"Still, from what I know, the Heaven Dou Empire currently has more than 8.4 million square kilometers of territory and a population of over 600 million. In terms of land, your empire is not much smaller than ours, and in terms of population, you have far more people than we do. The Heaven Dou Empire truly deserves its reputation as the largest empire on the Douluo Continent!"
"You must have quite a few troops as well! I imagine you still have a clear advantage over the Star Luo Empire, the second-largest power in the south by both territory and population. And if we factor in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's support for the Heaven Dou imperial family, then the Heaven Dou Empire must be far stronger than the Star Luo Empire."
Xu Mochen offered the Heaven Dou Empire a few words of praise, but neither Xue Qinghe nor Ning Fengzhi let them go to their heads.
Xue Qinghe gave a bitter smile. "You flatter us, Xiao Chen. We're ashamed to hear it. To tell you the truth, although our Heaven Dou Empire has more territory and a larger population than the Star Luo Empire, commands an army of two million, and enjoys the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's full support, we've actually lost more battles than we've won against the Star Luo Empire. We've also lost quite a bit of territory."
"It was only during that war more than sixty years ago, when Heaven had blessed our Heaven Dou Empire and brought us to the height of our power, while the Star Luo Empire was mired in internal strife, that we were fortunate enough to reclaim some territory. But now that the Star Luo Empire has gradually recovered, the balance of power between it and the Heaven Dou Empire has likely shifted once again."
"Don't be fooled by the figures. The Star Luo Empire has more than 5.6 million square kilometers of territory, a population of over 500 million, and an army of 1.8 million. On paper, those numbers seem inferior to ours. But generation after generation, its emperors have been brutal and unjust, squeezing their people dry with exorbitant taxes. Relying on their own formidable strength, they've crushed every resistance with cruel, bloody force!"
"On top of that, the people of the Star Luo Empire are all martial, aggressive, and fond of conquest. Their ability to mobilize for war is beyond anything our Heaven Dou Empire can match. By contrast, our people naturally love peace. They don't seek war, but they don't fear it either. And our policies are far more lenient and enlightened. That's why we've had to endure the suffering of repeated invasions by powerful enemies."
Xue Qinghe's words sounded earnest, even a little self-pitying, but he was clearly a shrewd operator. He was trying to steer the Sun Moon Empire's trouble southward!
It was obvious that Xue Qinghe understood this well: just as the Heaven Dou Empire didn't want the Sun Moon Continent to be united under a single country, the Sun Moon Empire certainly didn't want one country to unify the Douluo Continent. To prevent that, the Sun Moon Empire would inevitably "weed out the strong and support the weak." By pointing out the Star Luo Empire's strength now, Xue Qinghe could naturally direct the Sun Moon Empire's attention toward how to deal with it.
Of course, Xu Mochen wasn't so easily fooled. Still, he put on an expression of righteous indignation. "Really, Brother Xue? It seems the Star Luo Empire is truly vile, so bent on invading others! Don't worry. Although our Sun Moon Empire has no intention of invading anyone, we can't stand by and watch you get bullied by an evil nation!"
"Unfortunately, isolationism is widespread in our country. Many people firmly oppose rashly interfering in the affairs of the Douluo Continent, so we can't send troops to help. There's nothing I can do about that. But rest assured! If you need help in any other way, I'll do everything I can."
Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi exchanged knowing smiles. Xue Qinghe hurriedly replied, "Then I'll thank you in advance, Xiao Chen. But you're my younger brother, so I can't simply take your country's goods without offering anything in return. We can trade for them using other goods from the Heaven Dou Empire. If you don't mind, I'd like to know what kinds of unusual goods the Sun Moon Empire can offer for trade."
Hearing this, Xu Mochen realized that the other man was trying to probe the Sun Moon Empire's strength. But that suited him just fine. He immediately put on a warm, enthusiastic smile. "That's wonderful! Although the Sun Moon Empire can't match the Douluo Continent in the overall level and quality of our Soul Masters and Martial Souls, we excel at researching and manufacturing all kinds of Soul Tools. When it comes to Soul Tools, I guarantee we won't disappoint you, Brother Xue and Uncle Ning."
"Our Soul Tools include both civilian and military models, mass-produced standard designs as well as custom-built ones. They're used in every industry and all kinds of fields. I just don't know what kind you're interested in." Seeing that the fish had taken the bait, Xu Mochen naturally didn't hold back.
Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi's eyes immediately lit up at Xu Mochen's words. Soul Tools had once existed on the Douluo Continent, but as the Martial Soul cultivation system continued to develop—and certain interest groups deliberately destroyed them—the methods of making Soul Tools had been almost entirely lost. Most of the surviving Soul Tools were Storage Soul Tools used to carry belongings, while Soul Guidance Weapons were few and far between.
From what they had learned, the people of the Sun Moon Empire had inferior Martial Souls and Soul Masters overall, and far fewer powerful Soul Masters than the Douluo Continent. Yet they had developed powerful Soul Guidance Technology to make up for their innate disadvantages.
If they could use this opportunity to learn about the Sun Moon Empire's level of Soul Tool development, they could make a preliminary estimate of its military strength and overall national power.
Ning Fengzhi immediately said, "We're very interested in your country's military Soul Guidance Weapons. Could you introduce us to them, Xiao Chen?"
Xu Mochen didn't refuse. Instead, he warmly invited them. "As the saying goes, seeing is believing. If you and Uncle Ning are truly interested in our country's Soul Guidance Weapons, why not come with me to Linghai Port? Our troops and ready-made weapons are there. If conditions permit, we can give you a detailed demonstration of our various Soul Guidance Weapons."
Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi considered it for a moment. They still didn't know exactly why the Sun Moon Empire had come, but there was no way it had come to declare war on the Heaven Dou Empire right away. Besides, the Sun Moon Empire's prince would be accompanying them the whole time, so there shouldn't be any danger. In the end, they agreed.
After eating and drinking their fill, the group took carriages back to Linghai Port. When they arrived, Xu Mochen immediately signaled for the more than three thousand Marine Corps troops to disembark and form ranks! Then, with boats ferrying them back and forth, it took less than twenty minutes for the Sun Moon Empire's more than three thousand Marine Corps troops to line up neatly under their officers and call the roll!
Every soldier moved swiftly and worked in perfect coordination. Not one made an unnecessary movement or uttered an unnecessary word. Their backs were ramrod straight, their movements perfectly uniform, and their expressions solemn. They obeyed every command without hesitation and never once dragged their feet!
"Elite troops! These are absolutely the Sun Moon Empire's crack forces!" Xue Qinghe, Ning Fengzhi, and the others immediately grew more serious at the sight. Even the Heaven Dou Royal Guard would have difficulty matching that terrifying discipline and coordination. How had the Sun Moon Empire trained them like this?
Then an old man dressed in a white naval major general's uniform stepped forward and answered in a booming voice, "Blue Gan, commander of the Yan Yang Fleet Marine Corps, reporting to the prince! The Yan Yang Fleet Marine Corps should have 3,124 men. Present: 3,124! Awaiting your orders!"
Xu Mochen immediately played along. "Fall in!"
"Yes!" Blue Gan replied, then returned to his place in the ranks. His movements flowed as smoothly as water, and the powerful aura he gave off was a feast for the eyes!
"Your Highness, is the commander of this so-called 'Marine Corps' a Soul Douluo?" Bone Douluo Gu Rong, who had been silent off to one side, seemed to sense something and suddenly asked urgently. Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi were even more astonished!
They weren't surprised that one of these men was a Soul Douluo. They were astonished that the Sun Moon Empire could train even a Soul Douluo to move just like an ordinary soldier, in perfect unison and coordination with the army!
One had to understand that a Soul Douluo was a mighty figure even on the Douluo Continent, a land where hidden dragons and crouching tigers abounded! A powerhouse of that level would have some pride of his own. He would almost certainly never agree to train alongside ordinary soldiers and coordinate with them so perfectly!
To follow such strict, precise standards in every movement! And yet the Sun Moon Empire had managed it! Of course, Xu Mochen's next words made Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi's expressions darken even further.
"Actually, that's because the people of the Sun Moon Empire generally have weak Martial Souls. Many powerful people can only reach a certain level of cultivation by taking drugs. But even then, our Soul Masters at levels seventy to eighty are generally weaker than Soul Masters of the same level on the Douluo Continent. Meanwhile, ordinary people in our empire can also use some Soul Guidance Weapons."
"One or two wouldn't pose a threat to these powerful figures, but when their numbers reach a certain point, even powerhouses at levels seventy or eighty might be forced to flee or die with hatred in their hearts. That's why high-ranked Soul Masters in the Sun Moon Empire have never been able to completely rise above ordinary people."
"Of course, things would be much better if these level seventy- or eighty-something powerhouses were equipped with powerful custom Soul Guidance Weapons. In one-on-one arena matches, most soldiers carrying Soul Guidance Weapons still wouldn't be a match for Soul Masters of the same level from the Douluo Continent. But on a battlefield, working together with an army, they'd be far more effective than ordinary Soul Masters of the same level."
"But the generally weak Martial Souls of our Soul Masters aren't entirely a bad thing for the Sun Moon Empire. At least they greatly limit the gap between high-ranked Soul Masters and ordinary people or low-ranked Soul Masters. And with Soul Guidance Technology advancing by leaps and bounds, ordinary people and low-ranked Soul Masters can face high-ranked Soul Masters without being utterly helpless."
Xu Mochen then changed tack. "I imagine the Douluo Continent often has to deal with the trouble caused by evil high-ranked Soul Masters. Their presence certainly makes the continent more powerful, but if one of these Soul Masters starts causing trouble in a city, the damage to public order would be immense!"
"In a supercity like Heaven Dou City or Star Luo City, with its tight defenses and many powerful figures, it wouldn't be so bad. Even a Titled Douluo would probably think twice before making trouble in a city of that stature, and if one did, powerful Soul Masters would soon arrive to suppress him. But what about the other, smaller cities?"
"If one, or even several, Spirit Saints or Soul Douluos went on a rampage of looting, destruction, and slaughter in a small town in the Heaven Dou Empire, could that town's own forces stop them?"
"From what I've learned, the vast majority of the Heaven Dou Empire's small and medium-sized towns have no Royal Guard stationed nearby. That means that, in most cases, when faced with an enemy, these towns can rely only on the handful of City Defense Army troops they've recruited themselves."
"Although 1.2 million of the Heaven Dou Empire's two million troops are in the City Defense Army, most of them are stationed at the borders and in important towns around the imperial capital. Beyond that, most medium-sized towns have only two or three thousand City Defense Army troops, while most small towns have only seven or eight hundred. And their Soul Masters are pitifully few—and pitifully weak, too."
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