The Empror's Trap-Chapter 73: Ch - The Rebel Army of Prince Liam

Kenji had his reasons for such arrangements. The Imperial Guard referred to those people as rioters, indicating they lacked significant combat capabilities.

The bar for being considered a rioter was quite low. In various nations, such groups were often used as pawns by politicians. Some were even treated as mere cannon fodder.

Thus, the quality of rioters varied greatly. Some had genuine convictions they wanted to fulfill, others were ordinary people hired with money to cause trouble, and some were simply following orders...

Expecting them to break through the palace guards was fantasy. If the palace guards could be breached by rioters wielding shabby weapons, Kenji would be unfit to serve as Grand Marshal.

However, this didn’t mean these people were useless. Their purpose was to serve as cannon fodder.

Kenji guaranteed that if the palace guards moved carelessly, the enemy would seize the opportunity to charge through. By then, even killing all the rioters would be pointless. That’s why Kenji ordered the palace guards to hold position. General Tie’s deployment was actually sound - the guards used the terrain advantage to defend the palace gates, leaving virtually no vulnerabilities.

But a defensive contraction would be different. Between Kenji’s subordinates, the palace guards, and the cultivators in the palace, they had sufficient forces.

….

Prince Liam watched his private army from afar. This time, he had received a request from his royal brother to deploy troops.

In his view, this was a rare opportunity. Although Liam could initiate rebellion himself, he was quite far removed from the Emperor. If he relied solely on his own forces, the rebellion would likely have little effect.

But this was a good chance. Liam had no particular feelings for his brother, as they had little interaction when their father was still alive. He agreed to help mainly because his brother was leading the effort.

If things went wrong, his dear brother would be the scapegoat, and most of the responsibility wouldn’t fall on him. He had countless ways to mitigate his own culpability.

And if the coup succeeded, he could easily replace his brother. After all, he had the most resources, with the support of a general and several colonels.

Moreover, he had recently received help from another group.

Thinking of this, the former crown prince couldn’t help but feel relieved. Although his brother’s troops had failed their mission earlier, they had at least mostly fulfilled their purpose as pawns.

He recognized the people sent by Duke Anos - they were from the Red Kite Army, meaning Duke Anos had already mobilized various military camps in the surrounding areas.

Continuing to engage now would be unwise. A group had gathered around the emperor, and Kenji’s troops would likely arrive soon. Pressing on now would be asking for a thorough defeat.

He needed to find a way to back down gracefully.

After pondering briefly, Liam suddenly thought of a plausible exit strategy.

To be honest, although he contributed significantly to this rebellion, he wasn’t the mastermind. As the former crown prince, he still had some prestige and connections.

Additionally, Pluvia wouldn’t be too harsh on his own brother, so as long as he found a reason acceptable to both Pluvia and himself, he wouldn’t face extreme consequences - punishment would be severe, but certainly not death.

"Relay orders to all units to assemble immediately and head to the palace. Note: no shouting slogans, just march, and keep quiet," he instructed.

"Yes, sir."

The colonel beside him immediately spread the message to all units. Under his command, Liam’s troops began concentrating in his location.

Following his orders, the troops marched toward the palace still armed. He currently had over four thousand men - though not many compared to Camelot’s full might, when concentrated together they created an impressive sight.

Liam’s forces arrived before the palace this way.

Although Kenji had ordered the palace guards to hold position, given the circumstances, even if Pluvia didn’t want him to expand his power, he had to act. This was facing rebel forces, not ordinary riots - mishandling it would have unthinkable consequences.

Kenji hadn’t devoted much force to suppressing the troops outside the palace. On one hand, he had focused mainly on resolving the palace crisis, concentrating almost all forces there.

On the other hand, he couldn’t engage in massive bloodshed with rebels right in the city. Besides civilian casualties, in such complex terrain, rashly engaging the enemy would bring unpredictable losses given too many unstable factors.

The Red Kite Army was quite useful, and Kenji didn’t want it to suffer heavy losses.

So it was perfectly normal for Liam’s large force to reach the palace gates.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Grand Marshal, the rebel army has arrived," announced a Red Kite Army scout.

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"Your Majesty, please wait here momentarily. I shall go meet them myself. Who dares join me?" Kenji looked around at the civil and military officials.

Everyone glanced at each other hesitantly.

They weren’t afraid of the rebel army - Camelot’s Red Kite Army was certainly capable enough, at least to ensure everyone’s safe retreat, and the palace had contingency measures.

But they feared picking sides.

If they stepped forward now and were later targeted by Her Majesty or their opponents, it would be troublesome.

So they all watched and waited.

However, among them were quite a few of Kenji’s supporters.

"Lord Kenji’s courage to personally meet the rebels at this time commands my deepest respect. Though I have never fought on battlefields, I have this burning passion - I am willing to accompany Lord Kenji!" declared Grand Censor Ziyan, who was known for his fierce and straightforward character, having angered many court officials to their faces.

His ability to maintain his position was largely due to being one of Kenji’s supporters.

Actually, he wasn’t just a supporter but a close friend despite their age difference. Ziyan had frequently argued with Kenji’s father when he was still alive. The old man, coming from a military background, couldn’t take such attitude and often argued back.

Through their arguments they became friends. Later, whenever anyone tried to target Ziyan, the old man would protect him. As Ziyan aged, he also learned to occasionally speak diplomatically, allowing him to continue serving as Grand Censor.

His willingness to step forward now wasn’t necessarily to show loyalty to Kenji, but likely because he was concerned about Kenji going alone.

Although as a scholar his practical use in this situation was somewhat limited...