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

Meng Maolong was extremely frustrated. He was supposed to send troops to Laoshan, but now he was forced to change course to Mengjiang by a royal decree.

However, even without this imperial decree, it seems that entering the prison mountain smoothly is not as easy as one might think.

Because what he saw on the border between Luchuan and Chu was rows of earthen and wooden fortresses, more than three meters high, densely packed together, with one almost every hundred paces.

The fortresses varied in size, with some able to hold hundreds of people and others only a dozen or so.

In fact, these fortresses alone were not a problem for him. However, these fortresses were built in a "品" shape, connected in a continuous line. They seemed to be irregular, but in fact, they were so well-defended that they were impenetrable.

Its left and right sides are located on high ground, and any attack from either direction will be met with a counterattack from the other fortresses. To remove these incredible earth and wood fortifications, at least tens of thousands of people would have to be sacrificed.

This was the first gift that Shen Lang had specially prepared for Luchuan. The laborers who built these earthen fortresses were naturally local natives who had been captured.

As for funding, not a single penny of the garrison's money was used, because the garrison had no money at all; it was all funded by local gentry in Nanzhao.

The condition was that all profits generated from the land occupied within Luchuan would be first collected by the wealthy gentry who had invested in it.

Of course, in exchange, Shen Lang demanded that 30% of all profits within the controllable territory of Luchuan be handed over to Shen Lang.

Driven by self-interest, the gentry were far more efficient than the garrison groups, which laid a solid foundation for Shen Lang's future capital expansion and military-political reforms.

Meng Maolong was extremely frustrated. He had received a message that he must gather with the other armies in various places within ten days and then take back Mengjiang in one fell swoop.

Of course, his frustration was not about having to fight the Chu army on the upper reaches of the Mengjiang River, but rather that he thought, with his 40,000 elite troops, how could he not defeat an invading Chu army?

Meng Maolong roughly calculated the size of the Chu army that entered Luchuan territory and concluded that it would not exceed 10,000 people, or even 5,000.

It must be said that Meng Maolong's calculations were very accurate. Shen Lang only had a total of four thousand troops, including five hundred guards, one thousand cavalry composed of household servants and government troops, and the rest were just roughly trained new recruits.

But he overlooked a crucial issue.

That was the difference in tactics and technology, and he was unaware that Shen Lang possessed a revolutionary weapon that he had never heard of before, one that would change the existing mode of warfare.

"Stop!"

On the plains a hundred miles from the Mengjiang River, a long trench appeared.

"Huh? What the hell are these things?"

The trench was not what surprised Meng Maolong; what truly surprised him was the barbed wire fence in front of it.

Inside the trench, Shen Lang chuckled as he saw the Mengmaolong army stop, and put down the spyglass in his hand.

"Let's test the power of the trenches. I hope you can bring some warriors with you, otherwise you'll die a horrible death."

Meng Maolong, after thinking it over again and again, waved his hand.

Immediately, five hundred armored soldiers quietly crept up to investigate the situation.

At this time, snow fell in the Central and Southern regions, which never see snow before.

With winter approaching, the Indochina Peninsula seems to be exceptionally cold this year.

Five hundred Luchuan soldiers, armed with round shields and long spears, fearlessly crept to the edge of the trench.

"shooting--"

Shen Lang gave the order without hesitation.

Qu Yi was the first to pull the trigger of his rifle.

Snapped--

puff--

A gunshot rang out, and a soldier from Luchuan had his helmet ripped open on the spot. He fell to the ground without saying a word.

Bang bang bang bang bang——

The next moment, a barrage of gunfire erupted from the trenches.

Five hundred guards lay prone in front of the trenches and fired.

In just a short moment, most of the five hundred vanguard soldiers of Luchuan fell.

Those who were hit in vital areas on the spot were relieved, but those who were still alive let out painful howls.

Until a cure for gunshot wounds is available, their only chance of survival is to pray that a sect skilled in healing will intervene.

"This is bad! There are a large number of martial artists among the enemy!"

puff--

A Luchuan officer let out a mighty roar, then a merciless bullet pierced his forehead, and he fell straight down into a pool of blood.

Faced with overwhelming strength, the Luchuan soldiers, who had never seen firearms before, were like a swarm of headless flies, scrambling to run backward.

Upon returning to the main camp and taking inventory, Meng Maolong felt a chill run down his spine.

In a mere instant, a force of five hundred men lost more than four hundred and twenty men.

"Damn it, where did the Chu army get so many warriors? Didn't they say that the Nanzhao region only had the sorcery sect that didn't care about worldly affairs?"

Even if the witchcraft cultists came, they wouldn't have killed so many people so quickly!

Looking at the scene among the surviving soldiers, one of their thick wooden shields had been pierced by a bullet, and the swordsman's hand had been crippled by a bullet, Meng Maolong fell into deep thought once again.

"Hey, you over there, listen up!"

At this moment, following Shen Lang's instructions, Qu Yi took the megaphone and began to provoke others while the iron was hot.

"My general said that all the men of Luchuan are cowards!"

We sleep with your women, kill your parents, abuse your children, slaughter your cattle and sheep, and burn your houses.

It's because we, the Chu army, are inherently superior to you; you are only fit to be our servants. Those who know what's good for you, lay down your weapons!

Then kneel on the ground and obediently become our slaves, otherwise we will go back and continue to oppress and slaughter your relatives until you are all reduced to slaves of a conquered nation!

These words instantly ignited the anger of the Luchuan soldiers, and violent unrest broke out in the army.

"This is really unreasonable!"

"Kill all these sons of bitches!"

"You traitor Chu, if you have the guts, come out and fight me one-on-one! What kind of hero are you, cowering in that ditch!"

Meng Maolong's forehead veins throbbed incessantly. He knew this was the enemy's psychological warfare tactic; if they continued shouting, it would inevitably lead to a mutiny.

"Listen to my command, none of you are allowed to move! Anyone who moves will be executed!"

In the Kingdom of Luchuan, both among the common people and in the military, the hierarchical structure was extremely strict.

Nobles could slaughter and beat commoners at will without fear of legal repercussions.

Therefore, even though the soldiers of Luchuan harbored deep resentment, they still dared not act rashly after Meng Maolong's words.

But just then, Qu Yi's voice rang out again.

"I heard your general is Meng Maolong, the number one general of Luchuan, right?"

What dragon? I think it's more like a worm. Your wife is very moist; we've already tasted her for you.

That's absolutely amazing! Should I bring it out to cheer on the two armies?

Upon hearing this, all the soldiers of Luchuan turned their gazes toward Meng Maolong.

Mengmaolong also settled in Bengbu.

"You scoundrel! You're spreading heresy and misleading the public!"

"Keep your green hat on tight, I'll definitely give you a big gift next year when your son turns one month old, hahaha."

Meng Maolong took a deep breath, listening to the whispers around him, knowing that if he let the other side continue talking, it would inevitably lead to the collapse of morale.

Knowing that this was a provocation from the enemy, he still had to make a choice.

"The whole army obeys the order!"

Meng Maolong drew his longsword and pointed it.

"Martial artists in front, infantry behind, attack! Kill them all, leave no one alive!"

At a heart-wrenching command, the 40,000-strong army, with 1,000 warriors as the vanguard, roared and charged toward the trenches where the Imperial Guards were located.

"My goodness, there must be at least a thousand martial artists here."

Having achieved his objective, Qu Yi immediately retreated back into the trenches.

Shen Lang peeled a peanut, popped it into his mouth, and said casually, "It doesn't matter. Under the Gatling gun, all beings are equal."

"Get the grenades and mortars ready, brothers. Today, let's show these elite troops what real firepower coverage looks like!"

He then raised the viewing mirror and glanced at it again, looking utterly disdainful.

"Elite? Pshaw, I'm going to take on the elite."