Considering these circumstances, Mi Jian felt this battle could not be fought!
Moreover, Mi Jian also advised Kaiyadun to moderate his actions, to reduce the exploitation and oppression of noble forces, and to appease their rebellious sentiments.
Kaiyadun frowned upon reading this intelligence manual.
Mi Jian did not need to remind Kaiyadun how troublesome Liu Kai Xuan was; Kaiyadun was well aware.
However, this was not the main point. The key issue was that Mi Jian, the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army, was so "terrified" of Liu Kai Xuan.
Weaponry and equipment were important factors in determining the outcome of a war, but they were by no means the only factors.
Strictly speaking, Liu Kai Xuan’s status in the Kaiya Kingdom could be considered that of a warlord.
The esteemed Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army was so fearful of a warlord.
He even lacked the courage to initiate war.
If Kaiyadun allowed Liu Kai Xuan to develop unchecked, how would the empire's authority be preserved?
Would he, the King, have to yield to a merchant?
Kaiyadun’s mindset dictated that he would not heed Mi Jian’s advice.
No matter how reasonable Mi Jian’s suggestions were, Kaiyadun could not bring himself to listen.
...
On the morning of the third day, Kaiyadun once again summoned Mi Jian, ordering him to bring his senior generals to the royal palace for a military conference.
Unexpectedly, Mi Jian took an even more drastic action this time!
Mi Jian did not come to the palace for the meeting at all. Instead, he packed his bags and fled the moment he received the order.
Before leaving, Mi Jian left a letter of resignation in his office.
He expressed his gratitude for Kaiyadun’s trust and stated that he was a soldier with a strong sense of honor.
Now that he was resigning, although it was a betrayal of Kaiyadun’s trust, he could still retain the reputation of a "victorious general."
If he were to go to war with Liu Kai Xuan and be defeated and killed, not only would his life be forfeit, but his honor would also be lost after his death.
Therefore, Mi Jian requested Kaiyadun to approve his resignation, granting him a dignified "ending."
Frankly, Mi Jian's current course of action was a very astute decision!
There was a significant divergence of opinion between him and Kaiyadun regarding going to war.
However, as a soldier, Mi Jian could not refuse Kaiyadun’s orders.
Since the conflict between them was irreconcilable and Mi Jian was unwilling to compromise, the best solution was to resign.
If Mi Jian were to resign directly to Kaiyadun, he feared Kaiyadun's temper might flare up and he would be subject to his wrath.
Naturally, he had no choice but to resort to this "act first, report later" approach and slip away.
In this way, Kaiyadun could appoint a more compliant general to execute his military orders.
Mi Jian would retire with both fame and fortune, and the fate of the Imperial Army would no longer concern him.
"Traitor, shameless traitor!"
Upon receiving the news, Kaiyadun flew into a rage.
Kaiyadun immediately called the Police Department, demanding they arrest Mi Jian throughout the entire territory.
Unfortunately, Mi Jian had already fled the Kaiya Kingdom by this time.
Perhaps Kaiyadun never dreamed that, after disguising himself, Mi Jian had taken a vast fortune and gone to Hero Island to live as a wealthy man.
It was likely Kaiyadun would never see Mi Jian again in his lifetime.
Moreover, Mi Jian’s departure was clearly premeditated and not a sudden event.
Simultaneously with Mi Jian's disappearance, his family also seemed to have vanished into thin air overnight.
Within a few days of pursuit, not even a servant from Mi Jian’s household could be found, infuriating Kaiyadun to the point of fainting.
With these events, the Imperial Army was left in a complete mess.
With their commander having fled, everyone below was in a state of panic, lacking any fighting spirit.
...
Kaixuan City, Lord's Mansion.
"Hahaha…" Liu Kai Xuan couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter upon receiving this news.
Ouyang Yu was also grinning from ear to ear, "Brother Kai Xuan, I admire you more and more!"
"Merely your name was enough to scare that guy Mi Jian away!"
"I still can't understand why Mi Jian was in such a hurry to run away!"
"He didn't need to be so hasty; he could have waited until after he was defeated to run away!"
"After all, he's the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army; even if war broke out, he wouldn't have to fight on the front lines himself, right?"
Liu Kai Xuan nodded in agreement, "What you said makes a lot of sense!"
"Even if war broke out, Mi Jian himself wouldn't have to risk fighting on the front lines!"
"But modern warfare is absolutely not the era of cold weapons!"
Modern warfare, with the continuous iteration of weaponry and equipment,
"Armies of all countries possess extremely strong long-range strike capabilities!"
"Our drones and rocket artillery can cross the front lines and launch decapitation strikes directly at the enemy's rear command posts!"
"It can be said that as long as Mi Jian's location is exposed, the probability of him being eliminated will be infinitely amplified!"
"And as a high-ranking officer of the Imperial Army, to ensure the army's combat effectiveness, Mi Jian himself cannot completely detach from the front lines to conduct remote command during wartime!"
"It is no exaggeration to say that his command post is always within range of our artillery fire!"
Ouyang Yu replied, "If you put it that way, our situation is the same!"
"If war breaks out, to maintain morale, you would also need to command near the front lines, wouldn't you?"
"Me commanding on the front lines?"
Liu Kai Xuan shook his head and smiled, "I'm not a commanding officer of the Guard Corps, so why would I need to command on the front lines!"
"Ouyang Yu, I need to remind you!"
"Don't equate my status with Mi Jian's; you need to equate my status with Kaiyadun's!"
"Mi Jian's status is only equivalent to Tie Long's!"
"Hahaha…"
Ouyang Yu nodded and smiled, "Boss, you're right, but I have another idea!"
"If you don't want to risk going to the front lines, you can let me go in your stead!"
"Let me join the Guard Corps as a commander; I want to experience military life for a while!"
Liu Kai Xuan retorted, "You want to join the Guard Corps? Do you understand military knowledge?"
"Even if I don't understand military knowledge, can't I learn it? Can't I learn and apply it as I go!"
"Are you joking with me?"
Liu Kai Xuan gradually dropped his smile and became serious, "You cannot imagine the cruelty of real war!"
"If you're seeking thrills, you're better off playing video games!"
"The Guard Corps is not your playground!"