A Pawn's Passage

Sage Qingwei’s statement shocked the entire assembly, as if an earthquake had struck within the hall.

Sage Qingwei had only just concluded the Fenglin Campaign, and now he intended to ignite another war in the New Continent? The Li family truly followed through to the end, determined to use the Daoist Order’s sword to secure even greater gains.

However, the Shibo Hall and the Duzhi Hall would be the first to object. Two consecutive major wars had already stretched the Daoist Order’s finances thin. The past two years had essentially been spent cleaning up the aftermath, and the Daoist Order had not yet fully recovered its strength.

Now that things had only just improved slightly, they wanted to wage war again? Moreover, they wanted to fight on the far side across the ocean. Such enormous expenditures could push the Daoist Order’s finances to the brink of collapse.

Many already believed the Daoist Order was “sick.” If it also lost its financial resources, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Not everyone present at this council came from the Taiping Sect. There were also members of the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect. If Sage Qingwei openly advocated for war, they would undoubtedly oppose him without hesitation.

Still, some felt puzzled. Although the Nine-Hall Joint Council held significant authority, matters involving large-scale warfare should normally be submitted to the Golden Tower Council for deliberation. Why discuss it here? After all, those present did not have the final say.

Sage Qingwei did not rush to explain. Instead, he took a long stick, which was taller than a person, from a Deputy Beichen Hall Master and pointed to the map. “Look here. This is a point along the border between the Holy Court and the Tawantin Empire. Geographically, the Tawantin side holds the high ground and enjoys absolute advantage. Yet not long ago, the Holy Court initiated a battle here and suffered a disastrous defeat.

“This has puzzled many. Why would the Holy Court act this way? The defeat was clearly avoidable. Did they lose control over the northern part of the New Continent? In truth, their control remained intact. It was precisely because nothing seemed wrong that the situation spiraled out of control.

“A ruler rarely changes policy before experiencing failure. A system that has operated for centuries or millennia cannot suddenly reform internally without encountering major setbacks, because it lacks the necessary public support. Decisions reflect the will of the majority, so without public recognition, new policies are difficult to implement.

“The Holy Court is no different. Since setting foot on the New Continent, the Holy Court has never faced a true rival, having defeated every indigenous empire. One could say the Holy Court has never experienced a genuine defeat in direct confrontation. Victory or defeat was never its main concern. Only the cost of war mattered. Even the independence of the Tawantin Empire was not viewed as a military loss. Instead, the Holy Court attributed it to negligence, infighting among the Western nations, excessive war costs, and covert support from the Daoist Order. Thus, the Holy Court continues to view the New Continent with arrogant condescension, looking down upon the Tawantin Empire rather than treating it as an equal opponent.

“Since the Holy Court still believes itself as invincible in the New Continent, then no matter how much progress the Tawantin Empire has made over the years, it will never regard Tawantin as a true opponent. The issue in the New Continent is not whether Tawantin can be eliminated, but whether it is worth the cost.