Time entered early spring.

White Rice hurried to work, first setting up earth and stone supports on the ridge for the Divine-Given Seed of the Green-Red Kiwifruit, carefully propping the vines up to a height of two meters above the ground.

The ordinary Life Seeds of Green Catalpa and Snakebark Maple kiwifruit successively began their transition from High-Level to Mountain Lord Level, with old leaves withering and dropping off.

Awakened with Wood Element Talent, Green Catalpa and Black Rice assisted, while White Rice employed Earth System Abilities to replace all the wooden supports on and off the mountain, pre-installing supports for the upcoming growth of the plants.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid also stayed behind to help...

...

After completing the annual transaction with the Flame Spider Roving Merchant, Dragon Cypress made haste to transport Source Stones to Huagi Mountain, continuing until deep autumn.

The nine million Source Stones for purchasing the Soul-Setting Fruit were all delivered, and seventy thousand Source Stones were stocked at the Desolation Plains.

According to the combined calculations from Dragon Cypress, Huagi Divine Tree, Quandong Divine Tree, and the Night Fragrance God-Given Seed, barring unforeseen circumstances, the White Poplar Ant King and Red Phellodendron Ant Queen would enter evolution into 6th Age Lords in the fall the year after next.

If anything unexpected happens, it will be next autumn.

Dragon Cypress began the preparations before war.

First preparation: food

Using gourd containers, sufficient ant honey to feed 4,000 Specialized Blue Soldiers for two years was transported to the Desolation Plains.

...

From White Lotus Lake, Black Lotus Lake, Molan Mountain, and Southern Sour Jujube Mountain, two hundred Mountain Lord Level Specialized Blue Ants were transferred from each back to Xianglan Mountain Ant Nest.

The Xianglan Mountain Ant Nest also needed two years' worth of food reserves.

...

The Areca Rainforest was fully reclaimed last winter, and Black Leaf was taking care of the newly planted fruit saplings there.

Black Leaf was transferred back to Xianglan Mountain.

Hulan Mountain reclamation was completed.

Black Cory returned to Xianglan Mountain.

The Divine-Given Seeds of Red Cypress and Chestnut Beans sown at Southern Sour Jujube Mountain both had grown to scale; ordinary jungle beasts could not harm them.

Cypress also returned to Xianglan Mountain.

All Assistant Kings returned fully to Xianglan Mountain.

Dragon Cypress personally led 2,000 Ant Army, accompanied by Silver Cypress, Black Cory, and Black Leaf, assigning them to command the march. Starting from the sub-nest at Rednan Mountain to the north, sticking close to the Divine Force Barrier, and then heading three hundred kilometers further north, he launched an extermination sweep, clearing out all edible creatures.

While hunting, Dragon Cypress gave hands-on lessons to Silver Cypress, Black Cory, and Black Leaf on how to command soldier ants in marching and combat.

After returning to Xianglan Mountain for several days of rest,

They set out again, this time heading south from the sub-nest at Red Banyan Mountain, sweeping three hundred kilometers southward.

As winter set in,

Winter fishing continued at Black Lotus Lake as usual, with intensified efforts.

Food reserves at Xianglan Mountain were secured.

...

Second preparation before war: troop training

For the attack on the Termite Kingdom, Spiked Cypress, Giant Cypress, and Cypress would participate in the battle.

The rear main nest of Xianglan Mountain would be mainly defended by Silver Cypress, assisted by Black Cory and Black Leaf, who could also command soldier ants.

Early spring,

For now, Spiked Cypress and Giant Cypress, along with Black Cory and Black Leaf, stayed at Xianglan Mountain, teaching the two how to command Mountain Lord Level Specialized Blue Soldiers in battle, drilling in massed formation combat tactics for Blue Soldiers.

Dragon Cypress then led Cypress and Silver Cypress to the Desolation Plains.

The number of Mountain Lord Level Specialized Blue Soldiers stationed at the Desolation Plains had already exceeded 3,500.

Under the command of Cypress and Silver Cypress, formal combat training began.

Years ago, Black Cory had dug a reservoir here, which White Rice helped reinforce using Earth-Stone Hardening abilities.

In winter, snow accumulated in the reservoir. Come spring, as the snow and ice melted, water was stored.

Cypress and Silver Cypress first divided the ant colony simply into groups of fifty, bringing each group to the reservoir's edge to practice basic Water Control and Freezing abilities.

These Mountain Lord Level Specialized Blue Soldiers were very intelligent; after just two or three practical attempts, they could grasp the basics, and ten more attempts brought proficiency.

Dragon Cypress stayed at Xianglan Mountain but, after the spring trade with the Flame Spider Roving Merchant ended, rushed straight to the Desolation Plains and began formal tactical organization of the Ant Army.

Three Specialized Blue Soldiers made up a basic combat team. Whether on the march or in battle, they had to maintain a one-in-front, two-in-back triangle formation, mutually covering and supporting each other.

These three ants were also to live together, eat together, walk together, get to know each other and grow familiar.

Three combat teams, nine Specialized Blue Soldiers, made up a combat squad; three squads, twenty-seven Specialized Blue Soldiers, made up a battalion.

Fifty battalions, 1,350 Specialized Blue Soldiers, made up a legion.

There would be a total of three legions.

They would be commanded in the future by Spiked Cypress, Giant Cypress, and Cypress respectively.

The Ant King's control over the ant colony was stronger. For now, Dragon Cypress Ant King would personally command and train them in all sorts of combat formations.

Combat in the Ant Army was not just a matter of charging forward in a mass and relying on numbers—it required adapting to the timing and terrain, coordination, tactical formations, strategies, and so forth.

Some knowledge was described in the inherited memory of the Ant Clan.

Some things Dragon Cypress worked out himself based on the characteristics of the Blue Soldiers.

What formations to use when marching in the mountains; what formations for charging across plains; how to leverage rivers, ditches, lakes, and other advantageous terrain; what formations to use when leaving favorable ground and attacking areas without water...

An individual Assistant King could easily command dozens of ants, but it became more difficult to direct several hundred. To command ant armies numbering over a thousand for large-scale war, the ants needed to undergo rigorous combat training to strengthen their discipline and willpower.

Likewise,

Silver Cypress, Black Cory, and Black Leaf who stayed at Xianglan Mountain required specialized training.

Spiked Cypress, Giant Cypress, and Cypress, who would command the legions in battle, needed even further training.

...

Third preparation before war: full muster

Early summer,

Dragon Cypress traveled to Scarletlight Mountain, completed the harvest of the Divine-Given Scarletlight Fruit, and picked up Mulberry and Ghost Fan on the way, bringing them first to Huagi Mountain.

He made consecutive trips, gathering all those taking part in the war—White Willow, White Rice, Black Rice, Green Catalpa, Snakebark Maple—and brought them all to Huagi Mountain.

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