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

The couple were naturally very unhappy that their good time had been interrupted.

But Jiang Shangxian, the fat man, seemed completely oblivious, holding the letter to Southeast Asia that Bi Huaduo had given him, and grinning foolishly at the two of them.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, take a look. This is the letter that Bi Huaduo wrote to the King of Li. He is clearly plotting to seize the throne of our Great Chu. We must strike hard against him."

Jiang Mengxuan glanced at the affair between the couple Shen Lang and laughed, then tossed him aside.

"Ah Lang, what do you think?"

"What else can we do? Now that the ship has been launched for sea trials, it's time to demonstrate the naval power of our Great Chu. We shouldn't let these natives really think that the people of Chu are all landlubbers who can't swim."

Jiang Mengxuan smiled faintly: "You and I are thinking the same thing. But this time, I will personally lead the army and go to the battlefield in the South China Sea with you."

Shen Lang and Jiang Shangxian were both startled upon hearing this.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

"Xuan'er, you'd better not go. Just leave it to me."

Jiang Mengxuan shook her head: "You two don't need to persuade me anymore. My mind is made up. I must go to the Nanyang War in person. I also want to take the opportunity to appreciate the scenery of the seas of my Great Chu. How can I stay in this palace and watch you make contributions?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang and Jiang Shangxian both shut up and stopped talking.

Soon, Jiang Shangxian changed his tune, saying, "That's right. The Empress of Great Chu's power extends to all corners of the world, and all land under heaven belongs to the Empress. What's wrong with Her Majesty going to take a look at her own country?"

Shen Lang was much calmer: "Xuan'er, have you thought this through?"

Jiang Mengxuan smiled slightly: "Actually, I've already figured it out. As the Empress of Great Chu, I can't just sit here in the palace and watch my husband toil away year after year."

I'd also like to experience what happened with you. Don't worry, I'll follow your instructions exactly; I'll just watch from the sidelines.

Seeing her say that, Shen Lang naturally wouldn't refuse anymore: "Alright, there are still more than ten days left. At that time, my husband and I will sail to the South Seas together and spread the might of Great Chu throughout the world."

"Ah."

Seeing that Shen Lang agreed, Jiang Mengxuan couldn't hide her excitement.

She had long wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with Shen Lang. Last time in the Blackwater City case, the two of them worked together to eliminate internal troubles, but they had not yet publicly appeared together on the battlefield.

This time, I finally have the opportunity to realize this dream.

……

On the training grounds of the Jinling Military Academy, officers who came from all over the country for assessments and further training have basically adapted to the pace of life here after three days of familiarization.

But now, a small incident has occurred.

That is shaving your head.

Soldiers in the new army were required to have buzz cuts or crew cuts, but were absolutely not allowed to grow their hair long.

Firstly, their hair was too long and difficult to wash, and secondly, their military caps were difficult to wear, which affected their marching and combat deployment.

The influence of Confucianism in the State of Chu was not significant; the state was mainly governed by law. Therefore, although the officers were resistant to shaving their heads, it was not unacceptable.

Therefore, the officers on the Chu side quickly shaved their heads and grew flat heads.

Since thousands of people were getting their hair cut together, they found it amusing to joke around when they saw each other's heads, which reduced their unpleasant feelings.

However, the students from the State of Song were unusually resistant.

Han Ming, in particular, with tears in his eyes, said, "Our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents, how can we damage them at will? Please forgive us for not being able to comply!"

Upon hearing this, the military academy instructor immediately retorted: "This is the rule of my Jinling Military Academy, and no one may violate it!"

"Our bodies, hair, and skin are given to us by our parents. So, are you saying that soldiers don't have to go to the battlefield to fight?"

Han Ming shouted, "Instructor! The national conditions of our Song Kingdom are different from those of the Chu Kingdom. Please do not make things difficult for us!"

His eyes were red as he said this, as if he had suffered some great injustice.

The instructor's face instantly darkened.

He was already very dissatisfied with the officers who had studied in the Song Dynasty, and now that they dared to defy the school rules, he felt even more disgusted with them.

In fact, not only the instructors, but even the new students had a lot of complaints about the students from the Song Kingdom, and they really didn't understand why such a large group of students would be recruited into the school.

"I'll just ask you one question: are you going to shave your head or not?"

The instructor asked again in a stern voice.

"I'm sorry, but I obey!"

Led by Han Ming, the twenty students from the Song Kingdom, except for Yue Pengju who was deep in thought, almost unanimously refused, displaying an attitude of willingly accepting punishment.

The drill instructor nodded angrily: "Fine, you've got guts. Since you don't want to shave your heads, then don't."

Inform the logistics department that their uniforms will not be issued for the time being; they will be issued them whenever they wish to shave their heads!

"Yes!"

The officer in charge of logistics immediately responded.

Han Ming and the others twitched their cheeks for a moment, but couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

But just then, as the instructor turned around, he said softly, "No wonder the Song army was so easily defeated; isn't this a perfect explanation?"

"What did you say!"

Upon hearing this, Han Ming immediately flew into a rage and made a move to rush forward and grab the instructor.

"What are you doing! Stop it!"

But soon, the guards on the left and right stopped him.

But Han Ming still shouted at the instructor, "If you have the guts, say what you just said again!"

The instructor stopped, took a deep breath, and immediately turned around, pointing at Han Ming and saying, "Don't you know what kind of person your Song Kingdom is?"

An army of 1.5 million was chased from north to south by 100,000 Jin soldiers, and the capital was besieged twice, nearly leading to the downfall of the country.

Tell me, isn't this the responsibility of you Song soldiers? A bunch of cowards, you deserve to have your country destroyed and your race wiped out!

Han Ming was furious: "You surnamed Sun, I curse your ancestors! Who are you calling a coward? Who wants to destroy the country and exterminate the race?"

"I am talking about you!"

Instructor Sun rushed up to Han Ming and pointed at his chest.

"If you were useful, how could you have been beaten so badly by the Jurchens? And how could the Jurchens have besieged the city twice in one year?"

"Stop making excuses for yourselves. In the end, it's because you're useless and don't know how to fight at all!"

Han Ming and the others were so provoked that their faces turned red, and they were immediately ready to fight the instructors.

"enough!"

Just then, Yue Pengju shouted, instantly silencing the crowd.

He walked quietly to Instructor Sun and looked at him with an extremely calm gaze.

After a long silence, Yue Pengju finally spoke slowly: "Instructor Sun, we were wrong to violate school rules first, but I want to tell you that we, the Song army, are not cowards, and we will not perish!"

Then, he looked at Han Ming and the others, and gave a wry smile: "Brothers, don't be angry. What they said is true."

Since the beginning of our Great Song Dynasty's war against the Jin Dynasty, we have never won a single true victory. As soldiers, we have certainly had our share of such victories!

Upon hearing this, Han Ming and the others lowered their heads in shame, and many even began to choke up.

Yue Pengju took a deep breath, looked up at the sky and sighed: "Brothers, don't forget why we came here. At least they're willing to teach us."

They're willing to take us to see firsthand the effects of actual combat, what more could we ask for? It's just some hair, isn't it?

As he spoke, he took off the hairpin from his head, and his black hair was immediately scattered and draped over his shoulders.

"As long as the people of the Great Song Dynasty are not humiliated, what does it matter if I lose a mere hair!"

"To win a war, you must learn to change!"

"Pengju!"

Don't try to persuade me!

Yue Pengju sat down directly in front of the logistics soldier who was shaving his head.

"Instructor Sun is right: an army that doesn't know how to adapt is destined to be eliminated. Let's start the change from this messy hair!"

Everyone was stunned. Even Instructor Sun's eyes lit up when he looked at Yue Pengju, and he nodded vigorously.

"Ugh!"

Han Ming and the others sighed and sat down one by one behind the barber...

Principal Shen Lang, watching this scene through binoculars from a distance, breathed a sigh of relief and said to Lin Fei beside him, "Commander Lin, what do you think of Yue Pengju?"

Lin Fei picked up a small handful of fried soybeans from the bowl and said calmly, "Neither humble nor arrogant, you have the talent of a general."

"Hmm! Hehehe."

Shen Lang seemed quite satisfied with Lin Fei's words, put down his binoculars, and smiled with satisfaction.