Chapter 2724: Unprecedented Grand Mobilization

The territory of Beijia remained largely unchanged during the more than two hundred years of the founding emperor's reign, but under the second ruler, the expanded area equaled the combined size of the two vassal demon states, Shan Jun Guo and Shan Yu Guo. This territory persisted until He Lingchuan crossed over into this world, when it was further enlarged on the eve of the gods' descent due to the vassal demon king's aggressive foreign campaigns.

Because the foundation of governance was extremely solid, and the concentration of heavenly and earthly spiritual energy was far lower than in later eras, the second demon emperor could almost rival the Heavenly Palace on equal terms. According to He Lingchuan's knowledge, he even executed over a hundred officials from the Heavenly Palace—lamp attendants, inspectors, and various ritual officers—on charges ranging from dereliction of duty to misconduct, using the demon emperor's own words: he was merely cleansing the Heavenly Palace's ranks.

The Heavenly Palace at the time endured it in silence. However, later generations have an unverified and forever unverifiable rumor claiming that this demon emperor's death was connected to the Heavenly Palace; otherwise, possessing the power of a great nation, he lacked nothing in resources and could even consume spirit crystals as candy. Even the State Preceptor of Qingyang lived to two hundred years old, and the lifespan ceiling of the dragon race far exceeds this.

Compared to the second demon emperor, the third demon emperor in later reality reigned for less than forty years, and his temperament was utterly different from his father's. He Lingchuan felt somewhat disappointed in him, yet still held certain expectations for the second demon emperor.

"What about the second matter?"

"The demon emperor issued consecutive edicts, demanding that all vassal demon states immediately dispatch powerful armies to the Panlong Wasteland battlefield." Wen Dalun's relaxed expression vanished instantly, "Lingxu City even compiled a list, specifying exactly which armies each vassal demon state must send, written clearly—for example, the Blue Elephant Army of Baoxiang Guo, the Variegated Army of Shan Jun Guo, the Qingqiu Army of Yangan Guo, and the Desert Legion of E Ling Guo, and so on, basically covering all of Beijia's elite troop types. General, this is not good news for us."

He Lingchuan walked to the edge of the sand table, crossed his arms, and observed.

Panlong, relative to Beijia, is merely a speck of land. Although Lingxu Zunzun has already ordered that Panlong must be seized at any cost, in the past nearly two years, Beijia's war effort has still fallen far short of "spare no expense." It's not that the demon emperor insists on clashing with the heavenly demons, but rather that war is inherently a complex art, not something that can be forcibly achieved by simply setting a rigid human target.

The essence of the phrases "haste makes waste" and "actions contrary to wishes" is understood far more deeply by the demon emperor, Lingxu Zunzun, or Jiuyou Dadi than by ordinary people.

"When was the last time Beijia deployed such a formation?" A truly luxurious, enhanced all-star lineup.

"Last time?" Wen Dalun pondered for a few breaths, "It seems unprecedented—even the annihilation of Yuan Guo didn't involve such a grand mobilization."

"Yuan Guo lies within Beijia's borders, and that war lasted three years, yet Beijia couldn't even assemble this configuration." He Lingchuan curled the corner of his mouth, "You think, can Beijia really afford to use this against Panlong?"

After receiving this intelligence, Wen Dalun's heart had remained chilly, but now the Tiger Wing General suddenly told him the situation wasn't so dire, and a great weight instantly lifted from his mind.

If these words came from anyone else's mouth, they would not have this effect.

Apart from Zhong Shengguang, the Tiger Wing General is the person he trusts most. Zhong Shengguang even privately told him that the Tiger Wing General's strategic vision surpasses his own.

After Wen Dalun steadied his mind, he couldn't help but self-mock: "I actually got bluffed. The General's words are absolutely correct—Beijia trying to concentrate the elite of all twelve vassal demon states to deal with Panlong is fundamentally implausible from the root."

Decades ago, when Yuan Guo rebelled, the heavenly demons had already ascertained that the Great Fang Hu was in the hands of the Yuan King, and wasn't it similarly impossible to command these twelve elite forces? What makes now different from the past? Moreover, Panlong is at least some distance from Beijia's homeland, and for all the armies to march to the Panlong Wasteland, the journey is indeed not short, clearly marked on the sand table.

Beijia's territory is too vast—the Baoxiang Guo, located at the far northwestern edge of the demon state, would have its Blue Elephant Army trek to the Panlong Wasteland; saying they must cross thousands of mountains and rivers is no exaggeration, and although elephants have long-distance migration capability, their speed is truly slow—just the march alone would take over three months.

"The twelve vassal demon states have always been mutually wary, after all, Lingxu City rarely intervenes in their internal brawls. In the past, they kept their elite forces domestically as reserves." He Lingchuan planted flags on the sand table—some yellow, some green—"Looking at this demon emperor's edict for mobilization, there is a pattern. These vassal demon states are Heavenly Palace factions; I mark them with green flags. The demon emperor demands they send their finest of the fine to attack Panlong—the so-called Imperial Army; now look at the yellow flags: these vassal demon states are demon emperor factions, and you see what troops the demon emperor requires them to send?"

Wen Dalun had already come to his senses, his mind racing, and after only two or three breaths, he suddenly understood: "Although they are also main forces, they are not the ace units, and the designated deployment numbers for the demon emperor factions are less than half of those for the Heavenly Palace factions, and then some."

Thus, the demon emperor ordered the twelve vassal demon states to send troops to Panlong, but the Heavenly Palace factions must dispatch their entire Imperial Army, while the demon emperor factions need only send part of their main forces to make up the numbers.

"What else could this be?" He Lingchuan laughed, "The demon emperor, under the pretense of a western campaign, wants to transfer all the ace elite of the Heavenly Palace factions away, then next move against the vassal demon kings. If I were a vassal demon king, I too would be terrified to the core."

Wen Dalun nodded repeatedly: "Last time, when the Ju Yuan Army of Xuoluo Guo was sent to the front, the Xuoluo King's eldest son nearly couldn't outmatch his younger brother—a living, fresh example reminding all vassal demon states that they must retain sufficient self-defense strength."

"Although the demon emperor issued the edict, how many of the Heavenly Palace faction vassal demon states will actually comply is uncertain. Panlong's pressure will certainly increase, but not to the point of having to simultaneously resist the elite armies of all twelve vassal demon states." He Lingchuan proceeded with the deduction, "On the contrary, Beijia's interior will surely fall into unrest because of this—obeying the king's order to dispatch reinforcements is the natural duty of vassal demon states, and they are still attacking Panlong, which the heavenly demons have sternly ordered must be seized, so they have no legitimate reason to refuse Lingxu City. The vassal demon kings know their own suffering and can only seek ways to deflect and delay, but since the demon emperor has taken this step, he won't allow them to shirk or deceive, so the strategic game between them has actually already begun."

Will they surrender their life-preserving Imperial Army, or defy orders—how will the Heavenly Palace faction vassal demon kings choose?

Wen Dalun walked to the stove to warm his hands, rubbing them together: "Exactly, I recall that in Beijia's national law, there is a clause stating that if a vassal demon state refuses to comply with Lingxu City's military dispatch, or evades or rebels in refusal, Lingxu City may immediately send troops to suppress it directly!"

A vassal demon state not joining Lingxu City's campaign is a major crime, equivalent to treason.

(End of Chapter)