Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“That explains a lot. The people of the Twin Dragon Island fought Fang La first and lost sixty percent of their troops. They then fought Wang Qing fiercely, and their casualty rate is almost ninety percent. Only a thousand of them are still alive. They’ll be conquered by us tomorrow when they’re out of soldiers!”
After hearing the “inside information” about the Twin Dragon Island that Qiao Daoqing personally found out and brought back, the officials of Jin were all delighted.
“Does it mean that we can stay in this divine realm?”
“This is a great place. The Great Jin will definitely make as great achievements here as Tang and Qin did.”
“I’m not keen on great achievements. I only wish to run into a deity who can teach me ways to be an immortal.”
Someone even began to consider how they could look for deities in this world so that they could enjoy their wealth and power forever.
“Don’t be too excited just yet.”
Qiao Daoqing, holding the Five Birds Illusionary Fiend Fan, shook his head and calmed his subordinates down.
“Don’t forget that even though Wang Qing and Fang La are no longer threats, the Kingdom of Liao is still powerful and has thousands of capable soldiers…”
After that, he changed his topic and began to talk about Liao that was attacking the Twin Dragon Island along with Tian Hu.
“I was told that Liao made a pact with Your Majesty before sunset that we would destroy Wang Qing and the Twin Dragon Island as a team and then fight for the ultimate treasure between us.
“Your Majesty, I don’t think it’s appropriate.
“The Liao people are always ambitious. They invaded the Central Plain and violated the truce with Song. They’re not trustworthy.
“Besides, the Twin Dragon Island is a place that belongs to us. Even if we can’t have it, we cannot let those barbarians get it!”
Qiao Daoqing shook his head and said to Tian Hu.
“Not that I disagree with you, Prime Minister, but we’ve made a deal with Liao, and I personally signed it. If we retreat, it will be a slap on my face!”
Tian Hu stared at Qiao Daoqing with glimmering eyes.
“I’m afraid you have a misunderstanding, Your Majesty.
“I’m not saying that we should stop attacking; I’m suggesting that we should pretend to attack without using our strength so that Liao will shoulder great pressure.”
Qiao Daoqing was not scared at all when Tian Hu gazed at him.
He waved his fan and said, “You do have a point.”
“It’s true that we can pretend to attack and let Liao play a bigger part. The more men they lose, the more likely we’ll be the final victor!”
The officials and generals in the tent were quite tempted and all praised Qiao Daoqing.
“About that…”
Even Tian Hu thought that Qiao Daoqing had a point. He didn’t think that Qiao Daoqing was trying to reduce the pressure on the Twin Dragon Island.
However, Tian Hu was angry after seeing his ministers’ reactions, and he was about to decline the proposal.
“Report!”
“Your Majesty, something happened!”
However, the voice of the guards suddenly came from the outside.
Then, two guards helped a general, whose helmet was tilted and whose armor was bloodstained, enter the tent.
“O-Our food and gold were looted!”
The battle had lasted for a whole day and got less intense after nightfall.
Therefore, Tian Hu had a lot of food and gold delivered to the front line from his territory in the rear.
The food was to be eaten the next day, and the gold was the bonus that he promised during the day!
Although gold was not really valuable on the Land of Inheritance, it was still a great way to boost the morale of the common soldiers.
He didn’t expect that an accident would happen during the delivery!
“Who looted them? People from the Twin Dragon Island?”
Tian Hu suddenly rose, and his fat body that was as huge as a hill looked rather suffocating.
It was also the reason why Tian Hu attacked the Demon Volcano at first, which was a major threat on his way to the rear.
The general, whose blood spilled out and gathered on the ground, panted and replied with a pale expression, “No, it… it was someone from Liao!”
“What, someone from Liao?”
“The Liao people are stealing our food?”
“The Prime Minister is right. The Liao people are not trustworthy!”
Immediately, the tent was filled with clamors.
“Are you sure?”
Tian Hu solemnly stared at the wounded general like a ferocious tiger that just woke up.
“Absolutely. I knocked off his helmet during the battle and saw with my own eyes that the enemy leader had the face, armor, and weapon of a Liao general. He used a Black Golden Dragon Head Liao Saber!”
The general insisted and even showed his wound as proof.
“Damn it!”
“The Liao people are truly malicious.”
“They stole our food before the battle. How can we possibly defeat them if our soldiers are hungry tomorrow?”
After hearing the confirmation, the generals in the tent immediately began to curse the Liao people.
“How much food is left right now?”
Qiao Daoqing was the only one who calmly asked an officer who was responsible for supplies.
“There’s only enough food for breakfast tomorrow!” replied the officer.
“That won’t do!”
“The soldiers have fought for a whole day with many casualties. They have to be rewarded, or their morale will decline!”
A general who had bandages on his arm rose and said loudly, “Exactly. His Majesty already promised bonuses. If the soldiers don’t see them, they won’t be determined to fight!”
A brawny general who was more than two meters tall and Extraordinary Rank-8 agreed with him, “Precisely!”
“That’s right!”
Very soon, his opinion received the support of the majority.
Faced with his infuriated subordinates, Tian Hu remained grave and taciturn.
The supply officer was already sweating. Then he remembered something and asked Qiao Daoqing hopefully, “Prime Minister, you’re very capable. Is there anything you can do?”
“Is that even a challenge?”
Hearing that, Qiao Daoqing smiled confidently.
“Bring me a few containers of food and water and several buckets of stones that are covered with cloths!”
After the officer fetched the things he asked for, he cast a spell and waved the Five Birds Illusionary Fiend Fan.
“Five ghosts move yin and yang. Start moving…”
Immediately, the tasteless food turned into hot meat, and the empty containers were filled with delicious liquor that released the mouthwatering fragrance of wine.
As for the buckets of stones, they turned out to be alluring gold after the cloths were taken away!
“Distribute them and inform the soldiers that they’re the rewards from His Majesty!”
“This… This is real wine!”
The gold was not a big deal. The senior generals in the tent all knew that gold wasn’t valuable in the “divine realm” and weren’t too interested.
An alcoholic general couldn’t wait to pick up a container filled with wine and taste it.
Then, he remarked in excitement, “What great wine! It’s as delicious as the legendary elixirs from the heavens!”
Qiao Daoqing waved his fan and said with a smile, “If you like it, you can each take a kettle of wine away with you.”
Looking at the ministers and generals who were all excited by what Qiao Daoqing said, Tian Hu secretly frowned and then said in a serious voice, “Prime Minister, a great battle is coming soon. Nobody should drink.”
Qiao Daoqing didn’t seem angry at all after Tian Hu’s criticism.
“You’re right, Your Majesty. I didn’t think it through!”
He simply nodded and waved the Five Birds Illusionary Fiend Fan again. Then, the wine that emitted alluring fragrance turned into unremarkable water.
“Well…”
Many generals looked dissatisfied.
It was because unlike them who had been leading soldiers on horses, the golden chariot where Tian Hu was at had been emitting the smell of alcohol and the giggling of girls all the way.
And now they weren’t allowed to have any drink at all, and they could only have water. Their dissatisfaction was understandable!
Also, the generals were even more dissatisfied than the ministers.
They had fought for an entire day and were all more or less wounded. They demanded “bonuses” just now because they wanted the treasures that were confiscated after they arrived on the Land of Inheritance and kept in Tian Hu’s golden chariot.
However, Tian Hu obviously didn’t intend to give the treasures away. He simply wanted to give them some useless gold.
However, dissatisfied as they might have been, nobody dared to complain aloud. After all, Tian Hu was far more strengthened on the Land of Inheritance than they were.
Therefore, they could only drink the water in the kettles in depression.
“Huh?”
However, the moment the water entered their mouth, a few generals changed their expressions.
It was because, although what they drank looked and smelled like water, it tasted as delicious as wine when it entered their throat.
Nobody was stupid enough to say it out. They all glanced at Qiao Daoqing in delight.
The no-alcohol rule certainly couldn’t really apply to those generals who were bandits in the past. Besides, they were simply having water. They couldn’t possibly get drunk or cause any trouble, could they?
As a matter of fact, the “wine” in the water was not wine but really “water”. In fact, it had been moved from somewhere else by Qiao Daoqing with a technique.
There was only one source of water on the Snake Monkey Island—the Radiation Hot Spring.
Although the Twin Dragon Island didn’t set up a defense line on the Snake Monkey Island, they did intensify the power of radiation on the radioactive land with the power of providence.
The radiations in the hot spring were so powerful in the first place that they could awaken superpowers in a dozen days. They were even more shocking after they were specifically strengthened.
It wouldn’t be a big deal if they didn’t drink it, but if they drank it, it would circulate in their bodies and soon cause effects!
The trick wasn’t easy to carry out, because the radiations were also an extraordinary power that could be detected.
For example, when Wang Qing’s army came to the Snake Monkey Island in the afternoon, Li Zhu noticed the evil aura on the island with the Taming Compass and forbade the soldiers from drinking the water!
However, Ma Ling, the cultivator on Tian Hu’s side, had been killed by Wu Qiao.
As for Qiao Daoqing, the Lord of Fiends…
“Your Majesty, regarding the pact with Liao…”
Qiao Daoqing brought it up again.
“Just let the attackers stop and take a break. I’m sleepy. Let’s call it a day and attack tomorrow morning. We’ll conquer the Twin Dragon Island and claim the ultimate treasure!”
