We'll have you impersonate the Crown Prince and create a prosperous era for the Great Qian Dyna

Under the tent.

The guards rushed over.

Civil and military officials all looked up, especially those from Qin Zhi'ang's faction, who all wore expectant expressions.

Zhou Rui couldn't sit still any longer and asked anxiously.

"How is the battle going?"

In fact, Zhou Rui already had the answer in his heart before he asked the question.

Sun Tong.

A fierce general from the northern frontier.

He once led two thousand soldiers to guard a pass in the northern frontier, blocking the attack of fifty thousand Hu troops for fifteen days, winning the first merit and being praised by countless people.

now.

He led five hundred men to launch a sneak attack on the Crown Prince. How could the Crown Prince possibly win?

Zhou Rui thought the Crown Prince had lost, but he still asked the question because he was hoping for a miracle!

The guard looked up with a complicated expression.

"The battle was won decisively and without any suspense."

This moment.

Zhou Rui's anxiety finally died.

He also harbored resentment towards Sun Tong.

He had made arrangements for the military training competition in Kyoto long ago, hoping that the Crown Prince could win the championship and wash away his previous reputation.

Who would have thought that Sun Tong would resort to any means to win? First he formed an alliance, then he turned around and launched a sneak attack. It's utterly despicable!

aside.

Qin Zhi'ang was also unhappy.

The Crown Prince has been defeated?

Does that mean we have to leave the stage?

How could he then assassinate the crown prince?

He even wanted to plead for the crown prince and let him fight again.

But his officials, unaware of his intentions, were all grinning from ear to ear.

"That's only right. Sun Tong was a highly decorated general in the northern frontier. He once led his men into the Hu Kingdom's imperial court and could hold off tens of thousands of troops single-handedly. How could the Crown Prince possibly defeat him?"

"Sun Tong has the advantage of favorable timing, location, and popular support. His grasp of the opportunity is perfect; this is what a general of our Great Qian should be like. I think he should be promoted!"

"The Crown Prince is quite formidable, but unfortunately, he's facing Sun Tong! One of the Three Tigers of the Northern Frontier, a fierce general even praised by the King of the Hu Kingdom. Losing to Sun Tong is nothing to be ashamed of for the Crown Prince!"

Laughter rang out, so loud it hurt Zhou Rui's ears.

He simply closed his eyes, ignoring the grating laughter.

Just then, Zheng Rong's deep voice rang out.

"Did the Crown Prince win or lose?"

Zhou Rui was taken aback and turned to look at Zheng Rong with a puzzled expression.

Seeing Zheng Rong's serious expression, he was somewhat surprised.

Could it be that Zheng Rong thinks the Crown Prince can win?

How is that possible!

Two hundred against five hundred.

A good-for-nothing defeats a famous general.

The outcome is already decided!

It wasn't just Zhou Rui who thought this way; the officials in Qin Zhi'ang's faction thought the same way!

"Is the Duke drunk? Two hundred against five hundred, and Lin Tong isn't even on the field, the Crown Prince is bound to lose!"

"Outnumbered against outgunned, and with the Crown Prince facing off against Sun Tong, how can they possibly win? You're asking a question you already know the answer to!"

"The Crown Prince is destined to lose; why ask further questions, my lord?"

They spoke with absolute certainty, as if they had witnessed the prince's defeat firsthand.

Unexpectedly, the guard began to explain anxiously.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has won."

"I didn't explain clearly. The battlefield situation was utterly devastating. It was Lord Sun's five hundred men who were counterattacked by His Highness the Crown Prince's two hundred men. It was like a whirlwind sweeping across the grasslands—a one-sided defeat!"

The laughter stopped abruptly.

Everyone looked on in astonishment.

This is Sun Tong!

This is one of the three tigers of the northern frontier who emerged from the north, a fierce warrior praised even by the king of the Hu Kingdom!

In the end, he led five hundred men but couldn't defeat the crown prince's two hundred.

Is this a joke?

You should know that before the competition, they had read various analytical booklets that praised the famous generals of the Northern Frontier to the skies.

Now you're saying that Sun Tong's 500 men couldn't beat their 200 men, and it was a one-sided victory. How can they believe that?

One of the civil officials couldn't sit still any longer and looked at the guard with a stern face.

"Nonsense!"

"Do you know that deceiving the Emperor is a crime of treason!"

The guards knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

"This humble servant would not dare to deceive His Majesty and all the officials; this is what I saw with my own eyes!"

"The Crown Prince won, and won very easily. If there is a single lie, I am willing to lose my head!"

The civil official's face turned ashen.

The Crown Prince is not out of the running?

Did he turn the tide?

What about the third prince?

You have to understand that the Third Prince has already lost face big time in the competition, and they are just waiting for the Crown Prince to lose face so that they can shift the blame.

Who would have thought that the Crown Prince would actually stand up in surprise?

Zhou Rui, unable to contain himself any longer, quickly asked.

"What exactly happened? Tell me everything you saw, without hiding a single detail!"

The guard quickly recounted the situation on the battlefield.

First, Sun Tong led 500 men in two groups, trying to trick the Crown Prince into letting them into the camp, but the Crown Prince saw through their plan.

Then the two sides went to war. Sun Tong's men were cowardly and dared not advance, but the soldiers under the Crown Prince's command were brave and unparalleled. Seeing that the Crown Prince was surrounded, they broke through the encirclement and seized Sun Tong's flag.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Rui's face flushed red, and he shouted "Bravo!"

at the same time.

The people also received the news, and they couldn't believe it!

"Who is the Crown Prince? When has he ever led troops before? And now, on his first command, he has defeated Sun Tong? Is this some kind of joke?"

"I've figured it out now. This so-called military training competition is just a contest of who has the most prestigious status and who wields the most power!"

"What's the point of comparing them? Let's just rank them directly: the Third Prince first, the Crown Prince second. Whoever fights them will lose!"

Even officials in the bureaucracy didn't think the crown prince could win, so how could the common people have any other opinion?

They had countless guesses in their minds, and some even started to believe in conspiracy theories.

but.

They quickly shut their mouths.

Because the soldiers who died in battle have already reached the outskirts of the hunting grounds!

Sun Tong led five hundred men, who were all dejected, but still managed to remain intact.

In contrast, the other hundred or so people were all bruised and battered, their paper armor stained with blood, but they couldn't stop smiling!

The difference is that obvious!

Among these wounded soldiers, some were unable to walk and had to be carried by their comrades.

The people instinctively looked at his ankle and saw a distorted shape!

It looks painful!

This is absolutely not an act!

How could they possibly laugh?

The crowd gradually quieted down, their eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment, and the whole atmosphere became somewhat eerie.

Until one of the National Protection Army members jumped up, looked at a certain area on the outskirts of the hunting grounds, raised his hand, waved, and shouted loudly.

"Mother! I'm not a coward! We won, Mother!"

The people's perspective has changed.

Are these the soldiers under the Crown Prince's command?

When they looked again, all the soldiers of the National Protection Army were looking in that direction, waving their hands and excitedly searching for their families, despite their injuries.

"Father, I didn't disgrace His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"We won! We won!"

"The National Protection Army! Invincible!"