The mental devil jumped up and down, waving its claws and teeth.
Li Yao, however, scorned it. "Karan fell into the dilemma where the problem had to be resolved through an explosion all because of Wuying Qi's manipulation! If he were an honorable, selfless general who was truly willing to sacrifice himself for the country, such a problem wouldn't have existed at all!
"The Star Ocean Republic has been at war with the Holy League for more than ten years. If I were the commander of the border defense army, and I had a deep understanding of the potential harms of the Holy League, I would've certainly asked the country to enter the highest war mobilization without any hesitation. The most elite troops such as the 'central army' in the capital would be moved to the border, and the fire of war would be burned into the territory of the Holy League, killing the enemy while it was still in its cradle!
"Even if we cannot launch an expedition recklessly because the situation of the Covenant Alliance is unclear, at the very least, after the general mobilization, the Star Ocean Republic, as a long-standing dominator, will certainly be capable of establishing the most solid defense line on the galaxy's cantilever at the border of the two parties, increasing the loyalty and control of the vassal worlds, and evacuating the civilians at the border as much as possible!
"As long as those points were achieved, such a cruel choice would've been avoided at all!
"It is exactly because of Wuying Qi's selfishness that he must've concealed part of the situation from the capital. Even the vassal worlds' indifference to the capital must've been manipulated by him in secret, too. That's why things ended up like this!"
"Stop slandering me!"
The mental devil shrieked. "Everything is just speculation. You have no proof that Blackstar the Great is behind all this! What if the parliament of the Star Ocean Republic is so shortsighted, incompetent, and arrogant? Are more than a dozen vassal worlds so selfish and just watching from the sidelines? "
"Hypothetically speaking, let's say again, we are hypothetically speaking right now. There is such a muddle-headed and incompetent parliament holding you back, stabbing you in the back, and the vassal worlds are not willing to contribute the slightest bit of strength, gloating as they watch you fight alone! No one believes what you say, and no one is willing to give you any support. No one believes you, doesn't understand you, is suspicious of you, is wary of you, and is framing you. In the end, you are forced to choose between killing ten million people and killing one hundred billion people. What are you going to do? "
"Even if the parliament is as stupid as a pig, as greedy as a dog, and as incompetent as it can be, I won't be forced to such a step. I still have a hundred ways to avoid the dilemma!"
Li Yao sneered. "I can come up with a solution in five minutes to fool the parliament. There's no reason that Wuying Qi couldn't have thought of it, could he?"
"Hahaha!"
The mental devil burst into laughter. "Stop bragging. At that time, it was impossible for the commander of the border defense army to interfere with the decisions in the capital city. After all, parliament simply choked you and did not provide you with enough assets and soldiers. They did not believe your warning, either. Whatever you said, they all thought that you were exaggerating and that you were not willing to enter a general mobilization for the sake of economic development and political stability! ....... What should we do? "
"I surrender."
Li Yao heaved a long sigh and said slowly.
The mental devil was even more satisfied. It shook its head and wagged its tail. "Look. You had no choice but to surrender after all, didn't you? Blackstar the Great is the same. He was forced to do it because he was caught in a dilemma! "
"Wait. You seem to be mistaken. I'm not saying that I'm surrendering to you on this topic."
Li Yao said unhurriedly, "What I'm saying is that, as the commander of the border defense army of the Star Ocean Republic, after my demands were turned down, my judgment was not trusted, and even my most derogatory remarks were made in the capital, I will surrender to … the Holy League in my fury!"
"Huh?"
The mental devil was immediately dumbfounded.
"Of course, surrendering is a very complicated job, especially when you are leading an elite troop that has fought bloody battles for ten years to surrender to the enemy country. It is an even more protracted project!"
Li Yao smiled. "Therefore, I had to send my trusted subordinates to get in touch with the Holy League and reveal that I was going to jump to their side with the entire border defense army. Then, I would bargain with them on the terms of surrender.
"It would be inappropriate if I was not given a few hereditary territories in a few Sectors for such a great contribution, wouldn't it?"
The mental devil narrowed its eyes, which were the size of soybeans, and rolled them like a mouse that had smelled rat poison.
Li Yao went on. "In the border defense army system, other than those who are loyal to me, there are also a lot of honorable soldiers who are loyal to the country and to the parliament. When I 'accidentally' leaked the information and the news of my surrender reached their ears, the news would've certainly been sent back to the capital at a superluminal speed, raising a riot in the parliament and in the world of Cultivators!
"Also, I have a huge appetite. I will not just surrender to the enemy with the border defense army. I will also instigate the vassal Sectors behind me to join the enemy together!
"Haha. Once the mission is accomplished, the elite border defense army and the vassal Sectors of the Star Ocean Republic on the cantilever defense line will be transformed overnight and become the territory of the Holy League!
"The Holy League's capability will soar, and the frontline will be greatly pushed forward. They will also boast a lot of excellent soldiers who are familiar with the intelligence of the Star Ocean Republic. Their vanguard will stab into the internal organs of the Star Ocean Republic!
"Right. From the abundant starships, Crystal Suit, and magical equipment that I brought to the Holy League, as well as the brains of countless excellent soldiers, it will not be difficult for the people of the Holy League to parse the most precious Cultivation arts, techniques, and technologies of the Star Ocean Republic, right?"
The mental devil gnashed its teeth so hard that it almost lunged forward and bit Li Yao!
Li Yao put on a victorious smile and said, "Do you think that, after such a piece of news is sent back to the capital city, the lords in parliament will still ignore the threat of the Covenant Alliance as if it were a scabies?"
"Even if there are hundreds of pigs sitting in parliament, they should know that something is not right, right?
"Putting aside whether or not a national mobilization will take place, at the very least, the most elite and loyal troops will arrive at the border as soon as possible to control the situation and establish the most solid defense line to deter the vassal Sectors from acting recklessly!
"Alright. Problem solved!"
"Of course, the process is certainly not so simple. A lot of details still need to be fixed and perfected, but this is the general idea!
"With my feeble commanding ability, I may not be able to put the plan into practice, but with Wuying Qi's great vision and foresight, he will certainly be able to realize it perfectly, won't he?
"It took me three minutes to come up with the solution. Of course, it is very naïve, violent, immature, and full of loopholes. I wonder, do you have any opinions and suggestions, Immortal Cultivator?"
The mental devil was infuriated. It paced back and forth inside Li Yao's brain and declared angrily, "As a result, your reputation will be ruined, too, and you will be condemned by the public!"
"Rest assured!"
Li Yao opened his hands and said, "After the central army takes control of the situation and conducts an investigation, they will discover that the so-called 'commander-in-chief of the border defense army intends to defect to the enemy' is entirely false and a shameless scheme of the Holy League to frame me! After all, I've been dealing with the Holy League for so many years, and my hands are stained with the blood of the Holy League. I'm a major problem for them. It is perfectly reasonable for them to slander me! "
The mental devil was dumbfounded and lost for words. After a long time, it finally said, "What if other people don't believe the conclusion?"
"It can't be helped."
Li Yao said calmly, "At the very least, the troops at the border have been strengthened, and the defense line is more stable. The vassal worlds do not dare to act recklessly. Also, the capital city has realized the threat of the Holy League! My strategic purpose has been achieved, but as for me personally, that's a different question!
"After all, that's the setting that you gave me. Have you forgotten that we are talking about an honorable, selfless soldier?"
"Fine. Fine. You win!"
The mental devil stomped hard and scratched its messy hair hard. Gnashing its teeth, it said, "You still managed to bluff your way out of it. After all, you don't have the courage to answer my question directly in any case, do you? “
"It's not that I don't have the courage, but it is unnecessary."
While Li Yao was responding to the mental devil's provocation, he was sorting through his telepathic thoughts bit by bit. His mind was gradually becoming clearer. "If you have to choose between 'kill ten million' and 'kill a hundred billion', such a question is like 'which one should you save if your wife and your mother fall into a river?', 'which side should the train hit when there are children on both tracks?', 'when you are kidnapped together with two children, and the kidnapper gives you a gun and demands that you kill one of them with your own hands'. Those are not real questions but traps that are filled with venom. Anyone with a normal mind will not step into them.
"I could've said 'no comment' to such a malicious trap, but seeing that you are not convinced, I'll give you a direct answer as a Cultivator!"
"As a Cultivator, no matter what the situation is, and no matter what the purpose is, I will not kill any innocent person. One, ten million, never!
"I will not press the button that will detonate Karan. I will not even allow such a button to exist!
"This is my choice. Are you satisfied?"
The mental devil thought that it had grasped Li Yao's weakness. It jumped to its feet in excitement and snapped its fingers. "Aha. Then, you will have killed a hundred billion ordinary people!
"Let's leave aside whether or not Su Changfa was exaggerating. Will the invasion of the Holy League really cause the death of a hundred billion people?"
Extremely calm, Li Yao said, one word after another, "Even if a hundred billion innocent people are killed in the war, they will not be killed by me. I will not take such a moral burden on myself."
"If a firefighter went to put out a fire, he rushed into the fire and did his best to save ten trapped people, but another hundred trapped people were burned to death by the fire. Were these hundred victims killed by the firefighter?"
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