Chapter 489

Chapter 489: The Appointed Marshal

After the uproar, the grand hall fell into complete silence.

The High-ranking Leaders of the Political Council wore grim expressions.

Yet, not one dared to speak against Yi Chen.

In the Great Flame Empire, almost every matter, big or small, was determined by the Political Council through various policies.

Yi Chen, the emperor of the Great Flame Empire, was a hands-off ruler who preferred not to get involved in daily affairs.

However, regardless of the situation, Yi Chen’s attitude represented the core will of the Great Flame Empire.

Once Yi Chen showed that he would take a strong stance against the Black Tiger Tribe,

Although the High-ranking Leaders of the Political Council felt it was inappropriate to escalate tensions and that they should handle Chief Jin Jun’s rebellion discreetly, they had no choice but to display the strongest attitude possible. They set a trap to create conflict between the upper echelons of the Black Tiger Tribe and the tribe members, aiming to prevent a large-scale rebellion in the short term.

Now, Yi Chen directly expressed his intention to reform the Military.

None of the High-ranking Leaders dared to oppose him.

They had followed Yi Chen since the exile planet, back when the Great Flame Empire was still the Flame Mountain Tribe.

They knew Yi Chen’s character very well.

This emperor had delegated nearly all his power, even spiritual authority, to the high priest, and had never interfered in the slightest.

Some decisions made by the Political Council and the Military that he found unsatisfactory were left alone as long as they didn’t severely impact the development speed of the Great Flame Empire.

Yet when this hands-off ruler made a major decision, any opponents were swiftly swept aside.

The establishment of the Military Department equated to dividing half of the Political Council’s power.

Previously, while the Military had been somewhat independent from the Political Council, it resembled the Military of the human federation, possessing some autonomy but at a lower level than the Political Council.

The Political Council could interfere with Military decisions and even formulate various strategic plans for the Military, but the Military had no right to interfere with the Political Council’s decisions, especially in cases of conflict where the Political Council’s decision took precedence.

Now, with the addition of a marshal at the same level as the high priest in the Military Department, the General Staff completely replaced the Political Council’s ability to intervene in Military affairs.

This meant that the Political Council would have no right to interfere in any matters or decisions of the Military Department in the future.

Even if there were overlapping areas in conscription and Resource Allocation, it would only involve negotiations and cooperation between the Political Council and the General Staff.

The High-ranking Leaders of the Political Council not only saw their power significantly weaken, but they would also face many conflicts with the Military in the future.

Naturally, they were unwilling.

They could find countless reasons to argue against it.

For example, the Military Department wielded excessive power and controlled the army; the existence of a marshal at such a level should not be allowed.

Or, the Military Department’s complete independence would lead to many irreconcilable conflicts with the Political Council.

Yet, no matter how unwilling they were or how many reasons they had to argue, no one dared to stand up and voice their objections.

On the other hand, the four main leaders of the Military were also feeling the pressure.

The Military Department’s independence, free from the constraints of the Political Council, was undoubtedly a positive development.

However, conversely, Yi Chen’s reforms impacted them even more than they did the High-ranking Leaders of the Political Council.

Because now, while they still held the most power within the Military Department…

But above them, there was a temporarily vacant marshal position.

Although the General Staff was currently filling this role, they would eventually have to hand it over.

Originally, the entire Military was under the command of the Four Leaders.

With this reformation, a marshal was added above them, increasing the number of equals to six.

While the Political Council only had seven leaders, the Military would now have eleven, making their power noticeably diminish.

However, even with the special treatment from Yi Chen, Guli did not dare to oppose this change.

The only ones who were excited were the Leaders of the Military.

They saw the opportunity to elevate themselves and become one of the eleven giants of the Military.

“Since there are no objections, let’s implement this as soon as possible. The Great Flame Empire’s expansion is imminent, and the Military must be established in advance! So far, the Political Council has undergone several reforms and has rich relevant experience. You five captains can seek assistance from the Political Council to strategize together.”

Yi Chen waved his hand, announcing the end of the meeting.

“Yes!”

Since they could not oppose, they could only do their best to make it work.

All the High-ranking Leaders of the Great Flame Empire left the grand hall one after another.

“Congratulations, Captain Zhan!”

The high priest was the first to approach Zhan Cheng to offer his congratulations, wearing a warm expression.

He was almost certain that Zhan Cheng would become Yi Chen’s appointed Marshal Iron Blood.

It was only due to insufficient Military Achievements at the moment that Zhan Cheng could not take office yet.

This meant that Zhan Cheng would be the high priest’s greatest external competitor in the future as the Head of the Council.

Given the high priest’s character, he would usually only make some polite remarks and leave it at that.

But his only son, Lou Xing, was on board with Zhan Cheng’s rising star.

For Lou Xing’s future, he had to find ways to build a good relationship with Zhan Cheng.

While the two exchanged pleasantries, other High-ranking Leaders from the Political Council and the Military came forward to congratulate Zhan Cheng as well.

The high priest could predict that Zhan Cheng was the chosen marshal through Yi Chen’s attitude and the Reformation Plan; they could deduce it as well.

Despite their mixed feelings, they all sought ways to maintain good relations with Zhan Cheng.

Especially the Four Leaders, who felt conflicted.

They had originally thought Yi Chen was interested in Zhan Cheng as a candidate for the fifth leader.

They never expected Yi Chen valued Zhan Cheng far more than they imagined, intending to make him the marshal of the Military.

Recalling the past years, the Political Council had undergone several reforms, while the Military had consistently maintained the status quo of the four armies moving forward together.

This made them even suspect that Yi Chen intended for Zhan Cheng to become the marshal a long time ago.

Back then, the Military merely needed to expand continuously and avoided chaotic disputes, thus remaining in a state of observation and assessment of Zhan Cheng.

Suddenly, an inconspicuous subordinate transformed into an equal colleague, potentially even becoming their direct superior.

The Four Leaders found it hard to accept such a turn of events.

But despite their difficulty in accepting it, they could only find ways to adapt to this reality.

As for Zhan Cheng himself, he felt somewhat confused.

He never anticipated that he would most likely become Yi Chen’s appointed first figure of the Military.

Regarding the reason, he had guessed it when Yi Chen announced the establishment of the General Staff.

This emperor of the Great Flame Empire must have recognized his abilities in strategic planning.

This military reform seemed sudden, but it was inevitable.

With the Great Flame Empire officially unifying the blood-colored planet and preparing to conquer other planets and the various races of the Tianling Star Cluster,

It was no longer enough for the Military to just point and shoot.

They had to design comprehensive strategies that accounted for the strength and conflicts among the major races in the Tianling Star Cluster, planning ahead for a complete takeover.

By considering three steps ahead with every move, they could ensure that the expansion speed of the Great Flame Empire reached its fullest potential.

Chapter 490: Zhan Cheng’s Plan

Half a month later, the internal conflict of the Black Tiger Tribe finally calmed down under the suppression of their High-ranking Leaders.

Hundreds of millions of the Black Tiger Tribe lost their lives in this turmoil.

The Military Department was officially established.

The Military then held its first high-level meeting.

Since the position of the marshal was vacant, the captains took on the role of the chief of staff.

Only five were present.

As the captain of the First Legion, Guli confidently took the seat of honor.

In the past two weeks, the five captains had been busy reforming the Military. Though they appeared energetic, signs of fatigue lingered in their eyes.

“Currently, the Military Department has been set up. Following the suggestions from the Political Council, the basic framework has been established, and we just need to gradually supplement and refine it.”

Guli spoke first, “The urgent priority now is to sort out the situation with the Black Tiger Tribe.”

“Over the past two months, both our Great Flame Empire and the Demon Race have basically completed their restructuring and organization, with the Fifth Legion also taking shape. However, due to the internal strife in the Black Tiger Tribe, their progress has been stagnant, which has disrupted our cooperative training exercises with the eastern human army.”

“According to the original plan, in about a month, we were to reorganize the expeditionary army and officially deploy to other life planets of the Black Tiger Tribe.”

“But right now, the internal conflict in the Black Tiger Tribe may cause delays to this plan.”

“Everyone understands that His Majesty has placed great importance on the speed of expansion since the period on the exile planet, even willing to take action personally to eliminate those powerful fierce beasts obstructing our progress in the four armies.”

“During the times when we were not ready for expansion, His Majesty had enough patience to wait for the average strength of the citizens and the Military to improve.”

“However, if we extend the expansion timeline when the Great Flame Empire is ready to expand, it is likely to cause great dissatisfaction with His Majesty.”

Aside from Zhan Cheng, the other three captains nodded in agreement.

Tai Shi, Rog, and Zong Shan had been leaders in the Military since the Flame Mountain Tribe had only a little over a thousand people and had a deep understanding of Yi Chen’s emphasis on expanding quickly.

They knew that if there was a delay, while their own positions might remain intact, their perceived abilities in Yi Chen’s eyes would undoubtedly be diminished.

“Great dissatisfaction?”

Zhan Cheng was somewhat surprised.

He joined the Flame Mountain Tribe later, and it was the surrender of the Sacred Water Tribe that led to a population boom in the Flame Mountain Tribe and the establishment of the Great Flame Kingdom’s base.

Since joining the Flame Mountain Tribe, he had not entered the Military.

Instead, he severed all ties with the Sacred Water Tribe and acted as an Ordinary Tribe Member of the Flame Mountain Tribe, thus not being fully aware of Yi Chen’s past actions of personally taking down powerful fierce beasts for the four armies every so often.

Guli and the others nodded emphatically, affirming Zhan Cheng’s question.

“Then let’s proceed as planned!”

Zhan Cheng decided without hesitation.

If the big boss didn’t like delays in deploying forces, then deploying on time would solve the problem.

“The issue is that the organization of the Black Tiger Tribe has not met expectations. If we deploy hastily, dividing our forces to engage multiple life planets of the Black Tiger Tribe simultaneously, we might encounter issues with troop coordination.”

Guli thought Zhan Cheng was unaware of the military’s operational taboos, and explained: “Without sufficient coordination, and with the Black Tiger soldiers currently dissatisfied with our Great Flame Empire, various unexpected situations may arise, potentially leading to serious casualties among our eastern human army.”

Zhan Cheng smiled and shook his head, saying, “During my free time while preparing the Military Department, I drafted a short-term strategic plan that aims to conquer all the life planets of the Black Tiger Tribe, Swift Tribe, and Spirit Heart Tribe within a year.”

“If you all agree with this plan, then in my opinion, the recent instability within the Black Tiger Tribe will not affect the implementation of the plan.”

“Conquer all the life planets of the Black Tiger Tribe, Swift Tribe, and Spirit Heart Tribe within a year?”

The four captains stared at Zhan Cheng in surprise.

Each one felt that this guy was being overly ambitious.

It took the Great Flame Empire just over a year to conquer the entire blood-colored planet.

Although the average strength of the soldiers had increased with the growth of the Military’s forces, and the strength and numbers of the Black Tiger Tribe had also surged due to the unification of the blood-colored planet, future expansion would definitely speed up.

However, the Black Tiger Tribe had more than thirty life planets and was scattered and disorganized.

Even if most tribes responded, simply dealing with a few unwilling to surrender would still take more than a year.

Not to mention, from what Zhan Cheng was implying, they needed to simultaneously conquer the Swift Tribe and Spirit Heart Tribe within the year.

“Let’s take a look at the plan I put together!”

Zhan Cheng produced a document from his storage ring and placed it in front of them.

Guli and the others immediately used their divine consciousness to examine it.

What they found left them dumbfounded.

This plan was completely different from the one they had originally created focused on taking down the Black Tiger Tribe first.

Zhan Cheng’s plan was to first deploy against the Spirit Heart Tribe and force them into submission directly.

“Although the news from the Intelligence Organization indicates that after the retreat of their High-ranking Leaders, the Spirit Heart Tribe has decided to send an envoy to discuss a secret reconciliation on the blood-colored planet, that doesn’t mean we can force the entire Spirit Heart Tribe to surrender by striking first!”

Rog couldn’t help but voice his doubts.

According to Zhan Cheng’s reasoning, if they surrounded Colin Planet, they could force the Spirit Heart Tribe to surrender without even fighting.

“The Spirit Heart Tribe is currently like a bird frightened by a bowstring. If our army arrives suddenly with enough authority…”

Zhan Cheng explained, “And with the support of flying treasures, top geniuses, and the strong, we can demonstrate our capability to eliminate their strong members anytime. We can also use captured members of the Spirit Heart Tribe to aid in persuading them to surrender. The Spirit Heart Tribe wouldn’t have any other choices.”

“Um…”

Guli and the others exchanged glances. If the Spirit Heart Tribe was indeed frightened, this method could be worth trying.

It might actually work.

If successful, according to Zhan Cheng’s plan, they could mobilize the army of the Spirit Heart Tribe and then launch a strong attack on the Swift Tribe’s stronghold.

Based on information provided by the Intelligence Organization, considering Swift Emperor’s personality, the chance of a complete surrender was virtually non-existent.

Therefore, this assault needed to be executed directly, and Swift Emperor had to be eliminated.

After that, they could use the surrendered strong members of the Swift Tribe, backed by the army of the Spirit Heart Tribe, to take control and integrate the various life planets of the Swift Tribe.

Moreover, according to Zhan Cheng’s plan, before deploying into the territory of the Spirit Heart Tribe, they would need to send members from the Black Tiger Tribe and the strong from various tribes to their life planets to persuade the tribes to surrender in advance.

The news of the Spirit Heart Tribe’s surrender and the conquest of the Swift Tribe would help influence and encourage others to surrender.

They would just need to send a group of human soldiers and various strong members to assist, allowing the surrendered tribes to launch attacks on those unwilling to surrender under the banner of the Nika Tribe.

If this plan of utilizing reciprocal power went smoothly, not counting the time required for later integration and arrangement, it was indeed possible to conquer the Black Tiger Tribe, Swift Tribe, and Spirit Heart Tribe within a year.

Furthermore, the entire plan was efficient and effective, with most of the forces from various tribes balancing and clashing with each other, so the human army would only need to move where needed.

Guli and the others began to feel increasingly amazed.

The Great Flame Empire’s method of expansion, whether on the exile planet or the blood-colored planet, had always been through positional warfare—steady advancement and conquest.

Zhan Cheng’s plan, however, resembled treating the three tribes as a chessboard, laying out strategies in advance and advancing on multiple fronts. He sought to overcome various obstacles with minimal cost and achieve each goal, seamlessly linking to fulfill the ultimate objective.

This plan completely overturned their understanding.

“What about sending strong members to infiltrate the Giant Ant Tribe and ally with Lord Holin of the Giant Ant Tribe? What’s the purpose of sending strong members to infiltrate the Mars Tribe and utilizing their merchants to sell resources and treasures that could enhance the power of the Mars Tribe on a large scale? And what’s up with sending top geniuses and strong members to assassinate the offspring of the Great Elder of the Qian Yu Tribe?”

Zong Shan was somewhat puzzled.

Zhan Cheng’s plan included many chaotic elements that seemed unrelated to conquering the three tribes.