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

"Uu——"

puff-

With a neighing horse, a heavy saber slashed across the back of a fleeing Luchuan soldier.

The splattered blood formed a perfect parabola in mid-air.

The soldier fell to the ground without uttering a sound; the last thing he saw was the sand and gravel kicked up by the trampling of horses' hooves.

"call……"

The cavalryman on horseback took a deep breath and, after his horse had run another dozen paces, pulled on the reins to stop.

He placed the nicked saber across his back, removed his helmet, and looked around. Everywhere he looked, there were corpses of Luchuan soldiers.

Not far away, large groups of captured Luchuan soldiers, under the threat of bayonets from the Imperial Guards, were bound together and forced into pre-dug pits.

Then, a group of soldiers from Mubang dressed in white began to wield shovels and, ignoring their cries, buried them alive, bit by bit.

This is the scene on the thirtieth day after Shen Lang led four thousand Chu soldiers into Luchuan.

The four-way allied forces of Luchuan totaled 82,000 men. Of these, 1,000 were intentionally released by Shen Lang to inform others, while the remaining 81,000 were all annihilated in batches (massacred, with no prisoners).

This battle completely extinguished the momentum of Luchuan's rise and caused the ethnic groups and chieftains in the Central and Southern regions who had suffered from Luchuan's severe oppression to retaliate once again.

Besides the speed and efficiency of the Chu army's actions, the Mubang people's instigation was crucial.

The reason why Shen Lang and Jiang Shangxian risked everything to cross the Laoshan Mountains, which were firmly controlled by the Luchuan people, and enter the territory of Mubang to communicate with the King of Mubang was precisely this.

In fact, the people of Mubang had long been unable to endure the heavy labor and exorbitant taxes imposed by the people of Luchuan. The whole country hoped to break free from Luchuan's control, but they were just struggling to find someone to rely on.

Now that the heavenly soldiers and generals of the Chu Empire have arrived, and even more so with the current Empress's uncle personally present, they have finally found a new patron.

Moreover, the conditions for becoming a vassal state of the Chu Empire were more than ten times more lenient than those for Luchuan. All that was required was for members of the royal family to be sent to Jinling on pilgrimages regularly, along with priority supply of mineral resources and grain to Chu merchants.

However, Mu Bang still had doubts about whether the Chu Empire could truly defeat Luchuan and become their suzerain state.

Therefore, Shen Lang, in the name of the Empress, promised them that he would take control of the Mengjiang River basin within a month and defeat the main force of the Luchuan army.

However, Mu Bang must promise Shen Lang that after controlling the Mengjiang River basin, he will send an army to assist the Chu army and ensure the safety of the Mengjiang River basin.

At present, the Chu army's overwhelming combat power has convinced Mubang of the strength of this new suzerain state.

In addition to dispatching 7,000 soldiers from the Mubang tribe, they also brought over a thousand bushels of grain and began to use this opportunity to persuade other ethnic groups to surrender to the Chu state.

In fact, once the Mengjiang River basin was controlled, those settled ethnic groups that relied on the river basin for survival had no better options at all.

After all, not having enough to eat is what the local government is most worried about.

Given the heavy casualties suffered by Luchuan within its own territory this time, including the 80,000 main force and the local garrisons wiped out by the Chu army when they entered the country, the Luchuan army's casualties this time definitely exceeded 100,000.

This is absolutely a serious injury, and you could even say it's a major blow to one's vitality.

Because those who died were all soldiers of the Luchuan tribe.

The Luchuan people, with a total population of only eight million, have only about two million able-bodied men available for use, excluding women, the elderly, and the infirm.

However, it is impossible to bring two million young men to the battlefield all at once. Mobilization also takes time, and farming at home also requires manpower.

In addition, sufficient troops are needed to guard against rebellions by various factions.

The loss of 100,000 people has put the Luchuan Dynasty in a completely awkward and difficult situation.

After several glorious victories in the campaign against Luchuan, the Chu army was in high spirits and eager to march toward the royal palace.

But at that moment, Shen Lang ordered the offensive to cease.

"Next, it's time to move on to the negotiation stage."

Shen Lang did not wish to annihilate Luchuan in one fell swoop and bring the Central and Southern regions into the Empress's territory.

But now is not the time.

After a month of intense fighting, nearly 400 warhorses died from exhaustion, 12 Gatling guns were destroyed, and over 100 personnel were killed or wounded, including six guardsmen, one dead and five wounded.

Of course, the most crucial point is that the ammunition Shen Lang brought is insufficient to support the next tough battle.

"Let's stop while we're ahead. As long as Sihanfa isn't stupid and knows that continuing the war will only lead to the downfall of the country, he will definitely send someone to negotiate."

Looking back at the battlefield that was still being cleaned up, Shen Lang turned and led the Chu army toward the Mengjiang River basin.

Inside the Royal Palace...

boom--

Upon learning that all 80,000 elite troops from the four routes had been annihilated by the Chu army, Sihan was so enraged that he punched the table in front of him, shattering it.

"You traitors of Chu, I swear I will never let you go!"

He roared and thrashed about, a perfect example of impotent rage.

After venting his anger, he immediately ordered: "Summon the entire army and have all able-bodied men enlist. I will personally lead the troops to wipe out this group of Chu traitors!"

However, upon hearing these words, the courtiers collectively rose and knelt on the ground, pleading desperately.

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

Faced with this scene, Sihanfa's pupils involuntarily contracted.

His princes and ministers had never been so united in daring to target him.

"What are you doing?"

A civil official looked up and said, "Your Majesty, we cannot continue fighting. The men of Luchuan have suffered heavy losses and cannot withstand any more attrition."

Another civil official also advised, "After this great defeat, there are faint signs of rebellion among the tribes in the central and southern regions."

Mubang even openly declared that the king's ascension to the throne was illegitimate and that he had already recognized the Chu Empire as his suzerain state.

Neighboring Myanmar has also suspended its food supply program and blocked the river to prevent the people of Luchuan from passing through.

"If we were to engage the Chu army at this juncture, regardless of the outcome, it would undoubtedly further destabilize the nation, Your Majesty."

Another military officer also lamented, "These past few days, I've heard from the defeated soldiers that there's a unit in the Chu army that knows sorcery."

It's only because they were able to summon Empress Yu Xiyan of the Rakshasa Kingdom to aid them that it's inexplicable why our Luchuan soldiers, so valiant and skilled in battle, were slaughtered like wheat before the Chu army.

"Your Majesty, how can human strength possibly contend with such a deity? Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

The court officials, almost in tears, pleaded with Sihanfa to change the decision to launch the expedition.

Clearly, they were all terrified by the formidable fighting power of the Chu army.

The Rakshasa Empress is a legendary figure; her name is Yu Xiyan.

It is said that she was the only wife of the Daoist master Shen Zhao.

However, because Daoist Shen Zhao fell in love with someone else halfway through and betrayed the Empress's feelings, her personality changed drastically, and she abdicated her throne and came to the far south to establish her own sect.

During this period, he created a unique skill called "Heavenly Thunder Attraction," specifically designed to target unfaithful men and women.

Of course, this is the version for the central and southern regions; there is another version for other regions.

In fact, whether the Rakshasa Empress actually existed is a mystery, and it's unknown whether she ever existed in the Central and Southern regions.

Her story has evolved over time, with many versions emerging, each more outrageous than the last, making it virtually impossible to ascertain the truth now.

However, these are not the main points. The key reason why Sihanfa was unwilling to fight anymore was that he was truly too exhausted to continue.

The loss of 80,000 main troops was not only a loss of manpower, but also a significant weakening of the deterrent power of the Luchuan Central Government over the surrounding tribes.

They could assert that once the news of the complete annihilation of the Luchuan army spread throughout the Indochina Peninsula in a few days, a massive rebellion would erupt.

What Luchuan really needs to do now is prepare for the rebellion of various ethnic groups next year.

After calming down, Sihanfa sighed helplessly, knowing that continuing to fight the Chu army at this time would be too risky.

only……

"What should we do about Mengjiang? If we lose Mengjiang, our Luchuan will definitely have a poor harvest next year. How should we cope?"

"Your Majesty, now that things have come to this, why not send an envoy to the Chu army camp to negotiate with their commander?"

Based on my understanding of the State of Chu, all they want is gold and silver, which we in Luchuan have no shortage of.

At most, they might cede some more land along the border; as long as they show sufficient sincerity, they will return the Mengjiang River.

Sihanfa remained silent for a long time, then clenched his fists.

There is no shortage of gold and silver. There are a lot of exploitable gold and silver mines in the Central and Southern regions. The largest gold mine in the entire Indochina Peninsula is controlled by the Luchuan royal family.

It's not a big deal to cede some border land. It's not the first time the people of Luchuan have lost land. They can always take it back once they recover.

After all, the existing territory of Luchuan was basically seized through robbery.

But he just couldn't swallow his anger.

The fact that a few thousand Chu soldiers could sweep Luchuan into such a state truly made him feel deeply ashamed.

"Alright, quickly send someone to negotiate with the Chu army commander-in-chief. It must be done quickly; the Mengjiang River basin must be taken back as soon as possible, no matter what!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Amidst a chorus of compliments, Sihanfa wearily left the throne.