After the fairy disappeared

Chapter 2682 The Light Chasers Walk Towards the Light
Once he had a goal and a plan, he felt much clearer-headed.

Whether it was him, or General Hong and He Lingchuan, they always reserved the most difficult battles and the most troublesome enemies for themselves.

Such a person is destined to bear a heavy responsibility that others cannot.

He turned to He Lingchuan: "Let's discuss the battle arrangements in the wasteland."

"We must do our utmost in the sniping battle in the southern wasteland, but if the defense line breaks and the Bega army invades the southern wasteland, I predict that Kuangjiao Town, Mengshan Mountain, and Bailiao will become the three places that Bega will fight for." He Lingchuan tapped the southern wasteland three times on the sand table, which formed a triangle. "Mengshan Mountain is a rare high mountain in the southern wasteland, and the enemy will seize the high ground; Kuangjiao Town is our important transportation hub and southern hub, and Bega will not let it go; Bailiao is the confluence of three rivers and lakes. As long as we capture it, it will be convenient to travel by boat to any place, and we can also threaten many large cities in the north."

Wen Daolun also said, "Even if the enemy forces invading from the south rush into the wasteland, they won't just run around like a flood. After all, this is Panlong's territory. Their forces are too scattered and disorganized, making them easy for us to encircle. Even if they try to fight with superior numbers and plunder along the way, they will most likely be forced to retreat to these three locations in the end."

The wasteland is not a plain; it consists of hills and thickets. If Bega were to advance here, he would have to carefully plan his route; he couldn't simply launch a haphazard attack.

If the enemy is determined to plan, then there will be clues to follow.

“These three locations form a strategic triangle, and we will use them as strongholds, implementing a scorched-earth policy, and maneuvering against the Bega within a hundred miles of them.” Zhong Shengguang’s face was frosty. “However, if Longhou Pass is breached, another Bega army will invade the wasteland from east to west. We must then block the enemy at Hebi and Baizhang Pass…”

For the next hour, the four of them discussed their strategy.

The core can be summed up in twelve words:
Fight tenaciously, retreat in an orderly manner, and hold the heartland.

There are many nuances to consider when to fight to the death and when to retreat.

Zhong Shengguang was not so arrogant as to think he could retain all the territory, so he needed to study how to evacuate the military and civilians, how to shrink the defensive perimeter to increase the defensive strength, and so on.

Finally, he took a deep breath:

"The autumn harvest season is over, it's time for Bega to experience how tough autumn and winter are in the wasteland."

After the revival of spiritual energy, the distinct seasons of Panlong Wasteland became even more pronounced, with summers as hot as winters. Two years ago, an elderly wasteland elephant froze to death on the Gobi Desert.

"General Hong's interception of the enemy's rear will take at least a month to show its results." No matter how powerful General Hong is, he has limited manpower, the Maohe Plain is vast, and there is more than one logistics route for Bega.

Once news of this red plague ravaging the Maohe Plain spreads, Bega's logistics will truly be affected.

"It will take another month and a half or two months for this impact to reach the front lines of Bega," He Lingchuan summarized. "In other words, we need to withstand the full-scale attack of the Bega army for at least three or four months before the chaos in Bega's logistics seriously affects the combat effectiveness of the front-line army, and only then can the pressure we are under be reduced."

"During this period, Panlong will provide full support, even if it means giving everything we have."

Zhong Shengguang's words were a solemn promise, and also represented that Panlong was about to enter the most brutal, tragic, and bloody war since the founding of the nation.

All four people present knew very well that Zhong Shengguang agreed to General Huyi's proposal in order to start a high-stakes gamble.

They were betting that General Red could successfully disrupt Bega's rear and cut off Bega's supply lines.

If the Red General fails or is captured, they will have lost their bet.

They also gambled that Panlong could withstand the full-scale attack of the Bega army on the wasteland within the next three months, at least holding onto the core territory.

If Bega's army breaks through the inner defensive perimeter and advances on Panlong City, they will have lost their gamble.

The battles behind enemy lines and on the front lines are both hellishly difficult, but Panlong cannot afford to lose either side.

Often, war requires a desperate gamble, especially when the opponent is far stronger than you.

This is called achieving great results with minimal investment.

If we fail, it's like feeding meat buns to dogs.

"Our short-term goal is to outlast Bega until his logistics are in chaos and his frontline forces are weakened, then we can turn defense into offense; our long-term goal is to persevere and wait for the 'Heart-Tendering' secret medicine formula incident to throw Bega into chaos. Perhaps only then will Panlong's crisis be truly resolved." Zhong Shengguang's eyes shone brightly. "The road ahead is long and arduous, we must work together!"

Both of the Empire's stars responded solemnly.

Zhong Shengguang looked at He Lingchuan with great satisfaction: "I knew that once you woke up, Panlong would definitely usher in a brand new era."

He Lingchuan said proudly, "I have honed my skills for more than ten years for this day, how could I be absent?"

The three-person meeting ended there, and Zhong Shengguang was the first to hang up and leave.

General Hong then asked He Lingchuan, "Your strategy is too bold. How do you know the king will definitely agree?"

"Not necessarily." He Lingchuan shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "I'm just making a suggestion; I'm not sure if His Majesty will accept it."

But deep down he knew that General Hong was right. Although his strategy was bold and risky, Zhong Shengguang would definitely adopt it.

Because Panlong had truly run out of options.

Panlong and the Shen Kingdom of later generations both faced the same formidable enemy. Panlong magnified the Shen Kingdom's predicament against Bega tenfold.

The gods, now aware of the Great Pot's whereabouts, showed no mercy to Panlong. And if Bega were to unleash his full power against Panlong—note, only "full power," not yet "at all costs"—Panlong would have no chance of survival.

The two countries are simply not on the same level in terms of territory, population, size, and overall strength. Therefore, even with an iron will, Zhong Shengguang felt utterly powerless in the face of Bega's plan to annihilate Panlong.

Although He Lingchuan's strategy was a huge gamble, and one wrong move could lead to total defeat, it was also the only glimmer of hope that Zhong Shengguang had seen so far.

When people have walked in the darkness of despair for a long time, they are willing to pursue any glimmer of light ahead with all their might.

The opponent was not even in the same league, so Panlong could only try to win big with a small investment and take a risk.

Therefore, He Lingchuan was certain that Zhong Shengguang would agree, because from the perspective of the Nine Nether Emperor, this was Panlong's only way out.

If even the Nine Nether Emperor thinks so, Zhong Shengguang has even less reason to refuse.

In this strategy, General Red was actually the one with the most relaxed mindset. Although fighting behind enemy lines was extremely dangerous, she only needed to go all out and use her strengths; she didn't have to think about anything else.

The hard-won "Imperial Twin Stars" were separated, and facing the invading Bega army in the wasteland, He Lingchuan, as the commander-in-chief of Panlong, had to take overall command and could not afford to make any mistakes.

But in the world of Panlong, he is merely "handsome," and can still freely command troops and talk about strategy.

The real pressure was all on Zhong Shengguang.