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Chapter 94: 94 Hasn’t the North Prince Already Fled?_i

Such a large convoy from the Prince’s Mansion heading south was bound to catch the eyes of the common folk, and rumors were inevitable.

Lu Chen didn’t pay too much attention to the rumors; he was already busy preparing to defend against the Barbarian Tribe.

Several days later.

In order to get the people in the northern part of North City to cooperate with the scorched earth policy and evacuate the population, North Prince Mansion issued a proclamation directly, informing the commoners that the Barbarian Tribe was about to assemble three hundred thousand cavalry to head south, conquer North City, and even establish a country there.

Once the proclamation was out, in less than half a month, it created an uproar.

Not only did the commoners of North City become aware of this matter, but the whole of Great Sum, as well as the neighboring countries around Great Sum, also learned that the Barbarian Tribe was about to move south.

The commoners had already heard rumors of the Barbarian Tribe moving south when North Prince Mansion’s convoy was heading south; now that North Prince Mansion had issued the proclamation directly, that confirmed that the Barbarian Tribe indeed planned to head south.

Some commoners thought that since even their Prince had fled, staying in North City meant a certain death, so they fled south.

Of course, there were also some commoners who did not want to leave their homes where they had lived for generations.

To ensure the commoners cooperate with the scorched earth policy, North Prince Mansion quickly issued another decree that any commoner who complied with the policy would be exempt from agricultural taxes for two years after the war ended when they returned to their original lands.

The policy of exempting agricultural tax was initially planned by Lu Chen to promote the cultivation of new crops, but with no other choice and some of the northern commoners stubbornly refusing to leave, he had to bring out this policy in advance.

If, under these circumstances, those commoners still refused to leave, Lu Chen had no intentions to interfere any further.

He had to focus on training the new army and couldn’t put all his efforts into the scorched earth policy.

Early morning.

Lu Chen got out of bed and glanced at the icy beauty in his arms.

Bai Qingqing was also gazing at him, as she always woke up before he did.

Seeing Lu Chen looking at her, a blush appeared on Bai Qingqing’s cold and beautiful face, and she quickly turned her head to look away.

Since Lu Chen’s wives had left, he had been coming to her bed every night, and her body and mind already belonged entirely to Lu Chen, but she still couldn’t dare to look directly into his eyes.

Seeing Bai Qingqing’s shy demeanor, Lu Chen smiled faintly; after these days of exploration, he had figured out how to use the Dragon Phoenix Yin-Yang Spell.

The role of the Dragon Phoenix Yin-Yang Spell was to accelerate one’s own cultivation, to improve one’s speed of absorbing Spiritual Energy, and also to allow the female partner to embark on the path of cultivation.

In other words, the Dragon Phoenix Yin-Yang Spell was a dual cultivation technique.

Lu Chen planned to bring Mu Zixuan and the others back after the war with the Barbarian Tribe ended and cultivate the Dragon Phoenix Yin-Yang Spell together with them.

Although the chances of becoming immortals were slim in this world where Spiritual Energy was scarce, the possibility of extending their lives or maintaining their youth and beauty was still achievable.

At this moment, Lu Chen got up from the bed; he didn’t plan to start his day with a morning greeting to Bai Qingqing since he had important matters to handle today.

After getting up, Lu Chen ate something simple and then rode his horse to the new army’s camp.

When the commoners of Yan County saw Lu Chen riding his horse, they were all incredibly shocked and started talking among themselves.

“Wasn’t it said that the North Prince has already fled?”

“Yeah, I saw the wives’ carriages heading south with my own eyes.”

“Then why is the North Prince still in Yan County?”

“Could it be that this is a body double for the North Prince?”

“How could it be a double, I’ve seen the North Prince several times, this is definitely the North Prince himself.”

“It seems then that the North Prince has merely sent his wives south to take refuge, he himself hasn’t fled.”

“Didn’t expect the North Prince to have such integrity!”

Hearing the commoners’ discussions, Lu Chen didn’t pay much heed; he had specifically ridden his horse to the new army’s camp to let the commoners of Yan County know he had not left Yan County.

Soon, Lu Chen arrived at the new army’s camp.

The new military camp was located outside the city, and to facilitate the testing of cannons, Lu Chen had people build the new military camp site at a location fairly distant from Yan County.

When Lu Chen arrived at the new military camp, Mu Changtian and several other key generals immediately came to Lu Chen’s front, “We pay our respects to the Prince.”

Lu Chen nodded slightly, then asked, “Have all the recruits for the new army been gathered?”

Mu Changtian replied, “Back to the Prince, they have all been gathered, exactly ten thousand men.”

No sooner had Mu Changtian’s voice faded than Li Feng spoke up, “Prince, I’ve heard that the court has issued a Military Expansion Order to North City. North City can now have up to one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers. Why don’t we take this opportunity to recruit some more soldiers?”

After they reported the situation of the Barbarian Tribe moving south to the court, the court immediately issued a Military Expansion Order to North Prince’s Mansion, but after so much time had passed, Lu Chen hadn’t continued to recruit soldiers, and he appeared to have no intention of doing so. This left Li Feng and the others feeling somewhat baffled.

Securing a Military Expansion Order from the court was no easy feat; everyone knew that the Sum Emperor had always been weakening the Seigniors’ power. Being able to maintain a hundred thousand-strong army in North City was already quite an accomplishment.

This time, had it not been for the internal instability within Great Sum’s borders, making it inadvisable to mobilize the army casually, the Sum Emperor would never have agreed to issue a Military Expansion Order to North City.

This Military Expansion Order was an opportunity for North City, for the North Prince, to swiftly boost their power.

Yet, the North Prince did not take immediate action.

Although North City’s population was sparse, recruiting one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers was still not a big problem.

Moreover, they were on the verge of war with the Barbarian Tribe. If they could recruit another hundred thousand new soldiers in a short time, their hope of defeating the Barbarian Tribe would be even greater.

Hearing Li Feng’s question, Lu Chen smiled faintly, “The value of soldiers does not reside in their number, but in their quality.”

“Even if we were to recruit another hundred thousand new soldiers now, would you be able to train them in a short time?”

“If they were to enter the battlefield, they would likely be scattered by the Barbarian Cavalry’s charge.”

“Let’s not even talk about new recruits. Even the imperial army often gets scattered when facing the Barbarian Cavalry, isn’t that right, General Mu?”

As he said this, Lu Chen’s gaze fell on Mu Changtian. It was time to discuss official matters, so Lu Chen did not address Mu Changtian as his father-in-law but referred to him directly as General Mu.

Lu Chen looked at him as he spoke these words because Mu Changtian had fought the Barbarian Tribe many times and was experienced.

Hearing Lu Chen’s words, Mu Changtian said, “What the Prince says is right; if we have the new recruits face the Barbarian Tribe head-on, they would probably be wiped out by a cavalry charge.”

With this, Mu Changtian’s tone shifted, “However, Prince, these new soldiers do not necessarily have to confront the Barbarian soldiers head-on; they could also defend the city.”

Since they were already the defending side, there was no need to clash directly with the Barbarian Cavalry. Soldiers were needed to defend the city, and even if the new recruits could not match the cavalry in combat strength, they could still play a significant role in city defense.

Therefore, Mu Changtian leaned towards recruiting some more soldiers.

At this point, Lu Chen said, “I understand your thoughts, but don’t worry. Since the court has issued a Military Expansion Order, naturally, 1 intend to expand the army, but not right now.”

“Also, in a few days, I shall give you all a surprise.”

Upon hearing this, Mu Changtian and the others exchanged puzzled glances, all curious about the surprise Lu Chen mentioned.

Lu Chen continued, “By the way, the tunnels you were ordered to dig, are they ready?”

Li Feng answered, “Back to the Prince, they have been completed.”

Lu Chen then said, “Take me there.”

Following this, Li Feng and the others led Lu Chen to the Artillery Camp’s tunnel.

Seeing the tunnel before him, Li Feng was very eager to ask Lu Chen what the purpose of having them dig tunnels was, but in the end, he held back.

Since the North Prince had them dig tunnels, there must be a use for them, and probably the North Prince would soon reveal their purpose.

Lu Chen did not hesitate, walking straight into the tunnel while saying, “You all wait outside, and without my command, no one is allowed to enter.”

Hearing Lu Chen’s words, everyone immediately halted in their tracks.

Once Lu Chen was inside the tunnel, he opened the system backpack and took out a 122mm towed howitzer.

He then glanced over the data of the howitzer.

[Caliber: 122mm, Range: 18,000 meters, Initial Velocity: 690 m/s, Projectile Weight: 33.4 kg, Total Weight: 3400 kg, Fragmentation Shell Casualty Radius: 15-30 meters..]