Douluo: Rock King, the King of the World

Chapter 81 The Emperor's Long-term Concerns

The Sun-Moon Continent has a large population, a vast territory, and a relatively advanced civilization, unlike the other two continents on this planet. And according to the progress of this world, it won't be long before the Sun-Moon Continent collides with the Douluo Continent and becomes a major threat to the Douluo Continent.

And now, even though they are separated by an ocean, the dark hand of the Sun Moon Continent has already reached out. If the problem of the Sun Moon Continent is not solved in time, I am afraid that there will be endless troubles.

"In my opinion, there is no need to rush to resolve the issue of the Sun and Moon Continent in the far sea. After all, according to what you said, it will take thousands of years for the two continents to collide if nothing unexpected happens."

The First Emperor spoke slowly in Zhongli's mind.

As one of Zhongli's martial souls in this world, the First Emperor is now able to materialize his own form, which can be regarded as Zhongli's trump card.

"If it were me, I might consider building a Great Wall defense line around the sea, waiting for the day when the continents collide. At the same time, I could also guard against invasion and harassment from the enemy crossing the sea before the continents collide, and protect the people. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone."

"I thought not."

This time, Zhongli shook his head and put his hands behind his back.

"Building the Great Wall is a waste of money and manpower, but it may not be able to stop the enemy. In my world in the past, the humans of the ancient dynasty also built walls and defenses to defend against mountain beasts and enemies from the abyss under the guidance of Sky Island. However, in the war between demons and gods, how could they really stop the iron hooves of the immortals? There is no Great Wall on the land of Liyue today. I, Morax, do not need the Great Wall!"

There was a hint of arrogance in Zhongli's voice, which made the First Emperor stunned.

"In fact, building a Great Wall to protect oneself is a cowardly agricultural way of thinking for humans. The idea of ​​the immortals is different. Instead of relying on the protection of the sheepfold like a sheep, it is better to take the initiative to attack like the wolf of the north wind!"

Zhongli's usually calm voice now had a hint of iron and blood, as if he had returned to the era of the war between demons and gods.

"You mean that instead of building a wall to protect ourselves, we should pursue them relentlessly, chase them down and completely eliminate the enemies outside the region?"

The First Emperor's eyes gradually brightened and he spoke.

"Yes. That's right. Building the Great Wall is a waste of money and manpower, and it will take a lot of manpower and material resources to maintain it over the long term. Instead of wasting that energy, it would be better to work hard to expand the territory and unite the mountains and rivers. Wherever the Thousand Rocks Army's flags go, it is the territory of Liyue, regardless of whether it is the human world or the outside world."

Zhongli nodded, his amber eyes as steady as a rock, and said.

"You have such courage. Good, good, good. I will wait and see the day when all races will be united."

The First Emperor sighed lightly and said no more.

At this time, the Snow Queen also sent a report, telling Zhongli that the Xingdou Great Forest had officially surrendered to the Tianli Empire, and the sleeping Silver Dragon King had actually personally presented a letter of surrender.

Zhongli nodded. The Xingdou Great Forest has many strong men, even more than the Far North. With the formal surrender of the Xingdou Great Forest, the only thing left is the Demon Forest on the Sun and Moon Continent. The size of the Immortal Army can be greatly expanded again, which is enough to make up for the previous losses.

In the extreme north of Douluo Continent, a large number of tents began to be built and supplies began to be stockpiled in preparation for the conquest and attack on Sun and Moon Continent.

Zhongli rejected the plan to attack the Sun Moon Continent by water from the beginning. First, because of the sea migration order, the entire western coast of Douluo Continent had been abandoned, and there was a lack of conditions for building warships; second, the ocean was far away, and there were too many sea soul beasts on the sea. If they crossed the ocean, there would be too many dangers and difficulties, and the sea was not conducive to the performance of land soul beasts that were only familiar with land warfare.

His plan was to wait until the ice sea west of the Far North froze over a large area in winter, and then the army would directly pass through the ice and attack the Sun and Moon Continent. If they encountered unfrozen areas, the many strong men in the Far North could fill in the gaps and build a road and bridge for winter marches.

"Emperor, we can't fight anymore. Didn't you say that you wanted to let the entire Douluo Continent rest and recuperate? Why do you still want to attack the remote and barren Sun and Moon Continent? The people can't stand it anymore."

Ovilec, the former prime minister of the Tiandou Empire and now an important official of the Tianli Empire, looked at Zhongli and said with a worried look on his face. "It has been five years since the unification of the continent and the quelling of the Three Sects. If we don't take action, the enemies of the Sun and Moon Continent and the God Realm will not wait for us. As an old official, you should also understand the trade-offs of many things."

Zhongli put down the red pen he was using to mark the files, sighed softly, and said.

"If it were an ordinary time, I would naturally support the Emperor's decision. But now is different from the ordinary! Natural disasters and catastrophes are happening one after another, and the people are beginning to get restless. The remnants of the former 'Empress' have also begun to move in secret. If... If, alas."

The old minister sighed and said.

Zhongli naturally understood that what the old minister said was not false.

The death of a demon god will have a certain impact on the vast land, environment, and even the entire world. For example, on the continent of Teyvat, the death of the salt demon god destroyed an entire piece of land.

And now, there are already two demons that have fallen in Douluo Continent and its surrounding areas, including Osel and the Demon of Dreams. Given the fragile environment of this world, how could it not be severely affected?

In fact, horrific natural disasters and famines have plagued the entire Douluo Continent for three years, and countless lives have been harmed. If it weren't for the might of the Immortal Army and the Qianyan Army, I'm afraid the entire Tianli Empire would have been in chaos long ago.

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Ovilec, don't you understand?"

Zhongli stood up, took two steps, and let out a soft sigh.

"Emperor, what do you mean?"

"Do you think that the population of the Tianli Empire is too many or too few?"

Emperor Yan Wang asked with a gloomy look in his eyes.

"Of course, there are fewer people, too few. When the Xingluo Empire was unified, there were many casualties and the population was reduced by more than half. This was also a helpless move. Later, there was the rebellion of the Three Sects and consecutive years of famine and drought. There were also the labor communes of the immortals. Many people who loved leisure and idleness found it difficult to adapt and suffered the punishment of eating rocks. Today, the population of Douluo Continent is probably only five out of ten compared to its heyday."

Ovilec sighed and said with a bitter face.

"You are wrong. Normally, there is strength in numbers. However, when times get tough, the more people there are, the better. The fewer people there are, the more resources can be distributed on average, and the easier it is to work together to overcome difficulties. If there are too many people, they will not be able to work together, and will not be able to help each other. Not only will they not be able to overcome the difficulties, but more trouble will arise!"

Zhongli sighed and said.

"Emperor, this, this."

Ovilec's heart suddenly trembled, and then a chill ran down his spine.

"More people are not necessarily better than fewer. The Xing Luo Empire had a territory of tens of millions, but what was the use? Human power is more valuable when it is quality, when it is sincere and united, when it is loyal and hardworking, rather than when it is quantity. This is especially true when it comes to extraordinary times. Heaven created all things to nourish man, but man has nothing to repay Heaven."

Zhongli turned his back to Ovilec, and his calm voice stirred endless ripples and chills in the heart of this old minister. However, he also understood that what the emperor said was right. As superiors, they must look at some things rationally instead of deceiving themselves.

There are too many useless people in this world. They don't contribute much value on weekdays, but when the situation gets tough, they will become sparks of unrest. They are not the masses who can promote social progress, but a group of tumors that hinder the development of social productivity and the Tianli Holy War. If we treat these people with kindness and justice, it would be irresponsible to the truly enterprising masses.

He couldn't help but think of the story that the Emperor once told him, when the Demon God War in another world was at its most difficult, the Immortal Army killed "people without food" and "people without grain". In order to save the world and the people, he had to make this decision. At this moment, a hint of determination flashed in the eyes of the old minister.

(End of this chapter)