Bringing the farm to another world

"Although this defensive line is not connected in the middle, it is definitely useful. If they want to attack us, they must first eliminate all these cities and sects. If they don't eliminate these cities and sects, we can attack them from behind through these cities and sects, which will only make things more difficult for them. However, it will also be very troublesome for them to eliminate these cities or sects, because we have strengthened the defenses of these cities and sects. It will not be an easy task for them to eliminate them. This is the advantage in terms of defense. Now let's talk about the advantages in terms of offense."

At this point, General Li paused for a moment before continuing, "In terms of offense, these cities and sects can serve as transit points. Our army can go directly to these cities and sects, and from there cross the Thousand Lotus Mountain defense line to launch an attack on the enemy. It will also be easier for us to launch our attack."

Upon hearing General Li's words, everyone nodded in agreement, agreeing with his reasoning. General Li continued, "Furthermore, this defensive line has another advantage: it has depth. No matter which point the enemy breaks through from, it will be useless because those cities and sects are there, and they will face the risk of being attacked from both sides. However, this defensive line must be built with care, and the cities and sects must cooperate well."

Upon hearing his words, everyone nodded in agreement. General Li's suggestion was indeed excellent. He intended to turn those cities and sects into fortresses. These fortresses were like nails; if you didn't remove them, they might betray you at any time. If you wanted to remove them, it would take a considerable amount of time and effort. This was indeed a good method.

Most importantly, those cities and sects can truly become bridgeheads for their attacks. It would indeed be much easier to attack the areas occupied by the Blood Slaughter Sect from those cities and sects.

After listening to General Li's words, Gongliang Juewen nodded, then glanced at everyone and said, "Everyone, please share your opinions."

Everyone nodded, and then Qingxuan stepped forward and said, "I second that proposal."

Wan Hai also stepped forward, cupped his fists towards Gongliang Juewen, and said, "Your subject seconds the motion."

All the other ministers stood up and loudly proclaimed, "We second that proposal."

Gongliang Juewen nodded and said, "Good, it's good that everyone agrees. Let's do it as General Li said. However, this matter requires everyone's cooperation. The resources of each clan and sect must also be allocated in a unified manner. Also, Zhenyu Sect, this time it's up to you. You must take the lead in strengthening the defenses of those cities and sects. The defense of the magic array is entrusted to you. Is there any problem?"

Wenjing immediately stepped forward and said, "There is no problem, Your Majesty, please rest assured."

Gongliang Juewen nodded and then said, "The Lu family and the Imperial Workshop, cooperate fully. You need to form a joint team. The first thing you need to do is to make a list of which cities and sects need to be strengthened, and how much stuff is needed. Oh, and someone, go and get the map." Immediately, a eunuch responded and turned to leave. A few moments later, several eunuchs carried in a huge map. The map was drawn on a piece of animal hide, which was quite large, about five meters wide.

Several eunuchs spread the map on the ground and then unfolded it. The map was more than ten meters long when it was spread out. Then, two eunuchs floated up gently. They didn't float very high, only about a foot off the ground. Each of them took out a wooden stick more than a meter long and stood guard on both sides of the map.

Gongliang Juewen pointed to the map and said, "Draw the line between Qianhe Mountain and Chiqing River." The two eunuchs could only respond, and then he flew to the map and began to draw on it with the wooden stick in his hand. Of course, this map could not be compared with the sand table, but Gongliang Juewen could not possibly bring so many people to his sand table room, as that room could not hold so many people.

After the eunuch drew the line connecting Thousand Lotus Mountain and the Crimson River, everyone truly realized just how vast the territory occupied by the Myriad Laws Divine Sect was. The area was enormous, almost one-fifth of the entire divine kingdom. Gongliang Juewen then pointed to the map and said, "Mark the locations of all the cities and sects behind Thousand Lotus Mountain and the Crimson River."

The two eunuchs responded and then flew across the map continuously. At the same time, they produced small flags in their hands. These flags were all red and had a wooden block attached to the bottom. They placed all the flags on the map one by one, and soon the map had countless small flags. Each small flag represented a city or a sect.

Everyone frowned as they looked at the small flags on the map, not because of anything else, but because there were just too many. If they really wanted to strengthen the defenses of all the cities or sects, the resources they would need would be far too great. That was why they were frowning.

Gongliang Juewen watched as more and more flags appeared on the map, and after a while, he finally spoke, "Alright, stop." The two eunuchs then stopped and stepped aside.

Gongliang Juewen pointed to the map and said, "This is all the cities and sects within a range of ten thousand miles east of Qianhe Mountain. There are more than 37,000 places in total. This number is really too many. If we really want to strengthen all the cities and sects, the resources required will be too much, completely beyond our imagination. So my idea is that we must give up some places appropriately. Some small cities or small sects are not very strong to begin with. Even if we strengthen them, we will not be able to stop the enemy's attack. So we should give up those places and focus on the large cities and large sects."

Upon hearing Gongliang Juewen's words, everyone nodded in agreement. However, an official jumped out and said, "Your Majesty, why do you boost the morale of others while diminishing your own prestige? Our territory is now larger and our strength is greater than that of the rebels. Your Majesty has no need to be so conservative. Even if we retain all those cities, it doesn't matter. As long as we attack and prevent the enemy from advancing, that will be fine."

Gongliang Juewen glanced at the official, then snorted coldly and said, "Don't you understand the principle of considering defeat before victory? What if the enemy attacks first? Our defenses need time to prepare. What will we do if the enemy attacks first? We must prepare for the worst. If we don't give up some cities, we will need to defend too many places. If we don't give up those cities, the people in those cities cannot be relocated. Even if we don't defend those cities, if the enemy comes first, they can occupy those small towns without lifting a finger. Then the resources in those cities will be theirs, and those people can also be considered a kind of resource. If we give up those cities, we can relocate all the people in those places, leaving the enemy with no resources and preventing them from replenishing their supplies here. That is our goal."

Upon hearing this, the official immediately retreated. Gongliang Juewen ignored him and turned to the others, saying, "The enemy now occupies such a large territory, and they have many experts. It's almost impossible for us to eliminate them in a short time. Under these circumstances, we can only prepare for the worst and must be prepared for a long-term battle. The idea of ​​defeating and crushing them in one fell swoop is unacceptable. Do you all understand?"

Everyone responded in unison, and Gongliang Juewen nodded before saying, "Then let's discuss which places we should keep and which we should abandon."

Everyone looked at the map and started discussing it. At this point, a disagreement arose. Those in the cities were mostly from powerful families, while those from sects were mostly in the mountains. Both sides wanted to keep more of their own people, so an inevitable argument ensued, and neither side was willing to give in.

Gongliang Juewen calmly observed the crowd. He genuinely wanted them to continue arguing, as it would waste time and greatly benefit the Blood Slaughter Sect. However, he couldn't allow it. If he ignored them, they would gradually discover the problem, and if they began to suspect him, it would be a real problem. Therefore, he wouldn't allow them to suspect him. He directly said, "Alright, stop arguing. This is pointless. What we need to consider now isn't whether to preserve more cities or sects, but rather which location is more advantageous for dealing with the enemy. The location we choose must meet the following conditions: First, it must be easy to defend and difficult to attack. This involves not only terrain but also defensive formations. After all, terrain isn't very useful for cultivators, as everyone flies. Therefore, the main focus is on defensive formations. Furthermore, we need to upgrade their defensive formations to see which locations are easier to upgrade. This is the most important thing."

Everyone nodded. Gongliang Juewen continued, "Second, location. How large is the area we can control after choosing a location? For example, if we choose a sect, are there other usable areas around that sect that can be used as outposts or strongholds? In other words, although the locations we choose are individual points, the area these points can cover is also very important. For instance, if a city has several satellite cities around it that can protect it, such a city is naturally the best location for a base. Therefore, location is extremely important." Everyone nodded again. Indeed, location was indeed very important. (End of Chapter)