Chapter 403: Chapter 236 Monster_3
"Eldest brother won!" The four of them, Zhang He and his companions, cheered excitedly.
They didn’t understand how Zhao Yao managed to turn the tide, clearly showing signs of losing earlier.
Zhang Jiang widened his eyes at the sandbox, his face filled with disbelief.
He couldn’t believe he had lost. What... just happened?
Zhang Tao was also taken aback, not understanding how his elder brother suddenly lost.
Zhang Yue, seeing her brother’s incredulous look, teased him mercilessly, "Elder Brother, you fell for His Highness’s trap from the start. You stepped into the pitfalls set by His Highness, thinking you were winning, only to realize too late that you were already prey." In matters of military strategy, Zhang Yue was more gifted than both Zhang Jiang and Zhang Tao.
Zhang Gong smiled and praised, "His Highness employs excellent strategies indeed." Truly, He Lianfang’s student, cunning and unpredictable.
"Uncle Zhang praises me too much." Zhao Yao clasped his hands towards Zhang Jiang, "Brother Zhang, thank you for going easy on me." Zhao Yao believed his victory was due to Zhang Jiang underestimating him from the start.
By this time, Zhang Jiang had understood, and looking at Zhao Yao, his eyes were complicated. He then clasped his hands towards Zhao Yao, "I lost. His Highness’s strategy is brilliant." Once he realized what had happened, chills ran through Zhang Jiang’s heart.
"Your Highness, may I seek your guidance?" Zhang Tao edged out his elder brother, standing at the sandbox.
"Please, Brother Zhang the Second."
This time, Zhao Yao initiated the attack, using a tactic He Lianfang had recently taught him.
Initially, Zhang Tao could hold on, but gradually, he couldn’t withstand Zhao Yao’s attacks and fell back, eventually losing completely.
Zhang Gong noticed Zhao Yao’s tactics, recalling a battle from twenty or thirty years ago, feeling a slight chill.
While the four of them, Zhang He and his companions, did not understand the nuances of the battle, both Zhang Gong and Mrs. Zhang had heard of it. Remembering it still terrified them.
Mrs. Zhang did not expect Zhao Yao, who appeared delicate and attractive, to employ such deceitful and crafty strategies, with great ferocity.
She marveled silently, amazed that this student of the "madman" was truly formidable!
Zhang Yue looked at Zhao Yao in horror. Suddenly, she felt that beneath the adorable facade of His Tenth Highness resided an extremely fierce monster.
Not only was He Lianfang called a madman, but also often referred to as a monster.
Zhang Jiang and Zhang Tao took a long time to react to what happened, then their faces showed signs of terror. They had read about this battle in books; it was when the War God He Lianfang attacked a General from the previous dynasty.
Zhang Yue pushed her brothers aside to seek advice from Zhao Yao.
This time, Zhao Yao chose conditions with fewer people. He Lianfang often taught him that victories in battles were not based on the size of the army or equipment but on the mind, the mind of the general.
A General with a Divine Military Genius often could win with fewer troops, even winning without losing a single soldier.
Zhang Yue was slightly more skillful than her brothers, yet even with double the number of soldiers, she lost to Zhao Yao, losing utterly.
Halfway through, Zhang Yue thought she was winning, only to be trapped by a formation she had never seen before, with no way out for her and her soldiers.
Even Zhang Gong and Mrs. Zhang had never seen this formation before, standing aside to study it for a long time without finding a solution.
"Your Highness, I am defeated." Zhang Yue admitted defeat wholeheartedly, immediately seeking Zhao Yao’s guidance, "May I ask, Your Highness, what is this formation? I’ve never seen it before."
Zhang Gong also asked Zhao Yao for guidance, "Your Highness, what kind of formation is this? I’ve never seen it before either."
"This formation is called the Eight Gate Golden Lock Formation..." Zhao Yao explained in detail about the Eight Gate Golden Lock Formation to them.
Zhang Gong and the others listened, looking utterly shocked.
"I used the simplest form of the Eight Gate Golden Lock Formation." His Second Uncle only taught him the simplest version, saying it could be improved for even more astonishing effects. Of course, his Second Uncle wanted him to find ways to enhance it himself.
Zhang Gong had heard of the Eight Gate Golden Lock Formation, created by He Lianfang. He remembered it being so invincible that it was used to defeat the War God of the previous dynasty.
Zhang Yue and the others exclaimed, "Why have we never heard of such a formation?"
Zhang Gong lightly tapped Zhang Jiang and the others on the back of their heads, rebuking, "There’s a lot you haven’t heard about."
"Your Highness, could you tell us more about this formation?"
"Sister Yue, my understanding of the formation is not extensive either; I am still exploring it." Zhao Yao had only recently learned the formation, "Sister Yue, perhaps you could study it yourselves."
Zhang Yue, along with Zhang Jiang and the others, were deeply interested in the formation and immediately started discussing it.
Mrs. Zhang, seeing that it was getting late, instructed Zhang He and the others to take Zhao Yao to his courtyard to rest.
Tonight, Zhao Yao was to stay overnight at the Zhang residence. Song Jicai and his two companions also stayed at the Zhang residence, not returning home.
In fact, Song Jicai’s house was just next door to the Zhang residence.
Their four families had deliberately chosen to stay close to each other.
Next door at the Shen Family, Shen Hu called his eldest and second sons into his study after dinner.
Shen Hu’s eldest son was Shen Yan, his second son Shen Miao, and his youngest son Shen Sen.
The three brothers did not resemble each other much, all appearing somewhat frail.
Shen Hu shared the emperor’s instructions with his sons.
"The emperor especially instructed that you must pledge allegiance to His Tenth Highness and remain loyal to him for life."
Shen Miao asked seriously, "Father, has the emperor decided on His Tenth Highness already?"
"Yes, the emperor told us personally. Otherwise, he wouldn’t send you to Lingnan." Shen Hu replied solemnly.
"Father, rest assured, I will dedicate my life to serving His Tenth Highness loyally." Shen Miao knew that if the emperor didn’t trust their four families, he wouldn’t have revealed this matter to them. "Once we reach Lingnan, we’ll guard it well and live up to the emperor’s expectations."
"As for the specific situation in Lingnan, go to the Southern Border and find Lao Yan first; he should know." Shen Hu advised, "He will tell you what to do."
"Yes, Father."
Suddenly, Shen Yan sighed, "I never thought it would be His Tenth Highness; I always believed it was the Fourth Highness."