Driving wolves to devour tigers

"Big brother, you are giving this island to me? Not enough troops? You can't be serious! Aren't all the coalition forces of the Empire Continent commanded by you, big brother?" Inside the Bear clan's camp, Udos stared in utter astonishment. He simply could not believe that Mo Fei was offering to cede that island to him. The Death Empire had fought tooth and nail into their territory, and now they were suddenly claiming a shortage of troops and handing it over—no one in their right mind would believe that.

"Along the way, we've captured no less than twenty islands. Once we split up our forces to garrison them, how could we possibly have enough men left to seize this massive sea island? You know as well as I do that the imperial coalition only has about seven or eighty thousand trained soldiers. It's not that I can't scrape together an army of several millions, but what use is an army without combat capability? Do you think I don't want to conquer it personally? But one must make preparations first! Look, my ten thousand elite cavalry have already boarded the ships and set off. If you don't want it, the worst I can do is grind them down slowly."

Upon hearing that the Death Empire's most elite hundred thousand iron cavalry had also been dispatched there, Udos felt his heart stir.

"Big brother, that's not what I meant. You know our Bear clan only has infantry, and those mages wouldn't have such formidable combat power if it weren't for your personal training. Little brother is just afraid that if big brother cedes the territory to me, your allies might be displeased!"

"You don't need to worry on my behalf about that. My forces are insufficient, but debts must always be paid. Since you have nothing else on your hands right now, letting you go conquer it amounts to the same thing. Anyway, we've already occupied so many islands; there will surely be enough for them to pick and choose from. If you decide to go, I can have my hundred thousand cavalry cooperate with you. All the territory you conquer will belong entirely to you; neither I nor my allies will come to take a share. If you..."

"That's wonderful! Thank you, big brother! I was just about to ask for big brother's cavalry to lend a hand!" Realizing such a lucrative opportunity was on the table, Udos eagerly agreed without hesitation.

"Brother, actually you can also take this opportunity to properly train your warriors. Apart from the division under your direct command, the combat effectiveness of the rest doesn't seem all that impressive."

If you hadn't come, I would have sent men to train in the Diamond Continent anyway, Udos thought to himself.

"It's been too long since we've lived in peaceful times..." Mentioning this brought a flood of bitter grievances to Udos. "I've wanted to train them too, but I never dared to deploy them in crucial areas. Now that big brother has given little brother this opportunity, I will definitely make them go through their paces, and it will also be a chance to see how much the power of the few thousand mages trained by big brother has changed. This little brother is truly looking forward to it."

"If you go, I can leave our Invincible Warships there, along with the hundred thousand cavalry to assist you. Even if things go south and you have to retreat, they will be able to help immensely."

"Thank you, big brother. Consider it helping big brother avenge the past as well. Once that place is conquered, little brother will certainly present big brother with a generous gift."

"We can talk about this generous gift later, but you must not underestimate them. We misjudged the situation and were driven straight into the sea the moment we landed. You mustn't repeat that mistake." Mo Fei had no desire for Udos to suspect he was being deceived—even though that was precisely the case. But even a deception needed to look convincing, didn't it?

"Little brother understands. I'll find a suitable place to land, only..." Udos hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Big brother, I have a favor to ask."

"Out with it!"

"After I leave, I'll have to trouble big brother to keep an eye on things back home..."

"You trust me that much?" Mo Fei was greatly surprised. "You're not planning to move all your troops over there, are you?"

"Didn't we say it's for training troops? How can we do that without going?" Udos wore a look of eager anticipation. "The Bull-headed clan and us haven't completely reconciled yet. I'm afraid that once I take everyone away, some Minotaurs might take advantage of the chaos to attack our camp..."

"Since you trust me, set your mind at ease. I will detach a portion of the Storm City garrison to move into your territory and watch your home for you."

"That would be just fantastic." The depth of Udos's trust in Mo Fei was evident from this very moment. "With big brother's promise to help, little brother has nothing at all to worry about."

"How about this? I'll transfer the troops back as soon as I return. You can have someone guide them and get them familiarized, so they can take over the defense immediately once you leave."

"Alright, no problem! Thank you, big brother!" With people from the Death Empire helping to guard his home, what else did Udos have to worry about?

............

With the matter of the Bear clan's military expedition settled, Mo Fei heaved a massive sigh of relief. Although he would ultimately have to babysit the Bear clan's homeland, it was no big deal—those few Minotaurs were not worth worrying about. Mo Fei even considered dispatching some Minotaur warriors from Storm City to the Bear clan's territory, hoping that close contact might help foster genuine reconciliation between them.

"Brother, will the Bear clan win the battle over there?" Erin had remained silent all this while, but as soon as they walked out of the Bear clan's camp, she could no longer hold it in.

"That depends entirely on how many people are on that continent." Mo Fei pondered for a moment. "If their numbers are roughly equal, Udos will easily defeat them. Even if their numbers are half as many again, Udos can still emerge victorious in the end. If the disparity is even greater, it's hard to say. In short, given Udos's capability, trading a million of his men for two million of theirs is entirely possible. If Udos wins this battle, the surviving Bear warriors will become the Bear clan's most elite, iron-blooded fighters. The Bear clan's combat strength won't diminish because of the reduction in numbers; instead, it will grow even stronger."

Udos was certainly aware of this as well, which was why he was dispatching his entire force. Compared to the past, the Bear clan's strength had declined far too noticeably. If they didn't seize this opportunity to forge an elite force, the Bear clan might well perish one day.

Although he harbored lingering suspicions that Mo Fei might be plotting to deplete the Bear clan's strength, Udos ultimately decided to deploy his troops. Hearing that Mo Fei would also leave behind the Invincible Warships and the Death Empire's hundred thousand elite iron cavalry to assist him, Udos finally became convinced that Mo Fei was ceding the island simply because his forces were insufficient to conquer it.

Driven by this conviction, Udos abandoned his plan to advance into the Diamond Continent. Because of Mo Fei's arrival, that plan was immediately altered into an expedition against the Dark Continent. From the returning mages who had participated in the war, Udos had gained some understanding of the Dark Continent's military power. An enemy whose only tactic was swarming about like a chaotic mob of flies simply did not register as a threat in his eyes.

Currently, Udos's warships could still transport three million troops at a time, but any more than that would be impossible. However, hadn't the Death Empire captured numerous warships from the Dark Continent? Udos believed that if he asked, big brother Mo Fei would certainly not lose face and refuse. After all, by doing this, he was also indirectly helping the Death Empire out.

Of course Mo Fei would not refuse. Even if the Bear clan successfully forged an elite army, once their overall population decreased, they wouldn't constantly harbor ambitions to expand their living space outward. Furthermore, if this elite force remained on Demon Island, they could only serve defensive purposes, posing no threat to the security of the Empire Continent. Besides, after conquering such a massive continent, garrisons would naturally have to be dispatched to hold it; once these troops were dispersed, the Bear clan would pose even less of a threat. To take a step back, with such a vast continent in their possession, the Bear clan wouldn't even think about messing around on other continents until they had fully digested this new territory.

In Mo Fei's estimation, conquering such a massive continent would take the Bear clan at least half a year. Add another half-year to consolidate their rule, and another half-year to eradicate the remaining hostile forces, and nearly two years would have passed. During these two years, Mo Fei could accomplish a great deal.

As soon as Mo Fei returned to Storm City, he immediately summoned the Dwarf General and the Berserker Deputy Commander. Without reservation, Mo Fei informed both of them about the deal struck with the Bear clan, explicitly stating that this was mandated by the Empire's strategic needs. Naturally, neither of them raised any objections to Mo Fei's decision.

"Your Majesty, should we issue a warning to the Bull-headed clan after the Bear clan departs?" The Dwarf General actually possessed the foresight to suggest issuing a prior warning to the Minotaurs.

"Issuing a targeted warning to a single race like that wouldn't be very appropriate," Mo Fei thought for a moment and said. "Once the Bear clan leaves, let's just issue a general warning to the entire continent instead. Whoever dares to disregard Storm City's warning will become the enemy of our Death Empire, and we will dispatch troops to annihilate them. That way, we won't end up pushing any single race into our opposition—even though most people already know our target is the Minotaurs."

"Our Death Empire is even more formidable and ferocious than the Bear clan anyway!" The Berserker Deputy Commander burst into hearty laughter. Seeing Mo Fei's slightly puzzled expression, he quickly explained, "It's like this, Young Master. We've defeated the Bear clan multiple times, seized such a massive piece of their territory here to build this enormous fortress, and the Minotaurs have also spread the word about how we helped them. Right now, this entire continent views the Empire's army as something even the Bear clan wouldn't dare provoke lightly. They've never dared to contend with the Bear clan, so naturally they wouldn't dare provoke an army that the Bear clan fears. As the saying goes among them: better to tangle with the Bear clan than with Storm City."

"So that's how it is," Mo Fei chuckled. "Fortunately it's not a reputation for sheer cruelty, otherwise we wouldn't be able to run Storm City properly. This turns out for the best. When the time comes, you will lead men to protect their camp. Make sure nothing goes wrong; otherwise, your Young Master won't know how to answer to others. For the Empire, this isn't just a matter of losing face—if a real disaster happens, just imagine what those who depend on our Empire would think?"

"Young Master, I understand. I will protect them as if they were our own family." Once the Berserker spoke thus, how could he possibly fail to grasp the deeper meaning?

"It's best that you understand the stakes involved. If your forces are insufficient, talk to Kane and have him dispatch more men to you, but remember—if something is beyond your capability, you are strictly forbidden from forcing it!"

"Young Master, I understand."

With matters pertaining to the Empire's strategy at stake, the Dwarf General and the Berserker Deputy Commander dared not be the least bit negligent. Mo Fei's willingness to share such vital information with them made them feel deeply valued by His Majesty the Emperor, stirring them to immense excitement. Soon, under Mo Fei's instructions, only ten thousand Berserker infantrymen and twenty thousand Minotaur warriors remained behind to garrison Storm City. The Berserker Deputy Commander led six thousand Berserker infantry, thirty thousand Elven crossbowmen, and three thousand Minotaur warriors out of Storm City, heading directly for the Bear clan's camp. Bringing along the Minotaur warriors was Mo Fei's personal idea; he secretly hoped that this move would yield positive results when he made the decision.

The vicinity of the Bear clan's camp was entirely blanketed in dense forests, making it ideally suited for the Elves. Consequently, every single Elven crossbowman in Storm City was dispatched there.

This despicable strategy of driving a wolf to devour a tiger, masterminded by Mo Fei, was finally set smoothly into motion.