After listening to Mu Changtian's words, Lu Chen looked at the map and once again fell into deep thought.
It was indeed a difficult situation. The Wanning River Valley wasn't very long, making it relatively easy for the barbarian cavalry to cross quickly.
Once the howitzers were fired, the barbarian cavalry would undoubtedly fall into chaos—either surging forward recklessly or retreating in disorder.
Whether they charged or fled, it would require a significant number of soldiers to resist and contain them.
Of course, if the goal was merely to repel the barbarian soldiers, they would only need to defend the entrance to the Wanning River Valley.
But Lu Chen's ambitions were far greater than that. He didn't just want to repel the barbarian cavalry.
If he merely drove them back, the barbarian forces might fail to take Yancheng, but they could simply regroup and attack other cities again.
What he truly desired from this battle was to annihilate the barbarian forces—cripple them so thoroughly that they wouldn't be able to raise another army to march south for years.
Those 300,000 soldiers must not be allowed to escape.
If they were released, wouldn't the barbarians just recover and return to plunder the south once more? Lu Chen didn't believe the howitzers alone would be enough to keep them at bay.
He had heard about the situation up north. In winter, even many civilians in Beijun starved to death—let alone the barbarians on the grasslands.
Lu Chen didn't pity them. In his eyes, starving people would do anything to survive. The barbarians wouldn't stay away from the south just because Beijun had howitzers.
Lu Chen sighed and said, "Start recruiting soldiers immediately."
Upon hearing this, Mu Changtian spoke again, still sounding somewhat concerned. "Your Majesty, in such a short time, it will be extremely difficult to train the new recruits to fight the barbarian cavalry."
Mu Changtian was actually being conservative with his words. It would be practically impossible to train soldiers capable of facing barbarian cavalry in just two months.
Lu Chen naturally understood this as well, and replied promptly, "I plan to form an artillery battalion. The new recruits won't be participating in frontline combat. That way, all thirty thousand soldiers stationed in Beijun can be deployed to the front lines."
Artillery battalion?
What's that?
When they heard the unfamiliar term from Lu Chen's mouth, everyone looked confused. None of them had ever heard of such a unit before.
Lu Chen turned to Li Rui and said, "Governor, I'll have to trouble you with this task. Work with General Li and the others to recruit ten thousand new soldiers as quickly as possible."
Hearing the order, Li Rui immediately responded, "Yes, Your Majesty."
But in his heart, Li Rui sighed. He had originally intended to persuade the King of the North to retreat south, but judging from his tone, Lu Chen clearly had no intention of doing so.
If he brought up retreating south now, wouldn't that just offend the King of the North?
He couldn't help but think: What's the point of recruiting ten thousand more soldiers? Even if we added a hundred thousand, how could they possibly stop the barbarian cavalry?
Even though he thought this, he didn't dare to speak his mind. After all, the King of the North was a vassal king—he ruled Beijun.
At that moment, Lu Chen looked down at the map on the table again and said, "Once the artillery battalion is formed, I'll show you the Northern Palace's new weapons."
Upon hearing this, everyone's curiosity was piqued. The Northern King seemed very confident about these so-called new weapons. They couldn't help but wonder what kind of technology gave him the courage to stand against the barbarian army in Yancheng.
Although curious, they didn't press him for details. Since the Northern King had said he'd show them, their most urgent task now was to recruit new soldiers and form a fresh army as quickly as possible.
---
Northland – Barbarian Royal Court
Across the endless grasslands stood clusters of felt tents of various sizes—also known as yurts.
The larger the yurt, the higher the status of its owner. The grandest one belonged to one of the Barbarian Kings.
The barbarian clans were spread out across the grasslands, ruled by a total of seven kings. The one located directly north of Beijun was the Heavenly Wolf King, who was preparing for a southern invasion to establish his own kingdom in Beijun.
At that moment, a woman clad in animal hide rode into the heart of the yurt camp.
Her skin was fair, her face delicate and beautiful—entirely unlike someone raised on the harsh grasslands.
She dismounted swiftly and turned to her slave. "Is Wu Yuan back yet?"
The scar-faced slave holding her horse quickly replied, "Yes, Your Highness."
Hearing this, the woman hurried excitedly toward a smaller yurt situated next to the large one. Lifting the curtain, she saw that the man she'd asked about had indeed returned.
Wu Yuan was kneeling on the ground, reporting intelligence to another beautiful woman inside the tent.
The yurt's interior was richly decorated. A gorgeous woman lounged half-reclined on the bed, one long, fair leg exposed. Her luxurious, fur-lined garments were adorned with golden jewelry, making her appear both regal and seductive.
She was the most important woman of the Heavenly Wolf King's branch tribe—the wife of the former Heavenly Wolf King. Tho she was just a name in wife.
According to barbarian tradition, after the previous Heavenly Wolf King's death, she was to marry the new king. As barbarian choose new leaders on the basis of their strength if the throne was left with no heir.
Yet for reasons unknown, she had never done so. She had instead made a promise to the current Heavenly Wolf King: if he succeeded in conquering Beijun and establishing a kingdom there, she would marry him and become his queen.
The woman who had just entered bowed deeply. "Greetings, Princess."
Though she had not yet officially married the current Heavenly Wolf King, everyone already acknowledged her as the Princess.
Yelu Nanyan glanced at Xiao Wenyao and spoke softly, "Rise."
Her voice was gentle—like the breeze of spring, soothing to the ears.
Xiao Wenyao, the woman who had just arrived, was the daughter of the current Heavenly Wolf King, Xiao Hongbo and his late wife. Originally, the barbarian clans had no surnames.
But in an effort to emulate Great Xia, all members of the Heavenly Wolf royal family now bore the surname Xiao.
Yelu Nanyan's attention returned to Wu Yuan. "I heard the prince of Beijun is a lecher who spends his days indulging in pleasure within the palace. Ever since he arrived in Beijun, he's never once involved himself in state affairs. Is this true?"
Wu Yuan nodded. "Princess, it's true."
Hearing his response, Yelu Nanyan smiled. "Then the king's southern campaign will be effortless. Beijun is already within his grasp."
Wu Yuan cautioned, "Princess, though the King of the North may be incompetent, Great Xia's army won't just sit by. Once the king makes his move, Great Xia is bound to send reinforcements."
Yelu Nanyan replied calmly, "By the time Great Xia's forces arrive, the king will have already secured a firm foothold in Beijun. And besides, Great Xia is bound to descend into civil strife—His Majesty won't have the energy to deal with us."
At this moment, Xiao Wenyao interrupted with a grin. "Princess, if we capture the King of Beijun after taking the city, could you hand him over to me? I heard the King of Beijun is quite handsome. I want to make him my slave."
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