85: Chapter 85 Backdoor Tactics

The current Marquis Levi is a recognized coward among the nobility. He did not side with Second Prince Mian due to pressure from his relative, Marquis Alfen, but purely out of opportunism, choosing to cling to the strongest side.

"Assassin, has Fu Hao been dealt with yet?"

After Prince Mian completed the occupation of the royal palace and his coronation ceremony, he immediately issued a royal decree: ordering Marquis Levi and Marquis Alfen to march out at once, trample the Fu Hao territory, wipe out his troops, and either capture or kill them, leaving no future trouble.

However, Marquis Levi, who was cowardly and knew nothing about military affairs, began to hesitate before the expedition.

"Rest assured," the Knight Order captain serving as the temporary commander said with a firm tone, "With the strongest assassin of the Kalis Empire taking action, a mere Fu Hao is nothing but an easy catch."

"But what if... Helm seeks revenge for his disciple?"

"The 'Seven Legends' have long declared they will not intervene in human wars. Besides, Fu Hao is an adventurer and can undergo Resurrection after a day; Helm would never break the rules for him, especially when he has to consider the reputation of the other Legends."

The Knight Order captain's calm deduction put Marquis Levi at ease. Even if Fu Hao were still alive, he had no choice—after all, offending Marquis Alfen and Prince Mian, who now held royal power, was far more terrifying than facing Fu Hao.

"Then... then I leave it to you."

Nevertheless, Marquis Levi still insisted on not going to the front lines himself.

"Advance!"

Although territory wars were usually just mock exercises between knights, the soldiers marching out this time had mostly experienced the "hellish" Human-Demon War; their military discipline was strict, and their morale was exceptionally high.

"At this speed, we can arrive in 6 hours."

Meanwhile, Fu Hao successively used the teleportation gem to arrive at the three new territories: Lote Territory, Maya Territory, and Rena Territory. Following the defense layout of the Lepis Territory, he deployed most of his soldiers for guard duty and then gathered all the knights and soldiers with combat power comparable to knights into one location.

"Our enemies are Marquis Levi and Marquis Alfen. They marched toward Lote Territory and Rena Territory two hours ago, respectively."

The news transmitted through the loudspeaker caused the entire barracks to fall into silence; the enemy's elite knights alone numbered over a thousand.

Although Fu Hao's direct subordinates were equipped with level 400 red iron sets, their levels were relatively low. The knights of the new territories were capable of fighting, but the penetration rate of the red iron sets was less than 30%. In a direct confrontation, there was zero chance of winning.

A knight originally from Lote Territory asked cautiously: "Will Lord Helm... take action?"

"No, Master will not intervene."

Fu Hao's answer triggered a wave of sighs. If a Legendary Knight were assisting, no amount of enemies would be feared, and they could even face death without fear.

"Everyone, quiet!" Fu Hao shouted, his gaze sweeping across the crowd, "We will now begin explaining the tactics. First, look at the map."

He distributed the blueprints to everyone, but the next moment, a soldier asked in confusion: "My Lord, this isn't a map... this is clearly a building blueprint, right?"

"That's right," Fu Hao curled his lips, "This is precisely our battlefield—the residences of Marquis Levi and Marquis Alfen."

This was the "Backdoor Tactics." Fu Hao had long used the teleportation gem to mark the coordinates of all the noble residences in the Rowen Kingdom. Although noble residences were usually forbidden to outsiders and he was shut out due to hostile relations, by relying on mystery-type items to copy appearances, entering and exiting the gates of these residences was as convenient as an automatic door.

"I originally intended to use it to capture Prince Mian..."

The first use of the Backdoor Tactics would surely have stunning results, but once leaked, the enemy would surely guard against it strictly, making it difficult to be effective again. Therefore, he decided to bet this precious opportunity on today.

After a simple deployment, he distributed teleportation gems and start-up funds to nearly 700 knights and soldiers and had everyone sign a "Blood Contract" to prevent anyone from fleeing in the face of battle.

"Alright, initiate tactics!"

As the order was given, 700 beams of light erupted in the barracks, and everyone vanished instantly.

Marquis Alfen, though not as cowardly as Marquis Levi, was greedy by nature and extremely sensitive to any short-term or long-term losses. This was the basis for Administrator Lapis's judgment that he would not personally lead the expedition. In his eyes, a territory was just a shop; if there was no profit, it had no value.

Although Fu Hao spent a huge amount of money to reorganize the Lepis Territory, it was still in the "input greater than output" stage, and the core resource, the "Pasture," was facing the threat of a giant monster horde. As for the three new territories, although slightly better, they were not enough to make him risk losing his troops.

The only reason he hesitated not in responding to Prince Mian's royal decree was that Prince Mian promised him a 10% trade share of the Kalis Empire. In his view, even if Fu Hao were not dead, his own army could never lose.

At this moment, he was sitting in the spacious and bright conference room of his residence, leisurely reviewing the draft trade list, when a commotion suddenly came from outside the door:

"Ah! Don't come over!"

"There's an enemy!"

The commotion had just begun when it abruptly stopped. The door of the conference room was slammed open, and the person who entered was Fu Hao, whom Marquis Alfen knew well.

"You really are here."

"Fu, Fu Hao... you..."

[ "Jin Hao" tipped 50 Yuan. (Marquis Alfen: How did you appear in my house?) ]

[ "Imitator" tipped 50 Yuan. (Scared to death) ]

Fu Hao sat on the desk with his legs crossed, looking down at the terrified Marquis Alfen: "I heard, you sent troops to my territory?"

"Tha, that..."

Marquis Alfen could not believe what was happening before his eyes. Where were the imperial assassins sent by Prince Mian? And where were the hundred-plus knight patrols outside the residence?

As a greedy person, he had always been extremely concerned about his own safety, and the perimeter of his residence was strictly guarded all year round. If a large enemy force had really approached, they should have been detected long ago.

The only explanation was—Fu Hao had infiltrated alone, using some kind of evil art to pass through the defenses.

"Hahahaha, barging into the enemy camp alone, you've got guts, Fu Hao. Do you think you have many lives?"

"..."

"Want to kidnap me? Too bad—"

Marquis Alfen snapped his fingers, and ten black shadows instantly leaped down from the ceiling.

"My secret guards..."

Before he could finish, the door was slammed open again, and five knights who had teleported with Fu Hao rushed into the room.

"My Lord, Marquis Alfen's family has been completely controlled."

"Thank you for your hard work."

Marquis Alfen still held onto a glimmer of hope: "You think this few people can..."

Before he could finish, another batch of knights poured in, numbering over twenty.

"..."

The completely collapsed Marquis Alfen didn't even have time to defend himself before being surrounded by Fu Hao's knights.

- "Hahaha hahaha."

- If he knew 700 people came, he would probably have fainted on the spot."

"My Lord, Marquis Alfen's family has been completely transferred to the border of Rena Territory. Shall we head to Marquis Levi's residence?"

"Wait a moment."

Fu Hao stared at Marquis Alfen and opened the manual recording noble information:

"Marquis Alfen, the greediest noble in the Rowen Kingdom. His military strength is not the strongest, but his wealth is unmatched. He loves collecting rare items and even personally travels to the Kalis Empire to participate in secret auctions. His collecting hobby is almost pathological."

After reading the manual, Fu Hao revealed a sly smile: "Where is your treasure warehouse?"

This was the real reason he used the "excess force" of 700 people: to plunder the treasure.