Chapter 363: Returning Land? With all the royal family members killed, who should it be returned to?
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Then, Lin Beifan ordered the other commanders to reclaim several other cities.
With the royal family members wiped out and other nobles mostly fled, taking over the remaining cities was smooth. There was no need for fighting; they surrendered directly, welcoming the army with joy and excitement.
Lin Beifan sat in the royal court, overseeing the situation. With his efforts, the common people who had been imprisoned were released.
The passage between the two nations was restored once again, trade flowed smoothly, and supplies began to enter Darro again.
The driven-out merchants and schoolteachers slowly returned, and production and business activities began again. The schools continued classes, and everything resumed in an orderly manner.
Seeing this scene, the hearts of the Darro common people finally settled.
They celebrated with joy and happiness! With good times ahead, who would want to cause trouble?
Meanwhile, the news of Great Wu conquering Darro spread throughout the land, astonishing everyone.
Within just a week of starting the campaign, they managed to conquer Darro, a country with a population reaching millions and a territory of over 300,000 square kilometers?
What kind of divine speed is this? They cant even finish a military march in that time!
Brave and ferocious Darro, a country with a fierce populace. Was it really that easy to defeat them?
I heard that the one leading the campaign for Great Wu is Prime Minister Lin Beifan! Although hes a scholar, hes an expert in military affairs! He led only 100,000 troops to Darro, and upon seeing him, the citys defenders surrendered without a fight! And so, without any losses, they managed to reach the royal court of Darro!
Not only did they avoid losing any troops, they even reclaimed numerous cities along the way. The armys size kept growing, eventually reaching 600,000 troops! With 600,000 troops besieging the city and the citizens in the city switching sides, the battle was won!
Prime Minister Lins military prowess is truly admirable!
Five consecutive victories, each more spectacular than the last! Prime Minister Lin is undoubtedly the worlds number one war deity! I salute him!
Expanding territory and gaining land, what a remarkable achievement! Great Wu has profited greatly!
Admiration, admiration!
Within the imperial court of Great Wu, the Empress burst into laughter: I knew it, Lin Beifan is not one to disappoint! In less than a months time, he managed to conquer Darro without losing a single soldier. I must reward him handsomely!
Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations on becoming the third Emperor of Great Wu to expand the territory since the countrys foundation! And at the same time, the first Empress in the entire worlds history to expand the territory!
Based solely on this achievement, Your Majestys name will echo through history, leaving an eternal legacy!
Such achievements can be compared to the emperors of old!
Praises poured in abundantly.
The Empress continued to laugh heartily, extremely pleased.
While the Empress was delighted, other emperors from neighboring countries werent as happy; they felt a sense of crisis. Because Great Wu had already become one of the three major dynasties in the world, with considerable strength that shook the world.
Now, they had conquered Darro, further increasing their might.
After all, land and population were resources. Great Wu had suddenly gained so many resources; wouldnt they become stronger? As they grew stronger, wouldnt neighboring countries become more vulnerable? Consequently, they couldnt sit still, and they raised the banner of righteousness to criticize and condemn Great Wu.
Great Wus campaign is an invasion, an unjust war! Bullying a smaller nation shows no responsibility as a major power! Great Wu should immediately withdraw their troops and return the land to the Darro royal family!
Without waiting for Great Wu to respond, Lin Beifan directly countered, Ive already killed all the Darro royal family members. Who should we return the land to?
The representatives of various nations were left speechless and had no choice but to suggest an alternative solution.
You guys Lin Beifan shook his head, Forget it, this battle cant be fought at all. Great Yan is just putting on a show!
The generals were puzzled, asking, Why?
Because in war, you have to consider the gains and losses, its not about fighting for no reason! Think about it, if they fight us and win, what can they gain? If they lose, what can they gain?
Before everyones thoughts could catch up, Lin Beifan impatiently explained, Idiots! Naturally, they wont gain anything by losing, but theyll lose troops and suffer! Even if they luckily win, theyll still lose troops and suffer. Then, theyll obtain a ruined Darro country. Darro has a fierce people and a challenging environment. Can they manage it? Whats the point?
Thats right! Everyone slapped their foreheads.
Then think about what losses well have in this battle?
In fact, we wont have any significant losses at all. Because this land originally wasnt ours, so losing it wouldnt be a big deal! Even if we bring 100,000 troops and theyre all sacrificed, it wont matter much. Therefore, after this battle, Great Yan will undoubtedly suffer heavy losses, while we, Great Wu, will suffer only minor losses.
Lin Beifan smiled slightly, Such a strategy of hurting the enemy while sparing ourselves is something I absolutely wont do. They wont do something so foolish either.
Looks like this battle wont be fought. So why did they send troops over?
Just bluffing! If we retreat, they will surely push their luck and demand benefits and advantages. So, we cant be afraid! Lin Beifan stood up and declared loudly, Gather the troops for training. Let them see our strength in action!
Yes, Prime Minister! Everyone responded.
The army was immediately organized, and they arrived at the border between the two countries for training. 100,000 soldiers from Great Wu clad in golden armor and 200,000 soldiers from Darro in their battle armor formed battle formations for practice.
The sounds of battle resounded, morale soared, and the fighting spirit soared. Great Yan couldnt help but feel overwhelmed!
The soldiers of Great Wu were truly powerful, walking in their golden armor, they exuded an invincible aura.
However, why did the Darro soldiers seem so obedient?
They followed orders without hesitation, willing and content!
As a result, wouldnt Great Wu now possess 300,000 troops?
And if other Darro soldiers were the same Does that mean Great Wu could amass nearly a million soldiers from Darro?
Thats quite terrifyingso many ants could even kill an elephant!
However, they still remained defiant with their words, constantly mocking, appearing fierce in their words, but taking no actual action!
Lin Beifans side was naturally the sameplenty of talk, but no actual movement!
After about a week like this, the imperial decree from the court finally arrived.
Lin Beifan led all the soldiers and Darro civilians to receive the imperial decree. By the Emperors decree: I have heard that Prime Minister Lin Beifan has incorporated Darro into the territory of Great Wu, realizing the grand achievement of expanding our borders. I am overjoyed! Henceforth, Darro shall be a part of Great Wu, and it shall be named Ming Darro Prefecture. The soldiers of Darro shall be our soldiers, and the people of Darro shall be our people, enjoying all the rights of the people of Great Wu! Subsequently, I shall dispatch Theres a lot more content, all with even more generous terms than what Lin Beifan promised.
The people of Darro were elated, expressing their gratitude, Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!
Next, it was time for the rewards to be conferred upon the surrendered generals.
Similar to the civilians, they were also handsomely rewarded. All of them were promoted by one rank while retaining their original positions. They also started receiving stipends from the Great Wu court. They were given the choice to remain in Darro or join Great Wu to achieve success.
The surrendered generals were also immensely grateful, saying, Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!
As for Lin Beifan and the other Great Wu generals, they hadnt received their rewards yet. It was probably something that would happen after their return.
Next was the process of transitioning.
Lin Beifan handed over the affairs of Darro to the officials sent by the court, and then they set off for the capital.