12dz Chapter 884 Even eating shit can't keep up with the heat.
Chapter 884 Even eating shit can't keep up with the heat.
However, the outcome of the war will not change because of Xiao Ming Wang's will.
With the unwavering support of powerful clans in Qiongzhou, the local warlords of Qiongzhou possessed considerable fighting strength, managing to hold back the White Lotus Sect's army and prevent them from making any progress.
Of course, the White Lotus Sect could also retreat back to Yuezhou and reconsider its strategy. Little Ming King had also considered this option, but the White Lotus Sect was not his personal fiefdom!
Neither the powerful families of Yuezhou who supported the White Lotus Sect nor the soldiers below them would agree to the proposal to retreat back to Yuezhou.
Because the White Lotus Sect has already invested huge sunk costs in Qiongzhou, it is impossible for them to give up halfway.
Moreover, retreating to Yuezhou would be meaningless, because the White Lotus Sect can only expand to the north and east.
To the north lies the territory of the Yang family army. Compared to fighting the Yang family army, the White Lotus Sect clearly prefers to fight the warlords of Qiongzhou.
In short, the White Lotus Sect now has only one way out: to defeat the warlords of Yuezhou. Only in this way can they have a chance to conquer the world.
Defeating the local warlords of Qiongzhou is no easy task.
The White Lotus army has been locked in a stalemate with the local warlords of Qiongzhou for nearly a year. Although they have won some victories, they have not been able to achieve any decisive results. This is why Xiao Ming Wang was so angry when he saw the news that Yang Zheng had occupied Youzhou.
He had always regarded Yang Zheng as a major enemy in the struggle for power. When he saw his enemy's territory expanding and himself being dragged into a quagmire of war by the local warlords of Qiongzhou, he naturally had reason to be angry. He was so enraged that he could not control his emotions and smashed the table in front of him with a punch.
"Yang Zheng!"
Xiao Mingwang gritted his teeth and repeated Yang Zheng's name again, feeling a little regretful.
If he had known this would happen, he should have sent troops to Qingzhou and quickly occupied it, instead of letting Yang Zheng reap the rewards.
But it's too late to say anything now. Yang Zheng now controls the territory of three provinces: Qingzhou, Liangzhou, and Youzhou, and he also has the support of Chenjia Village and the Great Wall Army.
The gap between them and the White Lotus Sect has widened. If the White Lotus Sect cannot take over Qiongzhou, and Yang Zheng finishes to digest these territories, then the White Lotus Sect will probably no longer have the ability to compete with Yang Zheng for the world.
"Somebody come!"
Thinking of this, the young Ming King summoned a personal guard and ordered, "Summon all the military commanders and have them come to the county government office for a meeting!"
"Yes!"
Not long after, Little Ming King and a group of high-ranking members of the White Lotus Sect gathered at the county government office in the county seat.
Xiao Mingwang handed the letter to his personal guard, instructing him to pass it on to other high-ranking officials.
Soon, gasps of surprise echoed throughout the county government office.
"What?! Yang Zheng actually conquered Youzhou?"
"First Yang Zheng occupied Qingzhou, then Youzhou. Now he controls three prefectures, which is extremely disadvantageous for us!"
"This is terrible!"
"..."
Every high-ranking member of the White Lotus Cult who read the letter gasped in shock, a look of anxiety creeping across their faces.
As we all know, war is ultimately a contest of comprehensive strength. What is comprehensive strength?
Population, food supplies, weapons, and armor are all considered part of comprehensive strength.
Yang Zheng, who now owns three states, has a much larger population available for conscription, as well as a greater supply of food, weapons, and armor than the White Lotus Sect, which only has one state.
In other words, Yang Zheng is now several steps ahead of the White Lotus Sect in the struggle for power.
If they wait until Yang Zheng has fully absorbed the territories of these three states, the White Lotus Sect will completely lose its chance to compete with the Yang family army for the world.
The logic is simple: Yang Zheng, who owns three states, is essentially owning three mines, while the White Lotus Sect, which only owns one state, Yuezhou, only has one mine.
With three mines attacking one mine, unless Yang Zheng and the generals in the Yang family army are all incompetent, there is absolutely no chance of losing!
"Not just three states!"
An elder of the White Lotus Sect said in a low voice, "Now that Youzhou has fallen into Yang Zheng's hands, Mingzhou is probably not far behind!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback at first, but then quickly realized what was happening!
Ordinary people may not know much about the situation in Mingzhou, but as high-ranking members of the White Lotus Sect, they are very familiar with the situation in Mingzhou, as they are always concerned about the world situation.
After nearly two years of fighting, the local rebel forces in Mingzhou were extremely weak and no match for the fierce and powerful Yang family army.
In other words, as long as Yang Zheng sends troops from Youzhou into Mingzhou, he can quickly take over the entire city, and then...
Yang Zheng will control four states!
"As you all should know, Yang Zheng is by no means a fool!"
The elder who had spoken continued, "He must have already realized the opportunity in Mingzhou. Perhaps Yang Zheng is already preparing to send troops to Mingzhou. Once Yang Zheng takes over Mingzhou, he will have four states under his control. At that time, there will be no one in the world who can rival Yang Zheng!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.
Both Little Ming King and the other high-ranking members of the White Lotus Sect felt their hearts sink...
It should be understood that the world is only nine provinces, but Yang Zheng owns four of them, which is equivalent to controlling half of the country. Once Yang Zheng has fully digested these territories and transformed them into forces that can support the war, neither the White Lotus Sect nor the various rebels in the nine provinces will have any chance to contend with Yang Zheng.
"We can no longer sit idly by and wait to die!"
After a long silence, an elder spoke up: "Our sect must defeat the Qiongzhou warlords as soon as possible, otherwise we will completely lose our qualification to compete for the world!"
After speaking, the elder clasped his hands in a fist salute to the young Ming King and said, "Your Majesty, I suggest that we increase the conscription efforts, expand our military strength, and defeat the Qiongzhou warlords in one fell swoop!"
Upon hearing this, many high-ranking members of the White Lotus Sect nodded in agreement. On the battlefield, having more people to defeat fewer people is undoubtedly the simplest way to win. The reason why the White Lotus Sect had not previously carried out large-scale forced conscription was not because they were particularly compassionate towards the people, but because they were concerned about food supplies.
Although conscription is free, the soldiers recruited into the army still need to eat. Although the White Lotus Sect has the support of powerful clans in Yuezhou, its food supplies are not unlimited. If the army is increased on a large scale, food shortages will inevitably occur, leading to chaos in the army.
But right now, there's no time to worry about that. Yang Zheng in the north has already occupied three states. If the White Lotus Sect can't quickly deal with the warlords in Qiongzhou and then take over the entire state, let alone conquer the world, they'll be lucky to even get a chance to eat shit.
Therefore, both Xiao Mingwang and the other high-ranking officials nodded in agreement with the elder's suggestion.
"Can!"
Xiao Mingwang said, "Send the order back to Mingzhou and have the elders stationed there carry out the conscription order. All males between the ages of 18 and 25 must join the army. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"