Three days later, as the moon rose slowly, the bright moonlight filtered through the dense branches, casting mottled shadows.
Iris sat at the head of the conference room, her left hand on her cheek, her right hand twirling the pen, waiting for the arrival of the four demon marshals.
She wore a silver-grey gown, with the hem falling to her knees. Intricate patterns were embroidered on the chest, splendid and exquisite. A layer of gauze was draped over the long skirt, creating a hazy mist that accentuated her graceful figure.
"Click." The door creaked open, and the four demon marshals entered with measured steps, kneeling in unison, respectfully saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Iris opened her eyes, her indifferent gaze sweeping over the four.
She spoke softly, "Please take your seats."
"Yes." The four demon marshals answered in unison, then took their seats one after another.
Iris looked at them, her gaze gradually softening, and said, "I have summoned you here this time to discuss our next move. I intend to launch an attack on Incubus Country, which is closest to Winged Man Country. Do you have any opinions?"
The four demon marshals exchanged glances, and Qizhou spoke first, "Your Majesty, if we attack Incubus Country, the Ruined Land Alliance Army will undoubtedly come. At that time, we will face the combined forces of four countries. Although we demons are valiant and fearless, we are ultimately outnumbered. If Your Majesty wishes to proceed, we must aim for a swift and decisive victory. After taking over Incubus Country, we need to immediately establish a defense line to prevent the Alliance Army from wresting Incubus Country from our hands." Qizhou's calm and composed voice reverberated through the entire conference hall, and everyone nodded in approval.
"With the strength of our demon army, achieving a swift and decisive victory is not difficult, but it will come at a high cost. This will prevent us from continuing to conquer other countries. A prolonged war will attract the Alliance Army. I believe the best plan is to have Ahri, disguised as the Winged Man Prince, infiltrate the Alliance Army." Another demon marshal, Beezelbub, spoke, "When the Ruined Land Alliance Army attacks the Divinity and Demon's Continent, the remaining four countries will surely take advantage of the situation to divert their attention, and even engage in intense conflicts with the Divinity and Demon's Continent. That would be the opportune moment for us to launch an attack amidst the chaos."
"The Ruined Land Alliance Army is a joint force of five countries, which means it is a collective effort. Incubus Country is only contributing a portion, not the entirety. It would not be wise to attack during the chaos. In the end, we will still have to face the united forces of the four countries." Shizhi interjected, shaking her head and denying Beezelbub's strategy. "Moreover, Incubus Country possesses considerable military strength. The rulers of the Incubus tribe are extracted from the nightmares that haunt their minds, forming physical bodies before descending into the mortal world. They can unleash a domain known as the 'Nightmare' that engulfs the entire battlefield. Our soldiers will be weakened and even lose their sanity within this domain, falling into madness."
Jinghe, who was listening with a puzzled expression, had no understanding of war. However, this did not hinder her from fighting. She only cared about how to annihilate the enemy, disregarding the overall situation of the war.
Upon hearing their discussion, Iris pondered for a moment and said, "What if we manufacture hundreds of siege crossbows and giant stone throwers in Winged Man Country, and directly flatten Incubus Country? Of course, we would need some assistance, such as the angels from the Crescent Empire."
"The angels of the Crescent Empire?" Beezelbub questioned, perplexed. "They would rather exterminate us altogether. How could they possibly help us?"
"Beezelbub, you said that Alie can disguise himself as the winged prince and have the Alliance of Ruined Land send out armies," Iris said with a smile. "When the Ruined Land starts attacking Divinity and Demon's Continent, the alliance forces will face the Crescent Empire. At that time, we will spread the news of Martial Angel in the Crescent Empire by the winged man. As you know, Martial Angel is highly regarded in the hearts of the Ruined Land people, especially in the incubus country. They will definitely send a large number of soldiers to besiege Martial Angel in the Crescent Empire. This way, the angel will become our helper. When the time comes, let Modi create a puppet in the image of Martial Angel, and let him manipulate the puppet to fly around."
"The premise of this plan is to have siege crossbows and giant stone throwers, operated by the winged man."
"It's a bit of a stretch to rely on the craftsmanship of the winged man, and the quality cannot be guaranteed. The crossbow arrows are easily off-target or broken, and the threat is greatly reduced."
"Don't worry about that. I will lead over a hundred vampire engineers to train the winged man, and then Sui Liangfeng will personally control the siege crossbows and giant stone throwers. We will definitely achieve the desired effect," Iris said confidently, as if everything was within her grasp.
"When does Your Highness plan to send troops?" Qizhou asked.
"No rush! Before that, I want to take down the White Stork Empire. Reliable sources say that the alliance forces of the White Stork Empire are extremely weak now, even engaging in cannibalism and killing each other. Moreover, there is a precious jade god tree from the Ruined Land within the White Stork Empire," Iris said with a teasing smile. "This ancient tree can amplify the power of magic. I need its fruit and, by the way, we will absorb the White Stork Empire into our territory."
Iris's ambition was evident, and Qizhou and the others agreed wholeheartedly. They knew that Her Majesty's power was relatively weak and needed the assistance of ancient plants.
Although Iris's power was not weak, she was far from the level of the peak era of the Demon Emperor.
Satisfied with their attitude, Iris nodded with satisfaction.
She raised her slender, snow-white wrist, with a piece of parchment paper between her fingers. She had written a transfer order on it and handed it to Qizhou.
"Qizhou, give this transfer order to Dugu. Let him lead 285 Shadow Guards to go to the White Stork Empire. I want to see their strength. Also, tell Dugu what I'm about to say to the Shadow Guards. If their performance does not satisfy me, they will all be killed. They are useless alive if they can't demonstrate the expected level of competence, despite enjoying abundant training resources," Iris said sinisterly.
"I understand, Your Highness." Qizhou nodded and took the transfer order.
"Your Highness, when are we setting off?" Beezelbub asked eagerly.
"Wait for my orders. I will have someone notify you when the time comes," Iris said lightly, taking a sip of tea. Her voice was filled with a hint of laziness, seeming quite exhausted.
"The meeting is adjourned. Thank you all for your hard work. Have a good rest."
"Yes, sir."
The participants left the meeting room one by one.
...
Qizhou found Dugu and relayed Iris's message to him.
After listening, Dugu nodded and said, "I understand. I will follow the Emperor's orders."
After completing these tasks, Qizhou left, leaving Dugu alone standing still.
Although this group of Shadow Guards is not as powerful as the previous one, after all, the previous group of Shadow Guards were personally selected from the army by Lilia and underwent intense training before becoming Shadow Guards.
With the transfer order in hand, Dugu went to the Shadow Guards' camp. He looked at the Shadow Guards who were still undergoing intense training and said, "Everyone, take a break."
Upon hearing Dugu's call, all the Shadow Guards stopped training and walked towards Dugu.
"In a while, we will be heading to the White Stork Empire for battle. If your combat ability does not meet expectations, you will be executed," Dugu said sternly, "You must demonstrate your strength, because it is a matter of life and death."
All the Shadow Guards shouted in unison, "Please rest assured, we will do our best."
"Continue your training."
...
