Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

Jones Snow nodded, and then the two of them went out together...

After the two went out, the two guards at the door told them that they hadn't seen a single ghost outside.

Frank told the three of them to continue guarding the area.

He untied one of the carriages and then headed towards Morgana's group.

Morgana's main force was found quickly. Frank, on horseback, was fast and caught up with the main force in no time.

Led by the accompanying patrol team, he found Morgana without much effort.

Morgana was somewhat surprised to see Frank, and then said, "Frank, why did you come so quickly?"

Morgana then asked Frank somewhat nervously, "Frank, did you not find anything?"

Frank shook his head at Morgana, and seeing that she was alone, he lowered his voice slightly before saying, "It's not that we didn't gain anything, it's that we gained a lot..."

After hearing Frank's words, Morgana realized that Jones Snow, who had gone with Frank, had not returned.

He looked at Frank with curiosity.

Frank smiled, then said to Morgana, "Morgana, you've had a great haul..."

Frank then recounted what had just happened...

Morgana was actually quite satisfied when she first heard about seven or eight hundred sets of weapons.

However, Morgana was overjoyed when she heard that there were two more cannons that she had never heard of or seen before.

"Is heaven helping us? Then I'll arrange for some absolutely trustworthy people to go with us..."

After hearing Morgana's words, Frank was still somewhat surprised and asked her, "So, you also support me taking those things away?"

Morgana said to Frank, "Of course, there's no point in leaving those things here... Just like you said, if we take them, they can give them to us later if they want them. This time, the Illuminati have returned again, and it won't be easy for us to get those things back..."

After hearing that Morgana shared the same idea as him, Frank nodded and then went to find someone.

Then I went there again, and everything went much more smoothly than I had imagined.

The most important thing is that the Guangzhao Army withdrew from a newly built dock.

Otherwise, even if the Illuminati withdrew from Lingas City, they would still remain in these places to some extent.

After they arrived at Hidden Dragon Manor again, Frank called for people to start moving things.

Hundreds of brand-new assault rifles and ammunition boxes were quickly loaded onto trucks in a tense but orderly manner.

The real bulk of the equipment were the two "Lynx" energy cannons. They were heavier than expected, and their outer metal structure was exceptionally tough.

Fortunately, they had a lot of people and strength, and Frank had made preparations in advance.

With crowbars and ropes, they barely managed to move them, inch by inch, toward the entrance of the passage. Sweat soaked their backs, but driven by the powerful surge of adrenaline, no one uttered a complaint.

"Damn it... this iron lump... is heavier than a siege crossbow..." Hagen gasped for breath, his veins bulging as he pressed his arm against the cold cannon barrel.

"Nonsense! This is Xiao Shen's treasure! It should be heavy!"

Frank gritted his teeth and responded, each step firm and resolute. He knew that with every step they took, they were one step closer to hope.

As the last box of ammunition was carefully stuffed into the largest wagon and the two Lynx tanks were securely covered and fastened with thick waterproof tarpaulins, the eastern sky was beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

Dawn is approaching, which also means that the Illuminati's response could come at any moment.

Frank took one last, deep look at the empty basement, making sure no corner was missed, then abruptly waved his hand: "Go! Full speed ahead back to the main force!"

Eight carriages, laden with hope and the future, quietly departed the silent Hidden Dragon Manor in the fading light of dawn. Their wheels rolled across the dew-covered grass as they sped toward the direction of Morgana's large entourage.

The group in the carriage felt both a heavy sense of treasure and a heavy sense of urgency.

...

Meanwhile, in the sea outside the city of Lingas.

Nie Bing did not rest. She changed into a comfortable but still well-tailored white silk robe and sat down at a large nautical chart table, in front of her a detailed map of Lingas City and its surrounding coastline.

The dim light of the whale oil lamp illuminated her beautifully contoured profile, but it couldn't dispel the habitual scrutiny deep in her eyes.

The ship was much quieter, but this also added a certain pressure!

A kind of pressure where all expectations rest on the shoulders of a few people.

At this moment, sitting opposite Nie Bing, Sean Aurelius (Xiao Ce), who had been invited to have a simple breakfast with her, was carefully cutting a piece of grilled fish with silver cutlery.

The bandage on his forehead was conspicuous under the light, and his face was somewhat pale due to blood loss and staying up late, but he seemed to be in relatively good spirits.

But Nie Bing's sharp eyes would occasionally sweep over him, as if trying to pierce through his disguise and dig out something deeper.

Nie Bing elegantly wiped her mouth with a napkin, breaking the somewhat quiet atmosphere. Her tone was casual yet pointed: "Mr. Sean, how did you sleep last night? The beds here are probably not as good as those at your Aurelius's house."

Xiao Ce put down his knife and fork, bowed slightly, his demeanor both courteous and slightly flattered: "President, you flatter me. The clothes I'm wearing are already very comfortable; I'm only here because of you. It's just that I've been preoccupied with the task you entrusted to me, so my sleep has been a bit light, but I'm recovering very well..."

Nie Bing nodded, then said to Sean (Xiao Ce), "That's good... I have some good news to tell you..."

After hearing Nie Bing's words, Sean (Xiao Ce) looked surprised and said, "Oh? Good news?"

Nie Binglu smiled. "That's right, you guessed correctly. They retreated from Lingas City overnight. Victor King led his troops directly there... and didn't see a single person. They took the entire population of Lingas City and fled..."

After hearing Nie Bing's words, Sean (Xiao Ce) remained relatively calm at first, then exclaimed in surprise, "What? They took everyone from the entire city of Lingas away?"

Nie Bing saw Xiao En's (Xiao Ce's) expression, smiled, and then said to Xiao En, "That's right, you're surprised?"

Sean (Xiao Ce) said, "That's right, Guild Master, are you sure that Xiao Shen is here? Is he really that foolish? Taking all these people with him? Where can they go? Lingas City has hundreds of thousands of people... With these people, the marching speed will be extremely slow..."

Nie Bing nodded, then said, "Of course I'm sure. You seem a little surprised... but I'm not surprised at all... This just fits Xiao Ce's personality. He likes to create this kind of philanthropic persona..."

Sean's (Xiao Ce) surprise perfectly masked his inner sneer.

"madness?!"

He put down his knife and fork, and lightly dabbed his lips with a napkin, seemingly trying to hide the shock of being "fooled"!

"President, this...this is more than just stupidity! What an absurd command! Hundreds of thousands of people, with their families, exposed to the elements without any cover?"

His tone carried a hint of disbelief.

"Do they really think that they can fight against the elite forces of the Illuminati with just faith, leading a group of unarmed civilians? Against your Iron Legion and the Light Guardians?" He deliberately emphasized "your Iron Legion".

Nie Bing's cold smile deepened. "Mr. Sean, you're right. Under normal military thinking, this is tantamount to suicide."

She picked up the delicate bone china teacup and took a sip!

"But Xiao Ce's greatest skill lies in using seemingly absurd actions to achieve his sinister intentions. Do you really think he wants to protect those lowly people? No! Those are tools he uses to win people's hearts, and also his best cover!"

Her gaze was sharp as a knife as she looked at Sean (Xiao Ce).

"Think about it, Viktor's 30,000 Illuminati, supported by naval artillery, are now besieging Lingas City. They only need to pay a symbolic price to turn Lingas City into a bloodbath! They could even kill them all... As long as those people are in the city, if Viktor wants to kill them, he can do so legitimately, claiming to the outside world that they are rebels against the Illuminati."

"But once Xiao Ce escapes with his men, they'll be nothing more than refugees! Hundreds of thousands of people crawling in the wilderness—how do you think Viktor should fight them? Slaughter them? While we, the Illuminati, don't care about the lives of these lowly people... it would be detrimental if word got out..."

"Moreover, their men are mixed in with the crowd, using the crowd as cover... This will scatter our troops, making them easier for them to defeat one by one..."

"So, we're caught in a dilemma: chasing him is one thing, not chasing him is another... and in the end, he's given us a good reputation..."

“Right now, Victor and his army are resting in Lingas City. Mr. Sean, you have thoroughly studied Xiao Ce’s military treatises. Do you have any good suggestions?”

She paused, tapping her fingertips lightly on the table, then looked at Sean (Xiao Ce) with her sharp eyes.

When Xiao Ce saw Nie Bing ask this question, he feigned a thoughtful expression: "President, please allow me a moment to think about it! What are your thoughts?"

Nie Bing did not answer Xiao En's (Xiao Ce) question.

He paused, his tone filled with the frustration of being outmaneuvered, and replied directly, "Let them run rampant? Hundreds of thousands of them roaming the heart of the Western Continent, spreading Xiao Ce's 'gospel,' like a plague, will inevitably become a major threat sooner or later!"

"Pursuit?"

Nie Bing let out a cold, mocking laugh!

"How to pursue them? Disperse our forces across the open fields! Just as I said, search for a few resisters among the countless refugees?"

"A single misstep could escalate into a large-scale massacre of civilians! If they were in the city, we could wipe them out without a sound..."

"But this is outside... Regardless of whether it's true or false, Xiao Ce's mouthpiece will portray it as the Illuminati committing inhumane massacres!"

"If news of Viktor's massacre of hundreds of thousands of civilians spreads throughout the Western countries, what do you think the monarchs will think? Will they still obey orders as they do now? Even if the monarchs don't say anything, the people under the control of the allied forces will probably live in constant fear..."

"The coalition forces of various countries may not have any problems, but their own backyards will likely be on fire!"

"They might even switch sides to Boudica's side! It's not impossible... That's Xiao Ce's true wickedness! He used hundreds of thousands of worthless lives to put a moral shackle on us that we can't easily break free from!"

Nie Bing slammed his fist heavily on the table, causing the objects on the nautical chart to twitch slightly.

"He has held the lives of hundreds of thousands of people hostage, and he has also hijacked the strategic steps of the Illuminati! He has made our overwhelming momentum hesitant and restrained!"

A brief silence fell over the cabin, with only the sound of waves gently lapping against the hull clearly audible.

Sean (Xiao Ce) plays the role of a dutiful thinker, his brows furrowed, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the rim of the empty coffee cup in front of him.

Nie Bing kept her eyes fixed on him, waiting for this newly appointed "strategist" to come up with a way to break the deadlock.

After a long while, Sean (Xiao Ce) took a deep breath, slowly raised his head, and met Nie Bing's oppressive gaze!

"President, your analysis is extremely insightful. Xiao Ce's actions are indeed ruthless, manipulating people's hearts and minds; his intentions are sinister. On the surface, it's an escape, but in reality, it's another form of attack—an attack on our prestige in the Western Continent and the foundation of the alliance we are building. However…"

He changed the subject, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes, "The key to breaking this deadlock may lie in the word 'human nature'!"

Nie Bing leaned forward slightly: "Go on."

"Xiao Ce dared to move such a large group because of three things."

Sean (Xiao Ce) held up three fingers and said clearly and logically!

"First, he was certain that we dared not, or could not, withstand the backlash from public opinion and the wavering of other countries caused by the large-scale massacre of civilians. This really hit our weak spot."

"Secondly, he believed that the target of hundreds of thousands of people was too large, and that by creating an information fog in the vast countryside and mountainous areas, he was able to hide his core strength. It was like hiding a drop of water in the ocean."

"Thirdly, he believed in Queen Boudica's influence in Britain and considered it a relatively safe escape route, with the destination being the Queen's sphere of influence that could receive them."

Nie Bing nodded thoughtfully, a look of appreciation on her face: "Mr. Sean, as expected of you, your analysis is very insightful. You mean to focus on these three points?"