Chapter 1934: Change of Words

Zhong Shengguang stood ramrod straight and nodded to everyone in greeting. "Thank you for waiting, everyone," he said. "Today, I'm here to announce an important decision."

He Lingchuan immediately caught the unusual nature of Zhong Shengguang's words. The word was "announce." Zhong Shengguang wasn't there to consult with them; he was there to inform everyone, for he had already made up his mind. He Lingchuan raised a hand to press behind his ear. Sigh, it was just as he had predicted.

General Nanke looked around and suddenly asked, "Commander Zhong, where is General Hong?" How could General Hong be absent from such an important military meeting? All the generals were present, yet General Hong, the pillar and soul of the Panglong City army, was nowhere to be seen.

Zhong Shengguang's expression and tone were calm. "She has gone into seclusion again," he said. "It might take a while longer this time."

General Hong's seclusion was not uncommon; it happened at least once every year or two. As a divine descent, she frequently needed to draw upon various powers to strengthen and elevate herself. The veteran generals present knew that General Hong always emerged more powerful after each seclusion.

But astute individuals like He Lingchuan could still sense something unusual. Was it too urgent for General Hong to go into seclusion immediately after defeating Xianyou? Beijia was the most formidable adversary, and it would not give up easily. Not to mention, Beijia's general had already departed, and their army was about to advance. Under these circumstances, General Hong was rushing into seclusion. He Lingchuan could only deduce that she had an unavoidable reason.

He knew a few more secrets than others, such as the Lantern of Enlightenment and Zhong Shengguang's secret plans for Miti. Furthermore, based on the clues he had gathered from powerful figures like Thousand Illusions and Wondrous Heaven, Zhong Shengguang had likely succeeded in the true history.

Zhong Shengguang added, "Everyone, there's no need to worry. What I am about to announce is an important decision General Hong and I earnestly discussed before her seclusion."

Everyone immediately stood up. The red-billed hornbill's view was suddenly obstructed, and it quickly flapped its wings to fly onto He Lingchuan's shoulder.

The phrase "important decision" had been emphasized twice by him today, and everyone knew it was a matter of great consequence.

Zhong Shengguang knew his next words would be earth-shattering. He took a quiet breath before stating in a deep voice: "Within fifteen days, Panglong City will withdraw its troops from Xianyou."

General Nanke gasped, "Huh?" Several young generals also exclaimed, "What? Withdraw the troops?" The generals exchanged bewildered glances, noting the shock on each other's faces. So they hadn't misheard; Commander Zhong had indeed said that.

"This was always one of the contingency plans General Hong and I discussed before attacking Xianyou's capital."

He Lingchuan remained silent.

General Nanke, being the most outspoken, immediately fired back, "Commander Zhong, I don't understand! We put so much effort into taking Xianyou! Why, why?" The newly appointed General Han Wensheng was also puzzled. "Giving up the spoils of war we've already secured—doesn't that just benefit others?" With the two of them leading, the others began to voice their opinions. Even the large-billed hornbill on He Lingchuan's shoulder squawked a couple of times, joining in.

Commander Zhao Xianhe and several veteran generals also frowned, not entirely agreeing, but they remained silent. No one could accept spitting out the fatty meat they had already put in their mouths.

Amidst the clamor, Zhong Shengguang remained silent, listening to almost every opposing voice in the room. This was well within his expectations.

However, before he could speak, someone else spoke first. "Over the past few months, our strategic objectives in attacking Xianyou have been achieved. Withdrawing troops now will be a wise decision!"

He used his true power, immediately overriding the voices of others.

Zhong Shengguang glanced sideways, his expression calm but inwardly surprised then pleased, because it was He Lingchuan! Just now in the study, this young man had been impassioned, firmly advocating for the occupation of Xianyou; yet upon entering the War Hall, he had changed his stance. Zhong Shengguang was greatly relieved. With this level of understanding and unspoken agreement alone, He Lingchuan was far ahead of everyone else.

General Nanke immediately turned his verbal barrage towards He Lingchuan, showing no leniency. "Commander… you… *huff*, you're even giving up Xianyou, the biggest prize of war—what strategic objectives are you talking about?"

His voice grew louder, but this time, no one supported him. The generals looked at him, then at Zhong Shengguang and He Lingchuan, remaining perfectly silent. They suddenly remembered that although General Hong was not present, this was a decision General Hong and Zhong Shengguang had deliberated on. Now, General Huyi, renowned for his military achievements, also strongly supported Zhong Shengguang. That meant three powerful figures were on the same side. No one present could contend with such formidable backing.

He Lingchuan's calm voice reached everyone's ears. "We can essentially take all the benefits of attacking Xianyou, but we are not yet willing to bear the drawbacks. That's why Commander Zhong has decided to withdraw the troops."

Human nature is to desire gain and despise loss, so he approached the argument from this angle.

Zhao Xianhe crossed his arms. "What benefits can we take?"

"Think, everyone, why did we attack Xianyou?" He Lingchuan said. "Aside from avenging past and recent grievances, the most important reasons were to eliminate this lurking enemy, dismantle Beijia's 'drive the tiger to swallow the wolf' strategy, and relieve the northern pressure on the Panglong Barrens!" Xianyou and Baling possessed strong military forces; they were Beijia's pawns for oppressing the Panglong Barrens, like the two sharp claws of a vicious wolf. Now that Panglong City had severed one of them, the wolf was crippled, its power greatly diminished.

"We have already achieved this strategic objective, regardless of whether we continue to occupy Xianyou."

The generals remained silent, tacitly agreeing. With Xianyou destroyed, even if it regained autonomy later, it could not pose a serious threat to the Panglong Barrens in the short term.

"Secondly," He Lingchuan said with a serious expression, "we needed to break the blockade against us in the northwest and bring our military, merchants, and trade into the Northwest Corridor. This is now easily achievable."

That was also true. The young generals present who admired General Huyi unconsciously nodded their heads.

"Thirdly, Xianyou, as a powerful northwestern nation, was quite wealthy, and we can exercise the victor's rights over it." He phrased it subtly, but it essentially meant that the wealth accumulated by Xianyou over the years now belonged to Panglong City. This large piece of fat was enough for Panglong City to feast until its mouth was dripping with oil.

Han Wensheng was still unconvinced. "But are we just abandoning Xianyou's land and population?"

"Everything has pros and cons; choices must be made. I just spoke of the 'benefits' of conquering Xianyou, but if we were to continue occupying Xianyou, we would inevitably have to consider the 'drawbacks'," He Lingchuan slowly explained. "Occupying Xianyou comes with at least these major disadvantages."

The War Hall fell silent, everyone waiting to hear.

"Firstly, our governance and management costs in Xianyou would be very high. Panglong City and Xianyou had been enemies for over a decade. Even though we have captured their capital and killed the King of Xianyou, resistance sentiments in various parts of Xianyou remain high. Commander Zhao is most familiar with this point."