Chapter 38

In the governor's residence, Zhang Hao watched the 'performance' on a tablet computer, feeling quite satisfied with his own performance.

"Has everyone learned how to use these 'magic treasures'?" Zhang Hao asked Ding Xuan, who was standing by his side.

"They all understand and have tried them a few times," Ding Xuan nodded.

"That's good. Later, you can send them out to gather the people in various counties of Wu to watch. After that, do the same in the larger towns within the counties." Zhang Hao instructed. The performance had already been recorded with the prepared cameras.

Zhang Hao couldn't go to each place to perform. Therefore, by showing the recorded performance in the countryside, he could save a lot of energy, and the effect would likely be good.

Of course, this wasn't a movie, but a promotional video for Zhang Hao, the King of Gan, and his forces.

Zhang Hao deliberately edited it in modern style, adding scenes of his army's formidable appearance.

Whether it was the cavalry, the heavy infantry, or the key element—the artillery, and the Jinghai naval fleet in the sea, which resembled a continuous mountain range, all of this would make modern people feel awe, let alone people of this era.

Although Zhang Hao's editing skills were not great, people of this era wouldn't be picky about such things.

For modern people, the importance of propaganda is well-known, and Zhang Hao was no exception. A well-used promotional video could be more powerful than an army of ten thousand. Therefore, Zhang Hao personally arranged and directly taught the countryside film team how to use the equipment.

Although Zhang Hao was learning and teaching at the same time, the specially selected guards didn't know this.

From Zhang Hao's attitude and instructions, Ding Xuan could see that he placed great importance on this so-called 'countryside film team.' After seeing that Zhang Hao had no other instructions, he quickly left to make arrangements.

Zhang Hao thought about his schedule. There was a meeting soon, well, now that he had proclaimed himself king, it could also be called a court assembly. In this time of war, all the officials were very busy, and they were in different locations, so it would take some time to gather.

He walked out of the room, and the somewhat cold air of February refreshed him. He strolled leisurely in the spacious courtyard, thinking about the intelligence reported by Luo An and considering his next steps.

"Gongjue, what are you muttering with a sullen face?"

After making his plans, Zhang Hao felt relieved but noticed the small movements of a tall, robust guard standing nearby.

This Gongjue was a famous person, his name was Ling Cao, and his son Ling Tong would become even more famous in the future. However, Ling Cao died early and did not achieve higher accomplishments. Ling Cao was from Yuhang, and when Zhang Hao's army swept through the entire county, Ling Cao chose to join the military.

He was personally very brave and was a master with a thick aura of qi. Therefore, the army valued him and planned to focus on his training. Zhang Hao, who was very strict about military power and personnel, saw his name on the list and immediately transferred him to the personal guard.

Who didn't know that being transferred to the personal guard meant entering Zhang Hao's favor? For the soldiers, it was a great honor and promised a better future. Most of the current officers were dispatched from Zhang Hao's personal guard.

"Lord, Gongjue was kept after class by the teacher last night. He's probably reciting the abstract of the military classics now!" Another guard chuckled.

Zhang Hao was not distant with these guards. He knew they were the most loyal protectors, and as long as they followed the rules and did their duty, he didn't mind being close to them. That's why one of the guards revealed Ling Cao's embarrassing moment.

Zhang Hao was speechless. Ling Cao was restless and had some difficulty sitting still. Although he could read, he wasn't very interested in studying.

As a member of the personal guard, when not on duty, they had to attend special martial arts training, which was a rule set by Zhang Hao. This was clearly a challenge for Ling Cao, who had just joined.

"Gongjue, you need to work hard. For a general, bravery is important, but more important are wisdom and composure. If you can't calm down, you'll just be a brave but reckless general. You need to calm your mind first, and only then can you handle situations calmly."

Zhang Hao gave a few pointers. Seeing Ling Cao nod with a sullen face, Zhang Hao rolled his eyes and said no more.

Let Ling Cao develop on his own. If he has the ability, he will advance; otherwise, being a simple brave general is also good. For Zhang Hao, the world he would enter in the future might not necessarily require large-scale battles, so Ling Cao being a simple brave general might be more useful.

After chatting with the guards about some family matters, Zhang Hao's subordinates gradually arrived. He returned to the main hall.

"General Cheng Yuan of the Jinghai Navy reports that he has taken Jingkou and occupied the Guangling ferry. He has defeated the naval forces of Guangling. Now, General Cheng Yuan is looking for an opportunity to advance up the river and plans to destroy the naval forces gathered in Luyang and Liyang, thus taking Liyang smoothly."

The meeting began, and Luo An first reported the latest military situation.

It's worth noting that to ensure smooth communication, Zhang Hao specially brought some high-power radios and portable radios and walkie-talkies from the modern era. These radios were extremely impressive, and everyone could see the benefits of using these 'magic treasures.'

The performance of these radios even exceeded Zhang Hao's expectations, perhaps because everything in this era was undeveloped, and there was minimal electromagnetic interference. Therefore, both the communication distance and clarity were surprising.

Upon hearing this good news, everyone present smiled.

"Additionally, General Taishi reports that the Shenwei Army can reach Jingkou in at most two days, or even tomorrow."

The return of the Shenwei Army would provide Zhang Hao with a significant boost in combat strength. This was also good news.

The reason it took some time was mainly due to the ice on the coast of Liaodong. Although Zhang Hao had specifically chosen a non-freezing port to build a dock, the weather still posed some obstacles.

Fortunately, there were naval bases on the islands along the way. Although it was troublesome, they managed to transport part of the Shenwei Army back.

Additionally, due to the sudden nature of the event, to ensure stability in the border region, some time was spent.

Although Zhang Hao had recently incorporated many guards from the aristocratic families and a large number of civilians into the military, the Gan Army was not like the Yellow Turban rebels. Without sufficient skill training and military discipline, new recruits would not be sent to the battlefield.

Man Chong reported on the implementation of the Gan laws. For the common people, it was mainly propaganda. However, the aristocratic families needed to be cautious. Fortunately, the aristocratic families in Wu County, after the losses from attacking Zhang Hao's estate, did not have enough strength. Plus, Zhang Hao's performance had intimidated them. Although they were reluctant, they obediently accepted Man Chong's order to transfer their guards.

Then, the chief secretary Tian Feng and Gu Yong reported on the selection and dispatch of officials in the various counties of Wu.

Gu Yong, after seeing Zhang Hao's performance that day, directly joined Zhang Hao's team. Although young, the exceptionally talented Gu Yong quickly found a suitable position in the team.

Zhang Fan reported on the grain and fodder reserves and the production of military equipment. Although the uprising was somewhat hasty, preparations had been ongoing. Additionally, through cooperation with the Mi family of Xu Province and the Zhen family of Zhongshan, a large amount of grain and fodder had been stored.

In terms of military equipment, not only did Zhang Hao's modern craft factory continue to operate, but after technical improvements, some of the military equipment factories in Wu County also performed well.

However, due to the limited time, the current military equipment factories could not yet cast qualified artillery. This still needed to be handled by the modern craft factory.

Actually, it was Zhang Hao's standards that were too high. The military equipment factories of the Three Kingdoms period could already cast artillery. However, some had safety issues, and others lacked power. Therefore, they were not yet included in the army and were still being improved.

Now, with the war, everything centered around the conflict. Xi Zhicai described the current situation, and Huang Zhong and others began to report their ideas for the next steps. After discussion, Zhang Hao set the plan.

The army that had been waiting at the border immediately moved out, with the main force heading straight for Kuaiji County. Wu and Kuaiji, having already taken Wu County, Kuaiji could not be missed. The governor of Kuaiji County had already prepared, but Zhang Hao did not care about this. Otherwise, he wouldn't have started the campaign after stabilizing the people of Wu County through his performance.

The military preparations in Jiangdong were lax. Apart from the guests and guards recruited from the aristocratic families, only temporary conscripts could be gathered. Such defenses were nothing before Zhang Hao's well-equipped army. More importantly, Zhang Hao's greatest reliance was on artillery.

The artillery, which could be heard for ten miles and could tear through stone walls, was a bug in this era. Its power aside, its psychological impact was the strongest.

At the beginning of the campaign, there were some obstacles, but they were all torn apart by the artillery. Later, the county officials and some aristocratic families, intimidated by the artillery, surrendered one after another. They were afraid, and for those who resisted, Zhang Hao did not show mercy, severely punishing them.

The officials were evaluated based on their reputation. Those with a good reputation could keep their lives, otherwise, they were publicly executed. For the aristocratic families that helped in the defense, the heads of the families and the managers were all executed, and their assets were confiscated.

Under such measures, Kuaiji County was taken by Zhang Hao's army at a speed that shocked the entire Yangzhou.

This time was different from when Zhang Hao attacked Wu County, where it could be said that Wu County was unprepared. But Kuaiji County was well-defended.

This reality chilled many hearts. Hearing the descriptions of the Gan Army as heavenly soldiers and the artillery as divine weapons from the defeated soldiers and messengers, even though they were exaggerated due to fear, it made many people start to consider their next steps.