In the Balak Kingdom,
King Kundera was discussing the kingdom's next moves and general direction with several of his ministers.
As the kingdom's highest authorities, they did not need to go down and issue orders themselves. They only needed to set its general course.
Ministers who had reached this level lacked neither practical ability nor the will to act.
What truly set ministers of their caliber apart was never their ability to carry out plans, but their ability to set a direction and put people to use.
King Kundera sat in a chair studded with jewels and lavish ornaments. Holding reports from the front, he said with a grave expression:
"According to our scouts, the Heaven Dou Empire's army is advancing steadily toward us.
With the Empire's resources behind them, nearly all those soldiers have two horses each. I estimate they'll reach the kingdom's front line in half a month at most.
"Furthermore, now that the emperor has announced he'll lead the campaign himself, we no longer hold the moral high ground.
"But news of these events will spread more slowly among the common people. They likely won't hear of them for a month or so.
"So the Balak Kingdom now has two paths:
"One is to submit outright, become that treacherous minister Jiang Mingyang's dog, and endure humiliation at their hands day after day.
"The other is to rise in defiance, smash the cooking pots and sink the boats, and stand for justice throughout the realm against the treacherous ministers led by Jiang Mingyang.
"So far, the Deka Kingdom and the Yasi Kingdom have both launched rebellions. Both have sent me messages:
"The Yasi Kingdom wishes to continue setting things right and carry out Purge the Traitors at the Emperor’s Side.
"The king of the Yasi Kingdom believes the