Batman, a dual genius at both strategic and tactical levels, descended into Hell as the chosen one to save the demons.
The script he got was supposed to be: starting with the Seven Mountains Mine as his first base, gradually expanding outward, forcing Beelzebub to expel Conspiracy Xile with the title of 'saving the king from his ministers', then gradually nibbling away at all Beelzebub's territories, continuing to wage wars until he unified Hell.
But as the saying goes, it's hard for a clever woman to cook without rice. When a man is having an unlucky year, even drinking cold water will clog his teeth.
Batman had just acquired a portion of Beelzebub's territories, which were not strategically well-positioned and scarce in resources when he was besieged by all the nations from all sides.
Even more frightening was that these nations were not still medieval demon kingdoms. During the time when Batman unified the Seven Mountains Mine, other Shillers who also had applied to the Demon Lord were not idle.
The majority of the Shillers have successfully gained the trust of the Demon Lord. Quite a few of them, like Conspiracy Xile, had even alienated all the confidants around the original Demon Lord, grasped the power of life and death, and started reforming with bold reforms.
The method known to Batman was also known to the shillers. Some shillers even had more experience in building infrastructure than Batman. After all, he came from a country that was even poorer at the beginning.
Although the situation in the various kingdoms of hell couldn't be considered good, quite a few larger kingdoms were relatively wealthy, with a complete technology tree and a group of fairly proficient magicians. While their troop quality might not compare to modern armies, their natural physique, superior to the human race, made up for the lack of education.
For Shiller, not having to start from scratch with the technology tree, not having to develop from illiteracy or to recast steel so poor that they could barely pluck gold out of discarded iron, already signified a reasonably good start.
So, while Batman was still fighting in the mines, many nations around him began their major reforms. Although they couldn't improve the quality of life significantly in a short time, they indeed rapidly progressed in releasing warfare potentials.
As a result, Batman, who had just left the Novice Village, encountered the real Tyrant Sunset Baby Lobsters right at the village gate. And there wasn't just one, but dozens.
The land occupied by Batman bore a relatively unique geographic position. He bordered Beelzebub, Astro, and Azazel on three sides. Additionally, the largest canyon in the southeastern part of his territory, inserted directly into Beelzebub's land, was almost indefensible.
You could say he was completely out of luck, or absolutely Poland-less.
What was even scarier was that the parties used to be in constant conflict until Batman emerged, whereby all countries suddenly adopted a friendly attitude for negotiation.
Astro and Beelzebub turned from war to peace on the spot; Beelzebub and Azazel reminisced about the friendship over hundreds of years; In short, it was acceptable to lose the war, but Batman had to die.
Batman didn't need to think to know who was stirring up trouble behind the scenes. More outrageously, some Demon Lords, whose lands were relatively far from these lords and did not border Batman, also wanted to participate in this war.
Several Demon Lords, usually suspicious of each other, began singing the "My home is always open" tune. If asked for a passage, they grant the passage. If asked for troops, they lend the troops. In short, all the demons twisted into one rope, vowing to strangle this heretical power of Batman in its cradle.
At first, Batman didn't realize the seriousness of the situation. He knew that the Demon Lords bordering him would definitely attack him. Hence, he began to shrink the defense line, formulated defensive strategies, defended the city, and fought conservatively.
At first, this method worked well. The defending side always had the upper hand over the attacking side. Given that the domestic railway line was fully connected, the material transportation was speedy. As long as the materials were sufficient, it was not a problem to defend the city for a few years.
However, as other countries fired at full capacity, deepened reforms, and gradually improved their infrastructure, their speed of calling up resources and troops also accelerated. After all, their armies were numerous and more elite than Batman's. The war hadn't started in seven days, and the defensive line had announced a total collapse.
Batman sat command center of the Seven Mountains Mine, feeling like a firefighter without water in his water gun. Reports of fires came from everywhere, but he didn't have many cards in his hands, each card he played was a loss.
Moreover, he realized he had no trump cards to show. He also knew that all the Shillers were aware of this, so showing weakness wouldn't bait the enemy; it would only invite crazier attacks. He couldn't perform the trick of feigning unpreparedness.
Batman propped his elbow on the table, covered his forehead with his palm, closed his eyes and napped. At that moment, Merkel bustled in with a war report, saying, "The western front can't retreat any further. Beelzebub's army in the Grand Canyon is still marching and is less than a day away from our defensive line. Where should we send the prepared third battalion group?"
Batman suddenly woke up from his dream. Merkel glanced at his face. Now, Batman looked extremely haggard because he hadn't rested for seven days.