Staring intently at the large, war-worn map hanging on the wall, the Northern Duke's cold and calculating expression suddenly relaxed into a thin, rare smile.
"Such timing… I shall lead the first charge."
The statement, though brief, carried the weight of a thousand war drums. Xu Muchen, standing nearby, could barely contain his excitement. His voice nearly cracked with elation.
"Your Grace is truly wise!"
It had only been a day since nobles from the east, west, south, and north raised their banners in defiance against the imperial capital. If the Northern Duke—one of the most powerful figures in the realm—were to act as the vanguard, his move would send a thunderous message to all. His participation would be nothing short of a declaration of total war. And if someone like him had chosen to move, how could any lesser noble under the Third Prince's banner afford to hesitate?
After all, when the war ended and the Third Prince took the throne, the nobles who had contributed the most would surely receive the lion's share of the new order's spoils. Those who sat idle now might very well find themselves cast aside later.
The Northern Duke had both the confidence and the means to lead the charge. The northern regions of the Sun Moon Empire were famed for producing strong and gifted soul masters. Using the justification of defending the empire's borders from the threat of soul beasts in the Extreme North, the Duke commanded three full five-hundred-man soul engineer regiments. Each of these was led by a powerful Soul Douluo who was also a rank-eight soul engineer—and more importantly, all three were fiercely loyal, handpicked elites from the Northern Duke's own vassal clans.
And the Duke himself—Leng Feng—was far from ordinary. A powerful Title Douluo and a rank-nine soul engineer, he wielded the ice-type martial soul "Frostmoon," an ancestral inheritance passed down through the Northern Cold Clan. With a lineage linked to the imperial bloodline and generations of frost-themed cultivation, Leng Feng bore the revered title of Frostmoon Douluo—a title only held by the patriarchs of the Northern Ducal House.
Beyond his own strength, he had at his side another rank-nine soul engineer as well as additional support from conventional soul master armies. He also maintained control over critical mineral deposits located at the southern fringes of the Extreme North. With both strategic resources and formidable military strength, the Northern Duke stood at the apex of noble power in the empire.
Just as Xu Muchen was about to further praise his foresight, a loud bang shattered the room's calm. The heavy doors to the chamber burst open with a force that rattled the windows.
Leng Feng's brow furrowed sharply. He turned toward the disturbance with a look of annoyance and barely restrained fury. Standing in the doorway, panting and wide-eyed, was a panicked messenger.
"What's so urgent?" Leng Feng barked. "Has no one taught you to knock before entering!?"
The Duke's voice was a booming roar, laced with frosty soul power. The temperature in the room dropped perceptibly. Xu Muchen instinctively stiffened, beads of cold sweat forming at the back of his neck.
The messenger dropped to his knees in panic, slamming his forehead to the floor. His voice trembled as he tried to speak.
"Forgive me, Your Grace! But… but…"
The man faltered, clearly shaken. His whole body shook as if gripped by fear.
Xu Muchen's instincts screamed that something had gone horribly wrong. Leng Feng's face darkened.
"But what!?" Leng Feng slammed his palm onto the table, the echo reverberating like a thunderclap. "Speak, damn you!"
"Y-Yes! Reporting… the First and Second Soul Engineer Regiments… they've been completely annihilated! The Third Regiment is currently in full retreat toward Frostmoon City!"
The room fell into a suffocating silence.
Though the words had come in a hushed, almost whisper-like tone, they struck harder than a thousand war horns.
"What did you just say!?"
Leng Feng's voice thundered as if the very heavens would collapse. His pupils shrank, and for the first time in years, his carefully maintained composure showed signs of cracking.
Blitzkrieg.
In the early days of Earth's Second World War, Nazi Germany stunned the world with this strategy—using lightning-fast surprise assaults and overwhelming firepower to secure swift and decisive victories, like the complete takeover of Poland in mere weeks.
And now, on the continent of Douluo, a similar strategy had played out—with equally terrifying results.
Back at the Taihe Hall, during a high-level strategic meeting convened to discuss the rebellion, Jing Hongchen had proposed a bold and controversial plan—a blitzkrieg against the Northern Duke to deliver a crippling early blow.
The first move involved dispatching the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment to conduct a surprise raid on the Northern First Soul Engineer Regiment, stationed at the empire's northeastern border.
The results were decisive. The enemy was utterly routed. Against the Guardian Hand's terrifying coordination and sheer firepower, the Northern Regiment had no chance. Its commander, a seasoned Soul Douluo and rank-eight soul engineer, was slain in battle by none other than Xu Tianyuan himself. There was no mercy, no warning. This was war, and in war, especially civil war, swift brutality was the most effective deterrent.
But that wasn't the end of it. To truly maximize the effect of the blitzkrieg and send a message to all would-be rebels, they couldn't rely on just the Royal Dragon Regiment. A second wave was needed—another force capable of executing high-speed surgical strikes.
That's when Jing Hongchen made an unprecedented recommendation.
Huo Yuhao's New First Army.
The Taihe Hall fell into stunned silence. Aside from Xu Tianyuan and Xu Tiannan, none of the high-ranking officials had ever heard of this mysterious new unit. And when Jing Hongchen described it as a military force composed entirely of ordinary people outfitted with soul tools, many outright scoffed.
Sure, thanks to the sealed milk bottle technology, the use of soul tools had become more accessible to the common folk. But to suggest such a force could defeat an experienced soul engineer regiment? The idea bordered on madness.
Most were skeptical. Some were even offended. To pit ordinary people against elite soul engineers seemed like an insult to the profession itself.
But Jing Hongchen remained firm. He vouched for Huo Yuhao and his New First Army with absolute conviction. And given his position as the head of Mingde Hall, his words held weight.
So the plan moved forward. The Royal Dragon Regiment attacked the First Regiment and wiped it out without resistance. Simultaneously, the New First Army launched a lightning assault on the Second Regiment.
To everyone's shock, the results exceeded expectations. The New First Army's mobility, coordination, and devastating long-range firepower overwhelmed the Second Regiment, leaving them disoriented and in complete disarray.
In less than a day, two of the Northern Duke's three elite regiments had ceased to exist.
These regiments had long been viewed with suspicion by the imperial court. Their loyalty leaned more toward the Duke than the royal family. Now, with open rebellion declared, the court had its excuse. The time to act had come, and the empire moved without hesitation.
The blitzkrieg had begun.
And the empire had made its first move with ruthless precision.
(End of Chapter)
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Huge Shoutout to Gabriel Coelho for Joining us and Becoming a Member of Diamond.
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