Zero battle-loss is almost a luxury on the battlefield, but the Black Riders' individual skills are so high that every single one is a king among soldiers. Losing even one is irreplaceable. Serena sincerely hopes the Black Riders can keep their perfect zero-loss record!
Solutions are made by people. Not every problem can be solved, but trying is always better than giving up. After tens of hours of thinking, Serena finally came up with a good idea.
"Night City’s war carts!" Serena’s eyes lit up. She grabbed a charcoal pencil and quickly sketched Heaven-Maiden Peak’s terrain on rice paper, then added the Night City War Carts.
"The Night City War Carts are fully armored in steel, controlled by people inside using mechanical triggers. Their combat value is extremely high, and they can also carry troops. It’s not practical for transporting tens of thousands of soldiers, but what about just the Black Riders?" Serena calculated the space inside the war carts, marking personnel arrangements with small circles.
"These war carts look clumsy, but their internal space is huge. Each one can fit fifty people at a time. I remember we seized ten war carts from Night City. After they were damaged, Left Shore repaired them so they can move normally again—though their combat power is weaker now. But we don’t need their fighting ability this time." Serena finished in one breath, then looked at Prince Nolan, waiting for his approval.
Prince Nolan had seen the power of Night City War Carts firsthand and had considered building more. But each cart has tens of thousands of mechanical parts, many hidden inside other mechanisms; the design is extremely intricate. Even after gathering master craftsmen, he still hasn’t fully figured them out.
Left Shore has always been interested in these things and is quite talented in this field. But even with his skills, without blueprints or guidance, and relying only on self-study, he couldn’t crack the war carts’ full design in a short time. He could only barely repair them enough for use.
"Very good." Unlike Serena’s excitement, Prince Nolan was calm, but the sharp glint in his eyes told Serena that he was far more moved than he let on.
Prince Nolan always says he doesn’t care about sacrificing Black Riders as long as it’s worth it, but when it comes down to it, he’s the one who hurts most when they’re lost.
Night City has ten war carts. If all are brought over, one trip can get five hundred Black Riders through; two trips can deliver a thousand safely to the battlefield, right into the heart of the Chu army.
A thousand Black Riders can’t win the whole battle against the Chu army, but with these thousand, they can control the Chu vanguard and buy time for the rest of Eastlyn’s hundred-thousand-strong main force.
After ten days of marching, Dorian Owen received another order from Prince Nolan: he was to send a detachment back to Night City to bring the ten Night City War Carts to the front lines.
"Aren’t those Left Shore’s toys? What does Prince Nolan want with them?" Dorian Owen was baffled, but that didn’t stop him from following orders.
A soldier’s duty is to obey. He didn’t need to understand why.
Dorian immediately ordered his men to rush to Night City and fetch the war carts, while also slowing the army’s advance to wait for the carts to arrive. Only then would they all head to the border of Chu City and rendezvous with Prince Nolan.
The main army moved forward at a steady pace, which made the new emperor in faraway Chu City—now known as Prince Jason—anxious: "What is Prince Nolan up to?"
Eastlyn sending troops was expected, so Prince Jason wasn’t surprised. What shocked him was that Prince Nolan would ignore Northlyn and personally lead an expedition against the small Chu City. Even stranger, the army attacking Chu City was moving slowly, in no hurry at all.
Could Prince Nolan be putting on a show?
"Is Eastlyn short on troops?" After marrying Prince Jason, Charlotte Chu dressed as a noblewoman, her hair elegantly coiled and her figure rounder, richer, and more dignified. The innocence and longing for love in her eyes had vanished.
"Impossible. Eastlyn has a million soldiers. Even if Northlyn and Night City tie up some of their forces, they still have plenty to spare." As an Eastlyn prince, Prince Jason had been sent to his fief early, but he knew Eastlyn’s military strength inside out.
Charlotte Chu shook her head, disagreeing with Prince Jason: "A million troops isn’t much for Eastlyn. The armies stationed year-round on the borders with the Three Kingdoms number four or five hundred thousand alone, plus another two or three hundred thousand garrisoned at the borders of each city. And if you subtract the forces you and Prince Evan command, Prince Nolan doesn’t actually have that many troops he can use."
That’s why none of the four kingdoms dare start a war lightly. Each country sounds like it has a huge army, but most of those troops can’t be moved. Even in peacetime, they have to guard the borders, just in case another nation tries to invade.
Prince Jason also shook his head, disagreeing with Charlotte Chu’s analysis: "You don’t know Prince Nolan. He never fights a battle he isn’t sure of. If he’s marching on Chu City, he definitely has enough troops. Based on the intel, Prince Nolan probably already knows I’m working with Northlyn; otherwise, he wouldn’t have redeployed the army stationed at Southlyn."
"Now Prince Nolan is reinforcing Southlyn, probably worried they’ll take advantage of the situation." If Eastlyn shows any sign of defeat, Charlotte Chu was sure not just Southlyn, but also Cloud City, Jade City, and Reed City would join the chaos.
Only a fool would pass up free gains. Eastlyn is vast and rich, occupying the most fertile land in the Nine Provinces Realm. Its geography is the reason it became the strongest country—everyone envies such a prime territory.
"You know Prince Nolan is reinforcing Southlyn, so now even if Southlyn wanted to send troops, they wouldn’t dare. Besides, their own country is a complete mess." Thinking of Southlyn’s endless troubles, Prince Jason couldn’t help but give Prince Nolan a thumbs-up.
Prince Nolan’s decision not to kill Prince Damien of Southlyn was brilliant. Someone like Damien will never settle for mediocrity or obscurity. With Felix Fuller’s help, Damien may be confined, but he still keeps in contact with the outside world.
At Damien’s call, Southlyn’s old aristocratic factions—once scattered—quickly united, openly and secretly making trouble for the Southlyn King. They’re furious about the king naming his young son crown prince, and keep stuffing the harem with women for every possible excuse.
If the little crown prince can be born, it means the king is still capable—he could produce more sons. When that happens, each faction will push their own candidate for the throne.
No matter what, the Southlyn Empress Dowager must not be an outsider, and definitely not someone from the Wang family. If the Wang clan takes over Southlyn, these old factions won’t have any say left.
When their own interests are threatened, these feuding noble houses quickly unite to oppose the king.
Southlyn may not be in full civil war, but the king is too busy fighting the old factions to send troops against Eastlyn. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t find a trustworthy general to lead them.
If he picks his own loyalists, the old factions won’t cooperate and will sabotage the campaign. If he picks one of their generals, he risks losing control of the army.
The little crown prince’s maternal clan isn’t strong enough—even with Jade City backing them, distance weakens their influence. The Southlyn nobility won’t take Jade City seriously. Even if they fear Jade City and the Wang family, they won’t give up their own power.
Southlyn’s nobles and the king, plus the little crown prince, are locked in a struggle that can’t be avoided…