Chapter 2207: Chapter 2207: Steadily Advancing, Step by Step
Du You didn’t care about the turmoil of the Northern Empire. At this moment, the Life Empire’s army had already surrounded it completely. Despite the vast territory, there were still some strategically important positions.
"What should we do? The Life Empire is coming with such force; we’re probably not their match."
"No need to fear, we were never their match to begin with. The only unknown is how much power the Life Empire can muster. If it’s a lot, I’m afraid our Northern Empire will soon be annihilated."
Someone beside him angrily said, "Shut up, don’t speak like that. Our Northern Empire is very powerful."
People around rolled their eyes. This guy was a die-hard loyalist, but one can’t blatantly ignore reality.
However, no one intended to argue with that guy. They all knew his original power wasn’t strong enough. He became a city lord by accumulating achievements from the sixth tier to the seventh tier. Recently, he’d even reached the eighth tier, an unreachable height for him once.
The Northern Empire gave him this opportunity for such advancement, so his loyalty toward it was unwavering. If anyone badmouthed the empire, this guy would risk his life against them.
"Sigh, I wonder if that one can reach the ninth tier," someone whispered.
Everyone had complex expressions. Yes, even if it’s not possible now, surely it’s infinitely close to reaching the ninth tier. If they could unify the last region, though unlikely, there’s still a possibility.
People in the central region didn’t care about this, but they couldn’t ignore it—the ninth tier, that mythical level. They dreamed of knowing if there was still an opportunity.
With such complicated thoughts, the war began. From the onset, the war was a crushing one. Even though Du You used only a small portion of his forces, it was still overwhelming for the Northern Empire.
Each battle had eighth-tier powerhouses in command, even small peripheral squads were led by seventh-tier elites.
Meanwhile, the army was not ordinary. Although recruits came from various places, most were Du You’s exclusive forces. Over the years, Du You amassed substantial points, and the production of Violent Soldiers never ceased.
These forces were of the highest quality, meaning the weakest among them were at the early sixth tier, with none below it. In peripheral regions, they were top-tier elites.
Forming a large-scale army with sixth-tier soldiers was a luxury even core central regions couldn’t achieve.
The central region had only a few squads made of sixth-tier soldiers, but those weren’t ordinary troops—they were Holy City’s exclusive guards, who normally didn’t participate in external conflicts.
Shortly after the war began, the Northern Empire continually lost territory.
"What should we do? We’re simply not their match." Watching another eighth-tier strongman fall from the sky, others displayed expressions of despair, realizing they could never win this war.
"Indeed, we should surrender. The Life Empire’s power is simply too strong."
Watching several eighth-tier Undead suppressing beside them, they felt like dying. Wasn’t this just bullying? With such powerful beings, the Life Empire’s army was like a knife, easily slicing in with no resistance. Although eighth-tier powerhouses occasionally came to aid from the rear, none were a match for them.
Conversely, Du You was not in a rush, as he needed time.
Each time he captured a region, Du You didn’t order immediate advancement. Instead, he had his troops stationed, taking time to digest the city and its surroundings. They built city defense systems while resolving surrounding issues.
Next, he began assimilating the local populace. The Northern Empire’s governance wasn’t bad, retaining a certain amount of public support. When Du You occupied these areas, many of the Northern Empire’s die-hard loyalists created disturbances.
To completely stabilize here, it indeed required time. From Du You’s perspective, it might take ten to twenty years to fully digest it. That timeframe wasn’t short.
This also indirectly indicated the Northern Empire’s decent governance capacity.
However, it was ultimately no match for what he had achieved, integrating every place using puppets and Doppelgangers.
While the Northern Empire also attempted integration, they couldn’t accomplish many things. For instance, strong individuals had privileges everywhere. Some people always wanted to disrupt the rules.
This led to some areas being relatively accepting of him.
Simultaneously, those in power and with strong capabilities secretly plundered various items, including resources Du You needed. Just by locating their residences in the cities, they could easily harvest a vast amount.
During Du You’s stay, it was also a time for him to gather these things.
Without harming civilians, just the aid from those people provided Du You with plentiful resources. With these resources, even if the North was entirely under control, he could use the opportunity for significant self-improvement.
Gradually advancing, moving forward slowly step by step, the Northern Empire’s territories dwindled more and more.
Moreover, this advance was firm, one that neither they could block nor slow down.
People in the central core region were also keeping an eye on the battle there, though their internal disputes became even more intense. Each person expressed their own opinion, always striving to be different from others.
Every day, a few of them would stir up trouble, so they watched Du You’s actions without making a move themselves. Perhaps they were even fantasizing about directly controlling Du You once he occupied the territory.
This progression finally became unbearable for the king of the Northern Empire.
On this day, seeing another report of significant land loss, the king couldn’t restrain himself any longer and stood up.
"We can’t go on like this; we must stop them. I’ll take action myself this time."
With the ongoing contraction of the empire, the bonuses he received became less and less. If this continued, once the opponent captured the majority of the empire’s territory, he wouldn’t be a match even on his own turf.
At this point, the Northern Empire’s king still believed he was invincible on his own land.
Seeing the king taking action personally, cheers erupted below. In their view, as long as the king fought, preserving a portion of the territory wouldn’t be an issue. With this part of the land intact, they would remain free.
