Chapter 63: The Frontline of Carnage

  "My lord, I am of common birth and to be elevated to nobility is a great honor!" Jack replied.

  "Commoner?" Li Xie couldn't help but look at Jack with a raised eyebrow: "How old are you this year?"

  "Thirty spokes share one hub; in its nothingness lies the utility of the wheel."

  "Thirty-two years old?" The people of the Divine Continent had a very long youthful period, and it was generally difficult to tell their actual age from their appearance. But Jack was thirty-two years old, which was also too young!

  Li Xie exclaimed, not that Jack's appearance was old, but that a commoner like Jack could reach the position of Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard at the age of thirty-two, which was too unbelievable!

  The three regular armies of the Tudor dynasty, the strongest is the Lionheart Legion, but the most important legion is the Forbidden Army!

  The Imperial Guard is the last line of defense protecting the imperial capital, and its strength of 100,000 troops is even stronger than the 200,000-strong Leopard Army! If their numbers were equal to those of the Lion Army, the Imperial Guard would be the strongest army in Doudou!

  The importance and strength of the Imperial Guard make the generals within it generally stronger than those in other legions. To become a general of the Imperial Guard is to be among the best of men! Not to mention the Vice-Commander, one of the highest positions in the Imperial Guard!

  The generals of the Forbidden Army must be nobles!

  It's not that nobles are superior to ordinary people, but because on the mainland of gods, nobles receive more and better education, have a better environment for growth, and in terms of martial arts, they may not be stronger than ordinary people who can endure more hardships, but in terms of knowledge, they are generally much stronger than ordinary people! Moreover, due to their status and network of relationships, it's not just the Imperial Guard, any position, ordinary people have very little chance of taking office!

  But Jack did it! And became deputy commander too!

  This shows that he didn't rely on connections, but climbed up step by step. This is much more difficult and longer-lasting than being a noble! Nobles can still jump ranks through connections, commoners basically have no chance!

  And Jack was only thirty-two years old! A ninth-order sword saint, deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, and he's only thirty-two years old!

  This shows what? Shows he is not only a martial arts genius but also a military genius! Absolutely the real deal!

  Only a martial arts genius could, without the privileged environment of noble education, rise to the rank of 9th-tier Sword Saint at such a young age. To put this into perspective, Zayn Nadir, that giant dragon, is already over 2,000 years old, and Vandy Sel, the 10th-tier Sword Saint who looks like he's only in his thirties, is actually 65 years old! Only a military genius could make others unable to conceal his brilliance, becoming the Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard! Such a position is something that many nobles vie for!

  Mercedes Seventh gave me a top-notch legion commander!

  Li Xie quietly praised and smiled: "What command did Your Majesty give you? Is it to assist me or follow me?"

  The difference between the two is obvious, but either way, Li Xie has decided to make this talented and capable deputy commander of the Imperial Guard his own!

  "Return, sir!" Jack said with a fist salute: "Your Majesty's order is to let the lower official follow you, and everything will be done according to your instructions! After seeing you, sir, I will only retain the title of Baron, and the position of Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard will automatically disappear."

  "From now on, we're all on the same side, no need for so much courtesy." Li Xie smiled at Jack and asked, "Has His Majesty not given you a new position?"

  "No, sir."

  "So, you've gone from being a prestigious Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard to a mere attendant with an empty title and no actual position. What are your true thoughts about this? I want to hear your honest words! Don't be afraid to speak, I absolutely won't blame you."

  "Sir, I am just a commoner, I only wish for a stable life with no worries about food and clothing. As for the position, I don't care whether it's as Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard or as your attendant! I only know to do my best in my own duties. Now, although I'm just your attendant, I will still work diligently, prioritizing your safety and following your orders!"

  "Not arrogant nor impatient, not proud nor frustrated! Well said!" Li Xie praised: "Jack, you should know that I have the fiefdom of three cities!"

  "Yes, sir!"

  "You should know that I can have at least 150,000 regular troops!"

  "Yes, sir!"

  Li Xie stood up and pointed at Jack Rothschild: "I hereby officially appoint you as the commander-in-chief of the 150,000 troops in the future!"

  "Thank you, sir! I won't disappoint your expectations!" Jack knelt down on one knee, clasped his fists together, and his stern face showed no sign of surprise or any other emotion.

  "Get up." Li Xie saw him like this, thinking that Jack didn't think much of the position, and couldn't help but mock himself: "I thought this commander-in-chief position would surprise you, now it seems that those 150,000 troops in the future are still in the future!"

  "Sir, you've got it wrong!" Jack hastily said: "I was born not to speak or smile falsely, people say I have a deadpan face. Even if I were the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, I would only have 100,000 soldiers under me, let alone being in charge! Now that you look highly upon me, making me the commander-in-chief of 150,000 troops, no less than a corps commander! How could I not be overjoyed? Moreover, sir, your 150,000 troops are not all in the future, at least 5,000 elite soldiers are already present!"

  "Huh? What does this mean?" Li Xie was somewhat puzzled.

  "Your Excellency," Jack said in a low voice, "His Majesty has not only ordered me to follow you, but also bestowed upon you 5,000 Imperial Guards!"

  Li's heart skipped a beat: "Really?"

  "Really!"

  "What about the men?" Li Xie hastily asked, five thousand imperial guards! What is currently lacking are the personnel.

  Jie Ke said: "The deployment of the Imperial Guard is a big deal, and it must not be made public. Therefore, Your Majesty did not inform the Duke, but instead ordered the officials to secretly mobilize 5,000 troops out of the capital. I was delayed in reporting to you because of this matter! Now those 5,000 troops have all entered Juhuacheng disguised as refugees. Some of the refugees you saw when you entered the city were actually Imperial Guardsmen in disguise!"

  "Great! Really great! Haha, it's like a dream come true!" Li Xie couldn't help but burst out laughing: "That old seventh guy! No, no! His Majesty that guy! Haha, I didn't even think of asking him for troops, and he voluntarily offered them! Haha..."

  Lao Qi...

  Li Xie's companions, except for Ze Enna De, were all covered in cold sweat!

  However, several people's faces all revealed smiles, these five thousand troops arrived just in time, perhaps the problem of those thirty thousand militia can be solved effortlessly!

  "Jack..." Li Xie's smile still hadn't faded as he looked at this lucky commander and said, "Those five thousand elite soldiers, what are the chances of winning against the three hundred thousand militia defending Chrysanthemum City?"

  Jie Ke Rui Li's gaze was fixed on Li Xie: "What you're asking, sir, is whether to wipe them out or take them down?"

  Wow!

  How arrogant! Completely disregarding the 30,000 militia!

  Li Xie smiled and said, "What's the point of killing them all?"

  Li Ye didn't mean to say that he really wanted to kill all 30,000 militia soldiers. After all, these people can be used, and killing them would be a waste. He asked this only to know the combat strength of the 5,000 troops he currently has on hand!

  "Killing them all would be easy! Those people are just a mob, not vigilant enough. My men can disguise themselves as refugees and get close to them without arousing much suspicion. A surprise attack will allow us to wipe out 5,000 to 10,000 of them in one go! Then, while they're still reeling from the shock, we can kill another 5,000! By then, the remaining people would be so terrified that they wouldn't even dare to put up a fight. They'll just run and be slaughtered until none are left! In my humble opinion, our 5,000 troops won't lose a single man, and we can devour those 30,000 militia men! And this is assuming they're all gathered in one place. The actual situation would be even easier!"

  Seeing Jack speaking easily, Li Xie also came with interest and hurriedly said: "What's the actual situation? You say you say."

  "Sir, after deploying the 5,000 troops to Chrysanthemum City, I have ordered them to investigate the military deployment of Chrysanthemum City! There are 30,000 militia in Chrysanthemum City. Among them, 12,000 are stationed near the four city gates, 2,000 are guarding the slave market, 1,000 are guarding the markets inside the city, and 5,000 are patrolling various parts of the city. The remaining 10,000, with 5,000 scattered among the noble families in the city as guards, and another 5,000 deployed to guard the City Lord's mansion! With so many people stationed here, but discipline is not strict, I'm afraid most of them are either drunk or looking for pleasure, only a few are on duty! My men can take them down one by one without even breaking a sweat!"

  Those five thousand cavalry probably arrived a day or two earlier and have already grasped the situation of the defenders in Chrysanthemum City.

  As expected!

  Li Xie secretly admired him and then said: "What if we want to capture him alive?"

  "It's not difficult to capture them alive! The Imperial Guard is responsible for guarding the capital, and sometimes they need to capture people alive. To avoid losses and quickly catch them, all Imperial Guards must master the skill of dislocating joints. As long as they get close, they can quickly dislocate the target's limbs, making them lose their combat effectiveness without causing any fatal injuries! Those 30,000 militia troops lack emergency measures and are slow to communicate with each other. If my men act swiftly, we can take them all down, and not all of them will be able to respond!"

  Li Xie listened and couldn't help but applaud, saying: "Good!"

  "However, sir, although our 5,000 troops can easily defeat or capture them, there is a problem." Jack said: "The guards at the four city gates are scattered in all directions. Even if we ride fast horses, it will take at least one or two days to make a round trip. Our army, even if we launch a full-scale attack, will need several days to defeat these 30,000 militia! Does sir have any arrangements? How do we coordinate the timing?"

  "This...” Li Xie's excitement from listening to Jack was completely dispelled by a sentence, and he frowned: "Tonight I will attend the dinner party, planning to take down all the nobles in the city! Kill them all! Then I'll take down those 30,000 militia soldiers! It seems that I'm too naive! What does Jack think?"

  "Jack thought for a moment and said, 'Speed is crucial in war, sir. To take down Chrysanthemum City quickly is a must! I also admire your methods, sir. However, if you kill all the nobles, you'll only end up with a city full of refugees. Without someone to manage the food supply, the city will fall into chaos in no time! And if those 30,000 militia troops were to rebel, the consequences would be unthinkable! Therefore, I think it's better to spare some of the nobles and let them continue to govern the city. As for the militia, we can keep them, but we must kill some to establish military authority! If you only kill the nobles, it will only satisfy the civilians' desire for revenge, but won't intimidate the militia. Only by killing some of the militiamen can we make the others fear us and not dare to act rashly! After intimidating them in this way, we can then issue a public statement saying that we won't kill the remaining militiamen and will let them continue to serve as militiamen. They're just trying to make a living, and as long as they're not desperate, they won't openly oppose you, sir.'"

  Li Xie sank into thought for a moment, then nodded: "So, specifically which militia soldiers should be killed? How many?"

  "Jack's eyes were even sharper: 'Five thousand militia near the city lord's mansion, not one left! Let them pile up corpses and see who dares to be presumptuous again!'"

  Wow!

  This guy is worse than me!

  "Alright! Let's do it this way! You go and make the arrangements."

  "Yes! Sir!"

  Li Xie's mouth curved up at the right corner: "I can hardly wait for tonight's dinner party!"

  "So..." Jack stood up and said: "Your Excellency, I will go and make arrangements now. My younger sister is still under your care."

  "Hey... didn't ask... your sister?" Li Xie was taken aback: "Isn't it your wife?"

  "Uh..." Jack's serious face finally showed a hint of embarrassment: "I'm not married yet. This is my sister who I rely on for everything!"

  "Oh, your sister! Your sister's... I thought... Haha... Alright! Your sister is now in my hands!" Li Xie glanced at Anne Raphaello Rothschild: "I'll take good care of your sister. Kano, hurry up and get a chair for Jack's sister."

  "Just call me Xiao An."

  "Uh-huh, Little An, don't call me 'dàren' (sir), call me Xié Gē. Only guys call me 'dàren', all the girls call me Xié Gē, it's more intimate..."

  As Jack walked up to the door, he suddenly had a bad feeling.