"A day or half a day?!"
Hojo Ujiyasu narrowed his eyes and murmured thoughtfully to himself.
Xiang Quan's face darkened, and he said in a low voice, plainly displeased, "Surely the Hojo clan head isn't so lacking in confidence that he can't hold out for even a day or half a day? Or is it that you don't want to hold out?"
After a pause, Xiang Quan sneered and rebuked him again. "Hojo Ujiyasu, don't forget that, according to our intelligence, the Huan Emperor is a rather hotheaded nationalist Otherworlder from China! And he became enemies with the people of the Eastern Isles right at the start of his rise. Then consider what the Great Huan Dynasty did in Yingzhou. The Huan Emperor is nowhere near as merciful and tolerant as our emperor!"
Hojo Ujiyasu perked up. Wearing a sunny smile, he looked at Xiang Quan and said respectfully, "You misunderstand, Lord Army Supervisor! What I mean is... Tamatsuna Castle's primary objective is to delay the Huan Emperor for as long as possible, correct?"
Xiang Quan froze briefly before replying with some hesitation, "Well... that should be the case!"
"Then that will do. The art of war says: the highest strategy attacks plans, the next attacks alliances, the next attacks armies, and the lowest attacks cities! We must admit that, whether or not we can withstand the Great Huan Forbidden Guard, we will pay an enormous price. But what if... our Hojo Clan could temporarily placate the Huan Emperor?" A crafty smile appeared at the corners of Hojo Ujiyasu's mouth as he slowly posed the question.
Xiang Quan's brow furrowed deeply, and he looked toward Himiko, Empress of the Eastern Isles.
Although Xiang Quan held a special status and now occupied the honored position of army supervisor, Himiko was the