Chapter 284: How the hell did we end up fighting the Rakshasa?!

At the same time, at noon, Lu Yuan was taking small sips of wine.

He sighed at this tranquil, beautiful moment.

At this rate, pushing forward smoothly, basically speaking, it could be finished in a month.

After that, the Ten-Thousand-Year Army directly shifted to the South Asian subcontinent, where they briefly rested for half a month in the mushroom-eating region.

This half-month was given to the Cabinet to fully express and perform.

All kinds of condemnations directed south, all kinds of troublemaking, stirring things up.

In that half-month, the Ten-Thousand-Year Army had mostly finished its adjustments, various supplies had also been sent to the mushroom-eating region, and the brewing was also about ready.

Then it began.

When the time comes to fight in the south, Lu Yuan won't go; nothing big will happen.

This affair with the Gilded Dynasty is mainly because I'm not entirely at ease the first time, plus I want to give my wife a taste of domestic life.

From now on, Lu Yuan won't come out for any fighting.

After all, Lu Yuan has no free time; he still needs to study machinery.

This time counts as a thorough relaxation before the big busy period.

Great.

……

At that moment, inside the great desert tent, the various commanders looked at each other.

Everyone was staring at one another.

This…

Is this not a bit too much?

Although we have matters with the Rakshasa Dynasty, but… if we rashly go to war with the Rakshasa Dynasty…

this matter would become serious…

"Your Highness… this matter… we shouldn't wait for the Cabinet to draft regulations; at the very least we should inform Your Majesty, right?"

One person, somewhat dazed, looked at Gu Lie and said.

And another person also had a dazed expression:

"Yes… Your Highness… the Rakshasa Dynasty isn't the Gilded Dynasty; they have close ties with Euro-North Continent, and their frontline troops all have guns.

Although they aren't as equipped as our Great Zhou Dynasty, where even the lowest troops have rifled guns, they still have each soldier armed with a smoothbore gun."

Everyone nodded repeatedly.

Even if the combat power of smoothbore guns isn't proportional to that of rifled guns, it's absolutely not comparable to the Gilded Dynasty's side wielding crossbow bolts.

This…

After everyone finished saying these, Gu Lie slightly raised his head and sneered:

"How so? Do you think it's harder for us to fight their smoothbore guns with our rifled guns than to fight crossbow bolts?"

The crowd looked at each other.

Isn't that nonsense?

Isn't it precisely this technological edge in equipment that has allowed the Ten-Thousand-Year Army to sweep all the way?

It feels like fighting primitives.

Could the Ten-Thousand-Year Army have advanced so smoothly without heavy machine guns, off-road vehicles, war chariots, tanks, and the like?

It's like smoothbore guns are an upgrade over crossbow bolts, and rifled guns are an upgrade over smoothbore guns.

The Great Zhou Dynasty relies on two generations of difference, or even three or four, after all we also have heavy machine guns and heavy artillery.

That's why we've been able to advance so smoothly.

However, most of the soldiers still hold rifled guns, which narrows the technological gap with the Rakshasa Dynasty's troops armed with smoothbore guns, making it certainly not so easy.

Of course, the Great Zhou Dynasty's advantage is still large, but the problem is that only this army is participating in the fighting.

Suddenly having to turn the guns around and deal with both sides at once.

The logistics and all that need to be coordinated with the rear.

But Gu Lie simply waved his hand and said:

"There isn't much difference between smoothbore guns and crossbow bolts; in fact, it's precisely because smoothbore guns appeared that crossbow bolts regained a use.

Before smoothbore guns existed, everyone wore heavy armor—what use were crossbow bolts then?

It's because after smoothbore guns appeared, heavy armor lost much of its usefulness, everyone switched to light armor, and crossbow bolts regained a purpose.

Therefore, smoothbore guns and crossbow bolts belong to the same generation."

The crowd listened to Gu Lie's words, looking at each other.

Completely bewildered.

Hiss…

Is this the remark of that unlearned prince?

And Gu Lie raised his eyebrows and continued:

"You all, when you have nothing to do, read more books, stop drinking all the time, and learn from me!

Reading more does no harm; this is what my sister… my brother said."

The crowd: "……"

Damn it, who's been dragging people to drink all along?

Afterwards Gu Lie shook his head and swayed, saying:

"Moreover, think carefully, how many proper battles have we actually fought?

Just the first frontal clash, but what about after that?"

The artillery regiment opened fire as soon as they met, then they started catching pigs; they were scared out of their wits, and now only the Great Zhou Dynasty possesses such super heavy artillery.

Which other dynasty has it?!

Don't worry, once the artillery regiment fires, these white‑skinned pigs will run even faster!

Don't forget, we still have planes, Tank, they're not useless!

Everyone blinked, thinking it over.

It seems… it really is like that…

After the Ten Thousand Years Army left the pass, the only decent battle they had was at Liu Lin Slope.

The enemy's various heavy crossbow bolts, plus the light feathers—truly a rain of arrows.

But at that time the Ten Thousand Years Army just hid behind the War chariot and Tank vehicle, and suffered nothing.

After everyone charged forward later, they discovered that the Gilded Dynasty had really exhausted all possible methods.

They used various crude cannons, even dug ditches, to block the Ten Thousand Years Army's steel torrent.

That battle was a proper fight, but it was the only one.

Frankly, in that battle the Ten Thousand Years Army hardly fought; it was all thanks to the artillery regiment.

Six artillery regiments fired three volleys in unison, turning Liu Lin Slope into Liu Lin Pit.

Speaking of it, this artillery was truly fierce.

It wasn't just the guns; the shells themselves were horrifying.

These guns were produced during this period by Qingbei Daxue… no, more accurately, by the Qingbei Military Research Institute.

Qingbei's latest invention.

When that shell landed, wow, the blast could overturn people several hundred meters away.

The Qingbei Military Research Institute calls this shell a high‑explosive one, and it's incredibly powerful.

What kind of person could withstand such a shell?

One of these shells equals a hundred shots of the Great Zhou Dynasty's old cannons.

Especially the noise—it can directly scare people out of their wits.

No matter how brave or fearless someone is, being hit three times by such artillery nearby will either kill them outright or kill them from the shock.

As for the Ten Thousand Years Army now, they don't have much else—just plenty of shells.

There's nothing to be done; the Great Zhou Dynasty now has money.

In this war, it's basically just the Ten Thousand Years Army itself; the Great Zhou Dynasty's logistics have been continuously sending shells here.

These past few days we've been chasing rabbits and catching pigs like crazy; frankly, the shells we've fired are still fewer than those being sent from the rear.

Upon meeting, it's just a barrage.

So… what the prince said is also correct.

No matter whether the enemy is the Gilded Dynasty or the Rakshasa Dynasty, six artillery regiments firing three volleys will overwhelm anyone.

Moreover, we don't need to worry about the artillery regiment's mobility.

In the past, dynasties also relied on artillery in war, but back then the guns had to be pulled by manpower or livestock, making them very slow.

They were easily left behind on long marches, then intercepted and surrounded by enemy cavalry.

But now it's different; this artillery regiment is fully mechanized, with the guns pulled by trucks.

Sometimes this artillery regiment can even charge ahead of the infantry.

Well…

Everyone pondered, then one person looked at Gu Lie, blinked, and said:

"Well… if we fight too far out, the supply line won't hold, right?"

"We still need the Imperial Court to send reinforcements from behind."

Gu Lie responded to this with a confident grin:

"Supply line?"

"What supply line?"

"Just send twenty truck teams in rotation, delivering ammunition daily—especially for the artillery, plus fuel."

Having said that, Gu Lie raised an eyebrow and said:

"What, you think the Gilded Dynasty and the Rakshasa Dynasty would dare to come out and cut off our supply line?"

Many officers in the camp's main tent didn't think that would happen.

Now the Gilded Dynasty hardly dares to oppose the Great Zhou Dynasty; they'd rather grow four legs and run, yet still dare to intercept our supply line?

Do they really think the Great Zhou Dynasty is still as it used to be?

Just two heavy machine guns could riddle their three battalions.

But the problem is, if we only transport ammunition… what about food and drink??

This person is iron‑stomached steel; miss a meal and they'll be starving!

While everyone was looking at each other, before anyone could speak—

Gu Lie swept his hand back through his hair, put on a wide‑brimmed hat, threw on a military overcoat, and flashed an extremely cruel grin as he said:

"Don't you want to taste the cattle and sheep they graze on the steppe, or drink their horse milk tea?"

The many incoming commanders stared at Gu Lie's smile, froze for a few seconds, then everyone's faces broke into matching cruel grins.

Who wouldn't want to win fame and fortune?

Who wouldn't want to achieve fame in a single battle?!

This is an opportunity!

We must seize it!

As for other matters, such as suddenly changing combat strategy or rashly taking military action against the Rakshasa Dynasty without reporting, these are serious crimes of failing to report.

Never mind disobeying orders from the commander abroad; just tell me who Gu Lie's older sister is.

Definitely nothing will happen.

As long as everyone fights the battle beautifully, that's enough.

The next second, one person immediately said:

"Your Highness, where should we start?"

Gu Lie raised his head, pointing with his finger at the map on the wall and said:

"First we start from Liaobei, first take back Liaobei's seaport; I have to give my older brother an explanation."

"In the future, if he wants to beat me, with these seaports he can also slap me fewer times."

Everyone: "???"

No... Even if that Lord Lu is favored again...

You can't slap a prince, can you??

At this moment, Gu Lie walked out of the big tent, lit a cigarette, looked at the plane speeding overhead, heard the rumbling engines around, and smelled the burning gasoline.

Gu Lie felt great.

This is the life Gu Lie wants.

After two puffs, Gu Lie happened to think of something; the next second, he turned his head toward the big tent in the camp and said:

"Right, regarding the matter with the Rakshasa Dynasty, don't mention it in tomorrow's military report; send it back in the day after tomorrow's report."

Everyone thought, the day after tomorrow's military report?

When the day after tomorrow's military report reaches the imperial father's hands, that means it's the day after that.

Everyone, after thinking, also understood.

Four days later, war had already fully broken out; by that time, even if the imperial father wanted to, he couldn't turn back.

Everyone could only sigh, fortunately Gu Lie is the imperial father's brother, a blood relative; otherwise...

With such a general, even cutting off his head ten thousand times wouldn't be enough.

……

The second day, the weather was clear, the wind gentle and the sun bright.

Lu Yuan,... today I'm really happy.

……

The third day, the weather was clear, the wind gentle and the sun bright.

Lu Yuan,... today I'm really happy.

……

The third day, the weather was clear, the wind gentle and the sun bright.

Lu Yuan...

Holy shit!!

How the hell did we end up fighting the Rakshasa country?!

At 10 a. m., Lu Yuan stood in the study, looking dazedly at today's battle report.

This is fucking!!

When did this happen?!

Meanwhile, Gu Qingwan was pacing angrily in the room, her face full of annoyance.

She looked very anxious.

After a few times, Gu Qingwan looked outward and shouted angrily:

"Where is the person?!"

On the roof outside, a Qingchang guard trembled with fear and said:

"Imperial... Imperial father... has already sent people to find the captain; the captain is investigating corrupt officials in the Duhufu area... he'll be here soon..."

Hearing this, Gu Qingwan didn't say anything to the Qingchang guard outside, but instead looked at Lu Yuan beside her and said:

"I'm afraid he'll mess around, I'm afraid he'll mess around; that's why we came out, but this guy dares to pull this stunt right under our noses!!"

Lu Yuan also has a bit of a headache now.

According to Lu Yuan's plan, after finishing the war with the Liujin Dynasty, next they should go to tidy up Jiaonan.

Not this Rakshasa Dynasty.

Dealing with the Rakshasa Dynasty is troublesome; it's a dynasty of comparable size to the Great Zhou Dynasty, even if the Great Zhou Dynasty is now fully upgraded.

But the time is still too short.

Such as artillery, heavy machine guns, war chariots, these things, the Great Zhou Dynasty has only just begun production.

Such as tanks, war chariots, even the Wan Sui army cannot fully equip them.

The lower-level units have even less.

Even if fighting the Rakshasa Dynasty, it would have to be two or three years later; at the earliest, wait for the Great Zhou Dynasty's frontline troops to be fully equipped with the best gear before they can fight.

Although Lu Yuan seems to have a bit of warmonger inclination, always stirring people to war, his idea is that war can be fought, but the Great Zhou Dynasty cannot have casualties.

This idea, normally speaking, is too dreamy, too unrealistic.

This is simply like a child's dream, a fairy tale.

But, for the current Lu Yuan, it's fine; Lu Yuan can achieve it by relying on his own self-made advanced weapons.

Just like this time, when the cannon fires, blast grandpa.

After blasting, catch a pig.

And if we fight now, the Great Zhou Dynasty will definitely lose many people.

A losing venture—Old Li can't… no, it's Old Lu who can't handle this!

"Don't bother summoning Fan Weiming; waiting for him to arrive and then sending him to notify would already be two days later."

Besides, this military report is from yesterday; judging by your brother's conduct, I suspect they already fought three days ago, and now it's too late.

Lu Yuan tossed the military report onto the table, leaned crookedly in his chair, and rubbed his head with one hand as he spoke.

Hearing Lu Yuan's words, Gu Qingwan deeply agreed; she also knew her brother's character well.

It's possible—indeed, they might have already fought three or four days ago.

Now who knows what state they're in.

At this moment, Gu Qingwan stood weakly beside Lu Yuan, her jade hand resting on his smooth forehead as she spoke helplessly:

"So what do we do now… is our only option to keep fighting?"

Gu Qingwan truly didn't want to fight; the Great Zhou Dynasty is now thriving, dealing with two insignificant dynasties would be easy, but against the Rakshasa Dynasty, it's…

Before Gu Qingwan could say anything more,

Lu Yuan's arm slipped around Gu Qingwan's waist, and with her soft exclamation he pulled her into his embrace.

At this moment, Gu Qingwan sat in Lu Yuan's embrace, her face slightly flushed as she spoke in a coquettish tone:

"Oh dear, little brother, you're annoying—big sister's bothered~"

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and grinned.

"What's there to be annoyed about? You've got your man right here."

Hearing Lu Yuan's words, Gu Qingwan blinked, then spoke excitedly:

"Huh? Little brother, you have a way?"

Lu Yuan, meanwhile, raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled.

"Of course I do—well, I can't take a break as your man, and there's nothing I can do; since Gu Lie is my brother-in-law, I, as his brother-in-law, can only clean up after him from behind."

(End of chapter)