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墨書 Inktalez
However, in reality, everything about the war has been proceeding in an orderly manner, resulting as expected.
The army led by Lu Chen launched a night raid, which was almost perfectly timed. Each city they captured was taken in line with their estimated timeline. Ultimately, the reason for such effective results was the use of new types of destructive weapons.
Among these weapons were the revamped Mystic Fire Thunder Cannon, Thunderbolt, Dragonbone Chariot, and others, all created by Chen Qilin. Although the Great Zhou Dynasty also possessed Mystic Fire Thunder, it was significantly inferior in comparison, both in power and effectiveness.
When comparing the Fire Thunder weapons of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Daiwa Dynasty, one was a product completed by Chen Qilin over a decade ago, relatively rudimentary and more complex to operate, with enormous consumption and exorbitant maintenance costs.
In contrast, the latter was developed by Chen Qilin after years of abundant resources and in a carefree environment. The novelty of its design and its immense power were beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
Initially, Chen Qilin's new weapons were not well-received by various parties; there were even doubts raised about them.
However, in reality, especially during the last incident on the Wasteland Continent, Lu Chen and Yuanmo Laozu relied on these new weapons to withstand the Beast Tide Attack from the Northern Demon Kingdom. That Beast Tide Attack was anticipated to be devastating; wherever it went, nothing would survive. The same would have happened in Central Plains.
Nevertheless, because the events on the Wasteland Continent belonged to another world and communication between both sides was limited, few people in Central Plains or even in the West knew about how effective the new weapons had been during that incident.
Lu Chen and his associates maintained strict confidentiality regarding this matter. In Lu Chen's view, there was no need to flaunt wealth; how others perceived it was up to them. If one had wealth, it should be hidden; those who flaunted their riches often ended up robbed, killed, or kidnapped.
In this regard, all measures taken by Lu Chen could be summarized in two words: secrecy. Apart from those who had personally experienced that life-and-death battle, even Lu Chen's close friend Zhulian Queen, a powerful figure far away in Yushan Kingdom as a first-class empress, only knew that something had happened but not the specifics.
Of course, it wasn't that Lu Chen was unwilling to tell her; Zhulian Queen had never actively brought up this matter or asked about it. Since Lu Chen did not take the initiative to inform her or recount what had happened, the situation remained unchanged.
Sure enough, shortly after that, Lu Chen's army of over a hundred thousand arrived at Frosty Evening City as scheduled. As usual, they hardly exerted much effort to break through the city gates and proceeded to plunder effortlessly.
How swift were Lu Chen's troops? They moved so quickly that news of the Great Zhou Dynasty's defeats hadn't even reached Loyalty and Righteousness Sixteen Men yet, let alone those in the capital. The pace of their advance outstripped that of any messenger.
Subsequently, it was only natural for Lu Chen's army to garrison Frosty Evening City. Most of the troops stationed outside since Frosty Evening City was not a large city suitable for housing a massive army; thus, a significant portion had to set up camp outside.
Soon after, Lu Chen immediately ordered the repair of the damaged city gates, the reinforcement of the city walls, and measures to reassure the common people. He implemented important defense takeovers and reorganized various internal operations of the city without any delay.
These actions had been prearranged by Lu Chen. Whenever he arrived at a city, he would swiftly take comprehensive measures to transform it into a territory of the Daiwa Dynasty, demonstrating the determination of the Daiwa Dynasty.
This determination meant that once it was in his hands, it would never be relinquished. Since it belonged to him, he would naturally do everything possible to maintain and renovate the city, dismantling the old and inefficient systems and replacing them with new ones.
That night, Frosty Evening City welcomed another large army of over one hundred thousand troops. The commander was none other than Lu Chen's disciple, General Lian, also known as Lian Dashuang. This name was given to him by his parents, and Lu Chen and Lian Dashuang referred to each other in this way.
However, in formal activities or on official documents, Lian Dashuang had long changed his name to Lian Chengbi, a name that sounded very imposing and clearly signified a turbulent era of war.
The army commanded by Lian Chengbi had set out ahead of Lu Chen's forces, sweeping through northern Lichou with unstoppable momentum.
Lu Chen's army was targeting Lichou, which was closest to the Eastern Seven States among the Central Plains and Nine Provinces. Traveling from headquarters to Frosty Evening City, it was impossible for him to conquer all major cities in one go. Moreover, this time Lu Chen aimed to reach Frosty Evening City as quickly as possible, ensuring he did not arrive later than Wang Zhong and Wang Chao from Loyalty and Righteousness Sixteen Men, who had already set out from the west toward the east. Therefore, Lian Chengbi's objective was to conquer all of Lichou.
Lian Chengbi's army of over one hundred thousand troops set out from headquarters and advanced northward, capturing one large city after another with great speed.
Upon reaching northern Lichou, they changed direction and advanced westward, ultimately aiming for Frosty Evening City, a crucial gateway into the heartland of Central Plains from the west. Frosty Evening City held significant strategic importance.
Frosty Evening City occupied a vital position as a transportation hub and military stronghold, comparable to Baiyang City in the Eastern Seven States. Although its overall economy might not be wealthy, it had a high volume of trade and traffic.
That night, Lian Chengbi paid a visit to Loyalty Duke Lu Chen. Under the moonlight, the master and disciple shared drinks and reminisced. Although they had only been apart for a little over ten days, their reunion felt as close as family.
This time, Lian Chengbi swept through two-thirds of northern Lichou. He took control of far more cities than Lu Chen did and employed more ruthless tactics, resulting in greater destruction and making repairs more complicated. Consequently, he consumed much more time than Lu Chen did. Although Lian Chengbi set out earlier than Lu Chen, he arrived at Frosty Evening City significantly later due to these reasons. Having followed Lu Chen for quite some time now, this marked one of his rare independent operations.
Lian Chengbi was undertaking his first independent campaign with the largest number of generals and soldiers under his command. However, after nearly ten years of honing his skills in the military camp—practicing combat techniques—he was no longer the novice he once was. Throughout his years following Lu Chen on various campaigns across regions, he had faced countless challenges. Despite this being his first independent operation, he achieved commendable results.
Lian Chengbi himself did not seem particularly nervous or confused; instead, he appeared very calm, as if everything was under control. He had learned various tactics and the aura of Lu Chen quite well, resembling him significantly.
Not long after Lu Chen and Lian Chengbi's combined forces, consisting of over three hundred thousand elite troops, stationed at Frosty Evening City, the appointed Eastern Expedition General from the Great Zhou Court, Wang Zhong and his brother Wang Chao, arrived with hundreds of thousands of soldiers. They were only slightly delayed compared to Lu Chen and Lian Chengbi, but they found themselves at the city gates soon after.
However, when they arrived, they were taken aback because Frosty Evening City, where they intended to take a brief rest, had already changed hands and become part of the Daiwa Dynasty's territory. Even more shocking was that the area east of Frosty Evening City and the entire region of Lichou had quietly and unnoticed been incorporated into the Daiwa Dynasty's domain.
This was simply astonishing; they never imagined that Lu Chen's army could advance so quickly and capture Lichou without them having any inkling. What a remarkable speed of advance!
Soon after, the detailed account of this event and everything that transpired, including the conspiracy from the Daiwa Dynasty, was compiled into a memorial and conveyed to the Great Zhou Dynasty's court, sparking widespread discussion among the officials.
Most of them were shocked and could hardly fathom how such a situation could occur; it was truly overwhelming. At the same time, they felt indignant but were left helpless with no way to respond.
Before long, news of this incident could no longer be suppressed by the Great Zhou Court; it was impossible to keep such information confidential. Moreover, rumors had already begun circulating among the populace about what happened in Frosty Evening City, making it widely known.
This time, the Daiwa Dynasty gained notoriety, and Lu Chen once again became a hot topic of discussion. People speculated about how mysterious and powerful Lu Chen and his army had become after swiftly capturing ten cities within three to six hundred miles.
Additionally, he secretly dispatched Lian Chengbi to engage in operations in northern Lichou, openly preparing while covertly advancing.
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