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

The cabinet unanimously supported waging war against Wu Zhao Kingdom, but that did not mean that the army could be immediately deployed to the battlefield thousands of miles away. The first thing to begin was the pre-war preparations.

The so-called war is all about logistics, or to put it more grandly, the economy.

After several calculations over the past few days, the Ministry of War has finally determined that the military expenses required for this war will be around 12 million silver dollars.

However, in order to ensure the war could proceed smoothly, Lü Lin increased the amount to 15 million silver dollars and submitted it to the cabinet for review.

But the final approved amount was fourteen million silver dollars.

The reason given was that the various colonial outposts in Southeast Asia along the route from the fleet's departure point to Haizhou could provide the necessary coal, fresh water, and corresponding reserves.

Therefore, Lü Lin argued with Fa Zheng for the one million silver dollars.

However, Fa Zheng retorted, "Lower transportation costs also lead to lower war costs. This is a principle that the Duke of Zhenguo taught us. Do you, as the Minister of War, understand this less than I, the Minister of Revenue?"

These words made Lü Lin's face turn completely red with embarrassment.

That being said, one thing at a time, Lü Lin and Fa Zheng urged the eight frigates under construction at Jiangnan Shipyard to be launched and tested within three months so that they could be incorporated into the fleet to meet maritime needs.

Meanwhile, Shen Lang personally assembled the expeditionary fleet and began conducting live-fire drills in preparation for the upcoming naval battle, rigorously selecting the naval officers and soldiers for this expedition.

In short, the entire state of Chu is now permeated with an atmosphere of justice, which has instantly spread to the common people.

Upon hearing that war was about to break out with the most powerful Wu Zhao Kingdom, many people couldn't help but feel worried.

After all, the Kingdom of Wuzhao was renowned, and a defeat would damage the national strength of the Kingdom of Chu.

However, many people still firmly believed that the State of Chu would surely return victorious from this battle, and with the propaganda in the newly published newspapers of the court, the common people inevitably felt a kind of instinctive sympathy for the people living in the State of Wuzhao.

They further believed that Chu's launching of this war was a just act and that they should strongly support beating Wu Zhao. Even teachers and students in the school began to debate their judgments about the expedition outside of class.

As the State of Chu began to employ all means to prepare for war against Wu Zhao, Wu Zhao's war against the Eastern Yi finally came to a conclusion...

Shenyang, the Forbidden City, the Imperial Study.

"Good news! Great news!"

He Yong jogged along the corridor, carrying a frontline battle report into the study.

Upon seeing Li Hong, he immediately knelt on the ground and presented the Dongyi battle report with both hands: "Your Majesty, we have won! We have won! The Dongyi Kingdom has finally been defeated."

"Okay."

Li Hong immediately clapped his hands in praise.

"Lou Shide and Fu Heng have indeed not disappointed me. They are worthy of being renowned generals of Wuzhao. The battle against the Eastern Yi is enough to deter those foreign states that are hesitant and ambivalent towards Wuzhao."

He Yong immediately bowed his head and said, "Yes, it is all thanks to His Majesty's divine and decisive decision that we have achieved such a great victory today."

Li Hong: "Bring me the battle report."

He Yong immediately knelt down and moved forward a few steps, handing the battle report to Li Hong.

Li Hong took it and examined it carefully, then let out a soft snort.

"The border troops are ultimately useless; I really don't know what's the point of supporting so many people."

"The Eastern Barbarians also suffered considerable losses in this battle, losing two thousand troops from their outer vassal tribes and over nine hundred military officers and soldiers..."

"Huh? What's going on?"

Suddenly, Li Hong sensed something was wrong and looked at it carefully.

"Bastard thing!"

After reading the battle report, Li Hong couldn't help but curse.

"I want them to conquer the Eastern Yi capital and capture the Eastern Yi king alive, not to accept their surrender!"

He Yong was taken aback, and cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, please be careful not to upset yourself. This servant believes that the Eastern Yi have learned their lesson after the war has reached this point."

At the same time, it has enhanced the military prestige of our nation. The objective has been achieved. Accepting the surrender of the Eastern Barbarians at this time will precisely demonstrate the benevolence and magnanimity of our Celestial Empire, and will further subdue the surrounding barbarians.

No matter how you look at it, this is a glorious victory, and even more so, a victory for Your Majesty!

He Yong's words immediately delighted Li Hong.

But he still said coldly, "You dog of a servant, all you do is say nice things to fool me. One day I will tear your mouth off, so that I won't be so annoyed when reviewing memorials."

He Yong replied, "Everything I have now, including my life, belongs to Your Majesty. If Your Majesty wants my mouth, Your Majesty need not lift a finger; I will tear it off myself."

Li Hongle beamed with joy: "Alright, you lackey, stop with the nonsense. Now that we've won the battle, tell me, what should I reward the soldiers with?"

He Yong was certainly not foolish enough to voice his opinion on this matter, so he could only bow his head and reply, "The entire army belongs to Your Majesty. Whatever Your Majesty says to reward them, then that is what you will reward them with."

Li Hong thought for a moment and said, "Issue my decree: Fu Heng and Lou Shide shall be promoted one rank, and Quan Xiancheng and Huli Guang shall be reinstated to their original positions. After receiving my decree, the army shall immediately return to the capital."

"The slave obeys the order."

The Eastern Barbarian War, which lasted eight months and cost three million taels of military expenditure, was once again won by overwhelming the enemy with national strength.

Wu Zhao's military tactics and techniques in field operations were indeed superior to those of neighboring states. With a powerful herd of horses at its core, it was possible to build a highly mobile force that other smaller countries could not even imagine.

But like nomadic cavalry civilizations, they were utterly inept at siege tactics.

Faced with the fortified clusters of the Dongyi Kingdom, the Wu Zhao army advanced very slowly, and in the end, it had to rely on its national strength to "outlast" its opponent.

Although the result was not as expected, a victory is a victory, and the surrender letter from the Eastern Yi is the best proof of that.

After finishing discussing military affairs, Li Hong suddenly asked, "By the way, how's the firearms manufacturing going?"

He Yong replied, "Your Majesty, I have carefully verified that the armory has recently received 7,000 new matchlock muskets and 300 new muskets."

Five hundred breech-loading cannons, forty-eight finished artillery pieces, thirty thousand barrels of gunpowder, and three hundred thousand iron and lead bullets.

"Currently, my Wuzhao forces possess over ten thousand muskets and a hundred cannons, but I, your humble servant, do not know who should be prioritized for allocation?"

"It can be given to anyone, even the enemy garrison, but not to the military camps and the various vassal tribes. Once they are equipped with these firearms, they will be rendered useless."

"This servant understands and will consider it carefully."

Li Hong paused, then asked, "How is the development of firearms in the Chu Kingdom progressing?"

He Yong shook his head: "Your Majesty, the craftsmen of the Ministry of Works said that the internal structure of this rifle is too complex, and many precision parts cannot be forged at all, so it is very difficult to mass-produce it."

Li Hong: "No matter how difficult it is, you must build it for me. I may not use it, but I must have it! I don't want people to say that my Wu Zhao is lagging behind. The Wu Zhao Kingdom under my rule will always be the strongest! Do you understand?"

He Yong replied, "This servant understands, but Your Majesty, this servant believes that we can purchase the gun-making technology from the State of Chu. Isn't that much better than trying to develop it ourselves behind closed doors?"

Moreover, I have privately spoken with Ban Dingyuan, and it seems that the State of Chu is also interested in transferring some of its gun and artillery technology to us.

Li Hong sighed: "How could I not know this principle? That day on the training ground, the fierce volley of firearms left a very deep impression on me."

But you're asking me to actively request the methods for forging firearms? As the ruler of a nation, how can I possibly ask for that?

He Yong sighed inwardly, but still said, "Your Majesty is of noble birth, how can you take the initiative to ask for help? In the end, it is those Chu envoys who do not know the times."

Li Hong waved his hand, interrupting him: "Alright, there's no use saying all this now. All I know is that the Chu envoy has never submitted to me from beginning to end."

He Yong was shocked: "How could this be? That day..."

"You don't understand," Ban Dingyuan said, his eyes revealing a calm expression. "I've seen that same look on the face of the King of Xihuang before."

"But after I defeated the Western Phoenix Kingdom, I never saw that expression again. To see it on the face of the Chu envoy is truly unexpected."

He Yong picked up a teacup and handed it to Li Hong: "No matter what, Wu Zhao is currently renowned for its martial prowess, and all nations submit to it. Chu is thousands of miles away, so how could it possibly clash with Wu Zhao?"

Li Hong took the teacup and said, "It's best to be careful. The other day when I sent Ban Dingyuan back to Haizhou..."

He also notified the officers and soldiers of the coastal naval forces about the progress of strengthening their respective coastal defenses.

He Yong replied, "The Military Affairs Office has received letters from coastal defense officers and soldiers in various regions, saying that they have strengthened their respective coastal defenses, but hope to add a few more large ships in case of unforeseen circumstances."

Li Hong replied, "What's the point of having so many ships? It's enough to build coastal defense fortifications and ensure that enemy ships can't land."

He Yong: "Your Majesty is wise."

Li Hong nodded: "Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Now that we've won the battle against the Eastern Barbarians, I should deal with the affairs of the officers and soldiers stationed in various places."

I intend to reduce the number of officers and soldiers to save on military expenditures and increase investment in vassal tribes and military camps.