LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 338
“Your Majesty, the Great Shí Kingdom has already stationed millions of troops at the border, the situation is critical!”
“Your Majesty, the Great Shī Kingdom has already stationed millions of troops at the border, the situation is critical!” (TLN: DIfferent Shi. Shí, Shī.)
“Your Majesty, the Great Liao Kingdom has already stationed millions of troops at the border, the situation is critical!”
Intelligence from all sides of the border was rapidly converging at the Great Xia imperial palace.
The total military strength had reached 10 million, and the number of Innate masters and Grandmasters among them was still unknown.
Without saying much, it was clear that the four top-tier Empires were exerting pressure on Great Xia.
Lin Beifan was very calm: “Let them come! We have fine wine for friends and arrows for wolves! Since ascending the throne, I have never been afraid of anyone! Prepare for battle. If they dare to come, we dare to fight!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” the officials responded.
Especially the military generals, who were eager and ready, it was their chance to shine.
Lin Beifan deployed his forces, ready to face the challenge from all directions.Just then, a eunuch came in: “Report! Envoys from the Great Han, Great Wu, Great Yuan, and Great Qing, the four great Empires, request an audience!”
Lin Beifan said expressionlessly: “Announce their entrance!”
Four envoys strode in with their heads held high in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.
“Greetings to the Great Xia Emperor, long live forever!”
“No need for courtesy!”
Lin Beifan asked, “What is so important that you must come together?”
The envoy from Great Wu spoke on behalf of the others: “Great Xia Emperor, you must already be aware that Great Shí, Great Liao, and Great Shī Kingdoms have amassed troops at the borders of Great Xia! We do not wish to raise an army and cause trouble, nor do we wish to be enemies with Great Xia, but due to food shortages, we have been compelled to do so. We ask for your understanding! If you would share some of your grain with us, we will immediately withdraw our troops!”
“Please reconsider, Great Xia Emperor!” the other three envoys said in unison.
Lin Beifan let out a cold laugh: “You’ve come to my doorstep and you still ask me to reconsider? Even a clay figure has a temper, let alone me? I will tell you clearly now. If you want to fight, then we will fight. We in Great Xia have never been afraid of battle!”
“If you want to fight, then we will fight. We in Great Xia have never been afraid of battle!” the civil and military officials shouted, with the military officers being the loudest.
“Great Xia Emperor and all the generals and ministers, please do not act rashly. Do you know how many troops we have mobilized this time?”
Without waiting for Lin Beifan and the others to ask, the Great Wu envoy continued: “We have mobilized a total of over ten million troops! There are over 30,000 Acquired Realm experts, 300 Innate masters, and as for Grandmaster-level powerhouses, there are as many as 10! Once the battle begins, Great Xia will surely be devastated, and the people will suffer!”
Upon hearing this, the faces of the Great Xia officials turned pale.
They were not particularly concerned about the tens of millions of soldiers or the 30,000 Acquired Realm experts.
But the 300 Innate and ten Great Grandmasters were a different matter.
It was known that the entire Great Xia had just over 200 Innate masters, which was a hundred fewer than the opposition, a significant difference.
Great Xia had only 8 Grandmaster-level powerhouses (the Grandmaster status of Mohist Chu Tianming was not known to outsiders), two fewer than the opposition.
Great Xia would be at a disadvantage if a war were to break out.
Moreover, the key point was that this was a war that would erupt on Great Xia’s own soil.
Whether Great Xia won or lost, the losses would be severe.
The officials of Great Xia had grim expressions, which the envoys noticed and took secret pleasure in.
“Are you afraid now?”
But Lin Beifan remained unfazed: “I will say it again. If you want to fight, then we will fight. We in Great Xia have never been afraid of battle!”
The envoys were shocked, and the Great Wu envoy spoke up: “Great Xia Emperor, now is not the time to be stubborn. Are you really willing to disregard the welfare of your people? Do you no longer care for your empire?”
Lin Beifan spoke resoundingly: “Of course I cherish my people, and I certainly want to keep my empire, which I will not allow others to defile!”
“Why then do you still…”
Lin Beifan smiled confidently: “Because I do not believe that you can break through. I do not believe that you can cause even the slightest harm to Great Xia! Let’s not waste any more words. We shall see the outcome on the battlefield. You may leave now!”
The four envoys left dejectedly.
Lin Beifan then led the officials in making preparations for the upcoming battle.
“Ministers, this battle will be the most difficult one in the history of Great Xia! If we lose, Great Xia will suffer greatly, and you will all share in my disgrace! But if we win, Great Xia will surely rise and become a force that shocks the world!”
Lin Beifan stood up and raised a cup of fine wine: “The situation is urgent. Now, I will give a toast to the generals and heroes, wishing you a triumphant return and to bring glory to our Great Xia Kingdom!”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” The generals raised their cups with solemn faces.
Everyone drank in one gulp.
“No need for further farewells. I will be here, waiting for your good news!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The military officers and Innate masters said their goodbyes, ready to head to the front lines to lead the troops into battle.
The civil officials also took their leave, preparing to support the upcoming war.
The entire Great Xia sprang into action like a clock wound up.
On the other side, after the envoys from the four empires returned disheartened and reported the situation to their Emperors, the Great Wu Emperor’s face was stern within the imperial palace: “It seems Great Xia will not shed tears until they see the coffin! Since they wish for battle, we shall oblige them! Great Xia has been developing too quickly. It’s time to slow them down!”
Other top-tier Empires’ Emperors harbor the same thoughts.
Over the years, Great Xia has risen too quickly, much faster than they had imagined, and it has become a serious threat to their status.
Therefore, they must seize the opportunity to strike a painful blow to Great Xia and bring it down.
At the very least, they must hinder its rise.
Thus, a gathering of top experts was called.
……
Inside the Great Xia imperial palace.
Yaoyao ran to Lin Beifan and said anxiously:
“I just received a message from the Demon Sect. The four top-tier empires are planning to get serious and want to take the opportunity to pull us, Great Xia, off our horse!”
Lin Beifan laughed and said, “That’s very good. I was afraid they wouldn’t take it seriously!”
“How can you still laugh so carelessly at a time like this? You should know that they have dispatched 300 Innates and 10 Grandmaster-level powerhouses. Apart from the Great Grandmasters, no one in the world can stand against them!”
Yaoyao said urgently, “Do we need the Demon Sect to lend a hand?”
Lin Beifan shook his head, full of boundless pride, and declared, “No need. We, Great Xia, can handle it ourselves! I want the whole world to see that wherever the soldiers of Great Xia go, they are invincible! The momentum of Great Xia’s rise is unstoppable!”
Watching the spirited Lin Beifan, Yaoyao’s heart was filled with infatuation.
This is the man I love the most!
Meanwhile, outside, the world was abuzz with the impending great battle.
“Great Xia is going to fight the four top-tier empires. Who do you think will win or lose?”
“Do we even need to say it? It’s definitely Great Xia that will lose! They are all top-tier empires of the current age. Even though Great Xia is the strongest, how can they possibly stand against the other four empires? A 1:4 fight is a losing battle no matter how you look at it!”
“That’s true, I don’t really have high hopes for Great Xia either!”
“I’m on Great Xia’s side! Great Xia has the Defender of the State with the divine sword Xuanxiao, who can even defeat that demon and is already on invincible ground!”
“But the four top-tier empires also have Great Grandmasters. Can’t four Great Grandmasters working together defeat a single sword?”
“Really, Great Xia, wouldn’t it be fine just to bow your head and give some food? This way, weapons could be turned into gifts of silk. After all, Great Xia has plenty of food, giving some away is not a problem at all!”
“Yeah, I don’t understand why the Emperor is so stubborn!”
“Anyway, Great Xia is in danger!!!”
***
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