The Martial Unity

Rui smiled wryly as he heard his father’s plan to hamper the Republic of Gorteau in war. It was extremely resourceful.

Rui’s powerful mind swiftly evaluated the plan and its projected outcome.

“Because of the scarcity of resources, I assume that most human members of the Gorteau Congress do not have access to longevity potions,” Rui keenly analyzed. “They have immense power but not enough time to enjoy it considering the gerontocracy that the institution essentially is, based on the intelligence of this report. In other words…”

He glanced up at his father. “They have good lives and all the more reason to fear death and an even stronger desire to prolong their lives, isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”

While he addressed his father more informally in private, he was restricted to formal honorifics in meetings such as this.

Emperor Rael smiled with a hint of pride at his son. “That’s correct. That’s why longevity potions are priceless to these individuals. If not for the fact that there would be an immense and immediate backlash to rejecting the motion for war under these dire circumstances, I would be able to avert war entirely by manipulating those geezers.”

He, of course, conveniently forgot that he too was a geezer.

“In other words,” Emperor Rael continued, “I can reduce the budget for war significantly. This means that they will be able to sign fewer contracts with their Martial Contractors and Martial Corporations, thereby limiting their ability to harness their private sector.”

Many at the table nodded as they saw the full merit of the plan. “This plan is only viable due to the success of our recent Beast Domain operations, thanks to the Elder Tree,” the director of the Department of Martial Strategy in the Martial Union remarked knowingly. “Prior to this treasure, longevity potions were so rare that they were mostly limited to Martial Sages and Masters, and some important humans such as the Emperor.”

Emperor Rael nodded. “That is why Operation House Divide is effective. Longevity potions are extremely precious in the Republic of Gorteau, even at its highest echelons. While we will be deprived of many longevity potions, that is a long-term liability that eliminates much of our short-term pressure. Let me remind you that our greatest priority in this war is not to win in an overwhelming victory but to successfully withstand the forces that seek to destroy us. As long as we do that…”

His eyes narrowed. “We will surpass all forces in the world.”

Everyone nodded with steely determination.

With the treasures that the Kandrian Empire possessed in its current state, it would undoubtedly overcome the Great Limit as long as it made use of them. In other words, it only needed to survive and endure to eventually become the strongest.

All of Rael’s grand plan was centered around this objective. “With the Republic of Gorteau operating on a crippled war budget it might only be able to output half of its full power over the course of the war, perhaps even lesser,” Emperor Rael continued. “That’s much more manageable than dealing with the full power of the nation.”

He drew much appreciation from his subjects as he calmly explained the details of Operation House Divide.

Many had wondered how in the world one powerhouse could fight three powerhouses at once and come out victorious.

Many had thought even attempting such a suicidal war was a deeply unwise decision.

However, Emperor Rael showed them the answer.

From brilliant strategies such as the harnessing of crippled Martial Sages through a clever combination of the Divine Doctor and the manifold to the objectively most optimal applications of longevity potions to increase the probability of surviving by using them to cripple the war potential of the Republic of Gorteau, the Emperor of Harmony proved that it was possible.

“Not only is it possible…” His powerful gaze swept across the entire war council. “It will be the only reality to unfold.”

His words inspired a lot of confidence in the officers listening to them.

BZZT BZZT!

A comm artifact in the pocket of Director Shelmin buzzed.

“Ah, pardon,” he murmured, reading the message. “I left this artifact active for emergencies onl—!”

He stiffened as his eyes widened with shock. “…Your Majesty, I have just received an emergency report that the Sekigahara Confederate has deployed a Martial force comprising of a substantial number of Martial Sages, Masters, and Seniors. They are moving towards the Kandrian Empire as we speak!”

Many people in the war council grew stunned at the revelation that Director Shelmin presented. It came out of nowhere.

The Sekigahara Confederate had simply decided enough was enough and was literally running to the Kandrian Empire to pick a fight.

The air grew heavy with peril as a grave severity overcame the atmosphere. “…What?!” Grand General Aramoeous bellowed, standing up with a furious expression. “How dare those savages mount an attack on the Kandrian Empire?!”

“Hehehe!” the Hugging Hegemon grinned with excitement. “I volunteer to welcome them since they’re coming so far just to meet us.”

“They have chosen wrong,” Sage Glacken snorted coldly.

“Looks like it is already time to intervene,” Martriach Nephi grumbled.

“Our intelligence suggests that there are a total of ten Martial Sages and nearly a hundred and ten Martial Masters!” The director’s expression grew aghast as he read through the emergency report that his spies in the Sekigahara Confederate had desperately put together in time. “They sent a majority of their forces to the Kandrian Empire?! Have those maniacs lost it?!”

Wars usually escalated from the lowest units of conflict and skirmishes before eventually reaching full-blown war.

This was the well-known pattern of war that most wars followed.

Yet the martial fools over at the Sekigahara Confederate had decided to merrily escalate the war to the highest unit of force from the very get-go!

“Your Majesty, requesting reinforcements for border security!” The Director of the Kandrian Border Patrol Force stood up with a severe expression.

“Hmmm…” Emperor Rael calmly evaluated the circumstances from the reports that Director Shelmin had passed to him. “…They chose this day because the Nindo Clan must have come to learn that six of the Martial Sages of the Sage Council would be preoccupied or not in the nation. Very bold.”

A smile appeared on his face. “It is within my predictions.”

He turned to Hugging Hegemon, who sat amidst her peers, bored of the meeting.

“I trust Damian has done a good job whipping his new colleagues back into shape. I’m going to need them to prove themselves very soon.”

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