Li Linghai could ignore Li Yao's pestering, but he could not ignore the Godly Might Prison that had been armed to the teeth and the Godly Might Fleet that was entirely intact except for the flagship. In the end, he had to "condescend" and meet Lei Chenghu in the Godly Might Prison in person.
The secret meeting room of the Godly Might Prison had been scanned by Li Yao inside and out. At this moment, Li Yao, Li Linghai, and Lei Chenghu were the only three people in the room.
A meeting that could possibly change the future of the Imperium of True Human Beings and even the entire civilization of mankind at the center of the cosmos was taking place in the somewhat gloomy underground chamber.
Li Yao blocked the door like an iron tower, but his eyes were glittering. His left eye was staring at the ambitious white-haired witch, and his right eye was staring at the brutal, one-armed general. The summit competition between two top Immortal Cultivators was truly an exciting show that could not be missed!
"Lei Chenghu pays his respects to Your Grace!"
The wounds all over Lei Chenghu's body had already been healed by the crazy proliferation of his cells. Now that he had put on a clean military uniform, he looked even more intimidating and neat. His left sleeve was empty and waving next to him, but he punched his chest with his right fist and bowed deeply at Li Linghai.
"Marquis Liaohai is still wounded. There's no need for such a great salute. Please rise."
Li Linghai found it necessary. After a brief pause, he said rather earnestly, "In the capital, 'Your Grace' is about to be announced to have 'unfortunately passed away because of the lethal poison'. In the Godly Might Prison, as a general of the Imperium, the God of War in the army, and the Marquis Liaohai that His Majesty conferred personally, you may follow my footsteps and die without knowing why at any moment. The two of us can be said to be in the same boat. Although the universe is vast, there is no place for us to stay anymore. Why do we still pretend to be 'queen' and 'Marquis Liaohai'?
"In the eyes of the nobles and elders, you and I are both people who should not live in this world anymore. We are ghosts that do not exist. In that case, why don't we drop all the burdens and titles and just call each other 'fellow Cultivators'? What do you think, Fellow Cultivator Lei?"
Lei Chenghu smiled. "Fellow Daoist Li, please!"
Li Linghai's eyes glittered as she said, "As expected of the best general of the Imperium, Fellow Cultivator Lei. To be honest, I've been admiring your glorious accomplishments for a long time. Had I not been trapped deep inside the royal palace and forced to live like a walking corpse, I would've loved to fight side by side with Fellow Cultivator Lei in the fiercest frontline as a common soldier of the Imperium, defending the glory of the Imperium together and accomplishing what Blackstar the Great failed to accomplish a thousand years ago!"
"Fellow Daoist Li, aren't you underestimating yourself too much? It's not impossible for you to accomplish astounding things in the royal palace. "
Lei Chenghu sneered. "Take you for example, Fellow Cultivator Li. You never show yourself. Everybody thinks that you are just a common queen of the Imperium. Even though they think that you are slightly ambitious, they do not surpass the limits of the previous queens. Little did they know that you were capable of establishing such an enormous Deep Sea Fleet in secret and raising such a rare, unique talent as' Vulture Li Yao '!
"I wonder, Fellow Cultivator Li, what are you up to after all the great efforts you have made?"
"The Imperium is at the end of its life. Wolves are in the court, the Council of Elders is rotten, and every Sector is in a state of disunity. The common people are miserable, and the young people and the low-level Immortal Cultivators have nowhere to vent their frustration and fury."
Her eyes burning, Li Linghai said solemnly, "Also, His Majesty has fallen into the hands of the scoundrels, who have secretly kidnapped and hidden him. Even I, the queen of the Imperium, and you, the general and Marquis Liaohai, have been captured and killed at will without any explanation!
"It is needless to say that undercurrents are surging in the frontline. The people of the Holy League may not be willing to retreat in silence just like that. Chances are that they will even fight desperately in desperation!
"But the rigid, corrupt elders and nobles are still dwelling in the dream that the Imperium is invincible. They have no idea about the coming threat at all!
"At such a moment of life and death, only the clear-headed Immortal Cultivators such as you and me are the last saviors of the Imperium and the civilization of mankind!
"Yes, 'salvation'. I have spent almost a hundred years and risked my life and everything that I have worked hard for, including the fact that I will probably attack the Godly Might Prison as a 'traitor' to rescue Fellow Cultivator Lei at the risk of universal condemnation, all for the sake of the Imperium and the civilization of mankind!"
Lei Chenghu listened emotionlessly. There was no telling what reaction he had to Li Linghai's somewhat empty answer. It was only when Li Linghai mentioned the threat of the Holy League that he rolled his eyes and nodded slightly. "Just now, Fellow Cultivator Li Yao has already explained the righteousness of the reform to me passionately and eloquently for half an hour. I have a very profound understanding of it now.
"However, I have always regarded myself as the purest soldier. Unless I am forced into desperation and have no other choice, I would rather not be involved in the changes in the capital.
"But you are right about one thing, Fellow Cultivator Li.
"I guarantee with my head that the Holy League is definitely planning a thunderous operation in secret. Once it is launched, it will likely sweep across the entire sea of stars!
"The reason why I walked right into their trap and was put under house arrest was to fight for a slim chance to persuade the noble lords in the Council of Elders in the capital!"
"Those people in the Council of Elders will not listen to you."
Li Linghai said coldly, "The only thing they can understand other than the collision of crystal coins is the bombardment of bullets and cannons!"
Lei Chenghu sighed and went on with his train of thought. "In order to completely shatter the Holy League's plan, the expedition army must not be disbanded. Instead, it must be strengthened and normalized into a 'national defense army' that is even more elite. At least double the resources will be invested in it. Not one year, but ten, twenty, or even a hundred years, until either the Imperium or the Holy League completely collapses.
"If it is not possible for now, the headquarters of the expedition army must be maintained at the very least and the independence and control of the headquarters must be improved. On one hand, the headquarters will be able to get rid of the constraints of the capital and respond quickly to the emergencies in the frontline. On the other hand, the control of the headquarters over the fleets in the frontline must be strengthened so that the headquarters can truly command the fleets in the frontline.
"If that can be achieved, and an experienced general who is loyal to the Imperium without any selfishness is chosen as the commander of the headquarters of the expedition army, I believe that there is at least a thirty percent chance that we can resist the thunderous counterattack of the Holy League with the current resources and logistics!
"I am a soldier, and I don't know much about politics. In terms of military affairs, if we want to 'save the Imperium', we must do whatever it takes to realize the goal!"
"Fellow Cultivator Lei, you are very straightforward. That's exactly what I want!"
Li Linghai's white hair was fluttering despite the lack of wind. He said in high spirits, "In our great plan of 'Honor the Majesty and Settle the Rebellions', a powerful army of the Imperium is the key. In the entire Imperium, Fellow Cultivator Lei is the only one who is capable and qualified to command such an army.
"Therefore, I agree with Fellow Cultivator Lei's opinion very much. Not only must the expedition army not be dismantled, but it should also be strengthened on the current scale. We can even build a sacred 'national defense army' based on the current expedition army!
"If I were capable of speaking in the Council of Elders, I would certainly shout to the ignorant and incompetent elders that Fellow Cultivator Lei is the best candidate for the commander of the expedition army and the national defense army in the future. Only Fellow Cultivator Lei can save the Imperium and help us defeat all the enemies!
"It is a pity that we probably won't have a chance to show up in the Council of Elders in the capital. Even if we stand at the center of the Council of Elders and shout at the top of our lungs, none of the elders will hear us."
Li Linghai sighed gloomily and stared at Lei Chenghu with his eyes that were as pale as ice.
Lei Chenghu's face was as tranquil as a tranquil well. He said casually, "Like I said just now, I am a soldier. Unless I have no other choice, I will not meddle in politics.
"However, the chaos in the Imperium today is far more than 'no other choice', isn't it?
"A soldier's responsibility is to protect the country. Both the external enemies and the internal parasites, as long as they harm the fundamental interests of the Imperium and the civilization of mankind, they are the sworn enemies of the soldiers of my generation.
"Right now … the enemy is in the Council of Elders!
"Fellow Cultivator Li, just tell me. How are you going to deal with the stinky zombies in the Council of Elders?"
Although Lei Chenghu was on his own and even missing an arm, when he bellowed "the enemy is in the Council of Elders", the shadows of thousands of starships were flooding out of his back. The intimidating aura of the magnificent army made the entire secret chamber seethe. It was truly unstoppable!
Li Yao secretly compared "Iron Commander" Zhou Hengdao and "God of War" Lei Chenghu, the role models of the Union Army that he had seen before. He had to admit that the experts from the center of the cosmos were indeed better!
Li Linghai was so excited that his white hair was dancing crazily. He shrieked, "First of all, escort Fellow Cultivator Lei back to the Thunder Fleet and try to summon as many main-force warships as possible!
"Give me three days. Not only will I be able to mobilize eighty percent of the strength of the Thunder Fleet, I will also be confident to summon a batch of elites from the brother troops in the frontline."
Lei Chenghu said solemnly, "But troops alone are not enough. We do not have a logistics base that is vast enough. Our crystals, fuel, medicines, weapons, ammunition, and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures are all at the mercy of others. With our current ammunition and fuel base, we will run out of supplies after one round of assault. Wherever we attack, the Council of Elders will not yield easily.
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