

If the crown prince had his own people turn against him for ten gold coins, he would probably spit blood!