Chapter 89: The Barracks Destroyed

"What happened at the barracks?" Li Xie demanded.

Zen Nad replied, "I'm not sure. A soldier came running to tell me, and I came to inform you immediately."

"Alright, let's go take a look."

Li Xie strode out of the study. As he entered the garden, he saw black smoke billowing from the western sky, and his heart sank. "Zen, fly."

Li Xie tore off his shirt, extended his blade wings, and soared into the sky with Zen Nad following closely behind.

From the air, he had a clear view. Three miles outside the west gate of Juhua City, the barracks were engulfed in flames, with black smoke rising like a column into the sky.

"The barracks are on fire."

Li Xie flew quickly towards the barracks, with Zen Nad beside him. They landed near the blazing barracks, which could accommodate ten thousand soldiers but now seemed destined for total destruction.

Kano and a dozen soldiers knelt in front of the barracks, some beating their chests, others wailing in despair. The fire was so intense that few soldiers trapped inside could have escaped.

Two more figures appeared in the sky: one was Van Der Saar, surrounded by golden light, and the other was Jack Rothschild, whose back was adorned with golden wings from his fusion with the Golden Phoenix Battle Chicken.

Jack, furious, landed and immediately roared without greeting Li Xie, "Kano, what happened?"

Kano turned around, his face tear-streaked, and knelt heavily before Li Xie. "My lord, I have sinned. I deserve to die. The barracks are gone. Over twenty thousand brothers were inside and didn't make it out. My lord, I deserve to die."

The dozen soldiers kneeling outside also crawled over, weeping bitterly. They were not relieved to have survived but mourned their comrades who perished in the inferno.

Li Xie's face was as dark as the billowing smoke, and he spoke coldly, "What exactly happened? Speak."

Kano choked back his sobs and explained, "I was drilling the soldiers in the training ground when I suddenly felt a strong magical fluctuation. Immediately, flames burst from the sky and all around us. It was impossible to extinguish. Out of over twenty thousand soldiers, only a dozen of us escaped. My lord, it must have been a mage, a ninth-level nature mage who ambushed our barracks."

"A ninth-level mage? Who?" Li Xie's words were forced through gritted teeth, revealing his immense anger.

The newly constructed barracks and over twenty thousand soldiers were wiped out by a single fire. How could he not be furious?

Kano shook his head, "My lord, I couldn't see who attacked us."

Jack spoke coldly, "My lord, the Leopard Legion of Sunflower City has three ninth-level nature mages."

"Excellent, very good." Li Xie's eyes were icy cold. "They burned my barracks and killed my soldiers. If I don't wipe out the Pantheon family, I am not Li Xie. Jack."

"Yes, my lord."

"Tell me, how could a ninth-level mage so easily burn down our barracks, and we had no idea? Tell me, what kind of commander are you?"

Li Xie's roar shocked Jack, who immediately knelt down, "My lord, I am guilty."

Li Xie glared at Jack. "Whether you are guilty or not is not for you to decide, nor for me. It's up to those over twenty thousand dead soldiers to decide. What I need to know now is why our barracks were burned down, why we had no idea. If they can burn down the barracks today, can they burn down the City Lord's mansion tomorrow? Tell me why."

Jack gritted his teeth and replied, "My lord, our barracks were just established and had no emergency defense mechanisms. Our soldiers are too weak to survive against a ninth-level fire mage. Our surveillance was just set up and isn't operational yet, so we had no idea if someone infiltrated us. We lack mages in our army to immediately extinguish or counteract the magic. Moreover, it is my fault. If I had been in the barracks, they wouldn't have been able to burn them down. Please, my lord, punish me."

"No, my lord," Kano knelt beside Jack. "It's not the commander's fault. It's my fault for failing to save our brothers. The commander is busy with many tasks; he can't be at the barracks all the time."

"Stand up, both of you," Li Xie sighed, knowing that everything he had just established was still as fragile as a newborn, unable to withstand any attack. If someone wanted to cause trouble, the current situation was inevitable. "I know none of this is your fault. I was too harsh just now. I apologize."

"My lord, I know you are feeling terrible. I feel terrible too," Jack said, his eyes glinting with cold light.

Feeling terrible was an understatement.

My barracks, my soldiers.

Pantheon family, wait and see.

Li Xie buried his anger and patted Jack on the shoulder. "You are the commander of the Evil Army. No matter what happens, don't blame yourself. Instead, think about how to avenge our fallen brothers and how to make life better for those who remain. The barracks are gone, so we'll rebuild them. Soldiers have died, so we'll recruit more. Make sure the consoling work is done well. Now, about this grudge, what do you think we should do?"

"Kill," Kano said angrily. "Even if it's the Leopard Corps, my lord, Kano requests to lead the vanguard. Even if I die, I will kill those bastards."

Li Xie glared at him. "All you think about is killing. Vengeance is necessary, but we need to think about not deepening our grudges. We currently don't have the capability to retaliate; we must endure to protect what we have and avoid further losses. When we are stronger, we will settle the score with interest. Jack, officially declare that the fire in the barracks was an accident."

"Yes, my lord. I understand."

"Kano, stay and organize the fire extinguishing. Zayn, I need you to work hard and search the entire city. If you find any high-level mages, capture them alive. Jack, Vandi, you two come with me back to the mansion."

Once in the City Lord's mansion's council hall, the three took their seats. Li Xie squinted his eyes and said coldly, "The Pantheon family seems to have figured out His Majesty's intention of appointing me as the lord of Juhua City. Hmph, they struck us while our new army was still forming. Although we need to endure, I cannot let this slide. We can't fight them head-on, and we have no means for a successful sneak attack. What do you think, if you two, along with Zayn, attack their barracks, how many could you kill, provided you all return safely?"

Jack shook his head. "My lord, the Leopard Corps is not like us. They have long-established operations in Solar Flower City. If any experts enter the city, they will know immediately. Even if we managed to reach their barracks, we couldn't get close. All established barracks are heavily guarded, and any movement within a mile is monitored. Any intrusion, whether by air or underground, would be met with lethal force. With our current strength, we could only provoke them outside the barracks."

"Damn it, we can't face them head-on, and we can't ambush them. Are we really helpless against them?" Li Xie was visibly frustrated.

Jack sneered. "The Leopard Corps, though officially part of the dynasty's army, are essentially private soldiers of the Pantheon family. The commanders are all Pantheon family members. If we could kill all their commanders, the ten thousand Leopard Corps in Solar Flower City would collapse."

"Yes, I've thought about that too. Like in Juhua City, if you or I were to fall, our soldiers would scatter. The Leopard Corps are no different. Their soldiers wouldn't avenge their commanders on their own. The problem is how to kill all their commanders."

Vandi Sell added, "And we must do it without them being able to alert each other. Otherwise, Juhua City would be in danger."

"Yes, destroying the Leopard Corps in Solar Flower City is still a strategy. Whenever you have time, think about how to capture all their commanders. Sooner or later, we'll find a way or seize an opportunity. For now, Jack, the primary task is to establish effective surveillance. We cannot afford another incident like today's, and we must always be aware of what's happening in Solar Flower City. Only then will we have a chance."

A servant approached. "Master, a soldier seeks an audience with Lord Rothschild."

"Let him in." Watching the servant leave, Li Xie thought he should hire more servants. The vast City Lord's mansion had only a few servants managing a small living area, and sometimes there wasn't even anyone available to relay messages.

The soldier soon entered the council hall. After paying his respects, he said, "A team of about a thousand soldiers was spotted ten miles outside the East Gate. Judging by their banners, they appear to be from the Leopard Corps and are currently advancing. Please decide what to do, my lord."

"Damn it," Li Xie angrily slapped the armrest. "They think they can attack Juhua City with just a thousand men? Jack, Vandi, take some men and make sure none of those thousand survive."

"Calm down, my lord," Jack quickly interjected. "They wouldn't directly attack Juhua City; they might be on another mission. Besides, we can't engage the Leopard Corps head-on without certainty. They're an official royal army, while your forces are private. If we openly engage them, they could accuse us of rebellion, and the royal army would besiege us. By the time the capital learns about it, we could be wiped out."

Li Xie's eyebrows shot up in alarm. "So you're saying that all they need is an excuse to attack us, and Juhua City could be in great danger?"

"Well..." Jack sighed, frustrated by Li Xie's impulsiveness. "Not everyone is as reckless as you, killing without regard for consequences, even on the court. Rest assured, there are imperial spies in both Juhua City and Solar Flower City. Unless they have an undeniable reason, like us attacking them unprovoked, they won't launch a major assault. If they did, without a convincing excuse, they'd face punishment from the emperor or be forced into open rebellion."

"That's a relief," Li Xie said. "But what if they come to provoke us?"

Jack smiled wryly. "We endure what we can. As long as they don't attack us directly, any military action against them would be seen as rebellion. Officially, they're the royal army."

"Ugh, I feel so constrained. When will I be able to vent my anger?" Li Xie laughed bitterly, then stood up. "Let's go to the East Gate. I suspect they're here to provoke us."