Chapter 1928

The city walls need repair, but everything must be prioritized. His most urgent task, the most critical priority—could it not be to first concentrate forces and eliminate Chen Chuihua?

Qingyang couldn't be bothered with his petty thoughts, but Bai Tan still spoke up: "Before dealing with He Yao, I must first defeat Chen Chuihua. Without seizing his territory, population, and army, my strength is insufficient."

The Yaowang died several months ago, and Yaodi has been in chaos for several months. The Heavy Martial General returned to Pixia, Quru Hai withdrew his troops back to Luodian and was then destroyed, Tuhan is dead, Danze and Yuwen Yong's whereabouts are unknown, and the other various warlords have been largely annexed by Bai Tan and Chen Chuihua.

Thus, the struggle pattern in Yaodi has become clear—only Chen Chuihua and Bai Tan remain contending for supremacy.

If he defeats Chen Chuihua, he can unify all of Yaodi.

The implication is: if you want me to deal with the Nine Abysses Great Emperor, fine—but you must first help me kill Chen Chuihua, help me unify Yaodi!

Otherwise, how could I possibly be a match for the Nine Abysses Great Emperor?

Currently, he holds the advantage, but Chen Chuihua won't yield easily and still resists tenaciously. Bai Tan estimates that, relying on himself alone to take down Chen Chuihua, it would truly be painstaking work—no less than five or six months to finish.

In warfare, what is most feared is prolonged delay giving rise to unforeseen complications. Who knows if Chen Chuihua won't one day suddenly gain heavenly favor and pull off a deathly serpent's turnaround?

Since the heavens wish for him to exert effort, he must then set proper terms.

Qingyang saw through his petty scheming at a glance and said lightly: "The heavens also wish you to swiftly sharpen your weapons and feed your horses, to accumulate strength, so as to oppose the Nine Abysses Great Emperor."

"Good!" Bai Tan rejoiced, gave a light cough, and asked boldly: "May I inquire when I can defeat Chen Chuihua?"

When will the heavens' aid arrive?

He has waited eagerly for several months—can this old hag not keep feeding him empty promises?

"Within five days, there will surely be news." Qingyang smiled. "Rest assured."

"How generous of the heavens!" Bai Tan felt instantly relieved in his heart, tactfully steering the topic back to the Nine Abysses Great Emperor: "If this Nine Abysses Great Emperor is truly He Yao, Sect Master, how long do you think he will wait before striking Yaodi?"

"Faster than you imagine; otherwise, why would he rush to seize your arch-enemy Luodian first?" Qingyang gave him no comfort.

These Yaodi people still bicker endlessly over their own tiny plots of land, utterly unaware that the greatest danger has already risen across the entire Jinjin Plain.

Whether Bai Tan wins or Chen Chuihua wins—what difference does it make to the heavens?

It's merely over a scrap of meat, two watchdogs fighting to the death.

Until the Nine Abysses Great Emperor truly arrives at the door, Bai Tan will not experience the fear of imminent death, and his gaze will remain fixed on Chen Chuihua.

Alas, summer insects cannot discuss ice—a bunch of short-sighted fools!

Bai Tan sneered: "If he dares come, I'll make him kowtow until his head bleeds."

"He Yao seeks to fulfill his ambition, unifying the Jinjin Plain—you two are his greatest obstacles." Qingyang had also pondered this for several days. "Therefore, he will likely save you for last. Don't be fooled by his current prosperity—he himself has weaknesses."

Bai Tan pricked up his ears: "Weaknesses?"

"He Yao bestowed upon himself the title of Nine Abysses Great Emperor, exterminator of evil, and also claims to be the reincarnation of the Dragon God—perhaps gaining fervent followings from ordinary folk, but his posture is too lofty; his war is destined to be one where he can only win, never lose!"

The Dragon God symbolizes great wisdom, great supernatural power, great vows, and great compassion—how could he lose?

If he loses, is he still the Dragon God?

This is like Miao Zhantian, who enjoyed how many years of faith in the world? The moment he fell, human ancestral temples collapsed instantly, with no transition whatsoever—countless believers turned away immediately, without a shred of reluctance.

Bai Tan sneered: "They say victory and defeat are common in warfare—where in the world is there an undefeated general?"

"Therefore, when he moves against you, he must have absolute certainty." Qingyang said. "That is, after gathering sufficient troops, he must surely digest and consolidate them through training; otherwise, he dare not attack Yaodi. You still have some time to prepare for battle."

"In warfare, armies value momentum above all. He now advances like a splitting bamboo—precisely the time of smooth sailing. If you can inflict a major setback on him now, it will surely disrupt his subsequent plans and rhythm." Qingyang raised a second finger. "Furthermore, I carefully examined his eleven battle reports from taking Kashā, Longye, and Luodian, and found this man fights with extreme ferocity, loves to lead from the front, commanding his Black Armor Army forward without hesitation. In other words, he personally attends to every matter."

To ordinary ears, this sounds like praise, but Bai Tan instantly grasped the key point:

"In other words, he often puts himself in perilous situations?"

"Exactly." Qingyang nodded. "On the battlefield, the most accidents happen to those charging ahead—they are also the easiest targets to strike."

Bai Tan also said: "Why is there an old saying, 'The commander should not lightly sally forth'? This is all a lesson learned in blood."

No mistake, no single character, no single stroke, no single detail missed—look closely!

"But I infer that He Yao has unavoidable difficulties." Qingyang picked up the teacup on the table and took a gentle sip. "You see him recruiting troops everywhere—you know his original forces were insufficient. Whether Kashā, Longye, or Luodian, once absorbed, they become a chaotic mess. When they go to war, they certainly differ from your elite troops—whether in cohesion or morale, they fall far short. Under these circumstances, He Yao's attempt to motivate them and stir courage finds its most direct and effective method in personally leading charges, setting an example from the front."

Bai Tan also admitted: "Quite right—the commander-in-chief personally engaging in melee combat does have a strong leading effect."

"If the commander-in-chief lacks decisiveness, how can his soldiers be willing to risk their lives?"

"And there is one more crucially important point—" Qingyang raised a third finger—"this is the Jinjin Plain, where for nearly a thousand years there has never been a precedent of unification, and the people's hearts are wild. He Yao now indeed enjoys smooth sailing and appears invincible, but given time, the rear will inevitably descend into chaos!"

"Exactly," Bai Tan agreed deeply, "these uncivilized savages of the Jinjin Plain forget righteousness for profit, vicious and treacherous to the core—they simply cannot be tamed. When He Yao's army controls them, they behave like obedient village dogs; but the moment his troops withdraw, they instantly turn into starving wolves—if those regions don't descend into chaos, it would be strange!"

He couldn't help but sneer: "The Jinjin Plain is so vast, the people's hearts so disordered—He Yao still wants to swallow it all in one gulp? Truly the recklessness of youth, not knowing how to write the character for 'death'!"

The Jinjin Plain cannot possibly be unified—this is a lesson Yaoguó has paid for in blood over how many past years!

What Nine Abysses Great Emperor? Merely a clueless fool who knows neither history nor death!

"From this angle, as long as you stall him, lure him into the quagmire of war, the rear will naturally ignite, and he will then have no means to continue."

Bai Tan rejoiced: "It seems the Sect Master already has a countermeasure!"

"He Yao conquered Luodian in twenty days, shocking not only you and me." Qingyang analyzed. "His high-profile, aggressive stance makes everyone feel threatened—it is all too easy to make enemies."