The main reason is that these devices, which combine technology and Taoist magic, have attracted the attention of the Immortal Qin. After suffering losses, they have also become quite interested.
Therefore, the Great Han was spared, while at the same time, he was kept under immense pressure, constantly facing the threat of death, so that he could unleash his greatest potential and invent more useful instruments for the Immortal Qin.
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Chapter 91: The Kingdom of Wu and the Imperial Court
This is why, as soon as the various new weapons of the Han Dynasty were invented, the Qin Dynasty would quickly imitate them and put them into service!
Thanks to these machines, the overall efficiency of the Immortal Qin has increased by at least one level! Considering the sheer size of the Immortal Qin population, even an increase of one level is enough to temporarily spare the life of the Great Han!
When the speed at which the Han Dynasty invented things could not keep up with the speed at which the Qin Dynasty imitated them, or when the Qin Dynasty became dissatisfied, the Han Dynasty no longer had any reason to exist!
"Don't worry, we have more trump cards. That Longhai warship is actually outdated," Cai Yan said with a smile, trying to reassure her.
In reality, this is nothing but self-deception. After all, even the Industrial Revolution had a period of accumulation, buffer, and then explosive growth. By this time, the explosive growth phase was almost over.
Xian Qin has acquired almost everything he could learn!
In a military camp, Guo Jia, Taishi Ci, and Xi Zhicai were contemplating how to fight the next battle.
"The entire Wu Kingdom currently has 120 million citizens, and the entire population is already mobilized for war. There are now a million troops gathered here, while the opposing Xian Qin has two million troops. In terms of strength, they are basically all elite forces."
"In terms of weaponry, we have ample equipment, a full ten thousand cannons of various kinds. We also have over thirty thousand hastily trained Taoist priests, as many as one thousand fourth-tier Taoist soldiers, and..."
After a long pause and listening to Xi Zhicai's summary, Taishi Ci's brows relaxed slightly, and he asked directly, "Then, what about the imperial reinforcements?"
With the strength of the Wu Kingdom at this moment, winning this battle, and even the next and the one after that, should not be a problem!
The problem is, without reinforcements, no matter how powerful the Wu Kingdom is, how long can it hold out? It's nothing more than a rootless duckweed!
"Alas, Ziyi, as you know, His Majesty is now severely injured and unable to handle state affairs. The ones in charge are Empress He and the Grand General! In their eyes, Jiangdong is truly a powerful regional power!"
Here, we must mention the relationship between the Wu Kingdom and the imperial court at this time. Since the upheaval thirty-six years ago, the Wu Kingdom had become the research center of the entire Han Dynasty.
By utilizing many ingenious inventions, the State of Wu reaped enormous profits. Naturally, many people became envious!
However, at that time, the one in charge was the Spirit Emperor, who had enough prestige to suppress all those who dared to disobey! Those petty villains didn't dare to show their faces at all.
Therefore, although many people wanted to get a share of the spoils from the Wu Kingdom, they suppressed their desires.
But things changed after Emperor Ling fell seriously ill and became unable to manage state affairs. Many petty and greedy people began to appear.
Furthermore, the Wu Kingdom itself was becoming increasingly powerful, while the imperial court was becoming increasingly weak, and Empress He did not possess the strength and prestige of Emperor Ling.
Therefore, from then on, the imperial court began to weaken the Wu Kingdom intentionally or unintentionally! Otherwise, if things continued to develop in this way, perhaps one day the strength of the Wu Kingdom could rival that of the imperial court!
"Forget about these demons and monsters for now. Just chop off their hands and legs! Whoever dares to lay a hand on someone, kill them on sight! We absolutely cannot be weak in this regard!"
"Furthermore, spread the word about the First Lady's half-step seventh-level strength. Use this as an excuse to grant amnesty to the entire Wu Kingdom and hold a celebration. Let the lower and middle classes have a good time. At the same time, demonstrate the strength of the Wu Kingdom and deter those who are unscrupulous!" Guo Jia said calmly.
Over the years, they have become seasoned veterans. They have witnessed countless conspiracies and schemes, and thus have gradually gained an understanding of the treacherous nature of human hearts. Their reputation as geniuses has spread far and wide.
"Haha, let's do it that way then, I have no objection! I also think that those people overstepped their bounds!" Xi Zhicai said with a smile.
“Indeed, it’s time to kill him. However, let’s inform the two ladies first!” Taishi Ci added.
...
Meanwhile, outside the Han Dynasty world, Liu Bang and Xu Fu were quietly playing Go. Xu Fu played black, and Liu Bang played white! They seemed quite calm and composed.
With a snap, Xu Fu placed his piece.
"Child of the Crimson Emperor, what have you decided? Why not surrender? The Great Han has no hope left. The outer perimeter is now protected by a Chaos Array, preventing reinforcements from entering. How can the Great Han possibly stand a chance against the ever-growing army of the Immortal Qin?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Bang remained silent. Instead, he was remarkably calm, as if he hadn't heard anything at all, seemingly still deep in thought about how to play his game.
Snap
"Now, throughout the entire void, who doesn't know that I, the Immortal Qin, am determined to conquer the Han Dynasty? And who would dare to come to your aid? You might as well give up!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Bang's eyes darted around, and he raised his head, saying calmly, "The world is so vast, even the Qin Dynasty has enemies!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Fu smiled and continued, "Indeed, the Immortal Qin does have enemies, and quite a few at that! But the effort must be commensurate with the reward, right? Saving the Han Dynasty required a great deal of sacrifice, but what did we get in return? A peak-level Earthly Realm world? Anyone with a sound mind wouldn't do that."
Upon hearing this, Liu Bang fell silent in the meeting place. Indeed, if the Han Dynasty were already at the early stage of the Heavenly Realm, many people would be willing to step in and help the Han Dynasty hold off the Immortal Qin!
The problem is that, although the Han Dynasty is very valuable and has many outstanding individuals, it is still only a peak-level Earthly Realm world! Although it is precious, it is not indispensable and not worth turning against the Immortal Qin directly!
"Child of the Crimson Emperor, the entire Han Dynasty is now isolated. Even the Chosen Ones cannot reincarnate again. Under these circumstances, it is impossible for the Han Dynasty to survive on its own!"
"In other words, whether it's external reinforcements or relying on the chosen ones from within, there's really no hope left! Unless, suddenly, someone breaks through to the Dao Lord level!"
"But is the position of Taiyi Daojun so easy to break through? The world's origin is insufficient; unless the entire Han Dynasty is unified, there is absolutely no hope!"
Hearing Xu Fu's words, Liu Bang felt a slight disappointment. Indeed, the hope for a Han dynasty reversal was now very slim!
However, at this moment, in the chaos, beams of light that were so bright they seemed to illuminate the entire chaos appeared!
"Huh, is someone undergoing tribulation, and a tribulation at the Dao Lord level at that? Could someone be proving the Dao? It's a pity it's not the Han Dynasty! Otherwise, perhaps your Han Dynasty would really have a chance to turn the tide!" Xu Fu mocked, but soon his laughter stopped!
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Chapter 92: Wind Tribulation, Fire Tribulation, Thunder Tribulation, Inner Demon Tribulation – Facing Four Tribulations Simultaneously
In the midst of chaos, Lin Yang had already left the world of Shrouding the Heavens and the land of reincarnation, and arrived in the boundless chaos.
What is chaos? It is the absence of up, down, front, back, time, and space.
Here, a moment is an eternity. Eternity is sometimes merely the time it takes to eat a meal. It is precisely this wondrous, chaotic land that has given birth to the diverse and vibrant world we know today!