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In the Azland of the Southern Wilderness, the king, Hou Ye, of course, had received the request for military aid two days prior, yet he remained inactive!

This was already the third time they received a plea for help via a flying message.

"Father Emperor, are we really going to keep dragging this out?"

"Why shouldn’t we?" The king, well into his sixties, smiled brilliantly. "Our Azland was established late, and although the territory we occupy is easy to defend but difficult to attack, it’s also extremely tough to expand from. Since the foundation of our nation, we’ve been confined to the Great West Plate, never once advancing an inch of our borders. What do you think is the reason?"

Faced with the king’s test, the prince immediately responded, "The terrain that’s easy to defend but tough to attack keeps others out, but also prevents us from venturing forth.

Moreover, with Azland’s barren lands and limited population, even with our utmost efforts, it’s hard to match the military strength of Wutu Country. .."

"Exactly..." The old king nodded with a smile.

"National power is the foundation of war. The stronger the soldiers, the more resources they require. The only competitive product our Azland has are the medicinal herbs that must be transported through the checkpoints of Wutu Country to reach the Central Plains, subjected to double exploitation. By the time they return to our hands, there’s barely any profit left.

The limited resources we get in exchange are why we cannot move outward.

We have plenty for defense, but not enough for conquest. This has been an unbreakable dilemma for Azland for hundreds of years. "

"Under normal circumstances, this situation would be hard to change. With inherent disadvantages, the difficulty of making up for them later on is self-evident. But this time... it’s a once-in-a-millennium opportunity!"

"What do you mean, Father Emperor?" The prince swallowed hard.

"Divine Temples like the Ghost Temple only require human sacrifices, not vast resources, which is unlike the evil deities worshiped among the Southern Wilderness folks. This allows our Azland to quickly catch up with other nations’ military forces.

And with the coalition forces now stuck in a deadlock in the Southeast, it’s as if the heavens themselves are aiding us! "

"Your Majesty... You mean to say?" Several military generals beside the prince took on a serious expression. Did the king intend to use this opportunity to stab their allies in the back?

"If not now, then when?" The old emperor stood up, trembling: "All countries have Divine Temples, and everyone has the same opportunity. Even if these temples can enhance soldiers without needing resources, that’s only temporary.

After receiving blessings from the Ghost Temple, the soldiers may grow stronger for a short while, but they will still require resources to maintain that strength.

Though we can narrow the gap in military power for a short period, our disadvantage as Azland will become evident once more.

Once the soldiers from other nations also improve, we will remain unable to leave. "

"If we don’t seize this good opportunity to annex enough land, how will Azland ever turn the tables in the future?"

"But..." The prince cautiously said, "Betraying the coalition by not supporting their campaign in the Central Plains, and instead taking the chance to annex land, won’t that make enemies of all the six states? If they were to settle scores later... the consequences would be unimaginable!"

"Cowardice!" The old emperor glared fiercely: "Based on what you just said, should we just obediently play the lackey from the rear? Have you not seen how we’ve been treated in this current coalition?"

The prince fell silent. When the seven states marched out of the Central Plains to plunder resources, only their Azland’s forces were relegated to the rear for logistical support, merely waiting for orders. Should the Central Plains fall, how much of the spoils could Azland possibly receive?

"Now that the battle situation is unfavorable, they suddenly remember us. Even if we were to contribute our hard-earned military might to aid the defense at the Tiannan Pass, suffering heavy losses in the process, what would we gain in return?"

"This..."

"You..." The old emperor shook his head.

"The Southern Wilderness has always been a land where the strong prey upon the weak.

Our territory was easy to defend but hard to attack, but that was before.

With Divine Temples cropping up, the entire Southern Wilderness will see an unprecedented rise in military strength.

Higher-ranked warriors are already less affected by the terrain, and without a Sorcerer Family to set up defensive barriers, do you genuinely believe that we can continue to live in isolation as before, long-term? "

"Son... Son..." The prince struggled to respond.

Soldiers blessed by the Ghost Temple often rapidly advance to the Third Rank warrior level, with some capable of leaping ten zhang high—how could ordinary terrain ever contain them?

Just as Father Emperor said, their single advantage as Azland would soon vanish!

"But, Your Majesty... If we make our move now, antagonized by the six countries, even if we manage to seize vast amounts of land, how will we face their retaliation in the future?" A few military generals spoke up with furrowed brows.

"Strike fast enough, that’s all!" The emperor’s eyes blazed with fervor.

"Since the emergence of these Divine Temples, the significant military strength has been focused on soldiers blessed by the temples. As you know, receiving blessings takes time; it doesn’t happen overnight.

Right now, the six countries lack the time.

Their elites, due to their greed, are scattered across the Southeast, suffering heavy losses.

If they had sufficient military strength, would they be thick-skinned enough to ask for our aid? "

"As long as we can occupy a large amount of land and strategic points in a short time, what do we have to fear from their counterattack? Especially in places where there are many Divine Temples, those temples are ready-made. Taking them will boost our military strength, and the more we occupy, the stronger we’ll become! "

All present were stunned by these words, unable to refute them, but still found the plan highly risky. It was the Prince who finally spoke, "But Father, what if they get so furious that they simply withdraw their troops from the Tiannan Pass?"

The alliance of the six nations had suffered heavy losses, but if they could hold the Tiannan Pass, it meant they likely still had a considerable number of soldiers there.

If they provoked the nations to a furious rage, it was possible they would indeed abandon the Tiannan Pass and turn to confront them instead!

"That’s where coordination inside and outside will be necessary."

"Coordination inside and outside?"

"Come forth, General Weichi..." Looking towards another side of the grand hall, the old king summoned. Upon hearing the call, a large man clad in black armor slowly stepped out.

It was none other than Weichi Feihu, the youngest son of the Weichi Clan serving under Chen Qing!

Being one of the few with the bloodline capable of high-altitude flight, he was the best candidate for the negotiations with the Southern Wilderness...

"A Central Plains person?" The Prince immediately recognized the style of the armor and became vigilant, looking puzzledly at his father. When had his father begun colluding with the Central Plains?

"This general is a valiant officer under the banner of the King of Qin from Jiangnan, a descendant of the Weichi Clan..."

"The Weichi Clan..." The Prince looked at him gravely. That was a name of great renown.

The other generals in the grand hall were also on high alert upon this man’s appearance, with several of them staring intently at him.

"Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this?

" A large man dressed in the black robe of a military general frowned as he spoke from beside the Prince. Weichi Feihu looked over, the man’s black robe fashioned in the style of a bygone era from the Central Plains and signifying his stature as a First Rank military officer and national dignitary of considerable influence.

The man had been silent until now, but the moment Weichi Feihu appeared, he became visibly agitated—clearly, the Southern Wilderness was still resistant to cooperating with the Central Plains.

Weichi Feihu did not speak, but it was the old Emperor who spoke first, "General Weichi is here for a cooperative effort."

"Does Your Majesty truly intend to cooperate with someone from the Central Plains?" The grand military general asked, incredulity on his face.

"What is so unacceptable about that?" The old Emperor replied, amused, "Didn’t the Wutu Country collaborate with the Emperor of the Central Plains to introduce the Divine Temple? Now that Wutu has become the foremost of the seven nations, wasn’t it because the Second Prince of Wutu took advantage of our lack of Divine Temple blessing to defeat and nearly exterminate all our experts in combat, leaving us, aside from you, without a single Warrior who has broken through to First Rank? Isn’t this advantage due to their collaboration with the Central Plains? "

The grand general paused, looking hesitant for a moment.

When the Second Prince of Wutu had suddenly risen to prominence and slaughtered his way across multiple lands, all the experts from various nations had been wiped clean by him alone.

That was the reason why Wutu Country now stood as the leader of the seven nations.

Even though all nations had built similar temples, the blessing of a top Warrior from a Divine Temple was not the same as a blessing for an ordinary soldier; the improvements were quite different.

After having been outsmarted by the Second Prince of Wutu, the nations now had no choice but to follow Wutu’s lead.

Had it not been for the fact that the same Second Prince, overconfident, had challenged the King of Qin from Jiangnan only days ago and been killed in the duel, they would likely now be facing Wutu’s plans to annex the seven nations.

It had to be acknowledged that Wutu Country had secured such an advantageous position precisely by being the first to cooperate with the Imperial Court.

After some hesitation, the grand general turned to Weichi Feihu, "What promises have they made to Your Majesty?"

Weichi Feihu spoke directly, "As long as you cooperate, we are confident that we can wipe out the entire garrison at Tiannan Pass. Once that’s done and before the new troops from the nations can deploy, your country will gain the greatest advantage.

It’s not about annexing the seven nations, but expanding into the Great West Plate to double your territory by taking over twenty or thirty cities—that’s a possibility. What do you think, General?"

"You brat..." The grand general scoffed, "Eliminate the entire garrison at Tiannan Pass? That’s some grand ambition there!"