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The two men stopped and turned back, bowing as the heavy oak doors were sealed behind the departing council. Lie Fan walked over to them, his voice dropping to a low, highly classified whisper that carried the weight of a new era. "The puppet kingdom will require a demonstration of absolute, terrifying power to ensure their permanent loyalty," Lie Fan stated coldly. He looked directly into Zhuge Liang's eyes. "I am strictly commanding you to officially deploy the newly formed 'Qinglong Unit', the Azure Dragon."
Zhuge Liang's eyes widened slightly, a rare display of genuine shock. Liu Ye let out a sharp intake of breath.
The Qinglong Unit was the highly secretive, elite regiment of twenty thousand men who had just finished their grueling, isolated training in the western valleys, completely mastering the revolutionary flintlocks and heavy blunderbusses. They were the most closely guarded secret in the history of the world.
"Your Majesty, to reveal the thunder weapons so soon..." Liu Ye hesitated.
"The time for secrecy is over," Lie Fan stated absolutely, his voice hard as iron. "These brutal, dense southern jungles and the terrifying war elephants of the western kingdoms will serve as the perfect bloody testing ground for this new era of warfare. The Qinglong Unit is to be sent as the vanguard of Huang Zhong's expedition."
Lie Fan turned back to look at his world map, his eyes tracing the borders of the Guishuang Empire.
"We will officially introduce the deafening roar of firearms to the battlefields of the world for the very first time. Let those barbaric kings hear the thunder, and let them know that an advanced civilization has arrived."
And so the grand preparation for Lie Fan's brilliant, cold blooded plan to create a puppet kingdom, one to be entirely controlled from the shadows, immediately began across the sprawling expanse of the empire. To support this monumental proxy war and feed the insatiable hunger of the Black Dragon, the terrifying industrial might of the Hengyuan Dynasty was forcefully pushed to its absolute, staggering limits.
The imperial capital of Xiapi and the major provincial foundries became sensory overloads of ceaseless, deafening industry. Under the strict, sleepless supervision of the Minister of Work, Liu Ye, the roaring blast furnaces burned day and night, painting the night skies with an angry, molten orange glow. Thousands of soot stained laborers and master metallurgists worked in grueling shifts, their bodies slick with sweat in the suffocating heat.
The heavy production lines for dense, perfectly spherical iron cannonballs were aggressively increased to their absolute maximum capacity. Furthermore, the specialized foundries dedicated to crafting the volatile, black powder tipped fire arrows for the sky darkening Hwachas were doubled in size. Liu Ye personally inspected the munitions, knowing that the dense, damp canopies of the southern jungles would require chemical fire that could not be extinguished by mere rainfall.
At the exact same time, the Minister of Finance, Mi Zhu, orchestrated a logistical masterpiece that defied mortal comprehension. An army cannot march without a mountain of food, and Mi Zhu intended to provide a mountain range.
Endless, towering supplies of harvested grains, heavily salted meats to prevent rot in the tropics, dried root vegetables, and vital essential medical supplies, including thousands of crates of antimalarial herbs and clean bandages, were rapidly being taken out from the heavily fortified military supply storage silos across the southern provinces.
This staggering wealth of sustenance was loaded onto tens of thousands of reinforced, iron axled supply wagons, pulled by teams of massive draft horses and oxen, forming a river of logistics that stretched for miles across the imperial highways.
As this river of steel and wheat flowed southward, the legendary, veteran tiger general Huang Zhong was urgently summoned to the grand capital of Xiapi.
Riding through the towering imperial gates on his massive, armored warhorse, the old general was a breathtaking sight. Despite his flowing white hair and beard, his physical presence was as imposing and terrifying as a mountain peak. Clad in gleaming, heavy scale armor that clinked with a resonant, metallic weight, Huang Zhong marched into the grand imperial hall. The assembly of ministers parted respectfully for the legendary archer and commander. He approached the dais and proudly knelt before the Dragon Throne.
Lie Fan stepped down, holding a heavy, jade sealed imperial edict. He placed it directly into Huang Zhong's calloused hands, officially ordaining him with the absolute mantle of the supreme commanding position for the southwestern expedition.
While the supreme commander was being ordained in the capital, across the military encampments of the empire, hundreds of thousands of veteran soldiers of the elite imperial army were being rigorously prepared. It was a deeply emotional, visceral time. Hardened veterans who had survived the northern snows and the eastern sieges sat by campfires, meticulously sharpening their iron dao blades until they could split a falling leaf.
Quartermasters distributed tens of thousands of newly designed, heavy leather marching boots, engineered to withstand the rotting mud of the southern swamps. Outside the garrison gates, the heart wrenching, emotional farewells took place. Weeping wives clung to their husbands, proud fathers clasped their sons' shoulders, and mothers burned incense for their safe return. They all knew the reality of the Black Dragon's hunger, glory was eternal, but blood was the price.
More than a full two weeks of this grueling, non-stop military preparation culminated in a scene of unprecedented, epic magnitude.
On the massive, sprawling plains outside the capital of Xiapi, a staggering 420,000 elite soldiers of the Hengyuan Imperial Army were completely ready and assembled. The sheer scale of the army was unfathomable, a literal, breathtaking ocean of gleaming steel, interlocking shields, and crimson banners that stretched all the way to the hazy horizon. The formations were so perfectly, terrifyingly disciplined that from a distance, they looked like a singular, massive, scaled beast resting on the earth.
Standing menacingly in the absolute center of this colossal host was the highly secretive, 20,000 strong Qinglong Unit. They stood in rigid silence, their revolutionary flintlocks and heavy blunderbusses heavily wrapped in thick, waterproof canvas to conceal the empire's greatest technological leap from prying eyes.
Lie Fan draped in his magnificent, awe inspiring black and gold imperial battle armor, his crimson cape billowing violently in the wind, stood high upon a massive, towering wooden platform built specifically for this grand review.
Looking down at his invincible legions, a profound sense of pride swelled in Lie Fan's chest. He did not use a booming war horn to speak, the acoustic design of the platform and the absolute, dead silence of his disciplined men allowed his deeply powerful, blood pumping speech to echo across the plains.
"Warriors of Hengyuan!" Lie Fan roared, his voice carrying the indomitable weight of the Emperor. "Look around you! You are the iron spine of the greatest dynasty the world has ever known! Together, we have shattered the northern warlords! We have conquered the southern jungles! We have rule over the oceans and brought the eastern islands to their knees!"
He paused, letting the magnitude of their victories settle over the ocean of steel.
"But our peace is threatened. Savages from the deep west test our borders. They burn our settlements. They slaughter our merchants. Today, I tell you with absolute honesty, you are going to march into yet again another deadly, continent spanning campaign. This war will be unlike any other you have ever faced. You will encounter entirely new, terrifying kinds of dense, sweltering jungle terrains that seek to swallow you. You will face exotic, wasting diseases. You will fight ferocious new enemies who ride massive war elephants that shake the earth, and who fight with ancient, brutal tactics!"
Lie Fan drew his imperial sword. The friction of the steel clearing the scabbard rang out sharp and clear. He raised the gleaming blade to the sky, the sunlight catching its edge.
"But you will absolutely not falter!" Lie Fan fiercely told them, his eyes blazing with a terrifying, visionary fire. "Because the Mandate of Heaven is firmly on our side! The sheer will of the world is ours to forcefully shape, to conquer, and to mold! We do not yield to the jungle! We do not yield to beasts! We will march into the unknown, and we will crush them all in the glorious name of the Hengyuan Dynasty! This is your sacred homeland! Defend it, and carve your names into eternity!"
Hearing their Emperor's fiery, uncompromising words, the Nationalism ideology that Lie Fan had so deeply rooted in their hearts completely erupted. It was a visceral, overwhelming reaction. The 420,000 soldiers let out deafening, earth shattering cheers that physically shook the very clouds above the capital. They furiously slammed their iron spears against their steel shields in a rhythmic, booming cadence that sounded like the heartbeat of a war god.
They passionately chanted in terrifying unison.
"For Hengyuan! For Homeland! And for The Emperor!"
The chant echoed across the plains, a promise of absolute devastation to anyone who dared oppose the Black Dragon.
The march south was a highly tactical, visually stunning spectacle of logistical mastery. Supreme commander Huang Zhong, riding his armored steed at the absolute forefront, rode alongside the brilliant head strategist Xun You. Together, they proudly led the colossal imperial army away from the capital.
Moving like an unstoppable force of nature, the massive columns of 420,000 men marched through the southern provinces. They flowed through the mountain passes and followed the great rivers, their supply trains stretching for dozens of miles behind them. Eventually, they descended deep into the tropical, humid environment of the vassal state of Funan, which would serve as their heavily fortified staging ground.
From the lush, sweltering jungles of Funan, they were positioned perfectly to launch their devastating, multi pronged attack into the wild, untamed territories to the west of their borders.
As the army made camp, clearing massive swathes of jungle to erect their disciplined grid of tents and artillery parks, the heat of Funan proved oppressive. Yet, inside the grand command tent, heavily guarded by elite halberdiers, the atmosphere was chillingly focused.
Huang Zhong and Xun You sat across from each other at a massive war table. Spread across the rough wood were countless, highly classified bamboo scrolls and meticulously drawn silk maps. These crucial, life saving pieces of information had, of course, been meticulously compiled over the last several months by the deeply embedded, shadow clad Oriole Agents, who had secretly charted the treacherous Indian frontiers at great personal risk.
The agents had provided an incredibly detailed, comprehensive geopolitical assessment of the chaotic western frontier. The intelligence broke down the major, deeply entrenched ancient powers involved in the region.
Looking over the maps, Xun You's brilliant mind instantly began categorizing the fragmented, dangerous political landscape. The Indian subcontinent's eastern frontiers were a dizzying, complex array of factions, ancient rivalries, and massive populations. The reports detailed them in rich, historically plausible precision:
The Kirata Peoples, who mostly mountain hunters, inhabit the steep, treacherous, and freezing foothills of the Eastern Himalayas to the far northwest. With an approximate population of 60,000, their military strength consisted of 10,000 terrifyingly agile, lightly armored archers. The Kirata specialized in high altitude guerrilla warfare and utilized deadly poisoned darts.
Led by fiercely independent tribal chieftains, they held no formal alliances, but they shared a bitter, blood soaked rivalry with the lowland Brahmaputra chiefdoms who constantly tried to capture and enslave them. They controlled vital resources of highly prized medicinal herbs, rare exotic animal pelts, and musk. Their primary involvement in the ongoing conflict had been brutally raiding Hengyuan's mountainous supply lines, using the terrain to vanish before retaliation could strike.
The Naga Chiefdoms, occupying the dense, impenetrable Patkai mountain ranges that formed a natural wall to the west. Their population was roughly 45,000, boasting a military of 8,000 fearless, fanatical warriors who wielded heavy, single edged iron daos and throwing spears. Ruled by a ruthless, uncompromising council of veteran warlords, the Naga were highly isolationist and incredibly territorial.
They controlled the vital mountain passes and rich deposits of salt and iron ore. They were currently causing massive instability by entirely blocking the overland trade routes and mercilessly massacring any Hengyuan merchant caravans that dared to enter their sacred forests, taking the heads of the merchants as trophies.
The Brahmaputra Valley Chiefdoms, located in the massive, incredibly fertile floodplains of the mighty Brahmaputra River. This was a densely populated, wealthy region of over 250,000 people, fielding a combined military strength of 35,000 well drilled infantrymen, skilled river boat archers, and early, armored war elephants. However, their leadership was entirely fractured.
They were ruled by various ambitious rajas and petty kings, all violently vying to reclaim the ancient, legendary legacy of the Pragjyotisha Kingdom. Because of their ceaseless internal wars over gold, timber, and the massive rice harvests, they were highly vulnerable and constantly shifting alliances. They served as the bloody, chaotic central battleground for the frontier raids.
The Manipur-Area Chiefs, situated in a strategic, lush valley entirely surrounded by mountains, acting as the absolute geographic gatekeepers between Southeast Asia and the Indian plains. With a wealthy population of 80,000, they fielded a highly mobile, professional military of 12,000 elite cavalry and disciplined footmen.
Ruled by a singular, immensely wealthy King known as the Ningthou, they were heavily enriched by their absolute monopoly over the overland trade of jade, amber, and prized warhorses from the northern steppes. They had recently allied with rogue Arakan forces to intentionally disrupt Hengyuan's border expansion, desperate to protect their lucrative trade monopoly from mainland merchants.
The Tripura Tribes, live in the deep and dense, western bamboo forests, possessing a population of roughly 100,000 and 15,000 hardened, stealthy forest fighters. They were animist tribes ruled by a loose confederation of elders. They were rich in ivory, cotton, and bamboo. The Tripura occasionally allied with the wealthy Samatata kingdom to fend off Bengal invaders, but they were currently actively joining the border skirmishes to plunder high-quality Hengyuan steel weapons to bring back to their elders.
Samatata, located in the incredibly wealthy, muddy, and sprawling eastern Bengal delta. This was a massive, civilized powerhouse with a population exceeding 400,000. Their terrifying military strength numbered 45,000 heavily armored infantry, supported by a massive, highly advanced river navy and hundreds of devastating, tower bearing war elephants.
Ruled by wealthy, sophisticated Brahmanical and Buddhist kings, Samatata was an absolute maritime trade hub. They harbored a deep, ancient rivalry with the neighboring kingdom of Vanga. Highly cautious of Hengyuan's southern expansion, the kings of Samatata were secretly funding the border raids to test Hengyuan's military strength without officially declaring war.
Vanga, occupying the southern Bengal delta and the vast Bay of Bengal coastlines. With a staggering population of 450,000, they boasted a military of 50,000 men. Vanga featured absolute naval supremacy in the region and fielded massive, castle bearing war elephants that functioned as mobile fortresses.
Ruled by powerful, seafaring monarchs enriched by overseas trade with the Romans and the Kushan Empire. They were heavily arrogant, viewing the ongoing border conflicts as a highly profitable opportunity to expand their own naval dominance and seize weakened territories.
Pundravardhana, sitting on the fertile northern plains, acting as the heavy, unyielding buffer between the delta kingdoms and the massive Guishuang (Kushan) Empire to their west. They held a population of 350,000, with 40,000 elite troops focusing heavily on heavy chariot charges, heavily armored elephants, and dense pike formations. They were a deeply centralized kingdom that constantly fought brutal, grueling border wars with the Guishuang peripheries, making their soldiers incredibly battle-hardened and disciplined.
The Arakan-Chittagong, a rugged coastal stretch south of the deltas populated by 120,000 people, fielding 20,000 skilled marine raiders and pirates. Ruled by vicious pirate kings and opportunistic coastal lords, they effectively controlled the eastern Bay of Bengal. They were directly responsible for the massive, catastrophic naval raids on Hengyuan's coastal settlements, stealing massive amounts of silver and silk and disappearing into their hidden coves.
The Pyu City-States, located in the Irrawaddy valley to the immediate south of the conflict zone, acting as a wealthy, impenetrable buffer. They possessed a population of 500,000 spread across several massive, heavily fortified brick walled cities, such as Sri Ksetra and Halin.
Their combined military was 50,000 strong, heavily focused on defensive siege warfare and a massive elephant corps. Ruled by deeply religious, wealthy kings, they were incredibly rich in silver and sacred Buddhist relics. The Pyu had remained strictly neutral in the ongoing conflict, heavily fortifying their massive brick walls and closing their gates to ensure the war did not spill into their prosperous lands.
Huang Zhong leaned over the map, his thick, scarred fingers tracing the winding rivers of the Brahmaputra valley. "It is a hornet's nest," the veteran general rumbled, his voice like grinding stones. "Over two million people spread across dozens of kingdoms, all hating each other, all armed to the teeth, and all backed by the shadow of the Kushan Empire."
Xun You, sitting across from him, smiled a thin, perfectly calculated smile. He tapped his feather fan lightly against the map.
"Exactly, General Huang," Xun You replied smoothly. "And looking over this incredibly dizzying, complex array of factions, ancient rivalries, and massive populations, we can perfectly understand the sheer brilliance of His Majesty's grand strategy."
Xun You stood up, walking around the table. "It would be absolute folly to attempt to conquer and hold all of this densely populated, hostile territory outright. We would be fighting guerrilla wars in the Patkai mountains, naval battles in the Bengal delta, and elephant charges in the plains simultaneously. It would bleed the empire dry."
Huang Zhong nodded in agreement. "We have the numbers to crush them in a field battle, but holding the land is another matter entirely."
"So, we follow the Emperor's mandate," Xun You stated, his eyes glowing with strategic fervor. "Exactly as Your Majesty and his inner council firmly agreed upon, our absolute primary objective for this campaign is not total annexation. We must meticulously analyze this intelligence and pick one strong, highly capable local Indian power."
Xun You's finger hovered over the map, specifically targeting the fractured but fertile central regions. "Likely one of the ambitious Brahmaputra rajas, or perhaps a pragmatic, wealthy Bengal king from Samatata who desires to crush Vanga. We will find a ruler whose ambition outstrips his current military capacity."
______________________________
Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 36 (203 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 11)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 1,010 (+20)
VIT: 659 (+20)
AGI: 653 (+10)
INT: 691
CHR: 98
WIS: 569
WILL: 436
ATR Points: 0