Chapter 721 - 544: Changing of the Guard

"And what’s the other one?"

"The other is that a powerful leader has emerged in the Western and Southern Districts, uniting the previously disparate racial alliances. However, this isn’t very likely. After all, in the hundred years since the Great Cataclysm, the alien races have been plagued by constant internal strife. It’s improbable that something like this would happen now." Qin Lei shook his head.

"Yes, I agree with Elder Qin’s opinion."

"I agree as well."

"..."

"So from the looks of it, the Western and Southern Districts have likely formed an alliance?" Wu Qingjing’s brow furrowed slightly upon hearing this.

"At this stage of the war, it was only a matter of time before the Western and Southern Districts formed an alliance." Li Tiannan stood up. "I’m not surprised by this. The question we need to consider now is this: do we seize this opportunity to take down the Western and Southern Districts in one fell swoop and end this century-long war? Or do we rest, recuperate, and use our current resources to develop for a year, then fight a decisive battle with the alien races a year from now?"

"Yes, Elder Li is right. This issue certainly needs to be discussed."

"I don’t think it needs discussion!" a voice interjected.

Everyone looked over.

The speaker was a young man in his thirties.

To enter the Supreme Council at such an age was unheard of, with the sole exception of Gao Neng. Now, however, there were two young men in the Supreme Council.

Because they were the new "replacements."

"And what is your meaning, Councillor Tang?" Although these two young men were not very experienced, the others did not look down on them.

After all, both of their grandfathers had worked alongside the council for many years. Moreover, they had died on the Eastern District Battlefield and earned great merit.

"I’ve always respected my grandfather very much, but judging by the Human Alliance’s two recent victories, his conservatism is truly unsuited for the current era." The young man, Tang Xiaohao, stood up. "Our Human Alliance has been dormant for a hundred years. Now is the time when our blade is at its sharpest. Since the alien races of the Western and Southern Districts have pulled back from the front lines, why don’t we seize this opportunity and take the cities they’ve abandoned in one fell swoop?"

"Hm?!" The other councillors were slightly startled.

"I agree with Brother Tang. They retreat, we advance. The Human Alliance will not be bullied again. In Speaker Gao’s words, for the Human Alliance to become strong, it needs resources. Right now, several empty cities are sitting right in front of us. These are resources. Why shouldn’t we take them?" The other young man stood up.

"Wouldn’t that be a bit rash?" one councillor asked, frowning.

"I’m worried it’s an empty fort strategy..."

"Throughout history, there have been countless examples of failure due to rash advances."

"Indeed. The Human Alliance has finally gained some advantages. This is the time to focus on developing our strength. Being too greedy for resources... I feel it’s inappropriate!"

The other councillors nodded one after another.

"But what if Speaker Gao were here?" Tang Xiaohao’s face was slightly flushed. "Would he let these resources, right in front of our eyes, go untaken? We’ve reclaimed the entire Eastern District! Can we not reclaim a few small, empty cities in the Western and Southern Districts? Would they really dare to fight us at a time like this?"

"..."

Silence fell once again.

"I think we can give it a try. The intelligence we have now is that several cities in the Western and Southern Districts near the City of Hope are empty. There are three in the West and two in the South. If that’s the case, why don’t we consider taking one city in the Western District first and see what happens?" A councillor hesitated for a moment before standing up.

"Yes, if there’s really a problem... we can just pull back!"

"As long as we don’t go in too deep, there shouldn’t be a problem!"

"In terms of the Strongest alone, our numbers aren’t that much lower than the Western and Southern Districts! If we wait a year, things might actually be worse for us."

The other councillors nodded in agreement.

"Shouldn’t we ask for Speaker Gao’s opinion?" Liangshan asked, a hint of worry in his eyes as he watched the consensus gradually form.

"Heh heh, Elder Liang, you worry too much. If Speaker Gao were really here, I think he would attack on two fronts and seize all the empty cities in the Western and Southern Districts at once," Tang Xiaohao said with a smile.

"In the battle for the Eastern District, didn’t Elder Liang insist on using ’Plan Zero’? Excessive conservatism isn’t always a good thing," the other young man said calmly.

Although his tone was calm, the words sounded harsh to Liangshan’s ears.

"I’m excessively conservative?" Liangshan was angry, but after glancing at the faces of the surrounding councillors, he sat back down. "Fine. I admit I’m a bit conservative. But haven’t wars always been fought like this? Securing each step before advancing. We shouldn’t be so eager for quick gains."

"Securing each step? Speaker Gao took down the Northern and Eastern Districts in seven days. If you call that ’securing each step,’ then..." Tang Xiaohao left the rest of his sentence unsaid.

"If we’re just taking one or two empty cities, it probably won’t be a major issue." Hearing this, the other councillors chose to agree.

The battle for the Northern District.

The battle for the Eastern District.

Gao Neng had shown all the councillors through his actions that some of the strategies previously formulated by the Human Alliance were indeed excessively conservative.

Sustain the war with war!

Offense is the best defense!

Perhaps, there would be a miracle!

"Since everyone agrees to take a few cities first, I have a proposal." Seeing everyone around him nodding, the other young man also stood up.

"Oh? What is your proposal, Councillor Tong?"

"Didn’t Commander Qin just say he would send a few elite squads to probe the Western and Southern Districts and gauge their true situation?" the young man, Tong Huhu, asked.

"Yes, that’s correct."

"Then why don’t we use a two-pronged approach?"

"A two-pronged approach?"

"Correct. We take a city first. Then, using that city as a base, we launch ’probing’ attacks on the surrounding cities that aren’t empty. This will create opportunities for the elite squads, and secondly, we can use the provocation to test the attitude of the alien races in the Western and Southern Districts," Tong Huhu said with a confident expression.

"That makes sense!" Tang Xiaohao immediately agreed.

"What does everyone else think?" Wu Qingjing looked around.

"I have no opinion! What kind of opinion would a conservative like me have?" Liangshan waved his hand dismissively and leaned back in his chair.

"And Commander Qin?" Wu Qingjing sounded a bit helpless, but still turned to ask Qin Jianfei.

"If we’re set on attacking, conducting some minor probes is a standard tactic. As long as we don’t penetrate too deeply, there shouldn’t be any major problems." Qin Jianfei considered it carefully before nodding.

"Alright. In that case, we’ll proceed with Tong Huhu’s proposal. A two-pronged approach. First, we take a city in the Western District. Then, we will lead forces to attack... Liang City, in the Western District, as a probe!" Upon hearing this, Wu Qingjing finally made a decision. He then added, "As for the results of this meeting, let Elder Liang deliver the message. Please be sure to tell Gao Neng and Shen Ning’er about the entire discussion process."

"Right. A conservative like me is only good for running messages now." Liangshan nodded, said no more, and turned to leave.

The other councillors watched Liangshan’s retreating back, feeling a little helpless themselves.

The new generation truly does supplant the old...

After the battle for the Eastern District, Liangshan’s prestige in the council had indeed fallen too much. But ultimately, this was an era where the younger generation was gradually taking power.

Eighteen-year-old Gao Neng had become the Speaker of the Alliance Supreme Council.

The Human Alliance was trending younger.

So, having a few young representatives in the council wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

A decision had been made at the meeting.

Liangshan didn’t delay. After leaving the meeting room, he got directly into a car and headed for Gao Neng and Shen Ning’er’s residence in the Eastern Capital Military District.

’Is being conservative so bad? Hmph!’