Self-interest!
Forehead.
Upon hearing the Heavenly Emperor's question, the Four Heavenly Kings immediately fell silent.
Despite their loud boasting just now, they were all extremely unwilling to descend to the mortal realm themselves. Putting aside the potential risks, even if the risks weren't significant, attacking Vermilion Bird City was a tough task, with those above watching, and there was no room for shirking responsibility.
The soldiers under the Four Heavenly Kings are all loyal troops. Over the years, apart from the Elder Long himself, they have only listened to themselves. According to the future plan, the Heavenly Court will definitely be temporarily abandoned. When the Heavenly Demon invade, if they cannot withstand the attack, their soldiers will be their capital for future adventures in the outer heavens. They cannot be easily lost.
"Still want to stand by and watch at a time like this?" The Heavenly Emperor sneered. "Don't forget, if you can't take the outposts below, no matter how many troops you have hidden, do you really dare to fight those Heavenly Demon head-on here?"
Upon hearing this, the Four Great Outer Heavens immediately blushed.
Looking at these four old foxes, the Heavenly Emperor sighed inwardly. This was also a drawback of his own power. He was a civil official by origin, and he had spent a lot of effort to win over a few military confidants back then. In recent years, he had been nepotistic and had been giving resources to these four old guys. They were very supportive of him because of this, but once there was no other power to balance things out, they would become somewhat arrogant and self-important.
"Your Majesty, judging from the current situation below, it shouldn't be that we need to provide support yet." The Northern Heavenly King chuckled, "That Chen Qing, with his mere few thousand Four Holy Guards, no matter how many schemes he has, can't do anything to the Divine General. The Divine General is the number one general in our Heavenly Court; Your Majesty shouldn't underestimate him."
"That's right!" The Eastern Heavenly King Dhritarashtra nodded in agreement. "The divine general's ability to lead troops far surpasses ours. Your Majesty need not worry; he will deliver a fair and just victory."
Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Emperor laughed in anger. Did these four old fools even know they were inferior to the Three-Eyed Divine General?
If we're talking about merit, none of you four are even worthy of carrying his shoes. Why are you sitting on equal footing with him? Don't you have any self-awareness?
The Elder Long could see through their little schemes at a glance. It would be best if the Three-Eyed Divine General distracted by Chen Qing. If he could easily take down Vermilion Bird City, his merit would be added, his prestige in the Heavenly Court would be even greater, and the lower classes would probably be more convinced of his authority. In the future, he would definitely be able to suppress them.
However, if the capture is more difficult and the number of casualties among the troops is heavier, even if the Vermilion Bird City is captured, the prestige will be lost without sufficient military strength. In the future, as long as the status is deliberately suppressed, it will not be able to make any waves.
Seeing the four guys' nonchalant attitude, the Heavenly Emperor sighed and finally waved his hand, saying, "You four, go to the Star Platform and wait there, keeping a close watch on the ground. If reinforcements are needed, lead your troops out immediately. Do not delay!"
"Yes!" The four men immediately bowed excitedly, and their many generals also beamed with pride.
Many lower-ranking generals sighed inwardly.
It appears that the Heavenly Emperor reprimanded them, but in reality, it was a compromise. No, it shouldn't be called a compromise, but rather a deliberate act.
The Three-Eyed Divine General was ultimately not a direct subordinate of the Heavenly Emperor. No matter how great his achievements, he was still kept at arm's length. The Heavenly Emperor was acting in accordance with the situation, as he did not want the General to have too many soldiers under his command.
Thinking of this, many lower-ranking generals felt hopeless. Even a meritorious general like the Three-Eyed Divine General couldn't break through that network of connections; what hope did they have left?
It seems they won't get any benefits in the future, but if any crisis arises, they'll definitely be the ones used to cover the retreat and die!
It seems I'll have to advise the Divine General to think about his own future.
"Continue the attack?"
The god was taken aback when he heard the priest convey the message from above.
Why is Elder Long taking such a risk this time?
A sense of irritation welled up inside him.
"Rest assured, my lord, the Heavenly Emperor has dispatched the Star Lord Ziwei to your aid immediately, and the Four Heavenly Kings are also on standby at the Star Platform, ready to provide support at any time."
"Ready at any time." The Three-Eyed Divine General showed no joy upon hearing this, instead giving a bitter smile.
If they truly wanted to help me, the Four Heavenly Kings should have at least sent one of them directly. Instead, they're waiting at the Star Platform. What does that signify?
They wanted to capture Vermilion Bird City, but they didn't actually intend to reinforce me; instead, they wanted to see my forces effectively depleted.
Even after all these years, Elder Long's nepotistic nature remains unchanged.
That makes sense, back then the Central Federation was like that, prioritizing personal relationships. If your connections weren't strong enough, no matter how capable you were, you'd still be suppressed.
Back when the Victorious Fighting Buddha was in Heavenly Court, he was suppressed so much that he couldn't even get a high-ranking divine general position. If it weren't for that, how could Elder Liu have gotten such a good deal?
Elder Liu's rise to power was largely due to the outstanding performance of the Victorious Fighting Buddha in several battles.
Are we now even being guarded against ourselves?
He knew that although he was now on par with the Four Heavenly Kings in terms of official rank, in the heart of Elder Long, his status was actually far inferior!
"My lord." The lieutenants frowned, some of them clever enough to understand the implication.
"Since it's an order, we have no choice but to carry it out," the Three-Eyed Divine General, taking a breath.
"But..." Several lieutenants looked dissatisfied; this was truly frustrating.
"The battlefield is not the time to concern ourselves with gains and losses. If we fail to capture Vermilion Bird City, things will only get worse. Inform your men that we will launch a general offensive in half an hour!"
The general took a breath and reluctantly issued the military order.
If he followed his intuition, he really didn't want to do this. Chen Qing's sudden disappearance gave him a very uneasy feeling. Don't underestimate the fact that there were only a few thousand people; they might really have some method that could severely damage him.
Unfortunately, those in power couldn't see this, and they were actually hoping to suffer a major blow themselves.
Since that's the case, let's grant their wish.
Elder Long, after this, I've more or less repaid the debt I owe you.
"The sir's prediction was indeed accurate; they really did make their move!"
Somewhere in Vermilion Bird City, White Tiger watched as the Three-Eyed Divine General's army launched its final assault, and his expression became complicated.
Given the military capabilities of the Three-Eyed Divine General, he shouldn't have acted so rashly. At the very least, he should have sent another large army to reinforce the rear to ensure a safer outcome. The current situation is truly risky!
"So many years have passed, Elder Long Man Long hasn't changed a bit!" Chen Qing shook his head and said with a smile, "Don't blame that Three-Eyed Divine General. He's actually just like you, someone who's been ostracized. It's just that you natives are at the very bottom, while they're a little above the bottom."
White Tiger nodded slightly. She knew this. Everyone in the Heavenly Court knew that the Heavenly Emperor favored the Four Heavenly Kings. The Three-Eyed Divine General had unparalleled merits, but it was still useless. In the current situation, it was clear that the Four Heavenly Kings wanted to watch the Three-Eyed Divine General's forces be depleted so that he would have more say in the later chaotic world.
I really don't know what the Heavenly Emperor was thinking, trusting those four big guys so much?
If the Three-Eyed Divine General keep them in check, they wouldn't dare to be so arrogant, would they?
"However, senior," White Tiger looked at Chen Qing with doubt, "Your calculations are correct, but with just these soldiers behind you, what trouble can they possibly cause the Divine General?"
This was her biggest question. Even if Chen Qing had calculated everything correctly, his strength didn't seem like it could defeat the number one general of the Heavenly Court.