https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-930-Seizing-the-Spring-Without-Spilling-a-Drop-of-Blood/12827277/
Chapter 931: The Skrull Top-Level Meeting
Chapter 931: The Skrull Top-Level Meeting
As the spatial rift above them gradually vanished, Old Li tsked, "The Skrulls are already running? This time, taking over the spring was surprisingly easy. In the past, it always required a great deal of effort."
"Very normal," Old Meng chuckled. "With our three strongest god-tier humans all present, and President Ke about to emerge from his seclusion, the Skrulls knew they couldn't win and fled. That's completely reasonable."
Zhongfeng added, "But it probably won't be this smooth in the future. The Skrulls still have 18 springs left. As the number of springs decreases, their resistance will become more intense. By the time we reach the last few, they'll likely defend them at all costs. When that happens, the sacrifices we'll have to make to take over the springs will be much greater!"
Prime Minister Cao's expression was serious. "We'll take our time. One day, we'll reclaim all the springs!"
"Agreed," the others nodded in unison.
One day, they would drive the Skrulls off Blue Star!
...
As the spatial rift disappeared, the gray-black protective shield that had enveloped the Skrull base also vanished. The entire base, now exposed like a peeled lychee, was laid bare before the Blue Star cultivators and players, looking incredibly inviting.
Elder Yang Jian glanced at the others behind him and said, "Let's go down together. We'll take over the base and wait for Little Friend Su Yu to emerge from his seclusion."
Then, he turned to the First Emperor, saying apologetically, "Friend Ying Zheng, I'm sorry, but the base below has been severely damaged. You won't get to see it in its normal state."
"No problem," the First Emperor waved it off. "I just came to see the aliens. I'm not too concerned about the base itself. I'll go and study these aliens, see what specific differences they have from us Blue Star humans."
With that, he transformed into a golden beam of light and shot down to the square below, causing the surrendering Skrull soldiers to gasp in surprise.
The other cultivators and players also entered the base, formally taking control of it.
The Blue Star United Government received Zhongfeng's message. Learning that the giant spring at the North Pole had been easily reclaimed, the government was elated from top to bottom!
They quickly dispatched troops and troop transport ships to the North Pole and announced the recovery of the spring on their official website.
The announcement sparked another wave of online discussions.
This was already the sixth major news item people had heard today!
...
An hour later, on Skrull Star.
The abandonment of the giant spring at the North Pole of Blue Star was a significant event for the Skrulls. Having given up this spring, they couldn't afford to give up the next one so easily.
Thus, the high-ranking officials convened to hold a video conference. All the most elite beings on Skrull Star participated in this meeting.
The Solar Empire sent four representatives: Emperor Maninar III, Prandt, Emperor Maninar XIII, and the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, Rance.
The Lankt Alliance had three participants: the god-tier powerhouse Steem, Queen Victoria of the Radiant, and the newly elected alliance speaker, Kusman.
The remaining participants were also god-tier beings, such as Xibo, Lei, and Ota.
Except for Cecilia, who claimed to be ill and didn't attend, all other god-tier beings participated in the video conference.
This was undoubtedly the highest-level meeting on Skrull Star.
During the meeting, they discussed the future military deployment of the expeditionary force.
First, Maninar, who was chairing the meeting, spoke.
Maninar looked at the god-tier beings on the video screen and said solemnly, "Everyone, I've gathered you here because we've reached a critical moment where we must seriously consider our future.
"Nine months ago, when our expeditionary fleet first entered Blue Star, we believed that with our military strength, we could swiftly crush the Blue Star humans, with overall losses not exceeding one-thousandth.
"At that time, we didn't take the Blue Star humans seriously.
"However, the Holy Silver Federation has provided significant assistance to the Blue Star humans. Now, their strength is gradually approaching ours.
"We must discuss a more effective strategy to deal with these aggressive Blue Star humans."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
The Skrull god-tier beings all expressed their agreement.
Maninar III asked, "Little Thirteen, what do you plan to do?"
"I think we should engage the Blue Star humans in a protracted war," Maninar replied seriously. "We still have an advantage in high-tech weapons and the number of high-tier beings. I believe we can use these two advantages to wear down the Blue Star humans' forces."
A massive map of Earth slowly unfurled on the wall behind Manina.
The map displayed 18 red dots, marking all the giant psychic springs currently under the control of the Skrulls.
Manina began his briefing, "We now have only 18 springs left: one in Asia, one in Antarctica, two in Australia, two in Europe, four in Africa, and eight in the Americas.
As the Earthlings grow stronger, it's clear we won't be able to hold onto all 18 springs.
I propose we categorize the springs into three groups. The first group is absolutely essential to defend..."
Using his psychic marking technique, Manina highlighted the eight springs in the Americas.
"These eight springs are interconnected, and we must defend them at all costs.
Before the major conflict begins, we need to secure these eight springs, making the entire American continent our base for conquering Earth!"
As Manina spoke, the god-tier powerhouses and the Runkte Alliance's Speaker had mixed thoughts, but they kept their opinions to themselves and decided to hear him out.
Seeing no opposition, Manina continued, "The second group of springs will be used to wage a war of attrition against the Earthlings."
He used his psychic marking technique again, circling the eight springs in Europe, Africa, and Australia.
"In the coming period, all the psychic energy from these eight springs will be used by the expeditionary forces stationed there, and will not be transported back to Skrul.
Additionally, we will equip these eight springs with a large number of psychic weapons to enhance their defenses as much as possible."
Manina then pointed to the two springs in Asia and Antarctica, "As for these two springs, one is too close to the Earthlings' headquarters, and the other is difficult to defend. My suggestion is to abandon them.
However, we shouldn't abandon them without a fight.
I propose we send 200 'anti-gravity crystal extractors' to these locations immediately to extract as much psychic energy as possible. This will prepare us for the upcoming conflict."
The 'anti-gravity crystal extractors' had been used in the previous 'explosive extraction' plan, which involved extracting all the psychic energy from a spring in a single, massive burst. This method would destroy the spring, rendering it useless to the Skrulls after they conquered Earth, a strategy akin to killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Such a destructive approach could have far-reaching consequences and might cause discontent, particularly regarding the distribution of post-war resources.
Manina could make decisions about smaller and medium-sized springs on his own, but for the giant springs, even as the Sun Emperor, he needed to consult the god-tier powerhouses and gain their approval before taking action.
This was the reason for the video conference.
...
After finishing his speech, Manina turned to the god-tier powerhouses, "That's my strategy. What do you think?"
In the video feed, Hiber, Ray, and Otras, the three god-tier powerhouses, nodded in agreement.
They had no objections to Manina's strategy.
To be honest, they would agree with whatever Manina proposed, as long as it wasn't completely unreasonable. They were adept at playing both sides.
However, the newly elected Speaker of the Runkte Alliance, Kusman, spoke up, "I disagree with Emperor Manina's plan."
"Hmm?" All eyes turned to him.
Kusman continued, "I think this plan is too conservative, even overly so!"
"What's your alternative?" Manina frowned, clearly displeased.
Since the Sun Empire took over the war effort, all military strategies were decided by Manina himself, and the Runkte had no say in the matter.
Kusman, a newly elected Speaker with only a sixth-tier power level, had no right to question Manina's decisions.
However, out of respect for the god-tier powerhouses, Manina suppressed his annoyance and looked at Kusman calmly.
Kusman, of course, noticed Manina's displeasure but didn't let it bother him.
He stroked his chin, thinking for a moment, and then replied, "I have a different strategy, one that is more aggressive and will help us win the war more effectively. Would you be willing to hear me out?"
"Go ahead," Plange nodded.
"Thank you." Kusman turned his gaze back to Manina, "Emperor Manina, our ultimate goal in this war is to defeat the Earthlings and conquer the entire planet, correct?
"Indeed," Manina paused, taken aback.
Kusman continued, "Then why don't we concentrate our strongest military forces on the spring in Asia?"
Kusman was referring to the massive spring located on Mount Fuji in Japan, the only such spring in Asia that hadn't been seized by Earth's humans.
"Japan's spring?" Manina was taken aback again, never expecting Kusman to suggest this.
"Yes," Kusman said seriously. "This massive spring is closest to China, which houses over 90% of Earth's defensive forces. If we want to conquer Earth, we must crush this force. By deploying all our troops at Japan's spring, we can immediately engage in a decisive battle once the war begins. If we win this battle, we will have won the war outright.
"However, according to Emperor Manina's strategy, we would hold our ground in America, which would only lead to a war of attrition. As the invaders, the longer the war drags on, the more pressure we will face domestically. Therefore, I believe a proactive approach is better."
After explaining his strategy, Kusman asked, "Everyone, what do you think of my idea?"
For the next half-minute, no one responded. Each of the gods was deep in thought, weighing the pros and cons.
After a minute, Steem spoke first, "I agree with Kusman. The longer the war drags on, the more it works against us. The longer the war continues, the more high-tier warriors Earth humans can produce from the Evolution game. They will also become more accustomed to war, potentially increasing their war potential.
"On the other hand, as the war drags on, our casualties will increase, and discontent may rise within our ranks. The common people back home will see no benefits from the war, leading to growing dissatisfaction and social unrest.
"In summary, I also believe that focusing our efforts on Japan's spring and aiming for a quick victory is the better strategy."
"Hmm, I also agree with Kusman," Queen Victoria, the Shining Queen, said next.
She quickly added, "This isn't about favoritism. I am simply speaking the truth. I personally favor a more aggressive approach."
Manina took a deep breath and looked at Manina III and Plante, "Ancestors, Sir Plante, what are your thoughts?"
He strongly disagreed with Kusman's strategy, finding it flawed. However, before voicing his opinion, he wanted to hear the views of the other two gods on his side.
Manina III thought carefully and said, "Thirteen, if we're speaking objectively, I also find Kusman's strategy more appealing."
"Agreed," Plante echoed.
With their input, the support for Manina and Kusman instantly became 0:4.
Although the three Hiberians had not spoken, their voices were never particularly influential. Even if they supported Manina, the final decision would still be against him.
However, Manina was not about to give up.
This wasn't just because Kusman had outshone him... well, not entirely.
Most importantly, he needed to defend his own strategy.
Manina addressed all the gods, "Everyone, I have already thought deeply about the question of where to deploy our main forces. I have considered placing our main forces in Japan to engage in a decisive battle with Earth humans.
"But have you considered what happens if we lose that initial decisive battle?"
Manina paused for a moment.
The other gods and Kusman remained silent.
Manina smiled and continued, "If we deploy our main forces at the eight springs in America, we will have a significant strategic depth. Even if we cannot defeat the Earth humans initially, we can still secure a large part of America.
"But if we concentrate all our forces at Japan's Mount Fuji spring and lose the decisive battle, we will be completely on the back foot.
"Moreover, we have all seen the growth of Earth humans. In three months, it will be extremely difficult to crush them with just one decisive battle. The war could drag on for months, even up to three months. Therefore, we must consider the option of a prolonged war.
"That's all I have to say. I hope everyone can understand."
(End of Chapter)
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