Suddenly, a commotion broke out, countless voices of worry, inquiry, and concern intertwined, thundering like a storm!

Summer Clark silently watched the scene before him.

He couldn’t help but feel deep respect for the Lord of Taicang, someone he had never met, had no impression of in his mind, and whose very life and identity were a mystery to him.

Just the fact that he was so beloved by so many was enough for Summer Clark to respect him.

Before he could finish his thoughts, Summer Clark noticed something unusual around him.

He stared at his own toes, standing silently to the side, unable to bear the grief-stricken gazes of those around him.

“Your Highness! Please issue the Taicang National Order and command the soldiers to go out and meet the enemy.”

Although old, Julia Reed, whose posture was still as upright as a pine tree, suddenly spoke up.

Summer Clark was taken aback, frowned, and asked, “Me?”

“Of course, Your Highness. Please also say a few words to comfort the hearts of the soldiers. After all, you are the eldest of the ninth generation of royal blood, it is only right!” said Julia Reed.

The people atop the palace tower whispered among themselves. Even with his ears covered, Summer Clark could guess what they were saying—it was certainly nothing good.

Among the officials, someone sighed and said, “Reed Magistrate (Note 1), why not invite the two senior ministers, Ze and Qing, to comfort the troops?”

Julia Reed shook his head, but before he could say anything,

An elderly man with a beautiful beard stepped out from among the officials and said softly, “When soldiers go to war, it is the custom for the ruler to comfort the troops. Now that the former king has passed, only the crown prince can take his place. Otherwise, it would be inauspicious.”

This man was named Melody Shaw, the Chief Scribe of Taicang (Note 2), responsible for all divination and sacrificial rites, a high-ranking official.

As soon as he spoke, the murmurs among the crowd instantly ceased.

“Sacrifice? Divination?”

Summer Clark pondered, “This world is so mysterious. Perhaps divination and sacrifice here really work. The so-called ‘inauspiciousness’ might be something to pay attention to.”

“Your Highness, please step forward,” Julia Reed called out.

Summer Clark thought for a moment. Thanks to his past life’s experiences, he wasn’t particularly stage-shy.

He stepped forward and looked at the soldiers below.

Eight thousand soldiers, all outstanding men, but their equipment was pitifully poor. Aside from their barely decent weapons, not a single proper suit of armor could be seen.

Yet there was not a trace of fear in their eyes—only the courage to face death unflinchingly.

Seeing that courage, Summer Clark suddenly felt a sense of resonance in his heart!

Those who defend their homeland care least about life and death!

He cleared his throat, trying to recall the many war speeches he had seen in his previous life.

Among the officials, the man dressed all in black, who had earlier tried to trick Summer Clark into revealing the whereabouts of the Taicang National Order, raised a finger and pointed at Summer Clark from a distance.

Summer Clark’s voice instantly echoed throughout the entire martial arena.

(The following speech is adapted from the wartime address delivered by British Prime Minister Churchill on the eve of the German invasion during World War II.)

“Soldiers, today we are destined to die at the hands of the vicious dogs!”

As soon as Summer Clark began, Grace Harper and Julia Reed both frowned.

“Heaven is so unfair! Over two hundred years, nine generations have toiled, only to lose everything in a single night!”

“The Cang Guards are gone, but the drool still drips from the mouths of the jackal dogs, eager to swallow us whole—and they do indeed have the strength to do so.”

Summer Clark paused, piecing together the scant information in his mind, and continued, “The Vicious Dog Army and the Predator Army, driven by bloodlust, are at the gates of Taicheng. They will break through the city gates and devour everything they can, including the people of Taicang, your parents, your wives and children.”

“Even the poultry you raise will be swallowed alive by them! Because our soldiers are weaker than the vicious dogs, we are destined to be humiliated, tortured, and devoured by them!”

A strange silence fell over the field. No one spoke, and the expressions of the eight thousand soldiers began to change as they listened intently to the absurd words of the crown prince.

Among the officials, someone’s face flushed with anger at Summer Clark’s words and was about to stop his discouraging speech.

But Julia Reed and Grace Harper, who had just been frowning, stopped him with a glance.

“But!”

Summer Clark took a deep breath, his tone chilling: “But knowing we are doomed, should we just surrender and stretch out our necks to be slaughtered?

Knowing we are doomed, should we open the city gates and let those monsters, who know nothing of humanity, march right in?

Knowing we are doomed, should we just watch as our kin are devoured by monsters without a chance to resist?”

As they listened to Summer Clark’s words, the eight thousand soldiers’ faces grew ever more resolute—they could not!

“We must make them pay a price before they devour us, make them bleed!” Summer Clark said softly.

Summer Clark’s tone grew ever more determined!

“We must make them feel pain to their very bones! Even if they set foot in Taicang, it must be over the corpses of countless jackal dogs! Even if they destroy Taicang, they must feel deep terror!” Summer Clark did his best to recall the tone of the great orators of his previous life, and shouted sternly.

“Great wind!”

Several of the elder ministers present immediately responded, stepping forward and raising their fists in a shout!

“Great wind!”

With the elders leading the way, the voices of the eight thousand soldiers thundered like a storm: “Great wind! Great wind!”