“Understood.” Zhang Liang grasped Zhou Yan’s meaning. He would not participate in this battle.
As a Lord, his duty was to oversee important matters of the entire territory. Other tasks could be handled by the many elite soldiers and generals within the territory.
With the strength of the territory’s soldiers, they were confident in dealing with those people.
After Zhou Yan finished delegating tasks, he began to focus on constructing and upgrading the territory. New buildings were added daily. Although these were low-level structures, they still required construction.
This was his daily routine. As the number of buildings increased, the territory’s construction area also expanded continuously.
His territory was vast enough to accommodate numerous buildings, allowing him to construct them all.
This also meant that upgrading all these buildings to their maximum level would require significantly more materials.
Zhou Yan did not intend to upgrade every single building to its maximum quality; that would be unrealistic.
The quality of crucial buildings would definitely be raised to the maximum level. As for less frequently used buildings, construction would proceed based on necessity.
Due to the sheer number of buildings, Zhou Yan’s territory consumed a vast amount of materials.
Important buildings would certainly be upgraded to their highest level. Less frequently used ones might suffice at levels 50 to 80.
The current number of buildings in the territory was sufficient for its upgrade needs. Once these buildings were fully upgraded, the territory’s level would directly advance to 100.
Then, upon reaching the hundredth tier of martial arts cultivation, he would be able to ascend to immortality.
What others took a lifetime to achieve, Zhou Yan felt he could accomplish in a much shorter period, even within five years.
His current cultivation realm was at the seventieth tier of martial arts, with only thirty more tiers to go. The confidence to reach the hundredth tier within five years was something only he would dare to claim.
As the territory was surrounded by dense forests, and it could not move, it had to remain stationary.
Upon receiving a thousand S-grade lumberjacks, Zhang Liang immediately arranged for their escort. He did not dispatch all his soldiers, leaving a legion of over ten thousand to protect the lumberjacks.
While the lumberjacks began felling timber, Zhang Liang took command of this battle for the first time.
With Zhang Liang’s top-tier talent and the territory’s strong soldiers and generals, handling such matters was effortless.
The territory possessed incredible items like reconnaissance aircraft and communication devices, allowing him to make decisions from afar. He could witness any battlefield changes.
As long as the enemy’s strength was not overwhelmingly powerful, Zhang Liang was confident in completing the task.
The original intention was to capture enough food for the territory’s 500,000 mounts to facilitate the training of the Flying Dragon Legion. However, they unexpectedly encountered such a vast quantity of timber.
Therefore, Zhou Yan decided to temporarily set aside the Flying Dragon Legion matter and let the mounts remain in the [Qing Qing Ling Grassland] for a longer period. The longer these mounts stayed, the stronger their bloodlines would become, and their strength would increase.
With hundreds of kilometers of road, it would not be easy for the enemy to reach the territory so quickly.
Through the reconnaissance aircraft, Zhang Liang had already ascertained the approximate numbers of these approaching forces.
There were three armies in total. The number of soldiers dispatched was not small, and each army appeared to be hostile.
The army to the east comprised several types of soldiers, numbering around thirty thousand. These forces included Swordsmen, Spearmen, Shieldbearers, and Armored Soldiers – four troop types indicative of an established Lord.
These were foreign troop types, but that did not necessarily mean they belonged to a foreign Lord. However, they displayed their national flag, allowing Zhang Liang to identify the origin of this army.
“The flag of the United States of America. I recall the Lord mentioning them. These people are known for stirring up trouble and are quite detestable. They often initiate conflicts between Lords and are fond of plundering resources from smaller nations.”
Upon seeing this army, Zhang Liang had a plan. His first thought was of Bai Qi. Given Bai Qi’s disposition, he would only have one approach when encountering such forces.
Zhang Liang immediately sent a message to Bai Qi: “Marshal Bai Qi, an army of thirty thousand has appeared before you. I will provide you with their movement routes and troop characteristics. The strategy for dealing with them is entirely entrusted to you.”
Bai Qi was an excellent commander. It was sufficient to brief him on a few matters; Zhang Liang would not need to concern himself with the subsequent actions.
“Yes, I understand.” Bai Qi’s expression remained unchanged upon hearing the news. To him, thirty thousand men were insignificant.
However, as a competent commander, he would still make thorough preparations and would not engage in a battle without a high chance of success, unless absolutely necessary.
Based on the enemy’s movement route, Bai Qi carefully observed the terrain and then issued orders to his subordinates: “Relay my military command. Assemble nearby troops for an ambush here. This time, not a single enemy shall escape.”
“Yes!”
The messengers, equipped with specialized communication devices, began relaying orders to the officers of various units.
Upon hearing of the enemy’s presence, generals such as Li Xin, Meng Ao, Meng Wu, Meng Tian, and Meng Yi all smiled. They were currently bored, yearning for a conflict, and seeing enemies brought a gleam to their eyes.
“Relay my military command, march east!” Meng Ao, as the general of the [Great Qin Black Armored Army], led his soldiers in the direction specified by Bai Qi.
The journey was not entirely smooth. They encountered and eliminated numerous monsters before reaching the designated location.
Bai Qi had only summoned the [Great Qin Black Armored Army] for this operation, not other units. This demonstrated his confidence in his own forces.
With their current lineup, Bai Qi was fully confident in annihilating the enemy, which was also his consistent approach. Enemies who encountered Bai Qi were unlikely to survive.
It was impossible for them to survive in their next life.
As Bai Qi commenced his operation, Zhang Liang turned his attention to the enemy in another direction, to the southwest.
The enemy forces to the southwest were considerably larger this time, numbering fifty thousand. However, this army was a motley collection, appearing to be a confederation of soldiers from several territories. They were likely a combined force formed by soldiers from multiple Lords.
This army did not display any national flags, but their foreign appearance was evident.
Zhang Liang looked towards the general responsible for this sector and said to General Zhao Yun, “General Zhao, an enemy force is approaching your position. Take your soldiers and intercept them.”