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

On the drill ground of the Jin army camp, the five hundred guards that Shen Lang brought with him, dressed in azure uniforms, stood still and awaited the next order.

Each of them carried a rifle on his shoulder, and twenty hand-cranked Gatling guns were placed in front of him.

Not far away, there were also ten 50mm caliber man-portable mortars and two 75mm mountain guns.

The Imperial Guard was surrounded by Jin soldiers who had come to watch the spectacle, pointing and whispering among themselves.

The clamor gradually subsided only after Wanyan Lie took his seat on the high platform.

Zhao Zhen and the others were allowed to put their prison clothes back on, and with handcuffs and leg irons on, they stared blankly at the Chu officers and soldiers standing motionless in the center of the drill ground, their minds seemingly lost in thought.

"Lord Zhenguo, would you please demonstrate how to operate firearms for us?"

Wanyan Wo stood respectfully in front of Shen Lang, his attitude extremely humble.

"It should."

Shen Lang said something indifferently, then called over Wu Jie, who was accompanying him, and whispered something in his ear.

"understand!"

Wu Jie immediately saluted and then turned to stand in front of the army formation.

"By order of the army commander, conduct routine weapons test firing drills!"

"Each team, in company or platoon form, immediately return to their posts."

Moments after Wu Jie issued his military order, the Chu officers and soldiers immediately formed their own squads.

They have good military discipline, act swiftly and decisively, and react quickly.

This was the first impression the Imperial Guard gave to the Jin soldiers, and many Jin generals couldn't help but admire the quality of this army.

"First step, rifle drills!"

"First unit, advance! Target: 120 meters directly ahead! Fire!"

bang bang bang-

The moment the gunshot rang out across the training ground, all the generals, including Wanyan Lie, couldn't help but tremble violently.

After a burst of fire and white smoke, the training ground was filled with the smoke of gunpowder.

"First Company, back to base!"

"Second Company, step forward!"

Wu Jie mechanically issued the firing command.

By the time all three companies had finished their round of shooting, the drill ground was shrouded in smoke.

As soon as the smoke cleared, Jin soldiers carried straw figures used as targets to Wanyan Lie for him to see.

When he saw that the straw man in front of him was no longer human, Wanyan Lie couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead.

"What a powerful firearm."

This idea arose in the minds of Wanyan Lie and the other generals.

Before the emperor and his ministers could have any further reflections, Wu Jie immediately proceeded with the second test.

"Machine gun crew, step forward!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the three machine gunners immediately stood in front of the Gatling gun.

The loader quickly loaded the ammunition belt, and the gunner placed his hand on the crank handle.

"shooting!"

Da da da da——

With a command given, the Gatling gun's handle began to spin continuously.

A hail of bullets burst forth in an instant, all landing on the rocks that had been prepared two hundred meters away.

As they watched the debris flying up from the pile of rocks, all the Jin generals' mouths gaped open in an "O" shape.

They never imagined that such a terrifying weapon existed in the world.

If the previous rifles had brought them novelty, the current demonstration of the Gatling gun had a much stronger impact on their minds.

"No wonder, the Chu army has almost suddenly been transformed, no wonder."

Wanyan Lie stared at the rocks in the distance, ravaged by the Gatling gun, and muttered to himself.

After the entire chain of bullets had been fired, everyone stood up to look.

But then they saw that the rocky target in the distance had been reduced to rubble, leaving everyone speechless.

"Artillery demonstration!"

After the machine gun demonstration, the demonstrations of the man-portable mortar and mountain gun were held.

Boom boom boom boom——

When the cannonballs exploded on the distant hilltops, causing a chorus of neighing horses and a tremor of the earth, the entire Jin camp, including Wanyan Lie, was rendered speechless.

Only at this moment did they realize just how vast the gap was between themselves and the State of Chu.

It's not just a little bit off, nor is it a lot off, but rather...

They are simply incomparable!

All the Jin generals remained silent, including those who had previously harbored prejudices against the State of Chu.

"Your Majesty, are you satisfied with these weapons?"

After the drill ended, Shen Lang smiled and said to Wanyan Lie.

Wanyan Lie immediately forced a smile: "The weapons of Chu are indeed as good as they say, truly as good as they say."

At this moment, he didn't even dare to dream of turning against the State of Chu, and felt that the hundred lashes he had given Aguli were far too little; he should have just exterminated his entire clan to add to the festivities.

This guy almost pushed the Jin Dynasty to the brink of destruction!

Shen Lang's lips curled into a smile: "The list of arms your country purchased from Chu this time is here: 500 rifles and 300,000 rounds of ammunition."

Twenty Gatling guns, 28,000 rounds of ammunition; ten mortars, 120 artillery shells.

Two 75mm mountain guns, sixty rounds of ammunition, thirty-two pairs of binoculars, and five hundred sets of military cotton gloves.

If everything is in order, then Your Majesty, please sign and seal this document so that I can hand over the arms as soon as possible.

Wanyan Lie looked at the arms deal list in his hand, pondered for a long time, and then immediately signed and sealed the agreement.

The product is good, but it's too expensive.

He wanted to negotiate the price, but he wasn't sure what Shen Lang was thinking. He was afraid that if he made a mistake and offended the Chu Kingdom, he would be finished.

After Shen Lang retrieved the agreement and verified that it was correct, he smiled and said, "It was a pleasure to cooperate with you. I hope we will have the opportunity to continue to cooperate with your country in the future."

"Duke Zhenguo".

Wanyan Lie hurriedly called out to Shen Lang.

"Is there anything else, Your Majesty?"

After a moment's hesitation, Wanyan Lie asked, "From now on, can these weapons be sold exclusively to my Jin Kingdom?"

“I’m sorry, that’s impossible,” Shen Lang replied directly. “However, as long as your country does not become an enemy of my Great Chu, the threshold for this arms trade will naturally remain open to you indefinitely.”

"it is good!"

Wanyan Lie shouted loudly, then stood up.

"I, the King, have personally prepared a lavish banquet for the Duke of Zhenguo. I humbly request that the Duke of Zhenguo grace me with his presence."

"Then I shall respectfully comply." Shen Lang smiled knowingly. "I am a little tired. Please find me a place to rest, Your Majesty. You can call me again when the banquet begins."

Wanyan Lie immediately ordered: "Someone, quickly prepare the best tents for the Duke of Zhenguo and his accompanying officials. There must be no negligence whatsoever."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After Shen Lang finished speaking, he ignored the Jin emperor and his ministers and went to rest under the guidance of Wanyan Wo.

This scene filled Zhao Zhen with incredibly complex emotions.

The Jurchens were brutal and savage, yet they treated the Chu people with such deference, a stark contrast to themselves.

"The Great Song Dynasty, alas..."

With a sigh, they too were taken away and imprisoned by the Jin soldiers.

As soon as Shen Lang left, the Jin Kingdom's monarch and his ministers could no longer maintain their composure. They all slumped to the ground, staring at each other, unsure of what to say.

A military demonstration by the State of Chu shattered their proud confidence in their military strength.

Wanyan Zongqing couldn't help but sigh, "I thought that even if the Chu Kingdom was strong, we would have a chance to defeat them when they were weak."

Isn't the State of Song the same? The once mighty state has become rotten and vulnerable, yet the State of Chu…”

For a moment, Wanyan Zongqing really didn't know what to say.

The feeling of facing the Chu army was different from any other time I had ever encountered an army.

He always felt like something was missing, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

It seemed that the Jin army was inherently inferior to the Chu army, as if it were their very nature.

However, he was quite certain that those Chu soldiers were just ordinary soldiers, many of whom did not even have any cultivation.

Why do you feel this way?

In fact, not only Wanyan Zongqing, but also Wanyan Lie and other generals had this indescribable feeling after watching the arms demonstration.

This feeling left them feeling very frustrated, as if they had seen something extraordinary, but they couldn't quite put their finger on what was wrong.

This was even more astonishing than when they first saw the prosperity of Bianzhou.

In fact, this intangible and unfathomable feeling is called the gap between civilizations. This kind of impact on people's minds is enough to cause the collective faith of a group to collapse, and instinctively belittle themselves and feel inferior.

However, regardless of the circumstances, the consensus among the Jin rulers and ministers was that they should not provoke the Chu Kingdom.