Yes, Madam Prime Minister

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On the other side, the land battlefield.

The situation in Yunnan is relatively normal, but there's nothing to be happy about. This is a detached force whose goal is to use some "neutral" chieftains in the border areas to tie down the Wei Kingdom's troops in Yunnan, preventing them from supporting Guangxi, or even launching a siege to rescue Zhao.

The main force of Annam's army was located in the Guangxi direction.

It went smoothly at first.

What is the standing military strength of Guangxi? Less than 20,000. Even if they are dispersed to different areas, the total strength is only about 30,000.

How many did Annam deploy? Sixty thousand. This number doesn't include the logistical laborers; it's sixty thousand soldiers. Even though most of these sixty thousand were ordinary people, and over twenty thousand were auxiliary troops without even muskets, Annam still held the numerical advantage.

As the saying goes, the advantage lies with us.

Then, the advance force on the Annamese side was dealt a heavy blow by Lu Jianling.

Based on the reports from those who returned, the Annan side concluded that Lu Jianling had concentrated his extraordinary soldiers for use, so they rushed towards Lu Jianling's main force.

On the Eastern side, the morale of ordinary soldiers is very low. Without the support of superhuman soldiers, they are easily defeated and cannot withstand much damage.

In the past, the West was the same, but things are different now. In recent decades, several major Western countries have been reforming, and the living standards of ordinary people have improved. They have gradually begun to move towards citizen-military relations. In the decades-long wars that have been almost uninterrupted, many veterans have been forged. Veterans themselves are not particularly special; they are just not so easily defeated.

Annan felt that although Lu Jianling's assault team had defeated their advance force, it had gone too far and could not return to the main force in time. Now, her "main force" was just a bunch of useless people.

However, once the battle began, it was discovered that the enemy's superhuman soldiers were still intact.

Could it be that the Wei Kingdom had already dispatched a group of several hundred superhuman soldiers beforehand? Impossible! The Wei Kingdom's court is currently preoccupied with its own problems, busy suppressing the Jiangnan region. Besides, Lu Jianling had been stationed in Guangdong for a long time, and it's clear she was planning to join the Guangdong rebels. Sending her superhuman soldiers would be aiding the enemy.

Are the people in the Wei Kingdom's court out of their minds?

In fact, they had misunderstood. The imperial court really had no intention of providing support. To be precise, the imperial court hoped that the people of Guangdong and Guangxi would kneel down and beg them to submit to the imperial court and accept its rule before it would provide support.

The Annamese had no idea that these hundreds of superhuman assault troops were, not long ago, just natives of Guangxi.

A week later, Annan did not back down, but began to adopt a defensive posture.

Meanwhile, the real strategy had to be launched. The Annamite side originally planned to take action against the military headquarters after about half a month, when the war was at a stalemate and the land and sea armies of the Vijaya were unable to move easily, thus removing the two thorns in the side of southern Annam.

But now, we have no choice but to act ahead of schedule.

Moreover, we need to raise the price for the foreigners, because the situation at the front is unfavorable, and we must get the foreigners to contribute more in order to achieve our strategic goals.

In any case, Annam has no intention of giving up this military operation.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Wei is in turmoil and cannot provide timely and effective support. If we miss this opportunity, it will be difficult to remove those two thorns in our side.

Why not just kneel down and become a dog? Their ancestors couldn't kneel down, which is why they fled to foreign lands.

The fighting continues.

The situation at sea has completely stabilized.

On the one hand, the Westerners began to exert their strength and provided a lot of support. On the other hand, the Guangzhou Navy also had the idea of ​​preserving its strength. After all, they were now preparing to purge the court of corrupt officials. If they had wasted too much strength fighting the foreigners here, how could they purge the court of corrupt officials in the future?

On land, the pressure is immense. When did the Guangxi soldiers become so well-equipped and have such firepower? They're using their firepower advantage to suppress them. Are bullets and shells free?

But in truth, Lu Jianling was also quite annoyed. Annam's military strength was stronger than she had anticipated, especially its equipment. Whose fault was this? The foreigners. Which foreigner? It was none other than Ronan, that foreigner.

Chapter 944 Three Hundred Commando Units, if you're going to do something big, do it big. How did they become reinforcements?

In northern Vietnam, there are large plains in the south and narrow mountainous and hilly areas in the middle, forming a situation described as "carrying two baskets on one pole." Whether in Luo Nan's original timeline or in this world, the north and south of this region have long been independent of each other, and even have their own countries.

This is why the Wei Kingdom was able to establish a military headquarters in southern Vietnam. Southern Vietnam was unwilling to accept the rule of Annam. After all, the Seres were there, and their superiors continued to do as usual, only selling some grain and timber to the Seres. At least the Seres paid them. But if the Manchu lords of Annam came, they would be buying for free.

"What do you think about us entering Hanoi and launching a surprise attack on the rear of the Annamese army?" The speaker was Liu Chongsi, the second son of Lu Jianling. He was now the leader of a 300-man assault team that had just made great contributions, and Lu Jianling had arranged for him to be given the official position of acting battalion commander.

A mere battalion commander, or even an acting commander? Liu Chongsi looked down on him completely, but he didn't care.

He believed that once he made a great contribution, his stepfather would surely arrange a high-ranking military officer position for him. His mother was too inflexible and didn't even understand the principle of recommending the virtuous without considering kinship.

“This isn’t a good idea,” said Bai Dahai, nicknamed “One-Horned Rhinoceros.”

Now, Bai Dahai, Zhang Wu, and Wang Gui have all gained the strength to become squad leaders, each leading a hundred men.

Although Bai Dahai is disabled, his strength is still second only to Liu Chongsi.

The entire assault team was at the rank of Zhengshi (正位). Zhang Wu, the "Black Tree Frog," and Wang Gui, the "Money Rat," were not as strong as many of the superhuman soldiers who had been transformed from natives, but that didn't matter. As long as they were Zhengshi, that was enough. In the military, it wasn't about individual strength or cultivation level; having Zhengshi was enough, as long as they could be classified as "people favored by heaven."

Just like when Lu Jianling first joined the army, her cultivation level was higher than her superior's. Or like when Ronan went to the colony, the semi-retired old marshal who helped train the troops was only a first-level official.

“Young Master, the enemy has no rear base. They control the entire Hanoi Plain. Their supply lines are short and not isolated. No matter how much trouble we cause there, we can't affect their logistics,” Zhang Wu said. Although he was a charcoal burner, he was, to be fair, the most militarily gifted of the three squad leaders.

Cutting off supply lines is only feasible if the enemy's supply lines are long enough and relatively singular.

"What are you two talking about? Young Master Lu is the son of General Lu, a member of the Imperial Guards of the capital. Doesn't he know more than you?" After saying that, Wang Gui chuckled obsequiously. Wang Gui was someone who knew absolutely nothing about military affairs; all he knew was how to flatter.

"Moreover, we don't speak the language and we don't know the way," Bai Dahai added.

“Language isn’t a problem. There are plenty of people here who understand Chinese translation. It’s not hard to find a translator or guide. It’s not that not knowing the way is a bit of a problem,” Zhang Wu added.

As for their own logistics, there's no need to worry. The Red River Plain in northern Vietnam is a grain-producing area with a large population, so why would they be afraid of not having enough to eat? Being surrounded is even less likely. They are all at the Rank 1 level, with extremely high mobility and endurance. Unless the other side sends a sufficient number of mid-rank extraordinary individuals, or even a few high-rank individuals, it is impossible to surround these three hundred people.

Mid-level superhumans are all on the front lines, while high-level superhumans cannot participate; that would be against the rules.

If Annan were to break the rules, he would be committing a grave taboo worldwide.

"Still talking back, you two are simply outrageous!" Wang Gui continued to berate, since he unconditionally supported the young master.

“I have no intention of cutting off supplies, nor am I planning to harass them. I want to attack Hanoi,” Liu Chongsi said.

At this, Wang Gui's jaw nearly dropped, and his two mustaches, which resembled rat whiskers, trembled violently. Sending someone to their death was not something he could unconditionally support.

What kind of place is Hanoi? It was the capital of the former Little Annam, and even now, it's an important city in the Greater Annam. With just three hundred men, they dare to attack the capital? That's not allowed.

However, upon hearing this, Bai Dahai hesitated, while Zhang Wu's eyes lit up.

"It doesn't matter if we can't take it down. Just attract some people over and reduce some pressure on General Lu's front line," Liu Chongsi added.

"Going there is easy, but the problem is how do we get back?" Bai Dahai asked. It's possible for three hundred men to take a detour and raid a major city like the capital, but after stirring up a hornet's nest, how are they going to get back to Guangxi? Going north would be suicide.

"Continue south, cross mountains and valleys, to the Zhennan Military Headquarters, and then take the sea route back to China," Liu Chongsi said.

His subordinates, including Wang Gui, whose combat effectiveness and fighting spirit were extremely poor, were merchants who had been traveling through the mountains and rivers of Guangxi to do business with various villages for many years. It could be said that, apart from him, the leader of the assault team, all the members were excellent mountain infantrymen.

A week later, in the mountains.

"Damn it, are these Annamese crazy?" Bai Tianhe cursed as he ate a rice cake, completely unprepared for this turn of events.

Not to mention Bai Tianhe, even Liu Chongsi didn't understand.

At first, when they made their way to Hanoi from the side, they encountered little resistance and no large army came back to block them.

Even when they caused trouble on the outskirts of Hanoi, the Annamese army didn't take them too seriously, because although their three hundred men were elite, they still couldn't capture a city.

However, just as they were heading south, a large group of people suddenly caught up with them, and it was a team composed entirely of superhumans.

At the beginning of the war, when they cooperated with the vanguard to defeat the enemy's advance force, they only lost about thirty men. This was entirely because these natives, who were just ordinary people in the past, had no experience fighting against ordinary soldiers with firearms and superhuman soldiers equipped with magic armor and magic guns. Otherwise, they would never have suffered such heavy losses.

But in the last few days, right here in the mountains, they have been relentlessly pursued by those behind them. They have repelled the enemy several times, and now they have lost more than fifty men. Their original three hundred men are now less than two hundred and fifty.

"Young Master, I'm afraid if we go south, we'll be stirring up a real hornet's nest," Zhang Wu said, his already dark face now turning ashen.

At this moment, Liu Chongsi, who had calmed down, finally had a guess: "They probably think we are reinforcements."

"Reinforcements?" asked Wang Gui, the Money Rat, who was sitting on a rock with only half his buttocks. He was sitting like that because the other half of his buttocks had been shot eight times. That's right, eight times. If he were an ordinary person, his buttocks would have been blown off long ago, but he was a superhuman, so he was only left with his skin torn and bleeding.

"The Annamese dare to attack the Zhennan Military Command?" Zhang Wu was shocked. Since becoming a junior officer, he had been constantly cramming for knowledge, so he knew about the Zhennan Military Command. The Seres people in the Zhennan Military Command were not many, only about ten thousand, but the Zhennan Military Command area had a large plain with a total population of nearly one million. If pushed too far, they could pull out tens of thousands of people to fight you.

Bai Dahai was very puzzled. "If their target is really the headquarters, our small number of support personnel won't be of any use."

"The key is not how much support is provided, but the support itself," Liu Chongsi said. "The biggest problem for the military headquarters right now is the lack of morale. If there is support, the soldiers and locals in the military headquarters will feel that the Celestial Empire has not abandoned them."

This is why the Annamese went berserk and hunted them down.

Chapter 945 Compensation is a Must; Cutting Off the Flesh of Buddhism, Women Are Also Animals

The war has been going on for some time now, but this time, the people of Guangdong feel something is strange.

In the past, when wars came, workers had to work overtime, and a few people would die in each factory. Farmers also had to contribute extra grain to support the front lines. Some people had to borrow money to buy grain to get through this period, or they would go hungry.

This time, however, no one died at the factory, and the farmers didn't have to borrow money to buy grain.

In fact, this time, the Annamese came even more fiercely than before, with more military equipment and additional grain requisitions. The reason why the lower classes felt that the exploitation was not as severe as before was entirely due to the increase in productivity.

With more factories and more workers, and with the support of new technologies and models, production efficiency has improved. Although working hours have increased, they are not dangerous enough to cause serious injury.

With more farmland and more farmers, and with improved fertilizers and seeds, grain production has increased significantly, including corn and potatoes. Even though the amount of grain collected is greater than before, we still haven't reached the point of starvation.

The workers and farmers didn't think much of it, but it was quite a hardship for the landlords and factory owners.

In the past, when wars came, the imperial court would allocate funds and then let them handle the affairs. To put it simply, only those with some connections in the government could not only avoid losses but also make a profit.

But this time, without government funding, they suffered a loss. Even though they had shifted much of the losses onto the workers and farmers, they still paid a considerable price.

Get the Guangdong government, or rather the committee, to allocate funds?

Don't even think about it; the committee's money is all used for development investments.

At this time, the committee was holding a routine meeting.

"The Annamese must pay reparations."

"That's right, they must compensate us for our losses."

As members of the gentry and wealthy merchants, the committee members never considered taking money from the committee, even if it could make up for their current losses. This was undoubtedly killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, and the key point was that the eggs they obtained would not all belong to them; on the contrary, most of them would benefit others.

It would be better to use the committee's funds for construction and development. After all, once Guangdong develops, those who will become directors of agricultural association branches and various industrial alliances will be able to merge with others and become part of agricultural and industrial monopolies.

It has to be said that it's hard to learn good things but easy to learn bad things. After coming into contact with Ronan, they have been rushing headlong toward becoming capitalists.

"If they don't pay compensation, we'll fight to the end. We'll give them special abilities and then they'll join the battle, starting from my base."

"Why did it start with your house?"

"I have a lot of family members, is that a problem?"

"Is someone home?"

They not only want to achieve an economic monopoly, but also plan to cultivate a large number of extraordinary individuals within their family.

After all, money without guns means the government's granary is at stake.

“That’s a good idea, but I suggest we start with the mortals in those academies.”

"If all else fails, we can use workers, or even ordinary members of the farmers' association."

"The local people of Guangxi are also quite good."

The committee includes many officials from humble backgrounds, as well as businessmen who have risen to prominence from ordinary citizens in recent years.

It could even be said that, through Ronan's deliberate arrangement, they held the upper hand within the committee.

They don't want superhumans in family units.

They would rather bring in native people from Guangxi than allow these local powerful families to become too influential and difficult to control.

Especially with Wang Sizheng as the supervisor, the presence of more ordinary people with extraordinary abilities will undoubtedly expand his influence.

"Compensation is definitely necessary. If we need to recruit more extraordinary individuals, we should start with students from ordinary academies." As the chairman of the committee, Zhao Jun spoke up. He wasn't stupid; of course, he didn't want the local powerful families to further strengthen their influence.

The path to becoming an elite among ordinary people is the right one.

Those from prominent families had no choice but to back down, not because Zhao Jun's words were powerful, but because the current leadership of the committee favored commoners.

This includes Lü Delin, who himself comes from a prominent family, because he is an outsider and holds an official position.

The matter was settled in this way: first, compensation would be paid; second, people would be selected from among the common scholars to be endowed with talent.

While the meeting was in progress.

Other things are also underway, such as Elena getting into trouble with the Buddhist sect.

First, label them as someone who not only fails to reform evildoers but also colludes with them. Once that label is attached, we can discuss the real issue, which is quite simple: Buddhist temples in various parts of Guangdong that engage in lending business should separate their lending operations and turn them into branches of commercial banks.

Otherwise, this hat would be more than just a hat.

The old monks of the temples then realized that the free labor was a trap, and that this was what was waiting for them.

These unpaid laborers were essentially appendages of the opposition. They naturally had some hidden wealth, and in order to live better during their time in labor camps, they would find ways to give money to the monks.

And this became the leverage that Elena held onto.

There was no other way, so the monks had to reluctantly accept the loss, but they also asked for a promise: that the matter would be completely forgotten and that they would not bring it up again.

Elena readily agreed and even had someone take the matter to court. The authorities found the monks innocent, making the case irrefutable and putting the monks at ease.

"Would you be interested in becoming a branch manager?" Elena asked Guo Hanlu, who was standing next to her.

"Huh?" Guo Hanlu thought she had misheard. "You, don't you know who I am?"