Imperial warlords: Cannons are the only truth

"Chief, what's the next step?"

Chen Guyan placed the letter he had just finished reading back on the desk with both hands: "Shouldn't we have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs send a warning letter to Xiluo as usual?"

"No need." Shen Moshen shook his head directly: "We're already fully engaged in combat with Xiluo."

"So let's skip all this formality."

"Besides, the Kingdom of Puwa is an overseas colony of the Lanxi people."

“If we have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issue a warning letter, they might just back down.”

"Then wouldn't this reason that was handed to us be given away for nothing?"

“We don’t need to worry about the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Shen Moshen said frankly. “The troops that Fang Borong, Li Siyuan, Zhao Jin, and Wu Zhengshan deployed back then were all genuine Qian State armed forces.”

"No matter how high the sky is, Fang Borong and the others are all citizens of our Great Qian Dynasty."

"We can ignore the fact that the Lanxi people are sending more troops to Phuwa and causing trouble."

"However, they have attacked the people of Daqian within Puwa, so we absolutely cannot ignore this matter!"

Shen Moshen tapped the table: "Not only do we have to manage it, we have to manage it thoroughly!"

"The people of Great Qian have been bullied abroad, resulting in very serious casualties. It is perfectly reasonable for our Great Qian Zhenguo Army to send troops to seek justice for the people of Great Qian..."

As he spoke, Shen Moshen picked up the letter requesting help again and waved it around: "You know what, Fang Borong and his group have been doing quite well since they left Daqian."

"Not only did they seize considerable territory in Phuwa, but they also extended their influence to neighboring Thonglo, Hova, Dantu, Gala, Ganla..."

It turns out that back then, Fang Borong, Li Siyuan, Zhao Jin, and Wu Zhengshan led nearly 100,000 armed men to Phuwa.

Originally, Fang Borong and his group simply wanted to find a peaceful place to stay in the Kingdom of Puwa, where their defeated troops, who couldn't make it in the Great Qian Kingdom, could settle down.

Unexpectedly, the warlord forces that had been hitting roadblocks everywhere in the Great Qian Kingdom and had extremely poor combat capabilities became a "trump card" after arriving in the Kingdom of Puwa!

In less than half a year, Fang Borong and others seamlessly transitioned from warlords of the Daqian Dynasty to warlords of the Puwa Dynasty.

Moreover, it was the most powerful warlord force in the Pui region.

Then, Fang Borong and others quickly monopolized the underground industries of Pwa and established a base in Pwa.

The following year, having tasted success, Fang Borong, Li Siyuan, Zhao Jin, and Wu Zhengshan decided to extend their reach to the territory surrounding the Kingdom of Pwa.

After some reconnaissance and preparation, they divided their forces into five groups and simultaneously dispatched a reinforced regiment to Thonglo, Hoa Wa, Dantu, Gyala, and Ganla.

Their main base and main force were still stationed in Phuwa.

After all, the Kingdom of Puwa is the largest, most resource-rich, and best geographically located of these countries.

Fang Borong and his team's expansion plan proceeded very smoothly. After sending out five reinforced regiments, they quickly completed their established objectives.

The five armies quickly established a foothold in Thonglo, Hawa, Dantu, Gyala, and Ganla.

Thus, Fang Borong, Li Siyuan, Zhao Jin, and Wu Zhengshan built a massive warlord force outside the Great Qian Kingdom, centered on the Kingdom of Puwa and radiating its influence to Tongluo, Hewa, Dantu, Jiala, and Ganla.

For a time, the most renowned figures in the southern part of Qianzhou were Fang Borong, Li Siyuan, Zhao Jin, and Wu Zhengshan.

Fang Borong and his three companions were thus known as the "Four Heavenly Kings of the South" in southern Qianzhou.

At their peak, Fang Borong and his associates essentially monopolized all underground businesses in the southern part of Qianzhou.

Even foreigners had to cooperate with Fang Borong and others to have a peaceful life and to ensure their stability in the southern colony of Qianzhou.

There's a widely circulated saying: "Whether the southern part of Qianzhou is in chaos or not is up to the Four Heavenly Kings!"

This statement might sound a bit exaggerated, even outrageous.

That's really how it is!

The reality is even worse...

Despite the complex network of local armed groups in Phuwa, Thonglo, Hoawa, Dantu, Gyala, and Ganla, the situation remains challenging.

But in front of the 100,000-strong army of the "Four Heavenly Kings of the South," they were all nobodies!

In the past, foreigners had also tried to suppress Fang Borong's forces.

The result was that not only did they not gain any advantage, but they also suffered a great loss!

These remnants of the Daqian army, who had been thoroughly defeated and humiliated, acted as if they were on their home turf once they left the country.

Their thinking was broadened, their tactics were in place, and all sorts of ingenious ideas emerged one after another.

They hid in the mountains and jungles, and used guerrilla tactics to harass and defeat the foreign troops who were trying to encircle and suppress them.

Ultimately, what forced the Lansi people of Pwa to choose to cooperate with Fang Borong and others was the feat of annihilating more than 300 Lansi regular troops who had been led into the jungle in one fell swoop during World War I.

Although only more than 300 Lanxi people were annihilated, this was the first instance of such a battle in which a regular foreign armed force was completely wiped out in an overseas colony, apart from the Daqian Zhenguo Army!

As a result, the "Four Heavenly Kings of Southern Qianzhou" entered a period of "honeymoon" cooperation with the foreigners, which was interrupted by a period of conflict.

Fang Borong and others' underground industry chain naturally grew larger and larger.

It is no exaggeration to say that Fang Borong and his ilk are the undisputed local tyrants in the entire southern region of Qianzhou.

This made Fang Borong and others realize more than once that it was really the right decision to leave Daqian and venture out into the world with their team back then!

Even Fang Borong and the others unconsciously let go of their hatred for Shen Moshen.

After all, their ability to dominate the southern region of Qianzhou and indulge in the life of a local emperor was ultimately thanks to Shen Moshen.

If it weren't for Shen Moshen's sudden military intervention that turned them into homeless dogs, forcing them to leave their homes and venture abroad, they would have been in a different situation.

There wouldn't be today's "Four Heavenly Kings of the South"...

If the world situation had not undergone a fundamental change, Fang Borong and his associates' influence in southern Qianzhou would likely have reached a new peak.

However, as the Western Luo states banded together to form an anti-Qian alliance and completely broke ties with the Great Qian, the situation in southern Qianzhou was inevitably affected.

The Lanxi people took the initiative to approach Fang Borong and others, attempting to maintain cooperation with the "Four Heavenly Kings of the South" and further deepen their cooperative relationship.

In essence, the Lanxi people wanted to turn Fang Borong and others into traitorous armed forces deployed by the Anti-Qian Alliance around Daqian, so that they could cooperate with them to deal with Daqian's Zhenguo Army.

However, Fang Borong and others did not make a mistake this time on matters of national importance.

Seeing the rapid rise of the Great Qian Empire, the people of Qian rediscovered their pride as citizens of the Qian Kingdom.

Therefore, Fang Borong, Li Siyuan, Zhao Jin, and Wu Zhengshan were surprisingly in agreement on this matter—they immediately rejected the foreigners' proposal for cooperation...