Douluo: Dragon King's Star Devouring Wings

Chapter 635 The Movements of the Two Great Empires and the Heavy Losses of the Tang Clan

Guan Yue looked at Zang Xin and said, "Right now, the captain and senior brother are extremely busy trying to mitigate the impact of the year-long war. You should also be careful when you arrive in Mingdu."

Zang Xin waved his hand with a wry smile and said, "What danger could I possibly be in? To put it bluntly, I was used as a symbol of reconciliation in the past. Qian Gu Huang Yu certainly can't let anything happen to me."

"In the past, it meant bearing pressure. It was a nominal position with little real power, and it would actually bring various adverse effects to the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to help much when I get to Mingdu. At that time, we'll still have to rely on you to continue to maintain Shrek Academy and Tang Sect."

Hearing this, Guan Yue's face also turned ugly. "During the One Year War, our casualties were quite severe. Judging from Qian Gu Huang Yu's intentions, when we go on expeditions to the Star Luo Empire and the Dou Ling Empire, they will send us to the front lines as filler babies."

"Our losses will definitely be significant, and the Ancient Phoenix Feather hasn't decided how to deal with us yet. We'll probably have to wait until after the war to make a final decision."

"By then, we'll probably have very little strength left."

“Sigh—” Zang Xin let out a long sigh and said, “She knows that we have a history of helping the Star Luo Empire and the Dou Ling Empire, so she doesn’t trust us.”

"That's why they're forcing us to make a choice. Anyway, they're sending us to the front lines. If we go against the war and flirt with the two great empires, we'll be the ones who suffer."

"If we go all out in the war, we will naturally sever all ties with the two great empires, and they will surely retaliate against us with all their might."

"No matter how you look at it, for us it's just a matter of small losses, medium losses, large losses, and extremely large losses."

"And once the war ends, we will inevitably suffer heavy losses. At that time, no matter what final judgment Qian Gu Huang Yu makes, we will have no leverage to resist or negotiate."

Envisioning a bleak future for both the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy, Zang Xin and Guan Yue couldn't help but sigh.

...

Star Luo Continent, Star Luo Empire, Imperial Palace.

Dai Lingxun stood alone in the palace garden. Time seemed to have left no trace on her. Even after ten years, she was still the peerless White Tiger Empress.

However, between the empress's brows lay an unyielding sorrow.

Even after ten years, she still couldn't forget the girl who had amazed her.

After the news of Qian Gu Huang Yu's fall in the Eternal Heaven Kingdom arrived, she was heartbroken.

When Dai Lingxun learned of Qian Gu Huang Yu's return, she intended to send someone to inquire about his situation. However, before she could send anyone, she received news that Qian Gu Huang Yu was preparing for an expedition to the Star Luo Empire.

However, even though the Sun and Moon Federation had just experienced a civil war, the Star Luo Empire was far from being a match for it.

The feeling of her lover coming back from the dead only to turn around and kill her was extremely painful for Dai Lingxun.

“Your Majesty,” Enci appeared silently behind Dai Lingxun and said respectfully, “The Tang Clan has begun to gather supplies. It seems that they will leave the Star Luo Empire in less than a week.”

"I originally intended to let them leave, considering our thousands of years of friendship, as long as they were willing to hand over the soul guidance production line that they couldn't take with them."

"But they would rather destroy the entire soul guidance industry system than leave it to us, Your Majesty. What should we do now?"

Upon seeing Enci arrive, the worry between Dai Lingxun's brows vanished instantly, and she returned to her confident and proud demeanor.

Dai Lingxun understood that if she, as the emperor, panicked, the entire Xingluo Empire would instantly fall into internal strife.

Dai Lingxun said calmly, "Our spies in the Sun and Moon Federation have sent back news that Zang Xin, the deputy sect leader of the Tang Sect, has been invited by the Thousand Ancient Phoenix Feather to serve as the Minister of Foreign Affairs."

"Moreover, the fact that Qian Gu Huang Yu did not hold the Soul Masters of Shrek Academy and Tang Sect accountable suggests that they intend to use them as the vanguard of our invasion as a pledge of allegiance."

Enci frowned and said, "Should we make Shrek Academy and Tang Sect the vanguard?"

Dai Lingxun said, "Given our thousands of years of friendship with the Tang Clan, they certainly wouldn't be so heartless unless they had no other choice."

"If they can stay in the rear and not directly fight us, how could the Tang Sect not even leave us a soul guide production line?"

"It is precisely because the weapons they leave us will eventually become bullets that they have no choice but to take everything they can."

"Destroy what you can't take away; leave nothing for us."

Upon hearing this, a hint of fear flashed in Enci's eyes. He asked, "Your Majesty, with our current national strength, can we win this war of self-defense?"

Having said all that, Enci had actually lost faith.

Previously, the Star Luo Empire was confident that it could win the war of self-defense against the Sun Moon Federation. In addition to the Star Luo Empire's own strong national power, there were also many external reasons.

Most importantly, the Tang Sect provided support to the Star Luo Empire. With the Tang Sect's continuous financial support, the Star Luo Empire had the confidence to fight a protracted war against the Sun Moon Federation.

However, not only can the Tang Sect not provide assistance to the Star Luo Empire now, but it will also stand on the opposite side of them. But over the past few thousand years, the Tang Sect has already infiltrated every aspect of the Star Luo Empire.

All of this will become the sharp blade that the Tang Sect wields against the Star Luo Empire.

In addition, although the Sun and Moon Federation is stronger than the Star Luo Empire, it is not united internally.

Although there are factions within the Star Luo Empire, they generally obey the royal family, and the emperor holds absolute power within the Star Luo Empire.

However, the Sun Moon Federation was different. Previously, the Sun Moon Federation had always been jointly ruled by several major Soul Clans.

This will inevitably lead to unequal distribution of spoils, and the mutual obstruction between the Soul Clan will certainly affect the combat effectiveness of the Sun and Moon Federation army.

But now, after a year of war, the Soul Clan of the Sun and Moon Federation has either been wiped out or is now completely subservient to the Eternal Phoenix Feather.

Even if there are still different factions within the organization, the internal strife will definitely not be as severe as before.

In other words, although the Sun-Moon Federation's national strength has declined after a year of war, it is like a patient who has recovered from a long illness.

Although overall physical function has declined, the previous blood stasis and chronic diseases have been cleared away, and the whole person has been rejuvenated.

In a true comparison, the current Sun-Moon Federation is probably even stronger than the previous one.

After all, in another timeline, the so-called Sun and Moon Federation, which came with the entire nation, only mobilized Chen Xinjie's Sea God Legion and a few War Gods from the Temple of War.

But this time, the combined forces of the Tang Clan and Shrek Academy alone are even more impressive than Chen Xinjie's lineup.

Enci frowned and said, "Your Majesty, what should we do now? What are the chances of winning this war of self-defense if we mobilize the entire nation's resources?" In response to Enci's question, Dai Lingxun smiled and said, "Zero."

"What?" Grace's eyes widened suddenly, looking incredulous.

Dai Lingxun said, "What I mean is that our chances of winning are zero."

Upon hearing Dai Lingxun's words, Enci seemed to age considerably in an instant, and her once straight back appeared to sag.

As a native of Xingluo, Enci is naturally patriotic; otherwise, with his cultivation level, he could have thrived even in the Sun-Moon Federation.

Upon learning that his homeland had no hope of victory, this Limit Douluo, still in his prime, seemed to have suddenly entered the twilight of his life.

"Your Majesty, what do you intend to do? Surrender?" Enci asked.

Dai Lingxun sighed and said, "We will surrender sooner or later, but not now."

"The reason why Qian Gu Huang Yu is in such a hurry to start a war against foreign powers is simply to quickly divert the domestic contradictions accumulated over a year of war, and then reshape the national identity of the people."

"Moreover, her move is probably also aimed at suppressing Shrek Academy and Tang Sect. The Sun Moon Federation, which she rules, does not need the existence of these two aloof organizations."

"Therefore, she has to start a war against foreign powers, so even if we surrender, she will not accept it."

"But we certainly cannot defeat the Sun and Moon Federation, so our only option is to choose when to surrender."

"Choosing an ancient phoenix feather has already achieved its goal, and it's the most advantageous time for us as well."

Enci's eyes lit up, and he said, "Your Majesty, do you mean to choose a time when the Thousand-Year Phoenix Feather has already diverted domestic conflicts, but we still have the strength to fight?"

Dai Lingxun nodded slightly. "That's right. At that time, the righteous demands of the Ancient Phoenix Feather had already been met. Continuing to fight us would only increase losses."

"Moreover, by demonstrating our strength, we can better sell ourselves at the negotiating table for a better price."

Enci said, "Since that's the case, and since the Tang Sect wants to withdraw completely from the Star Luo Empire..."

Dai Lingxun smiled and said, "Of course we can't let them go. Since we'll have to shoulder the task of hurting the Tang Clan on the battlefield sooner or later, we might as well start weakening the Tang Clan's strength step by step now."

"Since Tang Clan's Vice Sect Master, the Amorous Douluo Zang Xin, has already joined the Sun Moon Federation Cabinet, let's just treat Tang Clan as traitors."

"All of Tang Clan's industries and resources within the country have now been nationalized. As for those Tang Clan disciples who want to leave the empire, they have all been arrested and imprisoned."

With a goal in mind, Enci's mind calmed down, and she said, "Alright, it's time for them to repay the blank checks we sent to the Tang Clan during the One Year War."

"If we want to surrender to Qian Gu Huang Yu later, then she probably doesn't want to see us flirting with the Tang Clan."

"We must completely offend the Tang Sect, so that Qian Gu Huang Yu will believe that there is no possibility of us cooperating with the Tang Sect again."

"That's why she accepted our surrender later. Otherwise, if she had accepted our surrender, and the Star Luo Sect, Tang Sect, and Shrek Academy had joined forces to rebel, it would have been enough to give her a headache for a while."

It was precisely because of these considerations that Dai Lingxun was determined to destroy the Tang Clan, doing everything possible to strengthen herself and weaken the Tang Clan's power.

"Your Majesty, what about the alliance with the Douling Empire..." Enci asked tentatively.

After the Tang Sect completely sided with the Sun Moon Federation, the Douling Empire, without the Tang Sect's support, fell into chaos and rushed to the Star Luo Empire to discuss countermeasures.

Dai Lingxun said, "Of course we should form an alliance with them. Whether it's to divert domestic conflicts in the Sun Moon Federation or to hurt the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy, the required combat power will definitely not be lacking."

"We must also tie the Douling Empire to the war chariot and let them share our burden."

...

Sun and Moon Federation, Council Hall, Cabinet.

Since the formation of the new cabinet, Qian Gu Huang Yu has stipulated that at least one cabinet meeting must be held every week to fully exchange intelligence and make adjustments to the current policies.

Today is the day of the routine cabinet meeting.

Zang Xin became the Minister of Foreign Affairs in his early thirties, an age when he should be full of vigor and ambition, but today he looks worried.

"Zang Xin, why do you look so pale today?" Qian Gu Dongfeng couldn't help but ask, looking at Zang Xin.

Zang Xin said, "When our Tang Clan withdrew from the Douling Empire, the Douling Empire launched an attack on us, causing us to lose a lot of resources and personnel."

"I don't know who leaked the news this time, but they said that I have already taken on the role of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sun and Moon Federation."

"Furthermore, Shrek Academy and Tang Sect will become the vanguard in attacking the Star Luo Empire, directly igniting emotions within the Star Luo Empire."

"With a large number of Tang Sect disciples in the Star Luo Empire announcing their intention to leave the Tang Sect, Dai Lingxun took this opportunity to directly declare the Tang Sect a traitorous organization."

"All of Tang Clan's assets within the Star Luo Empire are confiscated, and all personnel are arrested and awaiting punishment."

In the end, Zang Xin's expression revealed a palpable sense of pain.

Previously, due to poor relations with the Sun and Moon Federation, the Tang Sect placed most of its industries in the Star Luo Empire and the Dou Ling Empire.

This is also why the Tang Clan and Shrek Academy were confident in waging a protracted war against Qian Renxue's New Federation during the One Year War.

But now, the Tang Clan's backyard is on fire!
After the One Year War devastated the Tang Sect's businesses in the Sun Moon Federation, they were first forced to donate 100 billion federal currency to the Ancient Phoenix Feather as protection money.

The Tang Clan's assets in the Star Luo Empire and the Dou Ling Empire have either been confiscated or destroyed.

This move directly and severely damaged the foundation of the Tang Sect. As a result, the Tang Sect's industries in the Star Luo Empire, Dou Ling Empire, and Sun Moon Federation all suffered devastating blows.

It can be said that if it weren't for the Tang Clan's millennia-old heritage still barely holding on, any other sect would probably have been wiped out long ago after suffering such a blow.

Upon hearing Zang Xin's complaints, Qian Gu Dong Feng's expression instantly became incredibly subtle. [Who exactly leaked the information? It's so hard to guess!]

Although he knew his sister was doing this to weaken the Tang Clan and force them to break with the two great empires, Qian Gu Dong Feng still managed to offer some words of comfort:
"Don't be discouraged. Xingluo and Douling are just two ingrates. When we launch our expedition against the Xingluo Empire and Douling Empire, you can just take back the resources, right?"

Faced with the words of the ancient East Wind, Zang Xin could only nod reluctantly.

(End of this chapter)