"The war is finally going to start! The war is finally going to start!" Pu Tong rubbed his hands excitedly, his face full of joy.

"Commander, this time, our division can show up again, right?" A regiment commander echoed.

"That's right, that's right..." Just as Pu Tong was about to encourage the captains, Pompey's voice came from behind him: "Oh, I said, apart from Master Pu Tong, no one else can be so enthusiastic. The lord is still in a meeting at the government office. Why are you here so early?"

When Pontus turned around, he saw Pompey and Otto walking side by side.

"You said that the lord is in a meeting in the government office, so why don't you two wait in the tent? Why are you coming to the general's tent?" Pu Tong asked with a sneer.

"We just come here to take a walk." Pompey said with a grin.

"Don't listen to his nonsense. The lord has sent someone to notify him and he will be here soon." Oddo said with a smile.

"Look, Commander Oddo is honest. We are all brothers. Can't Commander Pompey be as honest to his brothers as Commander Oddo?" Pu Tong said with a smile.

"Of course I have been honest with my brothers, but some people like to harm others for their own benefit. Even though the things are obviously equally divided, they still insist on taking more. Sigh..." Pompeii sighed in a pretentious manner.

Pu Tong's face turned serious: "Captain Pompey, what do you mean by that sour remark?"

"It's boring, I..." Pompey had just responded when two orderlies came running over.

"Reporting to the division commanders, the lord has entered the camp."

"So fast?" Pu Tong was stunned, and quickly pointed at several regiment leaders under his command, "Hurry up, hurry up, tidy up the troops!"

…

"...Everyone knows what the consequences will be if we allow the Tianjuan people, who have the technology of artillery and muskets, to grow and develop." Wu Lai took a sip of water and continued, "Let's not talk about artillery for now, let's talk about muskets. I saw this kind of musket on the day when Pompey, Epicurus and I were attacked. The projectiles are similar to our shotgun bullets, but because the barrel is long and the amount of powder is sufficient, the range and power should not be underestimated. But we should not be afraid of this. According to intelligence, the Tianjuan people's artillery and muskets are still in the early stages. Although they can be mass-produced and are powerful, their firing speed is far inferior to ours..."

"Why is this so? That's because their guns are still at the stage of loading gunpowder first and then igniting and firing. Roughly speaking, for every time they shoot, we can shoot five times or even more. So as long as they are not ambushed, we can easily suppress them and destroy them."

"I once told you in class at the military academy that war will lead to the development of weapons, because both sides of the war are eager to kill the enemy as quickly and as much as possible, so there are sharp weapons, crossbows, large crossbow machines, catapults, explosives, and artillery. Although the gun and artillery technology currently mastered by Tianjuan is not up to standard, as long as they are willing to spend time and effort to figure it out, they will definitely be able to continuously improve it. In time, they will definitely catch up with us. Take their hand-held guns for example. If they are willing to sacrifice some range, reduce the caliber, and greatly reduce the weight of the guns, they can arm more soldiers and march and fight more conveniently..."

"...Now is the best time for us to attack Tianjuan. First, the rebellion just happened, and the internal situation must be loose. The initiator of the rebellion will not be able to completely control the situation for a while. Even if he is crazy enough to kill all the legitimate and illegitimate members of the Petra and Avram families in one fell swoop, the influence of the long-term rule of these two families will still be there. In fact, such a large-scale killing will cause fear and disgust, making the situation even more difficult to deal with. So I guess that this guy who is deliberately trying to usurp the throne dare not act too recklessly. He will gather together step by step. In the process of gathering together, he will negotiate conditions, and various things will happen..."

"Secondly, we have a legitimate reason to fight. This time, the Tianjuan rebels were so ruthless that they even attacked our representatives. If Vulture hadn't come to our rescue in time, Pompey and I would not have been able to return. We fought in the name of revenge, and we attacked the army without disturbing the people..."

“…Before fighting in the past, I would tell you to be prepared for both situations, because the battlefield changes rapidly and the outcome is hard to predict until the last moment. But this time, I want you to win this war no matter what the cost, and you must capture Tianjuan no matter how difficult it is!” Wu Lai clenched his fists fiercely.

"Yes!" The officers responded loudly.

"Good! This is exactly the kind of momentum we want!" Wu Lai praised with a smile, and then said, "Now, I will announce the deployment of the troops. This time, we will divide our troops into three groups..."

…

As the sun set, Wu Lai, Noah and others climbed up the large watchtower on the left side of the military camp. From here they could basically overlook the entire Armenian North Camp. In their sight, the smoke from cooking fires was curling up in the camp, creating a peaceful scene.

"Mr. Speaker, I can tell from some traces that have not yet been erased how tragic and difficult the battle to retake Armenia was." Noah said with emotion.

"War is always tragic." Wu Lai nodded. "Only the victor can make the rules, so we have to be the victor."

"All of Assyria has confidence in Your Excellency the Speaker. Speaker, there is something I don't quite understand," said Noah.

"You can just say it straight," said Woolley.

"Although the territory's treasury is empty right now, the people have quite a bit of grain reserves. I have investigated public opinion, and the people all say that you, Speaker, are working for the welfare of Assyria for generations to come. As long as you, Speaker, are willing, everyone will contribute as much military rations as you need, even if we have to tighten our belts and dig wild vegetables to ensure that the army has sufficient food and wages. But why do you, Speaker, only want one month's worth of military rations? Are you sure you can conquer Tianjuan or Hulit within a month?" Noah asked.

Wu Lai laughed and said, "The amount of food stored in the people is not as much as everyone thinks. If we give it all to the army, the people will really have to go digging for wild vegetables. Tell me, can I bear it?"

"But if the army is short of food, its combat effectiveness will probably decrease." Noah said. Food is the most important thing for people. If they can't even fill their stomachs, how can they have the energy to fight?

"You're right, but you should know that we have to fight this battle even if we don't want to, and we have to fight it quickly, so quickly that Tianjuan is caught in a panic. Since it's a quick battle, we can't have too much baggage, and this time we're fighting deep in enemy territory. Once there's a long supply line that needs to be protected, how much of my troops will be squeezed out." Wu Lai said, "Besides, the soldiers participating in this battle are all elite soldiers with broad experience and many ways. They are better at fighting to support the war than I am, so you can rest assured."

"Assyria is blessed to have a speaker," Noah couldn't help but praise.

"Look at what you said. By the way, asking you, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, to come to Armenia to clean up the mess, and also to take into account the propaganda in the enemy territory, I am sorry for your injustice and hard work." Wu Lai said.

Noah shook his head quickly: "Speaker, please don't say that. The Speaker is dedicated to the public. We have all seen how good the new policies promoted by the Speaker are. We should learn from you and serve the people impartially. This is our responsibility. It is our duty."

Wu Lai smiled and nodded...

…As soon as the lights were turned on, Pu Tong cleared his throat and patted each team leader on the shoulder with a smile.

"Okay, let's continue. This time, the lord has said that we should fight to support the war. This is the strong point of our Sixth Division. You all must be very happy about it, but let me warn you first, this time it's different. You all have to be more restrained. The lord is leading us to attack Tianjuan, but it's not a fight for fun. He said that we have to defeat Tianjuan in one go. Do you understand?" Pu Tong asked.

"Understood!" the captains answered in unison.

"Okay, the lord said that the rules must be established before the expedition. Now, I will teach you the lord's latest "Eleven Articles". You must remember and learn them carefully. After learning, return to the camp and let your soldiers learn. We will set out in three days. During these three days, from the regiment commander to the cook, you must remember and follow them! Do you understand?"

"I understand!" the team leaders answered in unison again.

Pu Tong nodded in satisfaction and took out a small notebook from his arms: "I will read it once, and everyone follow me. Don't be distracted! First of all, follow the instructions in all actions!"

"First, follow orders in all actions!"

"Second, don't take a single needle or thread from the people!"

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

"Second, don't take a single needle or thread from the people!"

…

Early in the morning of that day, the Stonehenge Square was filled with colorful flags. Each division sent a regiment to participate in the departure ceremony. In addition to the government office and temple personnel, many people also came to watch the ceremony.

After the inspiring trumpet sounded three times, Woolley, dressed in military uniform, climbed up the high platform in the center of the square under the gaze of everyone. Following him up the platform were Noah, Ptolemy, Otto, and Pompey.

"Lord, I spent a lot of time and effort to make this set of speakers. I guarantee that your voice can be heard everywhere, but you have to speak louder." Pu Tong approached Wu Lai and reminded him.

Wu Lai glanced at the pile of "tubular combinations" in front of him, and the ninja smiled and nodded.

"Assyrian warriors!" As soon as Wu Lai shouted this, there was a storm of applause and cheers in the square...

"Look, this is the lord. A casual cough can cause a storm." Pu Tong smiled and winked at Pompey beside him.

"What do you mean a cough can startle the wind and rain? This is called prestige, okay? Prestige, throughout history, the lord is the best. Humph, I am very fortunate to have become his friend and follower when he was young." Pompey showed off proudly.

"Only you can..." Pu Tong restrained his smile and thought to himself, Pompey, you are not good at anything else, but you are arguing about who followed the lord first.

Wu Lai stretched out his arm and made a pressing gesture. After doing this two or three times, the cheers and applause weakened a lot. Then he continued: "Assyrian warriors! Today, we will put on our battle robes, pick up our weapons, and rush to the front line! What is our goal? It is 'victory'! We must fight for victory at all costs, no matter how terrible it is, no matter how far and difficult the road is, because without victory, our people cannot survive!"

The cheers rang out again like thunder...

Wu Lai raised his right arm high: "Warriors of Assyria! I will fight with you to the end! We will fight in Hurlit, we will fight in Kimo, and we will let our cavalry roam the land of God! We will win with increasing confidence and increasing strength! We will defend our dignity and beliefs at all costs! We will fight in the valleys, we will fight on the Gobi Desert, we will also fight in the fields and streets. Wherever there are enemies, we will go there!"

"Wherever there is the enemy! We will go there!" Everyone was repeating and shouting loudly! "Forward! Assyrian warriors!" Wu Lai raised his arms and shouted.

"Forward! Forward! Forward!" the soldiers roared.

"Cut the enemy's spear and smash the enemy's shield!" Wu Lai drew out his sword and pointed it diagonally in the air.

"Cut the enemy's spears and smash the enemy's shields!" The soldiers also raised their weapons.

"Swing your sword and kill the enemy! Move forward bravely!" Wu Lai shouted.

"Swing your sword and kill the enemy! March forward bravely!" The soldiers' repeated voices in unison made everyone in the square excited.

"Charge! Charge! Charge! Charge!" Wu Lai raised his sword.

"Charge! Charge! Charge! Charge!" The soldiers stomped their feet rhythmically, raising dust...

Wu Lai pointed the tip of his sword at the red sun in the sky, and a hint of almost fanatical determination flashed across his eyes...