Luo Shuang, the Imperial Teacher, Huangfu Yue, and others gathered on the battlefield.
Zhang Yizhi looked at Du Ge with a face full of grievance. "Imperial Teacher, this wasn't part of our plan. I was supposed to lure the enemy, but you all handled it yourselves. At this rate, when will my skills ever awaken? I'm supposed to be a Heavenly Star, but now I feel like a dispensable side character."
"Don't worry, there will be opportunities." Du Ge comforted him briefly before turning to Luo Shuang, bowing deeply. "Princess, I have fulfilled my mission. We achieved a great victory at Chongling. We captured the enemy commander Lin Qing and over thirty other officers, two grandmasters, and two hundred thousand soldiers, along with countless supplies. The Heavenly Demon Shen Yu was beheaded. In this battle, Wu Chang from Earthly Fierce Star deserves the highest merit, followed by Ge Zong from Earthly Oddity Star and Xiang Li from Earthly Mischief Star..."
As a loyal man, Du Ge always made sure to give Luo Shuang enough face in front of others. Watching his underlings awaken their skills one by one, he was already itching with anticipation.
Loyalty must be cultivated.
As for Shen Yu, without the support of his thirty thousand archers, he was just a pig waiting to be slaughtered. Du Ge easily took him down.
Some people can be spared, some cannot.
Shen Yu's abilities were too uncontrollable.
Keeping someone like him around would be a risk; on the battlefield, those thirty thousand arrows could be aimed at anyone. If he ever turned against them and ambushed Du Ge, his top-tier attributes would make him a formidable enemy with just a strong bow.
"Rise, Imperial Teacher." Luo Shuang extended her hand to help Du Ge up, unable to hide the joy in her eyes. How fortunate she was to have met the Imperial Teacher who changed her life during her time of distress.
She could hardly believe it.
In just two months, she had gone from being alone to commanding an army of over three hundred thousand elite soldiers...
When she left Linyang City to fight across the land, she had prepared to start from scratch.
With the Imperial Teacher and this massive army, no one in Chongming Kingdom could stop her now.
Her Imperial Teacher was indeed a man who could create miracles.
"The Imperial Teacher has orchestrated this victory and deserves the highest honors. When the kingdom is restored, he shall be proclaimed Duke of the Nation," Luo Shuang declared, stepping forward and addressing everyone. "Wu Chang from Earthly Fierce Star, Ge Zong from Earthly Oddity Star, and Xiang Li from Earthly Mischief Star shall be appointed chariot generals..."
Luo Shuang methodically distributed rewards and assigned new positions to the surrendered generals. She also ordered Lin Qing to send messengers to recall Jiang Yan and Zhang Ting's armies, which were attacking Linyang City.
As for Lin Qing's future role and the direction of upcoming battles, those were matters for Du Ge to decide; she could not make such decisions rashly.
Everyone expressed their gratitude and accepted their orders.
From this point on, the tides had turned. It was unlikely that Chongming Kingdom could muster another expedition force of three hundred thousand soldiers.
However.
In this battle, the Alien Star warriors had far outperformed ordinary soldiers, making large-scale group combat less likely in the future.
...
The Imperial Teacher, Cao Lin, and others assisted Lin Qing in reorganizing the two hundred thousand surrendered soldiers, dispersing them among various units.
The soldiers cooperated willingly.
Not just because their commander Lin Qing had surrendered, but because this unprecedented war had completely shattered their morale. None of them wanted to resist a group of freaks.
...
"What is it?" Du Ge asked.
"My mental power is skyrocketing." Wu Chang looked at Du Ge, his expression odd.
Ever since Du Ge forced him onto the battlefield, good things had been happening one after another, as if Lady Luck herself was showering him with blessings. This sudden surge in mental power was inexplicable, especially since he hadn't even made it into the top ten yet!
...
Are the viewers tipping?
Connecting his mental power surge to the situation, Du Ge quickly deduced the reason.
He looked up at the sky and shook his head. Was he now influencing the outcome of the bet as an insider?
If he ended up killing Wu Chang.
Would the gamblers who bet on him storm Pan-Universal Entertainment?
But that seemed unlikely. Even in movies, gamblers who lost everything didn't usually overturn the casino.
So bringing Wu Chang into the top ten might make Pan-Universal Entertainment lose a bit of money!
If he couldn't kill them, he could at least annoy them!
A smile crossed Du Ge's lips as he looked at Wu Chang and asked, "What's your rank now?"
"11th." Wu Chang glanced at his ranking and grinned. "Just a bit more to make it into the top 10."
"Old Wu, are there any people from your planet in the top ten?" Du Ge asked.
Wu Chang shook his head.
"Before entering the battlefield, you must have agreed on a code with your planet's people, right?" Du Ge asked again.
Wu Chang hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"This time, Linyang Daily will focus on your achievements. Publish the code as well to attract more people from your planet. Our two planets can form an alliance and clear out the others."
Du Ge smiled. "After this battle, I will likely continue on the Alien Star Battlefield. With Dan Cong and you, we have a bond forged in life and death. I think in future battles, our two planets can ally and dominate, splitting the resources."
"Is that possible?" Wu Chang was stunned. He swallowed hard. "Won't Pan-Universal Entertainment prevent us from forming an alliance?"
"Pan-Universal wants ratings. You have to understand that. Doing more interesting things on the battlefield attracts more viewers!" Du Ge said nonchalantly. "Human nature is fragile. Alliances lead to betrayals. Maybe the viewers want to see us form an alliance and then betray each other.
Old Wu, you need to think bigger. Don't limit your thoughts to the Alien Star Battlefield. Consider what the viewers want to see, and we might get unexpected rewards!"
...
Wu Chang stared at Du Ge in awe. Was this the mindset of the top-ranked Alien Star warrior?
He nodded blankly. "Alright, Senior, I'll try. But I can't guarantee I'll get people to come. Trusting people from other planets on the battlefield is risky."