All Is Fair in War
Alexander Hayes smiled faintly, looking supremely confident. He cast a profound, inscrutable glance at Dr. Rowan Lin. "Father, these three thousand soldiers are no ordinary men. They're even stronger than my two hundred thousand Hayes Grand Army troops combined."
Dr. Rowan Lin was even more puzzled by Alexander Hayes's words, unable to guess what kind of trick he was hiding up his sleeve.
According to what Dr. Rowan Lin knew, after Alexander Hayes learned that the Emperor was planning to strike at the Prince of Qin's residence, he swiftly dispatched three thousand soldiers to secretly enter the capital via the waterways. As for the two hundred thousand Hayes Grand Army troops, Alexander Hayes instructed them to wait until the Emperor made his move before heading to the capital as reinforcements. The reason was to avoid acting too soon and alerting the Emperor, giving him more time to prepare defenses.
While the two were talking, shouts could be heard from outside the residence. Listening closely, it was the voice of Prince Ling.
At that moment, Prince Ling was astride a tall horse, surrounded by soldiers. He forcefully rammed the gates of the Prince of Qin's residence and shouted loudly inside, "Alexander Hayes, you traitorous scoundrel! You hoard troops and plot rebellion. Today, by the Emperor's order, I will arrest you and bring you to justice! If you dare resist, you will be executed on the spot—no mercy!"
After yelling, Prince Ling felt incredibly proud of himself. Just imagining that today he could trample the legendary War Hero Alexander Hayes underfoot made him feel ecstatic!
And then there was Princess Lily Hayes. Prince Ling had coveted Lily for a long time. Once Alexander Hayes was dead, Prince Ling planned to take Lily for himself. The thought alone thrilled him!
Just as Prince Ling was basking in his own arrogance, the gates of the Prince of Qin's residence suddenly swung open. Alexander Hayes stood inside, looking at Prince Ling with calm indifference, his eyes full of authority and disdain.
Prince Ling was so shaken by Alexander Hayes's gaze that he instinctively backed his horse up a few steps. The legendary War Hero's aura sent a chill down the spine of this pampered royal prince.
But Prince Ling quickly recovered, reined in his horse, and secretly hoped no one had noticed his embarrassing retreat.
Prince Ling glanced around and noticed his soldiers had the same reaction—everyone was intimidated by Alexander Hayes's presence.
For these ordinary soldiers, Alexander Hayes—the legendary War Hero who commanded the empire's armies—had always been their idol. Many of them grew up listening to legendary tales of how he repelled invaders, stories passed down in every military camp.
None of these soldiers ever imagined that one day, they'd be ordered to besiege this legendary War Hero!
Seeing his Red Tassel Army cowering before Alexander Hayes, Prince Ling felt humiliated. To cover his own fear, he barked even more fiercely at Alexander Hayes: "Alexander Hayes, surrender at once! Let me tell you, your princess consort is already imprisoned in the palace. If you dare resist, both she and your children will be executed immediately!"
Alexander Hayes snorted coldly at Prince Ling's words. "You people really are capable of such despicable, shameless tactics!"
Prince Ling burst out laughing. "Alexander Hayes, aren't you supposed to be a master of warfare? Don't you know that all's fair in war? No matter what tricks we use, as long as we can destroy your Prince of Qin's residence, that's a good tactic!"
"Destroy my Prince of Qin's residence? Tsk, you really think highly of yourselves." Alexander Hayes's eyes flashed with contempt as he flicked his wrist. Prince Ling saw Alexander Hayes holding a short, black, iron-looking object with a handle, pointed directly at his curious face.