บท 3183: Chapter 3168: The Army_1

After leaving, the elder looked toward Xue Qinghe with a complex expression in his eyes…

He could not help but ask, "Crown Prince, did you come here to find Prince Xue Xing just for this trivial matter?"

Moreover, from the previous situation, it could be seen that Prince Xue Xing clearly had no fondness for Xue Qinghe!

He was even filled with hostility!

Upon hearing this, Xue Qinghe simply smiled slightly, "In your eyes, elder, it may be a trivial matter, but for Qing He, it is of great importance!"

"After all, I do not wish to trouble the emperor with conflicts between me and my uncle!"

On one side was Xue Xing, his closest brother!

On the other side was Xue Qinghe, the prince he valued the most!

It was not easy for Xue Ye to make a choice between the two!

Therefore, he had to provoke Xue Xing in advance, forcing him to lose patience and take action so that he could find the opportunity to remove him!

Without Xue Xing, Du Gu Bo naturally would have no reason to remain in the royal household and would pose no threat to him!

The elder stroked his beard, generously praising, "Crown Prince, it seems I have underestimated you all this time; I hadn't expected you to have such a magnanimous heart!!"

Xue Qinghe humbly replied, "Elder, you flatter me too much, if anything, it is all thanks to my teacher's good instruction!"

The elder paused, pondering, "Teacher?? Are you referring to Sect Master Ning?"

No wonder, he had almost forgotten!

The Crown Prince's teacher was that Sect Master Ning, which made sense!

Xue Qinghe nodded affirmatively, speaking with an admiring tone, "Exactly, under my teacher's guidance, I have been able to improve and become better."

"Nevertheless, there are still areas I fall short in!"

The elder said no more, silently contemplating...

At that moment, Xue Qinghe spoke up again, "By the way, there is another matter for which I need your accompany me."

The elder immediately came back to his senses, responding, "Crown Prince, please speak. Protecting you is, after all, my duty!"

Xue Qinghe chuckled softly before revealing his intention, "Well, I would like to inspect the armies of the Tiandou Empire."

The elder's pupils suddenly contracted, his expression becoming cautious...

Then, he questioned with a grave tone, "Crown Prince, can you tell me the reason? Afterward, I must report to Emperor Xue Ye!"

He had thought everything about the Crown Prince was normal, so why did he suddenly propose to inspect the armies of the Tiandou Empire?

Xue Qinghe answered methodically, "The situation is such, His Majesty the Emperor hopes that I can take over the throne soon, but I do not believe I have reached the level necessary to command the Tiandou Empire!"

"Thus, I wish to learn more about the armies of the Tiandou Empire, to make some preparations in advance!!"

Having received the answer, the elder took a deep breath, consoling, "Crown Prince, the armies of the Tiandou Empire are composed of ordinary people who are not even Soul Masters. I believe, there's nothing noteworthy about them!"

Most Soul Masters were absorbed by the Martial Soul Hall and various Great Sects, leaving the royal household with a scarce number of Soul Masters!

As a result, the Tiandou Empire's army could only be filled with ordinary soldiers.

Xue Qinghe looked directly at him, speaking word by word, "Elder, you cannot say that, although they are not Soul Masters, as soldiers, they are constantly guarding the Tiandou Empire, and calling them heroes is not an overstatement!"

The elder choked up for a moment, unsure of how to rebut...

He could only sigh and say, "If that's the case, then let's proceed to the army as the Crown Prince suggests and take a look!"

Enough, since the Crown Prince insists on going, then it's my duty to protect him closely!

"Hmm, then I shall trouble the senior with this task!"

Having said that, without lingering any longer, he headed towards the area where the Tiandou Empire's army was stationed...

...

Not long after, the two of them arrived at the military encampment!

The elder was the first to speak, introducing, "Crown Prince, the area ahead is where the Tiandou Empire's army is stationed!"

Looking at the foul-smelling, and even chaotic scene before them, Xue Qinghe feigned anger, "The living environment for the soldiers is so appalling, isn't it a bit too inhumane?"

"It seems necessary to report this to the emperor!"

The former saw this expression and immediately explained, "Your Highness, what you may not know is that only a harsh environment like this can train excellent soldiers!"

"After all, they do not possess Soul Power, so they can only train their bodies to become strong!"

Xue Qinghe was quite surprised, "So, you are saying this is only a training ground for the army??"

The elder nodded again and replied, "Correct, once these soldiers' overall strength reaches the required standard, they will naturally be transferred from this place!"

Xue Qinghe then breathed a sigh of relief, "I see, it seems I misunderstood."

While observing, the soldiers who were training with long spears also noticed their presence and subconsciously stopped their movements to discuss...

"Look quickly, who are that elder and child by the side? How come they can be here??"

"Shush, can't you see?? That's the Crown Prince and the Title Douluo strongman protecting him!"

"My goodness, it's no wonder he's the Crown Prince, to have a Title Douluo level powerful protector. His Majesty the Emperor must value him greatly!"

"Everyone, pay attention, the Crown Prince's visit could very likely be on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor for an inspection!!"

"What?? Then what are you waiting for, get back to training. If His Majesty the Emperor finds out, nobody's getting off lightly!!"

Consequently, the soldiers gripped their weapons once again and resumed their training with even more vigor...

This overly obvious action made the elder laugh and say, "Your Highness, it seems your arrival has greatly excited these soldiers, and they've increased the intensity of their training by quite a bit!"

Xue Qinghe also joked, "Perhaps, they think I'm inspecting on behalf of the emperor!"

Just then, a tall and burly man wearing heavy armor approached...

He spoke with a respectful tone, "Your Highness, and the elder, I wasn't aware of your sudden visit, please forgive me!!"

Xue Qinghe glanced over him from head to toe, roughly judging that the man was a general who had experienced many battles!

His tone became slightly more respectful...

"The general need not worry, I have come here merely to get a firsthand experience of how the army trains!"

The latter was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized and said, "Oh, I see, I thought the Crown Prince had come for an inspection!"

Xue Qinghe waved his hand, "Inspection is a task for the emperor himself. I am still young and don't understand much about the army, so I wouldn't be able to tell anything!"

The general's expression relaxed a lot, and he took the initiative to offer, "Your Highness, would you like me to explain the army's training methods and lifestyle to you?"

...