Great Xia Prefecture.
Even as Liu Wenyan and Su Yu were in discussion, an argument was unfolding in the prefectural manor.
Inside the cavernous hall stood only a few people.
Xia Longwu sat upright, looking straight down at those gathered below.
Below him on the left, an elderly man who served as the strategic advisor of Great Xia Prefecture listened in silence with a slight smile, not uttering a word.
On the right sat another elderly man, refined and genial, his hair silvery white. He wore the same faint smile and remained quiet.
Besides the two of them, a muscular, middle-aged burly man stood alone in the center of the hall. He roared in a booming voice, "Wan Tiansheng, stop peddling that philosophy of yours! This is Great Xia Prefecture, not the Quest Realm!"
The target of his fury was none other than the silver-haired elder on the right.
Wan Tiansheng, sixth-generation head of the Great Xia Civilization Academy!
Wan Tiansheng's smile remained mild. Undisturbed by the man's shouting, he spoke calmly, his tone soft yet carrying distinctly across the hall. "Zheng Ping, speak properly. There's no need to shout so loudly; I am not deaf, I can hear you just fine."
Still wearing that easy smile, as though chatting with a neighbor, Wan Tiansheng continued, "The Longwu Guards should be recalled. What needed to be fought has already been fought. In this clash with the Tianyi God Race, nearly a thousand of our three thousand guards have fallen. The casualties are severe.
"When it is time to bare our fists, we bare them. I have no objection to that.
"Yet now, are you truly planning to wipe out the Tianyi God Race?"
Wan Tiansheng looked toward Xia Longwu and said softly, "The Prefect should understand that it is impossible. The force the Tianyi God Race deployed to the All-Heavens Battlefield is merely a single ten-thousand-strong legion, not their full main force.
"Continuing the pursuit might yield greater spoils, but it will have to be bought with more human lives.
"Does the Prefect intend to throw all three thousand Longwu Guards into the meat grinder?"
Wan Tiansheng shook his head. "There is no need for this. It is far too reckless! The battle has already been fought. Right now, we should negotiate! Go talk with the Tianyi God Race, and for a suitable price, allow the remnants of their legion to withdraw..."
At this point, the burly man barked in anger, "We have already surrounded them! They are right against a dead end! That ten-thousand-strong force could easily be annihilated! Wan Tiansheng, what are your real motives for letting them go?
"Have the Tianyi bought you off?"
Wan Tiansheng took no offense. He smiled and said, "Zheng Ping, there is no need for personal attacks. I never denied that we could destroy them. The question is... is it worth it? How high a price did Great Xia Prefecture pay to forge those three thousand Longwu Guards, only for you to throw them all away just for one ten-thousand-man legion?
"Among them are men from your War Academy and scholars from our Civilization Academy. They are all elites. Sacrificing them just to wipe out a motley second-rate legion?"
Wan Tiansheng sighed softly. "Some people simply refuse to use their brains; they only care about slaughter. People like that... ought to be thrown onto the battlefield as grunts, never allowed to hold a command."
The burly man said coldly, "I have spent thirty years in the military! I hacked my way up from a common foot soldier!"
"..."
Wan Tiansheng chuckled. "Then shouldn't you just stick to being a thug? Why insist on sticking your nose into high-level strategy?"
The burly man snapped, "I know you look down on me, and I don't need your respect! But as long as we mobilize the remaining two thousand Longwu Guards from Great Xia Prefecture, we can annihilate them completely without paying too steep a price!"
His voice brimmed with reluctance. "We lost nearly a thousand brothers to back them into a corner! Wan Tiansheng, you're demanding that Great Xia Prefecture withdraw right now—have you considered how the Longwu Guards will feel?
"Will the soldiers on the front line accept that?
"I am a soldier; I understand them! They won't accept it, they will feel stifled and wronged! They lost a third of their comrades, gained absolute dominance, and drove the enemy to the brink! To give up now... not a single man among them will be satisfied!"
The man's eyes reddened. "We paid such a heavy price to win this war..."
"Which is precisely why we must recoup our losses!"
Wan Tiansheng said softly, "War is not about relentless militarism. Zheng Ping, after all these years, how do you still not understand? Sometimes, victory is not measured by how many you kill, but by what you gain.
"I despise Great Xia Prefecture's way of fighting—slaughtering every last soul, leaving not a blade of grass standing!
"It is bad, terribly bad!
"Acting like that only incites the enemy's will to resist. It forces them to fight to the death and burn their bridges!
"When it is time to stop, stop immediately! Make them use their resources, cultivation methods, martial techniques, divine blood, and heavenly treasures to buy back their lives.
"The next time war breaks out, once they lose thirty percent of their strength halfway through, their first thought will be to surrender and spend money to spare their lives.
"Break their will to fight; do not fan the flames of their defiance."
Wan Tiansheng sighed. "Great Xia Prefecture has fought so many wars over the years. Yes, we slay the most enemies every time, but every time we also suffer the heaviest casualties and reap the meagerest rewards of any prefecture!
"You have stoked the enemy's fighting spirit to a fever pitch. The myriad races on the All-Heavens Battlefield know that when facing the Great Zhou Prefecture, if they can't win, they can buy their lives; but if they run into Great Xia Prefecture... they must fight to the death!
"Zhou Potian handled this brilliantly, and even Daming Prefecture did better than us.
"Great Xia Prefecture possesses crack troops and fierce generals, unmatched by any prefecture on the battlefield. But... what about our casualties? What about the pensions?"
Wan Tiansheng shook his head with another sigh. "Zheng Ping, I believe the Prefect ought to send you to take a look at the treasury. Go see... if it is empty yet!"
Zheng Ping's frame shuddered slightly, and he looked toward Xia Longwu.
Xia Longwu, who had remained silent all this time, met Zheng Ping's gaze and said calmly, "The treasury is indeed somewhat depleted. But no matter, Great Xia Prefecture has the foundation to bear it!"
Wan Tiansheng chuckled softly. "Does the Prefect mean... to continue fighting?"
Xia Longwu looked at him with an impassive gaze. "Wan Tiansheng, you spoke some truth. When Great Xia Prefecture goes to war, our losses are the greatest and our gains the smallest. I know these things better than you do. Yet over the years, though I listened to your words, I never took them to heart. Do you know why?"
Wan Tiansheng was not surprised. He said slowly, "I understand. The Prefect needs to forge humanity's strongest army! To give humanity a vanguard capable of fighting brutal, grinding wars!"
"Good that you understand!"
Xia Longwu stood up and spoke in a chilled voice, "In years past, the Great Zhou Prefecture was the strongest! The Great Zhou Army swept across the All-Heavens Battlefield, invincible wherever it marched! Back then, they operated just as you describe. When they won, the enemy could buy their lives.
"One year, two years... ten years, a hundred years!
"Then came a time during their campaigns across the heavens when they had clearly cornered the enemy. They thought they could reel in their nets and reap the harvest, but... they were wrong! That elite god race legion fought to the death!
"With ten thousand men, they routed the careless hundred-thousand-strong Great Zhou army! The Great Zhou troops had forgotten how to fight to the bitter end; they had forgotten what it meant to fight with their lives on the line! An army of a hundred thousand... completely collapsed!"
Xia Longwu let out a mocking sneer. "That was the Battle of Fallen Zhou Sea recorded in human history! A crushing defeat!
"An elite hundred-thousand-strong army, routed by a battered remnant force! Unbelievable! The myriad races across the heavens were stunned, suddenly discovering that humanity's most elite force was nothing more than a paper tiger!"
A cold glint flickered in Xia Longwu's eyes. "Just like that, the myth of the invincible Great Zhou Army shattered! Because they were used to it—why die in such numbers over a war?"
Xia Longwu fixed his gaze on Wan Tiansheng and said in a heavy tone, "The lesson of the past is right before our eyes. Wan Tiansheng, do you still believe fighting brutal battles is unnecessary?"
"Not at all."
Wan Tiansheng shook his head, then added, "Yet Great Xia Prefecture truly cannot endure any longer! Prefect, there must be balance between tension and relaxation. You cannot completely dismiss the Great Zhou Army because of a single defeat. The Great Zhou Army was able to rise again rapidly precisely because their past gains were enormous, allowing them to swiftly rebuild an elite force!
"Whereas our Great Xia Prefecture... if we lose the Longwu Guards, rebuilding another Longwu Guards will be difficult—far too difficult!"
Xia Longwu looked down at him.
Wan Tiansheng did not shrink back, meeting Xia Longwu's eyes directly. Once more, he pressed, "Withdraw the troops, negotiate, and let them buy their lives with resources!"
"I, Xia Longwu, am the soul of Great Xia Prefecture. I cannot retreat!"
"Then you must retreat nonetheless!"
The previously cultured Wan Tiansheng turned aggressive, his gaze razor-sharp. "If you do not retreat, the Great Xia Civilization Academy will never supply another soldier to the Longwu Guards, nor will any Civilization Master enter the ranks of the Longwu Guards to wage war!"
"Are you threatening me?"
Xia Longwu's tone grew low and menacing.
Wan Tiansheng rose to his feet, his expression solemn. "If you do not retreat, I would rather see the academy's instructors and students defect to the Great Zhou Prefecture than allow our youths to perish on the All-Heavens Battlefield merely to build your reputation, Xia Longwu!"
"Insolence!"
Zheng Ping roared, "Wan Tiansheng, are you committing treason against Great Xia Prefecture?"
"No, I am saving Great Xia Prefecture! I am willing to fight for the human race, but not for a lone tyrant!"
Wan Tiansheng abruptly removed the headpiece from his hair and said in a resolute voice, "Wan Tiansheng hereby resigns from the position of Head of the Great Xia Civilization Academy!"
Xia Longwu stared at him for a long time, remaining silent.
Right at that moment, the elder on the left laughed and spoke up. "Head Wan, stop teasing Head Zheng."
Zheng Ping frowned at them, displeased. What did that mean?
The elder chuckled softly. "Retreating is still necessary. Great Xia Prefecture has campaigned for decades; it has been too bitter, and our losses too great. The Prefect summoned you both today precisely to discuss this matter.
"Since you already guessed it, why slight the Prefect's pride..."
Wan Tiansheng feigned bewilderment. "What do you mean?"
The elder laughed, shaking his head. "You, still the same as all those years ago. Let me explain. Must you two shout and bicker instead of speaking calmly?
"The Prefect wants to withdraw... but he cannot. He is a banner of humanity and the soul of Great Xia Prefecture. If he retreats, what will the front-line soldiers think?
"He isn't shameless like Zhu Tiandao..."
Laughter suddenly rippled through the previously tense hall.
Even the stern Xia Longwu sat back down, coughing softly. "Nonsense! Don't talk such rubbish. Prefect Zhu... ahem, still cares about his face when the situation demands it."
Everyone laughed, and the elder smiled along. "Yes, I misspoke. Putting that man aside, let us return to the matter at hand. A troop withdrawal is an absolute necessity; the Longwu Guards cannot sacrifice thousands of lives just to wipe out a ten-thousand-strong force of the Tianyi God Sect.
"Yet it cannot be done in the Prefect's name.
"The Prefect slew several powerful experts of the Tianyi God Sect and must enter secluded cultivation immediately.
"The reason you two were summoned here today is for the grand ceremony in a few days... Once the Prefect enters seclusion, Marquis Xia will act as temporary Prefect. When that time comes... Wan Tiansheng, you can put on this exact performance once more."
The elder smiled. "Let Marquis Xia withdraw the troops! The Prefect will be in seclusion, detached from all affairs, entirely cleared of responsibility.
"Even if the front-line soldiers harbor grievances, it won't matter; Marquis Xia won't care about any of that.
"Marquis Xia is a merchant by nature. Having him negotiate with the Tianyi God Race for reparations, compensation, and costs will arouse no suspicion from them, nor will it let the myriad races see Great Xia Prefecture's vulnerability."
At that moment, Zheng Ping understood. He couldn't resist cursing under his breath, "You old rascal, is this proper? Marquis Xia... whenever there's a scapegoat needed, you dump it on his head. He's already drowning in infamy out there..."
"Then one more bad reputation won't make a difference."
The elder chuckled. "Head Zheng, Head Wan is not wrong. Great Xia Prefecture's treasury is nearly empty; we truly cannot afford to fight like this any longer. We cannot build a second Longwu Guards. Once these fierce, battle-hardened troops are exhausted, Great Xia Prefecture's elite will be finished!
"It is merely the Tianyi God Race, and we are not annihilating their entire race anyway. Why obsess over a single ten-thousand-man legion? With the Prefect in seclusion and Marquis Xia taking charge, the myriad races across the heavens know he loves wealth far more than fame.
"If he chooses to withdraw and demand compensation from the Tianyi God Race to replenish the treasury, who could object?"
The elder beamed. "The Tianyi God Race will probably rejoice, thanking the heavens that Marquis Xia took over rather than the Prefect retaining command of the Longwu Guards. Otherwise, that ten-thousand-man legion would truly be doomed.
"The Prefect is famous for never bowing his head. If he were the one to order a retreat now, people would find it unbelievable, suspecting that Great Xia Prefecture... was truly nearing its end."
Zheng Ping started to speak, then stopped. Only after a moment did he mutter gruffly, "Is it truly that severe?"
"Truly. The treasury is nearly depleted."
The elder sighed. "Otherwise, after fighting for so many years, why would we choose to compromise now? When the Tianyi God Race dared invade Great Xia Prefecture, our past stance would have dictated that we never stop until they bled tears of blood!
"Yet now, we must conserve our strength and bide our time."
The elder said with utter solemnity, "The Prefect's decision to enter seclusion now also stems from this consideration. We can fight no longer. It is not just the Longwu Guards; the Demon Suppression Army has issued recall orders for veterans multiple times. The casualties are too heavy. Even the Demon Suppression Army must quiet down for a period.
"Great Xia Prefecture appears formidable, but in truth, we face a gap between generations. We have forged a glorious reputation over these years, and choosing to rest and recover now is an absolute necessity!
"Only when Great Xia Prefecture restores its vitality will the Prefect emerge from seclusion!
"And that will also be the moment the Prefect ascends to the Invincible Realm!"
Beside them, Xia Longwu said indifferently, "I had intended to charge into the All-Heavens Battlefield in the coming days and slaughter one of their kings to aid my breakthrough into that realm! However... to ensure absolute certainty and conserve our strength, this battle shall be delayed. In a few years, I believe Great Xia Prefecture can restore its vitality!"
"The Prefect is wise!"
Wan Tiansheng flattered smoothly, "With the Prefect making such a choice, Great Xia Prefecture has a bright future!"
Xia Longwu didn't buy it, replying coolly, "Didn't you want to resign? How about this: submit your resignation at the grand ceremony in a few days! Since Zhou Potian is willing to take you in, you may go to him."
"The Prefect must be joking!"
Wan Tiansheng's expression didn't waver. "That was merely a rehearsal, just to ensure Marquis Xia won't see through the act during the ceremony, and others won't guess the truth. Zhou Potian is an old, sly fox—I would disdain his company!"
"Heh!"
Xia Longwu let out a mocking chuckle. "Pass those words... along to Zhou Potian!"
He addressed the elder on the left.
The elder laughed and turned to Zheng Ping. "Head Zheng, you shall be the one to pass this to Prefect Zhou. Head Wan's words, not a single syllable omitted—convey them in full!"
Zheng Ping's face went dark, and he kept his mouth shut.
Ignoring them, Xia Longwu stood up. "The matter is decided! The Longwu Guards will withdraw swiftly, the Tianyi God Race must pay the price, and I... shall enter seclusion. The day I emerge, I will use the Tianyi God Race to test my blade!"
The men below voiced their agreement; none raised further objections.
Wan Tiansheng's face beamed with smiles. As he prepared to leave, he glanced at Zheng Ping and sighed. "A brute, not worth plotting with!"
Zheng Ping's face darkened further. "Old bastard, just wait for the exchange between the prefectures this year—I'll have your academy wailing in tears!"
Wan Tiansheng remained unbothered, laughing even harder. "I'll be waiting! Hit them, hit them hard! In previous years, your War Academy people had fists too soft and punches too light, like you hadn't eaten.
"When you go this year, I'll provide ten thousand jin of blood-meat for free. Eat your fill and strike with all your might. If you drive away half the students, I'll present you with a banner. The Civilization Academy has far too many people anyway; what do we need so many for?"
Wan Tiansheng shook his head. "A bunch of mediocrities. I've wanted to streamline the organization for a long time, but those old fossils kept stopping me! If it were up to me, I'd admit at most a thousand people each year! Old Zheng, I'll trouble you this time. Work a bit harder. If you drive away a thousand, I will personally lead the academy's faculty and students to deliver an honorary banner to your doorstep!"
Zheng Ping's complexion grew increasingly unsightly. This old bastard—he had never won a battle of wits against him!
Wan Tiansheng chuckled merrily and strolled out of the hall at an easy pace, remarking, "The Great Xia War Academy... has truly declined! Alas! Longwu Academy still has some fight in it, but your Great Xia War Academy is hopeless. Truly, if you don't drive away a thousand students this year, I'll look down on you!"
With those words, Wan Tiansheng vanished from sight.
Once he was gone, Zheng Ping sighed, feeling drained. "This old bastard is getting harder and harder to deal with! Prefect, is Great Xia Prefecture truly switching from offense to defense?"
Beside him, Xia Longwu, who had just stepped away, reappeared at an unknown moment.
Watching Wan Tiansheng's departure, Xia Longwu fell silent for a brief moment before speaking softly, "It is not defending; it is waiting! Waiting for our vitality to recover! Wan Tiansheng waited all these years, waiting until Great Xia Prefecture reached the point of exhaustion. Therefore... he won."
Zheng Ping sighed again. "I am a bit afraid."
"Afraid of what?"
"Afraid... of losing our will to fight, losing our confidence, losing our morale."
Zheng Ping turned his head to look at Xia Longwu, his eyes filled with mixed emotions. "I fear that after this retreat, the hearts of Great Xia Prefecture's people... will also change along with it!"
"What must come will come sooner or later."
Xia Longwu said indifferently, "We cannot fight for a lifetime, fighting until retired veterans are forced to return to the fray! Recuperation and replenishment are essential. Restoring our strength now is far better than resting when we can no longer fight at all.
"Old Zheng, the War Academy has suffered terrible losses over the years as well. It is time for a rest."
Having said this, Xia Longwu spoke no further, an air of desolation settling around him.
He had fought to be the strongest all his life, but at this stage, he could no longer afford to push so ruthlessly.
He claimed to despise Zhu Tiandao and Zhou Potian, but in truth... he felt a measure of admiration and envy.
*At least... fewer of their brave sons have died in battle than those of Great Xia Prefecture...*
Murmuring in his heart, Xia Longwu felt a twinge of bitterness in his eyes. He wished to continue fighting, but reality would not permit it.
Militarism had run its course!
Right now, Great Xia Prefecture was like oil over a roaring flame—outwardly splendid, yet riddled with hidden crises.
*Wan Tiansheng... after contending with me for all these years, I want to see what you can actually change.*
Xia Longwu mused silently, eager to see just how far Wan Tiansheng could go.
*The Civilization Academy... will be the front line next. I hope nothing goes awry. Teacher... can you truly keep it under control?*
Xia Longwu smiled faintly. *Teacher.* Yes, that man had been his early mentor.
Yet after all these years, he had almost forgotten.
Chapter 36