After news of the 400,000 B?c ??ch (Northern enemy) troops reached the generals, a massive debate erupted for several days within the Command Tent of the Tr?n B?c Quan (Northern Guarding Army) regarding combat strategy. One side proposed a defensive stance—tightly shutting the city gates and waiting for the enemy to grow weary before launching a breakthrough counterattack. The other side suggested an immediate strike, arguing that the enemy would be in disarray while still assembling their forces. Both sides presented their logic; neither would yield.

  The Defensive Side presented three main points:

  

  
1. The entire army of the Chau Ng?c Qu?c (Jade Pearl Kingdom) currently numbers fewer than 200,000. Fighting a superior force with fewer numbers is unfeasible, as the Northern enemies troops are more battle-hardened than the Jade Pearl troops.


  
2. The enemy has just secured a resounding victory; their morale and fighting spirit are soaring, while our morale is low. We cannot meet strength with strength.


  
3. We have a vast hinterland behind us. Given enough time, the army will regroup—never mind 400,000, the King can mobilize over a million if necessary. Furthermore, there are over a dozen Great Generals in the capital who can arrive to provide support at any moment.


  

  The Rapid Attack Side also presented three points:

  

  
1. While 400,000 sounds like a massive number, they belong to ten different tribes. Only A-ly-Khat tribe, numbering about 100,000, is truly eager for combat. The other tribes are merely there to watch the "festivities." Their main goal is to share the spoils of war, meaning they will only commit their forces when victory is certain.


  
2. Therefore, we must strike first to show them the difficulty of the task so they won't dare attack, thus buying more time for the rear to assemble.


  
3. To avenge the Northern Guarding General. An "eye for an eye" approach is the only way to appease the officers and soldiers. It will raise military morale, allowing for a long-term resistance; otherwise, soldiers will desert and flee.


  

  Doanh Th??ng Hi?n (Prince Hien), having just been appointed as the Northern Guarding General, did not yet have the hearts of the military. Facing such a dilemma on his first day—where every argument seemed valid and logical—left him unsure of how to decide. He looked at the Northern Guarding Chair with a heavy heart, feeling unworthy of the seat and the immense responsibility. He needed to do something. He spoke up:

  "My apologies, everyone. I find your ideas very good and insightful. Therefore, I propose this: I will lead a Vanguard force to launch a preemptive strike to establish prestige for our army, while the rest of you prepare the defenses. I shall return within three days."

  The generals immediately spoke up in embarrassment, "That cannot be. You are the Commander-in-Chief; you cannot go as the Vanguard. If you were to fall, military morale would plummet even further."

  Prince Hien replied, "Then let us delay my official transfer of command. If I return after three days, I shall accept this position. If I do not return in time, hand this post to Vuong Khac Dich. Since there has been no official announcement to the entire army, the title of Northern Guarding General is not yet firmly confirmed. This is my first decree upon assuming the role of Northern Guarding General; it is my final decision and not open to further debate."

  Without allowing further input, Prince Hien walked out of the Command Tent, followed by Silver Beard and Aeris. Vuong Khac Dich ran after him, saying, "What are you doing? That was my idea. Why are you snatching it? Let me go; I must avenge my father."

  Prince Hien placed a hand on Vuong Khac Dich's shoulder and said, "I cannot, my brother. You are the Great General's last remaining son. If you die, who will look after the Vuong Family? Stay here and take care of the Great General. This is an order. Disobedience is punishable by death." Vuong Khac Dich was silenced, not daring to utter another word.

  After walking a distance, Aeris asked, "Haha, kid, why are you risking your life like this? Are you tired of living?"

  Prince Hien replied, "Uncle, I’m not being reckless. I have a plan. Rest assured, I won't let you die."

  Aeris laughed. "I am a warrior; I face life and death every day. There is nothing to fear. Now, tell me what that smart head of yours is thinking."

  Prince Hien said, "I need military achievements to establish prestige. I only need to win small skirmishes and burn enemy camps. Lend me your 200 best Immortal Race sky-cavalry warriors. I will explain the plan in detail later."

  Aeris said, "Alright. Consider it done."

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Aeris was a disciple of Doanh Thuong Nhan, the father of Doanh Thuong Hien (Prince Hien). Thus, Prince Hien viewed Aeris as family, and the two trusted each other implicitly.

  Prince Hien then said to Silver Beard, "I also need 1,000 light cavalry. Each man must bring three horses to ensure continuous movement and changes if necessary. I will discuss the plan with Master later."

  Silver Beard nodded and said, "Very well."

  Afterward, Prince Hien constantly communicated with the System regarding tactics. In his mind, a map of the entire region appeared with yellow, orange, and red dots representing Northern enemy Generals, while blue and green dots marked his own forces, and white dots represented civilians. Along with other icons and notes on power levels, he compared them to his current combat strength to determine where to strike and where to avoid.

  In a single night, Aeris burned ten camps of a thousand men each, and Silver Beard burned five. The goal was merely to cause chaos, not to intentionally annihilate them, leaving the enemy unsure of where the next attack would come from. Prince Hien, however, focused on one camp, burning it and smashing through the gates to slay the enemy. After sowing discord, Aeris and Silver Beard moved to support Prince Hien. Aeris urged his Black Flying Horse to its maximum speed, holding a golden trident, streaking across the sky like a bolt of lightning. Silver Beard used Earth-Tunneling techniques to move rapidly underground.

  Inside the Northern enemy camp of a thousand men, they were taken by surprise. They hadn't expected the Jade Pearl army to attack so soon and were busy drinking to celebrate their victory over the Northern Guarding General. Because of this, Prince Hien’s cavalry of only a few hundred was able to tear through them quickly. They died before they knew what hit them. The commander of this thousand-man unit was O-Khoac, a commander under A-ly-Khat. He was extremely battle-hardened, possessing a body of bronze and skin of iron, with dragon scales growing on his torso and arms. He had the ability to transform into a Demi-Dragon—a small black dragon that could not fly or breathe fire, but was covered in dragon scales and wielded a great saber.

  Seeing the commotion outside, O-Khoac transformed into his Demi-Dragon form and rushed out, hacking wildly; both men and horses were sliced in half. Spotting Prince Hien, he roared, "You pale-faced general, how dare you come here and disturb my sleep! Witness my blade!" He leaped and swung his saber down rapidly. Prince Hien jumped back just in time, but his ordinary horse couldn't react and was sliced in two.

  Prince Hien retreated a few steps and put on a mask to draw power. The mask shifted into the shape of a dragon's head, and energy spread across his body like a suit of armor. He activated his energy shield and fought back with his Dragon Spear. However, Prince Hien could do little to his opponent because the dragon scales were too hard. Even in spots without scales, the skin was difficult to pierce, resulting only in minor wounds that healed instantly. Prince Hien was also wounded, but White Fire appeared and healed his injuries immediately. The prolonged battle terrified Prince Hien; if his opponent's allies arrived, it would be disastrous.

  After a while, the Dragon Spear began to react. It sensed the Mother Dragon's curse on O-Khoac. The Dragon Pearl was activated, intensifying the curse's effect. O-Khoac’s overall strength plummeted, his defenses weakened, and his breathing became labored as the curse grew stronger. Just as Prince Hien thought he could kill his opponent, a crack of thunder echoed from the sky. A Black Thunder Bird (a four-winged black bird) dove down to attack Prince Hien, pushing him back. The thunderous sound right next to his ear left Prince Hien dizzy.

  Immediately after, a second Black Thunder Bird arrived with another clap of thunder, causing one of his ears to bleed. As the third Thunder Bird approached, a hand reached up from the ground and pulled Prince Hien down. Silver Beard looked at his disciple and asked, "Can you hold on, apprentice?"

  Prince Hien snapped out of it, the white fire healing his ear. "I'm fine. Let me up, I'm about to kill O-Khoac."

  Silver Beard warned, "It's too dangerous. The Thunder Bird Mage is almost here. We must run."

  Prince Hien insisted, "Trust me, I will finish this quickly."

  Silver Beard sighed and tunneled close to O-Khoac, erecting walls around him to prevent escape. Prince Hien rose from the ground and pointed his Dragon Spear at O-Khoac. A beam of white energy blasted into the center of the enemy's chest, causing immense pain. Then, the Dragon Spear flew out, fueled by resentment, piercing through him before returning to Prince Hien’s hand. He shouted, "All units, retreat!"

  The four-winged Black Thunder Birds flew near the wall trapping O-Khoac, flapping their wings to create a vibration frequency that shattered the wall, but they found only O-Khoac's corpse. A Golden Thunder Bird (a four-winged bird with golden feathers and strong electrical currents) discharged electricity directly into the ground, interrupting Silver Beard 's Earth-Tunneling. Both master and disciple were forced out of the ground. Though not seriously injured, the Earth-Tunneling spell required time to recover, forcing them to flee on foot. Silver Beard used a Flying Stone spell to lift a boulder and carry them both away, but the speed was slower than Earth-tunneling. At that moment, Aeris arrived with the flying horse unit, and the group fought through the swarm of Thunder Birds to find an escape route.

  Four days later, news of Prince Hien’s breakthrough—burning over ten enemy camps, killing a general, and capturing the enemy flag—reached the Jade Pearl Kingdom. However, they waited in vain for the three leaders to return. Most of the raiders from that night had returned, leaving everyone anxious. The ceremony to appoint the Northern Guarding General was ready. They tried to pressure Vuong Khac Dich to take the position, but he refused, determined to wait for Prince Hien’s return.