The Huan Emperor Jian Shang of the Great Huan Dynasty had personally led his civil and military officials, the Great Huan Forbidden Guard, the feudal lords' Special Legions, and the imperial palace experts to reinforce them. Yet they could only ease the pressure and deter the Great Adepts of the Canada-U.S. Allied Forces. They could not break the stalemate.
Now, the countless Canada-U.S. Allied Forces still surrounded the nine islands in dense swarms, like insects blotting out the sky and sun. The arrival of Great Huan's fresh troops had greatly boosted morale and steadied the soldiers' hearts, but they could only hold the nine islands, not drive the enemy back.
The first beat of the drum roused their courage; the second weakened it; the third exhausted it!
If the battle remained unchanged, and the fresh troops became weary troops as time dragged on, the Great Huan Dynasty would still face defeat.
Of course, there was a difference.
Before the Kingdom Ascension Ceremony, the fall of the Marshall Islands would have shaken the foundation of the nation, affected its national fortune, and greatly weakened the bonuses granted by the Great Huan Dynasty's Fruition Rank, fortune, and other factors.
After the successful Kingdom Ascension Ceremony, the fall of the Marshall Islands would, at worst, mean losing a stretch of territory. The nation's foundation would remain largely unaffected, and its national fortune would slowly decline, but not by much, since Great Huan's territory now encompassed the Marshall Islands and the surrounding seas.
After pondering for a moment, Jian Shang suddenly glanced at Gan Ning, Zhongda, and the others, then turned to Yu Ji and instructed, "Words alone prove nothing. Help them recover. Let them show their strength, reveal their resolve, and display their hot blood!"
He paused, then looked at the three youths,