"Who doesn't have a few troublemakers in their family? No matter what, it's our internal Hua Xia affair. We'll settle it when we get home."
Hearing Lin Zhan's words, the three great generals and kings lowered their heads in shame.
"Don't be too upset, the three of you. Go and take over your troops. Besides, I've already transferred 1.5 million men from each of our six group armies, leaving only 8.5 million."
Lin Zhan said as he handed the plan prepared by the General Staff to Bai Qi and the other two.
"You won't be able to keep even these remaining 8.5 million men. Except for the Fifth and Sixth Group Armies, another 3 million elites will have to be drawn from each of the remaining group armies, led by your respective commanders and deputy commanders."
"If the offensive goes poorly, you four group army commanders will have to lead the charge personally."
The reason Lin Zhan kept the Fifth and Sixth Group Armies was primarily because Ouyang Chengshan and Jiang Zhongtian had not advanced to the King realm. Entering the Giant Demon Forest with their Quasi-King cultivation was tantamount to suicide.
After all, the allied forces of the myriad races were not fools; they would certainly target the commanding officers first.
As for Zhang Zhen and Lin Shanhe, by borrowing the luck of the Great Shang and with their excellent talents, they had already advanced to the King realm before the war.
In fact, everyone suspected they were spurred on by Lin Zhan. After all, the father was inferior to the son, especially when both were leading troops. This made the two military bigwigs extremely embarrassed. But after advancing, they discovered they couldn't even defeat the little black turtle that their son had contracted.
So, the two dejected fathers discussed and decided to stay in the army and not go out to embarrass themselves further.
Actually, Zhang Zhen and Lin Shanhe had chosen the wrong opponents. If they had chosen other Kings, although the two were newly promoted, with the blessing of the Great Shang's luck, they would have been Kings of their lineage. Kings of their lineage, blessed by human luck, were already like the vanguard of humanity, specializing in plundering and seizing territory. How could their combat power be weak?
It was just bad luck that Xiao Hei was already a monstrous anomaly. The defensive capabilities of the Xuanwu clan were inherently unbreakable by those of the same level. Xiao Hei was already a Xuanwu King of his lineage, and a high-ranking one at that. Coupled with Xiao Hei's bloodline regression and the bloodline from his maternal clan, the Void Spirit Turtle clan, it was now virtually impossible for anyone below the late stage Human Emperor realm to break through Xiao Hei's defenses. Therefore, Zhang Zhen and Lin Shanhe's misfortune was due to their choice of opponent.
Upon hearing that they finally had a chance to fight on the battlefield again and show off their skills, Zhang Zhen and Lin Shanhe became instantly elated.
Lin Zhan looked at the two excited fathers with a helpless expression. "Are these two old fellows suffering from dementia? People die in every battle. What are you two so excited about?"
Bai Qi and the other two exchanged glances, then stood up and said to Lin Zhan, "Marshal, we three muddled old men have an impudent request, which we hope you will grant."
Without waiting for Lin Zhan's reply, he continued, "Marshal, the first batch to enter the Giant Demon Forest is too dangerous. Don't let Bai Zhanlong and these children go. Although the three of us are old, our bodies are still capable. Please grant us the first kill."
"Old Ancestor..."
"Old Ancestor, it's not possible..."
"Great Ancestor, you are too old to handle it. We should go."
Bai Zhanlong, Meng Gang, and others immediately shouted to stop them.
As Wang Er Zhuang finished his last sentence, he was already nailed to the wall by Old Master Wang Jian. The old man glanced at Wang Er Zhuang and thought, "This troublesome brat, who is hard to find in heaven and earth, has fallen into our Wang family."
Lin Zhan looked at the three great generals and kings and couldn't help but shake his head. "Alas, they are indeed figures who would give their lives for Hua Xia. It's a shame that at the end, they were still dragged down by a bunch of little brats from their own families, ruining their reputation."
"Three Old Ancestors, our plan is to attack along these seven routes. This time, the combat method is coordinated aerial and ground operations with precise pinpoint strikes. You three are not familiar with this kind of warfare."
"The reason you are entering in the second batch is that the second batch is the real fight to the death, where lives will be risked. That's when we truly need steady and fierce generals like yourselves to lead."
Bai Qi and the other two were stunned, then looked at Lin Zhan with emotion and cupped their hands. "Marshal, you don't hold grudges and still value us three old fellows so highly. Your magnanimity is truly admirable."
"Marshal, rest assured, we three old fellows will absolutely not betray everyone's hopes, nor will we tarnish the dignity of Hua Xia."
After speaking, the three old men clasped their hands towards everyone and strode out.
Watching the backs of Bai Qi and the other two disappear, Lin Zhan wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Oh dear, I finally managed to fool these three old fellows."
He then turned to Ying Xuan and said, "What is going on? How did you let these three troublesome ancestors out again?"
Ying Xuan pouted. "Do you think I wanted to? It was a special message from our Old Ancestor, saying that the three great generals and kings would never betray Hua Xia, but they couldn't let the younger generation in their families ruin their reputations. Dying on the battlefield is the best end for these three old ancestors."
Lin Zhan was stunned. "Holy cow, you're going to throw these three old men onto the battlefield?"
He then gave Ying Xuan a thumbs up and said, "It's the 'Zheng' brother of society, ruthless and not many words."
"Holy cow, that's not right. Isn't the battlefield space sealed off? How did you contact Old Ancestor Ying Zheng?"
Ying Xuan took out a jade seal and said, "Isn't the Imperial Seal of Great Qin with me? The Imperial Seal and the Heavenly Crown on Old Ancestor's head can transmit information to each other, but it consumes too much energy, and can only be used once a month."
(The Heavenly Crown was first established by Qin Shi Huang after abolishing the Zhou rites, a high crown worn with casual attire. It was not first used in the Ming Dynasty.)
Lin Zhan was stunned, then said to the members of the Hua Xia battle team, "Good heavens, so you all kept secrets from me too? Go, go, get lost. You're annoying me just by staying here."
"Forget it, you, Lin Lao Hei, have kept more secrets from us."
Everyone looked at Lin Zhan with smiles, understanding that Lin Zhan had something to say to his Lin family members. After all, all the men of the Lin family were on the battlefield this time. If the war failed, the Lin family would be completely finished.
After everyone left, Lin Zhan looked at the elders of the Lin family with a wry smile. "Great-Grandfather, Uncle Xiang, Second Grandfather, Third Grandfather, you must be extra careful in this battle. Our Lin family..."
Before Lin Zhan could finish, he was interrupted by Lin Shan. "You brat, you're the Marshal of the Human Race, don't be such a crybaby. Besides, which major battle has our Lin family not lost people in? What are you so scared of?"