Since the last commotion, the reinforcements from the Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle seemed to have tasted some benefits and would occasionally cause trouble.
The saying goes, "A crying child gets milk." As they caused trouble, the Jade Sword Sect had to allocate some resources to appease them.
The Jade Sword Sect was not happy about this situation.
But firstly, the Jade Sword Sect was indeed at fault because providing supplies to the reinforcements was its responsibility.
Secondly, Bai Zhengyu, the True Monarch in charge of the reinforcements, had an ambiguous attitude and always found excuses to evade his responsibility, unwilling to fully help and pacify these cultivators under his command.
The reinforcements from the Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle had become a significant burden for not only the Jade Sword Sect but also the entire Jiuqu League.
The northern regions of the Jiuqu League were impoverished, and the Jade Sword Sect was not a wealthy and renowned sect. Now, facing the immense difficulties in providing resources, they felt somewhat powerless.
However, it was absolutely essential to have these reinforcements. The current strength of the Jiuqu League alone could not resist the forces of the Dali Dynasty.
The action of the Purple Yang Holy Sect in eradicating the Dali Dynasty was a crucial move, with far-reaching implications and long-term planning.
The actions of the Jiuqu League were a vital part of this plan and could not afford any mistakes.
Xiao Jiansheng, as a World Traveler of the Purple Yang Holy Sect, had been thinking about launching a counterattack and eliminating the Dali Dynasty's army as soon as possible.
Last time, they achieved victory because Xiao Jiansheng severely injured the enemy commander Xia Houfeng, forcing the enemy to retreat.
The enemy's main force was unharmed, and Xia Houfeng's condition was unknown, so many cultivation forces had no desire for another battle.
Xiao Jiansheng was indeed a top-tier powerhouse, capable of single-handedly facing many opponents.
However, the Dali Dynasty had a well-organized army formation, numerous strong cultivators, and a large number of Mechanical Creations, which he alone could not contend with.
Without an equally powerful army to act as a diversion and enough peers to provide cover, if he rashly charged into the Dali Dynasty's army alone, he would be in danger of losing his life in a siege.
Even as a powerhouse from the Holy Land Sect, he couldn't conjure vast resources to solve the current predicament.
Under these circumstances, no matter how much pressure Xiao Jiansheng exerted on Jade Sword True Monarch or Bai Zhengyu, they could, at best, suppress the unrest among their subordinates, but they had no good way to boost their morale.
In reality, even within the Jade Sword Sect, there were signs of war-weariness after the previous large battle.
The Sword Fanatic was not truly insane; faced with heavy casualties, he too would hesitate and fear.
The previous firm stance of the Jade Sword Sect in striking the Dali Dynasty and having an irreconcilable attitude had unconsciously softened.
Xiao Jiansheng had access to various channels. Since he couldn't continue to get enough help from the Jiuqu League, he began sending messages to distant places, seeking assistance from other sources.
During this time, Meng Zhang had not appeared at the Yellow Lotus Sect's Main Altar because he was avoiding the cultivators of the Purple Yang Holy Sect. He communicated with the high-level members of the Jade Sword Sect through messaging talismans.
Although he wasn't entirely clear about the thoughts of the higher-ups, he had a good understanding of the movements and psychology of various cultivation forces, including the reinforcements from the Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle.
It seemed that rectifying their strength and launching an attack on the Dali Dynasty's army proactively was not an easy task.
After this delay, the Dali Dynasty swiftly responded to the previous battle.Although the Jade Sword Sect lacked the capability to launch large-scale attacks, they never relaxed their surveillance of the enemy, always keeping a close eye on their movements.
For the Dali Dynasty, their massive army from outside needed to stabilize the situation in the south quickly and establish effective rule by making use of local cultivation forces, which could be a shortcut.
Even though these local cultivation forces had reluctantly surrendered to the Dali Dynasty, their true loyalty to the Dynasty was questionable, especially after the defeat of the Dali Dynasty's army in the previous battle, which invigorated their spirits.
It seemed that the Dali Dynasty's army was not invincible after all.
Particularly after the Jade Sword Sect widely spread the news of the Purple Yang Holy Sect from the Middle-Earth Continent aiming to eradicate the Dali Dynasty, many people's positions began to waver.
The Dali Dynasty's army was still powerful, and these factions had no courage to resist openly. However, it was common for them to secretly contact cultivators from the Jade Sword Sect to secure a retreat route for themselves.
Jade Sword Sect made efforts to win over these wavering factions, even offering many irresponsible promises.
With the cover of these factions, Jade Sword Sect cultivators could operate and gather intelligence in the southern region of the Jiuqu League much more conveniently.
Most of the gathered intelligence was shared with the Primordial Spirit True Monarchs in their camp.
Thus, Meng Zhang knew that not long ago, the Dali Dynasty had sent a new commander to lead their army.
This new commander was the Grand Marshal of the Dali Dynasty, Zhang Weineng, who was also a late-stage Primordial Spirit cultivator with seniority and prestige surpassing Prince Feng Xia Houfeng.
He led his personal guards and arrived from within the Dali Dynasty on a Fourth Rank warship, swiftly taking command of the army.
According to Ba Wudi's orders, after reorganization and strengthening, this army was named the North Sweeping Grand Army, with Zhang Weineng also holding the title of North Sweeping Grand Marshal.
With Zhang Weineng's arrival, the weaknesses of the North Sweeping Grand Army were eliminated, and the Jiuqu League lost the possibility of a quick and decisive victory.
Zhang Weineng did not rush to launch an attack but instead strengthened the control of the southern Jiuqu League, showing signs of being prepared for a long-term stay.
He probably understood that after the involvement of the Purple Yang Holy Sect, the chance of swiftly conquering the north was lost, and now they had to be steady and plan for the long term.
Zhang Weineng reorganized the North Sweeping Grand Army, shifting their focus from offensive to defensive.
The deployment of the army underwent significant changes, and although personnel appointments and transfers were not highly classified, the Jade Sword Sect was able to obtain this information and more.
Although Meng Zhang wasn't certain how much resources the Jade Sword Sect still possessed, recent developments indicated that if the war entered a stalemate and evolved into a prolonged conflict, the Jade Sword Sect would likely be overwhelmed before long.
Not to mention the various income the North Sweeping Grand Army seized from the Jiuqu League before; they only needed to concentrate on managing the southern Jiuqu League to obtain substantial resources.
Furthermore, there was a possibility that the Dali Dynasty could transfer resources to their side.
Meng Zhang could clearly see this situation, and it was inconceivable that the Jade Sword Sect's high-level members were unaware of it.
Jade Sword True Monarch had made a decision; they must launch a comprehensive attack as soon as possible and gain a decisive advantage before their war resources were depleted.