Daxia Prefecture.
While Liu Wenyan and Su Yu were discussing, there was also an argument in the City Lord's Mansion.
The empty hall was filled with only a few people.
Xia Longwu sat upright, looking straight down.
Below, on the left, an old man, who was like the military advisor of the Great Xia Palace, had a smile on his face and listened silently without saying a word.
The old man on the right is elegant and easy-going, also smiling, with silver-white hair, and he doesn't speak at this moment.
In addition to these two, a middle-aged man with well-developed muscles stood up alone and shouted in a loud voice, "Wan Tiansheng, stop preaching your nonsense! This is Daxia Mansion, not Qiusuo Realm!"
The person the sturdy man was scolding was the old man with silver hair on the right.
Wan Tiansheng, the sixth generation president of the Great Xia Civilization Academy!
Wan Tiansheng smiled in a casual manner. Even when the strong man yelled at him, he remained calm. His voice was not loud, but he could hear clearly. He said slowly: "Zheng Ping, please speak nicely. Don't be so loud. I am not deaf and can hear you."
Wan Tiansheng said, still smiling, as if it was just a casual conversation between neighbors, and said softly: "The Dragon Warrior Guards should be withdrawn. The battles that should be fought have been fought. In the battle with the Tianyi Protoss, nearly a thousand of the three thousand guards were lost, and the losses were heavy."
"When it's time to show your fists, then show them. I have no objection."
"But now, are you really planning to destroy the Tianyi clan?"
Wan Tiansheng looked at Xia Longwu and said softly, "The Palace Master should understand that it is impossible. The Tianyi Protoss only deployed a 10,000-man guard force in the battlefield of the heavens, not all the main forces."
"If we continue to pursue them, we may achieve greater results, but we will have to pay with more lives."
"Three thousand Dragon Guards, the Palace Master is going to throw all of them in?"
After Wan Tiansheng finished speaking, he shook his head and said, "There is no need for this. It is too reckless! The fight has already begun. Now, we should talk! Go and talk to the Tianyi Protoss. At a certain price, let the remnant of the Tianyi Protoss withdraw..."
When he said this, the strong man said angrily: "We have surrounded them. They are now close to the Jedi. This army of ten thousand people can be killed. Why do you, Wan Tiansheng, want to let them go?"
"Did the Tianyi Protoss bribe you?"
Wan Tiansheng was not angry, he smiled and said: "Zheng Ping, there is no need to attack. I didn't deny that I can defeat him, the key is... Is it worth it? Three thousand Dragon Warriors, what a huge price did the Great Xia Mansion spend to build them, now all of it is invested for a 10,000-man Guard?"
"There are people from your War Academy and our Civilization Academy in there. They are all elites. Are you throwing them in just to fight a ragtag army?"
Wan Tiansheng sighed softly, "Some people don't like to use their brains, they just like to fight and kill. Such people... should be thrown into the battlefield as soldiers, and never let them command."
The sturdy man said coldly: "I have been in the army for 30 years, and I fought my way out from the ranks!"
"… "
Wan Tiansheng laughed and said softly, "So why don't you just be a good thug? Why do you have to get involved in the formulation of the big plan?"
The strong man said angrily: "I know you look down on me, and I don't need you to look up to me! But as long as we recruit the remaining 2,000 Dragon Warriors of Daxia Prefecture, we can destroy them all without spending too much money!"
The strong man said unwillingly: "The loss of nearly a thousand people has forced them into a desperate situation. Wan Tiansheng, you asked Daxia Prefecture to withdraw its troops at this time. Have you considered what the Dragon Guards will think?"
"Are the soldiers on the front line willing?"
"I'm a soldier, I understand them! They are unwilling to give up, they feel aggrieved, they have lost one-third of their comrades, they have an absolute upper hand, and now they have forced the enemy into a desperate situation. Giving up at this moment... No one can be willing!"
The strong man's eyes were red. "In order to win this war, we paid so much price..."
“So we need to make up for it!”
Wan Tiansheng said softly, "War is not about militarism. Zheng Ping, after all these years, why don't you understand? Sometimes winning or losing is not about how many people you kill, but how much you gain."
"I don't like the way the Great Xia Mansion fights. They kill everyone without leaving any blade behind!"
"Not good, very bad!"
"You will only inspire the enemy to resist by doing this, and will only make them fight to the death and burn their boats!"
"When it's time to stop, stop immediately and let them use their resources, skills, martial arts, divine blood, and natural treasures to exchange for their lives."
"Next time, when the war breaks out again, halfway through, when they lose 30%, they will think about surrendering and buying their lives with money."
"It breaks their morale, not inspires it."
Wan Tiansheng sighed and said, "Daxia Prefecture has fought so many battles over the years. Yes, we killed the most enemies each time, but we also suffered the most losses and gained the least each time!"
"You have aroused the enemy's fighting spirit. All the races in the battlefield of the universe know that if they encounter people from the Great Zhou Palace, they can buy their lives if they cannot defeat them. If they encounter people from the Great Xia Palace... they will fight to the death!"
"Zhou Potian did a great job on this. Even Daming Prefecture did better than us."
"We have the best soldiers and generals in Daxia Prefecture. We are invincible in the battlefield, but... what about the losses? What about the compensation?"
Wan Tiansheng shook his head and sighed, "Zheng Ping, I think the Palace Master should send you to the Palace Treasury to see if it's empty!"
Zheng Ping's body shook slightly and he looked at Xia Longwu.
Xia Longwu, who had been silent the whole time, saw Zheng Ping coming and said calmly: "The treasury is not very sufficient, but it doesn't matter, the Great Xia Mansion can afford it!"
Wan Tiansheng chuckled and said, "The Palace Master means... to continue the fight?"
Xia Longwu looked at him and said indifferently: "Wan Tiansheng, some of your words are correct. The Great Xia Mansion suffered the greatest losses and gained the least if it went to war. I know these things better than you, but over the years, I just listened to what you said, but never took it seriously. Do you know why?"
Wan Tiansheng was not surprised and said slowly: "I understand. The Palace Master needs to train the strongest legion of the human race! Let the human race have a vanguard army that can fight fierce battles!"
"I'm glad you understand!"
Xia Longwu stood up and said in a cold voice: "In the past, the Great Zhou Prefecture was the strongest! The Great Zhou army swept across the battlefields of the heavens and was invincible! At that time, they were like this. If they won, the enemy could pay to buy their lives."
"One year, two years... ten years, a hundred years!"
"One time, they conquered the heavens and forced the enemy into a desperate situation. They thought they could close the net and reap the rewards. But... they were wrong! That elite Protoss army fought to the death!"
"With a force of 10,000, they defeated the careless Great Zhou army of 100,000! The Great Zhou army had forgotten to fight to the death, had forgotten to fight to the death! The 100,000-man army... actually collapsed!"
Xia Longwu sneered and said, "This is the Battle of Luozhouhai recorded by the human race! A miserable defeat!"
"One hundred thousand of the most elite troops were defeated by a remnant army! Unbelievable, all the races in the heavens were shocked, and all the races suddenly discovered... The most elite troops of the human race were actually paper tigers!"
Xia Longwu's face was cold. "The Great Zhou army, which was known to be invincible, has just shattered its myth! Because they are used to fighting... Why did so many people die?"
Xia Longwu looked at Wan Tiansheng and said in a deep voice: "The lesson from the past is right in front of us, Wan Tiansheng, do you still think it is unnecessary to fight a tough battle?"
"Not at all."
Wan Tiansheng shook his head and continued, "But the Great Xia Prefecture can't hold on any longer! Prefecture Master, you should be flexible and cautious. You can't deny the Great Zhou Army just because of a defeat. The Great Zhou Army can rise again quickly because they gained a lot in the past, so they can quickly build another elite army!"
"And if we in Daxia Prefecture lose the Dragon Guards, it will be difficult, too difficult to build another one!"
Xia Longwu looked at him, looking down at him.
Wan Tiansheng did not avoid it, looked directly at Xia Longwu, and said again: "Withdraw the troops, negotiate, and use resources to buy lives!"
"I, Xia Longwu, am the soul of the Great Xia Mansion. I cannot retreat!"
"Then you have to retreat!"
The elegant Wan Tiansheng was now aggressive, his eyes sharp, "If you don't retreat, the Great Xia Civilization Academy will never provide a single soldier to the Dragon Guards again, and no civilized division will ever enter the Dragon Guards to fight again!"
"Are you threatening me?"
Xia Longwu spoke in a low voice. Wan Tiansheng stood up with a serious face, "If you don't retreat, I would rather let the teachers and students in the academy go to the Great Zhou Palace than let the students of the academy die in the battlefield for the sake of your name, Xia Longwu!"
"Asshole!"
Zheng Ping angrily said, "Wan Tiansheng, are you going to betray Daxia Mansion?"
"No, I am saving Daxia Prefecture. I am willing to fight for the human race, not for a tyrant!"
Wan Tiansheng suddenly took off the crown on his head and said in a deep voice: "Wan Tiansheng resigns from the position of the head of the Great Xia Civilization Palace!"
Xia Longwu stared at him for a long time without saying anything.
At this moment, the old man on the left laughed and said, "Master Wan, stop teasing Master Zheng."
Zheng Ping frowned and looked at them, somewhat unhappy. What did they mean
The old man chuckled and said, "We have to retreat. Daxia Prefecture has been fighting for decades, and the battles have been too hard and the losses have been too great. The reason why the Prefecture Master summoned you to talk this time is for this matter."
"Since you have guessed it, why bother to embarrass the Palace Master..."
Wan Tiansheng pretended to be confused, "What do you mean?"
The old man laughed and shook his head, saying, "You are still the same as you were back then. Let me tell you, you guys are so noisy, can't you be more calm?"
"The Palace Master wants to retreat... but he can't. He is a banner of the human race and the soul of the Great Xia Palace. If he retreats, what will the soldiers on the front line think?"
"He is not the shameless Zhu Tiandao..."
Laughter suddenly rang out from the hall, which was originally tense.
Even the serious Xia Longwu sat down at this moment, coughed lightly and said, "Nonsense! Don't talk nonsense, Master Zhu... cough cough, you still have to save face when you need to."
Everyone laughed, and the old man also laughed, "Yes, I was wrong. Let's not talk about that person, and continue the previous topic. Retreating is necessary. The Dragon Guards cannot exchange thousands of people for the Tianyi Divine Religion's ten thousand guards."
"But not in the name of the mansion master."
"The Palace Master has killed several Tianyi Divine Sect strongmen and needs to go into seclusion immediately."
"The reason why you two are summoned here today is because of the grand ceremony in a few days... The Palace Master is in seclusion, and Master Xiahou will temporarily take over the position of Palace Master. At that time... Wan Tiansheng, you can come again to do what happened today."
The old man smiled and said, "Let Lord Xiahou withdraw his troops! The Palace Master is in seclusion and doesn't care about anything. It has nothing to do with him."
"Even if the soldiers on the front line are dissatisfied, that's fine. Lord Xiahou won't care about that."
"Lord Xiahou is a businessman. Let him negotiate with the Tianyi Protoss for compensation, losses, and costs. At that time, the Tianyi Protoss will not doubt us, and will not let the myriad races see the weakness of the Great Xia Palace."
At this moment, Zheng Ping understood and couldn't help but cursed: "Old man, is this appropriate? Lord Xiahou... every time you have a black pot, you put it on his head. Now there are too many insults outside..."
"So I don't care about getting another bad name."
The old man smiled and said, "Master Zheng, Master Wan is actually right. The treasury of Daxia Prefecture is almost empty. We really can't continue fighting like this. We can't build a second Dragon Guard. Once this group of strong soldiers is gone, the elite of Daxia Prefecture will be gone!"
"It's just the Tianyi clan. We are not going to destroy them directly. Why do we have to keep an eye on a group of 10,000 people? The Palace Master is in seclusion, and Lord Xiahou has taken office. He loves money more than fame, and all the clans in the heavens know it."
"He chose to withdraw his troops and let the Tianyi Protoss compensate him to fill the treasury of the Great Xia Prefecture. Who else could have an objection?"
The old man smiled brightly, "The Tianyi Clan will probably also be thankful that it was Lord Xiahou who took over, instead of the Palace Master continuing to lead the Dragon Guards. Otherwise, this army of 10,000 people would really be finished."
"The Palace Master is known for not bowing his head. If the Palace Master withdraws his troops at this time, it will make people feel incredible and think that Daxia Palace... is really going to be finished."
Zheng Ping hesitated for a moment before he said, "Is it really that serious?"
"Really, the treasury is almost empty."
The old man sighed, "Otherwise, after fighting for so many years, why would they choose to compromise now? The Tianyi Protoss dared to invade the Daxia Palace. According to the previous attitude, we will never stop until we beat them hard!"
"But now, we really need to raise our troops and build up our strength."
The old man said seriously, "The Palace Master chose to retreat at this time, and he also had this in mind. We can't fight anymore. Not only the Dragon Guards, but also the Demon Suppression Army has issued multiple calls for veterans. The losses are too great, including the Demon Suppression Army. They will have to be quiet for a while."
"The Great Xia Palace may seem powerful, but in fact, it is already in a period of transition. It has gained a great reputation over the years, but now it must choose to recuperate!"
"When will the Great Xia Palace recover its vitality, and when will the Palace Master come out of seclusion again!"
"That's when the Palace Master will be invincible!"
On the side, Xia Longwu said calmly: "I originally wanted to fight my way to the battlefield of the heavens in the near future, and kill a king to help me reach this realm! However... in order to be on the safe side and conserve my energy, this battle will be postponed. In a few years, I believe that the Great Xia Mansion can recover its vitality!"
"The Palace Master is wise!"
Wan Tiansheng flattered him: "With the Palace Master's choice, there is hope for the Great Xia Palace!"
Xia Longwu didn't buy it and said calmly, "Aren't you going to resign? How about this, you resign at the ceremony in a few days! Since Zhou Potian is willing to take you, then you can go there."
"The Palace Master is joking!"
Wan Tiansheng remained calm, "We were just rehearsing just now, just in case Lord Xiahou saw through the clues during the ceremony, and others saw through the truth. Zhou Potian is a cunning old man, I don't want to associate with him!"
"hehe!"
Xia Longwu sneered, "This... convey to Zhou Potian!"
He said this to the old man on his left.
The old man laughed, looked at Zheng Ping, and said with a smile: "Master Zheng, you will convey this to Master Zhou and Master Wan. Convey all the words without missing a word!"
Zheng Ping's face was dark and he said nothing.
Xia Longwu ignored them and stood up and said, "This is how it's decided! The Longwu Guards will evacuate quickly, the Tianyi Protoss will have to pay a price, and I will... go into seclusion, and when I come out, I will start with the Tianyi Protoss!"
The people below agreed, and no one had any more objections.
Wan Tiansheng was all smiles. Before he left, he glanced at Zheng Ping and sighed, "He is such a reckless man, I don't think he is worth discussing with you!"
Zheng Ping's face was dark, "Old man, this year's exchange between the various prefectures will make your house full of cries!"
Wan Tiansheng didn't take it seriously, instead he laughed happily, "I'm waiting, beat you, beat you hard! In the past years, the people from your war academy had too soft hands and too light punches, as if they hadn't eaten."
"If you go again this year, I will provide you with 10,000 kilograms of blood food for free. Eat more and use more strength. If you drive away half of the students, I will give you a banner. There are too many people in the Civilized Academy. What do we need so many people for?"
Wan Tiansheng shook his head and said, "What a bunch of mediocre people! I have long wanted to streamline the organization. If it weren't for those old guys stopping me, I would only recruit a thousand people every year! Old Zheng, I'm sorry to bother you this time. Please work hard. If you can drive away a thousand people, I will personally lead the teachers and students of the school to present you with a banner!"
Zheng Ping's face became more and more ugly. He had never won an argument with this old man!
Wan Tiansheng laughed heartily, walked out of the hall slowly, and said with emotion: "Daxia War Academy... has declined! Oh! Longwu Academy is quite interesting, but it's a pity that you are Daxia War Academy. Really, if I don't drive away a thousand people this year, I will look down on you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wan Tiansheng had disappeared from sight.
Zheng Ping waited for him to leave, and suddenly said helplessly: "This old man is getting more and more difficult to deal with! Palace Master, is Daxia Palace really going to switch from offense to defense?"
Beside him, Xia Longwu, who had just left, appeared again at some point.
Watching Wan Tiansheng leave, Xia Longwu was silent for a moment, and said softly: "It's not about guarding, it's about waiting! Waiting for the vitality to recover! Wan Tiansheng waited for so many years, until the Great Xia Mansion was powerless, so... he won."
Zheng Ping sighed again: "I'm a little scared."
"What are you afraid of?"
“I’m afraid… I’ll lose my fighting spirit, my confidence, and my morale.”
Zheng Ping turned his head to look at Xia Longwu, his eyes complicated as he said, "I'm afraid that after I retreat, the people in the Great Xia Mansion...will also change with this retreat!"
"What is coming will come sooner or later."
Xia Longwu said calmly: "We can't fight forever. When the veterans retire, we have to return to fight again! Rest and recuperation are necessary. It is better to recuperate now than when you can't fight."
"Old Zheng, the War Academy has suffered heavy losses over the years. It's time to take a break."
After saying this, Xia Longwu stopped talking, feeling a little desolate.
He has been strong all his life, but at this point, he can no longer be strong.
He said that he looked down on Zhu Tiandao and Zhou Potian, but in fact... he admired them a little and envied them a little.
"At least... they lost fewer men in battle than our Great Xia Mansion..."
Muttering to himself, Xia Longwu's eyes showed a hint of bitterness. He wanted to continue fighting, but reality did not allow him to go on.
Warmongering!
The Daxia Prefecture is like a raging fire at the moment. It seems to be flourishing, but in fact it is already surrounded by crises.
"Wan Tiansheng... After fighting for so many years, I want to see what you can change?"
Xia Longwu muttered to himself, he also wanted to see how far Wan Tiansheng could go.
"Civilized Academy... I hope there won't be any trouble in the next frontier. Teacher... can you really control it?"
Xia Longwu chuckled and said, Teacher, yes, that was his mentor.
But after so many years, he almost forgot it.