"The true battlefield was never general against general, king against king."
"It was this."
Gu Xuanting pointed at the small pieces at the very front.
"What do you think they represent?"
Yang Fan thought for a moment. "Those fighting on the Frontline."
"You're half right."
Gu Xuanting shook his head.
"These smallest pieces can represent Demigods or Gods."
"They were responsible for fighting, conquering territory, and seizing Divine Kingdom Cores."
Then Gu Xuanting pointed to the larger pieces behind them.
"And these were responsible for providing resources, intelligence, weapons, War Structures, and tactical guidance."
"When necessary, they would even directly dispatch legions into battle."
Yang Fan's gaze shifted slightly as he vaguely guessed what he meant.
"Xiaofan, do you know why this kind of warfare developed?"
Yang Fan shook his head.
Gu Xuanting spoke slowly:
"Because of the cost. If two Gods personally launched a Divine Kingdom War, setting aside who won or lost..."
"The losses caused by the aftermath alone would make both sides ache for hundreds, even thousands, of years."
"The resource zones surrounding the Divine Kingdom, the cities of believers, and the damage to the Divine Kingdom's environment."
"All of those were wealth."
"No one was willing to gamble their entire fortune."
"And so, proxy wars were born."
Gu Xuanting gently placed a piece on the board.
"Lower-Order Gods would send Subordinate Gods into battle. Mid-Order Gods would send Lower-Order Gods, while High-Tier Gods remained hidden behind the scenes."
"This both prevented their Divine Kingdom Coordinates from being exposed..."
"And allowed them to continuously gain benefits through war."
Yang Fan gradually furrowed his brows.
"But according to Father..."
"Wouldn't that mean the ones dying were all Demigods and Ordinary Gods?"
Gu Xuanting revealed an approving expression. "That's right. You finally understand."
He picked up one of the