It seems these people are truly terrified of the Green Ant Clan; they become paranoid at the slightest disturbance.
As the group drove through the street, the Dengzhou residents who had previously kept their doors and windows tightly shut and refused to come out breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the passing troops through their slightly open windows. Many families snapped open their windows, stuck their heads out to look, and then began to discuss among themselves.
Who are these people?
"I don't know. General Lin's men seem quite respectful to them. I wonder who they are?"
Who cares?
They slammed all the windows shut again. It was better to stay home and not come out, lest they be captured by those green ant tribes again, and then they would die a horrible death.
Sitting inside the carriage, Hai Ling listened to the voices outside, her heart heavy. It seemed that those Green Ant Clan members were not only cunning and ruthless, but also very shrewd. Would Ye be alright? Thinking of Ye Lingfeng and worrying about him, she felt a pain in her chest and couldn't help but press her hand to her chest. Upon seeing this, Nalan Mingzhu quickly reached out and held her hand.
"Miss, don't think about it anymore."
Hai Ling nodded, calmed her thoughts, lifted the curtain and looked outside. She saw the carriage following the soldiers and generals all the way to the northwest of Dengzhou.
Inside the northwest city gate, many tents were set up. At this moment, in the largest tent, nearly twenty generals were talking excitedly. The man standing at the head of the table was tall and burly, his hands like fans, slapping the table repeatedly. His face was flushed, and he was unusually excited.
"Excellent! I never imagined His Majesty would infiltrate the Green Ant Clan. The person we found that day wasn't His Majesty at all. This map of the Green Ant Clan was sent by His Majesty himself. His Majesty is currently among the Green Ant Clan. The Green Ant Clan princess has taken a liking to our Emperor and wants to marry him. His Majesty has devised a plan to turn the tables on her and is now in the Green Ant Clan. Tomorrow is the wedding day that princess and our Emperor have agreed upon. His Majesty has ordered us to go in according to the route on the map and coordinate an attack from the inside. This way, we can eliminate future troubles forever. There will be no more Green Ant Clan members in the future. Our Dengzhou will usher in the brightest future in its history."
As soon as General Lin finished speaking, the several people standing below him all stood up excitedly, looked at each other and nodded: "Great, this is really great! The Green Ant Clan has injured so many of our people, and now we can finally get rid of them and eliminate future troubles."
"Yes, I never expected His Majesty to be so shrewd. He wasn't actually burned by that fireball that day. He was just using a ruse to his advantage. He was taken back by the Green Ant Clan, which allowed him to successfully draw this map. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to enter the Green Ant Clan at all."
Chapter 102 The Emperor's Wrath [Handwritten Text Version VIP]
Inside the camp in Dengzhou City, several generals spoke excitedly, all admiring the Emperor. No wonder he had ascended the throne so swiftly at such a young age; they hadn't been convinced of his abilities before. Now it seemed his strategies were truly astonishing. In such a short time, while everyone else thought he had been hit by a fireball, he had already devised a plan to turn the tables on them, feigning being struck by a fireball to achieve his goal of being captured and taken to the Green Ant Clan. In this way, they would obtain the Green Ant Clan's internal map, and this time, they could finally successfully enter the Green Ant Clan and wipe them all out in one fell swoop.
"All generals, listen to my command! Go and prepare immediately. We will depart tomorrow. This time, we must annihilate the Green Ant Clan."
"Yes, General."
Everyone clasped their hands in acceptance and prepared to leave.
Outside the tent, a soldier ran in and respectfully said, "Reporting, General."
"What's up?"
General Lin raised an eyebrow and asked in a deep voice. The soldier quickly reported, "There is someone outside the tent requesting an audience. They say they are from the palace."
"Someone from the palace? Who is it?"
General Lin asked curiously, "At this time, someone from the Northern Lu Palace has come, and the Emperor is in the Green Ant Clan. So who is this person from the palace?" General Lin's eyes flashed. Could it be the Empress? They had heard of this Empress. She was deeply favored by the Emperor and was an extremely intelligent and wise woman. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also very capable. She could say in the main hall that the Emperor was not allowed to take a concubine. This person must be extraordinary. Moreover, people from the other three kingdoms wanted to marry her. He would like to meet such an Empress.
"Bring it in."
General Lin waved his hand, and after the soldier ran out, the dozen or so people in the tent became a little nervous and started talking all at once.
"Who is in the palace? Could it be someone from the Green Ant Clan using trickery?"
"Yes, General Lin, we must be careful."
General Lin waved his hand and said calmly, "The Green Ant Clan is currently preparing for their princess's wedding, so they probably won't be here for the next couple of days. As for this person from the palace, I presume it is Her Majesty the Empress?"
"Your Majesty the Empress?"
Inside the tent, several voices rose in alarm. Had the Empress arrived in Dengzhou? Everyone anxiously looked towards the entrance.
Several figures walked in through the door. The one in the lead was dressed in a magnificent white brocade robe, her dark hair tied up with a ribbon. She walked in with an elegant air, her face radiating a dazzling light. Although gentle, there was a sharp edge hidden within, making her someone not to be underestimated. General Lin and his companions were experienced and knowledgeable. Even with just a few glances, they could tell that the young man before them was a woman. Moreover, her every move exuded domineering nobility. It seemed that he had not guessed wrong. This person from the palace must be the incomparably beautiful and exceptionally intelligent Empress.
With that thought in mind, General Lin came down to greet him, respectfully clasping his hands and bowing.
"Your humble servant Lin Hao greets Your Majesty the Empress."
As soon as General Lin spoke, the other subordinates stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your subjects greet Your Majesty the Empress."
Hai Ling hadn't expected that General Lin and the others would recognize her so quickly. It seemed that General Lin, who was as famous as her father, was not just a figurehead. Thinking to herself, she spoke calmly.
"General Lin is indeed a general worthy of a nation, very intelligent indeed. That's right, I am the Empress of Beilu. You may all rise."
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress."
The generals obeyed and thanked the emperor, rising to make way for him. Lin Hao stepped forward and invited Hai Ling to sit at the head of the main tent, while he himself sat to one side. Shen Ruoxuan, Nalan Mingzhu, and the others sat on the other side.
Once everyone was seated, Lin Hao looked at Hai Ling and spoke respectfully.
"May I ask what brings Her Majesty the Empress to Dengzhou?"
"The person General Lin sent back to the palace that day was still a fake emperor. I saw through him and ordered him to be killed. I was worried about the emperor's whereabouts, so I came to Dengzhou to investigate. I wonder if General Lin has any news about the emperor?"
As soon as Hai Ling finished speaking, General Lin stood up in a panic, which made him even more certain that the Empress was very capable. She had actually seen through the fake emperor's appearance and killed him. However, this was their fault, because it was he who had sent the fake emperor into the palace.
“Your Majesty, I deserve to die. Please punish me. When His Majesty was hit by a fireball, we chased after him and found a man whose face was disfigured and whose dragon robe was burned. I had no doubts and believed it was His Majesty. So I sent someone to bring His Majesty to the palace overnight. I never expected that the emperor was an imposter. I deserve to die. Please punish me, Your Majesty.”
Hai Ling waved her hand, saying that everything was in the past. Besides, General Lin hadn't done it intentionally. Under those circumstances, the only option was to send the fake emperor into the palace.
"Alright, General Lin, please sit down. I'm not here to investigate whose fault it is, but to find out the Emperor's current whereabouts. Do you have any news?"
The thought of the night caused her heart to ache, her face to turn slightly pale, and cold sweat to seep from her forehead. However, in front of General Lin and the others, she could not show it and tried her best to endure it.
Upon hearing Hai Ling's question, General Lin immediately replied with delight.
"Your Majesty, it turns out that His Majesty wasn't actually hit by the fireball that day. He merely pretended to be struck, and then the horse carried him for several miles, along with General Ji and others, all falling into the hands of the Green Ant Clan. The Green Ant Clan's princess, Danatu Ke'er, took a liking to our Emperor, and he, in turn, feigned agreeing to marry Danatu. Ke'er seized the opportunity to draw up a map of the Green Ant Clan's territory, which has now been delivered to me. Tomorrow is the day His Majesty will feign marriage to the princess; we will lead our troops to attack. At that time, His Majesty and we will cooperate from within and without to capture the Green Ant Clan in one fell swoop."
General Lin became excited again when he talked about this. He had been stationed in Dengzhou for many years and had not been able to return to the capital. As long as the Green Ant Clan was not wiped out, he would not be able to return to the capital. Tomorrow, the Green Ant Clan would be permanently wiped out, and then he could return to the capital and reunite with his family. How could he not be happy about such a thing? The more he thought about it, the happier he became.
Inside the tent, Hai Ling, Shen Ruoxuan, and the others were delighted to hear General Lin's words. Hai Ling, in particular, was overjoyed. Although her heart ached with joy, she couldn't help but feel happy. She knew Ye wasn't so easily hurt; he had indeed feigned capture to wipe out the Green Ant Clan.