I Have A Martial Dao World

Lin Zhongqing was spot on; the newspapers the next day carried the headline of an official declaration of war between Shun Country and Izumo.

In fact, before the news broke, the two countries had already skirmished in secret, with neither side gaining an advantage.

However, most people in the imperial court and the country held an optimistic view of the war.

Izumo might be a small country, akin to an insignificant player previously not worthy of much attention, now audaciously attempting to snack on something much larger than itself, even formulating something called the "Strategy for Conquest." It was truly an absurdity.

Moreover, the Zhenhai Fleet was reputed as the "number one navy in the Far East," so this battle was sure to have no suspense.

Lu Yao quickly flipped through the newspaper, feeling that these people were too optimistic.

Fortunately, there were also enlightened individuals who pointed out the crux of the problem:

[Izumo has spent 60% of its national fiscal revenue on developing its navy, fostering high morale throughout the nation. With our country as its target, it is prepared for a war that will bet the fate of their nation.

The total displacement of their navy has already surpassed ours; we must not underestimate the enemy in this battle!]

The statement was accurate, but unfortunately, the greatest event right now was the Empress Dowager's grand birthday banquet.

Newspapers were brimming with reports of the birthday celebration preparations, lighting, and other decorative arrangements. Expenses for new seating and golden palanquins were so high, they could nearly fund the construction of a new Zhenhai Fleet.

As the timelines between the two worlds began to converge once more, Lu Yao had been racking his brain lately, trying to come up with something to throw into the mix.

"Must be warships that can fight and are easy to buy..."

"Anti-ship missiles" would be great, but the Otherworld lacks satellites, and I do not have the conditions to launch them.

Modern missiles aren't just about pressing a button; these 4–5 meter-long objects are not simple to operate in practice.

And purchasing such items would certainly attract the attention of Blue Star nations. Having the Foreign Affairs Bureau watching is trouble enough; it's not the time to reveal myself yet.

~~~~~~~~~

While Lu Yao pondered, he did not neglect his cultivation.

Presently, out of 26 vertebrae, astonishingly, 4 had been cleansed, catching up to Liao Ya's progress, and he had even helped Liao Qi cleanse the marrow of her limbs.

Apart from his own cultivation, he also massaged the two girls every day.

The women, perceiving such rocket-like progress in cultivation, were so astonished they couldn't close their mouths, almost finding it hard to believe.

Liao Ya, touching her own back in wonder, said, "This is too fast. Five days have equaled three months of my hard training."

Liao Qe even hugged her beloved's arm and said, "Lu Yao, you should advance in cultivation yourself. Don't focus on me; I'm not in a hurry."

Lu Yao took a moment to regulate his breathing and exhaled a breath of foul air: "This is nothing. Once we solve the side effects of the 'Ten-Complete Pill,' progress will be even swifter."

Currently, she could only take three. Taking four would leave Liao Qe unable to leave the bed the next day.

However, even taking three had some effects, and Liao Qe had been struggling to serve him recently. Secretly, she had acquired some adult-only picture books, hoping to learn some genuine skills to alleviate their stress.

At this moment, the three of them finished their day's cultivation and sat in the pavilion, observing the scenery and resting.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Liao Ya asked, "Has Sister Li not sent another telegram? Why doesn't she make a phone call?"

Lu Yao replied, "No more telegrams. Phone calls would have to be transferred, and operators could overhear the conversation. She doesn't want to cause us any trouble, so she's reduced the contact."

Phones these days were still of the crank-operated kind; dial phones hadn't yet been introduced.

Liao Ya muttered, "Oh, I wonder when she will be able to return. She must be feeling terrible right now... I can understand that feeling though. After father died, my family also plummeted from the clouds into an abyss."

Liao Qe took her sister's hand and gently said, "It's all in the past; we are having a good time now."

Lu Yao reassured, "Don't worry; Li Pei should be back in no time. Wang Mansion will at most suffer some loss of benefits, but no lives are at risk."

After chatting for a while, the sisters knelt down to massage Lu Yao's feet. They knew their junior brother enjoyed this and would occasionally indulge him.

The delicate touch coming from his feet, before his eyes were two faces as charming as flowers, and two pairs of eyes that looked both annoyed and pleased.

Lu Yao contentedly closed his eyes, feeling that if it weren't for all the mess and various bastards causing trouble, to just grow stronger every day with a few girls and live a happy life, it would really be quite nice.

At that moment, Su Er grabbed a newspaper and ran over, followed by three squawking Spiritual Sparrowhawks chasing after her.

The little girl was panting heavily as she ran: "Uncle Master, the... the newspaper..."

She stood tightly next to Lu Yao, and after finishing her sentence, she turned back and glared provocatively.

The three Spiritual Sparrowhawks glowered back resentfully, deeply annoyed that this little girl had stolen their job of delivering the newspaper.

Liao Ya stood up and scolded: "No fighting, nor is there any need to bully others!"

The three Spiritual Sparrowhawks came over humbly to please her, bowing their heads and looking obedient.

They also carried a bit of instinct, having ranked the people in the house—Lu Yao first, the two ladies tied for second.

The Spiritual Sparrowhawks considered themselves superior to Su Er, often scaring and bullying her. The little girl had a very unpleasant time hanging out with them.

Lu Yao said with doting laughter: "Come here, all of you, I'll give you a massage."

Not until he finished massaging Su Er and the Spiritual Sparrowhawks did Lu Yao begin to read today's newspaper.

And the headline was glaring—Pyongyang has fallen!

~~~~~~~~~

In the capital's streets, festooned with lanterns and streamers, the holiday atmosphere was in full swing.

Inside the Wenhua Hall, a small court deliberation was taking place.

Although there were not many participants, they were all top figures of the Imperial Court.

At that moment, the hall was silent except for a little eunuch reading a report:

[Izumo launched a four-pronged attack on Pyongyang, Commander Ye Zhichao abandoned the city and fled, and was then ambushed. Our army was defeated, and Pyongyang has fallen...]

The news of Pyongyang's fall created an awkward moment in the room.

Izumo's invasion of Goryeo was one thing, but Goryeo, being a vassal state of the Shun Dynasty, deserved aid.

However, no one had expected a defeat, much less a catastrophic one.

Emperor Yong'an said angrily: "Ye Zhichao is a foolish and incompetent coward, a tiger scared by the enemy, he deserves death!"

After all, the Government Forces had the advantage of both terrain and popular support—the officials and civilians of Goryeo greatly supported the Shun Army; it was hard to imagine such a loss.

But after the Emperor finished speaking, no one echoed his words. After a while, only the Imperial Mentor, Elder Weng, took a stand with a stiff neck:

"Izumo, a trifling country, our royal forces have only suffered a minor defeat, reshaping our troops should resolve the issue at once."

Afterward, Elder Weng turned to an old man and said: "Li Zhongtang, it is time for the long-trained navy to be put to use. Deploy the Zhenhai Fleet. Defeating the Izumo Navy will lead to their self-destruction."

Without its navy, Izumo, being an island country, would be useless no matter how well they fought on land.

But Li Zhongtang found it difficult and said: "Deploying the fleet will incur substantial costs and could escalate into full-scale war between the two nations, which would be unwise."

The meaning of his words was clear to everyone — the saying goes, "When the cannon fires, silver flies by the tens of thousands"; there simply wasn't enough money to deploy the fleet.

Recently, in preparation for the Emperor's longevity feast and the construction of the Summer Palace, even the Imperial Court had to take loans from foreign banks to maintain operations.

Elder Weng and Li Zhongtang argued back and forth, while everyone else remained silent, keeping to their own thoughts.

As the young Emperor was growing up, it was time for him to take the reins of power, and it was the most dangerous time for the transfer of authority from the Emperor to the Empress Dowager; it was wiser to stay out of trouble to avoid a fall from grace like Prince Gong.

At that moment, there was movement behind the beaded curtain where the Empress Dowager sat.