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Lin Jiang was stationed in Zhong State and couldn’t leave because the forces of the Chen Kingdom’s court were still opposing him. Unable to defeat Lin Jiang on land, they started to take advantage of their navy and harassed along the Yun River, leading to an Immortal Kingdom messenger being sent to Zhong State.

"Immortal Kingdom’s Great Wall Legion Captain Lin Yunjiang pays respects to General Datong."

When the newcomer saw Lin Jiang, he bowed respectfully.

"Please, rise."

"Thank you, General."

"I heard your troops have moved to the border of Hezhou State. How is the situation on the Great Wall side?"

"Reporting to General, the Great Wall Legion is in bad shape. Two years ago, the Demon Human launched a surprise attack…"

Lin Yunjiang explained the recent situation of the Great Wall Legion. The Great Wall Legion is not doing well. There are tens of thousands of soldiers in the Great Wall Legion of the Immortal Kingdom, and their food, supplies, and military needs all depend on the Immortal Kingdom’s territory. After the Immortal Kingdom was breached, they lost about seventy to eighty percent of their food and supplies support. They can only rely on themselves in the mountains near the Great Wall.

Although they are barely surviving, their strength has severely weakened. Two years ago, the Demon Human attacked the Great Wall Legion, causing a major defeat. The Great Wall Legion was divided into several parts by the Demon Human and lost their connection.

The Demon Human is still hunting down the soldiers of the Great Wall Legion. They are located in the southwest of the Great Wall, close to Chen Kingdom. Therefore, they can only cross the mountains and seek refuge in Hezhou State.

"By Captain Lin’s intention, do you want to settle in Hezhou State on our Datong Army’s territory?"

"Yes, our troops are too few. There are less than thirty thousand of us left, and we are unable to resist the Demon Human. Please be merciful, General, and grant us a place to survive. We are willing to serve you with our lives."

Lin Yunjiang explained that they were terrified by the attacks and simply couldn’t win, so they only hoped to be taken in by Lin Jiang.

"How many soldiers and warriors do you have left?"

"More than twenty thousand."

Lin Yunjiang replied that it’s difficult for the elderly, young, women, and children to cross the mountains, so almost all of them are soldiers and warriors, strong and healthy individuals.

"More than 20,000 soldiers have entered Hezhou State, what use are they to me?"

"General, we…"

"I know you are elite soldiers, and those who have survived are almost all elites. Here’s the plan: I will reserve a territory for you in Hezhou State to protect your retreat. Leave behind the elderly, women, and children, but the soldiers must return to the Great Wall area to resist the Demon Human."

"General, spare us. It’s not that we fear death, but the Demon Human is too powerful, and our armor and weapons are almost gone, and we lack food supplies…"

I haven’t finished. I will supply armor, weapons, and food for you, following the standards of my elite Datong Army. Let’s be frank, the policies of my Datong Army have always been transparent. Once I unify the Southern Chen Kingdom, we will advance north, but I need more time. I need you to hold back the Demon Human for now.

So, all necessary supplies will be provided to you, not just your ragtag group, but all the Great Wall Legions. Your mission is to delay the Demon Human at all costs, understand?

"General, we soldiers have no desire to fight, we just want to survive."

"Survive? If the Demon Human destroys our human civilization, where will you survive to? If you haven’t had any relatives killed by the Demon Human, you won’t have any desire for revenge. Let me be clear, if you are cowards, my Datong Army will not welcome you. This is your only choice."

Lin Jiang scolded angrily, perhaps they had severe psychological trauma, but Lin Jiang didn’t care, the main force of the Demon Human must be held back.

Lin’s face changed drastically when Lin Jiang spoke so sincerely. What should she do?

"Captain Lin, you might as well agree. We are people from two different countries. You have tens of thousands of soldiers stationed in Hezhou State. We will never agree. What if you turn the tables on us? Hezhou State is not your homeland, but the Immortal Kingdom is. My general intends to defeat and expel the Demon Human. When the time comes, you will be able to return home with honor."

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Xie Yunfeng immediately spoke up and with his excellent eloquence and patience, he slowly convinced Lin.

After seeing Lin off, Xie Yunfeng said. General, do you truly want to support the Great Wall Legion?

"Do you think I’m joking?"

"General, after all, it concerns the Immortal Kingdom."

"Look at the bigger picture. The Demon Human are not human. The people of the Immortal Kingdom are. It’s a fight for survival, no room for compromise."

"Yes, I understand."

"Send a message back to Feng State, let the Xiao family of Qing State handle this matter. The Great Wall Legion must be revitalized. Establish a trade route from Hezhou State to the Great Wall Legion. The Xiao family of Qing State must come up with a plan for both sides to benefit."

Lin Jiang said that he has arrangements with the five major noble families in the Qing State. The Xiao family in the Qing State has been doing business with the Datong Army in recent years and doing quite well.

Lin Jiang doesn’t want to do any unprofitable business, so he wants the Xiao family to find a win-win solution.

·······

"You must have heard about the Great Wall Legion seeking help. Today’s discussion is about strategizing the current situation.

I am determined to eliminate the Demon Human, so we need to plan our strategy now. My plan is, once they unify the Southern Chen Kingdom, we will give them a few years to rest and then we will attack the Demon Human. We must unite all forces that we can, support the Great Wall Legion from the Immortal Kingdom, the Qing River Legion, and also try to ally with the Zhou Dynasty. What are your plans?

"General, the Zhou Dynasty was established less than seventy years ago and was very prosperous and powerful. If the Zhou Dynasty is willing to help, it will be very beneficial for us. However, the Zhou Dynasty has had some conflicts with us before, so we should be prepared."

"Xie Yunfeng makes a good point. The Zhou Dynasty has territorial disputes and pride issues with the Chen Kingdom, but we are not the Chen Kingdom anymore. We should send some persuasive individuals to convince the powerful people in the Zhou Dynasty to support us. Be prepared, and when the task is done, there will be a high position waiting for you."

Lin Jiang made a big plan, as the Zhou Dynasty is now a significant force that cannot be underestimated. We must handle it carefully.

After receiving advice from the high-ranking officials, a strategic plan was quickly developed. Currently, the plan is to support the Great Wall Legion in resisting the Demon Human, delaying their advance to the south to conquer the Chen Kingdom. The Datong Army needs to prepare for battle and hasten their unification efforts. It will be ideal to have a strong navy ready to sail north along the sea, blocking the Demon Human’s escape route at the mouth of the Qing River, and annihilating them completely.

At the same time, the Qing River Legion, which supports both the Zhou Dynasty and the Immortal Kingdom, will join forces to gather millions of soldiers and horses to defeat the Demon Human.

After developing the strategy, Lin Jiang adjusted the current tactics and assigned generals to continue conquering other territories. He himself returned to Feng State to oversee the construction of the navy and train disciples at the Martial Arts Academy to produce more warriors.

The Datong Army now controls ten territories, so Lin Jiang no longer needs to lead the charge, even if the enemy has Martial Saints. They can win based on numbers alone. These Martial Saints are not as powerful as Lin Jiang and can easily be trapped by tens of thousands of soldiers.

Half a month later, Lin Jiang returned to Feng State and immediately inspected the shipyard. The Xiao family shared good news with Lin Jiang. They secretly brought back over a dozen shipbuilding experts from the shipyard in Haizhou State, greatly improving the shipbuilding technology of the Datong Army.

"General, this is our newest warship, weighing 1,200 tons, the largest warship for inland rivers."

Xiaosheng explained to Lin Jiang about the warships currently being built in the shipyard. He is a key member of the Xiao family and has been in charge of the shipyard’s affairs for the past two years, showing great skill and expertise.

"Can we build even larger warships?"

Lin Jiang mentioned the weight units he proposed during the Xia Dynasty, such as hao, li, two, jin, and ton, which are commonly used decimal units of measurement.

Lin Jiang recalled watching a documentary where sail warships, made of wood, could reach around 5,000 tons and carry hundreds of cannons.

Of course, in this time period there were no cannons. The discovery of gunpowder was related to alchemists, and the alchemy techniques in this era were passed down from the time of immortals, so there were no primitive things.

"Okay, the largest warship in Haizhou State weighed about three thousand tons, with sails that could adapt to different situations. It was mostly powered by manpower and had multiple decks. It could carry hundreds of ballistas at once, but only the top deck could mount bed crossbows."

"Are the warships in Haizhou State so advanced?"

Lin Jiang was somewhat surprised. Isn’t this just a sail warship, but instead of cannons, they used crossbows. Chen Kingdom had seven to eight types of crossbows, with the most powerful being the bed crossbow. However, bed crossbows took up a lot of space. There was also a type of repeating crossbow, which was weaker in power but had the advantage of rapid fire.

"Yes, General, the warships of Haizhou State are the best in the world. Even the warships of Zhou Dynasty cannot compare."

"Can the craftsmen you’ve found make such top-notch warships?"

"Yes, I have inquired. However, the Yun River is not suitable for such top-notch warships. They’re too large and difficult to maneuver. In a battle, it would actually be a disadvantage."

"Keep searching for craftsmen from Haizhou State. Although Haizhou State will eventually conquer us, we still need to keep searching. Even if they are unwilling to come, we must protect them. I’ve allocated a sum of money and a group of people specifically for you to arrange this."

Lin Jiang said. He knew that the craftsmen in Chen Kingdom had a low status, which was why they were so appealing. Lin Jiang would never make that mistake. He respected technology and talent.