"Marshal Ye, do you understand how serious the impact of the public execution of Ma Dabao on the morale of our Eastern Expedition Army is?"
Ma Dabao was the grim-faced general that Ye Zhen had beheaded in public in that county town. After quelling the disorder, Ye Zhen immediately rushed to the headquarters of the Eastern Expedition Army, ready to personally enforce strict military discipline.
Unexpectedly, before Ye Zhen could say anything, Ma Dabao’s immediate superior, Vice Commander Sheng Zirong of the Eastern Expedition Army, started to raise a fuss in front of the Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expedition Army, Gu Zhaoge.
"Marshal Ye, do you know how hard the life of the ordinary soldiers in the Eastern Expedition Army is? How difficult it is to maintain their morale? The commanders at all levels are racking their brains to boost the troops’ spirits.
But look at you, with a single sentence, you beheaded a great general of our army. I really don’t understand, what’s the big deal about killing a few enemy civilians, robbing a few, raping a few? If the armies of the Sword Origin Empire invaded our Black Water Kingdom, they would probably do worse than we have!"
"And to speak of it, what army doesn’t engage in such acts? It’s not as if it’s happening on our own soil; is it really necessary to go this far?
Now, the officers under my command are up in arms, just waiting for Marshal Ye to give them an explanation!"
Had it not been for the fact that Ye Zhen’s prestige in the army had recently peaked due to consecutive battles, Vice Commander Sheng Zirong might have been pointing at Ye Zhen’s nose and cursing him.
Listening to Vice Commander Sheng Zirong’s complaints, Ye Zhen’s expression had become icily stern.
"Vice Commander Sheng, do you really think so?"
"I would like to ask Vice Commander Sheng a question. These days, the territories we’ve been seizing, a hundred years ago, to which country did they belong?" Ye Zhen asked.
"Isn’t this obvious? A hundred years ago, most of the territories we’ve recently conquered were part of our Black Water Kingdom...."
"That’s exactly right!"
Ye Zhen suddenly roared loudly, "A hundred years ago, due to the incompetence of our high officials, our military abandoned them! They could only swallow their teeth and blood, enduring in silence!
A hundred years later, once we grew capable, we came back! But now we treat them like pigs and dogs, slaughtering and robbing them!
Is this what the soldiers of the Black Water Kingdom should do? Is this the honor of the soldiers of the Black Water Kingdom?
Where is their bloody spirit, their honor! Where is their conscience...!
Answer me, Sheng Zirong!"
At this last shout, Ye Zhen was furiously spitting as he roared at Sheng Zirong, who was directly stunned by the spray!
His chest heaved wildly, and his mouth kept opening and closing, trying to find words for a rebuttal, but no matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t think of any words that he could shout out with righteous indignation.
Not only that, most of the staff at the Military Department also looked on in astonishment, with faces filled with shame.
These words of Ye Zhen were recorded in the history books of the Black Water Kingdom and later became a must-learn famous quote for the military academy students of the Black Water Kingdom!
Also, because of Ye Zhen’s speech, the Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expedition Army, Gu Zhaoge, uncompromisingly rang the alarm for military discipline, putting shackles on the Eastern Expedition Army that had nearly become unruly from continual victories.
Half a day later, both the Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expedition Army, Gu Zhaoge, and Marshal Ye Zhen of the Left Army issued thirty-seven military execution orders, announced them to the entire army, and dispatched over ten enforcement teams composed of Soul Summoning Realm martial artists to patrol in all directions.
In just three days, over a hundred officers of various levels were executed by the enforcement teams, but military discipline was thus strictly enforced.
Under such stern discipline, the advance of the Black Water Kingdom’s Eastern Expedition Army became smoother. Because of the improved discipline, the common people were no longer so resentful or fearful of the Black Water Kingdom’s army.
Acts of poisoning the army’s food and water supplies practically vanished.
In such a situation, with the convenient logistical support capability of the Black Water Kingdom, this Eastern Expedition campaign continued for more than eight months. The Eastern Expedition Army of the Black Water Kingdom advanced triumphantly, starting from the Beichang Military Town front line, pushing forward nearly seventy thousand miles, conquering over one-third or even close to half of the Sword Origin Empire’s territory.
This significantly expanded the Black Water Kingdom’s borders by nearly half, resulting in a significant shortage of government officials in the counties and commanderies within the country.
During this period, the Sword Origin Empire sent envoys to negotiate peace repeatedly, only to be rejected by the Black Water Kingdom.
However, the pace of the Eastern Expedition Army of the Black Water Kingdom also slowed down recently. At the Yishan line within the Black Water Kingdom, they encountered the Sword Origin Empire’s most tenacious resistance. The Sword Origin Empire deployed its elite corps to engage in a bitter battle with the Black Water Kingdom.
Two days before, after incurring eighty thousand deaths and countless injuries, they finally seized the Yishan Three Passes, but the Eastern Expedition Army of the Black Water Kingdom also entered a period of rest and reorganization!
At this moment, a fierce military council was taking place within the first pass of Yishan, attended by senior officers of the Eastern Expedition Army, including Ye Zhen, all the chief and deputy commanders, and staff officers.
"Retreat, why should we retreat?"
"Although our Black Water Kingdom’s forces have suffered certain losses, adding the three main armies along with the already assembled defectors, the total number of combatants in the Eastern Expedition Army still exceeds seven hundred thousand!
According to intelligence, the remaining total military strength within the Sword Origin Empire was no more than six hundred thousand. Of these, four hundred thousand were border garrison troops, and unless the Sword Origin Empire was prepared to abandon the entire eastern defense line, the army that could be mobilized was only two hundred thousand!
Moreover, the number of Soul Sea Realm Martial Artists within the Sword Origin Empire, including the Royal Family Attendants guarding the Imperial Palace, would not exceed ten.
With such overwhelming strength, why shouldn’t we take the opportunity to annihilate the Sword Origin Empire in one fell swoop? This is an opportunity that our Black Water Kingdom comes across once in a millennium.
As long as we annihilate the Sword Origin Empire, it would not take many years for our Black Water Kingdom to become the first empire in the Black Dragon Domain. With reserves accumulated over thirty years, it’s even possible to unify the entire Black Dragon Domain!" Military Officer Wang Ji said with a face full of excitement.
In his speech, his eyebrows danced with delight, and his fair cheeks flushed with excitement!
Hearing Wang Ji speak like this, not only Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expedition Army Gu Zhaoge but also many deputy marshals and officers showed excitement in their eyes, seemingly envisioning something.
However, some officers showed a hint of worry in their eyes, with some even expressing deep concern. The Eastern Expedition of the Black Water Kingdom had been too successful, too smoothly victorious.
Duke of Ming, Zhou Zhen, also had a face full of concern, but his gaze was fixed on Ye Zhen.
Suddenly, Ye Zhen clapped his hands, "Officer Wang has made good points, but, I have a few issues that I would like to clarify for everyone!"
After a series of battles, Ye Zhen’s prestige in the Black Water Kingdom’s military was unmatched, especially among the higher ranks, where even Grand Marshal Gu Zhaoge could not compare.
At these words, all eyes turned toward Ye Zhen.
"First, the war has progressed to a point where it is not simply a conflict between the Black Water Empire and the Sword Origin Empire, but both the Gu’an Empire and the Phantom Divine Empire have also become involved.
According to intelligence, the Gu’an Empire has already withdrawn its thirty-thousand-strong border army by ten thousand li, leaving only ten thousand troops stationed!
Moreover, on the only border shared between the Sword Origin Empire and the Phantom Divine Empire, at the edge of the Rainbow Forest, a troop of over a hundred Spirit Transformation Realm Martial Artists has recently appeared, followed by tens of thousands of civilians.
Do you know what they are doing? They are clearing a pathway, making a safe passage for troops at the edge of the Rainbow Forest.
Officer Wang, do you understand what this means?" Ye Zhen asked.
"This... I understand, but we could completely play a timing game, and before the reinforcements from the Phantom Divine Empire and the Gu’an Empire arrive, we could first wipe out the Sword Origin Empire..."
"Absurd!"
"If we were to do that, our Black Water Empire might be inviting disaster upon itself! By then, the Gu’an Kingdom and the Phantom Divine Empire, unwilling to see a very powerful Black Water Empire, will act together to stage a counterattack! I guarantee, our speed of crushing defeat would definitely not be slower than that of the current Sword Origin Empire!
The territory we have gained today will certainly have to be given up, and we might even lose more than the lands originally possessed by our kingdom!"
"Gentlemen, wake up. Even the Gu’an Kingdom, which has traditionally been allied with us, is starting to get restless and is engaging in small movements on the borders, allowing the Sword Origin Empire’s army to retreat!
In a few days, during the battles to come, we might even see shadows of Soul Sea Realm Martial Artists from the Gu’an Kingdom in the enemy’s ranks.
Furthermore, I can tell you with certainty that the two great sects of the Phantom Divine Empire, Qingluo Sect and Phantom Divine Sect, have already dispatched a team of more than ten, perhaps even more, Soul Sea Realm powerhouses to support the Sword Origin Empire in advance!"
"Commander Ye, how does our staff not know about this intelligence?" Officer Wang Ji said with a face full of astonishment.
"This is an additional intelligence source of mine, you don’t need to worry about it, but the news is absolutely accurate!"
The expressions of those present immediately became serious, indicating that the Phantom Divine Empire had officially intervened in this war.
"Gentlemen, if the Sword Origin Empire is annihilated, our Black Water Empire will be bordering both the Gu’an Kingdom and the Phantom Divine Empire at the same time. By then, Gu’an will become our enemy, and the Phantom Divine Empire will certainly take the opportunity to strike when our soldiers are wearied and our generals weak!"
"Gentlemen, as it stands now, we need a buffer zone between us, the Gu’an Kingdom, and the Phantom Divine Empire. The Sword Origin Empire, which has lost nearly half its territory, is the best choice!
What’s most important is that we need time: twenty years, thirty, maybe even fifty, to fully assimilate the gains from this war and to increase our national strength.
What we need to do now is to establish a defensive line at Yishan Three Passes, then accept the Sword Origin Empire’s terms for peace. Most importantly, we must guard against a possible joint counterattack by the Sword Origin Empire and the Phantom Divine Empire!"
On May 24th of the year 4378 in the Black Dragon Calendar, Qiyun Sect Leader Guo Qijing, elder Liao Feibai, and the newly recovered Sect Master of Sword Origin Sect Yu Ruhai, along with the Vein Forging Realm powerhouse and Royal Family Attendant Huang Jing, dueled above the skies of Yishan.
The battle lasted a day and a night. During the fight, more than a hundred of the thousands of peaks within Yishan were leveled. On the second day, the Sword Origin Empire and the Black Water Kingdom formally negotiated peace.
On the same day, Master of Lishui Sect Chu Taiping sent Talisman Communication throughout the world, inviting others of the Martial Arts community to celebrate his Vein Forging success!
The army of the Black Water Kingdom began fortifying at Yishan, redeploying and establishing defenses. Notably, just four thousand li ahead of Yishan lay what once was the renowned Spirit Sword Grave Mountain, now reduced to ruins.
At the same time, the compilation of military achievements and the conferment of awards began! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)

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