Chapter 2642

"Certainly."

"Bajia's original focus of attack was the Shahe River basin, but this sudden, unheralded shift in assault must have blocked the interests of many parties."

"Moreover, Bajia and Panlong have clashed many times before; Bajia knows this opponent is like a stone in a latrine—foul and hard—and no one in the court, civil or military, wants to gnaw at him raw."

"For Bajia's nobles and officials, there are so many easy-to-deal-with small and medium-sized neighboring states; why would they choose the hardest target, Panlong? What benefit would it bring them?"

He Lingchuan pondered: "Bajia has operated for over four hundred years, and internally it has long formed a powerful and stable regulatory system, with everyone in their proper place, each pursuing their own interests. Bajia's strong attack on Panlong does not align with its interests and will inevitably provoke strong opposition. To break this system requires a stronger external force, and such an external force will inevitably disturb the situation—mildly causing court and countryside turmoil, severely leading to fragmentation and collapse!"

He said word by word: "In other countries, such a force is called rebellion or coup, but in Bajia it is called divine intervention in politics!"

Wen Daolun nodded: "Exactly! The general's acuity remains undiminished from years past."

"Panlong lacks no fierce generals who can lead troops in battle, but none can match He Lingchuan in maneuvering and strategizing, perceiving the grand situation as clearly as if observing fire."

"This is why Panlong cannot do without the Tiger-Wing General."

"The king also analyzed it this way: the 'strong assault on Panlong' death order itself inflicts considerable harm on Bajia, especially since the war has already lasted eighteen months. Now Bajia's internal voices are split into two factions: one believes that having already moved against Panlong, they must not cease until victorious; the other hopes merely to give Panlong a lesson, because battlefield casualties are truly too high, and Bajia's domestic troop deployment has always had some problems."

"Deployment?"

"Problems of retreat and filling vacancies." Wen Daolun explained: "Before the Pan-Bajia war broke out, many officials and generals of Lingxu City had their sons and grandsons serving in the military—for example, Wang Shishí, grandson of the Minister of Agriculture Wang Xu, served as deputy commander in the western frontier garrison, where he remained for two and a half years and still weighed over two hundred thirty catties; mounting his horse required a specially made high ladder, and he still needed someone to support him."

He Lingchuan suddenly understood: "Going to the army to earn some merit, even if not gilded, to gain a résumé, then return for promotion."

"A common tactic, not uncommon."

"I've heard this is already commonplace in Bajia, with even specialists handling these matters." Wen Daolun also revealed a mocking smile: "Wang Shishí should have been transferred from the military half a year later for promotion, but when the Pan-Bajia war erupted, his unit was directly transferred from the western front to Xiluo. He dared not go, so on one hand he found someone to impersonate him and go to the front lines, while on the other he wrote to his grandfather begging for help. When this was exposed and Lingxu Wang Ting investigated, it was not only the Wang family—desertion had already become rampant. The most extreme unit had seven or eight martial officers who deserted."

"The divine wrath of Lingxu Wang Ting thus ordered that all deserters and impostors be punished by military law. As you have also heard, the Pan-Bajia war was exceptionally fierce and stalemated; Bajia's official and noble sons sent to the front died in batches, and the survivors were truly fearful, yet could not resist private flight, causing many conflicts with the supervisory officers sent by Tiangong and the Wang Ting Sect. Moreover, Wang Shishí is still alive to this day."

He Lingchuan couldn't help but laugh: "Is he still that fat?"

"He hasn't lost an ounce." Wen Daolun also rare-ly showed a hint of a smile: "The Minister of Agriculture still has influence, pulling strings to transfer his grandson to the rear logistics, specifically to switch to troops guarding the rear. If that unit were to be sent to the front, he would hurriedly switch again."

"This matter only came to light two months ago, causing an uproar at court and among the people, with countless condemners."

Wen Daolun paused before speaking:

"Since the war began, our state has continuously engaged in repeated negotiations with Bajia on multiple fronts, not only through diplomatic channels but also by successively seeking over ten meritorious generals from Lingxu City and the vassal demon states, pointing out that Lingxu Holy Sovereign has falsely accused us, and we do not possess the demonic heterodox treasure."

"No wonder it's the king—he truly grasps the essence of struggle." He Lingchuan lightly applauded: "Then what was Bajia's reaction?"

"Tiangong's reply was very firm: unless Panlong City opens to Bajia, allowing a full search of the demonic realm, the war will not end." Wen Daolun lightly coughed: "We want Bajia to produce evidence that Panlong possesses the great square cauldron; Tiangong says it accepts no conditions, while the demon emperor remains silent."

"What a joke—where would we find such evidence? Even the demons cannot find proof that Lady Lady Lady Mitian once possessed the great square cauldron; otherwise, why would they have only suspected it for so many years without ever being able to confirm it?"

"Now Lady Lady Lady Mitian has also fallen, and the whereabouts of the great square cauldron is even more unclear to anyone, except that Lingxu Holy Sovereign has an undisclosed source of information."

"Therefore, facing Panlong's reasonable demand, Tiangong and the demon emperor have responded differently."

He Lingchuan shook his head: "Bajia's large-scale attack on Panlong truly ought to find a better pretext."

"It's not that they don't want to find one, but that they cannot." Wen Daolun shook his head: "Although we have had past conflicts with Bajia, we are not mortal enemies, unlike our enmity with Xianyou and Bataling. Moreover, Bajia has always been the one to provoke and invade first, while we have merely responded passively, and they know this in their hearts. Furthermore, those pretexts and tricks they use to provoke war—territory, lives—when placed against a war of this scale, are simply too trivial."

He Lingchuan also smiled: "There is, however, a familiar tactic: using the death of one's own royal nobles to provoke foreign war."

"Just say they encountered assassination or murder by an enemy state."

Wen Daolun shook his head: "But Bajia's demon emperors are of a single lineage, reproduction is difficult; where would one find expendable royal nobles, and ones with prestige?"

"Jiaolong cannot reproduce as easily as humans—several decades can yield hundreds of offspring. Over the past hundreds of years, as heavenly and earthly spiritual energy has waned, the reproduction rate of the Jiaolong clan has also dropped to the point of making one's hair stand on end."

"You see Bajia this time directly using the pretext 'Lingxu Holy Sovereign's supreme treasure stolen' to launch the war, which shows how unwilling the demon emperor is. It not only does not want to bear this black pot, but also wants to shift the responsibility for launching the war entirely onto Lingxu Holy Sovereign." He Lingchuan analyzed: "Thus, afterward, when court and countryside have opinions on the war, the blame will point to Lingxu Holy Sovereign rather than the demon emperor."

"The demon emperor simply wants to clearly and unambiguously tell everyone that this war was not initiated by it, but by Lingxu Holy Sovereign insisting on opening hostilities."

"For such conduct, the demons should be very displeased, but the demon emperor has already declared it thus, and furthermore, the concrete conduct of the war must still be directed and commanded by the demon emperor, so the demons still have to rely on it." He Lingchuan praised: "Proactively engaging with Bajia's Wang Ting, the king truly made a good move."

Wen Daolun then sighed: "The Tiger-Wing General perceives the subtle signs clearly. However, many ministers and generals domestically do not understand the king's painstaking efforts, nor why he repeatedly explains to Bajia."

He Lingchuan laughed: "This is fundamentally not an explanation for Tiangong and the demon emperor to hear; those two already know the score."

(End of Chapter)