Chapter 159 UFO

Meanwhile, inside the grand imperial hall of the Liao Ancient Empire, the atmosphere was oppressively tense. Outside the palace, a violent storm was raging, accompanied by a series of deafening thunderclaps that repeatedly startled those attending the morning court, further heightening the terrifying gloom of the grim atmosphere.

High upon the throne, Emperor Wanlu Tianbao of the Liao Ancient Empire wore a fierce and distorted expression. The veins on the backs of his hands bulged as he gripped the armrests tightly.

Below the throne in the great hall, a military general who had just returned from the campaign knelt on the stone floor. This general had not returned victorious; he had squandered the five hundred thousand troops entrusted to him by the emperor, along with another three hundred thousand troops he had subdued and incorporated along the way, losing nearly all of them to the battlefield.

He himself had been captured, spared only because the opposing emperor wished to sue for peace, treating him well and releasing him so that he could return safely to the Liao Ancient Empire. The forces he managed to bring back numbered barely over ten thousand men, most of whom were wounded, with countless disabled.

Indeed, this was Wangu, the commander of the Liao Southern Expeditionary Force who had been defeated by Zhang Desheng. Feeling unworthy to face his own people, he knelt in the grand hall, offering his confession of guilt to Emperor Wanlu Tianbao.

Enraged beyond measure by the news, Emperor Wanlu Tianbao roared at the top of his lungs:

"Say that to me again! What on earth is the meaning of this? You took an army of eight hundred thousand to fight a force of mere private retainers who weren't even regular troops, and you were beaten to the point of near-total annihilation! Is this the truth?!"

Trembling with fear, Wangu pleaded guilty:

"This humble subject is guilty of a capital crime! I beg Your Majesty to mete out punishment!"

At that moment, General Wuqiye, who stood to the side, stepped forward and said:

"May Your Majesty temporarily withhold your wrath. The situation is critical right now, and it is precisely a time when men of talent are needed. Furthermore, although the loss of the eight hundred thousand troops was heavy, our Liao Ancient Empire still possesses ample strength to contend for hegemony over the realm."

Upon hearing this, Wanlu Tianbao demanded:

"Then tell me, what suggestions do you have?"

Hearing Wanlu Tianbao's inquiry, Wuqiye continued:

"This humble subject believes that, because Ulaanhot and other regions have now been occupied by that unidentified enemy military force, the territory west of Ulaanhot can practically no longer be considered ours. Even the deities of the Gandor tribe and the Gandor people themselves are now beyond our reach. Although we may still have troops holding out in the regions west of Ulaanhot, we have completely lost contact with them..."

Wuqiye sighed softly before continuing:

"Given the obscurity of the enemy's movements, our side has all the more reason to continue pushing southward, so that we may properly plan for the future of our nation. This humble subject proposes that Commander Wangu be given a chance to redeem himself through meritorious service despite his defeat in the southern campaign."

With that, Wuqiye glanced at Wanlu Tianbao to gauge his reaction, and Wanlu Tianbao immediately urged:

"Speak your mind; We are listening."

Upon hearing this, Wuqiye immediately pressed on:

"This humble subject suggests that we launch a three-pronged offensive. First, grant Commander Wangu an opportunity to redeem his crimes by leading another eight hundred thousand troops to exact revenge and wash away our disgrace. Second, I will lead one million troops to pacify Dangxia. Third, dispatch another general with a large force to completely subjugate the Kingdom of Luge. Once these objectives are accomplished, our army can once again march westward and recover our lost territories."

Wuqiye paused, drew another breath, and added:

"Furthermore, since the Kingdom of Shuchuan is currently embroiled in chaos, once I have pacified Dangxia, should the situation permit, I can take advantage of the momentum to pacify Shuchuan as well! Doing so will be immensely advantageous to our nation."

After listening, Wanlu Tianbao pondered for a moment before turning to the assembled ministers:

"What do all my lords think?"

The ministers in the court exchanged glances before speaking in unison:

"We, your subjects, fully second this proposal!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Wanlu Tianbao declared:

"Very well! Since that is the case, let everything be executed according to Wuqiye's plan..."

Wanlu Tianbao then turned his gaze toward Wangu and said:

"Wangu, of the eight hundred thousand troops you led last time, only ten thousand belonged to the true core army of our Liao Ancient Empire, which is why you may not have wielded them as smoothly as desired. This time, however, the eight hundred thousand troops under your command will genuinely and truly be the elite forces of the Liao Ancient Empire. I shall also issue imperial edicts to various major factions along the route that have already sworn allegiance to our Liao Ancient Empire. Combined with them, it goes without saying that you will command an army of one million this time."

Taking a deep breath, Wanlu Tianbao continued:

"Because of this, Wangu, if you fail again this time, do not bother returning to see me. Have you heard and understood every single word I have just spoken?"

Wangu immediately replied:

"I thank Your Majesty for granting me this chance to redeem my sins! This time, I will sweep through the Great Daxing Country and avenge our former foremost warrior, Xiaoliba, and the Invincible Highness! If I fail to accomplish this, this subject shall never return to look upon Your Majesty's face again!"

Nodding in satisfaction, Wanlu Tianbao said:

"Very good. I shall trust you once more. All the military equipment, provisions, and pay you require will be prepared for you within the day. I have nothing more to say; set out directly once you are ready without coming to take leave of me again. Return to your encampment this instant!"

Wangu acknowledged the command at once:

"Understood! This humble subject takes his leave of Your Majesty!"

With that, Wangu immediately withdrew from the grand hall and returned to his military camp.

As for Wuqiye and the others, they proceeded to carry out their respective duties according to the previously agreed-upon plan. What Wangu had not anticipated, however, was that in addition to the true elite eight hundred thousand troops of the Liao Ancient Empire, the various regional factions that had submitted to Liao displayed an enthusiasm for dispatching troops that far exceeded their previous expectations, ultimately gathering an astonishing force of one million five hundred thousand soldiers.

This naturally came as a pleasant surprise to Wangu. Consequently, the southward-bound army under his command ultimately swelled to one million five hundred thousand men, marching aggressively and menacingly toward the Great Daxing Country.

***

Meanwhile, outside the northern strategic stronghold of the Great Daxing Country—just outside the stockyard of the Liu Family Commercial Firm's Hexhou Branch, located beyond the walls of Hexhou City—General Feng Yucai of Daxing, along with his daughter and several of his subordinate officers, were engaged in a heated debate with Zhao Chengming, the captain of the Second Special Operations Detachment of the Joint Retainer Forces of the Zhang and Liu Estates.

General Feng Yucai's eldest daughter, Feng Ling'er, was heard saying:

"Aren't you people being far too arrogant? Granted, your joint retainer forces previously demonstrated formidable strength, but there is no need for you to bully our Feng family army like this. No matter what, our Feng family army is certainly no pack of cowards, hmph!"

Zhao Chengming could only reply helplessly:

" Eldest Miss Feng, you have misunderstood. In truth, we are more than grateful that General Feng and you have brought an army to help us this time. How could we possibly look down upon General Feng and the soldiers of the Feng family army, who have rendered such monumental service to our Great Daxing Country?"

Feng Ling'er immediately cut him off:

"If that is the case, why is it that when we came here with the best of intentions to assist you, you didn't even bother to consult with us? Furthermore, we don't even know who the enemy is in this operation. Isn't this sheer arrogance on your part?"

Hearing this, Zhao Chengming could only offer another explanation:

"Eldest Miss Feng, you really misunderstand. The enemies we face this time involve many things that cannot be explained to you all at once. Frankly, no matter how truthfully we describe it, we worry that you simply wouldn't believe us. The adversary we are dealing with this terror-inspiring; if we rush into direct combat with them unprepared, there is a distinct possibility we might be dragged off to some place we have never laid eyes on before..."

At this point, Feng Yucai interrupted Zhao Chengming:

"Does Chief Steward Zhao take us for fools? In all my years of fighting campaigns, I have never encountered an enemy who could easily slip away from right under my nose. Even if they somehow managed to escape, they would have to shed a heavy layer of skin in the process. Surely you haven't failed to hear of my military record?"

Looking rather helpless, Zhao Chengming pondered for a moment before saying:

"General Feng, perhaps you could wait just a little longer. Our captain will be returning shortly, and as soon as he gets back, he will immediately..."

However, Feng Ling'er cut him off once more:

"One moment you claim your captain is out, and the next you say your Young Master Zhang is out..."

Zhao Chengming hastily interrupted to clarify:

"Young Master Zhang Desheng is our captain! Please do not question why I use our captain's given name; our captain does not stand on such formalities. Please wait until our captain returns, and he will explain everything to you."

General Feng Yucai thought it over and suggested:

"How about this? Chief Steward Zhao, give us a hint. Just what kind of scoundrels are we trying to capture this time?"

Forced to rack his brains once more, Zhao Chengming replied:

"Has General Feng ever heard of a UFO?"

General Feng Yucai and the others stared blankly for a moment, after which General Feng asked directly:

"What kind of 'O'?"

Zhao Chengming had no choice but to provide an explanation:

"Beginning in the 1940s, glowing disk-shaped aircraft were spotted in the skies above the United States, which contemporary newspapers referred to as 'oval luminous bodies.' This marked the beginning of modern interest in unidentified flying objects, leading people to focus on UFO reports from all over the world.

"The term 'UFO' originated from the United States Air Force's 'Project Blue Book.' The project's first director was Captain Edward Ruppelt, who officially coined the acronym 'UFO.' The full term is Unidentified Flying Object, meaning an unidentified flying object or flying saucer. UFOs are recorded in ancient European texts such as the Book of Ezekiel, and in ancient China, UFOs were referred to as 'star rafts' (*xingcha*).

"Phenomena categorized as UFOs are generally divided into four types: misidentifications of known phenomena, unknown natural phenomena, unknown natural biological entities, and a fourth category referring to flying craft with distinct intelligent maneuvering capabilities that are not manufactured by humans—namely, flying saucers of extraterrestrial civilizations (Flying Saucers)."

Naturally, no matter how thoroughly Zhao Chengming explained, General Feng Yucai and his companions remained completely baffled, leaving both sides anxious and at their wits' end with no resolution in sight.