"Swallow the Eagle King Army? We can, but the Taigu Army alone can't do it. The Demon Race has legs and feet—they can run."
"We must strike from all sides, like we did against the Elephant King Army. The naval forces to the north, the River Guard Army to the west, the Marshal Army to the east, and us to the south."
"Right. We still need the other armies' help."
"We need to discuss this with the Grand General King and the Poison Strategist. For something this major, the Grand General King generally has to nod, the Poison Strategist has to devise the plan, and then great generals are sent over to discuss the details."
"What I'm not worried about now is the River Guard Army. I'm worried about the Northern Garrison Army and Cha Fuli. Why are more than a hundred thousand troops heading west? Are there really that many scattered demons for them to wipe out? What if they turn around and deal with us instead? To the north is the Demon Race, and to the south is the Northern Garrison Army..."
"No. What makes the Northern Garrison Army truly formidable isn't their troops. They're vulnerable to a single blow. But whatever they do, they have righteousness and legitimacy on their side. That's the real trouble."
"What if Cha Fuli wants to take over Taigu City and drive Marquis Li away? What can we do?"
The generals looked at one another, their hearts heavy with worry.
He Bao opened his mouth, swallowed the words "Why not rebel?" back into his belly, racked his brains, and said, "If he is heartless, don't blame us for being unjust. At worst, we can defect to the Grand General King. If that doesn't work, we'll defect to the Eastern Ding Kingdom."
"Will