Five Taboos!!

"This was inevitable. These small countries might seem insignificant, but they were too close to The Empire. The Empire needed them to settle down. It would not take long—half a year would be enough," Old Man said softly.

Su Ye did not argue after hearing Old Man's words. With The Empire's strength, sweeping through the surrounding small countries would be a trivial matter.

But the battlefronts behind those small countries needed people to fill them. That was also the main reason why The Empire had never moved against them.

The battlefronts!

That was the greatest problem.

"Old Man, I'm afraid those small countries won't do as The Empire wishes and simply surrender," Su Ye said after taking a deep breath.

"It doesn't matter. As long as they can hold their battlefronts, that will be enough," Old Man said calmly.

"The Empire needs time, and it needs enough cannon fodder. It would be best if they could hold on. If they can't, The Empire will make them hold on." A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Old Man's eyes.

The Empire had not reached the pinnacle of this world through weakness.

It relied on strength!

Its inaction was merely due to too many concerns. If such a situation truly arose, The Empire would not show mercy.

There was no such thing as being unable to hold on. Even if they could not, they still had to.

That was The Empire's stance. As for everything else, it did not matter. They could defect if they wished, but they had to accept the message The Empire sent. There was no room for choice.

The Empire did not attack them only because it did not want to, and because it did not want to waste its strength. If it truly came to that, it would