[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence":3,"chapter-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-208":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Warlord: Starting with Daily Intelligence",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2338671,4572,"Chapter 208: The Royal Legion Trial!","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-208",208,"\u003Cp>Thirty li east of the Gryphon Capital lies one of the Royal Family’s most luxurious imperial estates: Golden Shield Manor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, on a slope outside Golden Shield Manor planted with tulips and lavender, colorful banners fluttered in the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nobles dressed in opulent attire took their seats at the arranged tables and chairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Mi Xiu and Deputy Commander A De Li were among them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It goes without saying that the nobles surrounding them were of equally exalted status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Prince Bruce arrives!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A loud cry rang out; all the nobles rose to their feet, including Marquis Mi Xiu and Deputy Commander A De Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, a luxurious carriage drawn by twelve warhorses halted before the red carpet, surrounded by a host of knights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The carriage door opened, and a middle-aged man in an ornate ceremonial robe stepped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man was none other than Prince Bruce, one of the kingdom’s most powerful nobles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Bruce was the ninth younger brother of Gryphon VII, born to a concubine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, because his mother was of low status, he was shunned from childhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Gryphon VII, then the Second Prince, took great care of this younger brother, forging an unusually deep bond between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Gryphon VII later contested the throne with his elder brother—the Crown Prince of Gryphon Kingdom—Prince Bruce played a decisive role.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Prince Bruce possessed extraordinary cultivation talent, reaching Earth Knight rank at a very young age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was his intervention that secured Gryphon VII’s ultimate succession and kept him firmly seated on the throne for decades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over these decades, Prince Bruce became the stabilizing pillar of Gryphon Kingdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, as Gryphon VII grows old and frail, unable to manage state affairs personally, the kingdom remains secure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We salute Your Highness!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We salute Your Highness!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Prince Bruce walked along the red carpet to the central seat, the nobles bowed their heads in respectful greeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Bruce, stern and expressionless, nodded faintly at the assembly only after taking his seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After scanning the crowd, he asked: “Are you all ready?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, preparations are complete. For this exercise, Marquis Mi Xiu and Deputy Commander A De Li, as the attacking force, command fifteen hundred cavalry and three thousand infantry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Meanwhile, Marquis Weikes and Deputy Commander An Dong Ni, as the defending force, command five hundred cavalry and eight thousand elite infantry!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then begin. Let them prove who deserves this year’s generous rewards!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Your Highness!” A subordinate responded and swiftly approached Mi Xiu and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellencies, His Highness has ordered the exercise to commence!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Mi Xiu and the others rose immediately, walked to the front of the gathering of nobles, and ordered their messengers to sound the war horns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the blaring horns, hooves thundered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A force of fifteen hundred cavalry and three thousand infantry entered the Royal Hunting Grounds one li away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were the attacking force—the Royal Army’s Iron Guard Legion—under the command of Mi Xiu and A De Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The defending force, as previously reported, consisted of five hundred cavalry and eight thousand infantry—the Royal Guard Legion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By regulation, they had entered the Royal Gardens three hours earlier to conceal and deploy their troops in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This exercise, held annually, determined the future privileges each legion would receive, so both sides took it seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rules were simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ahead, in the Royal Hunting Grounds, lay a broad hilltop, over two hundred meters high, stretching two to three li in depth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At its peak flew a vibrant Gryphon battle flag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The objective of Mi Xiu’s attacking force was to storm the summit and seize the Gryphon flag within the allotted time to claim victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Likewise, the defending force under Marquis Weikes and Deputy Commander An Dong Ni must protect the flag and prevent its capture within the time limit to win.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Mi Xiu’s attacking force held a thousand extra cavalry, seemingly an advantage,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>terrain must also be considered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cavalry were indeed an unstoppable iron tide across open fields.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But against a forested slope rising over three hundred meters, their advantage would greatly diminish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, only three paths led up the hill; the defenders, with overwhelming infantry numbers, could simply lie in ambush and wait for the enemy to walk into their trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key to the attackers’ victory lay in mobility or accurate judgment of assault routes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they could probe the enemy’s weak points and exploit their cavalry superiority, they could swiftly storm the summit and seize the flag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Currently, the defenders had revealed only a small portion of their troops along the mountain paths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rest remained hidden within the forest; choosing the correct route depended entirely on experience—or luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mi Xiu, A De Li, His Highness has begun. Why are you two still fiddling with those tubes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’re afraid, just surrender now. An Dong Ni and I only want the two rabbit-girl servants His Majesty granted you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Mi Xiu and A De Li planned their assault, Weikes and An Dong Ni taunted them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this might well have been deliberate distraction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing the mockery, Deputy Commander A De Li set down his tube and sneered, “Weikes, An Dong Ni, do you really think such crude distractions will secure your victory? You’re two naive fools!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, make sure you’ve prepared those two barrels of Elven wine. Mi Xiu and I plan to split one barrel each after defeating you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph, let’s see if you have the skill!” Having their scheme exposed, Marquis Weikes and An Dong Ni ceased their taunting, embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, Mi Xiu and A De Li finalized their plan and ordered their messengers to relay their commands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the messengers delivered the orders; the fifteen hundred cavalry and three thousand infantry surged into a nearby grove of trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once hidden within the grove, the attacking force waited seven or eight minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the watching nobles grew puzzled, suddenly two thousand infantry burst from the grove and charged toward the left and central mountain paths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the attackers judged these two routes, being flatter, as more advantageous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, the defenders, resting and waiting, understood this too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the two thousand troops reached the hill’s base, they were met with resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each side deployed one thousand infantry to block the advance—matched in strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After brief combat, at Mi Xiu’s signal, a horn sounded, and from the grove surged two detachments of three hundred cavalry each.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both cavalry units headed toward the left and central paths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With cavalry reinforcements, the defending one thousand infantry were overwhelmed and began retreating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within roughly eight minutes, both flanks had been pushed halfway up the slope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the defenders’ hidden ambush troops emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two detachments of one thousand infantry each charged from the underbrush on the mid-slope, halting the attackers’ advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the battle stalled at mid-slope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wooooo!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another horn blast rang out; the final thousand infantry and nine hundred cavalry of the attackers burst from the grove, charging toward the left and central paths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the entire attacking force had now been deployed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the left path: fifteen hundred infantry. On the central path: seven hundred fifty infantry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The defenders, meanwhile, had committed only four thousand infantry—two thousand each on left and central paths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to the overwhelming disparity in numbers, the previously stalled battle now tilted in favor of the attackers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The defending soldiers began retreating step by step, pushed back toward the mid-slope.\u003C\u002Fp>",1242,"2026-06-20T22:44:02.338Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","8d806d76f0d59b5204975fb4694afddbab969277cb78985143c8bcbcb4785231","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-209","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-207",521,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-cover.jpg"]