Suddenly, the long, deep chime of the palace bell rang out above the palace tower. The bell hammer struck the bell body, producing a grand sound that echoed nine times.

"The Jiuken army has reached Qingyang Plain, ten li outside Taicheng!" a scout reported loudly.

Grace Harper looked at Summer Clark.

Summer Clark took a deep breath, walked to the very front of the palace tower, took out the Taicang national order, and shouted loudly, "All soldiers, hear my command!"

Eight thousand Cang garrison soldiers struck their weapons in unison, producing a resounding clatter.

"Colin West, lead two thousand archers to stand atop the city walls. As soon as the Jiuken enter range, release arrows and throw stones immediately!"

"Chu Jiao, Meng Yan, each lead one thousand Cang garrison soldiers to ambush on the flanks. The center will be led by Grace Harper, General Rong Lu... and myself, the crown prince, personally leading four thousand Cang garrison soldiers to meet the enemy head-on!"

"Yes, sir!" The four generals struck their weapons again and left to carry out their orders.

A hint of surprise appeared on Grace Harper's face, and she even frowned, apparently thinking that Summer Clark's orders were indeed somewhat foolish.

So she asked directly, "Your Highness... are you planning to get yourself killed?"

Summer Clark felt quite helpless inside, but still casually explained, "Didn't you just see how I killed that Jiuken? You think I'll die?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he was a bit surprised in his heart, thinking to himself, "Since when did killing an intelligent being become so easy and effortless for me? Could it be because I've merged with the crown prince's memories?"

Grace Harper curled her lips. "That Jiuken was just a bit fast, its strength only at the fifth tier. You have no spiritual energy fluctuations at all—if not for that strange longsword, you wouldn't have survived. On the battlefield, blades know no mercy. Even those with the former king's divine abilities wouldn't dare plunge deep into the fray."

She paused, then continued, "Trust me, Your Highness, if you enter the battlefield, it's certain death."

Naturally, Summer Clark was unwilling to go to the battlefield.

He was no great man, nor a saint, and certainly didn't see himself as some chosen one.

How dangerous is the battlefield? There was no reason to risk his life, and it didn't fit his habit of considering everything carefully to find the optimal solution.

But... some things are beyond one's control.

According to the analysis of the battle-hardened generals, even with the ghost soldiers, victory was still uncertain.

So Summer Clark's mind raced, and he made a decision that required great courage—he had to launch a surprise attack while the enemy was unprepared to have any chance of victory.

As for how to launch a surprise attack?

...

Summer Clark let out a laugh and said, "If you all hadn't said that those perverted Jiuken people take pleasure in torturing human royalty—skinning, flaying, dismembering just as a warm-up—who would be willing to go to the battlefield?"

He straightened his expression, started walking toward the stairs, and said, "Come on, let's head out of the city."

Grace Harper replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

Summer Clark walked to the stairway, but didn't see Grace Harper following. Turning his head, he saw that Grace Harper had already disappeared from the palace tower.

He opened his mouth.

After a moment of silence, he cursed under his breath, "Jumped down? It's so high—be careful you don't fall to your death!"

Chapter 7: The Mind

Summer Clark followed Grace Harper along the military road.

From a distance, the scene before his eyes shocked him.

"Are these the Jiuken army?" Summer Clark murmured in his heart.

He saw an incredibly grand sight.

A thousand evil hound soldiers and five thousand hunting troops stood in neat formation on a vast open area outside Taicang City.

They wore clothes made of animal hides, wielded long knives and spiked clubs, panting heavily with drool dripping from their mouths.

Just witnessing such a strange scene made Summer Clark feel a sense of wonder.

More than that, it was the upright, intelligent mongrel dogs, no less clever than humans, that sent a chill down his spine.

"Can someone tell me what that three-zhang-tall giant ape is?" Summer Clark suddenly pointed to a massive creature in the distance, tightly bound by chains and held by over a hundred Jiuken, preventing it from struggling.

"That is the gold-eating giant ape of Zhouqing Kingdom. Although Jiuken and Zhouqing are not neighbors, they sometimes clash over certain resources. This giant ape is a trophy of the Jiuken," Grace Harper explained to Summer Clark with a grave look. "This kind of giant ape possesses immense strength, able to smash open iron-forged city gates with its bare hands. If the Jiuken Kingdom has mastered a way to control the gold-eating giant apes, our chances of victory drop even further."

Looking at the giant ape roaring at the sky, its fangs exuding a chilling aura, Summer Clark couldn't help but shiver.

"General Harper, can you protect me later?"

"Your Highness, once the battle begins, you must not run around. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe."

Summer Clark nodded quickly. "The deeper we go into the battle formation, the greater our chances of victory."

The horn suddenly sounded!

At that moment, the six thousand Jiuken soldiers in the distance—

—shifted from standing upright to dropping onto all fours, letting out deep growls from their mouths as they charged toward the Cang garrison behind Grace Harper and Summer Clark.

"Loose arrows! When the Jiuken advance another thirty zhang, throw stones!" Colin West saw the Jiuken army finally enter range, shouted angrily, and swiftly slashed down with his long knife to give the order.

Two thousand archers stood atop the towering city walls, divided into two groups, firing continuously.

Longbows made of unknown materials were drawn into full moons by the Cang garrison archers. The feathered arrows glowed with a faint blue light, then streaked across the sky, piercing the air as they shot straight toward the Jiuken army!