Chapter 678: Breaking the Rules: The Defensive Counterattack Battle

“I wasn’t wrong, was I?”

Gao Neng looked around.

“…” The surrounding councillors looked at each other, momentarily confused by the meaning behind Gao Neng’s words.

After a moment, however, a councillor nodded.

“That’s right. To enter the council, the minimum strength required is the eighth rank or higher. Councillor Gao, is there a particular reason you’re suddenly bringing this up?”

“I hope all councillors can contribute more directly to this war, just like the Sword Elder and the others,” Gao Neng spoke again.

“Contribute more directly? Don’t tell me Councillor Gao wants us to…?”

“Fine by me! If we have a chance to go to the front lines and kill the enemy, we’re certainly willing to contribute. But if that happens, who will be left to command the war?”

“Exactly. The entire council can’t just up and leave…”

“As I recall, you all just took a stance, stating that the battlefield command would be handled by us, correct?” Gao Neng interrupted the councillors.

“…”

The room fell deathly silent.

“I know what you’re all worried about.” Gao Neng stood up. “Of all the people who’ve made it this far, how many are truly afraid of death? You’re not afraid of dying. You’re afraid that your deaths will leave the families you represent without their pillar of support.”

“…”

Silence.

Because Gao Neng had spoken the truth.

It was simply a truth that no one would dare state so bluntly in the council.

There were only a dozen or so seats for the highest-ranking councillors.

Wasn’t every single one of those seats fought for?

For a single seat, various factions would fight tooth and nail. Once a seat was won, the family of the one who sat in it would be guaranteed prosperity.

Now, Gao Neng wanted the councillors to go to the battlefield.

Naturally, this problem had to be addressed.

“I made this decision not to strip you of your rights. You earned your positions today through sweat and merit,” Gao Neng continued. “My point is, this is a war the Human Alliance absolutely cannot afford to lose! We can only fight—fight with every ounce of our strength. I’ve asked you all to come to the Eastern District Battlefield in the hope that we can stand united. As for your positions, you can designate your ‘heirs’ in advance. The council will not interfere with who you choose to inherit your seat.”

“Council members have always been elected by a joint vote of the council. Now you’re telling us to choose our own successors? How can everyone…” A councillor shot to his feet upon hearing this, but he stopped abruptly mid-sentence.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures!” Wu Qingjing spoke up at this moment. “Councillor Gao has made himself very clear. We can go to the front lines without worrying that our deaths will leave our families without support. On the contrary, the honor we gain in this war can be passed down to our descendants. This is a rare opportunity. I completely agree with Councillor Gao’s decision. I’ll be the first to declare my stance here today. If I die, my seat on the council… will be inherited by… yes, it will be inherited by my second younger brother!”

As Wu Qingjing finished, he glanced around and gave a helpless shrug.

“Hahaha, Speaker Wu, what courage! To say something like that out loud? Fine, I’ll be a little selfish too. If I die, I’ll leave my seat to my good-for-nothing son,” another councillor stood up and said.

“Elder Wang usually acts so selfless, but in the end, he still chose his own son. It seems today’s meeting really is throwing the rules out the window. Alright then… I’ll be selfish for once too. My successor will be my second son!”

“None of my sons are particularly capable, but luckily… my grandson is decent enough! If I die, let my grandson join the council. I’ll have to ask all you old brothers to look after him then.”

“…”

Soon, every councillor had spoken up.

Meanwhile, the conference recorder at the side noted down each councillor’s arrangements one by one.

This was an unprecedented “reform.”

Just as Wu Qingjing had said at the beginning, it completely disregarded the rules.

But throughout this meeting that so thoroughly broke with convention, not one of the five Strongest seated among them spoke up to interrupt.

“Councillor Gao, since our affairs are in order, just give the command! Tell us old geezers what you want us to do!”

“That’s right! For the Alliance, we’re entrusting these old bones to you!”

“Let’s do it! What else is there to say? If we die, we die. If we don’t survive this battle, there’s no hope of survival later anyway!”

“…”

One by one, the councillors rose to their feet.

If they were all ‘conservatives’ before the meeting began, then now, these councillors had completely transformed into the ‘impulsive faction’.

Several councillors even began cracking their knuckles, eager for a fight.

Watching this scene unfold, Wu Qingjing felt a wave of emotion.

He had presided over no fewer than a hundred council meetings.

When had he ever seen anything like this?

Councillors in their fifties and sixties were suddenly acting as if their youth had been restored, completely shedding their previous listlessness.

‘The times really are changing!’

Wu Qingjing glanced at Gao Neng. He had to admit, when he first heard Gao Neng’s proposal, he had been genuinely worried.

After all, such a decision was far too bold. If handled poorly, Gao Neng could have easily become the public enemy of the entire council.

But what was the result?

Gao Neng had actually pulled it off!

This was undoubtedly related to Gao Neng’s current influence, but it also revealed his meticulousness beneath his ‘bold innovation’.

Without the measure of ‘arranging for successors,’ how could the councillors have possibly become so ‘solidly united’?

“Councillor Gao, we’re all ready. Just tell us the plan!” This time, a sixty-year-old councillor stood up before Wu Qingjing even had a chance to speak.

“The plan from here has only one word: Fight!” Gao Neng nodded.

“Then let’s fight!” the other councillors nodded in agreement.

“Ning’Er.” Gao Neng gave a slight nod to Shen Ning’Er.

“Terrain is the key to victory in any war. Here is a map of the Eastern District…” Shen Ning’Er naturally understood Gao Neng’s intention.

A massive map quickly appeared on the table.

A blue light shone through the map.

In mid-air, a holographic projection of the map materialized.

“The Eastern District Fortress has a total of three defensive fronts… Among them, this area and this area are on high ground, and this position here… has a large depression…”

“If my predictions are correct, the Beast Race will likely attack from this position, as they excel at storming fortifications. The Celestial Race, however, will avoid this spot… They can fly, which makes them the most difficult to defend against. Our surveillance has already detected the Celestial Race’s Great Angel Corps en route…”

“…”

“That is the general outline of my plan. Commander Shen has been commanding the war in the Eastern District and should have more detailed additions.” After finishing her explanation, Shen Ning’Er looked toward Shen Changsheng.

“Mm, I’ll add two points…” Shen Changsheng stood up and pointed to a location on the far left of the map. “Division Commander Shen may have overlooked this position, because it underwent some changes two days ago. It was originally high ground, but now a fault line has appeared…”

“For this operation, we have divided our forces into a total of twenty-one units! The largest of these is the City Defense Army at the main gate… numbering thirty thousand… The other twenty units will be stationed in different sectors to launch various defensive counterattacks…”

“That’s right. This will be a defensive counterattack!”

“…”

“Alright, I’ve finished my additions to the battle deployment. Let’s see if any of the councillors have other suggestions.” With that, Shen Changsheng sat back down.

“Wait a minute. I feel like this deployment is a bit too one-sided. What about the northern position? Wasn’t this supposed to be a defensive counterattack? Why don’t I see any points of attack at all?” a councillor frowned, voicing his doubts.