Chapter 527: Battle Situation

"The area around Holy Stone Fortress has been completely cleared, and we have a significant advantage in troop numbers. In particular, the five mage towers and those legendary mages played a major role. The dark creatures lurking nearby were almost unable to mount any effective resistance."

Before Li Mochen set off for the Dragon Tomb, Clark Banfield gave him his weekly routine report.

"However, our casualty rate is still somewhat high; many casualties could have been avoided. But as you know, our army is still relatively inexperienced in coordination and cooperation. It is currently improving; the commanders you hired not only have excellent command abilities but also do a good job in coordinating subordinates."

"Mr. Wade, the CEO of Sunrise Mining Company, has been organizing manpower and resources to fully restore production at the two mines. Most of the mining equipment that Nathan Mining sent into the Dark World previously failed to be installed in time and is currently piled up in warehouses, which gives us great convenience. Although this equipment is outdated, with a little money spent on upgrades, it can still be used for a while. And Mr. Wade's work has been highly effective; I estimate that he can get the two mine shafts producing smoothly within a month at most. Boss, I must congratulate you; you've dug up another good talent this time."

"Several permanent hunting groups and mercenary companies at Holy Stone Fortress are preparing to increase their investment. Three days ago, they expanded their area of activity to a radius of three hundred kilometers."

"The news of the expansion of Holy Stone Fortress has spread, and many professionals have flocked here. It is expected that the permanent population of Holy Stone Fortress will surge by five to seven thousand in the coming period, which will also help increase tax revenue."

"——The Earl of High Court's territory is even more conservative than we anticipated. They have withdrawn their forces from areas other than the Blood Red Lands and concentrated them in Rochelle Canyon. Currently, the number of troops deployed there is at least two million. Apart from undead creatures such as skeletons, wraiths, zombies, death knights, vampires, liches, and bone dragons, there are also a large number of dark creatures. And they are all elite, with combat power no lower than level five. So I expect the upcoming battle there will be very difficult."

"Mr. Conshohocken Wieldenstein's intelligence is correct; there should be some problem with the King of High Court. So far, I haven't found him appearing on the front lines. However, the Grand Duchy of Bloodwing has sent four princes to Rochelle Canyon. They are clearly very wary of you, Boss, and have set up an ultra-large-scale magical energy array there, presumably to resist your Divine Authority of Life and Death—"

"Wow, four princes?"

Li Mochen raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "Aren't they worried about the homeland of the Grand Duchy of Bloodwing being attacked by the government?"

According to the information he had, the so-called 'Dark Demon Empire' of the Dark World was actually a 'nation' composed of hundreds of dark creature species and numerous forces including the Dark Demon race, undead beings, and mythological creatures.

——The quotation marks are added here because the Dark Demon Empire is more of an alliance against humanity than a country.

This is because, although the major races of the 'Dark Demon Empire' all regard the Dark Demon Emperor as their common sovereign, the latter does not actually have the rights of a true monarch over them.

Especially those powerful forces basically exist as vassals within the Dark Demon Empire and act independently within their territories. Li Mochen's current enemy, the 'Grand Duchy of Bloodwing,' is one of them. The Earl of High Court in the Blood Red Lands is one of the subordinate counties under the 'Grand Duchy of Bloodwing,' its most powerful vassal, occupying one-twelfth of the duchy's territory and rich in mineral resources.

It is worth mentioning that research has proven that the Dark Demon race also originated from humans. They are a race born from humans staying too long in the Dark World, causing complete bodily mutation.

The difference between them and the Heterogeneous Race lies in the complete mutation of body and soul, fully integrating into the Dark World and becoming a type of dark creature.

Secondly, their origin is more ancient, rooted in the indigenous Indians of America.

The Dark Demon race is very powerful, arguably second to none in the Dark World. Their directly ruled territory and numerous nearby vassals remain regions that the American Federation cannot covet to this day.

"Unfortunately, although the federal military intends to attack the Grand Duchy of Bloodwing, their operational plan has not yet been approved by the President."

Clark Banfield spread his hands: "There are people in Congress doing their utmost to prevent this. Lieutenant General Daniel Boone, the Secretary of Defense, and Mr. Anthony Braden have many enemies. The President also tends to strike against the 'Grand Duchy of Bloodwing' and eliminate the threat of the vampires, but he must maintain unity within his party. So now, they are expecting progress from us. If the Sunrise Group can gain a firm foothold in the Blood Red Lands, I think the war between the Federation and the Grand Duchy of Bloodwing will naturally follow."

"We'll do our best—"

Li Mochen sighed, feeling somewhat worried. With only the strength of the Sunrise Group, they could not confront the entire 'Grand Duchy of Bloodwing.'

However, Lieutenant General Daniel Boone and the others were not setting him up this time. The Sunrise Group's ability to rapidly expand to six armored regiments and two mechanized infantry brigades was precisely due to the support of the Secretary of Defense and many military bigwigs in mobilizing veterans, ensuring they had no shortage of recruits. Meanwhile, Anthony's Light Magic Industry was also sparing no effort in providing them with numerous heavy equipment.

Moreover, although the military had not made any major moves so far, their deployment of nine regular divisions and numerous demigods in the 'Grand Duchy of Bloodwing' had tied down the vast majority of its forces.

"So, Michael Wood is still planning to proceed according to the established plan, right?"

"That should be the case, Boss. The result of their military council was to maintain the previous decision, preparing to build a rapid-construction fortress near the entrance of Rochelle Canyon. However—"

Clark Banfield paused: "They seem to be planning to increase the budget again, Boss. Major General Wood intends to add another rapid-construction fortress and purchase twenty-four 'Holy Annihilators' with a range exceeding 1,200 kilometers. These are 900mm caliber, 80-caliber magical energy fortress cannons, priced at over two billion gold shields. Light Magic Industry has them in stock. A more detailed plan is being formulated—"

Li Mochen smiled wryly again. He roughly understood Michael Wood's intention: to use intense artillery fire to force the Earl of High Court's army to withdraw from the canyon or come out to fight them.

This could avoid a frontal assault and negate the enemy's terrain advantage, but the cost would be very high. The purchase price of the 'Holy Annihilators' was two billion gold shields, but the cost of their shells would be ten times that.

Nevertheless, Li Mochen did not hesitate to issue instructions to the finance department of the Sunrise Group, pre-approving the funding application that Michael Wood might submit.

In the next few days, his main body would go to the Dragon Tomb, and his secondary body would be busy crafting mythical armaments, so he would have no time to wait for the security department's application.

Just as Li Mochen was about to end this report, Clark Banfield spoke again: "Boss, as far as I know, the White House is looking for a special envoy to go to Atlanta to mediate the dispute between you."