Above the mage!

Chapter 552 Mobilization before the war
The decision to "unify the northern border" was approved and finalized by Gao De, and the three immediately shifted from "discussion" to "execution".

The three people present were not cowards, but rather decisive individuals.

As Sunefa said, the time is ripe.

The plan to unify the North had been in the works since Golden Ages ascended the throne.

In addition, although Gao De has been the king of the Zhenbing tribe for less than two years, Phoenix's development in those two years has been remarkable.

In addition, the tribal integration plan brought a large influx of people and ice-blooded mages to Phoenix.

Compared to two years ago, the overall strength of the Zhenbing tribe has more than doubled, which is no exaggeration.

Therefore, even if they were to wage war against the other two major tribes at the same time, the Zhenbing tribe and Sunefah were fully confident of victory.

All they need to do is minimize the losses as much as possible.

However, as Gao De once said, not all unification must rely on military unification.

At least on the Frostwolf Clan's side, the Zhenbing Tribe had already laid the groundwork.

"First, cut off the grain trade with the Frostwolf tribe. Our Northwest Barley No. 1 variety already accounts for more than half of their food source, which means we have their lifeline in our hands."

“After we run out of food, we just need to wait and see: if they surrender on their own initiative, we can bring them under our control without losing a single soldier.”

"If they resist, without food support, the snow wolf pack will soon suffer casualties due to food shortages, and may even riot."

To prevent a riot, they even had to kill about half of the snow wolves themselves.

"If that's the case, the morale of the Snow Wolves, as well as the hearts and fighting strength of their tribe members, will plummet to a low point. At that time, if we attack the Frostwolf Clan again, it will be effortless for us to take them down."

"What we need to do now is to concentrate our efforts on attacking Winter's Hammer."

"The reasons for sending troops are already quite sufficient. At the beginning of the year, their overstepping of your authority was a grave offense in the North."

"Taking down Winter's Hammer will also serve as a warning to the Frostwolf Clan, letting them know the strength of our race," Elsa quickly organized her thoughts and offered her suggestion.

“Agreed.” Gao De agreed succinctly, pointing his finger heavily at the settlement of the “Winter’s Hammer.” “Execute according to this plan. Elsa, you are responsible for coordinating the allocation of resources and manpower among the various departments of the city hall; Sunefa, you are in charge of the deployment of troops, and strive for a swift victory.”

When you have enough strength, you don't need much planning to start a war; just one word, "fight," is enough.

The "food control" of the Frostwolf Clan had long been part of the unified plan.

The initial purpose of opening the window for selling Northwest barley to them was not to earn resources, but to intentionally create a dependency between them and the company.

This dependence has now become the Frostwolf Clan's fatal weakness.

As for Winter's Hammer, if Dulinhuo hadn't been inside Winter's Hammer at the beginning of the year, they might have already been able to take it down.

Although the mages of Winterhammer are brave, their strength is no longer comparable to that of the current True Ice tribe.

Two years ago, the North was a three-way power struggle between three major tribes.

But now, it has become a single polarization.

The Zhenbing tribe is that extreme.

In this world, war has always been a game for mages and nobles.

The mages decide the outcome, the nobles divide the spoils, and the commoners simply obey orders and serve as cannon fodder.

They didn't know why they were fighting, nor did they care about the outcome of the war; they only knew to follow the army and fight.

This kind of "obedience without purpose" often leads to low morale in the army, and may even cause it to collapse at critical moments.

But the world often takes such "unreasonable" systems for granted.

But Gaode doesn't think that way.

A soul from another world made him firmly believe in one idea:
A truly powerful army must understand why it is fighting.

When you tie everyone to a chariot, your army will unleash tremendous fighting power.

With this idea in mind, Gao De decided to hold the first pre-war mobilization in Phoenix history.

On mobilization day, the newly built, huge central square in front of Phoenix City Hall was packed with Phoenix residents early in the morning.

The central square, built to accommodate 80,000 people during the city's construction, is paved with smooth bluestone slabs and surrounded by icicles. The reserved expansion space has not yet been used, but it already appears incredibly spacious.

Even so, the square was packed with people coming from all directions, and there were simply not enough people to go around it.

Because the pre-game promotional campaign had already begun in Phoenix two days prior.

In fact, Phoenix has not yet established a formal publicity system and methods in the strict sense.

However, Gaode has plenty of ways to deal with it.

He used a very down-to-earth approach to communication: starting with schools and students. All courses were temporarily changed into pre-battle mobilization sessions.

The blackboard had a prominent title:
This Sacred War

Below this, there is a subtitle that is particularly jarring:
"Yarna and Her Winter's Hammer Do Not Want the People of Phoenix to Live a Good Life."

Teachers, who had undergone emergency training, used simple, straightforward, and even aggressive language to announce Phoenix's plan to launch the Winter's Hammer to all the students.

Upon receiving the message, the children immediately informed their parents after returning home from school, without needing to explain further.

In just two days, through word of mouth, almost all the residents of Phoenix knew about this amazing news.

When Gao De and Sunaifa walked out of the city hall and onto the platform in front of Phoenix Central Plaza, the already enthusiastic atmosphere reached its peak.

The noisy discussions instantly turned into thunderous cheers.

The shouts of "My King!" and "War Mother!" swept across the square like a tidal wave, and even the surrounding icicles seemed to resonate with them.

Standing on the edge of the platform, Gaode looked down at the dense crowd below and felt a mix of emotions.

Once upon a time, he was just a student, but now he can face such occasions with ease and composure.

Gao De pressed his hand down, and the originally noisy square became quiet in just a few breaths, with only the "whooshing" sound of the cold wind blowing through the icicles remaining.

"Citizens of Phoenix!" With the aid of [Amplification], Gao De's voice was clearly transmitted to every corner of Phoenix's central square, and even to the streets outside the square.

"I am now addressing you!"

"I have gathered you all here today to announce an important message."

"A message that concerns the future of each and every one of us." His gaze turned serious, and his tone became even more solemn.

"At the beginning of this year, without any prior notice or warning, Yarna, the leader of Winter's Hammer, secretly instructed her subordinates to infiltrate Phoenix and plan an ambush against me."

"Her plan ultimately failed, but her overstepping of boundaries and her hostility toward Phoenix cannot be forgiven!"

"Her goal is simple: she doesn't want to see Phoenix prosper, and she doesn't want to see the people of Phoenix, that is, you, living the good life they couldn't have."

"She's delusional enough to try and destroy us with such despicable means, and she wants to plunder everything we have!"

"The life we ​​have today did not fall from the sky; it comes from your hard work and your own hands, not from any unjust or dishonest act. Her behavior was unjust and evil."

"Therefore, today, here, I announce to you that Phoenix will be marching on Winter's Hammer in two days."

"This is not a war of aggression, but a great war."

"Our cause is just! The enemy's cause is despicable and unjust!"

"I know some people will say that war is the business of the military and mages. But I want to tell you, it's not!"

Gao De's gaze swept across the square.

"War is not just a matter for one person, nor just a matter for the army, but a matter for everyone!"

"Farm workers, you are providing ample food and supplies to both the front lines and the rear!"

"City Hall staff, you..."

"Iceborn mages, fight bravely and crush the enemy with your power!"

"."

"All citizens of Phoenix, take action! Take action!"

"The enemy will be defeated, and we will be victorious!"

"Fight! For Phoenix! For our victory!"

Amidst the crowd's outrage, Gao De placed his right hand on the hilt of the sword "North Wind" at his waist, and suddenly drew the longsword, its blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
Faced with this situation, what is your choice?

The pre-arranged "extras" shouted at the opportune moment:

"Fight! For Phoenix! For our victory!"

That shout was like a spark that instantly ignited the entire square.

Everyone spontaneously raised their arms and shouted along:

"Fight! For Phoenix! For our victory!"

In the vast square, only this one voice remained.

This battle will become a collective choice made by all the citizens of Phoenix, not a decision made by God and Sunefa.

(End of this chapter)