World-Ending Demon Emperor
Chapter 840 - 400: Fu Yan’er is pregnant! The decisive battle erupts!_2

Chapter 840: 400: Fu Yan’er is pregnant! The decisive battle erupts!_2

Despite being thousands of miles away from Zhi Li’s Forces, the exodus in Southeast Province had already begun.

Many officials had vanished from their posts. Whether they had fled or were hiding in the dark, ready to pledge their allegiance to Zhi Li and deliver a deadly blow to Suo Lun at the critical moment was unknown.

Witnessing this scene, Gui Xingfu couldn’t help but feel some regret about his decision.

But what’s done cannot be undone; the words he had spoken could not be taken back!

At that moment, a Griffin Beast swooped down from the sky, and a Shadow Cabinet Warrior said to Gui Xingfu, "Master orders you to return to Heavenly Water Main City. Will you go back?"

The tone was oddly inquisitive.

"Of course," Gui Xingfu replied.

Then, he lightly leaped onto the Griffin Beast.

Immediately after, he saw another Griffin Beast flying back to Heavenly Water Main City with Yan Wuzhi, the leader of the Southeast Province civil officials, seated on it!

Suo Lun had actually sent Griffin Beasts to retrieve them both to Heavenly Water Main City!

...

As soon as the Griffin Beast landed, Gui Xingfu jumped down and knelt before Suo Lun, saying with utmost urgency, "Master, the Zhi Li Sect has sent a large number of people to Southeast Province to persuade the officials, many of whom are itching to betray you and surrender to Zhi Li, even offering up Southeast Province. Please, Master, make preparations early!"

Suo Lun asked, "Preparations? What kind of preparations do you think should be made?"

Gui Xingfu responded, "Send out a large army to take control of all the cities in Southeast Province. Suppress all dissenting voices completely. Whoever is found colluding with Zhi Li should be executed without hesitation!"

Suo Lun laughed and said, "It’s natural for rain to fall and for a woman to marry. Those who want to surrender will do so. As for offering up Southeast Province? They need not trouble themselves with such efforts; I will voluntarily give up the entire Southeast Province."

These words left Gui Xingfu and Yan Wuzhi utterly shocked!

In the last great battle, Suo Lun had defeated Gui Xingfu, eradicated Zhi Wei, and frightened off Duke Turing Tuo. It had taken an immense effort to finally conquer the whole Southeast Province.

After that, a ruthless massacre was required for Suo Lun to thoroughly subdue Yan Wuzhi and the civil officials of Southeast Province, completely securing control of the situation.

Having worked so hard to acquire Southeast Province, Suo Lun was now willing to give it up.

Suo Lun continued, "The entire Southeast Province lies wide open. I can’t prevent Zhi Li’s Forces from coming in. Moreover, with only two hundred thousand troops at my disposal, defending Heavenly Water Main City is more than sufficient. But to defend all forty-plus counties in the six districts of Southeast Province would stretch me too thin. Better to defend a single room tightly than a manor riddled with leaks."

Gui Xingfu objected, "But to give up the entire province without a fight is such a pity. Previously, you secured Southeast Province intending to use it to resist the entire Rage Wave Kingdom. But now, having lost Southeast Province... "

Suo Lun explained, "My reason for wanting Southeast Province was not for its tax revenue but for its war potential, its population of able-bodied young men, and its vast fertile lands. Given half a year to a year, I could have raised a new army of two hundred thousand in Southeast Province. Unfortunately, Zhi Li has not given me that chance and has taken advantage of Tuli Yang’s death to plan this encirclement from all over the realm. I had barely swallowed the victory of Southeast Province and had yet to digest it when the enemy arrived. So of course, I must spit it out quickly and escape the trap; otherwise, death is certain!"

Gui Xingfu couldn’t help but think of a greedy python that could swallow prey several times its size. Then it would lie dormant for days and nights, waiting to digest the food in its stomach.

At such times, if an enemy appeared and the python couldn’t regurgitate its prey nor flee, it could only be carved up alive.

How similar was this to Suo Lun? He had, by leveraging the strength of Heavenly Water Main City, annexed the Southeast Province, which was over ten times larger.

However, Suo Lun was far more rational; he had decisively abandoned his prey before the enemy arrived.

"Master is decisive. I admire your conviction," Gui Xingfu said. "Still, to give up Southeast Province like this will greatly hurt us in the court of public opinion, emboldening the Zhi Li camp and causing the powers of the world to look down on you, Master. There might have been a glimmer of hope when we had an entire province to stand against the kingdom, but now, relying solely on one city to confront the entire kingdom, I fear that no one will see hope."

Yan Wuzhi said, "Zhi Li’s army of eight hundred thousand already outnumbers the population of Heavenly Water Main City. Moreover, by giving up Southeast Province, we have no buffer zone left; as soon as Tianlang Pass or the Fenglei Fort Defense Line is breached, our defeat and death are certain!"

Gui Xingfu added, "Although Master has giant trebuchets and barrels of oil, Turing Tuo learned his lesson in the last war and will surely have countermeasures, making it difficult to trick them again. Moreover, even if Zhi Li sacrifices lives to do so, an army of eight hundred thousand is enough to breach the Fenglei Fort Defense Line!"

Suo Lun offered no explanation but simply looked at Gui Xingfu and said, "Last time, you, Duke Zhi Wei, and Duke Turing Tuo attacked Heavenly Water Main City from the north, west, and south. Although you didn’t begin your offensives simultaneously, giving me an opportunity, Heavenly Water Main City was still besieged on all sides. Under such circumstances, I told Zhen Yan Princess that I was seventy percent confident of winning that battle."

Gui Xingfu and Yan Wuzhi quieted down to listen to Suo Lun speak.

Suo Lun went on, "This time, Zhi Li has mobilized his nation’s forces to campaign against me, and he will surely learn from his past defeat. He will attack from the north, west, and south simultaneously, not giving me any chance to exploit. Moreover, he will certainly learn from the last aerial Griffin attack and flaming oil strategy, making a repetition of those tactics impossible. So, the situation this time is far far more perilous."