Indeed, part of the two hundred thousand troops that the Great Yue Dynasty had recently moved away had returned to the border regions adjacent to the North Country and stationed there. It seemed that the Great Yue Empress was always on guard against the North Country.
There was no telling whether the Great Yue Dynasty might take advantage of the North Country's weakened rear and suddenly send troops to attack. It was truly uncertain.
Thinking of this, Lu Chen said, "The Great Scholar makes sense. General Wei, if those one hundred thousand soldiers have already reached the coast, have them rush to Yan County as quickly as possible."
Wei Siyuan replied, "Yes, Prince."
Xuanyuan Chen then asked, "Prince, how many Black Cavalry do you plan to send northward?"
After pondering for a while, Lu Chen knew that inside the Great Sum's territory, the Piercing Cloud Bow had appeared, capable of threatening Heavy Cavalry. But this time, they were not dealing with the royal court or the rebel forces from the south; their enemies were the Barbarian Tribes coming from the northwest, who most likely did not possess any weapons to counter Heavy Cavalry.
Before the widespread availability of such a powerful cold weapon as the Piercing Cloud Bow, Heavy Cavalry could still play a powerful role in battle.
With this thought, Lu Chen said, "Let's send forty thousand Black Cavalry northward and leave ten thousand to defend Yan County."
Having said that, Lu Chen looked towards Xiao Pengthian.
"General Xiao, might you have heard of the Tianqi King from the Barbarian Tribe?"
Xiao Pengthian answered, "Back to you, Prince, I have heard of him. During the old Sky Wolf King's time, Tianqi King had sent people to the Sky Wolf King's tribe, attempting to recruit the tribe under his command. I've also heard that Tianqi King had sent envoys to the North Fre King's tribe, but ultimately both our tribes refused."
"Rumor has it that Tianqi King has reached the Grandmaster Realm, and his ambition is vast. He believes he is favored by the Barbarian God, which is why he changed his title to Tianqi King. He also wishes to unite all the Barbarian Tribes and become the Barbarian Emperor."
Hearing Xiao Pengthian's words, Lu Chen's eyebrows furrowed slightly.
This was the first time North Country faced an enemy Grandmaster entering the battlefield.
In this case, they too must bring a Grandmaster with them.
Although Grandmasters might not necessarily withstand the barrage of cannons, they could still disrupt their formations and destroy their cannons.
Should a Grandmaster get close to their cannon-armed positions, their cannons were likely to be destroyed by the Grandmaster.
Think of this, Lu Chen said, "For this battle against the Tianqi King's army, I shall personally lead the troops northward."
Upon hearing this, Zhuge Zhongguang said, "Prince, this is not appropriate. You are a Prince of the North Country, tasked with managing the entire North Country. You should not appear on the battlefield."
Lu Chen is the Son of Destiny; how could he be in a dangerous place? If something were to happen to him, how could he continue to lead this world?
From Zhuge Zhongguang's personal perspective, he definitely did not want to see Lu Chen head to the battlefield.
Lu Chen said, "The firearms are also considered my invention, and this will be the soldiers' first time using firearms in combat. How could I not go to the front lines to guide the soldiers in using them?"
"This matter is not up for discussion, this Prince must go to the front."
Seeing Lu Chen's resolute attitude, Zhuge Zhongguang had no choice but to say no more. "If the Prince insists on going, this old minister will also accompany the Prince northward."
Lu Chen immediately said, "That's not an option. The North Prince Mansion and Yan County still need the Great Scholar for protection. Once I leave Yan County, it is very likely that some petty thieves will target the North Prince Mansion."
What Lu Chen was most concerned about were his wives and concubines. Although the North Prince Mansion already had the Grandmaster Chen Wanrong, Lu Chen still felt it was not entirely safe.
Zhuge Zhongguang said, "Prince..."
Seeing Zhuge Zhongguang was about to say something more, Lu Chen suddenly realized that this would be his first confrontation with a Grandmaster, and he was uncertain if he was a match for that Grandmaster. Therefore, to be safe, it wouldn't hurt to be overprepared.
Since Zhuge Zhongguang was set on protecting the North Prince Mansion and could not be moved, then Chen Wanrong could certainly join him in heading north.
As things currently stood, Mysterious Moon Palace was unlikely to come to Yan County to take Chen Wanrong away.
With that in mind, Lu Chen said, "The Great Scholar knows I'm worried about my safety. How about this, I will bring a Grandmaster with me, that way there is no need for the Great Scholar to worry."
Zhuge Zhongguang said, "Prince, to my knowledge, doesn't the North Country lack a third Grandmaster?"
Lu Chen said with a smile, "Why not? It's just that you, Great Scholar, are not aware. The Palace Master of Mysterious Moon Palace is a Grandmaster, having only recently made the breakthrough."
"I am a Grandmaster myself, and with another Grandmaster, that should surely set the Great Scholar's mind at ease, right?"
Zhuge Zhongguang said, "If another Grandmaster accompanies the Prince northward, then this old minister will be relieved."
At that moment, Mu Changtian spoke from the side, "Prince, should we inform the common people about this northern expedition?"
"After all, the enemy has four hundred thousand troops. Although the North Country has already defeated two Barbarian Tribes, if the common people learn of this, it would still likely cause panic."
Lu Chen calmly said, "This time as we march north, we should indeed let the common people know. Not only should they be aware, but we should also continuously promote it, making the common people of the North Country understand that North Country's soldiers are heading north to battle the Barbarian Tribes in order to protect them."
Lu Chen's idea was simple: if the common people didn't know that the North Country's soldiers were risking their lives against the Barbarian Tribes for their safety, how could they possibly respect those soldiers?
As for causing panic, Lu Chen was not overly concerned. Certainly, some civilians would be afraid, fear being a common human emotion, but the North Country had frequently faced raids from Barbarian Tribes in the past, and many civilians were already accustomed to it.