Chapter 014: Time Difference
It seemed as though countless armies launched an attack from the rear forces of the Crown Prince. The impact was enormous. Though these forces came from various directions, against archers who were practically unarmed, their power was immense. In no time, the Crown Prince’s rear forces were scattered in disarray. Moreover, since they were all members of the imperial guard, they were highly familiar with armor and weapons—knowing exactly where to strike to kill instantly or sever a head. Thus, the battle was extremely fierce.
The Crown Prince was filled with shock and anger. Although his own troops were still in order, watching his archers, trained at great expense, being slaughtered one by one like watermelons filled him with rage. “What’s going on? What’s the truth?” he shouted.
After roaring twice, he grabbed Dox by the collar, his face brimming with murderous intent. “Dox! Didn’t you say the entire imperial city was under our control? So what’s happening now? Explain clearly—where did these people come from?”
Dox was also shocked, but as an experienced military general, he remained composed. He replied firmly, “Your Majesty, now is not the time to figure out where they came from. We must first stop their advance… Otherwise, we’re doomed!”
The Crown Prince trembled and immediately released his grip. “Then what should we do?”
After thinking for a moment, Dox said urgently, “Retreat the front forces, encircle those inside, and refrain from attacking for now. I’ll send the reserve troops to deal with those behind. Your Majesty, stay calm. The capital and the imperial city are still in our hands. If all else fails, deploy the troops guarding the city gates… It may cause chaos, but it won’t lead to failure!”
The Crown Prince was intelligent and quickly understood that anger was useless at such a time. He nodded and said, “Go! Whoever opposes me—behead them before coming to see me!”
Dox wasn’t an ordinary man either. Hearing the Crown Prince’s order, he didn’t waste words. He drew a weapon from his belt, waved it at the panicked reserve troops nearby, and shouted, “Brothers, charge after me!”
With that, he charged backward alone, waving his long sword. Dox was also a skilled fighter; his combat energy gleamed as he rushed forward with his sword energy. Seeing him, the initially confused reserve troops quickly followed suit and charged as well. Under normal circumstances, covering less than a few dozen meters, Dox could reach there in an instant at his speed! But as the saying goes, defeat brings chaos—although those archers were well-trained soldiers, they had already panicked upon seeing their comrades falling one after another. They flailed around like headless flies, blocking Dox and his men’s path, which filled him with frustration. When he saw nearly half of the archers killed in an instant, he was furious beyond measure! After all, these archers were elite members of the imperial guard, each a product of Dox’s hard work. To see his carefully trained soldiers falling like wheat stalks could only fill him with rage. But now there was no time for hesitation. Having witnessed many battles, Dox raised his long sword and swiftly knocked down two archers who were flailing around. Then, channeling his combat energy, he shouted, “Archers, stay in place! Reserve troops, charge! Those who disobey—behead! Those who retreat—kill!” Fortunately, Dox held considerable prestige among the imperial guards. At his shout, the previously chaotic archers seemed to find a leader and immediately stopped their frenzy. Seizing the opportunity, Dox swung his sword and yelled, “Kill! Advance without retreat! Advance without retreat!” The thousands of reserve troops behind him followed suit, charging out in all directions. Soon, the battlefield was filled with cries of battle, and the one-sided situation from before was gone. Outside the training ground, the fighting continued, but inside, under the orders of the crown prince, the soldiers who had been marching in unison slowly retreated, surrounding the high platform from a distance without attempting to breach it. The crown prince knew that if he didn’t resolve the issues behind him first, he would be trapped in a two-front battle. Though he wasn’t necessarily afraid, such a situation would greatly reduce his chances of success. With his determination, he would never do such a thing.
On the platform in the training ground, the nobles of Prince Fischer’s faction were stunned. Initially, they thought they were doomed to death, but they never expected the situation to change so drastically. Their hearts pounded in confusion—such a turn of events must mean Prince Fischer had been preparing for this all along. It seemed that today, the imperial capital would change, whether it wanted to or not!
On the platform, Du Fan finally retracted his Eagle Eye magic and sighed, saying, “Your Highness truly has remarkable tactics!”
Not only Du Fan but also several high-ranking nobles standing behind him looked at Prince Fischer with awe. Kimberly and Duke Green exchanged a glance, both their eyes turning toward Emperor Austin III.
Emperor Austin III narrowed his eyes, observing everything around him. His two sons were locked in combat, but their ultimate goal remained the throne beneath him. What he was feeling at that moment was beyond ordinary people’s comprehension. His expression remained cold, as if nothing around him could disturb him.
Prince Fischer’s face showed neither joy nor sorrow. He didn’t express any excitement over his small victory. He simply glanced around, watching the chaos, and said calmly, “This is just a minor tactic. Though my elder brother is useless, these twenty thousand imperial guards can only buy him some time… He will likely escape this minor disturbance soon… If he seizes the opportunity to summon a large army, then we will lose this time… But if he can’t escape before then… then we win…”
“Du Fan, see? In a struggle for the throne like this, it comes down to who can free their hands first. In other words, whoever plans better and calculates time more accurately will win. There’s a saying in the distant Eastern Continent: ‘A small error can lead to a huge difference.’ That’s exactly what it means!”
Du Fan frowned. He really couldn’t imagine what other tricks Prince Fischer might have to keep his elder brother occupied. But seeing the mysterious expression on Prince Fischer’s face, Du Fan knew that no matter what he asked, the prince would never reveal it.
Meanwhile, the fighting outside the training ground had reached its climax. The men of the elder prince clashed with those of Prince Fischer, shouting and fighting fiercely. Dax’s combat energy surged, his long sword glowing with sharp energy as he slashed through countless enemies in the chaos.
Suddenly, his whole body tensed as he stumbled back several steps, swinging his long sword with fierce sword energy! A clang was heard as Dax raised his hand to block the onslaught of the sword—but he still couldn’t help retreating a few steps. With his strength at the peak of level seven, Dax had few rivals in the army; no one, no matter how powerful, could hurt him. But this was a battlefield, and after swinging countless swords earlier, he was already exhausted. So after blocking the opponent’s strike, he couldn’t help but retreat several steps. Dax steadied himself and realized that the back of his right hand, which held the sword, was split, his palm throbbing with pain as blood flowed endlessly. He quickly switched the sword to his left hand, then finally had time to look up at his opponent. His expression changed instantly as he exclaimed, “Redcliffe! It’s you!” The one who had swung the sword was Redcliffe, who now stared at Dax coldly, his sword brimming with combat energy. “Commander Dax… What? Only now do you realize it’s me?” Dax glanced around before sneering, “Good! So these troops that appeared out of nowhere are also your doing? Very good! Redcliffe, I trusted you and entrusted my 50,000 soldiers to you—but today you use them to attack me? Tell me! I’ve always treated you well, and the Crown Prince has been generous too! Why would you do such a thing?! Does following that inexperienced Prince Fisher bring you so much benefit?” Redcliffe’s face darkened as he replied coldly, “Don’t you understand why I rebelled, Dax? Don’t you know? Enough! I won’t let you pretend anymore! Do you still remember what happened five years ago?” Hearing this, Dax’s expression changed drastically as he exclaimed, “So you…”