Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the assembled officials were greatly shocked by the sudden invasion of the southern border of the Great Chu by Luchuan.

In their minds, Luchuan was just a small chieftain state in the central and southern regions, with a territory less than one-twentieth of that of the Great Chu. How dare they take the initiative to invade the territory of Nanzhao?

However, having gained knowledge of the intelligence system, Shen Lang deeply understood that Luchuan was not the small chieftain state that these bureaucrats described.

Conversely, after a full sixty years of conquest, the territory of the Luchuan Dynasty covered more than 70% of the entire Central and Southern regions.

Its territory had a population of over eight million, not including the slaves and servants of the conquered territories.

If we were to calculate it precisely, the population under the jurisdiction of Luchuan was at least 15 million, and the standing army was close to 500,000.

The Luchuan Empire is extremely martial, and the kingdom encourages its citizens to hold large-scale martial arts competitions every year. The winners are selected as soldiers and receive preferential treatment.

In addition, Luchuan has extremely rich iron ore and a large number of coal mines, enough to allow a standing army of 500,000 to be fully armored.

Moreover, the Luchuan Dynasty had enormous war potential. Except for the privileged class, all males were required to serve in the military from the age of sixteen to sixty, and were subject to conscription at any time.

According to Shen Lang's precise calculations, given the current arable land area of ​​Luchuan, if the Chu Kingdom and the Luchuan Dynasty were to go to war, Luchuan could quickly organize an army of more than 800,000 people within a month.

This is a truly alarming number.

Of course, this is only in theory. Fortunately, due to the dense forests and narrow terrain of Nanzhao, having too many troops would actually hinder their deployment.

Once a few key mountain passes are secured and fortified strongholds are established, the Luchuan attack can be contained.

However, Shen Lang didn't reveal a single word of these strategies at the moment, since he couldn't get a word in edgewise during the verbal battle between the civil and military officials in the hall.

Minister of War Lü Lin was the first to step forward: "Your Majesty, the Nanzhao Kingdom is crucial to the stability of the southern border of our Great Chu. This large-scale invasion by Luchuan..."

We must not allow them to break through the Laoshan Mountains; we must immediately dispatch reinforcements to aid Nanzhao."

Jiang Mengxuan: "I also have this intention. So, may I ask which general would be suitable to lead the troops given the current situation?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a forty-year-old military officer stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I, Tang Zhao, am willing to lead my elite troops to aid Nanzhao and defeat Luchuan, so as to ensure the safety of our Great Chu's land and state."

Jiang Mengxuan closed her eyes slightly: "General Tang is commendable for his loyalty and bravery. May I ask how many troops General Tang needs?"

Tang Zhao: "Five thousand elite soldiers are enough!"

"Five thousand?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mengxuan visibly frowned.

"Are five thousand people really enough?"

Tang Zhao replied proudly, "Your Majesty, Luchuan is a tiny, insignificant country."

Five thousand elite armored soldiers, combined with the local garrison troops of Nanzhao,

Dealing with a mere 20,000 chieftains is more than enough to drive them out of the Great Chu border!

He spoke with great confidence, and it came from the bottom of his heart.

Shen Lang, however, shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"Let alone five thousand elite old soldiers, even five thousand warriors would likely be overrun by Luchuan if they went to Nanzhao."

It seems these civil and military officials have no idea what kind of situation the Kingdom of Luchuan is really in.

At this moment, Ye Mo stepped forward: "Your Majesty, General Tang is exceptionally loyal and brave."

Your Majesty, please do not discourage the patriotic soldiers. If he encounters the Luchuan army...

They will certainly fight bravely and selflessly to kill the enemy.

Jiang Mengxuan frowned at first, then immediately understood the other meaning behind Ye Mo's words.

Tang Zhao is a brave general who can charge into battle, but he is not suitable to be a commander-in-chief.

Tang Zhao was also recommended by Ye Mo, and Ye Mo naturally knew his abilities and personality best.

"Yes, I grant General Tang permission to be the vanguard of my Great Chu. We will choose a day to lead our troops to meet Luchuan and show the might of my Great Chu."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I will certainly not fail in my mission!"

After thanking him, Tang Zhao returned to his official post.

Ye Mo continued, "Your Majesty, in order to ensure that this battle against the Luchuan army proceeds smoothly without any unexpected incidents,

You can order General Li Sheng, who is in charge of guarding the Lingnan region, to go to Nanzhao and take full command.

"Accurate."

Jiang Mengxuan stood up and said, "Luchuan has violated our borders, and I cannot allow them to do so. This time, we are launching a major offensive to demonstrate the might of our Great Chu Kingdom."

All departments should fulfill their duties and prepare all supplies for the expedition as quickly as possible. I expect to receive a report within two months confirming that the frontline supplies are complete.

"The ministers obey the order."

……

After the court session ended, Ye Mo, Lü Lin, and Shen Lang sat in the imperial study, continuing their discussion about the upcoming expedition to Nanzhao.

Jiang Mengxuan: "Prime Minister Ye, is it really possible to repel the invasion of Luchuan by choosing Li Sheng as commander?"

Ye Mo shook his head: "Your Majesty, Li Sheng is not the best choice for commander, but it is a last resort."

"how do I say this?"

Lü Lin continued, "Your Majesty, most of our dynasty's most skilled generals are deployed in the Heluo, Bingzhou, and Qingzhou regions. If we were to name the most suitable commander-in-chief, none other than Wang Zhongsi would be more appropriate."

But as you know, General Wang absolutely cannot leave the Bingzhou camp, otherwise, if the Yan Kingdom makes any move, the entire northern border will be covered by Yan's iron cavalry.

Ye Mo continued, "Besides that, troop mobilization is also a problem. Our Great Chu's elite troops are all stationed in the nine northern border regions, yet they are also unable to be mobilized south."

To be honest, this old minister isn't confident that the local Nanzhao garrison and the 5,000 elite central troops alone can defeat Luchuan.

Jiang Mengxuan nodded, feeling quite helpless.

It is true that the territory of the Great Chu is vast, but its borders are also extremely long, with a large number of elite troops scattered in various places along the nine borders.

While such a deployment can provide some defensive capability, the drawbacks of this situation are obvious.

Once a border region is embroiled in conflict, the local garrison will not only face a powerful enemy, but also endure the psychological pressure caused by a shortage of manpower.

At the same time, due to the excessive dispersion of troops, troops from other places had to travel long distances to provide support, which undoubtedly increased the difficulty and time cost of troop deployment.

In war, time is often the most precious resource.

If they cannot reach the battlefield in time, it could lead to the war spiraling out of control and even plunge the entire empire into utter ruin.

Furthermore, the fact that elite troops are dispersed to various border areas makes it difficult for these troops to form effective coordination and joint combat capabilities.

When faced with a large-scale invasion, the garrison troops in each border region can only fight independently and cannot leverage their collective strength.

This was undoubtedly a very dangerous signal for the Great Chu.

Thinking of this, Jiang Mengxuan looked at Shen Lang, who remained silent.

Shen Lang had mentioned this issue to himself before, and it was one of the key factors that led him to propose the railway transportation plan.

"Shen Lang, what do you think?"

Shen Lang replied, "Your Majesty, gentlemen, I believe you have entered a misconception. Since you know the current situation is complex..."

Why resort to military action alone to achieve our objectives? Such a hasty response makes me believe this battle will likely end badly.

Ye Mo's face darkened: "Then may I ask what brilliant idea Commander Shen has?"

Shen Lang: "Why not let the Ministry of Rites intervene and send people to negotiate with the Central and Southern regions?"

Lu Lin was furious upon hearing this: "Are you trying to make peace with the enemy? Lu Chuan's actions are aimed at my Nanzhao territory. Are you going to cede Nanzhao to Lu Chuan?"

Shen Lang narrowed his eyes: "Minister Lü, where did you get the idea that I want to cede territory to the Great Chu? Diplomacy is also a tactic; it can be used to lull the enemy into a false sense of security."

To buy our Great Chu sufficient time to prepare for the battle against Luchuan, how much do you know about Luchuan right now?

Do you really think that a small foreign chieftain dares to challenge my Great Chu?

As the art of war says, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle." If you can't even grasp the enemy's movements and intentions, how can you possibly win this battle?

Ye Mo and Lü Lin fell silent, carefully considering Shen Lang's words, and inexplicably felt that they made some sense.

Jiang Mengxuan said, "Then let's do as Shen Lang says and summon Cao Xianzhi of the Ministry of Rites to prepare for the peace talks."

"His Majesty!"

Ye Mo suddenly spoke up.

"Since Commander Shen has this idea, this old minister believes that Commander Shen can be appointed as the military honor guard, and an imperial envoy can be dispatched to participate in the negotiations with Luchuan."

After all, Commander Shen had served under Wang Zhongsi in Bingzhou for twelve years, so he should be quite familiar with military affairs.

"This……"

Upon hearing that Shen Lang was to be sent to the front lines, Jiang Mengxuan was extremely reluctant.

Just as he was hesitating, Shen Lang stood up, his gaze resolute: "This humble officer is willing to accompany the army!"

"Shen Lang..."

"Please grant my request, Your Majesty!"

For the first time, Jiang Mengxuan felt that Shen Lang's attitude was so firm, seemingly leaving no room for doubt.

In fact, the most important reason why Shen Lang volunteered to go to Luchuan was that he simply could not stay in the capital any longer.

The civil unrest in Jinling had made the local gentry hate him to the core. At this time, the best course of action was to transfer him to another place to avoid the eye of the storm.

The situation in Nanzhao provided him with a suitable excuse to extricate himself.

Finally, the Empress sighed, realizing the reason behind it all.

Indeed, if Shen Lang stayed in the capital at this time, he would become the focus of attention from all sides, so it would be better to send him away to avoid suspicion.

"Very well, I hereby appoint you as the military honor guard and the envoy of the Great Chu, responsible for negotiations with the Indochina Peninsula. Once everything is ready, you will depart with the army."

"Your humble servant obeys your command."

"Ugh."

Jiang Mengxuan sighed softly.

Her original intention was to keep Shen Lang away from the capital and wait until the storm had passed before returning to the capital with the army. She didn't expect him to achieve any military merits.

Although Jiang Mengxuan didn't want Shen Lang to leave her side at this time, this man was really important to her.

However, she overlooked one point.

Given Shen Lang's personality, even if he were to stay with the army to avoid suspicion, how could he be content to be just a mascot?

A slight smile played on his lips as he thought to himself, "This trip to Nanzhao will teach you a lesson in how to fight a war!"

(Volume 1, end)