I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 660 Tactical Shift and Development! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)

The next morning, far away on the southern front, in Tuoba Zhen's command tent.

A trusted general strode in with a grave expression, knelt on one knee, and said with a barely perceptible tremor in his voice: "Great Khan, the suicide squad we sent to Grand Duke Andrei's territory last night was completely wiped out, with not a single survivor."

"What?!" Tuoba Zhen, who was examining the map, suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief and ferocity. "Not a single one of them came back? How is that possible! That squad was carefully trained by me. Every single one of them is a master of infiltration and assassination. Even if the mission failed, it shouldn't be that not even a single messenger could escape!"

The general lowered his head, not daring to look into Tuoba Zhen's furious eyes: "Reporting to the Great Khan, our scouts waited at the designated location all night without any news. This morning, they risked approaching to investigate and found signs of a fierce fight on the outskirts of the target area, as well as special markings left by our men and a small amount of blood. However, the bodies were all cleaned up very well, indicating that the other side was very cunning."

Tuoba Zhen's face was so gloomy it could drip water, his fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles were white.

The facts were in front of him, and he couldn't help but not believe it.

He originally planned to first eliminate Sergei, the culprit who cut off his supply lines, and then support a puppet to control Andrei's territory to solve the immediate crisis. However, he did not expect to kick a hornet's nest in the first step.

"Sergei's master is indeed something!" Tuoba Zhen gritted his teeth as he spoke, a strong fighting spirit emanating from him, wanting to personally deal with this guy named Urge.

Just then, another messenger rushed into the tent, his voice filled with terror: "Report! Great Khan! Urgent report from the front! The main force of the Tian Ce army launched a fierce attack late last night, and our third and fourth fortresses on the left flank have been breached one after another! The defending troops have suffered heavy casualties! Tian Ce's 'Dragon Soaring' heavy cavalry has broken through the first line of defense and is penetrating deeper into the enemy lines! Brothers, we can't hold on much longer!"

One bad news after another, Tuoba Zhen's mood was extremely bad.

He stared at the areas that were constantly being marked on the map, the arrows of the Tian Ce army's attack like red-hot irons, burning his defensive line.

His subordinate generals asked anxiously, "Great Khan, our supplies are cut off, there is no hope of reinforcements, and the Tian Ce offensive is so fierce. How should we deal with this?"

"How should we deal with this?" Tuoba Zhen slammed his hand on the table, making the map jump. A cold smile, a mixture of mockery and violence, appeared on his face. "Hmph! Ivan, that fool! What time is it? Still fighting amongst ourselves, cutting off our own arm! This Great Luo Dynasty isn't my home, Tuoba Zhen's home. Why should I be his watchdog and stand here against Tian Ce's million-strong army?"

In his mind, Emperor Ivan of the Great Luo Dynasty was utterly foolish.

Tuoba Zhen was once the powerful Khan of the Snow Eagle Kingdom, but he was defeated by the terrifying Emperor Tian Ce, Li Chen, and had no choice but to seek refuge and development in Ivan.

Ivan outwardly accepted him and gave him military power, but in reality, he always treated him like a lackey, using him while also keeping a close watch on him.

If Ivan can fully support this southern expedition and provide sufficient troops and supplies, Tuoba Zhen might be able to take over the northern territory of Tian Ce in one fell swoop, that homeland that once belonged to his Snow Eagle Royal Court!

But what about now? Ivan is playing both sides, wanting to gain an advantage but also afraid of losses. Now his logistics have been cut off, a large army is pressing in, and he even wants to use Andrei as a scapegoat. This behavior disgusts and contempts Tuoba Zhen.

Tuoba Zhen had calculated that with the national strength of the Daluo Dynasty, it was indeed possible to contend with Tian Ce. In addition, with his own efforts to win over his old subordinates, he still had a chance of victory.

But Ivan's character disgusted Tuoba.

His trusted subordinate lowered his voice: "Great Khan, what do you mean?"

A resolute and cunning glint flashed in Tuoba Zhen's eyes. He walked to the map and pointed to the vast area behind the southern defense line, where the territories of several weak duchies and tribal alliances were marked: "This is no longer a place to stay! Issue the order that at dawn tomorrow, under the pretext of 'flanking and attacking the rear of the Tian Ce Army,' gather all our core troops and withdraw from the main battlefield with me!"

He paused, his face revealing the coldness and calculation characteristic of a steppe warlord: "What do Ivan and the Great Luo Dynasty have to do with us? Let's leave here and head west! There are countless small but wealthy kingdoms and city-states there!"
"Let's conquer them, plunder their resources, absorb their population, and slowly recuperate and grow stronger! When we are strong enough, we can come back to settle accounts with Li Chen and reclaim our grasslands!" In front of his subordinates, Tuoba Zhen glorified his escape as a brilliant strategic retreat.

He must never admit that this was a defeat, but rather a "tactical shift and development" to preserve strength for a broader future.

As for that so-called Master Ulge, Tuoba Zhen decided to let him go, considering him lucky.

Otherwise, he would have definitely killed Urg.

Tuoba Zhen was unaware that Ulge was actually Li Chen.

He would be incredibly lucky if he went to find Ulger himself.

Emperor Ivan was still in the capital, weighing how to use Andrei's head to negotiate with Tian Ce. He never expected that Tuoba Zhen, whom he regarded as an important shield and sharp weapon, would abandon the entire southern defense line without hesitation at this critical moment and run away with his most elite troops.

Tuoba Zhen's escape created a huge, unfillable strategic gap in the southern defense line of Daluo, which was already teetering on the brink of collapse due to logistical problems and Tian Ce's fierce attacks.

The million-strong army of the Tian Ce Dynasty, like a flood bursting its banks, began to encroach even more rapidly on the long border of the Da Luo Dynasty. Wherever its troops advanced, there was almost no effective resistance.

A national war that could have ended in a stalemate is rapidly sliding toward a one-sided outcome due to internal strife and the betrayal of key figures.

But that wasn't what gave Ivan the biggest headache.

Although the situation is critical with the Tian Ce army pressing on the border, as long as we decisively draw elite border troops and inland corps from all over the Great Luo Dynasty to provide reinforcements, and rely on strong city defenses and deep battle lines, we may be able to keep the Tian Ce army's iron hooves outside the country's gates.

At the very least, it can create a stalemate, dragging the war into a protracted tug-of-war that drains national strength.

What made Ivan's blood pressure spike and almost made him vomit blood was the "backstab" from behind.

Andrei's eldest son, Sergei, openly raised the banner of "Purge the court of corrupt officials, punish the treacherous ministers, and seek justice for his father," and led an army of 250,000 men northward, heading straight for the imperial capital!

That was all the wealth that Grand Duke Andrei had accumulated over his entire life; it was well-equipped and battle-tested.

If Andrei were still conscious, he would probably faint from anger again, that his son would so "boldly" use the substantial capital he had accumulated to rebel.

What's even more infuriating is that Sergei's northward march went exceptionally smoothly, and many of the lords and generals along the way were either former subordinates or old friends of Andrei.

Either they were dissatisfied with Emperor Ivan's practice of discarding him after he had served his purpose.

Perhaps intimidated by the potential power of "Master Urge" behind Sergei, most chose to remain on the sidelines, or even secretly provide assistance, allowing the 250,000 rebels to advance unimpeded, their forces pointing directly at the heart of the region.

(End of this chapter)