Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 819 - 819 0505 Lets Forget It for Now_2

Chapter 819: Chapter 0505: Let’s Forget It for Now_2 Chapter 819: Chapter 0505: Let’s Forget It for Now_2 Qi Tian immediately went to see Prince Zhao himself.

“Prince Zhao, there has been a change of plans. It is now highly probable that a group of cultivators, including a considerable proportion of those in the Gold Core Realm, has set their sights on the Great Zhao Nation. Once they intervene, the situation will become extremely troublesome, far worse than what occurred in Red Sand City a few days ago. If we haven’t taken the Capital and secured your title as Crown Prince by then, complications will arise to an extreme degree.”

Qi Tian did not deceive Prince Zhao but laid out the severity of the situation clearly.

After hearing the details, Prince Zhao’s expression turned exceptionally grave. He asked, “Master, what shall we do then?”

Qi Tian said, “We must change our current tactics, shifting away from besieging and capturing cities to bypassing all urban centers and heading straight for the Capital. As long as we capture the Capital, we can issue decrees to pacify the realm. Facing those cultivators, we will not be as passive.”

After a moment of contemplation, Prince Zhao nodded. At this point, he had no better solution and could only follow Qi Tian’s advice. His ambition had already been ignited by Qi Tian, and he no longer felt like he was being pushed forward reluctantly. Now, he saw the throne of the Great Zhao Nation as his to claim, and anyone standing in his way was an enemy, even a group of foreign cultivators.

Prince Zhao immediately started issuing orders, directing the Northern Expedition Army to break camp overnight and advance toward the Capital.

Qi Tian fully understood the principle of the importance of speed in military operations. The sooner they captured the Capital, the sooner their side could seize the initiative, thereby reducing many unnecessary losses. However, Qi Tian also knew that maintaining a high-intensity march for the Northern Expedition Army was not beneficial. A misstep could lead to substantial non-combat casualties, which would render reaching the Capital meaningless.

After some thought, Qi Tian made two arrangements. One was specifically for the Northern Expedition Army: he distributed a large amount of gold and silver as rewards to all soldiers. This “golden egg” tactic was met with jubilation throughout the army ranks; even those who received the least could obtain thirty to forty taels of silver—a significant sum that could buy several acres of good farmland back home. In addition to the monetary rewards, Qi Tian also took out a quantity of medicinal pills that could quickly replenish strength and restore spirits. He dissolved the pills in water, diluted them extensively, and distributed them to each soldier to drink when they felt fatigued, addressing the serious issues of physical and mental exhaustion.

The other arrangement Qi Tian made was for the cultivators accompanying the army. He tasked them with a mission to visit counties along the expedition’s route and persuade the local garrisons to stand down, avoiding interfering with the Northern Expedition Army’s advance. To achieve quick results and control unforeseen circumstances, Qi Tian permitted these accompanying cultivators to use violent methods when necessary, even resorting to killing if required.

At this juncture, Qi Tian could not afford any benevolence. If he failed to quickly gain control of the situation and seize the Capital before cultivators from Wanjie City arrived, ensuring Prince Zhao was the sole representative of the Great Zhao Nation, things would become extremely problematic. A slight misjudgment could result in many deaths. It was known that in desperation, the Crown Prince would indeed use secret realms as bait, gaining the support of those foreign Gold Core Realm powerhouses. If those foreign cultivators, especially those at the Gold Core Realm, were involved, the casualties for Qi Tian’s Northern Expedition Army could be immense.

The two measures employed by Qi Tian proved highly effective. In the following two days, the Northern Expedition Army advanced rapidly and unobstructed, storming three hundred li straight to the foot of the Capital.

What eased Qi Tian’s concerns somewhat was that there was still no news indicating mass movement of cultivators from Wanjie City into the Great Zhao Nation. Everything seemed calm, and the power struggle remained contained within their own country, not involving outsiders.

Qi Tian directly ordered his troops to breach the tightly shut gates and then the Northern Expedition Army tore into the Capital, engaging in a fierce battle with the royal army stationed there. Qi Tian did not engage in the fight; instead, he led his Immortal Slave and a team of elite Northern Expedition soldiers to escort Prince Zhao straight to the Crown Prince Manor.

Following Qi Tian’s arrangement, he always had Deng Chuanliang stand guard in the Capital. Deng Chuanliang’s primary task was to keep a close eye on the Crown Prince, to prevent him from escaping the Capital or committing suicide. This task might not be achievable by anybody else; however, with Deng Chuanliang on the case, there would be absolutely no problem. This was mainly due to Deng Chuanliang’s cultivation realm and strength. His strength at the Third Level of the Gold Core Realm was top-notch in the Capital, and as for the Crown Prince, who was only at the Half-step Golden Core, Deng saw him as no different from a child who was just a few months old.

When Qi Tian was about to enter the Capital, he had already contacted Deng Chuanliang and instructed him to keep a firm eye on the Crown Prince and ensure that he did not flee or die at this critical juncture.

The Capital was now in complete chaos. Its citizens, having lived in peace for hundreds of years, hadn’t experienced war in a long time. Now, with war suddenly upon them, how could they not be shaken? Their only solace was that the army attacking the Capital was not foreign invaders but a war for succession among the princes. This meant that neither the Northern Expedition Army nor the imperial army would turn their blades on them lightly. As long as they didn’t foolishly intervene at this time, they would be safe.

Qi Tian and his men headed straight for the Crown Prince Manor. Along the way, they encountered some panic-stricken civilians, whom Qi Tian couldn’t even bother to give a glance. However, the Crown Prince had many die-hard loyalists in the Capital. Several times they faced suicidal attacks from the princes, high officials loyal to the Crown Prince, leading their household troops, personal guards, and protectors against Qi Tian and his men.

To these people, Qi Tian showed no mercy, directly ordering his men to eliminate them all. Being kind-hearted and soft-handed at this time was definitely not an option.

The strength of Qi Tian and his men was overwhelming. They charged ahead, much like a tank battalion crushing everything in their path, and before long, they arrived at the Crown Prince Manor.

The Crown Prince Manor, adjacent to the imperial palace, was, strictly speaking, a part of the imperial palace. At this time, the Crown Prince was not resigned to sit and wait for his doom. He had gathered all the forces he could mobilize at the Crown Prince Manor and the nearby parts of the imperial palace.

The area covered was quite extensive, amounting to five or six hundred acres. Now, it was filled with various military forces, and in addition, there were a lot of princes, high officials loyal to the Crown Prince, and cultivators.

The Crown Prince stood atop the high palace walls, surrounded by a group of officials dressed in bright red robes, all of them high-ranking officials of the first and second rank. He looked down upon Prince Zhao.

As Emperor Tian Rui’s eldest legitimate son, the Crown Prince enjoyed an unbridgeable gap in status compared to Prince Zhao, who was but the son of a lowly palace maid. From birth, the treatments they received were worlds apart; one was the Crown Prince, the heir to the throne, while the other struggled even for basic necessities. Later, before reaching adulthood, Prince Zhao was sent away from the imperial palace to a remote mountain village, virtually in exile.

Nobody could have anticipated that two brothers with such stark differences in status would become deadly rivals, each wishing to eliminate the other.

“Ninth brother, I did not anticipate meeting you under these circumstances. Had I known of your accomplishments today, I would have suggested to father emperor to bestow you with a princely title and entrust you with defending a region for our Great Zhao Nation,” the Crown Prince said, his face showing no signs of panic. Even at such a time, he could express such sentiments, something that Prince Zhao greatly admired.

Prince Zhao, looking up, said to his significantly older brother, “Elder brother, if you wish to catch up on old times, let’s have that chat after you abdicate the position of Crown Prince to me. As for now, let’s not bother with that.”