Having sorted out his thoughts, Dai Hao took a deep breath, slowly rose to his feet, straightened his military uniform, and strode out of the tent.
Outside the military tent, noisy discussions rose and fell. Soldiers gathered in small groups, whispering about the scenes on the Sky Screen.
Suddenly, someone shouted, "Lord Duke!"
Everyone immediately fell silent and turned in unison toward the entrance of the tent.
Dai Hao's tall figure appeared before them.
This was the absolute prestige Dai Hao had accumulated through years of commanding armies.
Even an instinctive reaction was enough to make several thousand people fall silent at once.
Yet now, the officers and soldiers he usually regarded as brothers looked at him with not only their habitual reverence, but also concern.
The Dai Hao of the future shown on the Sky Screen had died miserably.
Dai Hao swept his gaze over the crowd and slowly raised his right hand.
"Behind us lies the Star Luo Empire, and there are countless common people we must protect!"
"We have no way to retreat!"
"Star Luo shall not be humiliated!"
"Star Luo shall prevail!!"
After a brief silence, several thousand soldiers were stirred by Dai Hao's words and erupted in deafening roars.
"Star Luo shall prevail!!"
Unlike the impassioned army of the Star Luo Empire, the atmosphere within a side hall of the Sun Moon Empire's imperial palace was so oppressive it was suffocating.
Xu Tianran sat in his wheelchair, his expression so grim it seemed as though water might drip from it.
He stared fixedly at the fading image on the Sky Screen. Only after a long while did he speak.
"I never expected my plan to unify the continent to be exposed so soon. It even revealed my intention to make use of the Holy