Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

The border between humans and transvestites, the Easternmost Pass.

"Duke Shen, undeterred by hardship, led her troops to the distant battlefield. She is truly a heroine among women, a paragon of virtue. On behalf of all the people of Qi, I thank Duke Shen for her righteous act..."

"The demon race has occupied my land and slaughtered my people. This is intolerable to the world. As a subject of the Great Qi, I should do my part to quell the unrest. I had no choice but to withdraw my troops to quell the rebellion due to the unrest in the northern border. I hope Your Majesty will not blame me..."

Inside the Emperor's temporary palace at Dongji Pass, a respectful dialogue between the emperor and his ministers is underway.

After a standard exchange of political flattery, Jun Cheng'an and Shen Yunwei simultaneously forgot about the huge conflict that had arisen a few years ago due to the withdrawal of troops from the northern border. They stood together in front of the three-dimensional war sand table and discussed the current situation.

The sand table is ten meters long and five meters wide, and it perfectly reproduces the terrain and environment of the thirteen states of the East Pole and the border region of the Wanling Domain according to the corresponding scale.

Rivers, mountains, canyons, lakes...

All terrain features that could potentially influence the course of the battle were clearly marked.

What's even more impressive is that, on the surface, this sand table in front of us is just an ordinary sand table.

However, if one uses true qi to control it, one can magnify the region where the thirteen eastern states are located on the sand table, forming a three-dimensional projection map of the corresponding region.

Mountains and rivers, official roads and ancient trails, and even post stations can all be found on the map.

The different colored flags represent the troops stationed in the corresponding areas.

Its exquisite craftsmanship and ease of use make it a game-changer compared to ordinary sand tables, and it is not much different from holographic projection.

Unfortunately, this level of detail is only effective within the territory of the Great Qi Dynasty. It loses its effectiveness in the regions within the Wanling Domain, where it can only show a general outline.

"Duke Shen, please take a look. Currently, the main force of the demon race is divided into three routes: upper, middle, and lower. The middle route of the demon army is attacking from the direction of Dongji Pass where we are located. The upper route of the demon army is attacking from the direction of Dongning Prefecture. The lower route of the demon army is attacking from the direction of Donghua Prefecture."

"Only three paths?" Shen Yunwei narrowed her eyes, staring intently at the enlarged sand table.

Seeing that Shen Yunwei was confused, Jun Cheng'an patiently explained it to her.

"Indeed, compared to the formidable strength of our Great Qi army, the number of demon soldiers is much smaller, and they are more inclined towards elite combat."

Given the same number, the demon soldiers' combat capabilities far surpass those of our army. However, their total number is small, preventing them from deploying large armies for large-scale military operations. They mostly operate as small, scattered groups, harassing villages and towns.

Jun Cheng'an was very patient and explained things to Shen Yunwei in great detail.

For the Emperor of Daqi, the arrival of Zhenbei Duke Shen Yunwei and the Northern Guardian Luoshuang Zhenren was undoubtedly the best news he had received in a long time.

Although the main force from the north would take some time to arrive, it undoubtedly brought great hope to Jun Cheng'an, who was fighting alone.

As the Emperor of the Great Qi Dynasty, Jun Cheng'an saw very clearly that retreating from this battle would inevitably lead to endless disasters, the impact of which was beyond prediction.

If he truly loses, what he will lose will be far more than just the emperor's prestige.

However, the court officials' words were not without reason, especially in the letter that Prime Minister Meng Minzhou wrote to him, in which he analyzed the current situation of the Great Qi Dynasty without any reservations.

The letter stated explicitly that if the war continued, their chances of defeat would continue to increase.

The war had lasted for many years, and Jun Cheng'an himself knew that the Great Qi was no longer the powerful empire that had swept across the world at its peak.

The Great Qi is currently facing a variety of complex problems: various warlords, rampant corruption that reaches every corner, deeply entrenched clans, and a continuous weakening of local control, all of which make the Great Qi unable to bear a war of this scale.

Given his long absence from Qi'an City, the political situation in the court has likely undergone many changes.

Having ruled the empire for over twenty years, Jun Cheng'an was well aware of the so-called rebellions in various regions and the so-called unbearable exorbitant taxes.

Only a very small percentage are truly like this; the majority are due to layers of corruption and even deliberate obstruction from various forces.

By now, countless people have reached into the logistics system, embezzling countless amounts of money and supplies.

Moreover, in the front-line operations, apart from a few troops supporting the eastern coast, the fighting relied almost entirely on the local troops of the thirteen eastern states, as well as the elite troops he brought from Qi'an City.

The army of the Great Qi was losing more and more men as it fought, and its logistics system was showing signs of collapse.

They wanted to mobilize elite troops from the heart of Daqi to provide support, but they had no way of doing so.

The territory of the Great Qi was so vast that for an ordinary army, a distance of tens of thousands of miles was enough to bring everything to a standstill.

This is not a war between the entire Great Qi and the demon race of the Myriad Spirits Domain, but a bloody battle between Jun Cheng'an alone, leading the thirteen states of the Eastern Pole and the entire Myriad Spirits Domain.

Jun Cheng'an had no doubt that within the Great Qi territory, many forces had already been secretly in contact with the demon race, hoping to use the demon race's power to weaken the imperial authority.

As for the civilians who lost their lives, the lost territory, and the resulting troubles, these traitors, whose minds were filled with internal strife, didn't care at all.

How can we win under these circumstances?

The Myriad Spirits Domain has achieved initial unity, but for the Great Qi, let alone unity, it's already a stroke of luck that they don't undermine each other.

Fortunately, not everyone in this world is so short-sighted.

Thinking of this, Jun Cheng'an glanced at Shen Yunwei, who was carefully examining the sand table.

With fair skin, delicate features, and exceptional temperament, she is truly a quintessential beauty from the North.

To achieve the status of a celestial being in one's early thirties is enough to prove the excellence of one's bloodline and the strength of one's talent.

The fact that a woman could successfully succeed to the position of Duke of Zhenbei is enough to demonstrate her ability.

I've heard that this woman has a younger sister. Perhaps we could arrange a marriage between the Crown Prince and her, thus aligning the northern border with the imperial power.

If we can gain the support of the North, even if we lose this battle, we can still consolidate our imperial power.

Shen Yunwei was oblivious to the emperor's complex thoughts; all her attention was focused on the sand table, carefully analyzing the current battle situation.

She looked for a full half hour before raising her head and pointing to the direction of a large river.

"Your Majesty, how many troops are stationed in Wangliu City?"

Upon hearing Shen Yunwei's question, Jun Cheng'an composed himself and followed her gaze to the miniature city beside the river.

"Wangliu City is already considered the heartland of Donghua Prefecture. Most of the troops there have gone to the front lines, and now there should only be a few old, weak, and disabled soldiers stationed there."

Jun Cheng'an's words caused Shen Yunwei's expression to change. She frowned and manipulated the sand table to zoom in on the map where Wangliu City was located.

This attitude made Jun Cheng'an realize something was wrong, and he looked at the map with him.

"Your Majesty once said that the demon army is diverse and has its own characteristics, including some races that defy the norms of war."

"Does the demon race have an army capable of going without food for days or even half a month, and able to traverse mountains and rivers, covering hundreds of miles in a single day?"

"you mean?"

"Our main force is stationed at Dongji Pass, and there are terrestrial immortals guarding it. There is absolutely no possibility for the demon race to break through. Dongning Prefecture is located at the northern end of the East China Sea. It is guarded by reinforcements sent by various prefectures of the East China Sea, as well as the ships of the Marquis of Haining and the East China Sea Grotto-Heaven, which are anchored on the coast and can provide heavy artillery support at any time."

Halfway through her sentence, Shen Yunwei picked up a flag representing the elite of the demon race and planted it on the bank of the great river.

"Wangliu City is poorly defended, rich in resources, and serves as a hub for goods and supplies, making it a strategic location that is highly contested by military strategists."

"If I were the commander of the demon race, whether it was to expand our gains or to gain leverage in negotiations, I would stop at nothing to take Wangliu City..."

Shen Yunwei raised her head and looked directly into Jun Cheng'an's eyes.

"Your Majesty, tell me the truth, are there any traitors in our army who might inform the demon race of this information? If the demon army launches a surprise attack on Wangliu City, are you prepared for this?"