War Preparations

Tula Xiaye.

It was late at night, but the Tower of All-Seeing was still brightly lit. Employees of the highest authority of the Arcane Council were urgently recalled to work overtime in response to this sudden and major diplomatic incident.

All conversations were conducted in hushed tones, all footsteps were hurried, and every face was etched with solemnity and gravity.

The heavy atmosphere emanating from the Starry Sky Council had spread like the breath of winter, chilling even the lowly civil servants, who were unaware of the full picture.

After all, one of the evil natures of intelligent beings is that when they are in a state of impotent rage, they will take their anger out on others. If they cannot deal with their opponents, they will vent their anger on their own people. In most cases, the targets of this anger are individuals weaker than themselves, such as subordinates, servants, and slaves.

The Arcane Council claims to be free, progressive, and enlightened, naturally has no slaves. The officials, who pride themselves on their status and claim to be Civilization, would not stoop to the level of vulgar servants. Therefore, the best target for venting their anger is naturally lower-ranking officials. As long as they find a mistake at work, they can unleash their fury.

If you really can't find any mistakes at work, you can focus on personal conduct issues, or even cause trouble for no reason. If you meet him in the restroom, you can scold him for being lazy and slacking off. If you see him at his workstation, you can scold him for not paying attention. If you meet him in the restaurant, that's even better; you can not only scold him, but also slap him across the face.

Discerning lower-ranking officials will be extra careful at this time, keeping a low profile and avoiding any mistakes to prevent swift repercussions from their superiors.

But these lower-level officials are also human. They can feel irritable and angry because of the attention and pressure from their superiors. Apart from a few brave men who dare to punch their superiors, the only way for others to vent their anger is to draw their swords and slash at the weaker ones.

In this way, the pressure was passed down from the Starry Sky Council level by level, and in a short time it swept through the Council's officialdom. Every political animal held its breath, trembling with fear, and inquired about what had happened.

The truth will out, and many people don't want to cover it up. In this era when long-distance communication is not yet well-developed, the cause and effect of this major geopolitical conflict spread across the entire continent at an extremely fast speed, and also spread like wildfire within the Arcane Council.

This wildly popular front-page headline, this major news, based on a special report broadcast tonight on Distant Harbor People's Radio Station, can be summarized in one sentence...

Kang De was angered by the Council's pretentiousness.

It is said that the Council's secret forces carried out a clandestine mission in the Broken Isles, but things went wrong, causing significant damage to the Broken Isles, which were in the process of being rebuilt.

Enraged, the Dragon of Cathay captured the entire Azure Fleet, and the Council's main fleet Council the western seas surrendered, breaking the balance of power in the western coast.

Furthermore, Distant Harbor held a press conference, launching an "outrageous and unwarranted attack" on the Starry Sky Council in the name of the Dragon of Cathay. The condemnation was broadcast throughout Distant Harbor via radio, newspapers, and speakers, and was sent back to their respective organizations by reporters, spies, and agents who seized upon it.

This manifesto was titled "Kang De Denounces the Starry Sky Council".

The manifesto condemned the shameless role played by the senators in their despicable actions against the Broken Isles, and listed numerous crimes committed by the Starry Sky Council.

To covet and forcibly seize the property rightfully owned by the Dragon of Cathay is unreasonable.

Sending a fleet to linger in the Broken Sea, using both soft and hard tactics, and resorting to theft and robbery, is nothing short of shameless.

Despite strong opposition and condemnation from Distant Harbor, they continue to act willfully, which is shameless.

To recklessly explore things one does not understand and cause disaster is ignorance.

Encouraging frontline soldiers to abandon honor and risk their lives for personal gain is heartless.

A habit of lying, scheming and stealing, and selfishness can be described as immoral.

Feigning peace talks while actually stalling for time and concealing their actions in the Distant Harbor is a breach of faith.

To completely reject all such actions and allow brave soldiers to be captured dishonorably is utterly unjust.

To disregard the potential diplomatic conflict or even the risk of war that this matter could trigger, and to insist on ordering the military to act, Council jeopardizing the lives and property of the vast majority of the people in the council, is utterly immoral.

Despite all their scheming, they messed everything up, gaining nothing and even having to trouble the Dragon of Cathay to clean up the mess the Council made. They were utterly incompetent.

In this scathing rebuke, Kang De relentlessly mocked and denounced the Starry Sky Council, calling them "ten-nothing councilors." The Cathayan consistently and precisely targeted the Starry Sky Council, unleashing all their firepower. He declared that these worthless councilors were unworthy to command those brave and fearless soldiers, much less to lead the great Arcane Council, and should immediately resign and apologize to the entire nation.

After this magnificent and powerful article was published, the entire continent was stunned.

Spies and secret agents had never seen such a meticulous and thorough propaganda war. There were witnesses and physical evidence, video footage and written descriptions, all presented logically, with detailed and reliable evidence. After watching the press conference or listening to the broadcast, no one failed to despise the despicable behavior of the Ten No-Fact Councilors. Even the officials, businessmen, mages and soldiers of the Arcane Council were shocked and ashamed, feeling utterly ashamed.

The main problem is that they haven't seen enough of the world.

From the spokesperson system to the images and videos, from the PPT presentations on the giant LED screen to the brochures and memos distributed to everyone, from interviews with those involved to the entire battlefield documentary, oh, and with a little bit of harmless editing and minor artistic embellishment, all of this intertwines to form an irrefutable, Truth piece of evidence, leaving even the most stubborn and shameless person with no grounds for rebuttal.

After all, their horizons were limited, and they were stunned by this combination of attacks that they had never heard of before. Not to mention the otherworldly beings with a low level of social development, even the China people with a relatively higher level of education were once criticized by Public Intellectual who controlled the discourse, making them feel ashamed and extremely inferior. It took them several years to come to their senses.

--Fuck your mother, what the hell you were talking about back then was full of holes. How come I didn't notice you were spouting nonsense?

Even those from the Council couldn't handle it; it was a resounding success of the public opinion offensive.

After all, the intelligence information received by the Council all comes from Council reporters, business travelers, scholars, officials, secret agents, and even soldiers stationed in Distant Harbor. Once these people are brainwashed and their stance becomes skewed, the Council's public opinion environment will gradually change and deteriorate.

Even official bodies will be affected.

No one understood this approach better than Kang De.

Learning from the barbarians' superior techniques to subdue them—that's what's called the Sharingan.

As for the effect, the cold air at the Tower of All-Seeing today has already demonstrated its effectiveness.

"We must immediately issue an order! Strictly prohibit the spread of those rubbish rumors from Distant Harbor! We should explain the situation to our members and the public, demanding a unified narrative, with particular emphasis on the military!"

An atmosphere of frenzy and anger permeated the Starry Sky Council.

After the news of the operation's complete failure was confirmed, the lawmakers went completely mad.

One all-in bet, and the whole game is lost.

The Abyss Walker submarine proactively severed communication. The Azure Fleet's last report was that the entire fleet surrendered unconditionally. The penultimate message was that the war machines of Yilan-Tai'er, which had been wreaking havoc, had all malfunctioned, the Forbidden Spell strike had ended, and beyond that, the Starry Sky Council had lost control of the front lines. They were even unaware of the current situation in the Broken Sea or what had happened.

They only knew a few things.

First, the entire plan has failed.

Second, the entire Azure Fleet was wiped out.

Third, all of Yilan-Tai'er's estate fell into Kang De's control.

Fourth, Kang De gained a huge advantage, yet he still criticizes them.

"War! War! War!"

The legislators are human too; they have never experienced such a major defeat or suffered such a heavy blow.

As the most well-informed people in the entire country, they naturally read the text version of Kant's masterpiece, "Kang De's Rebuke of the Starry Sky Council," as soon as possible.

There is no such earth-shattering and extraordinary text as "The Reply from the Zaporozhye Cossacks to the Sultan of Turkey" in the history of the other world. Even if there were similar insulting condemnations and manifestos, the target of persecution would never be the Starry Sky Council, which rules the Arcane Council and leads half of the spellcasters in the world.

No one has the guts to do it, and even if someone did, there's no need for them to.

This is truly the first time I've seen Kang De like this.

Therefore, we can confirm that today, the core members of the Starry Sky Council have suffered the ultimate insult.

War is undoubtedly the first choice to wash away the shame.

The generals rushed over, already extremely displeased by the destruction of the Azure Fleet. Hearing the councilors' earnest questions about the war, they practically rolled their eyes to the sky.

Soldiers are not always pro-war; although they crave military achievements for promotion, only victories count as military achievements. This time, their opponent is Kang De —this potential adversary makes their scalps tingle.

The elemental sand table simulates the complex terrain of the west coast. Starting from the Distant Harbor, sailing south along the coastline for thousands of miles will lead to the territory of the Council. Further south lies the Council's traditional sphere of influence and colonies—the Southern Islands, a region known for its thriving maritime trade and abundant resources.

"With the entire Azure Fleet wiped out, the naval power in the Western Seas is unbalanced. It will take a long time to transfer fleets from other seas. If, during this period, the navy in Distant Harbor uses Kang De's space technology to perform warp maneuvers, burning and destroying ports along the coastline, and even penetrating deep into the southern islands to destroy our colonies, ports, and plantations, does the Council have any countermeasures?"

"This strategic disadvantage is even predicated on Kang De's concern for the reactions of various countries and his reluctance to easily resort to Forbidden Spell to destroy cities. Can you all guarantee that he truly will not use Forbidden Spell?"

"When the two countries go to war, it will be a matter of land and sea. The navy is unlikely to gain the upper hand in the short term. Judging from the Elf's defeat in the Goth-Moon War, we also have little confidence in a land battle."

"Furthermore, based on our inferences, judging from the quantity and quality of Kang De's large air vehicles, the Distant Harbor side must have established a systematic air combat mode, which we know nothing about. Once war breaks out, we will inevitably suffer heavy losses in the early stages and be passively attacked."

"This is just one hypothesis—if those large aerial vehicles capable of carrying thousands of people were to fly over the Council city and drop powerful alchemical bombs, aside from casualties, it would inevitably deal a huge blow to public confidence and could even bring the city's production and daily life to a complete standstill..."

Although most of the councilors did not understand military matters, they understood what the generals were saying.

The current defeat is merely the loss of some resources and technology. Although the Azure Fleet has been completely wiped out, the ships can be rebuilt, the prisoners can be retrieved, the noble crew members have already been recalled, and a small part of the core main force has also evacuated in advance. Therefore, apart from the military's complaints and the clamor of the outer-level councilors, plus the embarrassment, the losses are actually not that great.

But if war breaks out, and it becomes difficult to win quickly, to the point that Kang De leads his army to advance unimpeded, setting fires everywhere, destroying ports, disrupting shipping, damaging colonies, and burning down manors, causing financial difficulties for the Council and making it unable to pay the mages' salaries and benefits, resulting in heavy losses for officials, merchants, large families, and guilds, cutting off their sources of income, then everyone might rise up in rebellion and kill the councilors' mothers.

We've already lost face and made a fool of ourselves; if we go to war, we risk death and the extermination of our entire clan.

The lawmakers, driven by self-interest, did the math and looked at each other speechlessly.

This is one of the benefits of democracy.

Don't ask; unless the balance of power is divinely ordained, it must be extreme pacifism.

--Or maybe we should just forget about it.

Many lawmakers have considered resigning, but it would be too embarrassing for any of them to say so.

They didn't speak, but the generals couldn't have come for nothing.

"Once war breaks out, I fear the captured Azure Fleet comrades will not survive. The most urgent task is for the Starry Sky Council to organize a rescue or ransom operation to bring the captured officers and soldiers back and rebuild the Azure Fleet."

The generals were well aware of the fate of the Azure Fleet, a fleet full of honor and courage, and how it had fallen to such a state. It chilled the hearts of their brothers.

The lawmakers fell silent again.

It's easy for you to say. If you go to Kang De to ask him for people, you'll definitely be taken advantage of by those Cathayan from Aurora.

The Grand Speaker, who had remained silent until now, slowly said, "Of course, they were loyal to their country. Faced with the power of the Forbidden Spell, it is only natural for them to choose to surrender. The Starry Sky Council does not blame them, and we will do our best to rescue them."

The generals nodded in greeting.

The lawmakers breathed a sigh of relief—after all, this was something you took over.

Of course, the generals hadn't finished speaking.

Since we're already here...

"Grand Speaker, fellow council members, if the Starry Sky Council is seriously considering going to war with Kang De, I can only say that now is absolutely not the time, because the Council's current forces and weapons are severely insufficient."

"We need substantial military spending to procure new magical artifacts to counter Kang De's alchemical armament. We must not only strengthen our army and navy but also focus on the skies, developing our own air vehicles and anti-aircraft magical artifacts. If we cannot surpass them in quality, then we can only overwhelm them with quantity."

"In addition, the research and development of strategic defensive magic devices to defend against Mass Projection must be accelerated. Moreover, we need allies, because Kang De is an unprecedented enemy we have ever faced, posing a direct threat even greater than the Empire and Twilight Moon."

The generals seized on Kang De and launched into a tirade, emphasizing the military's lack of resources—the soldiers were fighting bravely, and we were full of courage, but our equipment was inadequate, and we desperately needed to make money, the more the better.

"We need the cooperation and alliance of our allies. We need the wisest minds in this country to work together to develop specialized magical artifacts and devise a plan to ambush them. We need to gather the most outstanding experts to carry out a decapitation strike. The threat to Distant Harbor rests on Kang De's shoulders. If we can eliminate Kang De with a decapitation strike, it will be a permanent solution. If a full-scale war breaks out, we can only burn and sacrifice with our sweat and blood."

The more the generals spoke, the more the congressmen frowned.

Damn it, we gave you so much money to expand your army so much, where did all that money come from?

By misappropriating parliamentary funds, the military receives more while the administrative system, industry, commerce, and agriculture receive less. Many families, associations, and members of parliament rely on these investments to expand their businesses. Now that their share has slipped away, they're turning against us. Are you going to step in?

You've expanded your army, your military power has increased, your voices have grown louder, and those people in the military industry have gotten rich too. The balance has been broken again, and another round of open and covert struggles is about to begin. It's so damn annoying, just thinking about it makes me annoyed.

The more the lawmakers thought about it, the more peaceful they became, thinking that suffering a loss was a blessing, and that expanding the army was a load of rubbish.

Anyway, Kang De won't initiate a fight. Come to think of it, the Cathayan are quite reasonable, just a bit short-tempered. There's no need for us to resort to knives and guns; a war of words will suffice.

In short, military expansion is impossible. What did you do with the money? Don't think I don't know. Buying ridiculously expensive tables, chairs, and toilet paper is one thing, but suppressing uprisings in the southern islands and driving out pirates, all you do is report battle losses and crystal consumption all day long, and you even pay protection money to the pirates. Damn it.

Just as the lawmakers were about to say, "We will seriously consider it," the Speaker's voice rang out.

"If you have sufficient military funding, how long would it take you to strengthen your army to a point where you can rival Kang De and be confident of victory?"

The councilors looked shocked. "Speaker, what are you saying?!"

The heads of the Army and Navy exchanged a glance. "One year."

"Too long... This isn't a total war," the Grand Speaker said calmly. "You don't need to figure out the strategic magical artifacts for defending against Forbidden Spell, and I'll handle matters concerning our allies. The Council will do its utmost to meet the military's reasonable requests. Under these circumstances, how long will it take you to complete war preparations?"

"... four to six months, no less."

"Three months, at most three months. I need a complete report and plan. I need you to expand your military and prepare for war as quickly as possible. You can go back and prepare now."

The generals were both surprised and delighted. They took their leave, and the councilors maintained the unspoken rule of the Starry Sky Council: to show absolute respect to the Speaker in front of outsiders.

After the soldiers said their goodbyes and left, they began to set off firecrackers.

"Speaker, what are you saying?"

"It would be unwise to wage war against Kang De!"

"If Kang De were allowed to roam freely, domestic stability would plummet!"

"Those soldiers will make exorbitant demands! The Council cannot afford such a massive military expenditure!"

Doves among the lawmakers tried to dissuade him, and even hawks chimed in – these hawks were mostly involved in military affairs and the production and supply of military magical artifacts and materials. They were in full support of expanding the military, but war was out of the question.

They talked all at once, arguing and shouting, until their thunderous roars shook the earth.

"Shut up, all of you!"

In the ensuing silence, the Grand Speaker rubbed his temples and sighed wearily.

Not long ago, he and his fellow members of parliament reached a consensus on the Kang De threat theory and prepared to carry out various competitive, suppressive, and hostile actions. But now, all the members of parliament have become pacifists. They are afraid of Kang De's growing power. After all, the smart members of parliament know that Kang De's ability to capture the Azure Fleet is not solely due to Forbidden Spell.

So they turned into quails, turning a blind eye to what was happening around them.

"It's not that we see Kang De as an adversary, but rather that Kang De has adopted a hostile attitude towards us," he said slowly. "Kang De is now so powerful; he has also taken over Yilan-Tai'er. The essence of ancient Civilization combined with his alchemical military science—are you going to turn a blind eye to this?"

One member of parliament whispered, "But war isn't a good option. It's better to resolve the issue through diplomacy and economic action..."

"Yes," another member of parliament said, "We can reveal the matter of Yilan-Tai'er to the other nations and unite the entire world to put pressure on Kang De. The other nations certainly won't want to see such a powerful Kang De monopolize Yilan-Tai'er's Civilization heritage. This could be our chance to win."

The speaker did not speak, but sighed and waved his hand.

The clerk next to him picked up the latest intelligence and placed it on the projector.

The contents of the intelligence were displayed on the desks of every member of parliament.

"Reliable intelligence indicates that Kang De has extended invitations to the rulers of various countries to discuss how to help the resurgent Yilan-Tai'er rebuild its Civilization and to accept their generous gifts in order to strengthen their nations and benefit their people."

An uproar arose.

The congressman who made the proposal exclaimed in disbelief, "This is impossible! There must be some kind of conspiracy!"

He looked around, searching for agreement. "That's the essence of the entire ancient Civilization, and you've all seen its power! Kang De would have kept it all for himself, so why would he share it? How could he possibly share it? There must be some despicable trap involved! How could he be so generous?"

"But that's not the point, Congressman."

The Grand Speaker said quietly, "The point is, we have already rejected him."

In a fit of rage, Kang De openly demanded that the Grand Speaker go to the Distant Harbor to apologize, a demand that was naturally and decisively rejected by the Starry Sky Council Arcane Council. If the Dragon of Cathay were to issue a single word and the nation's highest leader were to personally go and offer an apology, the Council would lose all face, and the mages would never be able to hold their heads high again.

The Grand Speaker's political career would also come to an end at that moment.

"This is a dead end, a dead end personally designed by Kang De," the Speaker said slowly. "We have already been excluded by him. This is direct hostility from the Cathayan. He sees us as irreconcilable competitors, and it seems that this is indeed the case... So, how much longer are you going to wait?"

He stood up.

"Will you only start preparing for Kang De when Kang De excludes us, when all nations share in the legacy of Yilan-Tai'er, when the Empire and Twilight Moon become even stronger, when the two nations, along with Distant Harbor, further erode our interests, and when Kant finally reveals his ferocious claws and launches a direct attack on us?!"

The Grand Speaker slammed his fist on the table. "Do you understand? This is Kang De's political tactic! Using the legacy of Yilan-Tai'er as bait, he's luring the top powers of the entire Civilization world to spontaneously surround him, forming a net to encircle the Council! Once these powers are strengthened, Council, because increased national strength inevitably leads to a greater demand for benefits—that's exactly what he's doing!"

The lawmakers looked at each other in bewilderment.

Even if you say that... it still doesn't feel real.

Is Yilan-Tai'er really that powerful? Even if they are, absorbing and integrating their legacy and knowledge would take a very long time. Is it really necessary to start a war in just a few months?

Looking at the dismissive expressions of these parasites, the speaker could barely suppress the murderous intent in his heart.

The first Speaker of the Senate who established the parliamentary system was an incredibly stupid, cowardly, and idiotic fool.

These so-called councilors only care about their own interests and disregard the fundamental interests of the entire country. Do such people even deserve to be councilors? Yes, even if Kang De had gained power, and along with other states had pressured the Council, these guys would have long since stepped down, yet they would still be making a fortune. But what would become of the country?

I will never allow such a thing to happen.

"Otherwise..."

Sensing the tense and uneasy atmosphere, one member of parliament cautiously asked, "Shall we vote on this matter according to tradition and rules?"

To hell with your traditions and rules!

These superfluous words, intended as a reminder, completely ignited the surging murderous intent within the Grand Speaker.

He remained calm and said, "It's a bit early to bring this up now. Let's wait until the generals submit their plans before voting. Even without starting a war, we still need to expand our army. This was proposed earlier, so it doesn't conflict with previous proposals. Don't you agree?"

The hawks were greatly impressed. They said, "That's right, no war, just military expansion. We wholeheartedly agree."

Ah, the Speaker has finally figured it out. Good, good.

They nodded repeatedly, and the doves stopped insisting. No one noticed the chilling glint in the eyes of the Grand Speaker as he sat in his seat.

I need allies.

Allies who share common interests and have potentially fatal conflicts with Kang De.

The elves are absolutely unreliable. The future Distant Harbor might even become a springboard for Twilight Moon to influence the continent. How laughable! The strategic objectives that Twilight Moon failed to achieve through its massive military campaigns have been accomplished by their queen.

The Grand Speaker's gaze swept across the room, finally settling on the global map hanging in the Starry Sky Council.

To the east of Goth lies Holy Empire, the sovereign of mankind, and the leader of all nations.

In the south of its vast territory lies a small port ruined, a thorn in the side of both Kang De and the Emperor—a thorn that Goth might put down, and Kang De might also put down.

But the emperor would never believe that Kang De could let go of that.

Because he is the emperor.