After the fairy disappeared

Chapter 2714 Meaningful Resistance
The inner and outer lakes of Shumin Academy were originally filled with blooming lotus flowers, creating a picturesque scene. However, they have now been converted into paddy fields, where rice is not grown but a special creature is raised: water cicadas.

It looks like a cicada, but it's twice as big and doesn't make a fuss; it just likes to fight in the water. The inhabitants of Panlong Wasteland have long known that it's edible and has a special fragrant aroma. The Shumin Academy experimented with more than 1,300 kinds of insects and finally selected three, including the water cicada, as food for the army.

Under the dual effects of the Emperor's Flowing Essence and the Catalysis of Divine Blood, the new type of water cicada can double in size, with plump and elastic meat. It is also easy to prepare; simply scoop it up and bake it. Each cicada has a lot of meat and is easy to remove from its shell.

With abundant spiritual energy from heaven and earth, the growth rate of pigs, chickens, cattle, and sheep has greatly improved, and the time to market has been shortened from five or seven months to three or four months. However, they are still inferior to insects.

The growth cycle of the new water cicada is two and a half days.

Provided there is sufficient food, the entire process from egg to adult takes only twenty-eight hours. Furthermore, they are highly nutritious, comparable to beef, and even have a high fat content. After drying, they are lighter, less prone to spoilage, and have a delicious flavor, making them easier to transport than other meats.

Therefore, as early as three months ago, cicadas were one of the main food sources for the Panlong Army. Every twenty hours or so, the Shumin Academy would harvest a batch of cicadas, and women and children from all over the city would take turns to work, catching, washing, drying, and peeling them, and finally handing the finished products over to the logistics army to be transported to the front line.

These creatures are incredibly ferocious and large, and injuries are common during their capture. However, these insects are already the best meat that Panlong City can produce itself. If it weren't for the innovation of the Shumin Academy, the soldiers on the front lines would have long since run out of meat and would hardly have the strength to fight.

Of course, Panlong City's military supplies shortages weren't limited to just meat; weapons, arrows, elixirs, machine parts, and oil were all completely depleted. Facing an enemy force of nearly two million on both the southern and eastern fronts of the wasteland simultaneously was a challenge of at least hellish difficulty. Yet, General Tiger Wing and General Red managed to hold their ground; no one could explain how they accomplished it.

If Panlongcheng could hold out until the end, this war would not only be remembered for eternity, but would also be a significant chapter in history.

As the king of Panlong who coordinates the rear, Zhong Shengguang's steps were somewhat heavy.

His gaze fell on the wall covered with firecracker flowers.

Is it early spring again?
Every year at this time, the orange flower clusters of the firecracker flower grow wildly and spread like wildfire across the entire wall until no one can tell what the wall was originally.

This happens every year.

This is the earliest wall of the Shumin Academy, which he and Xu Shichu built together more than 30 years ago. Zhong Shengguang felt as if he had returned to 30 years ago.

At that time, Panlong City was surrounded by powerful enemies and its survival was precarious. The soldiers and civilians lacked food and clothing, and its territory was constantly being shrunk...

He and Panlong worked together for thirty years, so why does it seem like they've returned to square one?
Faced with Bega's extreme pressure, Zhong Shengguang didn't know how much longer Panlong could hold on, nor did he know how much longer he could hold on.

Seeing the sunrise every morning is a precious victory for him.

At least, it has been delayed for another day.

Panlong has already created the miracle of standing firm against Beijia, but maintaining this miracle is extremely difficult.

When will the dawn that he and Panlong have been waiting for finally appear?

He is now certain that the strategic policy proposed by General Huyi is generally sound, and Panlong has been working towards that goal. However, having firm belief is one thing, and reality is another.

The "Heart-wrenching" formula will definitely intensify the conflict between the Demon Emperor and the Heavenly Demon, but when and to what extent this conflict will truly erupt depends on the Demon Emperor's personality and tactics and the Heavenly Demon's response.

Neither of these matters is within Panlong's control. Simply put, those are internal affairs of Bega, and Panlong has never reached a level where he can influence them.

Therefore, Panlong could only wait and grit his teeth and persevere.

Some soldiers expressed doubts. Although the Panlong people were indomitable, they still hoped that their leader could give them a definite answer.

All our struggles are meaningful, aren't they?

Zhong Shengguang let out a long breath. When the surrounding residents greeted him, he still smiled and nodded in response.

He is the soul of Panlong, and his composure will inspire everyone in this city.

But the only good news these days is that Baling has stopped his attack.

In previous years, Xianyou was destroyed by Panlong, and Baling was also beaten badly and had to ask Beijia for help. In the past two years, Beijia raised an army to conquer Panlong, and Baling also rallied to help, repeatedly invading the northern part of Panlong Wasteland, coordinating with Beijia's army from the north and east.

In the past, Panlong would have scorned this defeated opponent and could have easily slapped him across the face; but under Beijia's strong suppression, Baling's harassment was like a thorn in his back, making Panlong grimace.

However, two months after Fu Shanlie presented the "Heart-Binding" formula to the Demon Emperor, Baling's southern invasion ceased. This was a positive sign, because Baling's invasion of Panlong Wasteland was essentially driven by Beijia. The cessation of hostilities indicated that the Demon Emperor no longer wished for Panlong to truly fall.

The winds have shifted, and Baling has always been the quickest to change course, whether now or two hundred years from now.

However, the surrounding smaller nations weren't as perceptive of the changing tides. Most only saw Bega exerting all his pressure on Panlong and assumed Panlong's fate was sealed. This was based on experience, as no human power in the past four hundred years had been a match for Bega. Therefore, they directly sided with Bega, with only a few wavering.

When dealing with wavering small countries and forces, Panlong doesn't respond with harsh words as ordinary people might imagine. Instead, he adopts a proactive approach and tries his best to win them over.

Everyone is afraid in the face of power. This applies not only to individuals but also to nations.

When Zhong Shengguang inspected the Shumin Academy, a student loudly asked why they didn't teach these opportunists a lesson.
What young people hate most is being two-faced and opportunistic.

Zhong Shengguang, however, said that seeking advantage and avoiding harm, and admiring the strong and bullying the weak, are both human nature and national characteristics.

When you are weak, when you are too busy to pay attention, they will not be afraid of you.

When you are strong, they will naturally attach themselves to you, and you don't need to take special action to show them any power.

If we believe that we will eventually turn the tables and win, we don't need to care about their attitude at this time. Instead, we should repair the road so that they can come and worship us later.

Zhong Shengguang walked against the wind, trying to calm the chaotic thoughts in his mind. Just then, the sound of flapping wings came from above, and a red figure landed, landing abruptly on a roadside tree beside him: "Your Majesty, a message from Lingshan is urgent!"