The emperor had originally planned to have the Ice and Snow Emperors show themselves on both fronts, separately, to deter the enemy. This arrangement could work, too.
But it was far too risky. It would leave the Sun Moon Empire's troops outside the Mingdou Mountain Range to fend for themselves. It would take time to mobilize reinforcements, and without a powerful expert holding the line, Dai Hao could very well crush them in one fell swoop.
They had already suffered one defeat, retreating from the Mingdou Mountain Range to Maple Leaf City, the gateway fortress of the Sun Moon Empire.
The Sun Moon Empire was mostly flatland, especially beyond Maple Leaf City, where a thousand miles of open grassland stretched out without a single obstacle. If Maple Leaf City fell and Star Luo's army entered Sun Moon territory, driving them back would be incredibly difficult.
It was only because the Snow Empress was here that the emperor dared to take such a gamble. Even if Maple Leaf City fell, the Snow Empress's overwhelming strength could minimize the losses.
Xu Lanqing cupped his hands. "Father, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
"There is, actually."
The emperor watched Xu Lanqing's eyes. "You can hear me out first, then decide whether to agree."
Xu Lanqing blinked and adopted an attentive posture. "Go ahead."
The emperor pulled a scroll from beneath the imperial desk, swept the clutter aside with his right hand, and unfurled it in front of Xu Lanqing.
It was a map of the Sun Moon Empire's territory. Xu Lanqing noticed three circles marked in red: two around the Mingdou and Tiandou Mountain Ranges, and the third around the northern coastal region.
Xu Lanqing's heart tightened. He already knew that someone had rebelled there a few days ago and captured