Versatile Mage: Get the Desert Emperor clone at the start

Chapter 466 China's Defense Strategy

Speaker Shao Zheng took a deep breath and broke the awkward silence.

His voice carried a hint of weariness that was hard to conceal, but it also carried a sense of composure: "Everyone, everyone is here."

"Time is of the essence, so let's put aside pleasantries and wishful thinking and get straight to the point."

He stood up, walked to the huge global map, and pointed precisely to the location of the African continent.

There, a dazzling golden disc emblem radiates an undeniable brilliance.

"Based on all the intelligence we currently possess, the eye of this global upheaval is the Shurima demon empire entrenched on the African continent."

"What we do know is that the Shurima Empire not only completely unified Africa, but its military might extends to the Arctic continent."

"The Pacific and Atlantic Oceans have calmed down, and the Siren Empire seems to have been unified."

"Even the Kunlun Demon Kingdom, which borders us and has always been aloof, is now shrouded in that golden net of light, and its attitude is unclear!"

Shao Zheng's voice grew increasingly heavy, "We must soberly recognize a cruel reality—with the power that we human mages currently possess, whether in terms of the quantity and quality of forbidden spells or the level of high-end combat strength, we are far from being able to contend with these demonic empires."

He surveyed the entire scene, his gaze sweeping over every military officer and every family head, finally settling on the golden sky outside the window.

"Over the past thousands of years, the reason why we humans have been able to secure living space and establish base cities amidst the surrounding demons has largely depended on the mutual restraint and warfare between the major demon empires."

"They had no time to spare, which allowed us to catch our breath and develop."

“But now,” Shao Zheng’s voice suddenly rose, carrying a warning, “this balance has been broken!”

"An unprecedented, powerful, highly aggressive, and organized super demon empire is taking shape!"

"If... if all the demon empires were eventually conquered or annexed by Shurima, and integrated into a unified behemoth that obeys the same will..."

"Then, our human nations..."

He didn't say anything more, but everyone present understood the unspoken message.

Humanity will face a unified demon empire with overwhelming power!
To what extent will humanity's living space be compressed?
"The situation has reached its most critical juncture!" Shao Zheng returned to his seat, placed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and looked intently at everyone.

"We should brainstorm ideas and solutions, even those that are not yet fully developed, and share them with everyone."

"Now, any possible direction deserves our serious discussion."

However, he was met with a long silence.

Those present are all top figures in the Chinese magical community.

They understood that in the face of an absolute disparity in strength, any sophisticated tactics seemed to have lost their meaning.

A military officer from the eastern coast finally spoke up: "Speaker Shao Zheng, we understand your analysis."

"But the reality is that if... if those demon empires that have been incorporated into Shurima directly send their main forces, led by emperor-level demons, to attack our base cities at any cost... our existing defense system will probably... have no clear strategy to resist them."

An old general next to him sighed heavily, his wrinkles seeming to deepen: "Could it be... that after a thousand years of struggle, we are ultimately going to go back to the same old path?"

"Abandon the base city that you've worked so hard to build, and return to that era a thousand years ago... an era where you were hiding and barely surviving amidst countless demon tribes?"

"I don't want to admit it either, but what Old Li said might be the reality we have to face!" Another upright military officer slammed his fist on the table, his face full of pain and resentment. "On the front lines, we're already struggling to withstand an Emperor-level attack! Before, we could rely on the combined defenses of our city clusters and the power of the Forbidden Spell Society to hold our own, but now the enemy is a unified empire! I may be blunt, but this is reality!"

A heated discussion broke out in the meeting room.

Anxiety, pessimism, resentment, anger... a mix of emotions.

Some advocate pouring all resources into reinforcing the major core base cities and making a desperate last stand;
Some argue that the best strategy is to disperse resources and preserve the spark of hope.

The debate lasted for a long time.

Ultimately, under Shao Zheng's strong guidance and after repeated weighing of the pros and cons of all parties, a heavy and helpless preliminary response strategy was finalized.

Core principle: Abandon illusions, prepare for a protracted struggle, and prioritize the preservation of human life.

The specific plan is as follows:

First, basic defenses must not be abandoned, and the strength of core base cities must be maintained.

Mega-cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou are core symbols of China's magical civilization, representing the culmination of hundreds of years of effort.

Their defense system must remain operational, and the strength of the mages cannot be relaxed; this is the foundation for stabilizing public morale and preserving hope for a counterattack.

However, we must also prepare for the worst and activate multiple evacuation plans.

Strategically, we do not advocate a "defend the city to the death" approach.

If it is confirmed that the enemy has deployed a large-scale demon army, especially if an emperor-level demon is personally leading the troops, the defending forces should carry out an organized and phased strategic retreat in accordance with the contingency plan.

The valuable resources of Buddhist monks and the general public will be transferred to pre-established level two and three shelters inland.

Promote a "decentralized" and "modular" living model in large population clusters.

Consideration should be given to systematically dividing some large base cities with a population of over ten million into several or even dozens of small and medium-sized cities or town clusters with relatively independent functions and a population of less than one million.

These towns maintain magical communication and rapid support channels, but are geographically separated.

Its advantage lies in reducing the "value" of a single target, making it less likely to attract the "focus" of emperor-level demons.

Emperor-level demons are usually interested in destroying a megacity with a population of tens of millions, but their interest in scattered small towns with a population of millions is greatly reduced.

This can effectively increase the survival rate of most ordinary people.

The painful lessons of the Americas serve as a warning!
They relied too heavily on a few mega-cities like Washington, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. When faced with the Demon Emperor's precise strikes, they lacked strategic depth and a plan for dispersal, resulting in devastating losses of population and resources.

Shao Zheng concluded, "This is a difficult decision, meaning we may have to voluntarily give up some territory and cities."

"But my friends, only by surviving can we have a future. Scattering is not for survival, but to accumulate strength."

"This plan, codenamed 'Spark,' is to be prepared by all departments without fail!"

The resolution has been made, but the future remains uncertain.

After the meeting, everyone left with heavy hearts, beginning the most difficult preparations for this "winter".

(End of this chapter)