Chapter 1581: How Could He Be There?

The military camp at Tianmen Pass was inside the city; Xu Que, holding the military map he had swiped from Hu Zhengtang, made his way straight to the camp.

At this moment, the main army had already been deployed to the battlefield, leaving the camp somewhat empty.

Xu Que wandered around inside and found only a rear-echelon unit left behind, numbering about three thousand men.

This time, Xu Que did not conceal his identity but approached them openly and squarely.

"Your Majesty has arrived!"

"We respectfully welcome Your Majesty!"

The soldiers recognized Xu Que at a glance and immediately dropped to their knees in unison, shouting respectfully.

Over the past two years, the reform methods implemented by Xu Que had greatly improved the domestic economy; with sufficient military funds, the wives, children, and elderly in these soldiers' homes were living quite well, so naturally, their hearts were filled with gratitude toward Xu Que.

Xu Que nodded satisfactorily, stood before the crowd, organized his words, and spoke: "This time, I embark on a Personal Expedition to personally enter the fray and slay the enemy; I wonder if you gentlemen are willing to join me in exterminating the Qin Bandits together?"

The soldiers were instantly dumbfounded.

"What did Your Majesty just say?"

"Did I hear wrong... did Your Majesty say he wants to go to the battlefield?"

"You didn't hear wrong... I heard it too."

Go to the battlefield?

What kind of joke is this!

Your Majesty, we know you are brilliant and divine, truly a Bright Lord in governing the kingdom, but this is war!

People will die!

A soldier, looking terrified, raised his hand tremblingly and said, "Your Majesty, the General previously ordered that if Your Majesty intended to go to the battlefield, we must stop you..."

Xu Que rolled his eyes; that dog-fucking Hu Zhengtang, who would have thought such a thick-browed and big-eyed fellow would pull a trick like this.

Are you kidding? If this Saint of Acting Cool can't even handle a few little soldiers, what business does he have being Emperor?

He cleared his throat and, with a profound and solemn tone, slowly began: "Do you have dreams?"

"Dreams?" The soldiers paused, feeling a sense of solemnity rise spontaneously in their hearts.

"A dream is something for which one strives even at the cost of life; my dream is to make these Nine Provinces a place without oppression, but any ideal is achieved through step-by-step struggle! What is most precious to a person should be life; you ask if I fear death? Of course I fear death, for life comes only once to each person, which is why I believe a person's life should be spent this way!"

Saying this, Xu Que paused, and while the soldiers were stunned, he spent a high price to have the System activate the BGM.

Watching his Acting Cool Points flow away like water, Xu Que felt a pang in his heart.

Damn it, this black-hearted merchant System; just for using a Recorder, it charged me so many Acting Cool Points!

If I don't recoup my losses on the battlefield this time, all these Acting Cool Points will have been wasted in vain!

The grand movement of the Symphony of Fate began to play, its soul-shaking melody seeming to resonate within their hearts, like a giant hammer striking their hearts.

"Where is this music coming from..."

"I don't know, but I suddenly feel energized; this music is so hot-blooded!"

"Ahhh! I'm ignited!"

Accompanied by the strong rhythm of the music, Xu Que spread his arms as if to embrace the sky: "I hope that when I look back on my past, I will not regret having wasted my youth nor feel ashamed of having accomplished nothing; thus, when I am on my deathbed, I will be able to say: I have dedicated my entire life and all my energy to the most precious cause—struggling for the liberation of the Nine Provinces!"

As his voice fell, the three thousand soldiers became utterly solemn.

Xu Que looked at everyone with a smiling face; in their eyes, he saw a burning flame.

"If this Kingdom is ultimately destined to become a place of equality, then why can't we be the ones to take the first step!" Xu Que waved his arm forcefully and shouted, "Now the Qin Kingdom wants to oppress us and turn us into losers; if we lose, your sons will become slaves, your wives and daughters will become concubines and maids, enslaved by others; do you agree to this?"

"We do not agree!" the soldiers rose and roared.

"Then what must we do now?!"

"Defeat them!"

"Well said!"

Xu Que walked over to the weapon rack, drew out a Long Blade, and swung it down: "Now, let those damned invaders see clearly that we, the soldiers of the Eastern Tang Kingdom, are all men of blood and courage! Eastern Tang shall be immortal!"

The soldiers shouted until their voices were hoarse: "Eastern Tang shall be immortal!"

Under Xu Que's nearly brainwashing-style speech, these three thousand soldiers had now fallen into a state of fanaticism, treating this upcoming battle as a liberation campaign bathed in sacred significance.

Of course, before departing, Xu Que specifically distributed various foods he had prepared to the soldiers.

Although items from the Cultivation World could not be exchanged out—they were too expensive!

But with the blessing of Chef Skills, the food Xu Que made also possessed the effect of raising realms, except that it raised Martial Arts Realms instead.

Combined with the Martial Arts Secret Manuals he gave these soldiers, within a mere quarter of an hour, this group of soldiers was efficiently speed-trained into Third-Rank Experts!

It must be known that in the army, a single Third-Rank Expert is sufficient to serve as a Hundred-Man Commander leading a squad, commanding one hundred soldiers under him.

Three thousand Hundred-Man Commanders—what a terrifying force this was?!

"Brothers, follow me to cut off the dog head of the King of Qin!"

Xu Que shouted loudly and led the three thousand soldiers rushing toward the battlefield outside the city.

At this moment, outside the pass on the battlefield, the two armies faced each other.

Thousands upon thousands of troops and horses were insufficient to describe the scene before them.

Hu Zhengtang stood atop the City Wall, his gaze filled with deep gravity.

A Qin Soldiers general was currently shouting provocatively on the battlefield: "You little brats of Eastern Tang inside the city, if you have the guts, come out and fight! Don't be like Cowards hiding inside the city; don't come out!"

"This... the Qin Kingdom's vanguard alone numbers three hundred thousand men... their total force has already exceeded one million." Hu Zhengtang asked the Deputy General behind him, "How many men do we have right now?"

The Deputy General bowed with clasped hands and replied, "Reporting to the General, Tianmen Pass currently has a Garrison of three hundred thousand; the remaining troops are being continuously mobilized, and the forces brought by the Emperor are still on their way."

"How long will it take?"

"Approximately... another seven days."

Hu Zhengtang rubbed his brow, feeling somewhat anxious: "So we must hold out here for seven days, three hundred thousand against one million... fortunately, we did not let Your Majesty lead the troops."

"Your Majesty wants to lead the troops?" the Deputy General asked in surprise.

"Yes, if Your Majesty leads the army, I fear we won't last even three days," Hu Zhengtang exhaled deeply and waved his hand. "Issue the order: no matter how the enemy provokes, no one is to leave the City to engage them."

"Yes, sir!"

The words had barely left his lips when a familiar voice suddenly exploded across the Battlefield.

"Wastes, prepare to die!"

There, a young man rode a Cavalry horse, charging out of the City Gate; behind him was a small unit of three thousand, kicking up rolling dust and smoke as they surged toward the several hundred thousand troops already encamped ahead.

Hu Zhengtang's eyes instantly threatened to split from their sockets; he felt as if struck by Thunder.

"The Emperor! How could he be there?"

……