I Have A Martial Dao World

The situation in the Western Frontier was looking up, and the war seemed to be nearing its end.

Just at that time, the Rakshasa suddenly exerted pressure on the Western Frontier issue, threatening to send more troops and launch a "total war."

Moreover, the Shun Dynasty's Imperial Court was in financial trouble at the time, already unable to support the Western Expedition Army. Faced with such threats from the neighboring powers, it actually caved.

Abnormal voices started to spread throughout the court, and Li Zhongtang was the first to submit a proposal,

"The Western Frontier is an outland of desolation, with vast deserts and scorched earth stretching for thousands of miles, the land is barren and sparsely populated, and not of high value. At this moment, going to war with the Rakshasa would be particularly unwarranted. It would be better to give up on the development efforts, redirect the provisions for withdrawal towards maritime defense."

He suggested giving up on the Western Frontier and reallocating the saved silver for "maritime defense."

The Beiyang Fleet, which had been badly damaged, had yet to recover, and fixing a single battleship ended up costing even more than purchasing a new one!

Meanwhile, Izumo had recovered its vitality with the assistance of Einheit.

There were not a few officials who harbored such thoughts; in their eyes, the Western Frontier was a "barren land," and getting involved in a major conflict over it was hardly worth it. Even reaping the benefits of any gains to date would be fine, let alone giving up Ili.

Therefore, the voices advocating for "peace negotiations" soared unprecedentedly.

Emperor Yong'an immediately summoned Zuo Gong back to court for a report to discuss the matter. It seemed that the "peace negotiation faction" had swayed him.

Zuo Gong, on the other hand, did not pay any attention to the court's summons and completely ignored the various voices saying "quit while you're ahead."

Instead, he issued a direct order— the army was to march forth, aiming straight for Ili, to have a decisive battle with the Rakshasa!

The message was clear— act now, talk later; fight first, discuss afterward!

~~~~~~~~~

"Any clear-eyed person can see that the Rakshasa is the weakest among the powers, they are just bluffing, and yet the Imperial Court is actually considering giving up the Western Frontier to negotiate peace,"

"It's not that simple, this is about the court officials competing for military spending..."

At that moment, Lu Yao's family was escorting the army along with Yu Yanmei to Ili.

The military generals nearby expressed their opinions on the disputes within the court.

However, everyone appeared relaxed, seemingly confident in Zuo Gong's certain victory.

Lu Yao knew well that Zuo Gong's approach was the most correct at this time— if you don't take a firm stance, I'll force you to!

"Hey ho!"

"Hey ho!"

Voices chanting work songs came from nearby as countless people and animals pushed forward a 280MM coastal artillery cannon.

This cannon, produced by Jiade, was tremendously powerful; a single hit could slice off a chunk of a Golden Body Level expert's health bar, putting them at a significant disadvantage in battle.

The thing weighed 27 tons, but luckily it could be disassembled into three parts for transport. Sometimes, when the road was difficult, Lu Yao did not hesitate to come over and help push.

During the journey, the soldiers and generals developed a good impression of him. Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire

Lu Yao was full of anticipation. He wanted to witness the battle of the Golden Body experts firsthand and broaden his horizons.

But by the time they reached the capital of Ili, "Yining City," they had still not seen a trace of the Rakshasa people.

All the cities along the way had been abandoned, and the whole march seemed like an armed parade.

Li Pei said, "My Lord, the Rakshasa Duke has abandoned all the towns along the way and is fleeing rapidly, clearly not willing to fight."

Lu Yao nodded, "Hmm, faced with Zuo Gong's assembly of a large army and the posture for a decisive battle, the demon beasts have chickened out."

~~~~~~~~~

In Yining City, the "Duke Patkin" of the Rakshasa did not run further; running away would mean completely giving up on Ili.

This would damage his reputation, negatively affect his political career, and pose an obstacle to obtaining a true dukedom.

A dukedom was highly significant for his kind, so he had to put up at least a semblance of resistance.

At this time, Duke Patkin straightened his collar, planning to spar with the human experts of Shun Country for a bit, then retreat under the excuse of insufficient military strength.

As for fighting to the death, that was out of the question. He had centuries of life to enjoy, why risk it in a deadly combat?

With great power and an extended youth, one could enjoy a wonderful life— why take unnecessary risks?

Deadly combat was not out of the question, only if the benefits were sufficient.

But for the Tsar's interests... better not.

~~~~~~~~~

Below Yining City, Lu Yao also met the man who led the Western Frontier's military campaign— Zuo Jicun, Zuo Gong.

He had only seen him through a drone before; this was the first time he was meeting him in person.

He was robust and his eyes were like torches, his square face clearly showing his integrity.

Yet, there was a faint aura of decay about him, giving the impression he was nearing the end of his strength.

Near him stood a coffin, signifying his resolve to fight the invaders to the death and reclaim Ili.

Lu Yao immediately understood—this man, Zuo Gong, didn't have much longer to live. He wanted to settle the matter of the Western Frontier once and all before his death.

At this moment, Zuo Gong glanced over the gathered army and declared loudly, "Gentlemen, the Rakshasa are merely bluffing. Today, we shall join forces to break the metal and reclaim our lost lands!"

The officers and soldiers responded with a resounding chant: "Kill the enemy! Kill the enemy! Kill the enemy!"

Zuo Gong leaped in front of Yining City and bellowed, "Patkin, dare you face me in battle!!"

This shout was like thunder from a clear sky, leaving ears buzzing.

The Rakshasa garrison in Yining City immediately turned their cannons, attempting to bombard Zuo Gong.

And Lu Yao had already adjusted the 280mm coastal gun that had been brought in, his Mind Force infusing the cannonballs as he fired suddenly.

With a tremendous boom, the muzzle flashed with great fire and thick smoke.

A 350-kilogram shell whistled out of the barrel, flying over a distance of 6 kilometers with a terrifying howl, and landed precisely in the artillery placement on the city walls.

First came a dazzling flash of light, followed by a deafening explosion. Within a 50-meter radius, the Rakshasa gunners were reduced to ashes, and several Rakshasa cannons were flung from the ramparts.

The soldiers cheered, and even Zuo Gong looked over and nodded in acknowledgment.

Lu Yao had already grabbed the second cannonball to load.

At that time, there was no movement from within the city, and the Duke-level Vampires hadn't shown themselves.

Zuo Gong shouted again, "Patkin, dare you face me in battle!!"

"Patkin, dare you face me in battle!!"

After the third shout, Patkin finally showed himself on the city walls.

This Duke-level Vampire powerhouse was surrounded by dark red, flame-like patterns, giving a cold glance at Lu Yao's cannon as if he were quite wary of it.

Those swept by his gaze instantly felt as if they had been doused with ice-cold water.

Yu Yanmei quickly reminded him, "Once the battle begins, you bombard that demon beast with the cannon. Even if you can't kill it, you can diminish its strength and create an opportunity for Zuo Gong."

Lu Yao nodded in understanding. This was also the significance of the cannon, as long as it could deplete the health of the opponent in the Golden Body Realm.

Yu Yanmei herself drew her sword, ready to support Zuo Gong when the time came.

And Zuo Gong, with a sudden surge of momentum, firmly locked onto Patkin. The swirling True Qi formed a tornado, pushing away the soil and stones under his feet.

The situation was on a knife-edge, poised to explode into battle!

Lu Yao was also rubbing his hands together in anticipation, ready to give it his all. He was confident that together with Zuo Gong, they could slay this demon beast!

But what happened next was completely unexpected.

The Vampire powerhouse suddenly turned into a blood shadow and fled into the sky...

In full view of everyone, this powerful Rakshasa had actually fled, without even a word of pretense.

Everyone was speechless for a long time...

Yu Yanmei sheathed her sword and snorted towards the direction it fled, "These demon beasts bully the weak and fear the strong, not even daring to face Zuo Gong."

Li Pei laughed, "It probably knows—Zuo Gong is truly willing to go down together with it. Plus with your cannon aimed at it, it could have been an accident waiting to happen; how could it not be afraid?"

At that moment, having witnessed the cowardly escape, Lu Yao suddenly recalled a phrase—"Imperialists are paper tigers."

~~~~~~~~~

After that, the army naturally took control of Yining City.

There were only a few Rakshasa soldiers left in the city, Patkin had long since sent away his elite and confidants. This proved that it had planned its escape from the very beginning.

With this, the conflict in the entire Western Frontier was completely resolved.

But for Zuo Gong, this was only the first step of his plan; the rest was the key.

He didn't just intend to recover the Western Frontier but also planned to establish it as a "province." This wasn't a task for one generation but a great undertaking for eternal benefit.

~~~~~~~~

Seeing that matters had come to a satisfying conclusion, Lu Yao and his family also planned to leave.

This trip had been hugely rewarding, and Lu Yao himself was quite content, feeling it had been well worth the journey.

On the day before they were to depart, Zuo Gong's son—Zuo Xiaowei—suddenly came to visit, politely requesting, "Grandmaster Lu, my father requests your presence."