Beneath the Red Dragon

"If you have any ideas, feel free to express them without hesitation," Blue Dragon Akzhi sat up, noticing the officials’ reservations, and spoke.

"I think we can forcibly requisition the ships docked at the harbor and the private armaments of merchant fleets, modify the ships during this period, train soldiers for naval combat, and then cooperate with the Giant Dragons and the Flying Dragon Corps to repel the beastmen outside our territory."

An elderly official stood up, spitting as he spoke: "Even if these Beastman fleets are strong at sea, we can use these forces and the Flying Dragon Battle Corps to restrain them, and then the Giant Dragons can sink their ships from the seabed."

"A king should not act impulsively; how can the ruling Lord risk appearing on the battlefield first?"

Another official, eyes glaring, stood up to refute his colleague’s opinion, "Moreover, there’s an unknown but certainly vast Shahua Fishman race, and if a Giant Dragon is injured, it would be a huge blow to morale. Any combat must occur at a decisive moment."

"And in such a hurried time, it’s simply impossible to modify all the ships adequately, fearing those forcibly requisitioned armaments will just flee upon entering the battlefield."

"Then tell me, what should be done," the elderly official’s neck flushed red.

"Forcibly requisition ships, block the harbor with them, and set them ablaze to delay the Beastman Kingdom’s advancement while recruiting armed forces to reinforce city defenses."

Another official said loudly: "These beastmen come from afar, surely with limited supplies. Delay the time and send out the Flying Dragon Corps to sever their supply line."

"Even if they can catch sea fish, they won’t last long. The other suitable landing ports are several thousand miles away. Without supplies, they will surely fall back by themselves, and then the powerful Giant Dragon Lords can deploy and destroy them."

An official joined the battlefield of debate, turning the two-person argument into a chaotic melee, engaging in back-and-forth, verbal sparring, arguing until it became a shouting match, soon turning the vast hall into a bustling market scene.

These people argued relentlessly; once heated, they even disregarded the prestigious Giant Dragon Lords nearby, banging tables, tugging sleeves, completely lacking any appearance of official decorum.

Meanwhile, a young scholar-like official sat quietly in the corner, holding warm, cool red tea, sipping slowly, analyzing these officials’ debates, occasionally glancing at the reactions of several silent Giant Dragon Lords.

The patience of the Dragon Lords was gradually worn down, disturbed by the officials’ noisy quarrels, unable to suppress their dragon rage, emitting low growls.

"Quiet," Blue Dragon Akzhi restrained the impulse to turn these noisy humans into charcoal with a single Dragon Breath. Even though he could control the influence of his Dragon Blood, at the core, these Dragon Lords still bore the nature of Evil Dragons, lacking patience and prone to irritability.

"If you continue arguing, I will throw you into the Gladiatorial Arena; whoever wins the final victory, I will adopt their opinion," a faint lightning flickered in Blue Dragon’s pupils. For the first time, he felt Karon might have overestimated these people.

Then the young black-haired, black-eyed official sitting in the corner quietly put down his cup and raised his hand to request to speak.

Blue Dragon Akzhi exhaled two heavy breaths of sea sand from his nostrils, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice, "What do you have to say? Speak up!"

"Esteemed Giant Dragon Lords," the young black-haired, black-eyed official stood up, first addressing several dragons and then organizing his language, slowly beginning to speak.

"The plans proposed by my colleagues were already sufficiently comprehensive. On this basis, I summarize and put forward some minor changes, hoping to receive correction from the Lords."

The young black-haired, black-eyed official lightly coughed, seeing the maid beside the Dragon Lords begin preparing to record his plan, and then began speaking.

"First point, forcibly requisition all ships to block the landing ports at the coast. When the Beastman Kingdom’s army arrives, set them all ablaze, delaying the Beastman Army’s attack rhythm and timing."

"Meanwhile, send out the Flying Dragon Corps to cut off the Beastman Army’s supply line from behind and conduct roaming attacks at the rear. Simultaneously, disperse sea fish in nearby waters so they find it difficult to obtain food supplements in coastal areas, maintaining a scorched-earth defense."

"Second point, during this time, war declarations and mobilizations should be issued to residents of all towns and villages, recruit soldiers, build walled towns within the Golden City."

"Evacuate all residents from the city, remove all grain and weapons, and according to the original plan, gather scattered villages into towns to defend against the scattered beastmen later."

"Because the harbor’s ships can only delay time for a maximum of three to five days, and the Golden City’s walls are within the effective range of the Beastman Kingdom’s fleet, unable to withstand the Beastman Kingdom’s cannon fire."

"But ultimately, the Beastmen need to land ashore. We can wait until they step through the broken walls, and before they’ve fully landed, launch a surprise attack. Their artillery and Giant Crossbow threats will then be greatly reduced, unless they are willing to go mad, in which case we can promptly retreat into the inner city."

The young official spoke confidently, pride overflowing, then suddenly bowed to several Giant Dragon Lords and solemnly said, "Next comes the most crucial part, which requires abandoning the entire Golden City, in exchange for at least twenty thousand troops from the Beastman Kingdom."

All the officials’ expressions changed; even the scales between the brows of several Giant Dragon Lords furrowed. The Golden City, as the most important trade hub of the current Giant Dragon Territory, is the greatest source of wealth for the territory. For these officials and dragons to abandon the entire Land of Golden is particularly difficult.

Several Giant Dragon Lords remained silent, while Blue Dragon Akzhi pondered what decision Karon would make under such circumstances.

"Akhzhi," Ocean Dragon Naxson turned to the Blue Dragon, somewhat worried. Even this intelligent Dragon Species found it hard to decide, as dragons are particularly greedy. Asking them to abandon the whole Golden City is akin to giving up a lot of wealth, many of which, after all, cannot be evacuated.

"It’s just a city, they can always rebuild it. These lifeless things, can they be more important than loyal beloved ones and the citizens who create wealth? Speak your mind, I will wholly bear this responsibility."

Blue Dragon Akzhi’s eyes brightened. He made his decision.

The young official received the response, straightened his posture, and laid out his plan, with occasional officials nodding in low agreement.

"So, after those Beastmen and Fishmen land, their overwhelming numbers will inevitably make it hard for the inner city to hold for long. We won’t uselessly waste the lives of warriors faithful to the dragons. If this plan succeeds, it can cause the Beastmen to lose at least ten to twenty thousand warriors, greatly impacting their morale for attack."

"Then they will have gained only ruins, undoubtedly unable to hold their ground there and will have to launch an attack actively. Time is our friend. We just need to heavily fortify the chokepoints leading from the forest to various places, fighting and retreating until they decline. That’s when a decisive battle will determine the outcome."

"And the plains before the Royal Capital will be their final grave!"

The young official with black hair and eyes turned to the leaders of the battle corps burning with fighting spirit and smiled: "Beastmen may be natural warriors, but the warriors of dragons are more powerful than them!"

Bronze Dragon Alina observed the confident young official on the stage, quietly bowing her head and asking the Chief Maid Charlize beside her, "Who is this young person? He is very wise and courageous and should be promoted!"

Even though the Bronze Dragon had overseen the territory for several months, the proud dragon would not easily remember a person’s name. In the eyes of these dragons, all subordinates are just another form of tools.

"He is ranked thirty-seventh on the candidate list of the Wise Kings..."

...

The boundless sea stretched wide, sails clustered like a forest, casting large shadows on the sea surface, billowing sails even overpowering the sound of numerous vessels cutting through the waves.

And under these shadows in the ocean, numerous sharks swam, acting as guides and guardians of the ships, slicing through the waves in great numbers.

A warship over a hundred meters long sailed full speed ahead, surrounded by the fleet towards the distance.

Heavy cannons and Dragon-Hunting Crossbows imbued with magic effects gleamed with a unique coldness in the sunlight, while a tall, bare-chested Beastman placed his hand on these fearsome weapons and smiled at the equally tall Prince of the Shahua Fishmen.

"We only require the territory; the fertile Golden City, all its wealth belongs to you Fishmen," the tall Beastman laughed.

"That’s good, we Fishmen aren’t interested in land territories, but to summon the incarnation of the God of Sharks requires a large amount of wealth and flesh sacrifices,"

The Fishman Prince’s six arms waved, his common tongue not very fluent.

"It seems we’re almost there; the traces of Flying Dragons are already visible," the tall Beastman looked into the distant horizon and the high sky, where several Flying Dragons were hidden among the clouds.

"I really wish those Giant Dragons would rely on their strength to try to block the army’s advance,"

The Beastman sighed: "I want to try becoming an honored warrior with the title of Dragon Slayer!"