On the first day of next month, at seven o'clock in the morning.

Duke Quesha of the Meuse Principality led his army to launch a sudden attack!

War, in essence, is just a larger-scale fight.

According to common sense:

In the beginning of a fight, it's natural that the more people involved, the better, so as to gain an advantage early on or further widen one's own advantage.

Even if that's not done, there's no reason to wait until halfway through a fight to supplement the numbers.

Le Song seized this psychological phenomenon among people, causing the Meuse Principality's army to catch Murin Principality off guard when they deployed their troops.

People throughout the principality were not prepared for the enemy's attack at this time, unable to even maintain a proper defense in their panic.

Within less than a quarter of an hour, the invading army broke through the city's outer defenses and residential areas, advancing like a raging storm towards the royal palace located at the core of the city.

At this location, having received intelligence of the invasion, the public king hastily dispatched all available forces under his command.

At this moment outside the city, less than ten thousand soldiers were hastily assembling;

Just as their formations were taking shape, the enemy was rapidly approaching their position.

In the eyes of the public kingdom's soldiers, beyond the view of the palace, it seemed as though a calm "lake" had suddenly emerged;

The dazzling sunlight pouring down from the sky shimmered like a mirror on the "lake surface," creating an illusion that was as enticing as a mirage in the desert.

The distant sound of thunder was clearly heard in their ears, followed by the intense trembling of the earth.

The nerves of the public kingdom's soldiers immediately tensed up, with expressions of panic appearing uncontrollably on their faces.

In their field of vision, the "lake" was rapidly approaching with a terrifying speed;

For a moment, they almost thought it was an illusion.

However, they quickly realized the brutal truth.

The thundering sound rolled in, not deafening but still heavy.

The sound grew louder, the "lake" drawing closer.

Suddenly, countless banners, uncountable cavalry, and an endless sea of weapons filled the sight of the public kingdom's soldiers in an instant.

It was an elite force of fifty thousand armored warriors, advancing like an impregnable fortress, creating an extremely awe-inspiring scene.

The "lake" they had seen before was just a mirage caused by tens of thousands of soldiers in white armor lined up together, under the illumination of the sunlight beneath the sky.

But even after knowing the truth, the astonishing scene that unfolded before their eyes still captivated many soldiers from the public kingdom.

Although fifty thousand troops were incomparable to over a hundred thousand imperial soldiers, the terrifying sight of the enemy forces approaching the city together still instilled great fear in the soldiers of the small country.

After all, although their country could also muster tens of thousands of soldiers, they had never assembled over forty thousand soldiers at once.

Apart from some seasoned veterans, the vast majority of the public kingdom's soldiers felt their shoulders trembling.

Soon, facing the five thousand enemy soldiers across them, the more than ten thousand public kingdom soldiers stopped their advance temporarily, swiftly forming their battle formations.

The enemy cavalry was deployed on both sides, with infantry in the middle;

The entire army seemed like a fierce giant, standing imposingly on the earth, exerting immense pressure on all who beheld it.

As the northern wind howled and thousands of horses galloped mightily, the commanding Duke Quesha's face couldn't help but flush with excitement;

Feeling the absolute advantage they held, the soldiers of the enemy country, sensing the current situation, began shouting in excitement as a gust of wind blew past:

"Capture the public king, conquer the palace!"

"Capture the public king, conquer the palace!"

With the unfurling of the large banners, the cavalrymen atop their horses raised their weapons high, and the foot soldiers on the ground started beating their shields;

Every soldier of the Meuse Principality revealed boundless killing intent and bloodthirst in their eyes, with many even letting out wolf-like howls.

The echoing howls shook the heavens and lingered between the earth and the sky.

As the target of capture mentioned by the enemy troops, the king of Murin Principality felt his heart break at that moment.

The public king regretted it deeply.

He thought to himself, that he, who had been so clever all his life, how did he embark on this futile mission of resisting the Inran Empire?

Had he won?

He was sure he couldn't win!

The number of enemies was too great; besides the imperial army, there were troops from other countries as well.

The Meuse Principality was no small nation.

Before its betrayal, it had been one of the leading vassal states among many other subordinate nations.

Not to mention Murin's army, which had suffered heavy losses previously in the fight against the Inran main forces;

Even if Murin launched an all-out attack, the public king had every reason to believe that their forces wouldn't be able to resist the elite troops personally led by the grand duke.

(Whispering) "I shouldn't have dreamt of this absurd victory, now, before the enemy breaches the palace, I need to find a way out for myself."

The public king set a small goal, hoping to survive this calamity.

For this, he had already prepared to approach the enemy's ranks, kneel before the grand duke, and explain himself when they met.

At that moment, he would undoubtedly speak the truth, saying phrases like "I was forced to do it," "It wasn't my intention to end up like this."

Furthermore, fearing that the surrender offer might be rejected, he was even planning to seize the opportunity to bind and present his strongest warrior, Qiuyan, as a meeting gift to the enemy.

The public king dared to think and thus dared to act.

Seizing the moment when the maid stationed on the palace wall momentarily shifted her gaze downwards, he stealthily approached from behind.

At the moment he stood behind his target, the public king raised his hands, assumed a seizing posture, took three gentle breaths, and pounced like an aged tiger.

Plop!

With that sound, his face made extensive contact with the floor tiles, hands and legs bent upwards, as he fell to the ground.

If anyone had witnessed this scene, he would have lost all his dignity.

Luckily, at that moment, there was no one standing around him;

Even Qiuyan, who had been standing there the moment before, had coincidentally leaped down from the wall to dodge the public king's charge.

Qiuyan never expected the public king to show courage, however, the soldiers from the public kingdom around her indeed reacted unexpectedly.

After initial shock and fear, all the public kingdom soldiers rallied;

On their faces, there was no trace of fear, only a resolution to face the end of their lives;

With courage, they voiced out:

"Whoever wants to surrender, go ahead, but the lord can't bear to see that happen."

"Even if we die in battle, it's better than living to see the victors' smirks!"

"Exactly! Even if we cling to life in any way, when the Empire records this history, they will mock us for choosing surrender over facing the dangers..."

Previously, under the command of the imperial consort, they had achieved a significant victory against the main Inran forces;

If they, now faced with just one grand duke, chose to surrender, wouldn't that be disgraceful?

Because of their past glory, they were now ashamed to accept humiliation.

The soldiers of Murin Principality all chose to preserve their dignity;

They chose to become heroes at this moment, willing to pay the price of their lives if necessary.

Qiuyan affirmed their spirit, but their actions were not accepted, for a simple reason:

"You are too weak!"

"What..."

This unexpected truth caught the warriors off guard.

Their faces, whether old or young, turned as red as pig livers in an instant.

One person in the group, unaware of Qiuyan's strength, retorted to her on the spot:

"Even if we are weak, there's no reason for you, a young girl, to stay in a dangerous place."

The soldier believed that defending one's home was the privilege of men and viewed Qiuyan as a vulnerable female who needed protection.

As if to snatch away their pride, Qiuyan, with an indifferent tone, coldly replied:

"I didn't stay for any of you, I don't need anyone here to protect me; and the reason I'm here is not for your country either."

A qualified maid, even if oblivious to the atmosphere, knew she couldn't leave her position without a new order from her mistress.

The only reason Qiuyan remained at that spot was to adhere to the principles of being a maid.

Moreover, she had been entrusted with the task of guarding the prisoner.

Until that order was revoked, she declared:

"Even if a hundred thousand troops come today, I won't allow anyone to enter the palace, I won't let anyone near the prisoner!"

In that moment of turning around, the fatigue that often showed on Qiuyan's face completely vanished.

Radiating a murderous aura, she held a pair of short swords in her hands;

Her eyes widened, her figure apart from its original position in an instant.

Watching the daunting figure approaching, Duke Quesha remained composed, roaring:

"Shield battalion, form up!"

With the sounds of footsteps, eight thousand shield soldiers raised their finely crafted steel shields, separating from the main force;

After arranging themselves into rows, they stood at the forefront of the battle line, facing the lone enemy in all their might.

With a command, the eight thousand soldiers shouted in unison;

Hoisting their heavy steel shields high, the shield tips plunged fiercely into the ground, creating a massive shield wall;

Sharp long spears protruded from the gaps between the shields.

Duke Quesha nodded in satisfaction, then bellowed:

"Mounted archer battalion, advance!"

With a thunderous response, five thousand mounted archers, led by their officers, charged out of formation, swiftly and neatly lining up three steps behind the shield soldiers.

"Crossbow battalion, prepare!"

At Duke Quesha's command, the sound of crossbows being readied behind her instantly filled the air, indicating that thousands of archers had primed their crossbows.