"Feel free to speak your mind; there's no need to hold back," the Blue Dragon Akzi said, sitting up as he noticed the officials' hesitation.
"I believe we can forcibly requisition the ships docked in the harbor and the private armed forces of the merchant caravans.
During this time, we can modify the ships, train soldiers in naval combat, and then, with the cooperation of the Dragons and the Wyvern Legion, repel the Orc Army beyond our territory."
An elderly official stood up, spittle flying, and declared, "Even if the Orc Army's naval forces are strong, we can still use these forces and the Wyvern Legion to tie them down.
Then, the Dragons can sink their ships by going underwater."
"The Kings must not act rashly.
How can a ruling Dragon Lord risk appearing on the battlefield at the very first moment?" another official stood up, glaring, refuting his colleague's opinion.
"Besides, there are an unknown, but certainly vast, number of Fishmen.
If the Dragons suffer damage, it would be a huge blow to morale.
They should only go to the battlefield when it's time for a decisive victory."
"Moreover, in such a short time, it's impossible to modify all the ships.
Those forcibly requisitioned armed forces will likely just flee with their ships as soon as they enter battle."
"Then you tell me, what exactly should we do?" the elderly official's neck turned red.
"Forcibly requisition the ships, then use them to block the harbor, setting them on fire to delay the Orc Kingdom's advance.
At the same time, conscript armed forces and strengthen the city's defenses."
Another official loudly stated, "These Orcs have come a long way, so their supplies must be limited.
Delaying them and sending out the Wyvern Legion to cut off their supply lines is crucial."
"Even if they can catch sea fish, they won't last long.
And other suitable landing ports are thousands of miles away.
Without supplies, they will inevitably retreat on their own.
At that time, the powerful Dragon Lord can move out and destroy them."
An official joined the debate, turning the two-person argument into a free-for-all.
They went back and forth, sharp-tongued, and the discussion turned into an argument, which then devolved into a shouting match.
Soon, the spacious hall became a bustling marketplace due to the officials' clamor.
These people argued endlessly, and once they got carried away, they even disregarded the noble Dragon Lords sitting nearby.
Some banged on tables, others pulled at sleeves, completely abandoning any semblance of official decorum.
Meanwhile, a young official dressed as a Scholar sat quietly in a corner, slowly sipping his lukewarm black tea, listening and analyzing the officials' arguments, occasionally stealing glances at the reactions of the silent Dragon Lords.
The patience of the Dragon Lords gradually wore thin, their Dragonic fury, stirred by the officials' bickering, could no longer be suppressed, and they let out low roars.
"Quiet," the Blue Dragon Akzi restrained the urge to turn these noisy humans into charcoal with a breath of dragon blood.
Even if he could control the influence of his dragon blood, at their core, these Dragon Lords still possessed the inherent nature of evil dragons: impatient and easily agitated.
"If you continue to argue, I will throw you into the gladiatorial arena.
Whoever achieves final victory, I will adopt their suggestion." Subtle lightning flickered in the Blue Dragon's pupils.
For the first time, he felt that Kalon might have overestimated these people.
Just then, the young official with black hair and black eyes, sitting in the corner, quietly put down his cup and raised his hand, requesting to speak.
Blue Dragon Akzi exhaled two thick streams of sea sand from his nostrils, then took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "What do you want to say? Speak!"
"Esteemed Dragon Lords," the young official with black hair and black eyes stood up, first bowing to the Dragons, then organizing his thoughts before slowly beginning to speak.
"The plans of my colleagues just now are actually quite comprehensive.
I will summarize and propose some minor changes based on them, hoping to receive guidance from all the Dragon Lords."
The young official with black hair and black eyes coughed lightly, seeing the maidservant standing beside the Dragon Lords begin to prepare to record his plan, and then he spoke.
"First, forcibly conscript all ships to block the landing points.
When the Orc Kingdom's army arrives, burn them all to delay the Orc Army's advance and buy time."
"At the same time, dispatch the Wyvern Legion to bypass and cut off the Orc Army's supply lines, and conduct guerrilla strikes in their rear.
Also, drive away the sea fish in the nearby waters, making it difficult for them to get food supplies in the shallow seas, implementing a scorched-earth policy."
"Second, during this time, a declaration of war and war mobilization should be issued to the residents of all towns and villages, conscripting soldiers and building an inner city within the Goldsea City."
"All city residents should be evacuated, taking all food and weapons with them.
And, according to the original plan, scattered villages can be gathered into towns to defend against scattered Orcs later."
"Because the ships in the harbor will not delay for long, at most three to five days, and the walls of the Goldsea City are within the effective range of the Orc Kingdom's fleet, unable to resist the Orc Kingdom's bombardment."
"But the Orcs will eventually need to land.
We can wait until they step onto the breached walls, before they have fully landed, to launch a proactive attack.
Their artillery and giant crossbows will then pose much less of a threat, unless they are utterly deranged, in which case we can also retreat in time into the inner city."
The young official spoke eloquently, confidence radiating from him.
He suddenly bowed to the Dragon Lords and solemnly said, "Next, is the most crucial part: we need to abandon the entire Goldsea City in exchange for at least twenty thousand of the Orc Kingdom's army."
All the officials' expressions changed, and even the scales between the brows of the Dragon Lords furrowed.
The Goldsea City, as the most important trading port in the current Dragon clans Territory, was the largest source of wealth for the Dragon Territory.
It would be especially difficult to make these officials and Dragons abandon the entire Golden Land.
The Dragon Lords remained silent.
The Blue Dragon Akzi pondered what Kalon would decide in such a situation.
"Akzi," the Ocean Dragon Nakson turned to look at the Blue Dragon, somewhat worried.
Even this intelligent Dragon species found it hard to decide, as Dragons are particularly greedy, and making them abandon the entire Goldsea City was equivalent to giving up a lot of wealth, as many things were difficult to evacuate.
"It's just a city.
We can always rebuild it.
Are these lifeless things more important than loyal dependents and wealth-creating subjects?
Speak your mind; I will bear this responsibility entirely," Blue Dragon Akzi's eyes lit up.
He had made his decision.
The young official, having received the reply, straightened his posture and laid out his plan, with officials occasionally nodding and murmuring in agreement.
"So, after those Orcs and Fishmen land, their immense numerical advantage will inevitably make the inner city difficult to hold for long.
We will also not needlessly sacrifice the lives of warriors loyal to the Dragons.
Therefore, if this plan succeeds, it should cause the Orcs to lose at least ten to twenty thousand warriors, greatly impacting their morale for the attack."
"Then they will gain a ruin and will certainly not be able to hold their ground there.
They must launch an offensive.
Time is our friend.
We only need to heavily fortify the passes in the forest leading to various places, fighting and retreating until they weaken.
That will be the time for a decisive battle."
"And the plain in front of the King's Capital will be their final burial ground!"
The young official with black hair and black eyes turned his gaze to the battle-eager battle group leaders and smiled, "Orcs are indeed born warriors, but the Dragons' warriors are even stronger than them!"
Alina looked at the confident young official on the field, quietly lowered her head, and asked Charlize, the chief maidservant beside her, "Who is this young man?
He has great wisdom and courage; he should be promoted!"
Although the Bronze Dragon had been overseeing the territory for several months, proud Dragons would not easily remember a person's name.
In the eyes of these Dragons, all subordinates were merely another form of tool.
"He is Scholar ranked thirty-seventh on the Kings' candidate list…"
...
The boundless sea, vast and endless, with continuous sails like a forest, resembling a wall on the sea, casting large shadows on the water.
The sails billowed, even overpowering the sound of countless ships cutting through the waves.
And in the sea beneath these shadows, dense schools of sharks swam, like guides and guardians of the ships, cutting through the water in the sea, mighty and vast.
A warship over a hundred meters long sailed with billowing sails, heading straight into the distance, surrounded by the fleet.
Heavy cannons and dragon-hunting crossbows with magical effects gleamed with an unusual coldness in the sunlight.
A tall, shirtless Orc placed his hand on these terrifying weapons and smiled at an equally tall Fishmen Prince.
"We only need the territory, the fertile Golden City, and all the wealth will be yours, Fishmen," the tall Orc said with a smile.
"That's good.
We Fishmen are not interested in land territory, but summoning the incarnation of the Shark God requires a large amount of wealth and flesh sacrifices," the Fishmen Prince waved his six arms.
His common language was not fluent.
"It seems we're almost there.
I've already seen traces of the Wyverns," the tall Orc looked towards the high sky on the distant horizon, where a few Wyverns appeared faintly in the clouds.
"I truly hope those Dragons, relying on their strength, try to block the advance of the great army," the Orc sighed.
"I really want to try to become an honored warrior with the title of Dragon Slayer!"