Douluo Continent, Sun Moon Empire.
The Hall of Diligent Governance in the Mingdu Imperial Palace was solemn and silent.
Xu Tianran, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat upright on the specially made wheelchair-like dragon throne in the hall.
On both sides of the main hall, civil and military officials, dressed in court attire, stood in neat rows.
Standing at the head of the right-hand column was a particularly eye-catching figure.
It was a young woman dressed in bright red armor, which outlined her tall and slender figure. The woman had a beautiful face and fair skin. At this moment, she was calm and focused, staring seriously at Xu Tianran in front of her.
Xu Tianran had just finished his concluding remarks when his gaze swept across the assembled officials like a hawk's, finally settling on the woman at the head of the table on his right. He said in a deep voice, " Ju Zi, please give us an overview of the situation."
That's right, this woman is Ju Zi, who later became a renowned Empress God of War in the original novel.
Given her age and cultivation level, she shouldn't be qualified to stand at the head of this military ranks.
However, she was Xu Tianran's most trusted confidante, and she represented the military forces controlled by Xu Tianran.
Upon hearing Xu Tianran's command, Ju Zi immediately stepped forward, the armor plates clanging crisply as she proclaimed, "Since the Sun Moon Army marched into the Heavenly Soul Empire three months ago, they have occupied most of the Heavenly Soul Empire's territory within just one month..."
She paused here, then said in a heavy tone, "However, this period of good fortune was short-lived. The Star Luo Empire and the Dou Ling Empire soon joined the battle, forming an alliance with the Heavenly Soul Empire to resist our army, and the war gradually became stalemate..."
Two months after Kong Xuan and his group set sail, Xu Tianran ordered the Sun Moon Army to launch this long-planned war, with the first target being the Heavenly Soul Empire.
In the original storyline, the Sun Moon Empire also used this as a starting point to launch a lightning-fast blitzkrieg against the Heavenly Soul Empire, sweeping across the entire territory in a very short time and completely destroying the Heavenly Soul Empire.
After the war broke out, the Heavenly Soul Empire truly realized that there was an insurmountable gap between itself and the Sun Moon Empire in the field of Soul Tool.
Faced with the well-equipped and heavily armed Soul Engineer Corps of the Sun Moon Empire, the Heavenly Soul Empire's army was utterly powerless and unable to mount an effective counterattack or defense.
Therefore, within just one month, they lost cities and territory, losing most of their land.
There are two main reasons why the battle has become so deadlocked.
Firstly, the Holy Spirit Cult had long been destroyed, and the Sun and Sun Moon Worship Hall had remained inactive. The absence of these two core forces significantly reduced the strength of the Sun Moon Empire in this war compared to the original story.
Secondly, after the establishment of the Spirit Pagoda, the original camps of the Douluo Three Kingdoms were not monolithic. Many forces chose to wait and see and did not join the Three Kingdoms Alliance. The most representative of these was Shrek Academy.
Shrek is no longer what it once was. Its reputation has faded in recent years, and with the passing of Mu En and Yan Shaozhe's defection, its strength has declined day by day.
Under such circumstances, they could no longer claim to be the "saviors of the continent" as before, leading the forces of the three kingdoms against the Sun Moon Empire.
Therefore, the current situation is that, compared to the original story, the overall strength of the Sun Moon Empire and the original Douluo Three Kingdoms has been weakened to varying degrees, with the Sun Moon Empire being "weakened" more severely.
After reviewing the recent frontline battle reports, Ju Zi solemnly summarized, "In the early stages of the war, the various Soul Engineer Corps swept across the battlefield with the absolute advantage of their Soul Tool, not only being invincible in every battle but also receiving a series of victories from the front lines."
"However, as the battle lines continued to expand, we had to divide our forces to defend various occupied territories, resulting in a significant dilution of our main forces."
"More importantly, the Titled Douluo- level powerhouses originally from the Douluo Three Kingdoms have all personally arrived on the battlefield. Their formidable combat power not only directly hindered the empire's advance but also fundamentally constrained the deployment of subsequent military plans."
As soon as Ju Zi finished speaking, a heavy silence fell over the council hall of the Sun Moon Empire.
The ministers in the hall stood with their heads bowed. Everyone could tell that the empire's previously unstoppable offensive plans had long since stalled, and it was now locked in a stalemate with the Douluo Three Kingdoms.
Sitting in the main seat, Xu Tianran unconsciously tapped his fingers on the gilded armrest, his gaze slowly sweeping over the officials below, finally settling on the elderly man at the head of the left.
His voice was devoid of any warmth as he asked, " Chancellor Yang, what are the opinions of the citizens within the empire regarding this war?"
Xu Tianran is ruthless and unscrupulous in achieving his goals. He has an extreme and vicious personality. Although he lacks the virtues of a benevolent ruler, he is a ruthless and ambitious man who can stir up trouble.
When he asked about "public sentiment" at this moment, he was not really concerned about what the people thought; he simply wanted to use this information to understand the situation of the empire and judge how long this war of attrition could be forcibly continued.
Chancellor Yang, whose name was called, already had a full head of white hair, and his deeply wrinkled face showed no emotion whatsoever.
He stepped forward slowly, his voice steady, and said, "Your Majesty, according to the surveys of public sentiment gathered from various regions, only about 40% of the people within the territory of Sun Moon are currently supporting this war."
Since the Mingdu explosion in the original story never happened, the people of the Sun Moon Empire had long been accustomed to a thousand years of peaceful life, so naturally there weren't many people willing to support them in the war.
Upon hearing Chancellor Yang's reply, Xu Tianran gripped the gilded armrest tightly with his knuckles.
The hall was deathly silent; even the air seemed to freeze. Everyone could feel the surging anger in the emperor's heart.
In Xu Tianran's eyes, these people had clearly had their spirit worn down by peace.
He felt that these people lacked foresight and could only see what was immediately in front of them.
A few breaths passed in silence in the hall before Xu Tianran finally spoke, " Ju Zi!"
Ju Zi stepped forward and replied, "Your subject is here."
"Issue my order."
"All Soul Engineer Corps members will now go all out, and are permitted to use Level 9 Fixed Soul Guidance Cannon."
"I want to see tangible results within ten days!"
The power of Level 9 Fixed Soul Guidance Cannon is enough to flatten a small city. Such an order, regardless of the cost, made several old ministers in the hall subconsciously frown, but none of them dared to speak up to dissuade them.
Xu Tianran then turned to Chancellor Yang and said, " Chancellor Yang, if we want to harness the people's hearts, we need to guide them appropriately."
"Immediately intensify nationwide propaganda efforts, compiling all the border disputes between the former Douluo Three Kingdoms over the past century, as well as the slander and restrictions imposed on our Sun Moon Empire, into a booklet and distributing it to all cities!"
"We must make sure all the people know that we have always been enemies with the three former kingdoms. Our military expedition today is merely to seek justice!"
He paused, a hint of fanaticism flashing in his eyes. "I want them to understand that this war is not a choice, it's about survival."
"Win and dominate the continent, or lose and be slaughtered!"
After he finished speaking, there was no sound left in the hall.
Only Xu Tianran's aura echoed in the empty hall, carrying an undeniable domineering presence.
After issuing the two orders, Xu Tianran raised his hand, his voice no longer carrying the sternness of before, only a lingering weariness.
"All of you may stand down and follow orders. Report back immediately if there is any new information."
The people below bowed in response and slowly withdrew from the Hall of Diligent Governance.
When the heavy palace doors slammed shut, Xu Tianran was left alone on the towering dragon throne in the empty hall.
He raised his hand and rubbed his temples, the coolness of the gilded armrest still lingering on his fingertips.
As Titled Douluo, ordinary hard work wouldn't damage his foundation, but the days of working day and night were not exhausting his body, but his mind.
He silently calculated in his mind that if he still couldn't achieve significant results and gain an advantage over the enemy within six months, not only would public support continue to decline, but even the morale of military taxis would likely plummet.
"Six months..."
He murmured softly, his voice so low it seemed almost carried away by the air currents in the hall. "If we don't achieve another major victory within six months, this war... I'm afraid we really won't be able to hold on."