Chapter 210

Marquis Vex blinked. "What? Mi Xus, isn't that so?"

"Even if your subordinates grew wings, they couldn't escape—do you really think they can help you win this match?"

"Hah! Marquis Vex, it seems Marquis Mi Xus isn't as magnanimous as rumored—he can't even accept defeat in a contest!" Anthony's mockery followed immediately.

As rivals, their usual relations were hardly better.

Now that the chance had come, they naturally seized it to sneer a few more times.

Other nobles, hearing this, looked at Mi Xus with puzzlement.

In the past, Marquis Mi Xus had enjoyed a fine reputation—easygoing in dealings, principled in action, not the sort to cheat or scheme.

But now…

"Who said Marquis Mi Xus can't accept defeat? Mi Xus merely means the match isn't over yet—the outcome still isn't certain!" At last, Adili stepped forward.

Then, he waved his hand; his messenger, receiving the order, immediately blew the horn!

Ooooh!

"Attack horn? Adili, are you dreaming? Who are you planning to attack? Your men are all already on the left slope—"

Clip-clop! Clip-clop!

Before Vex's mockery ended, a hundred cavalry suddenly burst from the hidden grove where the attackers had concealed themselves!

After emerging from the grove, the cavalry charged straight for the right mountain path.

Thanks to their superior warhorses, the cavalry moved like the wind, arriving at the right junction in the blink of an eye.

Though the right slope was steep, with no enemy blocking them, the hundred cavalry surged forward without pause, directly charging up the earthwork!

"This… this is impossible! Your cavalry were all used up!"

Vex and Anthony turned pale, their faces filled with disbelief and panic.

The crowd erupted in uproar.

"What's going on? How does Marquis Mi Xus still have a hundred cavalry?"

"Yes! Didn't all fifteen hundred of his cavalry already go to the left path? Does Marquis Mi Xus actually have sixteen hundred cavalry?"

"Impossible! We just reported to Prince Bruce that there were fifteen hundred cavalry—how could there be a hundred more? That would be deceiving His Highness!"

"Besides, this is different from how Vex and his men carved out that forest path!"

"Vex merely entered the battlefield early within the rules—there was no explicit ban on carving forest paths, so it wasn't cheating!"

"But the number of participants is fixed—adding even one person breaks the rules!"

Marquis Mi Xus said nothing to the surrounding confusion, his eyes fixed on the cavalry charging up the right earthwork.

But Commander Adili couldn't stay calm—he shouted loudly: "Who said these hundred cavalry are extra? They were always part of the fifteen hundred!"

"Impossible! You clearly sent all fifteen hundred cavalry out just now! Adili, you're cheating!" Anthony clung to this as if it were a lifeline, refusing to believe the explanation.

Adili laughed bitterly. "If you don't believe it, count them yourselves!"

"Besides, these hundred cavalry were deliberately held back—when we sent out several waves, we left out a few men each time, hiding them in the grove. You never noticed!"

"So that's how!" The surrounding nobles suddenly understood, now believing Adili and his men wouldn't dare cheat so brazenly before the Prince.

And on the chaotic battlefield, they simply couldn't count the cavalry with perfect accuracy.

Even Vex and Anthony, though they'd assigned men to tally enemy troop movements, faced the problem of moving targets.

If you counted three hundred and got two hundred eighty or two hundred ninety, that was perfectly normal.

After all, at that moment, you'd assume you'd miscounted—not that the enemy had deliberately held back troops.

You'd think the chaos had caused your error.

Then you'd automatically round it to a round number.

After all, ten men couldn't possibly affect the battle's outcome.

You would also routinely assume that in legion battles, troops were always deployed in complete units.

No one expected Mi Xus to secretly hold back a force here.

Thus, by dividing into four squads and leaving out just ten or twenty cavalry per squad, the hidden number in the grove could be "created from nothing!"

Ooooh!

At that moment, the urgent horn sounded again.

It was Vex and Anthony's frantic command.

They wanted their men to intercept the hundred cavalry on the right.

Too late.

Their five hundred cavalry were already locked in combat with the left-flank assault force.

The infantry were even less of a help.

So they could only watch helplessly as the hundred cavalry surged forward, reaching the flagpole in just three minutes—and raising it, flag and all, high into the air.

"We've won!"

"Hah! We've won!"

Faint shouts echoed from the opposite mountaintop—clear even across several miles.

The battle on the left flank had also ceased instantly.

Marquis Mi Xus finally allowed himself a faint smile. "Vex, Anthony, remember to send two barrels of the elves' fruit wine to my home and to Commander Adili's."

"Oh, don't be too upset—when the Tulip Caravan next travels to the Elven Kingdom, have them bring you two more barrels."

"Hahahaha!" Commander Adili laughed triumphantly.

True, the Tulip Caravan would indeed return to the Elven Kingdom.

But how many nobles had already reserved the elf wine? By the time it reached them again, it might take one or two years.

Vex and Anthony's faces flushed red and white, their earlier arrogance vanished.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

At that moment, applause and cheers came from behind them.

Mi Xus and Adili immediately suppressed their smug expressions and turned respectfully.

For the applause came from Prince Bruce.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

"Now that the outcome is clear, I declare this contest won by Marquis Mi Xus and Commander Adili's Royal Iron Guard Legion! No objections?" Prince Bruce asked.

Naturally, no one dared object.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Mi Xus and Adili bowed again.

But then, Prince Bruce asked a question with an ambiguous tone.

"Mi Xus, Adili—Vex Marquis and Anthony Commander's plan was nearly flawless, especially secretly carving that passage and boldly stationing troops in the center route!"

"I'm curious—how did you discover it? Given your deployment, you must have sensed everything even before the battle began?"

This wasn't just Prince Bruce's curiosity.

Vex, Anthony, and every noble watching were equally puzzled.

After all, everyone entered the field at the same time, standing at equal distances.

So why could Mi Xus and Adili see it, while none of them could?

Moreover, as His Highness said, the attackers began subtly reducing troop numbers from their first cavalry wave.

This meant Mi Xus and Adili detected the deception from the very start of battle.

And that was deeply suspicious.

Did they uncover it through their own skill?

Or did they use some underhanded method?

This would directly affect their reputations going forward.

You may win—but if you cheated with illicit means, your name would be ruined.

You might even lose Prince Bruce's favor.