Beneath the Red Dragon
Chapter 429 - 9: To Wear the Crown, Bear Its Weight
"I once said, we do not fear war, we control war. Others may choose when a war begins, but when it ends is up to us!"
"So, these matters need to be discussed to reach a conclusion. They have invaded our territory, offended the Dragon Group, but they have not yet been punished, only paid some price."
As the Red Dragon finished speaking, the entire hall of the royal court fell silent, except for the somewhat heavy breathing of the Dragon Group.
The Evil Dragon Blood is always sensitive enough to war and destruction.
The Young Red Dragon Kedelos raised his slender neck and muttered, "You’re our leader, what’s there to discuss? Just say the word. To take down the beastmen, I’ll smash them, no matter the method!"
"Even though I am the leader of the Dragon Group, the Monarch of the Empire, each Giant Dragon in the Dragon Group is a part of it. A united Dragon Group surpasses a solitary Giant Dragon, and the will and wisdom of the group surpasses lone contemplation."
Karon said, "I will not ignore your will and wisdom, as that would be a foolish act. Hence, in this open forum, I invite all Giant Dragons to participate in the discussion."
The Young Red Dragon Kedelos withdrew his head gloomily, feeling as though the words ’foolish act’ from the Ancestral Red Dragon were stamped on his forehead.
"There are simply two choices for dealing with the beastmen: war or temporary shelving, to be handled later," the Blue Dragon Akzhi spoke proactively.
"But the shipyard within the Dragon Group isn’t large. Due to previous decisions, the shipyard has been focused on developing steel battleships driven by magic-steam hybrid engines, but has yet to achieve good results,"
"If we were to retrofit regular merchant ships, it would not only consume a lot of resources and time but also struggle to have a useful offensive effect,"
As the leader of the territorial legion, Blue Dragon Akzhi was well aware of these things.
"If we were to forcibly wage war, the loyal warriors within the territory might suffer great losses, which would undoubtedly be detrimental."
"So, you’re suggesting we temporarily shelve it? Akzhi, have you been so scared by these years of war that you’ve lost your nerve?"
The Female Red Dragon Kleyna rebutted Blue Dragon Akzhi’s words unceremoniously, even though Blue Dragon Akzhi currently held the power of the legion, among these Giant Dragon Lords they viewed each other as equals.
The power of the mortal world cannot affect the Lords within the Dragon Group, as every Giant Dragon Lord holds the power to intervene in the mortal world.
"No, my point is that instead of a large-scale mobilization of the beloved legion, we should harness the advantages of the Giant Dragons," Blue Dragon Akzhi shook his massive head, patiently explaining to the somewhat agitated Red Dragon Kleyna.
"We are Giant Dragons, agile enough to come and go as we please."
When mentioning war, Blue Dragon Akzhi’s expression also turned somewhat excited, he said, "We should operate like the Centaur Corps, roaming and striking within the Beastman Kingdom’s territory, without confronting the entire Beastman Kingdom’s force head-on." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
"No matter how large the Beastman Kingdom’s army is, they cannot surround every city and village as if it were a fortress,"
"For every day they don’t yield, we destroy a city; for every day they don’t surrender, we destroy several villages. No matter how vast the Beastman Kingdom, how long can they sustain this?"
Having experienced the baptism of war, Blue Dragon Akzhi’s grip on warfare had markedly improved, his vertical pupils emitting a chilling glare.
"We can easily destroy their food production areas, their weapon forges, cut off ordinary beastman warrior support to the Beastman Nobility, undermine the foundation of the Beastman Kingdom. We are Evil Dragons, here not to conquer, but to destroy, to unleash the fire of our wrath as retribution!"
Karon’s gaze swept over the Dragon Group, seeing Giant Dragons of varying scale colors all baring claws and stirring with fervor, clearly swayed by the Blue Dragon’s rhetoric, even Alfred the Metal Dragon appeared eager to participate.
Ocean Dragon Naxson, this neutral dragon, also showed a look of approval. From Ocean Dragon Naxson’s perspective, the Beastman Kingdom had invaded its nation and deserved such a lesson.
Even the three Metal Dragons outside had no intention of upholding justice at this moment. The infringement on the Giant Dragons’ territory was an unforgivable affront to them, and they did not wish to waste time pitying those beastmen about to fall to the Dragon Group’s wrath because they still had to spare some pity for themselves.
However, within the Dragon Group, there was still a Giant Dragon who maintained calm restraint and contemplation, and that was the Bronze Dragon Alina, clearly holding a different view.
Karon’s gaze pulled the Bronze Dragon Alina out of her thoughts, and she waited for the fervor among the Dragon Group to settle before speaking: "I agree with Akzhi’s point, but there’s actually more we can do."
Karon nodded, indicating for the Bronze Dragon to continue.
"Since we have established a formal Empire, becoming a legitimate civilization, we can also, at the appropriate time, use formal means to make our purpose more justified."
The Bronze Dragon Alina revealed a cold smile on her elegant cheeks, "In the name of the Empire, we could issue a declaration to the Beastman Kingdom, demanding an apology for the invasion and seeking compensation for all the losses suffered in our territory."