CHAPTER 1911: CHAPTER 1904: THE AUD NATION

Ever since the Otherworld Gate connected the two worlds, Aels Continent, as a backward civilization, has been profoundly influenced by Earth, which represents advanced civilization.

Aels Continent, representing a magical civilization, is slowly having its magic-related elements replaced by Earth’s technological elements.

Earthlings study magic and grant Otherworlders the technology, allowing them to also enjoy the conveniences of advanced technology.

This is particularly reflected in the military, where the swords, spears, and hammers of various armies of different nations are being continuously replaced. Firearms from Earth conquered these warriors, compelling them to lay down their cold weapons and embrace firearms.

Therefore, the current Otherworld army is no longer the force that solely relied on cold weapons and magic battles; it has transformed into a quasi-modernized army equipped with firearms and magical weapons.

Of course, the innovation in weapons is only a tangible impression. A deeper, unnoticed change is profoundly impacting this world.

How did Gudelv assemble over a million troops in Odelanqi?

It relied on the modern organizational methods from Earth and the nationalism that came along with it.

Gudelv has always been advocating the concept of the Aud people as a nation of the Aud Empire, using it as a theoretical foundation for nationalism.

He declares it to be the glorious moment for the Aud people of the Aud Empire. Now, he wants to rebuild the Aud Empire and completely eliminate the barriers between various ethnic groups in the northern part of the Continent.

Those who were once Aud people but now go by various names will all return to the rule of the Aud Empire, sharing in the glory of the Aud Empire.

He calls on the people to stand up as Aud people and become soldiers, to fight for a place under the sun for the Aud Empire.

These statements, although seemingly full of flaws, have nevertheless achieved great results. The size of the Odelanqi army began to expand rapidly, people eagerly joined the military, and within just a few years, Gudelv assembled over a million troops.

If it had been forty years ago, Otherworld nations wouldn’t have been able to gather a million-strong army on their own. Back then, the Otherworld Allied Army that fought against the multinational forces from Earth was over a million strong but consisted of forces from the entire Continent.

Now, Gudelv took only a few years to gather forces in Odelanqi that exceeded the scale of the Otherworld Allied Army. Clearly, enormous changes have taken place in the Otherworld over these forty years.

What’s even more critical is that the Otherworld Allied Army of the past relied primarily on cold weapons and magic, perhaps having a few High-peak people’s airboats at best.

But now, thanks to the continuous supply of weapons from Earth, almost all of the troops Gudelv assembled are equipped with firearms from Earth, making this army’s combat power far outstrip past levels and being one of the main reasons Gudelv dared to declare war on the Church Court.

To this point, Luo’er has finally managed his domestic affairs and is now able to proceed with his next steps.

The current military forces of Lipei certainly cannot withstand a potential attack from Odelanqi, so Luo’er needs to expand the army and recruit personnel from the Otherworlders.

Therefore, his next step is to deliver a wartime mobilization speech, urging Lipei people to enthusiastically join the military to defend Lipei.

In this regard, Luo’er is quite experienced because he had previously helped the Demon Clan army with their propaganda mobilization on the East Continent.

Of course, the main force of Lipei’s defense army is still those armed forces composed of subhuman species. The recruited Otherworlders will mainly be used for security and logistics.

Doing so can save Luo’er a significant amount of non-combat manpower, allowing him to deploy the elite subhuman troops into battle.

Due to such a requirement, Luo’er lowered the threshold for conscription, even allowing juveniles to enlist and form a juvenile corps to take on some simple tasks.

Under Luo’er’s mobilization, it only took Lipei a week’s time to quickly assemble an army of over 100,000 troops.

Of course, though this army is large in scale, the quality of the personnel varies greatly, so it’s unrealistic to expect them to go to the front lines. They are mainly responsible for logistics and maintaining stability at the rear, the true main force for Lipei’s defense is still the subhuman army.

Next comes simple military training. Although, as a ragtag army, strict military drill isn’t necessary, the scale of 100,000 still exhausted the officers responsible for training.

While training the soldiers, Luo’er issued the highest order of martial law, requesting that the population of each village and town temporarily move to temporary settlement areas near the main city of Lipei, leaving no chance for the enemy.

This relocation seems to be familiar to the people of Lipei. A few years ago, during the internal turmoil in Lipei, they were relocated to settlement areas before, so it’s just a repeat of those events.

Meanwhile, the outskirts of Lipei began trench digging, pouring concrete fortifications, and constructing artillery positions. Although the flames of war haven’t yet reached Lipei, everyone can sense the abnormal tension in the air, filled with the smell of gunpowder.

Luo’er’s idea is simple: headquarters demands holding Lipei, so they will hold their position. The best weapons for defense are cannons.

Therefore, Luo’er replicated the combat configuration from the internal upheaval in Lipei, deploying all types of artillery positions in the outskirts. Equipped with large-caliber howitzers, rocket launchers, and even mortars, perfectly covering all areas within a hundred kilometers, leaving no shelling blind spots.

Before Luo’er returned to the Western Continent, the headquarters was considering equipping Lipei with a type of large-caliber railway gun. Laying circular tracks outside Lipei City, using two railcars to carry two ultra-large-caliber railway guns.

Such artillery, when firing extended-range shells, can have a maximum firing range exceeding two hundred kilometers, and it can maneuver on the tracks, perfectly covering all firing sectors while avoiding enemy artillery attacks.

After Luo’er took over Lipei, he actively pushed for the construction of the railway guns and eventually completed this concept.

The new railway gun consists of three railcars, each carrying an ultra-large-caliber artillery. The train relies on a steam locomotive to achieve mobility; normally, it is hidden in a mountain shelter and can come out to set up and fire in wartime.

Lipei’s defense forces are equipped with six Skylark reconnaissance aircraft, deployed in pairs. They are mainly responsible for aerial reconnaissance and ground artillery guidance, and can support small-scale combat when necessary.

As for the Xuanwu airship, once under headquarters, it is still in the docks of Helros for upgrades and renovations, unable to participate in the upcoming war.

Even though the preparedness wasn’t entirely up to expectations, Luo’er was quite satisfied and was filled with confidence.

With the enlistment of the 100,000 reserve soldiers, the forces under Luo’er’s command finally exceeded 160,000, and he could mobilize four to five thousand elite troops for deployment into battle. This was already sufficient for Luo’er.

After completing all the preparatory work, Kali also began her first contact, urging Odelanqi to adopt negotiation measures to ease the increasingly tense situation, but was ignored by Odelanqi.

Despite being fully prepared, Luo’er still felt uneasy. It’s important to know that if a million troops were to attack Lipei, even if every rooftop in Lipei was equipped with a cannon, it would be difficult to resist such a scale of force.

Therefore, Luo’er hoped that the Church Court could attract most of Odelanqi’s attention, preventing Gudelv from focusing on Lipei.

To this end, he once again approached Fano, hoping to communicate with the Pope through him. For Lipei and the Church Court to act in concert, with the Church Court drawing Odelanqi’s attention, preventing Gudelv from focusing on Lipei.

Fano now fully understands Luo’er’s thoughts and knows that if Lipei isn’t secured, the Church Court would inevitably face difficulties. Therefore, he greatly agreed with Luo’er’s plan, but considering the nature of the Church Court, he felt that getting this plan approved would be quite challenging.

In fact, Luo’er’s concern is entirely possible. He was observing this war from a strategic level, so he knew very well. The actions in Odelanqi aren’t entirely dependent on Gudelv’s will; that country from Earth is also exerting influence secretly.

And they will surely view capturing Lipei as a primary objective of the war, even at the cost of deploying large forces, because as long as Lipei falls, there will be no doubt about the outcome of this war.