War Preparations Summit

Led by Zhapulai, who had hitched a ride with him, Su Ming met Xialike.

The location was an upscale restaurant, where a delicious breakfast had already been prepared.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the street scene of Cloud Joy City was awakening. Servants sweeping, early-rising merchants, and coachmen leading beast-drawn carts appeared one after another. The buildings and arched bridges were shrouded in a thin morning mist, giving it a real tourist city feel.

Su Ming noticed a detail.

"There are quite a few orcs here," he said.

Orcs rarely set foot on the rest of the mainland, except for their settlement on Water Chestnut Island.

Xialike picked up his teacup.

Nearly ten percent of Cloud Joy City's population are orcs.

"So much?"

"Migrant workers," said Xialike.

Su Ming paused upon hearing this, "What kind of work do they do here?"

"This city has a thriving sex industry," Xialike stated naturally. "Different types of orcs are the most popular with customers." Upon hearing this, Su Ming's mind involuntarily conjured up images of cat-eared girls, fox-tailed maids, and beast-eared tavern waitresses.

"... Could this be the reason why this place developed into a tourist city?"

"Obviously!" Xialike affirmed.

Su Ming was momentarily at a loss for words when he tried to criticize him. He felt that if all the Tayans were like him, these exemplary young men of virtue and morality—

Then Cloud Joy City must be much larger than it is now!

****

The door to the private room was pushed open.

A middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes walked in. He was slightly overweight, with neatly trimmed sideburns, and his smile was so warm it was almost cloying.

Su Ming didn't recognize him.

Ainuobia stepped closer and whispered, "Lord of Cloud Joy City, Prince Leimeng Keli."

However, neither Su Ming nor Xialike moved.

Leimeng Keli maintained his smile and bowed respectfully to the two. "Lord Leimeng Keli Klee," Su Ming said, cutting to the chase without further ado, "According to the requirements of this multinational joint operation—"

He raised his hand and pointed to the street outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

"Shouldn't these orcs be gathered together and placed under surveillance?"

Leimeng Keli Clay's smile remained unchanged, but his tone softened slightly.

"President Su, you may not know this, but these orcs are a vital economic pillar of our Cloud Joy City— "

"I know."

Su Ming interrupted him directly.

"I'm asking why you didn't do it the way you asked?"

The atmosphere in the private room suddenly became tense.

Su Ming put down his napkin and his gaze fell on Leimeng Keli Klee.

"We went through all that trouble to Plundering Clock, not so you could be there to make money for yourself and hold everyone back."

"This..." A hint of annoyance flashed in Leimeng Keli's eyes.

But that emotion only lasted for a moment before he quickly suppressed it.

Circumstances dictate that he is in control of the situation. Sitting before him now are two key figures from the First Sunrise Republic and the ruler of the Star Empire.

Leimeng Keli lowered his head and said:

"We have fitted all orcs with alchemical bracelets to restrict their movement and require them to report daily."

Su Ming, not wanting to waste words, waved his hand, indicating that the topic should be put to rest.

****

After breakfast, Su Ming and Xialike walked side by side towards the conference hall.

Guards and officials of etiquette followed behind, with the royal flags and coats of arms of the Sea Clearing Kingdom hanging on both sides of the corridor.

Is the Sea Clearing Kingdom the third strongest naval power?

As Su Ming walked, he asked via communication.

"[Not counting you, it's third.]" Xialike replied. "First is the Star Empire."

The second is the Dwarf Kingdom.

[This country has a large coastal area and a developed shipbuilding and related industries,] Xialike continued, [but its internal political situation is unstable. For example, at this summit, the real host was Leimeng Keli.]

[Where is the king of the Sea Clearing Kingdom?] Su Ming asked.

Ainuobia had always been in charge of foreign affairs; he was too busy to look at the domestic affairs of these "small" countries.

But before he could even ask, Su Ming saw the answer.

At the entrance of the main venue, surrounded by a crowd of stars, stood a boy of about ten years old.

The boy's clothing style was exactly the same as Prince Leimeng Keli's, except that his figure was not yet able to fill out the elaborate royal robes. The young king tried hard to straighten his back, and his face wore a polite smile that was clearly practiced.

[Very good, a child is king.] Su Ming sighed in the message.

He didn't bother to ask about the power struggle between the prince and the young lord behind it; he could conjure up ten different versions just by imagining it.

"Actually, it's alright," Xialike said. "This little king isn't stupid, and his mother is quite good too."

Su Ming understood the implied meaning.

Have you made your choice?

"I came early because Prince Leimeng Keli requested an audience," Xialike replied.

He wants our support to ascend the throne and replace the young king.

Su Ming's eyebrows twitched slightly.

[What are the conditions?]

[Leimeng Keli is willing to give us one-seventh of the territory of the Sea Clearing Kingdom.]

Sea Clearing Kingdom is not small, occupying one-seventh of the area; it's a very large piece of meat.

Moreover, they handed it over without bloodshed.

"[That's a really good deal.]" Su Ming sighed.

He looked ahead at the young king who was trying hard to maintain his composure.

The boy seemed to sense his gaze, immediately looked up, and gave him a slightly awkward but perfectly proper nod. Su Ming also nodded politely.

[However, I've been doing a bit too much Machiavellian stuff lately.]

He looked away.

You handle this.

[In any case, we must have an ally in the Sea Clearing Kingdom whose policies are effectively communicated.]

"No problem," Xialike replied with a smile.

****

Inside the conference hall, participants from the Pearl Duchy, the Cold Mountain Kingdom, and other countries arrived one after another.

In most countries, the head of state led the attendance.

The new king of the Dwarf Kingdom, Star Shovel, did not attend; instead, Molten Heart represented the meeting.

The main seats on both sides of the long table were full of people, and the audience seats were also packed.

Documents bearing the emblems of various nations were laid out, and a magical projection unfolded in the center of the hall, marking the planned combat zones, fleet routes, and locations of major supply ports. Military personnel from each nation exchanged information on their current state of readiness.

Ships, personnel, supplies, port scheduling, transportation cycles, escort routes... all these data points were compiled.

More than twenty countries, large and small, jointly deployed hundreds of warships and thousands of transport ships.

Leaving aside the massive logistics and garrison forces, the total number of elite troops deployed to the front lines reached over 100,000.

After reading it, Su Ming's expression was not good.

"This number is still a little short of the operational requirements."

He placed the compiled documents back on the table, and the whispers in the meeting room quickly subsided.

Su Ming's gaze swept over each of the attendees.

"The evil god's invasion is aimed at the entire Taya Plane."

"The fact that the First Sunrise Republic and the Star Empire are taking the lead in assuming responsibility does not mean that others can just stand by and watch."

He had no patience to play diplomatic games with these people.

"It doesn't mean you can have ulterior motives, hide your elite troops and resources, and wait for others to fight the war for you." In the hall, many people's expressions changed slightly. Some wanted to explain, but shut their mouths under Su Ming's gaze.

Both logically and emotionally, Su Ming represents a supportive force.

The real responsibility for taking the lead should have fallen on these indigenous Taya countries.

Xialike sat beside him, making no attempt to smooth things over.

Su Ming sent a message: "[Hey, are you making me play the bad cop?]"

[What kind of white-faced person is this?] Xialike said in a lighthearted tone.

Some people need to be taught a lesson before they know what's what.

****

Next, the meeting moved into the details of the military operation.

Water Chestnut Island is more than 10,000 kilometers away from the mainland.

This distance is far greater than the radius of a conventional expedition. It is impossible for the attacking forces to depart from a land port and directly cross the sea to reach the battlefield.

Therefore, the assembly point for the campaign was set at Three Peaks Island, about 1,500 kilometers from Water Chestnut Island. The vanguard naval fleet has arrived ahead of time to clear enemy strongholds and maritime patrols from the island, thus opening up an anchorage for the main fleet and transport convoy to follow.

Molten Heart requests to speak.

"May I inquire about the resources deployed by the First Sunrise Republic in this operation?"

Su Ming raised his hand, stopping his own military personnel, and responded personally:

"The specific combat units of the Final Bone Mad Machines are classified, but their scale and combat power far exceed those of the Radiant Holy City Campaign."

"First Sunrise's Newly Formed First Legion and Second Legion will both be deployed to the battlefield."

"They are all equipped with new alchemical weapons."

Molten Heart pondered for a moment.

"Forgive my bluntness, but this force alone is insufficient to achieve a landing and accomplish the campaign's objectives."

Before Su Ming could speak, the representatives from other countries showed their dissatisfaction.

"Why are you spreading alarmist rumors!" one representative said first.

"Although the orcs occupy the large island, their total population is only thirty million." "Even the former Temple of Light, which ruled over a population of eighty million, crumbled under the onslaught of Chairman Su's army, didn't it?"

Several representatives echoed in hushed tones.

Molten Heart slowly shook his head, but turned to Su Ming first.

"President Su, there are some things I need to say—"

"Please feel free to speak your mind," Su Ming said calmly. "Everyone is indeed too optimistic about this battle."

Molten Heart nodded, then turned to face the crowd again.

"You all only saw President Su seize the Radiant Holy City in a single day, but you must know that it was not simply a matter of overwhelming force."

"That's the result of the successful execution of multiple integrated strategies and tactics."

She raised her hand, and a screen of light unfolded, displaying the semi-public intelligence that various countries currently possess.

"Cultural Mudslide"

"The Fire of Star Sand permeates."

Molten Heart continued, "The First Sunrise Republic spent about six months conducting cultural infiltration into the areas ruled by the Temple of Light, and carrying out ideological work within the army."

"At the same time, by using multiple clues, they induced the exposure of internal problems within the Temple of Light, leading to disunity and discord among internal factions and between different levels of the military."

"Before the war even began, the enemy's command structure and organizational resilience had already been reduced to rock bottom."

"This is entirely due to the arrogance and ignorance of the Divine Covenant Faction itself," Su Ming interjected.

"President Su is too modest," Molten Heart said.

She didn't linger on that topic and continued her analysis.

"In short, before the Battle of the Radiant Holy City even began, the First Sunrise Republic had silently dismantled more than half of the enemy's fighting force."

"Following this, there was a series of tactical maneuvers targeting the enemy's main forces."

The map on the light screen changed accordingly, with Dawn Territory and Brown Gold Island highlighted in red.

The two battlefields drew away a large number of the Temple of Light's elite forces.

Molten Heart looked at Xialike.

"Of course, His Majesty the Stars Emperor first granted transit permission, allowing the Temple of Light's army to proceed smoothly." "Then, he used the border conflict to create a facade of anger, deceiving the Temple of Light into gathering forces for a protracted war through a seemingly 'irrational' attack."

"In contrast, the Divine Covenant Faction was completely unaware of the long-planned joint attack."

Xialike's lips curled slightly, showing no sign of blushing.

"Marshal Molten Heart is too kind!"

****

The Molten Heart expands to reveal a more detailed tactical map.

The coastline surrounding the Radiant Holy City, landing points, the Pansy's route, and the direction of subsequent troop advances were marked one by one.

"I believe everyone here has done extensive research on the specific details of the landing tactics."

"I'll just continue to point out the differences from the Battle of Water Chestnut Island."

She held up her finger.

"The Divine Covenant Faction has no idea of Pansy's true whereabouts."

"They thought they had tracked the fluctuations in the communication array, but it was a feint." "They only realized the enemy was at their doorstep when the Pansy approached the coastline."

Su Ming nodded slightly.

In that battle, he suddenly activated a long-range radio communication system that had never been made public before, in order to create an information gap.

Molten Heart continued.

"The existence of the Pansy's numerous groundbreaking alchemical devices led Augustus and others to misjudge the strategic depth of the Radiant Holy City."

"The Temple of Light was completely unprepared for a surprise attack, and showed absolutely no signs of war."

The Molten Heart retracted the light curtain.

"None of the things mentioned above were available during the Water Chestnut Island operation."

Her voice became more serious.

"Water Chestnut Island has been closed for a long time, and the Plundering Clock is on high alert. We cannot replicate the methods of disintegration we used in the early stages of the Radiant Holy City campaign."

Then, she turned to Su Ming.

"The battle in the desert demonstrates that the Plundering Clock has a very high level of understanding of Chairman Su's tactics." "What we've already shown can no longer be used to deceive or mislead."

****

Just as everyone was about to discuss, Molten Heart suddenly sent out a message:

"Furthermore, judging from the current battle situation, First Sunrise hasn't gained much of an advantage, has he?"

A commotion immediately erupted in the conference hall.

Representatives from many countries were completely unaware that the First Sunrise Republic had already engaged in actual combat with the Water Chestnut Island side.

Su Ming did not deny it.

"It's the Pansy," he said.

"I have dispatched the Pansy to the Storm Sea around Water Chestnut Island to carry out a blockade mission."

Su Ming stretched out his hand, and the magical projection changed accordingly.

The waters surrounding Water Chestnut Island were marked, with a solitary circular shipping lane meandering outside the storm belt.

Thanks to the generational differences in the Pansy and intelligence guidance from space satellites, outer-layer control of the waters surrounding Water Chestnut Island has been achieved. Su Ming recounts the battle situation:

"The Plundering Clock has indeed developed a variety of targeted weapons."

"This makes us hesitant to allow the Pansy to approach within 500 kilometers of Water Chestnut Island."

Strictly speaking, it's not that you can't get close.

However, since the objective was merely containment and their main forces were not on board, Su Ming issued very conservative tactical instructions to the Pansy.