What Could Stop Them?
"Lord Xu Hu, a letter has arrived from Jiangnan!"
At the location of North Sea City, a white eagle descended from the sky, bringing a letter that was clearly sealed with the Jiangnan magic technique. Without hesitation, the soldiers quickly ran with the letter, passing it down through the ranks, and finally it was delivered to Xu Hu by the deputy general.
"My lord, it seems the situation in Jiangnan is hopeless." The lieutenant said with a worried expression.
Some time ago, a burst of Buddhist light appeared in Jiangnan, shaking the world. North Sea City, located in a remote area, also had Buddhist light, and it took them a lot of effort to wipe it out. The Buddhist light of that magnitude in Jiangnan would probably be ten times more troublesome than what they had encountered!
They had been worried about their ancestral home for the past few days. After all, none of the warriors were afraid of death; if they died, they could simply return to the Underworld and become ghost soldiers.
But if you lose your home, you probably won't even have the chance to become a ghost soldier.
Moreover, all of their wives and children were in Jiangnan, and what they feared most was that their rear would suffer a severe blow!
"Don't worry." Xu Hu stood as steady as a towering tree, his tone calm yet tinged with a hint of apprehension. After years as the top military officer, he had finally developed the demeanor of a leader.
He took the letter, opened it, and immediately frowned.
The letter contained detailed information about the attack on the Buddha Kingdom, the West Sea Army's depletion of strength due to the use of Daoist Daoist School, and the Heavenly Court's unexpected capture of the Southeast Commandery, which is about to establish a foothold in the Southern Barbarians. Once the Heavenly Court has a foothold, it will become extremely troublesome. Moreover, Jiangnan will definitely be their first target. In order to prevent being in a more passive position in the future, the Southeast must be taken back, and the Southern Barbarians cannot be taken over by the Heavenly Court!
A decisive action is necessary; there should be no hesitation. We must immediately abandon North Sea City, dismantle the Northern Wolf Underworld, and lead our troops back to its aid!
"Laoda, what is this letter?" The deputy general and the others asked cautiously, looking at Xu Hu's unpredictable expression.
"You can see for yourselves." Xu Hu handed over the letter.
Several lieutenants took a look and immediately became anxious.
"Laoda, let's not delay, shall we set off as soon as possible?"
"No," Xu Hu shook his head.
"But..." All the lieutenants were stunned. Xu Hu cared most about Jiangnan. Xu Hu was the first to disagree with the idea of dividing the troops into several routes. Now, unexpectedly, he would say no to Jiangnan's plea for help.
"This wasn't sent by the Lord."
"How could this be?" The adjutant beside him frowned and said, "The handwriting is His Majesty's, the seal is from Jiangnan, and the white eagle is also a bird native to Jiangnan. What else is the problem?"
"All of this can be faked!" Xu Hu said coldly, "If our lord is so anxious, why doesn't he just send me a telepathic message? Even if the Power of Faith is precious now, is he really so unwilling to give up Northern Wolf City and so many people who believe in our lord? Sending a telepathic message sooner would allow us to set off sooner and avoid delaying our battle."
Why use carrier eagles to deliver messages?
All the lieutenants were immediately puzzled and looked at each other.
That makes sense. Such a big matter, why not just pass it on to Lord Xu Hu directly?
"What is the meaning of this letter, sir?"
"The situation is very dangerous now." Xu Hu frowned. "Our letters can be copied, our seals can be copied, even our messenger hawks can be copied. It's very troublesome. We can't act rashly now. Our strongest and last elite force in Jiangnan cannot afford any accidents. Do you understand?"
"Clear!"
Everyone responded immediately, while Xu Hu slowly closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down.
The letter is indeed fake, but the things it says may not be false.
Lies are the easiest to pull off when they're seven parts truth and three parts falsehood. If my investigation confirms that such a thing did happen, in the past I would have immediately sent troops.
That means that Jiangnan is indeed in a passive position, just as described in the letter.
He had sensed that there was also Fighter Army in the Southeast Commandery a few days ago. The Fighter Army in the Southeast Commandery suffered heavy casualties, with almost no survivors. The news in the letter that the Southeast Commandery had fallen and that the Heavenly Court would attack the Southern Wilderness was most likely true.
But under these circumstances, why hasn't the lord mobilized the Fighter Army? What is he planning?
Xu Hu didn't distrust Chen Qing; Chen Qing had created too many miracles, always winning big with small investments, and had never lost a single time since her debut!
Given his size, facing those formidable opponents, a single defeat would mean utter ruin, yet this time, it seems the lord is still determined to take the risk.
I remember the Lord telling me before that unless he personally transmitted the message, even if Ziyue was present, the Fighter Army must not make any moves!
If the lord hasn't sent a message, how can he possibly reclaim Jiangnan?
"The Fighter Army haven't moved?"
Hall of the Firmament, the Heavenly Emperor, clad in a golden imperial robe, shone brighter than the sun. The Four Heavenly Kings guarded the four gates of the Heavenly Palace, while countless divine generals bowed in worship. The powerful aura of blood and qi indicated that the Heavenly Court had recovered more than halfway. This ancient monster had already bared its fangs!
"No movement!" The one who answered was a strange humanoid figure with exceptionally large eyes. His bare upper body was covered with eyeballs, making him look extremely creepy.
But no one dared to show any disdain. The Thousand Eyes Divine General the only native to Heavenly Court, yet no one dared to look down on him. He was Heavenly Court's best protector, and no one would choose to offend such a person.
"The Fighter Army shows no sign of moving. I saw a Snow Eagle carrying a letter enter North Sea City, but an entire afternoon has passed, and there's still no indication of them launching an attack."
Upon hearing this, Elder Long nodded slightly. The army's departure was a huge commotion, especially for a powerful legion like the Fighter Army, which was equipped with the best equipment and ships. It was impossible for the Thousand Eyes Divine General to keep their return to Jiangnan a secret.
In other words, Jiangnan really has no intention of returning to provide assistance?
"Father," Ziwei said, "Actually, this is quite normal. Jiangnan currently willing but unable to do so. The North is a place they have invested a great deal of effort and resources in developing. Chen Qing is clearly eyeing those frozen demons in the Northern Wasteland and is unwilling to easily withdraw his soldiers there. It's more important for him to control the resources for himself than to target us."
All the gods nodded in agreement upon hearing this. Chen Qing and the Heavenly Court did not have any deep-seated hatred for each other. Giving up North Sea City would be tantamount to handing over Northern Wolf City and Northern Wasteland, which they had been building up, to the demons in the north. It would be a loss for them.
What are the benefits of abandoning fertile territory to attack their Heavenly Court?
A mutually destructive battle would only result in all the resources going to the other companies?
He's probably lost his mind!
"That's what they say." Elder Long squinted; he had a feeling it wasn't that simple.
He had experienced Chen Qing's methods before; they were unpredictable and difficult to fathom. If it weren't for Old Elder Liu's sudden betrayal and his alliance with the Demon Domain, he probably wouldn't have been able to defeat him.
Now that they are opponents again, he has never dared to underestimate them, even though they are just a mere clone.
But, just as his daughter said, there are no soldiers left in Jiangnan. What can they use to stop the Heavenly Court?