The territory of Great Qian spanned three Cloud Continents separated by tens of thousands of miles, necessitating a developed maritime trade. Once the naval fleet was crushed, Great Qian’s billions of soldiers and countless resources would be useless.

Millions of Great Qian’s great army would be trapped and doomed in the Southern Frontier. However, since Zong Shou had already planned to bleed Great Qian dry in the southern part of the Central Cloud Continent, he naturally would not be without a backup plan.

At this moment, Great Qian’s Cloud Fleet possessed the power to contend with Great Shang. The issue was that Great Shang had decades of accumulation, boasting as many as twenty colossal Nine-Tusk Warships.

Though these were Cloud Ships, they were powerful enough to rival some lower-tier Earth-rank warships. “There is no need to worry about this matter!

I have already issued an order, telling Shi Ruolan to lead nine Grand Unity Divine Thunder Ships and six Nine Luminaries Star-Shattering Ships to rush here. There are also forty other empty vessels—” He originally dared not transfer the majority of the fleet guarding the Heaven’s Compass World.

But about ten days prior, the Asura Clan had delivered those ten Grand Unity Divine Thunder Ships ahead of schedule. The Fleet Governor of the Former Nine Heavens Immortal Court, Yi Lingsu, for reasons unknown, had finally decided to serve the court.

She even persuaded many captured soldiers of the Nine Heavens Immortal Court who had long been involved in operating warships. This greatly eased the pressure on Great Qian’s Immortal Court, finally allowing it to draw out a portion of its strength to reinforce the Cloud Realm.

—Fifteen nearly top-tier Earth-rank warships, coupled with an unparalleled great general, were more than sufficient to suppress Great Shang. Everyone in the hall felt a surge of spirit, their expressions relaxing.

With the greatest difficulty resolved, even if Great Qian were defeated, its foundation should be secure. As long as the Cloud Sea could be blockaded, preventing Great Shang from landing in the three locations, their billions of troops would be unable to exert force.

Qiu Wei, however, was not so optimistic; how could the three teachings of Confucianism, Demonism, and Daoism be underestimated? Before the great war in the Azure Life Sky Realm, the Three Teachings firmly held the top three seats in the Cloud Realm.

Their depth of accumulation was unimaginable to the common folk. Even now, the Azure Life Dao and the Sword Sect could not compare.

Even with Shi Ruolan’s return, the strength of both sides would at best be equalized. “So, Court Envoy Qiu has determined that Great Shang will certainly attack Great Qian in the near future?” “It is an obvious matter!

It is only a question of time—” Qiu Wei replied without hesitation: “Just half a day ago, the Military Intelligence Division of the Privy Council received news from the Imperial Capital. It stated that the Yuan Chen Emperor has issued a decree, summoning the military strengths of the various vassal states and garrisons, preparing to follow the Sage’s command and personally lead the expedition under the guise of punishing crimes!

Thus, I am exceedingly fortunate that Your Majesty returned in time.” Ren Bo frowned; Great Shang’s aggression was within his expectations. However, he had not yet heard this specific news.

“Then, in the Court Envoy’s estimation, how many troops will be assembled in total, and when will they invade Great Qian’s territory?” “Approximately two months! If the Confucian and Daoist factions push hard, it might be even sooner!” Qiu Wei pondered briefly, still fully confident.

“Great Shang currently has fifty-three great continents, totaling three hundred and seventy provinces. Each province has a Military Governor’s office, maintaining troops ranging from a regulated minimum of one hundred thousand to three hundred thousand, depending on tax revenue.

Logically, all should be Third-Tier combatants, but Great Shang has existed for one thousand eight hundred years, and its roots have long been decayed. Padding military rolls and taking empty slots has become the norm.

Moreover, the armies in the interior have been at peace for too long, and their fighting capabilities are weak.” A gloom settled in everyone’s hearts as they truly realized what a colossal entity Great Shang was. Even if Great Shang generals padded their rolls, cutting military strength by thirty percent, they would still command an army of at least thirty million!

Compared to Great Qian, this was a tenfold difference! No matter how weak their fighting capability, this sheer quantity was astonishing.

“The Southern Frontier and the Central Plains are separated by a continuous mountain range—the Henglian Mountains. This area is rugged, stretching for a thousand miles.

It is difficult for large armies to deploy, traverse, or be supplied. Unless sufficient spatial artifacts are mobilized, even supplying an army of a million will be difficult.” This was precisely why Great Shang had failed to conquer the Southern Frontier for thousands of years.

Zong Shou gave a wry smile; the Confucian, Demon, and Daoist three teachings could likely produce enough spatial artifacts to supply tens of millions with food and clothing. Fortunately, unrest was already showing signs of breaking out within Great Shang.

Furthermore, they needed to defend against the numerous barbarian tribes to the north and west. In Zong Shou’s estimation, Great Shang’s maximum mobilization limit would be between ten million and fifteen million, all Third-Tier soldiers.

“The key to this battle still lies with the Dao Soldiers! Great Shang’s three hundred thousand Dao Soldiers were all annihilated in the Azure Life Sky Realm, leaving only forty thousand Imperial Guards who reached the Fourth-Tier.

However, this time, under pressure from the Confucian and Daoist gates, the aristocratic families and vassal lords will definitely participate. Over twenty families uniting could muster two hundred thousand Yellow-Rank Dao Soldiers and fifty thousand Profound-Rank.

But despite the large numbers, they are an undisciplined mob. They can achieve great victories in favorable battles, but if the situation turns against them, the various families’ first priority will be preserving their own strength.” Zong Shou nodded slightly; this was one reason he was unafraid despite the six-fold disparity in troop numbers.

If they focused on crushing one family at a time, they could easily shatter this seemingly formidable force of over two hundred thousand Dao Soldiers. “What remains most terrifying are the Dao, Demon, and Confucian three teachings.

The Dao Gate’s fifty thousand Purple-Scaled Flame Spear Cavalry suffered no major losses in the Azure Life Sky Realm battle. The Heavenly Demon Sky Realm retained approximately eighteen thousand Heavenly Demon War Cavalry.

They were not fighting at full strength before; this mobilization should bring their Profound-Rank Dao Soldiers to over thirty thousand! The remaining sects are harder to predict.

Although heavily damaged, their foundations remain deep.” “And the day before yesterday, I could only muster three million Third-Tier combat soldiers for the Southern Frontier, along with forty thousand Heavenly Dipper Sword Soldiers, twenty thousand Heavenly Dipper Crimson Crossbowmen, and nearly thirty thousand Blood Cloud Cavalry.” The officials fell silent. Whether combat soldiers or Dao Soldiers, the disparity was more than six-fold; the situation was so dire that even a renowned general of antiquity might struggle to win.

Zong Shou, seated on the throne, could not help but shake his head. Great Shang’s immense national power had sunk the morale of his subordinates to this degree.

But it was understandable; if it were him, without holding a crucial trump card, he wouldn’t be relaxed either. Knowing that the human heart must never be taken lightly, Zong Shou smiled faintly.

“Before returning from the Azure Life Sky Realm, the Azure Life Dao Sovereign, Wei Xu, and the Sword Sect’s Sword Spirit Palace Master, Ling Chen, personally promised me that they would dispatch their Dao Soldiers entirely under my command.” Qiu Wei’s eyes brightened with joy: “With this, Great Qian might have a chance of victory!” It was expected that the Azure Life Dao would stand with Great Qian in the Azure Life Sky Realm. The fact that the Sword Sect had placed such a heavy bet so early was a pleasant surprise.

Both the Azure Life Dao’s Azure Life Profound Dragon Soldiers and the Sword Sect’s Weiyang Sword Cavalry were famous throughout the Cloud Realm, even known in outer regions as top-tier Profound-Rank Dao Soldiers. The Southern Frontier region consisted of mountains and swamps.

If planned well, they could force Great Shang to possess massive military power that they could not effectively deploy. This would lead to a clash between elites, where one battle could decide the fate of the realm.

He had absolute faith in Zhang Huaizhi’s strategy and Kong Yao’s ability to control the battle situation. However, everyone’s gaze turned toward Kong Rui, who stood at the very end of the group.

It was clear they believed Kong Rui’s words would be more useful than Qiu Wei’s. Even Ren Bo and Qiu Wei himself looked on with anticipation.

This Director of the Great Qian Bureau of Astronomy was a man of great ability. Kong Rui let out a soft chuckle and shook his head: “The heavenly phenomena have been deliberately disturbed and cannot currently be used to divine fortune or disaster.

Even if I could deduce it, Kong Rui cannot speak of such a major event, nor dare he. I dare not bear the sin of lightly leaking heavenly secrets—” Even with the Marquis Wen divination coins in hand, he dared not probe Zong Shou’s luck or destiny at this moment.

Instead, he raised his head and looked toward the void outside the hall. A massive crimson cloud could be seen, seemingly gathering momentum.

The clouds within churned, vaguely showing the shapes of dragons and phoenixes; the grand trend was set, unchangeable by anyone. Even Heaven stood with Zong Shou; the earthly Sage King was naturally protected by heaven and earth.

Recalling those arrogant Confucian scholars who had intercepted the Imperial Carriage today, Kong Rui sneered slightly. It was a pity he couldn't have another wager with Chong Xuan.

“However, though I cannot determine the fortune of this battle, Kong Rui predicts that Great Qian will face no major trouble in this conflict.” All the officials looked visibly relieved, as if they had been given a reassuring pill, some even showing hints of joy. Zong Shou felt slightly disgruntled; why did he feel his authority as the monarch was less than Kong Rui’s?

But he could do nothing about it, as this Director of Astronomy was his own father-in-law. “Since both Court Envoy Qiu and Supervisor Kong have said so, I can rest assured.” Ren Bo bowed solemnly: “My six departments of the Inner Cabinet will certainly go all out in this battle!

Ensuring the Qian Tian army will never lack for provisions or clothing.” “I request Your Majesty appoint Concubine Kong as Marshal!” Qiu Wei also bowed at this moment: “Furthermore, I request an edict to summon all Martial Cultivators and Spirit Masters above the Third-Tier within our Qian Tian nation!” Without prior training or drills, they couldn't be immediately effective on the battlefield, but they were more than sufficient to suppress internal threats. As the Chief Envoy of the Privy Council, Qiu Wei knew clearly just how vast the potential within Qian Tian was now.

The flourishing of Martial Arts and Spirit Methods could be called superior across the entire Cloud Continent. Many ordinary people, aided by Great Qian, had risen step by step from the lowest ranks of martial artists and spirit masters.

Many others had gradually revealed exceptional cultivation talent. These people mostly felt gratitude toward Great Qian; while they might not fight to the death, most would likely remain fiercely loyal to Zong Shou.

Zong Shou’s lips curved slightly, and he waved his wide sleeve. A Secretariat drafter immediately began writing the memorial for him.

In a short while, it was completed, and he was about to affix his seal when, outside Mount Qian Tian, there was a sudden ‘boom’ explosion. Simultaneously came the enraged roar of that Yin Dragon.

Zong Shou raised an eyebrow and looked outside, seeing several corpses thrown in. “Zong Shou!

For these next two months, I will ensure you cannot eat or sleep in peace! Two months from now will be the anniversary of your death, the time of Great Qian’s demise!” After speaking, the voice erupted in thunderous laughter again, the aura gradually dissipating until it vanished.

“That person is the Blood Saint Demon Lord—” Kong Rui seemed to recognize the voice, his pupils contracting. Ren Bo’s eyes filled with pain as he looked at the corpses on the ground.

“It is the Prefect of Xuancheng and the Garrison Commander of Yancheng!” He did not recognize the others, but judging by their attire, they were all officials from various parts of Great Qian. Hearing this, all the officials in the hall turned pale, their expressions filled with hatred yet utterly helpless.

Zong Shou’s face was also ashen—a Saint-Realm expert! At this moment, Great Qian appeared truly on the verge of collapse.