Chapter 1233: Chapter 1233

After the test was over, Du You did not make a fuss about it, but silently sent five Azure Knights and one Sea King Guard to Elsa’s side to protect her and do some other things.

The rest were either hidden away or secretly arranged to be with other important people in the various territories to ensure their safety. With this, Du You finally no longer had any worries about threats from the empire.

The reason he had insisted on eliminating that sixth-tier Sea Turtle, even at great cost, was precisely for this occasion. Had he not succeeded in obtaining the blueprints he desired, he would now be considering hiding away the upper class. Being targeted by an enemy’s expert was the most dangerous threat and the empire’s greatest deterrence to those beneath it.

Before the Northern fortress, the crown prince paced back and forth, his face flushed with rage. In his heart, what he had thought to be a trivial Beastman Clan had unexpectedly managed to keep him at bay.

On the expert level, the enemy had somehow amassed so many strong fighters that it would be impossible for him to win quickly without a huge cost. Even in the aerial forces, he found himself outmatched.

In siege warfare, those clever Fox People must have learned their techniques from somewhere; they even had weapons for defending the fortress. Plus, with those elusive Cat people Assassins always targeting his middle and lower-tier leaders, it was causing him endless trouble.

Now the army was becoming less and less manageable. If the battle went on , it would become unwinnable.

"Your Highness, we can’t go on . If it continues, who knows how much time will be wasted."

"What can I do? Shall I force an attack? That would entail too great a loss." As the crown prince, he had to coordinate the interests of all parties. These experts came not only from the royal family but also from various other forces and noble families.

Moreover, these were all experts, many from the upper echelons of the major forces. It was possible to send them into battle, but to send them to their deaths was out of the question. Plus, too many casualties would destabilize his own position as crown prince.

"We can’t keep waiting, the South has already started to become unstable. Our empire’s greatest threat is not the Fox People, but the Shenghai Kingdom to the South. Their power is growing too rapidly, and they have the Secret Method to train fifth-tier soldiers. If someone else gets it, it will definitely threaten Your position," advised his subordinate urgently. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅✦𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾✦𝗇𝖾𝗍

"So, we have to attack with force?" the crown prince hesitated.

"Yes, we must attack with full force. As long as we offer enough benefits, they will surely agree. Even if there are many casualties later on, it won’t all be Your fault. Ending the Northern war swiftly and then moving to the South is of utmost importance."

"Yes, Your Highness, while the Fox People have quite a number of experts, they are nowhere near as numerous as in the South. If we can cripple them in one go, the benefits of the North could make those great nobles shut up. No one will care about the dead."

The crown prince hesitated, seemingly tempted, but could not make up his mind. The potential losses were too great, and the impact on himself too significant; he had to be cautious and weigh his options carefully.

But as the crown prince mulled it over, the ground suddenly shook violently, causing those inside to nearly lose their balance. "What’s happening, an earthquake?" A crowd of people, regardless of status, rushed out.

However, the sight before them was overwhelming. Those Griffin Knights and Flying Dragon Knights, clearly high-tier Beastman soldiers, along with Fox People and White Foxes that had emerged from who knows where, were launching a surprise attack on them.

Just as with them, if the Fox People Clan’s experts were asked to do such a desperate deed, even at Elsa’s command, they would surely find an excuse to feign obedience. But Elsa had the advantage over her enemies in that she had her own territory, and most of her fifth-tier soldiers were absolutely loyal and at her disposal.

So when Elsa decided to launch a surprise attack, it was easy to gather them. Their speed allowed them to eschew excessive concealment. Suddenly, a thousand fifth-tier soldiers were thrown into the surprise attack, with several hundred more following.

The crown prince’s fifth-tier soldiers, though slightly more in number, were disunited and lacked cohesion. Faced with the sudden attack, they fought individually until they finally managed to hold their ground and began to coordinate with each other.

Seeing this, the crown prince, without a word, went into hiding. This was a fifth-tier battlefield, not something he could meddle in. Even with the royal resources, the crown prince had only just entered the fourth tier.

Furthermore, the crown prince was already in his forties, lacking exceptional talent and not having much combat experience.

Hiding, the crown prince was inwardly relieved. It was good that the enemy had attacked first; this way, even if the losses were great, the blame on him would be minimal. Surprise attacks among fifth-tier experts were useful, but not absolute.

Regardless of the outcome this time, both sides would suffer great losses. If the White Fox Clan suffered heavily, he could even take this opportunity to invade directly, helping others get their revenge. Truly, it would be killing several birds with one stone.

However, as half an hour passed and the White Fox Clan’s experts withdrew in an orderly fashion, the expressions of the fifth-tier experts darkened. Not only were they caught in a surprise attack, but the losses were severe. As the crown prince emerged and understood the situation, his face also turned quite ugly. "How could this happen? These madmen, do they not value their lives?"

Looking at the report, the crown prince felt as if his heart was bleeding. The Fox People experts had truly fought desperately, not like a typical battle.

The two thousand plus fifth-tier experts he had brought had lost half of their number in this battle, leaving just over a thousand. Moreover, all of those remaining were wounded, with over three hundred seriously injured or disabled and unable to fight.

The rest were only lightly injured, and though they still had the strength to fight, the losses on the Fox People’s side were also acceptable.

A surprise attack battle, due to the Fox People’s good cooperation and rigorous structure, resulted only in five hundred deaths. Yes, five hundred, including their mounts, with two counted for each rider.

The Fox People had more injured, but most were only lightly wounded. At the last moment, those seriously injured voluntarily stayed to cover the retreat and died here. "So it means that there are at least a thousand fifth-tier combatants left on the Fox People’s side."

"Your Highness, not only the remaining ones, but they can also send reinforcements of high-level fighters at any time."

The crown prince was at his wit’s end. He had wanted to quickly end the battle to reinforce the South, but now that was impossible.