"I won't, I won't, and I'm not getting up until you agree!"
Mu Hanqi pouted, her lips capable of holding a jar of soy sauce.
The two were pulling and tugging on the street, drawing the attention of many. Those who didn't know might have thought a young girl was being swindled by Ye Longlin, both for her money and her virtue.
"My little ancestor, what are you doing? We're still on the street."
Ye Longlin said with great helplessness, finally relenting. "I never said I wouldn't go. Tell me, where do you want to go?"
Mu Hanqi pondered for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts.
"I want to visit Uncle at the cemetery."
Ye Longlin fell silent. He had been back in the capital for so long but had never visited the cemetery. Firstly, he had boasted to Ye Guohui that he would capture all war criminals within three months, but there was currently no news of the SSS-class war criminals, as if they had all left Great Xia's borders. At least, there was no information about SSS-class war criminals at the moment.
Secondly, he had promised Ye Guohui to marry Lin Tian'ai but had failed to do so, ultimately divorcing Lin Tian'ai.
Thirdly, and what he least wanted to face, was his unwillingness to believe that Ye Guohui was dead. But the fact remained that Ye Guohui was dead, and no one could bring him back. He was his only relative. Orphaned from a young age, perhaps his only remaining relative now was this girl in front of him, who was about to transition from love to kinship. She was his last tie to this world.
He sighed, unsure of what to say. After gently ruffling her hair, he nodded. "Alright."
"An ugly bride should meet her in-laws too."
...
The Glorious Hall convened again. This meeting included the six elders of the inner court and high-ranking military officials.
"As of now, the Glorious Hall has deployed an additional 150,000 troops. Among them, twelve SSS-class war criminals have been identified. These twelve are all Dao realm existences, ranging from the lower grade Dao realm to the peak of the Great Dao is Simple Dao realm. Additionally, there are two Eight Gods of Heaven. One is the Red Lotus Demoness who escaped from the capital prison, and the other is a long-standing adversary of the Dragon Pavilion. Their sudden troop deployment has put us on the defensive. Fifteen thousand troops are sufficient to initiate this conflict. The Dragon Pavilion can only mobilize 200,000 forces, but considering the pressure on other borders, the Dragon Pavilion has dispatched 150,000 troops to the other three fronts. This means, on the Dragon Pavilion's side, 50,000 soldiers will face 150,000! My suggestion is that with the Dragon Pavilion's assistance on the other three fronts, we must quickly resolve those battles and reinforce Hetu Hedao. I don't care how difficult this battle is; it must be resolved in the shortest possible time. Do you have any questions?"
The Second Elder personally presided over this meeting. After all, the Second Elder came from the military and understood many things. The simultaneous opening of four fronts was troublesome, and the current troop shortage was the biggest issue. Great Xia had millions of soldiers, and once a mobilization order was issued, tens of thousands could be assembled within a day, which could offer temporary relief, but what about afterward? These were ordinary soldiers, the most ordinary soldiers. Sending them to such a battlefield would undoubtedly be their death. That was the simplest way to put it. The harshest way was to send them to die, to sacrifice their lives. Although none of the leaders were saints or benevolent individuals, such a war was far from simple. Moreover, ordinary people sacrificing their lives was not something the rulers could do!
"It's still not enough, the troop strength is still insufficient. Most martial artists have been poached by the Martial Arts Association. Unless we seize people from the Martial Arts Association, victory is absolutely impossible!" someone said.
The concurrent opening of four fronts placed an immense pressure on Great Xia.
"I don't care what pressures you have; you must hold the line, or what is the point of your existence if we truly have to invite Ye Longlin back to manage the overall situation?" the Second Elder said slowly. Glancing around, a disdainful smile appeared on his lips, a smile that made many feel a hint of humiliation. After all, if Ye Longlin were truly invited back, where would their dignity lie? This was the last line for all of them.
"Understood."
The Second Elder nodded. "In that case, prepare to depart."
After the meeting adjourned, Li Chenghao, the First Elder, and Yuan Gang walked side-by-side. Yuan Gang intended to lag behind, but the two did not wait for his consent. As soon as he fell behind, they would stop and wait for him.
"Although you are only the acting Pavilion Master now, if you make outstanding contributions within this year, you can be formally appointed ahead of schedule. Furthermore, I hope you understand that this is not our demand of you, but rather that if this is handled well, the proposal will likely pass."
Yuan Gang nodded, saying nothing more.
"Also, the military situation is dire. Do not inform Ye Longlin for now. Since he has not decided to return, do not disturb his rest because of this matter. If the situation truly becomes critical and the offensive stalls, I will personally oversee it." The Second Elder was always considering Ye Longlin, but the outcome of this could not be predicted. For now, all they could do was proceed like this.
"Do you feel any pressure?" the Second Elder asked Yuan Gang.
Yuan Gang gave a bitter smile. "Of course, there's pressure. After all, it's fifty thousand against a hundred thousand, a three-fold difference. Although the Dragon Pavilion has fought such battles before, they mostly leveraged the terrain. If the terrain cannot be utilized, the Dragon Pavilion will find it very difficult. I can only do my best to delay, to drag it out until other fronts are finished and can provide reinforcements. This is the most stable plan at present."
The two elders nodded, and then the Second Elder sighed. "We shouldn't have allowed the Martial Arts Association to exist in the first place. If we had known it would cause so much trouble now, we would never have allowed them to be established."
The First Elder said helplessly, "How can there be so many 'if onlys'? If there were so many 'if onlys,' we wouldn't be here worrying now. The most important thing is to quickly have the army set off and await orders on various fronts."
"Yuan Gang, go back and dispatch the Dragon Pavilion soldiers. Consolidate the overseas front as much as possible, understand what I mean? For now, the four border fronts are the primary responsibility."
"Understood."
After Yuan Gang left, the two elders looked up at the sky, wondering when this matter would end. If they dragged on, they truly couldn't afford it.
"Now, the only thing I don't want is to disturb Ye Longlin. I don't have the face for it."