"It must be done." Dai Hao's eyes were dark and grim.
He had to seize the initiative before Xu Jiawei reacted. At that point... he believed the Heavenly Soul Empire would be more than happy to see its powerful neighbor split apart.
"Like this, like this... and like this, understood?" He whispered a few instructions to Du Lei Si.
"Yes!" Du Lei Si took a deep breath, his face solemn.
"Report!"
Suddenly, a messenger barged into the tent.
"What is it? Speak!" Dai Hao was about to get angry, but when he saw the messenger holding three chicken-feathered letters, his fury slowly subsided.
"A letter from the imperial capital!"
"Bring it here." Dai Hao said indifferently.
The messenger handed over the letter, and Dai Hao opened it, reading through it quickly.
Dai Hao's expression changed slightly.
"Understood, you may leave now." He waved his hand at the messenger.
"Yes!" The messenger quickly left.
Once only he and Du Lei Si remained in the tent, Dai Hao's anxiety could no longer be concealed. "It seems the matter has been exposed."
"How could that be!" Du Lei Si was shocked. This was something only he and Dai Hao knew about. If word had gotten out...
"Take a look for yourself!" Dai Hao handed over the letter, his hands clasped behind his back as he paced back and forth.
Du Lei Si hurriedly took the letter, reading it carefully. After a moment of silence, he revealed a relieved smile. "General, there's no need to panic. I believe Xu Jiawei still doesn't know about this."
"Why do you say that?" Dai Hao looked at him.
"General, just take a look. This letter from start to finish conveys one message—asking you to surrender your military power. Although it's phrased ambiguously, we both know the subtext. It's because Xu Jiawei is so direct that we can be sure he doesn't know about this matter." Du Lei Si narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Think about it, General. If he really knew you were about to surrender to the Sun and Moon Empire, what would he do?"
"...He would secretly strip me of my military power and send strong forces to station themselves, striking swiftly and decisively. There would be no room for me to breathe," Dai Hao calmly responded.
"Exactly. If Xu Jiawei had truly discovered this, it would have been a life-or-death situation. By the time we found out, the experts from the Offering Hall would have already surrounded us. But instead, he sent his trusted men and placed other generals under our command. What does this mean? It means he only wants to reduce your military power gradually. After all, he doesn't want to flip the table just yet..."
"Ha..." Dai Hao exhaled deeply.
He sat back down, looking at Du Lei Si. "So, what do you think we should do?"
"Since you've decided to act as your own king, this matter must be dealt with quickly. The letter clearly indicates that the two generals sent by the imperial capital will arrive tonight. We will welcome them, and while doing so, we strike!" Du Lei Si's eyes gleamed with a cold determination.
His hand made a subtle slashing motion across his neck, a clear message.
"As for the other generals, only Yan Xin, Peng Geng, and Tian Tao are absolutely loyal to you. You can tell them. The others must be kept in the dark. If word leaks out to the imperial capital, powerful experts will be sent, and we'll be in trouble."
"While dealing with those two, we'll immediately change the flag, leading our army to occupy the border near Xing Luo. We'll send out messengers to request recognition from the Heavenly Soul Empire, the Douling Empire, and Shrek Academy. If we gain the approval of two of them, we'll be secure."
"As for the Sun and Moon Empire... I don't think they'll interfere. They'll be happy to see this happen."
On the Douluo Continent, there were various countries, large and small.
The situation was similar to the Three Kingdoms era, with the Sun and Moon Empire, the Heavenly Soul Empire, and the Douling Empire as the major powers, alongside many smaller nations.
These smaller countries were subordinate to the larger ones, paying tribute annually while receiving protection. Gaining the recognition of a great power was the cornerstone of their relationship.
"Then let's get to it!" Dai Hao's energy surged.
"Since Xu Jiawei has shown no mercy, don't blame me, Dai Hao, for being heartless!"
Shrek Academy
Tang San's face was full of worry.
He had originally thought that with his avatar coming to the Douluo Continent, it would be the embodiment of the God King's will, unstoppable. He planned to reunite the former three countries of Douluo and Shrek to crush the Sun and Moon Empire's plot.
But...
Things weren't going well.
First, he was crippled in one leg, and his reputation was ruined. Fortunately, not many people knew about this humiliating history. After some time, he awakened his martial soul. However, his daughter's soul was discovered by the creatures of the Star Dou Forest, and now her life or death was uncertain. Honestly, from that point on, he seriously considered giving up and restarting.
But whenever he thought of that, he couldn't help but slap himself mentally.
Because, before coming to this world, he had closed off the possibility of restarting.
If he were to die, his soul wouldn't return to the God Realm. It would dissipate in the Douluo Plane. He had never expected things to turn out this way!
Then, he was badly betrayed by Xuan Lao, and his legs were permanently injured. Even though he used many healing herbs and received treatment from Zhuang Lao, his injuries could only be suppressed, never truly healed.
In the end, the sacred herbs he longed for—he didn't even qualify to enter the sacred ground!
He really regretted it. If he had known this would happen, he would have prepared much better!
Now, all he could think about was his daughter, and that only deepened his pain...
"Sigh, have you guys heard? There's a new movie screening in Shrek City. It's the weekend today, should we go watch it?" As he was lost in thought, two girls wearing Shrek Academy's outer court uniforms walked by, chatting.
"What's it called? Didn't we just go last week?" one girl asked, curious.
"I think it's called... The Legend of Tang San. It's apparently a drama too, split into over twenty episodes. The scenes are supposed to be really grand, filmed by actors specifically from the Sun and Moon Empire. I heard they even got the real Titan Giant Ape and Sky Blue Bull Python actors!" The girl exclaimed excitedly.
"Wow, that sounds amazing! We have to go see it! It's the first time I've heard of the legendary Tang San being depicted in a film. Before, we only had the academy's records..."
After the two girls left.
Tang San slowly lifted his head, a look of confusion in his eyes.
A movie? Recently, he had heard rumors in Shrek Academy about movies, brought to them by soul engineer technology from the Sun and Moon Empire, which could present books visually. He was an old-fashioned type and had always resisted this idea.
And The Legend of Tang San? Was the protagonist really him?
After hesitating for a moment, he took a couple of steps forward and asked where this "cinema" was. After a brief preparation, he decided to head to Shrek City.
"Hey, brother, you're here for The Legend of Tang San, right?"
As soon as he arrived at the cinema, a suspicious figure in the nearby street approached him, whispering, "Brother, all the tickets inside are sold out, but I've got one left. Want to buy it?"
Tang San glanced at the cinema, then at the middle-aged, thin man hiding his face.
After a moment's hesitation, he nodded slightly.
"Here you go, five gold soul coins."
Tang San: "???""That expensive?"
"It's the only ticket left..." The middle-aged man shrugged.
(End of Chapter)