Crown Prince Sun Heng hesitated for a moment and said, "It will probably take another half a month. Before the new food and fodder arrives, I'm afraid the army will not be able to launch a large-scale attack."

Sun Hao then said, "After all, the Apulian Empire is a superpower with a population of over one billion. It will take several years to completely conquer the Apulian Empire."

Crown Prince Sun Heng sighed and said, "If the Apulian Empire hadn't fortified its defenses in the Eastern Provinces, perhaps we would have already reached Terpro City."

The city of Tepro is the capital of the Apulian Empire and the largest city in the Western Continent, with a population of over three million.

Sun Hao smiled and said, "In fact, we should thank the Apulian Empire for implementing the policy of clearing the countryside in the Eastern Province. Otherwise, our Han Dynasty would not have been able to control the Eastern Province with a population of nearly 200 million so quickly.

By the way, from now on, the Eastern Province of the Apulian Empire will be renamed the Eastern Province of the Han Dynasty."

In a small town in the new Pudong Province of the Han Dynasty, Savva, who was only fourteen years old, stood in a long line with a cloth bag in his hand, waiting for the Han army to distribute food.

Savva's father was once a centurion in the Toulouse Empire army. Later, in the war when the Apulian Empire annexed the Toulouse Empire, Savva's father died on the battlefield.

After Safwa's father died, the only people left in the family were Safwa's mother, Safwa and his two brothers.

Although the Savva family later became citizens of the Apulian Empire, they never had a sense of belonging to the Apulian Empire and even had deep hostility towards it.

A month ago, an Apulian Empire army retreated through the town and not only looted all the food in the town, but also forced some young and strong men into the baggage train.

Savva's two elder brothers were also forcibly conscripted into the baggage train of the Apulian Empire army.

After the Apulian Empire army left, if the Han army that occupied the town had not regularly distributed free food to the town's residents, many people would probably have starved to death in the town.

"Safwa, is there any news about your two brothers?" A young woman standing in front of Savwa turned her head and asked Savwa.

The young woman's name is Emily, and she is in love with Savva's older brother, Galia.

Savva said dejectedly, "There's no news. They must have been taken to the Imperial Province."

Emily gritted her teeth and said, "Those bastards will definitely be killed by the Han army."

Safwa sighed and said, "It's a pity that I'm not old enough, otherwise I would definitely join the Han army and avenge my dead father."

At this time, a young man behind Safwa said with a wry smile: "Even if you are old enough, the Han army is not recruiting now, otherwise I would have been a Han soldier now."

The young man's name was Sidorus, and he was one of the few young men in the town who had escaped the search of the Apulian Empire's army.

Thanks to the Han army's gentle policy towards the people in Pudong Province, the Han army quickly gained the support of the people.

Of course, this also has a lot to do with the fact that the entire Puglia Province is the territory annexed by the Apulian Empire from other countries in recent years.

When Savva returned home carrying 20 kilograms of rice, 1 kilogram of refined salt and 3 kilograms of bacon distributed by the Han army, he saw his mother lying in bed and couldn't help but look worried.

Safwa's mother fell ill a while ago because she was worried about her two sons who were forcibly taken away. It has been almost half a month.

"Mother, the Han army not only gave our family 20 kilograms of rice, but also 1 kilogram of refined salt and 3 kilograms of bacon. I will make you some bacon porridge right away."

"Alas—if only the Han army had arrived a few days earlier, your eldest and second brothers wouldn't have been taken away by the Apulian Empire's army."

Savva was cooking porridge for his mother when he unexpectedly saw two Han soldiers and a military doctor coming to his home.

The military doctor first took the pulse of Savva's mother, then left a few packets of medicine for Savva, and personally demonstrated to Savva how to decoct the medicine.

After taking the medicine prescribed by the Han army doctor for a few days, Savva's mother was finally able to get out of bed and walk around, and her health recovered day by day, which made Savva even more grateful to the Han army.

What made Savva even happier was that his eldest brother and second brother actually escaped with many young and strong men in the town. It was a pity that some of them died at the hands of the Apulian Empire army on their way to escape.

In mid-January of the year 237 of the Han Dynasty, the Han army, which had received food supplies, launched a new round of offensive against the Apulian Empire. The troops were divided into three groups and attacked the imperial capital province, southern province and northern province of the Apulian Empire at the same time.

In the imperial palace of Tepro City, Deputy Prime Minister Duke Vasenka bitterly reported to Emperor Abramo: "We sent various troops into the eastern provinces to harass the Han army.

Because the local residents betrayed them, most of them were annihilated by the Han army, which is why they were unable to interfere with the Han army and allowed them to organize a new round of offensive so quickly."

Emperor Abramo snorted coldly: "After I recover the eastern provinces, I will definitely settle accounts with those traitors.

Now the Han army is divided into three routes, attacking the Imperial Capital Province, the Southern Province and the Northern Province respectively. I have already gathered more than 15 million troops in the Imperial Capital Province, so the problem is not big.

However, the combined number of troops in the southern and northern provinces is less than five million. I am worried that these two provinces will not be able to be defended."

Deputy Prime Minister Duke Vasenka hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, the Southern Province and the Northern Province are both territories newly conquered by the Empire in recent years.

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