Ch. 1581Great Huan's Deployment
Chapter Summary: “Great Huan’s Deployment”
Key Plot Points and Events
- During a military conference, Grand Commandant Han Xin urges Xiao Ying to act immediately against the approaching enemy alliance. He proposes abandoning vulnerable territories and destroying nearby Teleportation Formations to slow enemy reinforcements.
- Heaven-Questioning Marquis Xiao He strongly opposes this plan, arguing that abandoning soldiers, civilians, and territory would destroy Great Huan’s reputation and undermine public and military morale. He also notes that the enemy could simply use Teleportation Formations elsewhere, making the sacrifice potentially meaningless.
- Xiao Ying avoids deciding the dispute directly and instead focuses on the problem of controlling the Otherworlders. Di Wushuang reports that roughly forty percent have been subdued, with all of them expected to submit within six months.
- Believing that the approaching world-ending conflict leaves no time for gradual assimilation, Xiao Ying orders Immortal Empress Yu Ji to send three thousand Immortal Guards to Earth World. They are commanded to kill any Otherworlders who resist and, above all, recover every Game Dragon Ring.
- Xiao Ying further orders loyal Otherworlders to create unrest and assassinate hostile forces across the various national regions. The Immortal Guards are to be dispersed throughout Earth World, cutting off rebellious Otherworlders’ ability to retreat and exploit their revival ability.
- This strategy is intended to destabilize enemy rear areas, delay their military campaigns, and reduce pressure on Great Huan’s fronts without immediately abandoning territory or destroying Teleportation Formations.
- Han Xin then presents a comprehensive deployment plan for the northern, western, and southwestern battlefields. Xiao Ying approves the arrangements and asks the ministers whether they have objections.
- Many commanders are pleased to receive frontline assignments, while others—including Yang Ning, Gao Gong, and Li Yuan—are disappointed at being left behind to guard territories and Teleportation Formations.
Character Developments
- Xiao Ying demonstrates decisive, ruthless leadership. His priority is no longer merely subduing the Otherworlders but obtaining the Game Dragon Rings, which he believes are central to resolving the impending catastrophe.
- Han Xin is portrayed as a pragmatic military strategist who prioritizes speed, survival, and battlefield necessity over political or moral concerns. He remains impatient with what he views as Xiao He’s excessive benevolence.
- Xiao He acts as the political and ethical counterbalance to Han Xin. He argues that a ruler must preserve the people’s trust and warns that sacrificing citizens and territory could damage Great Huan more than it helps militarily.
- Yu Ji accepts Xiao Ying’s harsh order without protest and becomes the key figure capable of transporting Immortal Guards to Earth World through the Mending-Heaven Divine Stone.
- Lan Ge and Di Wushuang are troubled by Xiao Ying’s decision to use mass violence against the Otherworlders, especially because most have recently reached the Innate Realm. However, they recognize the urgency of the coming war and obey.
- Di Wushuang appears particularly uneasy about the plan, understanding that Xiao Ying is exploiting the Otherworlders’ dependence on the Game Dragon Rings for resurrection.
- Several commanders, including Li Yuan, Jiang Yao, and Shi Ji, are eager for frontline opportunities and feel frustrated that territorial defense offers less chance to gain merit and recognition.
Significant Themes
- Military necessity versus morality and governance: Han Xin advocates harsh measures to preserve the state, while Xiao He argues that a ruler cannot win a war by abandoning the people’s loyalty.
- The cost of survival: Xiao Ying accepts large-scale killings and internal chaos as necessary responses to an existential threat.
- Political legitimacy: The debate over Teleportation Formations emphasizes that military decisions also affect reputation, morale, and the relationship between rulers, soldiers, and civilians.
- Control and manipulation: Xiao Ying turns the Otherworlders’ resurrection ability and dependence on Game Dragon Rings into weaknesses, using loyal factions to destabilize enemy territories.
- Approaching catastrophe: The looming destruction of Pangu World forces Great Huan to abandon slower, more humane strategies and adopt immediate, extreme measures.
- Fragmented authority: Great Huan remains politically unsettled, with former powers and generals not fully integrated into the dynasty. Xiao Ying’s personal authority is what holds the state together.
Character Interactions
- Han Xin and Xiao He engage in a sharp argument: Han Xin dismisses Xiao He’s political concerns as “the benevolence of a woman,” while Xiao He retorts that military affairs cannot be separated from politics.
- Xiao Ying deliberately allows their dispute to continue without taking sides, redirecting the meeting toward practical decisions about the Otherworlders and battlefield deployment.
- Lan Ge and Di Wushuang quietly exchange looks when Xiao Ying orders the execution of resistant Otherworlders, revealing their shared discomfort and uncertainty.
- Xiao He later praises Xiao Ying’s plan to cause unrest in enemy rear areas, using it to argue that immediate abandonment of territory and destruction of Teleportation Formations may not be necessary.
- Han Xin insists that the new strategy does not eliminate the need for emergency measures, emphasizing that Great Huan must still be prepared to sacrifice positions if required.
- Xiao Ying and Han Xin ultimately work in tandem: Xiao Ying makes the political and strategic decisions, while Han Xin organizes the commanders and forces into a coherent defense of Great Huan’s three major fronts.