CHAPTER 419: CHAPTER 201: HAN SHUI UPRISING

As the Penetration Company organized by the Huaxia Army set out for their battlefield, He Shuo, who seemed to be uninvolved in this all-encompassing war, was actually far from idle.

At this moment, he was with Zeng Yi, lurking on a hill on the north side of Han Shui City, monitoring the movements of the Church Protection Army within the city.

Returning to this old place brought a flood of memories to He Shuo’s mind.

While observing Han Shui City through the observation module of his smart visor, he spoke:

"Zeng Yi, do you know who chose our current position?"

Zeng Yi was taken aback and subconsciously asked back:

"Who was it? The captain?"

"No."

He Shuo revealed a faint, mysterious smile.

Then, without withholding the answer, he directly replied:

"Actually, this spot was originally chosen by the Blood Skull outside Han Shui City."

"Back then, a squad leader of the Blood Skull led a group to attack Han Shui City from here, and they had a batch of mortars from Huadu."

"We took out that squad leader here and seized the mortars."

"Tsk... the place where the dream started."

"At that time, we were still using silenced pistols to fight, but now... it seems like we don’t even look at anything under 20mm caliber."

These words made Zeng Yi chuckle a bit too.

He reminisced for a moment and then said:

"I remember we had just arrived in Han Shui City at that time, right?"

"Actually, Li Shi, Xie Liu, and I had met Han Shui City’s monitor that very night when you acted."

"They explicitly told us to maintain a hostile stance toward you, without any room for negotiation."

"Honestly, if there was any wavering, it started at that moment."

"The more reasonable they sounded, the more unreasonable we found it."

"Now it has indeed proven that our choice was correct."

"It’s just a pity we didn’t realize it sooner..."

"It’s not too late."

He Shuo casually replied, then pointed to the distant Han Shui City and said:

"The Church Protection Army is preparing to set off."

"Their target is likely that level-four monster active on the east side of Han Shui City."

"Do you think they stand a chance?"

"Not a chance at all."

Zeng Yi shook his head without hesitation.

"Han Shui City has completely lost the assistance of the Holy Blood Temple, and any force capable of acting as scouts no longer exists."

"They can never regain the information advantage— and indeed, that’s the case."

"They haven’t even figured out the traits of this monster, and they’re rushing off."

"Although equipped with some ’heavy weapons’, they completely overlook this monster’s exceptionally high mobility."

"The most absurd thing is, they’ve chosen to set off at night."

"Without night vision devices, do they really think they have an advantage fighting the monster at night?"

"I don’t know if these Church Protection Army members have gone mad or what, but their actions... are completely incomprehensible."

"They’re not mad."

He Shuo chuckled coldly.

"It’s Zhang Tao who’s mad."

"We previously requested his assistance, and he agreed."

"Thus, he began ordering the Church Protection Army stationed in various cities to launch attacks on the surrounding monsters."

"This is a mandatory order; these Church Protection Army members have no choice."

"In fact, the bishop priest of the Mechanical God Sect in Han Shui City, that is, Li Xian, also has no choice."

"Because the squad of the Supreme Army representing the Holy Hall is stationed near his residence; if he doesn’t comply, it’ll be the end for him..."

"... Understood."

Zeng Yi let out a long sigh.

Then he opened his mouth to ask:

"So, Zhou Tao intends to send these Church Protection Army members to their deaths?"

"Not exactly."

He Shuo shook his head.

"He does want to clear out some monsters, but besides that, he also aims to eliminate the disobedient members within the Church Protection Army across regions."

"This was inspired by the upheavals in Liangxi and Suzhou."

"Having ascended through betrayal, and experiencing another cycle of betrayal, he’s now jittery and paranoid."

"This is our opportunity."

"I was actually pondering how to take over Han Shui City, but now it seems... it’s not that difficult."

"What exactly will you do?"

Zeng Yi immediately perked up.

For him, each of He Shuo’s actions was a valuable learning experience, one in which he needed to observe the process and learn the thought process.

And the thought process spans from the moment the plan begins and runs throughout the entire operation.

"It’s hard to explain specifically..."

"But I played a game before, involving stories of civilization expansion and conquest."

"In that game, if you attacked a neutral nation’s city outright, it would lead to a war state, regardless of whether you took it."

"During a critical development phase, that’s something we definitely wouldn’t want to see happen."

"So, there was another method."

"First, we lower the city’s loyalty, causing a rebellion."

"Once the city becomes a rebel city-state... we take it down, avoiding the war state trigger."

"Now, our mission is the same."

"The loyalty in Han Shui City has already been reduced to its limit... all we need to do is give it a push, and it’ll become a free city-state."

"Alright, let’s move out."

"The Church Protection Army has set off, now let’s find Li Xian."

...

An hour later.

In a secluded residence in Han Shui City, Li Xian sat opposite He Shuo, asking incredulously:

"You want me to kill all of the Supreme Army from Jinling City... no, from the Holy Hall?"

"Do you know what this implies?"

"Rebellion."

He Shuo replied nonchalantly:

"I know what you want to say. You want to say that a rebellion now would surely bring retaliation from the Mechanical God Sect and the Holy Hall."

"But what I want to tell you is, so what if they retaliate? So what if they don’t?"

"Sooner or later, you’ll be purged by the Supreme Army. The Church Protection Army under you, as well as the people of Han Shui City, will be wiped out sooner or later."

"Rebelling now, with our support, gives you a chance."

"Not rebelling... would mean waiting for a slow death."

At this, Li Xian exhaled deeply.

"So, you guys want Han Shui City, right?"

"You need a secondary city as a backup for Jinling New City, your... final fortress."

"If you want it, then why not take it yourselves?"

"I won’t resist... eliminate the Supreme Army, and I can have the Church Protection Army surrender."

"Worst case, I can lead them away."

"No."

He Shuo shook his head.

"What we want is Han Shui City, not a war."

"So, you must first get rid of the Supreme Army, and then we will ’aid’ the Holy Hall in defeating you."

"This is a crucial order, and it must not be disrupted."

"Why?"

Li Xian furrowed his brows.

"This city will ultimately be yours. The result is the same..."

"No, it’s entirely different."

He Shuo interrupted Li Xian and continued:

"In my suggested way, we both win, and only the Holy Hall suffers."

"In your way, both we and the Holy Hall lose, and you gain nothing."

"Because the Church Protection Army you hold will inevitably be depleted in a forced battle against us."

"So, do you understand now?"

"When Zhang Tao decided to consolidate power under himself, the fate of Han Shui City was already sealed."

"To survive... you must do something."

"You... must rise up!"