Xuzhou Prefecture.

The prefectural government office.

Now, this place has become the front-line base of the Divine Warriors.

Looking at the map in front of him, Wang Zhong frowned and asked, "Where is Gu Shisan located?"

"Commander Wang,"

Staff Officer Zhong Daguo pointed to the map and said, "Gu Shisan's vanguard has already entered the Puan Prefecture area. The Guiling Army now has as many as 50,000 to 60,000 men, and they are coordinating with the militia forces in Dianchi and Qianzhong. They are making rapid progress!"

"This Gu Shisan is really quite good!"

Wang Zhong nodded slightly and said, "His Guiling army has fifty to sixty thousand men, and our Shenyong army also has fifty to sixty thousand men. Together they have more than one hundred thousand men, while the King of Dian only has thirty to forty thousand men now, right? With so many of us, fighting them would be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut!"

As he spoke, Wang Zhong laughed loudly.

"Commander Wang,"

Staff officer Zhong Daguo said cautiously, "In addition to the Dian King's forces, there are also some chieftains and tribes in Dianchi and central Guizhou. In addition, the surrounding terrain is rugged and steep with many mountain strongholds. If we are not careful, we may be targeted by the chieftains and tribes."

"and,"

Staff Officer Zhong Daguo continued, "His Majesty's purpose in sending us here this time is not only to quell the rebellion of the Dian King's forces, but also to stabilize the southwest region! Especially the areas inhabited by chieftain tribes, we must bring these people under the rule of the king! This task is the most important!"

"yes!"

Wang Zhong nodded slowly and said, "There are many Tusi tribes, but each Tusi tribe is not very powerful. It would be easy to fight them. But for now, let's first distinguish between the primary and secondary ones."

"In my opinion, the forces of the King of Dian are the main enemy and should be eliminated first!"

"The army of the King of Dian has tens of thousands of men. If they are all wiped out by our Divine Warrior Army, then the reputation of our Divine Warrior Army will be established in Dianchi Lake and central Guizhou."

"Once we completely annihilate the Dian King's forces, some chieftain tribes might automatically submit to us!"

"At that time, we will defeat the stubborn chieftain tribes one by one!"

"In this way, Dianchi Lake can be stabilized, central Guizhou can be stabilized, and the southwest will be at peace!"

Wang Zhong's words made Staff Officer Zhong Daguo's eyes light up. He nodded and said, "Commander Wang's insight is brilliant!"

Stop flattering me!

Wang Zhong smiled and said, "After we pacify the Dian King's forces, your staff should thoroughly investigate the situation of the surrounding chieftain tribes and formulate specific countermeasures based on the specific circumstances."

"OK!"

Zhong Daguo nodded in agreement.

Looking at the map in front of him, Wang Zhong thought for a moment and said, "Let's contact Gu Shisan's troops and attack together, annihilating the Dian King's forces from both sides! Let's strive to wipe out the Dian King's army in this battle!"

"yes!"

Staff Officer Zhong Daguo quickly responded.

Immediately afterwards, the Shenyong Army began to make contact with the Guiling Army.

After the two sides made contact, the Shenyong Army marched south from Xuzhou Prefecture and Jianchang Prefecture to central Guizhou and Dianchi Lake.

Meanwhile, the Guiling Army marched north from Puan Prefecture and Dushan Prefecture respectively.

The two sides marched towards each other, charging towards the army of the King of Dian.

The vast army marched through the mountains and fields, and fortunately, the local militia served as guides along the way, so the Shenyong Army and Guiling Army did not encounter any major difficulties.

The arrival of the large army naturally attracted the attention of the King of Dian.

Inside the Dian King's Palace in Dianchi City, when the Dian King learned of this news, his face turned gloomy, and even his voice trembled slightly.

"What...what did you say? Prince Xin's army has mobilized more than 100,000 troops from both the north and south?"

"Is...is this real?"

The King of Dian's somewhat frightened voice rang out in the hall.

He couldn't believe that Prince Xin's army had mobilized so many troops.

You should know that the Dian King's army only has 30,000 to 40,000 men. Why would the Xin King's army need to mobilize so many?

I can't believe it!

"Yes, Your Highness!"

An aide nodded and said, "According to reports from scouts at the front, the Prince Xin's army, which is marching south from Jianchang Prefecture, numbers as many as 20,000 to 30,000, and their advance is aimed directly at Dianchi City."

"There are still 20,000 to 30,000 troops in the Xuzhou area, and their forces are heading straight for Qianzhong City."

"Furthermore, the army of Prince Xin in Guiling Province in the east still numbers as many as 50,000 to 60,000, and they have also split into two routes, heading straight for Dianchi Lake and central Guizhou."

"These troops of Prince Xin are trying to surround us all!"

The King of Dian was stunned by what his advisors said.

Such a large army, attacking from all directions, is really determined to wipe them out!

"Your Highness, what should we do now?"

An official in the hall frowned and said, "We're already struggling to hold off Prince Xin's army in Guiling Province to the east. Now, so many more of Prince Xin's troops are arriving from Sichuan to the north. I'm afraid we..."

Although none of the officials or staff in the hall said it explicitly.

However, these people all understood that with such a huge disparity in strength, they clearly could not defeat Prince Xin's army.

For them, destruction was only a matter of time!

And this time is very close!

It's terrifyingly close!

At this moment, the King of Dian also felt some fear.

Originally, he was still dreaming of ruling the southwest, but he never expected that in less than a year or two, this dream would be shattered.

Such a huge difference caused the King of Dian some pain.

"Your Highness,"

At this moment, an aide spoke up, saying, "The current situation is extremely critical. I have an idea, but I don't know if I should say it."

"idea?"

The King of Dian's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "What's your idea? Tell me!"

In an instant, everyone in the hall turned their attention to this aide.

The aide showed no fear and said, "The situation in Dianchi Lake and central Guizhou is already very critical. It's clear that we can't hold this position anymore. Why don't we take this opportunity to gather our forces and withdraw from Dianchi Lake?"

"Evacuate Dianchi Lake?"

An official sneered and said, "Where are we retreating to?"

"The west!"

The advisor frowned and said, "The western tribes, such as Mengyang, Mengmi, Mubang, and Luchuan, are far weaker than us. If we retreat to the west, we still have a chance to survive. But if we stay here, we will only face death! Unless we surrender."

As he spoke, the advisor looked at the King of Dian and continued, "If we retreat to the west, we can still seize power and perhaps even have a chance to make a comeback."

"As for how to choose, Your Highness, please make the decision!"

As soon as the aide finished speaking, everyone in the hall was stunned.

None of them expected that the advisor's words would mean withdrawing the army to the western tribes.

You know, that place is densely forested, teeming with snakes, insects, and rodents, a place shrouded in miasma, where you never know when you might die in the deep mountains and forests.

This idea is truly...

"It's settled then!"

However, at this moment, the King of Dian frowned and said decisively, "Immediately gather the army and retreat to the west! The sooner the better!"