Chapter 933: The Final Battle Ground—Mount Fuji!
Chapter 933: The Final Battle Ground—Mount Fuji!
The United Government has always had plans to deal with the Skrulls. However, these plans are constantly revised and adjusted based on real-world developments, sometimes even scrapped and started anew.
Two significant and unexpected events have occurred today.
First, Emperor Qin Shi Huang has emerged from his seclusion, still possessing the peak power of the Great Ascension realm. Second, the massive psychic spring at the North Pole was reclaimed without a single drop of blood being shed.
Naturally, these two major events have necessitated a significant adjustment to the United Government’s overall strategy. Hu Jing, the Speaker, succinctly explained these developments to the assembled group, primarily to bring Emperor Qin Shi Huang up to speed.
After all, he had just emerged from seclusion and had no prior knowledge of the United Government’s operations. Understanding this, Emperor Qin Shi Huang nodded, acknowledging the information.
Seeing Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s nod, Su Yu asked Hu Jing, “Speaker, you look very confident. Do you already have a specific improvement plan?”
“Of course,” Hu Jing swept his gaze over the room and smiled, nodding. “In the past hour, I, Commissar Zhang Ling, Deputy Minister Xue Wenli, and Prime Minister Fujiwara Chika of Japan have discussed and agreed upon what we believe to be the best plan. We’ve called you all here to seek your opinions on this plan.”
“Please proceed, Speaker,” everyone’s attention was fixed on Hu Jing. A few people glanced curiously at Fujiwara Chika, surprised that she was involved in the plan’s formulation. After all, while she was the Prime Minister of Japan, she was only a 16-year-old girl!
Snap! Hu Jing raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. A massive map unfolded on the wall behind him. This was a world map of Earth, marked with 18 red dots representing the 18 psychic springs currently occupied by the Skrulls.
If Emperor Solara Manina were here, he would be astonished to find that this map was identical to the one they had just seen in their meeting. What a coincidence!
After the map was displayed, Hu Jing spoke solemnly, “Ladies and gentlemen, as our strength on Earth grows, especially with players like Zhong Feng and Xu Xiaotian reaching the divine realm, we will undoubtedly reclaim some of these 18 springs, correct?”
“Certainly,” everyone agreed.
At the North Pole, the Skrull expeditionary force commander fled without a fight, indicating that the Skrulls were still willing to make concessions. Even now, Earth’s humans had the strength to reclaim several of these 18 springs.
Hu Jing continued, “When we start attacking these 18 springs, the Skrulls’ resistance will be minimal at first. As we progress and the Skrulls hold fewer springs, their resistance will gradually increase. Everyone agrees, right?”
“Agreed,” everyone responded.
As Hu Jing spoke, the map changed to reflect his words. The red dots in Australia, Europe, and Africa gradually disappeared, while the dots in the Americas grew larger, symbolizing the increasing resistance from the Skrulls.
In the end, only one red dot remained, located in the Rocky Mountains of North America. This dot became exceptionally bright and large, almost covering half of North America.
Hu Jing said, “If we have the strength to reduce the Skrulls to just one spring, as shown on this map, that spring will be almost impossible to capture. The Skrulls will mobilize all their forces to defend it.”
At this, Commissar Zhang added, “Speaker is correct. I can confirm this. I once asked Linke, the War Monitor of the Singer Civilization, and he told me that if we can capture all the springs before the war begins, the Skrulls will have no way to send their armies to Earth. If that happens, we win the war! Therefore, the Skrulls will do everything to defend their last spring.”
“Understood,” Su Yu and the others nodded in agreement.
Hu Jing continued earnestly, “Based on these factors, we can easily conclude that by strategically adjusting the order in which we capture the springs, we can determine the final battle ground. Everyone understands this, right?”
“Oh! I see!” Su Yu’s eyes lit up. “If we start by attacking the springs in Europe and Africa, leaving the American springs for last, the final battle will take place in America. Conversely, if we start with the American springs and leave Europe and Africa for last, the final battle will be in Europe and Africa.”
"Ah, so that's how it works!"
Su Yu marveled, realizing he had never really considered this before.
Being able to control the final battle location was a huge advantage for Earth!
The other players and grand cultivators clearly understood Chairman Hu's strategy as well.
With this realization, they all fell into deep thought, contemplating where the final battlefield should be set and which location would be most advantageous for victory.
Chairman Hu didn't rush anyone.
Seeing everyone deep in thought, he paused to give them time to consider their options.
Several minutes passed.
Once everyone had given it enough thought, Chairman Hu resumed speaking. The map behind him changed according to his will.
Initially, there was only one large red dot marking the Rocky Mountains. Now, it showed eight red dots, representing the eight giant springs in the Americas. The rest of the map remained blank.
"According to the United Government's previous plan, we intended to eliminate all the springs outside the Americas, leaving only the eight in the Americas.
This way, we can engage the Skrulls in a prolonged war in the Americas.
All the smaller and medium-sized springs in the Americas have already dried up, so the Skrulls won't get any war supplies.
And, to be blunt, even if the entire Americas is devastated, we won't have any regrets."
Chairman Hu's last statement was a bit politically incorrect.
Upon hearing this, Su Yu understood why only East Asians were present at this meeting.
Several high-ranking officials in the United Government were from the Americas, including many ancient cultivators of Native American descent.
They couldn't hear this.
...
The map behind Chairman Hu changed again.
The eight red dots in the Americas disappeared, replaced by a single, massive dot on Mount Fuji in Japan.
This dot was the only one on the entire map.
Chairman Hu spoke solemnly, "Earlier, we had a formal discussion with Prime Minister Fujiwara. After the First Emperor emerged, we Earthlings now have the capability to reclaim 17 out of the 18 springs before the final battle.
Therefore, we have devised a new plan: to leave only the spring at Mount Fuji for the Skrulls, and to set the final battlefield there!
The final battle will take place at Mount Fuji! Or, more broadly, in Japan!"
Chairman Hu paused for a moment.
Su Yu and his companions were already wide-eyed with surprise.
They looked at Chairman Hu and Prime Minister Fujiwara in disbelief, amazed that they had come up with such a plan!
Using the Mount Fuji spring as the final battlefield!
This idea was quite radical!
...
Seeing the surprised looks on Su Yu's group, Prime Minister Fujiwara spoke up.
In fluent Mandarin, she explained, "There's a reason we chose Mount Fuji as the final battlefield.
Currently, over 90% of Earth's forces are concentrated in your country, China. The Mount Fuji spring is the closest spring to China.
By setting the battlefield here, we can fully leverage our logistical advantages and more effectively concentrate our forces.
Moreover, Japan's narrow and mountainous terrain is easier to defend compared to the vast plains of the Americas.
Additionally, there's an ancient Chinese saying, 'The emperor guards the gate, and the king dies for the nation.' Setting the final battlefield at Mount Fuji aligns well with this saying, don't you think?"
"The emperor guards the gate... indeed, we do have that saying," the players present murmured in silence after hearing Prime Minister Fujiwara's words.
The saying "The emperor guards the gate, and the king dies for the nation" refers to two historical events: Emperor Yongle's relocation of the capital to Beijing and Emperor Chongzhen's suicide on Coal Hill.
The rulers of the Ming Dynasty moved the capital to Beijing to better defend against northern nomadic invasions, earning the praise of "The emperor guards the gate."
This saying is quite fitting for the current situation.
If the final battlefield is at the Mount Fuji spring, it means that China and Japan will be at the forefront, bearing the brunt of the Skrull attacks and holding the line. This is indeed similar to the Ming Dynasty's approach.
One wonders what Senior Zhu, who is currently the king of Makaton, would think of this saying...
After much contemplation, Su Yu spoke up, "This plan is good, but I have a question..."
He looked directly at Prime Minister Fujiwara, "Are your people willing?"
Fujihara Chika: "..."
Su Yu continued, "The battle at Mount Fuji won't just damage the mountain. By the end, the entire Japanese archipelago could be reduced to a scorched wasteland, or even sunk into the ocean!"
"Are the Japanese people willing to sacrifice their homeland, to leave the land they have lived on for generations, forever?"
To Su Yu's surprise, Fujihara Chika suddenly stood up and declared, "We are willing!"
Her voice began to tremble, "The 'Gravity Funnel' incident killed one-sixth of our population! (Including 10% who died directly in the disaster and another 6% who perished from secondary effects, such as the toxic bodies of the monsters.) Another eighth of our people, though they survived, are living in conditions worse than death!"
"We must avenge our fallen comrades, no matter the cost! And have you noticed? When Brandon tried to lure us to Skrull with his videos, we had a Skrull base in Japan, but not a single person defected through the spring!"
"As long as we can defeat the Skrulls and avenge our comrades, we are willing to pay any price, even if it means leaving our homeland without a second thought!"
Hearing this, Su Yu and the other players fell silent (though the other players had not spoken much to begin with).
Japan had indeed suffered a severe blow during the last major event, with 30% of its population either dead or disabled, and over 60% displaced.
Su Yu and his companions had not experienced the pain, so they could not fully empathize with Fujihara Chika's anguish.
Councilor Hu Jing stepped in to ease the tension. "We have already considered the future of the Japanese people. To avoid the Skrulls discovering our plans, we will not inform the Japanese people of their relocation until the final month before the battle. At that time, the residents of the four main islands will be moved to the Asian mainland for temporary residence, with our support and that of the Russian Federation."
"After the battle, if humanity wins, the Japanese people will be relocated to North America, specifically to the land recently reclaimed by the Native American nations. There, they can start a new life."
The decision to move the Japanese people to North America was not arbitrary. China's population was already too large to accommodate such a significant influx, and Russia's climate was too harsh for comfortable living. The Native American nations, on the other hand, had recently reclaimed vast, fertile lands, but their population was too small to fully utilize the territory.
This seemed to be the best solution for the Japanese people.
Of course, these plans would only come into effect after the battle. For now, they needed to focus on surviving the war.
"Alright, I respect Japan's decision. And I agree with this plan," Su Yu declared solemnly.
"Me too."
"Agreed."
"I also agree."
...
The players and Great Cultivators voiced their agreement one by one. Apart from a few who were still in deep thought, the decision was unanimous.
For those present, the choice between Mount Fuji and the Rocky Mountains as the battlefield made little difference. They would be on the front lines regardless. Fighting in Japan would allow them to better leverage their logistical support, and the surrounding seas would be advantageous for deploying powerful weapons. If all else failed, they could sink the four main islands into the ocean to deny the Skrulls a landing site.
"Then let's settle on this!" Councilor Hu Jing concluded, seeing everyone's agreement. "We'll proceed with this plan, but we can always make adjustments if we find a better solution."
"Agreed."
"Approved."
...
Everyone responded in unison.
However, what the Earth's leaders did not know was that their strategy aligned with the Skrulls' plans. The Skrull leadership intended to concentrate their forces at the Mount Fuji spring for a final assault, and the Earth leaders planned to let the Skrulls have Mount Fuji.
In a way, this could be considered a coincidence!
...
The meeting did not end there. Over the next two hours, the Earth's leaders focused on discussing military preparedness and personnel allocation.
For example, how many Eighth-Stage experts would Earth have at the start of the battle? How many Seventh-Stage and Sixth-Stage experts? How was the training of the mage corps progressing?
At the start of the battle, how many laser rifles could the United Government provide? How many mechs? How many combat hover vehicles? How many soldiers could be equipped with the existing military supplies? How many regular soldiers and how many elite soldiers?
These and other questions were discussed for over two hours.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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