My Beautiful Duchess Wife

Unless something unexpected happens, it's really hard to say what will happen if Mingde directly leads the Ironblood City army.

Moreover, what if the Huoyao City army were to send over again?

So... it seems the people of Punishment City have no choice but to retreat. After all, if the entire Crimson Demon territory were to mobilize, they could only defend.

With the strength of Punishment City as a defense, it would indeed be difficult to breach. However, he himself was truly in a predicament. Could he possibly confront the Crimson Demon Territory directly? That was absolutely impossible. After a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, Lin Peng smiled and said, "Hmm, that's possible. Then, General Kerry, let's see if you are truly my match!"

Laughing heartily, as Lin Peng walked out of the room, he almost had the urge to bang his head against the wall. What had he just been doing? Showing off?

Or am I just being foolish?

In a daze, when he arrived at his room, he almost fainted. Looking at Medusa's hopeful eyes, Lin Peng nearly got killed by her storm after explaining what had happened.

The Duke stared at Lin Peng, somewhat stunned. For the first time, he realized this man could make mistakes. For the first time, he saw a man who, after making a mistake, could be so silly, so endearing.

When I was very young, I remember my father telling me: As a lord, you must be strong. But no matter what happens, you must remain calm.

You need to think comprehensively and learn how to use people effectively.

However, since meeting Lin Peng, it seems that every time, she has been following this man's train of thought. It seems that every time, it is this man who shoulders the burden with his not-so-broad shoulders.

It seems I really overestimated him.

"So, are you confident this time?" Medusa asked coldly, her stern and somewhat chilling gaze fixed on Lin Peng.

Lin Peng's lips twitched slightly, and after a long while, he seemed to deflate in disappointment: "Unless there's some major change, Kerry is just a puppet. Forget about winning; it's hard to say whether the people of Punishment City can even protect any of their interests here!"

On Medusa's face, so white that even the veins seemed to be visible, the anger in her exquisitely beautiful features began to slowly dissipate.

He sighed and shook his head helplessly: "It seems that's the only way. So... do we just have to wait until next time?"

Seeing that Medusa seemed more relaxed and less angry, Lin Peng chuckled, "Not really. Of course, we might lose this round. But, in the same way, it's made them more relaxed towards me. And, with a bit of luck, we can even sow discord among Kerry and the others. Now... we'd better get to Ross City as quickly as possible; perhaps there's still a chance to turn things around!"

Medusa nodded; that was the only way.

After Lin Peng finished speaking, he glanced at Shia again. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Your Grace, this time, you must come with us. And... even if you sneak out, you must come with us. Just in case... I'm just afraid of the worst. What if they don't want those potions, but want that ethereal potion master instead, perhaps..." He stopped there, not finishing his sentence.

Shia seemed to be smiling, truly smiling. Or rather, a silent smile. Originally, with a beauty no less than Medusa's, she always wore a cold expression, making people afraid to approach her.

Therefore, Lin Peng somewhat automatically overlooked Shia's stunning beauty.

However, at this moment, he was somewhat impulsively stunned. For a fleeting instant, he seemed to be overwhelmed, unable to recover his senses, and at the same time, he felt a momentary loss of consciousness.

"I know, but actually, the one we should be most wary of is you. You see, even within the entire Dark Empire, there are hardly any Grandmasters of Alchemy. Generally, even a Master Alchemist is revered. Let alone a Grandmaster. You should know how coveted a Grandmaster is, someone who can create potions that even the Demon Emperor desires. Heh... In the end, I fear you might be the most dangerous person among us!"

Medusa was somewhat disdainful, but Angelina nodded directly. Her large eyes narrowed slightly, as if she was already starting to worry.

“Brother, Sister Shia is right. Right now, you're the one in the most danger. You must know, the rarity of a Grandmaster Alchemist is absolutely no less than that of a Demon Emperor. And… there's only one Demon Emperor at most. But if someone can truly concoct an alchemy that would even tempt a Demon Emperor, then it's not just a Demon Emperor, but someone who can create a Demon Emperor! So…” Angelina, her face full of worry, seemed to hesitate as she looked at Lin Peng. All three women were looking at him, making Lin Peng feel a little embarrassed.

He chuckled and scratched the back of his head: "Well, how should I put it? I don't have any master potion makers here. Hehe, and if we were in Ross City, we'd either have to run away with the people from Punishment City, or pretend we don't know anything and give them potions to keep them calm. Sigh... we'll see!"

The entire room seemed to fall silent all at once.

Outside the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, the crimson moon, as if sighing, slowly began to disappear...

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Struggle, War?

Outside Ross City, looking at this somewhat desolate yet majestic city, Lin Peng felt a sense of helplessness.

It's still Ross City, the same old place. But this time, it can't be a genuine deception. Either we go straight into the city and hide, or we retreat.

Lin Peng knew that in the face of profit, everything else was meaningless. People came and went, all for the sake of profit.

Don't be fooled by their current excellent relationship with the people of Punishment City. If you were to actually launch a surprise attack on them, they might just kill you first.

The same captain was at the city wall. He seemed to have spotted Lin Peng, but without saying much, he ran straight into the city. He seemed quite familiar with Lin Peng's arrival after their last encounter.

Arthur rushed out even faster. After leading him into the former city lord's mansion, Arthur frowned as he looked at Lin Peng, who had a worried expression on his face.

"It's possible that the Crimson Demon territory is about to launch a full-scale attack on you. Perhaps, right now, there are already nearly 100,000 troops outside Steyr City!"

Lin Peng's sudden remark startled Arthur. At the same time, he became somewhat suspicious of Lin Peng. Why would he sell them such information?

If they were held back by Lin Peng, Steyr City might be easier to conquer. Moreover... although Lin Peng wasn't from the Red Demon Territory, he was still an official figure in the Dark Empire.

Wouldn't that be helping these criminals? "Heh, I'm Duke Shia's man. Hmm, to be honest, I'd like to directly destroy this Crimson Demon territory. Perhaps, only after we destroy it will our Darkmoon City have more room for development!"

On one side, Shia, who was wearing a veil, lifted it up, her beautiful eyes staring at Arthur: "I am Shia, the current lord of Darkmoon City!"

Arthur nodded slightly, seemingly unsurprised. Just then, Fario walked in from outside. After glancing at Lin Peng, he smiled faintly: "So, are you going to join us in planning our escape, or are you planning a coordinated attack on Ross City from within?"

Lin Peng smiled wryly as he got straight to the point. Shaking his head, he said with a frustrated expression, "Why are you all thinking about running away? To be honest, if we could conquer the southeastern part of this Red Demon territory, your chances of survival would be much greater!"

"Conquer the Red Devils' territory?" Fario chuckled coldly, as if he thought it was a huge joke. A smirk played on his lips as he turned to look out the door.

After a long silence, he finally said, "Actually, the people of the Crimson Demon Territory have always relied on us for financial support. To be honest, while Punishment City sounds powerful, if the Dark Empire were to attack directly, it might have already perished. The Crimson Demon Territory, even with its distance from the people in the capital, is still somewhat isolated. The main reason they don't attack us directly each year is to use our status as Punishment City as leverage to maximize their profits!" Hearing this, both Lin Peng and Shia were greatly surprised. Was the Crimson Demon Territory really that powerful? For a moment, they even had a strange feeling.

"Don't underestimate Jerry, who is only a Demon Emperor in the Crimson Demon Territory. However, the Grand Elder of the Elder Council is also a Demon Emperor-level expert. Moreover, Jerry, the most powerful Demon Emperor right now, is no pushover. He is the current patriarch of the Fire Demon Clan. Do you think such a bloodline can be challenged by ordinary people?"

He looked at Lin Peng with a cold smile, as if to say, "You're too stupid."

However, after pondering for a moment, Lin Peng began to laugh. His laughter even carried a strange sense of ease.

After a soft chuckle, he said, "So, it seems the Crimson Demon Territory will be even easier to conquer. Haha... I didn't know that before, but if that's the case, the destruction of the Crimson Demon Territory should be a sure thing!" Fario was stunned, looking at Lin Peng as if he were a fool. Arthur, on the other hand, looked at Lin Peng with some doubt.

Even Shia and Angelina looked puzzled. When faced with Medusa, they acted as if it were none of their business.

“First, if the Crimson Demon Territory were truly that powerful, they probably wouldn’t be cooperating with the Prime Minister. Also, if they were really that powerful, they wouldn’t be bothering to raise such a small amount of military funds for the Punishment City. As for private armies, what does it have to do with anyone else? As long as they don’t show up, they’ll always be private armies.” Lin Peng held up one finger and said with a smile.

After thinking for a moment, Fario still looked at Lin Peng with doubt. It seemed that this didn't prove anything. At least, his mother, a person from Punishment City, had much more contact with the people of this Crimson Demon Territory.

Only he knew that if it weren't for the top-tier power of Punishment City, and if the Demon Emperor-level leader were a peak-level Demon Emperor, they might already be wiped out.

"Secondly, you've only seen the good side of the Red Devils' territory. Have you ever thought about why Gree is so favored, and why he gets all the good things? Yet, Kerry still keeps vying for that position."

After extending one finger again, everyone else was stunned. They looked at each other, completely unaware of the airs Lin Peng was putting on.

"This is just my guess, and only a guess. Think about it, could it be that the elders have been supporting Kerry all along? Also, the elders shouldn't all be from the Fire Demon clan, right? And why don't many members of such a powerful clan as the Fire Demon appear? Why is it always Jerry's family that's represented?"

At this point, Lin Peng paused with a faint smile. The more he spoke, the clearer his understanding became. He continued, almost as if muttering to himself, "There is struggle everywhere. The capital is the endpoint of all struggles. If there is peace there, then perhaps the entire empire will truly be at peace. Similarly, as the lord of a Red Demon territory, Jerry seems to have overstepped his bounds. He's far too frivolous! I dare say, Gree isn't stupid; he won't directly swindle your money, your things, your people, just because of Arthur! Of course, if it's like you say, using your punishments to demand military funding, at least he won't do that!" Fario seemed to suddenly realize something, nodding vigorously.

Yes, if it's exactly what I expected, why would Jerry make such a mistake? It seems Gree isn't a fool either. Although, he's not particularly outstanding militarily.

"In the end, was it just a test? Or rather, a test that killed two birds with one stone!"

"Testing the waters?"

Fario and Arthur exchanged a glance, neither understanding the meaning of the sentence. At the same time, Shia seemed to understand and immediately nodded to listen to the explanation.

"Since there's a conflict between the elders and the lord, then no lord would like it, right?" Lin Peng asked with a chuckle, looking at the two bewildered men.

Fario still seemed confused. Then Arthur suddenly slapped his hand and shouted, "I know! We, the Punishment City, are definitely being kept by the Elders to keep Jerry in check. And Jerry is testing the Elders' level of attention towards us. At the same time, he's also testing where our bottom line is!" Hearing Arthur's shout, Fario seemed to instantly understand a lot, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. After nodding slightly, he chuckled, "No wonder. Actually, we're involved in every year's riots. But in the first half of the year, those armies are just going through the motions. But as soon as Jerry's men arrive, it's basically a bloodbath! Haha… No wonder, it turns out it was just those Elders causing trouble!"

"Where there is power, there will be strife. Where there is strife, there is power. Perhaps, now, your City of Punishment can even take this opportunity to launch a major operation!"

Fario suddenly felt refreshed, as if he were about to return to the embrace of the demon god.

After letting out a sinister chuckle, he got up and walked outside...

……

Beneath the walls of Steyr, an army of 100,000 men stared intently at the soldiers on the city walls. The previously enthusiastic but now chaotic troops seemed to suddenly descend into disarray.

Catches was also somewhat confused. The Red Devils, who had initially planned to compromise after a few fierce battles, had really gone too far this time.

However, Steyr is at least a day's journey from Ross. And that's for skilled warriors. If they were traveling with a large contingent of soldiers, it's hard to say how long it would take them to arrive.

But if the army were to be intercepted, it would be even more troublesome. However, looking at the 100,000 troops below, plus several experts who seemed to possess the strength of a mid-level Demon Emperor, the situation looked much more promising.

Such fighting power would have terrified an ordinary person into surrendering long ago. A slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, Kaches couldn't help but think that his luck seemed rather bad.

Why is it that these kinds of things always end up being associated with me?

Just as he was pondering this, one of the more robust and handsome low-level Demon Emperors suddenly stepped out of the formation, laughed a few times, and shouted, "Surrender, or be surrounded and killed?" These words caused even more panic among those on the city wall. Death is something everyone fears. And so is facing an invincible force.

Even a warlike race like demons cannot escape this.

Morale seemed to have been completely shattered by the enemy in an instant. With their morale gone, Kaches sneered, a smirk playing on his lips: "Little brat, go back and find an adult. Do you think someone like you can conquer this city of Steyr?"

As he spoke, his body seemed to inflate, suddenly growing much taller. At the same time, black light emanated from his skin: "If you've got the guts, try and break in!" He roared, his body transforming into a dragon. He became a black dragon over three meters tall, his entire body engulfed in demonic flames. He was like a messenger from hell.

Chapter Sixty-Nine Fierce Battle

As Kaches roared to the sky, he was like a true demon god descending to earth. His massive demonic flames caused the surrounding soldiers to involuntarily retreat.

The dragon claw, forged like steel, ripped forward with a fierce clawing motion. The surging demonic flames transformed into a gigantic claw, like the claw of a true black dragon, charging directly towards Kerry at the forefront.

If this tactic is successfully detected, it could lead to a tragic end. Of course, how could an army of 100,000 men not have skilled fighters?

Suddenly, three intermediate-level demon emperors leaped high into the air. One of them burst out with a water ball, while the other two, still emitting the same red demonic flames, headed towards the black demonic flames.

Boom...

In the air outside the city, a massive blast circle erupted, unleashing bursts of demonic flames and water arrows. The entire area seemed to be instantly shaken and turned upside down.

Below, Kerry was still very fast. It seemed as if flames slid directly beneath his feet, forcing him to retreat sharply back towards his own camp. Having escaped this ordeal, he breathed a sigh of relief, then burst into laughter: "Katches, huh? Haha, looks like you're not exactly a master after all. At least I'm still alive!"

Upon hearing this, Catchis was so enraged that he almost jumped down to hunt down the man.

After taking a deep breath, Kaches's lips curled into a smile. The way his massive dragon maw was raised gave it an almost deathly smile. He slammed his claws together, laughing loudly, "You bunch of juniors! Hmph, if you've got the guts, find one of you and fight me one-on-one!"

Kerry, standing below, twitched at the corner of his mouth. With Kaches's talent, if he were to transform directly into a dragon-man, his strength should be approaching that of a peak-level Demon Emperor.

On his side, excluding himself, there were at most three mid-level Demon Emperors. None of them were powerful talent users; they were just ordinary characters. How could they possibly be his match?

At most, it can only restrain us for a short time.

Looking at the somewhat silent soldiers behind him, Kerry dared not entertain any other thoughts. If he truly lost the duel, he wouldn't be able to take the city anytime soon.

Suddenly drawing his greatsword, he roared, "Kill them! How could Katches alone possibly stop our army of 100,000? Hahaha... Kill them all!"

One hundred thousand men seemed to have been suddenly roused to battle. In any case, a full one hundred thousand elite troops—the sheer number of heads alone was enough to be terrifying.

Catches hadn't expected Kerry to possess such capabilities. Undeterred by his own strength, and without any hesitation, he immediately ordered an attack. With such a commander, it was only natural that he could capture the city with his limited forces.

Now, it all depends on how many days we can hold out. We should be able to let the people of Ross City or Punishment City know within a few days, and then they'll send reinforcements.

He glanced up at the sky, which was slowly turning into night, his lips twitched slightly, and then he leaped up. He charged directly towards the camp of the 100,000-strong army.

Kerry and his team certainly couldn't let Catches destroy their hard-won morale.