Chapter 56 : Prelude To War ( 2 )

"But we can't just rush in blindly," Nexus continued. "We need to know everything about our enemies. As the saying goes : Know yourself and your enemies and you will win a thousand battles."

Brutus and the others calmed down after hearing Nexus's words. Although they were eager to reclaim their territory, but they knew they couldn't just charge in without a plan.

"Lexx," Nexus called out softly.

The military personnel were surprised to hear Nexus call out a name. They looked around, but only Brutus and Blayze remained calm.

Suddenly a cloud of black mist slowly condensed on the corner of the room,a man clad tight black clothes with a hood covering his face appeared from within th black mist. He had two daggers strapped to his waist and other small weapons strapped to his thighs.

" Your Majesty Lexx " knelt before Nexus and greeted him respectfully.

"Stand up," Nexus commanded calmly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Lexx replied, standing up.

"Lexx, report back to me with all the information you've gathered on the big criminal organizations in the Kingdom," Nexus ordered, giving Lexx a serious look.

"Understood Your Majesty, Your Majesty," Lexx quickly replied, heading over to the map on the table. The rest of the military personnel looked eager to hear about Lexx's findings.

"Since you assigned me this mission to investigate the criminal organizations in the Kingdom a month ago, I've been digging into all the big criminal organizations. From what I've found, there are nine major criminal organizations scattered throughout the Kingdom," Lexx reported.

Nodding, Nexus motioned for him to keep going.

Up north, there are three major gangs : The Red Moon, Green Snake, and Ghost Band Gangs. Each of these gangs has around a thousand members, with leaders in the Spirit Realm Second Layer and about two hundred Essence Meridian Realm Cultivators. The rest of the members are just mortals with great physical strength," Lexx explained, pointing to the map to show their locations

Moving east, there are only two gang : The Vulture Gang and The Yellow River Gang. These two are even more powerful than the gangs in the north, with about two thousand members each, three hundred Essence Meridian Realm Cultivators, and leaders in the Fourth Layer Spirit Realm," Lexx continued. "Down south, there aren't any gangs, but there are four major slave markets. These markets are the strongest criminal organizations in the Kingdom, selling slaves from all races and raiding weaker Kingdoms and villages for profit."

Lexx's tone was serious as he delivered the information.

Nexus' eyes narrowed, a cold light gleaming in them. Brutus and the others also had serious expressions. They hadn't expected these criminal organizations to be so strong. Even the weakest one had a Spirit Realm Cultivator.

Taking them down would be extremely difficult with their current strength. They had three thousand Essence Meridian Realm Soldiers, but that wouldn't mean much unless they could take down the leaders first.

Nexus looked around at the military personnel, all with furrowed brows.

He glanced at Brutus and asked, "What plan of attack do you think will work to take down these criminals?" .

Brutus was surprised that Nexus was asking him for a battle plan. Nexus did this intentionally. He could come up with a perfect plan himself, but he wanted his subordinates to think for themselves and come up with solutions.

He didn't want his subordinates to be just figureheads without the ability to make decisions and judgement for themselves, he wants subordinates who can rationally think things through and come out with good solutions instead relying on him for every solution.

Brutus composed himself and thought deeply, studying the map on the table and recalling Lexx's information about the criminal organizations. The room fell silent as everyone watched him. After a few minutes, Brutus stood and bowed to Nexus. "Your Majesty, I have a plan, but we will need your help."

Nexus' eyes lit up with interest. "Alright, tell me the plan you've come up with."

Brutus nodded and pointed to the map, showing the locations of the criminal organizations. "According to the plan I've devised, our first target will be the three gangs in the north. If you can spare a few members of the Kingsglaive, I believe we can take them down first."

"Why do you seek the assistance of the Kingsglaive?" Nexus asked with great curiosity.

"Well, Your Majesty, our army is not strong enough to defeat a Spirit Realm Cultivator on our own. The Kingsglaive, on the other hand, are powerful fighters. I believe that if they join forces, they can take down a Spirit Realm Cultivator," Brutus explained.

Nexus smiled and nodded, but he didn't immediately agree. He asked again, "What about the other two criminal organizations in the east and south? How will you go about them?"

Brutus nodded and explained, "That's why I want the help of the Kingsglaive. If they can quickly take out the three Spirit Cultivators leading the gangs in the north, our army will have a better chance of swiftly eliminating all the members. With the Kingsglaive's assistance, we can also prevent the news from spreading to the other criminal organizations. We can take them down one by one at lightning speed before they have a chance to react."

"So, as long as the Kingsglaive can take out the leaders of these criminal organizations, you're confident that the rest will be eliminated?" Nexus inquired.

"Affirmative, Your Majesty," Brutus nodded.

"Alright, I agree. The Kingsglaive will assist, but their focus will be solely on eliminating the Spirit Realm Cultivators. They won't be involved in any other battles. Also, I won't be joining in this war. You will be in charge of leading the entire battle on your own," Nexus stated.

Brutus and the others were surprised to learn that Nexus would not be joining them in the upcoming war.

"Understood, Your Majesty," Brutus quickly replied.

" The Forging Workshop has already begun crafting weapons and armor for the soldiers. Make sure to perfect your strategies and address any weaknesses because in just a month... " Nexus paused, looking at Brutus and the others.

" You'll be going to war! "