Chapter 1523
Chapter 1523 - 1519: Child of Discord
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7 min read
"Raise the banner of rebellion."
Was Lu Ping’an’s instigation skillful in language? Were his reasons persuasive? Was the logic he presented truly worth scrutinizing?
"....But, I am the King, the King who embodies the will of all individuals."
Do you need reasons, reasons for war, reasons for conflict? Fine, I’ll give them to you.
From the beginning, Lu Ping’an’s legion was crude, unstable, and unsustainable.
Lu Ping’an didn’t have the time or the energy to manage organizational structures; his legion consisted only of himself at the top and a few who had achieved high-level status through individual strength as "Kings."
With no layered organizational structure, all combat power was simply and crudely organized into legions; if the leading King was reliable, maybe they would organize internally, but obviously... those "Kings" were themselves forced to join, perhaps even ready to flee, so how could they earnestly contribute to the organization, let alone most King Level life forms originally lack organizational skills.
A top leader, a group of hired thugs, masses of losers... Although somewhat exaggerated, this is the simple and straightforward essence of the Black Fire Legion now, truly a "Dark Crowd."
Their only rallying point is the "Black King," a pure union of power and self-interest.
They are like a pestilence sweeping everything away, growing stronger and more numerous with every battle... but once they stop, without sufficient food, they will not hesitate to start infighting and devouring each other.
If Lu Ping’an called a halt in time, constantly adjusting the structure, selecting talents, setting positions, adjusting organizations, dividing labor, establishing permanent logistics, separating military from governance... Just thinking about it, you would know that Lu Ping’an could never achieve this; if he really played this way, his expansion would naturally come to a halt.
And without the ability to snowball, he himself would be devoured by the ever-expanding military force.
Not to mention far-off concerns, if they don’t procure military provisions through plunder, this legion with absolutely no logistics...
"....We are beasts, the great fire burning this ocean, and no one can restrain our expansion..."
In their inner circle, this is what Lu Ping’an said to those "Kings."
The foolish ones didn’t understand, but seeing the "boss" boosting morale so vigorously, naturally played along.
And those rational, wise ones also understood Lu Ping’an’s hint, grasping the reality that everyone was on this unstoppable fast ship.
"...Let there be slaughter, I will grow even stronger, and so will you..."
Their King was obviously still evolving, and this military force was also continuously expanding.
Stop? Stopping would be the moment of doom.
And once those reinforcements arrived, they would need a stable rearguard and combatants from the Exotic Realm for the decisive battle, naturally, they would not allow the Black Fire Legion to continue looting and expanding.
In that case, why not just rebel!
Of course, there are still problems, for instance, under normal circumstances, Shark Overlord... the Black King himself could completely disband the legion and start over, even directly join the Octopus Legitimate Line and be heavily utilized.
Shark Overlord indeed hinted that currently it was a promotion ceremony, and stopping now would cause great loss... but was this value truly worth rebelling for?
But, since this is the will of the King yet aligns with the needs of most people... the flames burning within their bodies brought slight pain but also pleasure and an infinite craving for war.
Merely the continuously rising power, along with the joy of Drawing Life, made them absolutely unwilling to stop.
Anyway, with constant rebellions here, another one wouldn’t hurt... at most, it would be Shark Overlord himself who was eliminated, while the other "Kings" still held enough value to flee and perhaps return after a few years.
Now, what Shark Overlord gave them was just a justifiable reason, and that was already enough...
"I have a plan."
This time, in the Plane War, those summoned by the imperial edict to help were high-level combat powers from three nearby worlds of varying sizes.
The powerful among them, to some extent, had participated in the Octopus Forces’ expeditions and rotations and were somewhat accustomed to this type of tactical operation... In a sense, this was the reason for the enduring prosperity of the Octopus Forces. As long as the "rotation system" continued, those who had seen the prosperities and powers of the Octopus Kingdom were naturally inclined to aim higher.
With a core system of the suzerain state combined with colonies and protectorates, along with some "Prince States" and "Semi-Free States," this roughly outlined the sphere of influence of the Octopus Forces.
Such a system could maximize benefits with minimal resources... at least in the eyes of the Octopus, population, advanced combat power, and the natural resources of various regions were everything.
But this mechanism also brought about various invisible contradictions.
From the opponents Lu Ping’an had faced before, problems were plentiful among those high-level combat powers who had undergone rotations; discord between them was the norm, and it was already exemplary if there was no infighting... Many among them were naturally "enemies" or "old rivals."
It might have been mere coincidence, or perhaps the Octopus’s cruel sense of humor, or maybe some tacticians believed this would prevent colonies from uniting. During rotations, old rivals were often thrown together, and the local warlords of the Octopus always engaged in infighting, with neighboring worlds holding grievances against each other.
"The fools, if they had done as we said, we would have succeeded already."
"Isn’t this the stupid crab monster from the Graysand World? With brains like yours, discussing tactics? Following your charge? You’d be turned to ash!"
"Why don’t you save us? You’re so close, my brother..."
On Lu Ping’an’s side was a disorganized bunch, just like this alliance which, in fact, lacked organization and leadership, making them even more "chaotic."
When things went smoothly, all was fine, but at the slightest setback, they started blaming each other, and with existing feuds among them, direct confrontations were inevitable.
There was always someone, or perhaps a deity, pressing down on them. As long as they could unite against outsiders after arguing, it was enough.
But this time, it seemed different.
It seemed the more they argued, the hotter their inner flames burned... Even though his side had the upper hand, it was these worthless allies who had caused his failure.
Such thoughts continuously wandered through their minds; seeds of "dispute" were maliciously spread, as if some wicked deity was inciting mutual hatred.
Among these high-ranking Fishmen, there were some individuals who remained silent throughout.
A sudden explosion caught everyone’s attention.
The irritated high-ranking officials hurried out to check, only to see guests from the Exotic Realm once again inciting war.
"You, go check it out."
And they pointed to one of the newly arrived "reinforcements," who was a locally famous "King" yet, in the eyes of many Big Shots, was still just a loser.
"You... Black King?! Hah, you and your men, go watch the frontline."
Shark Overlord Lu, however, had remained silent. At this moment, he suddenly laughed.
"I, haven’t I always been on the frontline?"
— End of Chapter 1523 —