Chapter 1720: Duan Zhuyans Strength! (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
”How was it?”
Upon seeing Wang Chong return, Bai Siling and Li Lin both went up to welcome him, concern on their faces. The crowd around the drilling ground was so dense that they had not been able to clearly make out the scene on that side.
”Everything has been handled,” Wang Chong nonchalantly said, glossing over the entire incident, and then quickly turned his focus back to the drilling ground.
Bong!
With the fierce banging of drums, the contest continued.
Now that Zhao Fengchen had fought six matches in a row, the Eastern Palace could no longer do anything to him for this round. As the remaining six Vice Marshals stepped onto the field, they acted just as Wang Chong expected and challenged the Marshals of the other Imperial Army divisions.
But no one challenged the two armored Marshals the Eastern Palace supported.
On the northern end of the drilling ground, the First Prince watched all of this unfurl with his hands behind his back and nodded in satisfaction. Although he hadn't gotten what he wanted with Zhao Fengchen, the overall event was going as he expected. At the very least, the twelve Vice Marshals he had chosen had not challenged his men.
”Have them prepare for the second round!”
”Yes, Your Highness!”
A Golden Guard quickly turned around to convey the order.
”For the last round, I want to challenge Marshal Duan Zhuyan of the Feather Forest Army!”
This sudden, resounding voice from the drilling ground caused the entire place to fall silent. All the members of the Eastern Palace paled in unison and looked over.
”What is going on here?”
The First Prince angrily turned to Meng Tu.
”This… I don't know either.”
Meng Tu paled, his face even more stunned than the First Prince's.
”I already went to all twelve Vice Marshals and had them swear fealty to Your Highness!”
Eleven of the twelve Vice Marshals had followed the plan, but the last one had gone astray.
”What's the name of that Vice Marshal?”
The First Prince had a dark and sinister look on his face.
”He seemed to have been called Wei Xiyuan,” Meng Tu said.
……
”Wang Chong, did you do this?”
On the southern end of the drilling ground, Bai Siling smiled as she looked toward Wang Chong. Although she didn't know what had happened, after seeing the reaction of the Eastern Palace members, she felt almost by instinct that Wang Chong had done something.
”Heheh, the First Prince was just too certain, believing that all the Tang would swear fealty to him. But he completely forgot that the Sage Emperor's status is still much higher than his in this empire!” Wang Chong commented, not denying it.
The First Prince had bought the loyalty of eleven Imperial Army Vice Marshals, and six of them had challenged Zhao Fengchen. Wang Chong was naturally capable of persuading one of the Vice Marshals to swear fealty to the Sage Emperor and pretend to join the First Prince.
”Hmph, cunning,” Bai Siling poutingly said, but there was no rebuke in her eyes, only a sense of pride. ”The First Prince seems to be furious. He probably didn't think that you would be able to bribe one of his Vice Marshals so soon after returning to the capital.”
”Heh, I didn't do it in the last few days. I had this planned out long ago!” Wang Chong casually said as he looked at the drilling ground.
Bai Siling smiled and instinctively wanted to say a few more words of praise, but she quickly realized what exactly Wang Chong had said and stared at him in a daze.
The First Prince had only begun to show his ambition recently, but Wang Chong had apparently bribed this Vice Marshal some time ago. Just how long ago had he predicted that the First Prince would make this move?
Bai Siling naturally did not know that Wang Chong had long ago known about the Rebellion of the Three Princes that was only just beginning to take form before their eyes.
Moreover, only by making his plans long beforehand could he have actually hidden them from the First Prince and the Eastern Palace.
Neigh!
Meanwhile, there was a fierce neighing as the match on the drilling ground began.
The mysterious Marshal of the Feather Forest Army, clad completely in armor, slowly rode forward with his five hundred men.
An immense energy erupted from his body, flooding across the entire drilling ground.
All was silent as everyone stared at the Feather Forest Army Marshal.