Chapter 36: A Pleasant Landing

After the powers of the European continent and the Earl of Glamorgan caught wind of the Song State’s intent to land, they began massing their forces in the Fenibo region across from the Isle of England. The Elven Empire was too far away, and the human powers were wary of allowing its vast armies to traverse their own territories, fearing that any mishap could lead to the downfall of their nations.

The triple alliance of human kingdoms dared not entrust their command to the Dwarf Empire, and the Dwarf Empire would never permit hundreds of thousands of allied troops to enter its own sovereign territory. Thus, although they had formed a seemingly stable anti-Song coalition, in reality, only the Dwarf Empire was truly prepared to defend against the Song State.

While the total number of troops did not increase significantly, the logistical support from other nations—including minerals, weapons, medicine, uniforms, and even steel—was exceptional. These factions, which had once fought each other to the death, became unprecedentedly united following the rise of a common military monster. Beyond the failure to unify their armies, they were pouring money and effort into the cause.

The navies of various nations also joined forces, desperate to escort troops onto the Isle of England. With the overwhelming numerical superiority of the anti-Song coalition’s navy, guided by the few ironclads of the Dwarf Empire, they actually succeeded in sinking some of the Song State’s ironclads.

Under pressure, Sun Li had no choice but to spend his newly acquired points to purchase more ironclads to make up for his losses, maintaining a constant naval advantage over the coalition. After Sun Li’s points were depleted once more, the coalition fleet, having suffered heavy losses itself, was forced to abandon the idea of landing on the Isle of England. Meanwhile, the Earl of Glamorgan, following the total destruction of his local English fleet, completely gave up hope of receiving outside reinforcements.

The provisional government, led by the bourgeoisie, set aside their bickering and poured all their energy into building up their ground forces. Navies were something that could not catch up to the Song State in the short term, and the ships produced with their current technology were nothing but cannon fodder.

As the English provisional government assembled its forces, it sent organized units of the Revolutionary Army to the front lines against the Norman family to temper their combat effectiveness through small-scale skirmishes. This practice was cruel; most of these battles ended in heavy losses for the Revolutionary Army. It was no surprise that a force composed of temporary workers and peasants would be thrashed when forced to confront the elite troops of the Norman family.

However, this brutal approach did allow the provisional government to train a number of battle-hardened soldiers who had truly seen blood. Under the lessons of war, many civilians were tempered into calm soldiers. The battlefield is the greatest catalyst for an army; when enough people die, those who survive naturally become the elite. It was a simple but ruthless truth.

Amidst the constant naval clashes in the waters of the European continent, Sun Li utilized the vast wealth of Jinzhou to establish a true second-line force. Wielding immense gold resources, he recruited a large number of civilians with hand-to-hand combat experience and organized them into local garrison units. The original militia was then relegated to police duties, responsible only for maintaining order, while the suppression of dissent was handed over to the local garrisons.

These garrisons possessed uniform attire and equipment, and were even equipped with small-caliber artillery and cavalry units. Their numbers far exceeded those of Sun Li’s regular army, making them essentially a scaled-down version of the Song State’s main force.

After undergoing realistic military training, they could generally reach the standard of a regular army of any given nation, though their fighting spirit left something to be desired. They were capable of suppressing bandits or riots, but if truly thrust onto a battlefield, the moment they faced an elite force like the Royal Guards of the Franconia Empire, a single charge would shatter these second-line troops who valued their lives above all else.

After consulting with Xiao Bai, Sun Li completely abandoned the idea of using human-wave tactics with civilian armies on the battlefield. In war, the collapse of one’s own troops is often far more terrifying than the strength of the enemy.

Rather than dragging a group of cannon fodder who could become a liability at any moment, it was better to lead 100,000 iron-blooded troops and win through attrition.

With the Norman family as allies, Sun Li could establish a system-based city on their territory. He could then mine the gold resources of Jinzhou while simultaneously producing troops on the Isle of England to replenish the front lines. Although Sun Li’s army was not the most powerful, he could afford to lose!

Sun Li believed that as long as his forces were not wiped out in a single stroke, through constant replenishment, he could grind down the elite forces of any nation.

Once the Song State established its comprehensive garrison forces, Sun Li led 100,000 troops aboard transport ships to advance on the Isle of England. Among his army were 10,000 heavy lancers with tremendous impact; these elites, clad in cuirasses and steel helmets, were the nightmare of the vast numbers of cannon fodder on the battlefield.

At the same time, the army was equipped with over a hundred Napoleon guns, including ten 12-pound siege guns, all supplied with high-explosive shells.

Sun Li could finally realize the satisfaction of concentrated artillery bombardment!

One must know that in the past, to maximize the range of canister shot, artillery had to be dispersed across the entire defensive line. It was not until the invention of shells that concentrated artillery bombardment became the mainstream.

Sun Li had plundered a massive fortune from the wealthy white citizens of Jinzhou, but a full third of it had been poured into the configuration of artillery and the procurement of shells.

Looking at his gold reserves, which had once again dropped into the triple digits, Sun Li couldn’t help but sigh that upgrading military equipment was truly expensive. However, with the Song State’s gold mines constantly producing, he could maintain a steady income while producing civilians, which destined the Song State for infinite potential.

"Xiao Bai, my current army should be the strongest in the gunpowder era, right? The Minié rifles consume too many points; I might as well just recruit Minié riflemen directly. Are there any other high-cost-performance products in the gunpowder era?" Sun Li asked.

"The host’s current military equipment is already the most cost-effective in the gunpowder era. With 100,000 troops to support, I feel you can completely abandon those fancy, expensive units. If the host encounters difficulties, you can use points to recruit troops equipped with Minié rifles. Soldiers recruited with points are born as battle veterans; their combat skills are stronger than those recruited with gold," Xiao Bai replied.

After hearing this, Sun Li formed a new goal in his heart. Ultimately, it still came down to killing...

At a port under the jurisdiction of the Norman family, Victoria led a group of high-ranking officials to wait in formal attire for the arrival of the Song State’s army.

They saw the fleet, flying the dragon flags of the Song State, entering the harbor in an endless line. The docks, which had been cleared in advance, suddenly became packed—this was truly a case of a thousand sails blotting out the sun!

As teams of soldiers in red uniforms disembarked, Sun Li led his entourage to greet Grand Duchess Victoria—well, she was no longer a Grand Duchess, as the provisional government had long since declared the Norman family a feudal remnant and branded them traitors!

The moment Sun Li stepped off the ship, Victoria’s gaze shifted from the stiffly uniformed Song soldiers to Sun Li himself, who was dressed in a luxurious military uniform. For the first time, she realized that he actually looked quite heroic and handsome in formal attire.

"Oh, my dear Victoria, it has been a long time. I have missed you very much!" Sun Li joked without reservation upon seeing his confidante.

Hearing Sun Li’s frivolous words, Victoria blushed. It seemed his personality hadn’t changed at all. No wonder she hadn’t realized he was the ruler of a nation when they first met; he was just too unconventional.

Just like that, the awkwardness between them vanished under Sun Li’s banter. As soon as they met, they began chatting like old friends, and as the conversation deepened, it progressed beyond the scope of mere friendship—the degree of which could be inferred from how the surrounding officials and attendants retreated to a respectful distance.

"This Song Emperor is truly carefree; he’s busy flirting the moment he steps off the ship, not at all nervous about the upcoming war," thought the Norman family’s inner circle.

Meanwhile, the officers and generals of the Song State thought, "This battle for the Isle of England is just against a group of civilians who have only recently picked up weapons; they’re on the same level as the Jinzhou colonial troops. It looks like we can take a good rest before going to test our mettle against the real enemies on the European continent!"

After the alliance with the Norman family, the unpleasantness between Victoria and Sun Li had long since dissipated. Victoria was a very rational ruler; she knew that Sun Li’s past betrayal was nothing in the face of shared interests, otherwise, he would not have achieved what he had. Furthermore, the Norman family’s survival now depended entirely on this man. Victoria had adjusted her mindset perfectly. Moreover, Sun Li was young, wealthy, a Great Knight, and an Emperor, with a powerful army to boot—and they had always maintained an ambiguous relationship. What reason did Victoria have to refuse marriage to Sun Li?

Sun Li already had two wives? In Victoria’s eyes, this was not a problem.

Sun Li detested the so-called palace intrigue found in Earth’s history; having disharmony among his wives was the thing he hated most!

Therefore, Sun Li designated all his wives as "Beloved Consorts," with no distinction between primary or secondary. Well, he was the one in charge, after all.

In any case, Sun Li didn’t intend to be a stallion, expanding his harem to hundreds and building a reinforced battalion of children.

Thus, there was no need for anyone to manage harem affairs. Besides, his wives were very busy. Su Yunyun and Su Lulu were still in Jinzhou organizing the affairs of the Wood Elves. As the Queen of the Wood Elves, it was unlikely Su Yunyun would ever leave Jinzhou in this lifetime.

Su Lulu, that cute girl, had also become a pivotal figure among the Wood Elves under her sister’s guidance, so she naturally didn’t have much interest in competing for favor.

Even with Victoria, his future wife, Sun Li planned to let her remain with the Norman family. As the lord of such a large family, she surely wouldn’t have much leisure time either.

And so, with the full support of the Norman family, the Song State’s army successfully landed on the Isle of England. How much longer could the English provisional government last?