Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

Chapter 529 Attempting to Reincarnate as a Second-Tier Molten God
The death of King Wuping was something Basong never expected. After all, with King Wuping's strength, he should not have lost to Libona of Zhenla!

Thinking of this, Basong continued reading and saw that the letter stated that Conch Island had been occupied by the Nanyang Allied Forces, and that they had seen the body of Prince Wuping. Moreover, Libona had confessed that he had killed Prince Wuping!
Upon reading the contents of the letter, Basong's face immediately turned extremely ugly.

He then spoke up, "Someone come here."

Upon hearing Basong's call, soldiers immediately came forward. Looking at Basong, whose face was cold, Basong said to the soldiers, "Notify our scouts in the South China Sea to investigate the details of Conch Island. Also, tell any pirates you encounter that I will complete what King Wuping failed to do, and I will agree to all the conditions that King Wuping promised. Have them assemble immediately and follow our fleet to reclaim Conch Island."

"Yes!"

As soon as Basong finished speaking, a group of soldiers rushed out of the cabin. The cabin housed many large seagulls, which were twice the size of ordinary seagulls and had a strong ability to transmit signals over long distances.

Moreover, it can accurately locate the target on the vast ocean.

It's not that these seagulls are powerful; it's actually the magic spells inside them that are powerful. That's right, each seagull has a magic spell inside it, which makes these seagulls incredibly strong, enabling them to transmit messages over long distances on the ocean.

Furthermore, this method can accurately locate the curse on the target, thus ensuring the accurate transmission of information.

Plop plop...

Seagulls flew out of the cabin and into the vast sea. Inside the cabin, Basong's face was grim. The death of Prince Wuping had caught him completely off guard. In his plans, the death of Prince Wuping was not an event. But now that Prince Wuping was dead, it would have a huge impact on his plan to unify Southeast Asia.

Thinking of this, Basong's face turned extremely ugly. At the same time, he was also puzzled. Something was not right. He knew Libona's strength. He was not as strong as Wuping Wang. How could he kill Wuping Wang when they were evenly matched?
He's lucky he wasn't killed by King Wuping, so is there something he doesn't know about?
Basong frowned as he pondered, wondering what secrets might be hidden here that he was unaware of.

But it doesn't matter, I'll find out what happened when I get to Conch Island!
Thinking this, Basong closed his eyes and recalled the things he had done during his trip back to Siam.

He was supposed to fight the Nanyang Allied Forces at sea with Prince Wuping, but some things happened in the middle of the battle. The most important thing was that Fang Guozhen, who was trapped in the Demon-Trapping Formation behind the palace, was unaware of the situation and actually found a branch of the correct exit.

This immediately alerted the Holy Cult soldiers present, who then relayed the message to Basong. Upon receiving the message, Basong immediately went to the Demon-Trapping Array, activated the array plate, and altered the internal structure of the array, causing Fang Guozhen to fall into the array once again.

That's right, this trapping formation can be controlled by Basong. Or to put it another way, it was Bodhidharma who set up this trapping formation, and before he left, he left a "state letter" for the royal family.

This national book records many things, including the method for activating and transforming this demon-trapping formation.

However, only emperors throughout history knew about this matter; even princes were not entitled to know about it before they ascended the throne.

All of Siam knows one thing: once you enter the Demon-Trapping Formation, it's very difficult to get out.

That's for sure, because every time someone inside finds the right way out, someone outside can change the environment inside and let them out first—that would be a joke.

The only person who emerged from the Demon-Trapping Array two hundred years ago, after taking twenty years to do so, was actually a member of the royal family. The royal family originally intended to trap him inside to death, thus preserving the mystery of the Demon-Trapping Array.

The word got out that the Demon-Trapping Formation was a death trap, and that for thousands of years, no one who entered it had ever come out alive.

Such rumors are beneficial to the dignity of the royal family.

But that person was lucky two hundred years ago. He accidentally entered the Demon-Trapping Array and was supposed to die inside, but the royal family wanted to use his death to preserve the mysterious curse that prevented anyone from ever escaping the Demon-Trapping Array.

This created a mysterious atmosphere of rule over the people, but some problems arose in the process.

That's because this guy was incredibly lucky. During the twenty years he was imprisoned, a large-scale rebellion broke out within the royal family, leading to a reshuffling of the royal family. His son unexpectedly became emperor during this battle.

After learning the truth about the Demon-Trapping Array, the son finally released his father.

He became the only person in a thousand years to escape from the Demon-Trapping Array.

Basong later gained control of the royal family and learned about these events. He also mastered the method to control the Demon-Trapping Array. When the Holy Church guards reported that the Demon-Trapping Array had rioted, Basong immediately put aside everything and returned to Siam to deal with the situation.

Basong didn't take the so-called coalition of nations in Southeast Asia seriously, but if he provoked Fang Guozhen to come out of the Demon-Trapping Array, that would be too terrifying. Fang Guozhen was no ordinary person; he was a genuine third-stage Fusion God expert.

If he comes out, I'll be truly finished. How can a second-stage Molten God possibly defeat a third-stage one?

He couldn't even defeat Fang Guozhen. If Fang Guozhen escaped and returned to Shenlong Island to gather his old troops, he would be in danger. There are priorities, and he knew without asking that Fang Guozhen was the person Basong was most worried about right now.

But who could have imagined that he had just finished dealing with domestic affairs when he received news that the Prince of Wuping had been defeated and killed.

Doesn't this Prince Wuping usually claim to be the number one warrior in Southeast Asia?
Is it not boasting about their unparalleled military prowess, claiming that dealing with the Southeast Asian countries is a piece of cake?
Weren't you usually incredibly arrogant? How come you were defeated in a single battle, and even killed? With such a laughable record, what face do you have to boast about?

A full hundred warships and thirty thousand elite naval troops, and you wiped them all out in one battle! You're truly a piece of trash!
Basong clenched his fists in anger, cursing Wu Pingwang in his heart: "Useless, utterly useless!"
But cursing now is definitely useless; he can only be secretly annoyed. The most important thing next is to take Conch Island, which has extremely high strategic value.

Only by seizing Conch Island can the Strait of Soma be contained, allowing for both offensive and defensive maneuvers. If Conch Island is lost, the entire Siamese navy will be limited to defense and will find it difficult to launch a counterattack.

Therefore, this time, we must take Conch Island!

Basong immediately made a battle plan: they had to take Conch Island.

At this moment, Basong said, "Go and investigate the troop deployment on Conch Island and the commander's troop usage habits."

"Yes."

My subordinate went immediately, and a short while later, a large seagull flapped its wings and flew away.

Conch Island.

After the initial celebrations on Conch Island, Libona summoned all the high-ranking officers of the Nanyang Allied Forces and announced that the crisis in Nanyang was not resolved and that a fleet was currently sailing towards them.

That's right, it's the fleet of the Holy Church of Siam, and the navy that came to conquer it also included the royal advisor of Siam, Prasong!

After he finished speaking, everyone present stared wide-eyed at Li Bona in disbelief.

"Ba, Basong is coming!"

Basong's power was terrifying. You should know that on this ocean, apart from the Dragon King, the strongest person was this Siamese national teacher.

Moreover, the status of this Siamese national advisor has been rising recently. Why? Because he also tricked the Dragon King, the one who ruled the South China Sea for twenty years and established the rules for piracy.

If such a terrifying being was dealt with by Basong, then wouldn't they be even more vulnerable?

Thinking of all this, the Nanyang Allied Forces were filled with unease.

Libona then spoke up, "Gentlemen, I'm not saying this to make you uneasy. What I want to say is that as long as we are united, even if the Siamese royal advisor comes, we may not necessarily lose."

"First of all, we have more people and more ships. Although Basong has brought his elite troops, they only have thirty ships, while we have more than eighty. The advantage is on our side."

"In addition, we also have the God of War. Since the God of War could lead us to defeat King Wuping, he can also lead us to defeat Basong."

"Therefore, as long as we unite and are under the command of the God of War, we will surely be invincible!"

Hearing this, the Nanyang Allied Army was invigorated. Yes, we still have the God of War. With the God of War here, we will not lose on the battlefield!

This was the prestige that Zhang Dingbian had built up from one battle to another. Therefore, whenever the God of War was mentioned, the morale of the Nanyang Allied Army soared. It was clear that they truly believed that as long as the God of War was there, they could not possibly lose.

With this mindset, everyone regained their confidence in battle. However, someone still said, "Grand Preceptor, we are not afraid on the battlefield, but the enemy has a Basong who has reached the second level of the Molten God realm... we..."

"Not afraid!"

Libona then spoke up: "Everyone, don't be afraid of them. We have the support of the military formation. Although I can't beat Basong, with the support of the military formation, he won't be able to defeat me in a short time. As long as we can hold out for an hour, the God of War will be able to break through the enemy's military formation. At that time, he will not have the support of the military formation, while I will have the support of the military formation. So what if he is a second-stage Fusion God?"

Libona looked confident. So what if he was a second-stage Molten God? As long as he could defeat his fleet and then use the strength of his own fleet's formation, he might be able to put up a fight against Basong, a second-stage Molten God.

Therefore, this battle is still ongoing.

In addition, there is a Chen Jiu Si hiding on his own island who is even stronger than himself. He can even kill the King of Wuping. If he really unleashes his power, his strength is probably no weaker than the second level of the Fusion God.
With him and myself, the two Molten Gods can transform, so even if we can't beat Basong, we won't be defeated. So we have a chance to win this round!
Libona thought for a moment and then said, "So, you don't need to worry about the opponent's strongmen. I'll handle them. You just need to focus on your own battles."

"Moreover, the Siamese National Preceptor, Pasong, has come here to annihilate our Southeast Asian Allied Forces. We have no other way but to win. Remember this, everyone!"

After saying this, Li Bona said, "The army will arrive tomorrow afternoon. I hope all the troops will be encouraged. As for the specific military deployment, the God of War will be in charge of the arrangements. I will go into seclusion to cultivate and do my best to prepare for tomorrow's great battle."

"Alright, now let the God of War make the specific arrangements!"

After hearing Li Bona's words, Zhang Dingbian slowly walked up to the high platform. Li Bona stepped down, having already stopped concerning himself with specific military affairs.

Zhang Dingbian arrived at the high platform and immediately said, "The army of Siam is approaching. We cannot sit idly by and wait to die, or we will surely perish."

"Therefore, we must have sufficient mental fortitude to face the upcoming battles in order to achieve victory." "So, please feel free to share your thoughts on the upcoming defenses. I will answer your questions first, and then explain the formation method to you so that you can understand!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers of the Nanyang Army below exchanged glances and then began to whisper among themselves.

However, there were no constructive suggestions. At this moment, someone said, "Let the God of War explain your formation method."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dingbian said, "Alright, that's feasible. Let me share my thoughts. My idea is actually quite simple: in this battle, we should take the initiative."

"Take the initiative?"

The various naval forces in the South China Sea were all taken aback. At this moment, someone asked, "How should we launch a preemptive strike?"

Zhang Dingbian said, "I have decided to ambush the Siamese fleet in the waters off Jialuo, three nautical miles from Conch Island!"

"what!"

Upon hearing this, the various Nanyang troops present were all taken aback. Good heavens, they had never heard of such a tactic: ambush against the Siamese army.

Keep in mind that the Siamese fleet is led by the Siamese Grand Master Pasong, who is a second-level Molten God, and his fleet is the most powerful Holy Church fleet. You still want to take the initiative to attack such a terrifying force.

Are you asking for death?
The various armies of the South Seas looked at each other in bewilderment. Although they trusted the God of War, the plan was too audacious, causing them to involuntarily back down. They looked at each other as if to say, "Are we really going to play this big?"
Everyone fell silent. Zhang Dingbian looked at everyone, and even Li Bona, who had indicated that he would not participate in the next military deployment, stopped in his tracks with a furrowed brow.

He was also surprised by Zhang Dingbian's proactive plan.

He took a deep breath, pondered for a moment, and then said, "God of War!"

Zhang Dingbian was not puzzled when Li Bona spoke, because he knew that with the military skills of these Nanyang soldiers, they would definitely not be able to see the subtlety of his move.

Or rather, his move wasn't particularly clever. Any normal Han Chinese general, after analyzing the situation, would likely have come to the same conclusion: they had to take the initiative.

But Li Bona didn't understand, and neither did these Southeast Asian armies. In other words, Zhang Dingbian even thought that these Southeast Asian armies were not armies at all, but a group of bandits who only knew how to fight when things were going well. They had no good military skills and were just a bunch of makeshift brigades.

This army was undisciplined. The soldiers were brave but disregarded discipline. When it came to fighting, they only knew how to charge recklessly. To be honest, Zhang Dingbian's ability to command them truly demonstrated his excellent military skills.

This would be really difficult for an average person.

The most important thing for an army is to obey discipline, but don't forget that this is a coalition army. What does coalition mean?
Everyone understands, right? They're a group of guys, each with their own ulterior motives, their own schemes, and their own plans. It's safe to say that getting them to work together is something no ordinary person can do.

Before Zhang Dingbian arrived, it was Li Bona who did this work, but he was beaten so badly by Wu Pingwang that he was reduced to a coward. The Siamese national teacher could have wiped out this motley crew of Southeast Asia without Li Bona's intervention.

Zhang Dingbian's brilliance lies in his ability to turn the tide and unite this disorganized group, thus giving them the strength to fight against King Wuping.

Calling him a god of war is not a compliment; given his achievements, calling him a god of war is perfectly justified.

It was precisely because of this kind of army that Zhang Dingbian chose a relatively aggressive proactive attack. If he hadn't taken the initiative and had instead been forced to retaliate passively, the entire army could have easily collapsed if it had fallen into a slight disadvantage.

Don't be fooled by how loudly the various armies of Southeast Asia are shouting now; they'll run faster than anyone else when faced with an upwind wind.

If these Nanyang armies possessed even half the military prowess of any one of the four major army corps of Huangzhou Prefecture, Zhang Dingbian could handle the situation with ease, capable of both offense and defense, without any problems.

But this is a coalition force.

Let alone the Nanyang Allied Forces, even the six states that destroyed Qin back then—that allied force of six states was elite enough, right?—wasn't it still destroyed by the Qin family alone?
Therefore, the Allied Forces are the least reliable military units. Even Zhang Dingbian sometimes finds them troublesome, let alone the enemy they are facing this time, who clearly has ill intentions.

However, Zhang Dingbian could not say these things outright.

Are you suggesting that he tell the Allied forces: "You are the worst army I have ever seen, worse than a pile of rubbish on the roadside. If you weren't so trash, would I be in such a difficult situation?"

Obviously, you can't say that. If you did, the Nanyang Army would be in an uproar.

This bunch of noobs are not only incompetent, but also have very fragile mental fortitude. They insist on calling themselves the bravest men of the sea. Zhang Dingbian even said that to deal with them, all you need is thirty warships and soldiers from Huangzhou Prefecture, and he can beat them so badly they can't even find their way north.

A bunch of trash insisting on calling themselves powerful is utterly laughable.

Of course, Zhang Dingbian also had to admit that the Siamese navy was a bunch of trash, with lax discipline, at most only slightly better than the navies of the Southeast Asian countries.

If the Siamese navy were like the soldiers of Huangzhou Prefecture, Zhang Dingbian wouldn't be confident of winning this battle.

It's fair to say that we owe our success today entirely to the contrast provided by our peers!

At this moment, Li Bona stopped and looked at Zhang Dingbian. Zhang Dingbian remained calm and looked at Li Bona: "What advice does the Imperial Preceptor have?"

Libona said, "God of War, I shouldn't have asked this question, but I have to get it off my chest. You said we should take the initiative, but we've already occupied Conch Island. Why can't we use the advantages of Conch Island to counterattack the Siamese army?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dingbian looked at Li Bona and asked, "What are the advantages of Conch Island?"

"For example, the patrol guns on the shore!"

Zhang Dingbian said, "There are a total of 236 patrol cannons around Conch Island."

"It can form a dense network of fire when enemy ships approach; it should have been considered a formidable weapon."

"That's right, why not use such a powerful weapon instead of going out to sea to fight them at sea?"

Zhang Dingbian said, "That's a good question. Why is that?"

Chen Jie suddenly turned his head and looked at the Nanyang Army not far away, where several guys were looking down in embarrassment.

Zhang Dingbian said, "Because during the attack, these patrol guns were all destroyed. Of the 236 patrol guns, no more than 36 are usable now. You need to use 36 guns to defend Conch Island."

"Only thirty-six doors left?"

Libona was also shocked. He knew how powerful the patrol cannons were, but now they had all been destroyed. Wasn't this a waste of resources?

Thinking about it, he looked at Zhang Dingbian, wanting to ask who had sabotaged it, but even a fool could tell that it was those disobedient pirates of the Nanyang Allied Forces. These pirates had been bombarded by these patrol cannons many times before, suffering countless deaths and injuries, and everyone hated these patrol cannons to the bone.

Now, it's not hard to understand why they want to blow up these patrol guns.

Thinking this through, Libona took a deep breath and asked, "Then, can taking the initiative effectively contain the enemy?"

Zhang Dingbian said, "First, we have a lot of ships now. Including our own ships and those we captured from the Siamese army, we have about 120 ships capable of fighting."

"One hundred and twenty ships means one hundred and twenty main guns, which is much more powerful than the thirty-six patrol guns on the island."

"Moreover, the ship is in motion, so it will take the enemy some effort to destroy our cannons."

"Finally, there's the Jialuo Sea area. There are two islands on either side of it that can block our fleet. We can ambush them from here and catch the Siamese army off guard, thus maximizing our advantages!"

"Imperial Preceptor, do you have any further questions?"

Upon hearing this, Libona glanced at the nautical chart and then laughed heartily, "Hahaha... What the God of War says is true. After the God of War's explanation, I suddenly understand."

"You all said you would listen to the God of War, yet you still have so many questions. That's foolish. Alright, listen to the God of War's arrangements. God of War, I'm going to rest now."

Li Bona spoke with a smile on his face, as if he had just questioned whether Zhang Dingbian was him.

Thus, Zhang Dingbian began to devise tactics, while Li Bona went into seclusion for recuperation.

Fang Susu and the others had nothing to do but wait, while Chen Jie had already entered the secluded cultivation place, preparing to begin his work to break through to the second level of the Fusion God realm.

This was the former residence of the Prince of Wuping, and it was very quiet. At this moment, Chen Jie glanced at Du Xiong, who was guarding the door, and said, "A Xiong, my safety is in your hands now!"

Du Xiong replied, "My lord, rest assured, I guarantee that not even a fly will be able to get in during your seclusion."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie nodded slightly and said, "Okay, I trust you to do things."

"Wait till I come out."

With that, Chen Jie entered the secluded cultivation area to attempt the second stage of the Fusion God realm!

(End of this chapter)