Socially anxious people transmigrate to another world; living in seclusion is too difficult.

Chu Angjie pretended to be completely unaware of the situation, and even went so far as to criticize the two deputy generals: "What are you two doing! I told you to make the welcoming ceremony more grand, and this is how you welcome us? Nonsense!"

Then he turned around and took the hands of the two commanders, saying as he walked, "Gentlemen, I am truly sorry. It is just that our subordinates are so careless in their work. Come, let's go to the city government office. I will personally welcome you two!"

Although the two commanders knew perfectly well that everything today was the work of the commander of the Heavenly Fortune Empire, they simply kept quiet and followed along, given the current situation.

Upon arriving at the Prefectural Commandant's residence, which had undergone brief renovations and was no longer as luxurious as before, it was still habitable and functional. The round table in the dining room was already laden with various delicacies. Chu Angjie pulled the two commanders to their seats, ordered fine wine to be served, and said while pouring the wine, "My men are inconsiderate; you two have had a long journey, and they didn't even arrange a carriage. Alas, this is my fault. I'll drink this first to express my apology!" With that, he downed the wine in his cup.

After finishing his drink, Chu Angjie continued, "I still don't know the names of the two commanders?"

The commander of the Kingdom of Delin spoke first: "I am Lu Kun."

The commander of the Slivia Empire then added, "My name is Byrd."

"I've long heard of your esteemed name! Meeting you today, I can confirm you are indeed a valiant warrior! I am Chu Angjie, the commander of the Western Expeditionary Army of the Tianyun Empire." Chu Angjie offered another round of flattery. The more he complimented them, the more uncertain Lu Kun and Byrd felt, unsure of Chu Angjie's ultimate goal.

"Come, come, eat!" Chu Angjie greeted them warmly, making no mention of the previous scheme to seize military power. Baird seemed genuinely hungry, picking up his utensils to begin eating, but Lu Kun spoke up directly, asking, "Commander Chu, what is the purpose of today's events? Please be frank, so that we two may die in a worthy manner!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Angjie feigned surprise and asked, "Brother Lu, what makes you say that?"

Lu Kun scoffed: "No need for pretense. The city gatekeeper poisoned our tea, tricked us into drinking it, and forced us to order our troops to obey your command. These things couldn't have been decided by just one or two deputy generals. If it wasn't you who ordered it, then who was it?!"

Seeing that Lu Kun had made his point clear, Chu Angjie stopped pretending and admitted the matter directly: "However, please understand my predicament. The empire has gone through many months and suffered many casualties to finally recover its territory. Now it is a war of revenge, and I must be careful. In order to avoid repeating the same mistakes, I must keep command of all the troops in my hands, including the troops under your command."

While eating, Byrd asked, "What do you mean by repeating the same mistakes?"

Lu Kun also questioned, "Do you know that if this approach gets out, it will be driving us to our deaths!"

"Please listen to me, gentlemen..." Chu Angjie then recounted the wartime actions of Yin Zhiyong and William during the counterattack in Luowen County. The more he spoke, the more agitated he became: "An army of 800,000 men, just because they disobeyed orders and commanded from multiple sides, was completely defeated in one battle. How can I bear to suffer such humiliation!" With that, he slammed his fist on the table, looking heartbroken.

Seeing his distress, Lu Kun was also moved. As a general himself, how could he not understand this feeling? So his tone softened: "General Chu, this is all in the past, but your coercion is ultimately dishonorable. If things don't get out of hand, how will we explain ourselves when we get back?"

"Rest assured, both of you, I will not let any word of this matter leak out. From now on, I will personally handle all quartermasters and envoys, regardless of their nationality. I only ask that you two commanders consider my previous defeat and help me this time. I, Chu, will not ask for any military merits and will give them all to you. I will even speak to His Majesty on the matter of post-war distribution to seek benefits for our two allied nations. I beg you!" With that, Chu Angjie stood up and bowed deeply.

Seeing that the commander-in-chief had gone to such lengths, Lu Kun quickly reached out to help him up. Baird also stopped eating and stood up as well. As soldiers, they shared the same sense of honor and shame. But no matter how much Lu Kun pulled, Chu Angjie looked like he wouldn't get up unless Lu Kun agreed. The two looked at each other and nodded. So Lu Kun said helplessly, "Commander Chu, please get up. We agree."

Upon hearing this, Chu Angjie straightened up and sat down again: "Thank you, brothers!" Then the three of them clinked glasses and drank heartily. After Lu Kun and Baird were both drunk and fast asleep on the table, Chu Angjie, supported by his adjutant, left the restaurant. But as soon as he stepped out, Chu Angjie returned to normal and strode forward.

The two lieutenants were puzzled: "General, we clearly used poison to control them before issuing the orders, so why did we have to put on this show?"

“How could I possibly poison the commander of another country? That would be a sure way to start a war.” Chu Angjie said with a smug smile.

"So..."

"I will create the illusion that they are really poisoned, and then open up to them so that they will willingly hand over their military power to me. Only in this way can I be absolutely sure of success. This time, I will definitely avenge the humiliation I suffered that day!"

The next day, the allied forces of the three kingdoms assembled outside the Demon City. After reorganizing, Chu Angjie did not give any pre-battle mobilization speech. Instead, he and the other two commanders announced that they had elected him as the temporary commander-in-chief, and all commands would be subject to his orders. Then, Chu Angjie went to the war drum, swung the drumstick and pounded it down hard, and shouted: "All troops! March forward!"

The allied forces of the three kingdoms set off from the Demon City with great momentum. This time, because Delin and Slivia both sent their main forces, and even if some were dispersed to support the Holy Beast Kingdom, plus the remaining troops of the Heavenly Fortune Empire, the total number of people reached a terrifying 1.6 million. This 1.6 million-strong army was divided into three routes by Chu Angjie and deployed on the western front.

The three armies, arranged from north to south, were the upper, middle, and lower armies. The upper army, with 400,000 men, was led by Baird; the middle army, with 700,000 men, was led by Chuangjie; and the lower army, with 500,000 men, was led by Lu Kun. This troop allocation was not due to distrust. The middle army was responsible for the main attack, while the upper and lower armies were responsible for encircling and blocking reinforcements. The lower army, located in the far south, faced the greatest pressure from the resistance, so it was allocated an additional 100,000 troops.

After resting at the border for one night, the million-strong army stood ready the next morning. As the signal flares distributed by Chu Angjie, Lu Kun and Baird waved their hands and shouted, "Attack!" Instantly, three groups of troops moved in unison, crossing the border and heading towards the direction of Dry Bone Ridge and Dry Bone City.

In less than half a day, the vanguard army crossed the Bone Ridge. By evening, the vanguard army had surrounded and was about to break through the Bone City. By the time the main force arrived, the Bone City had already been captured by Lu Kun's vanguard army. Several generals came to ask how to deal with the prisoners of war and the demon civilians. Lu Kun did not even look up and said indifferently, "Kill them on the spot and slaughter them all."