Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

There wasn't even enough time to burn the corpses at the crematorium set up by the rear authorities; the soldiers' bodies were left to rot slowly in the mud soaked by seawater.

Then, the soldiers had to step on these corpses to form a formation to defend against the sea monsters that leaked through the gaps in the ship. Military discipline and organization were on the verge of collapse, and now even the junior officers were almost exhausted.

"Hold on for one more day, then we'll retreat!" It seems the court is determined to have him risk his life to fill the hole. He has been loyal all his life, and he considers himself smooth enough, having given all parties their due. He has done nothing wrong to the country or the emperor, yet he ends up like this. How can this not chill one's heart?

"Let those purple-robed men hold them off..." The fleet suffered nearly 8% casualties. Even if they wanted to be wiped out, they couldn't hold out for more than a few days. They could just sell out the reinforcements and run away. In that case, the Moon Harbor Fleet would still appear to be a loyal force of the Great Yan.

To abandon the pass and flee now would be a complete break with the enemy, making this fleet a nominal force of the Great Yan. To return to Yuegang and face possible investigation by the emperor and reprimand from the court, the only way is to maintain a strong military presence.

Fortunately, although the Moon Harbor Fleet was almost wiped out, the old warships accumulated over the years could still be repaired and used. Old Shi was glad that he didn't care about the meager amount of money and didn't use the warship maintenance fees to support his concubines.

After all, compared to the income from legal robbery by setting up roadblocks, the repair money allocated by the imperial court was only a pittance. Old Shi didn't care about it, and neither did the lower-ranking officers.

Besides, these old ships can be repaired and sold to those guys in Kazdel; they've recently undergone a new round of refurbishment.

Based on this calculation, at least the fighting strength on paper can still be maintained. Moreover, given his ability and reputation in the Yuegang area, recruiting new soldiers is not a problem. Besides, since the relationship has been torn apart, why keep those poor and shabby people around?

Once we get back, we'll confiscate all the property from those wealthy households, use the people they've concealed as new recruits, and use their resources, factories, and money to maintain and rebuild the fleet. As long as we're fast enough, once the Great Yan Dynasty recovers from this disaster, they won't be able to do anything to us.

"Damn it, how come I never thought of doing this before?!" Old Shi slapped his thigh. "After sending so much silver to the emperor and working so hard for so many years, even a prostitute's heart of stone should have been warmed up by now, right? This emperor's heart is probably not made of iron!"

"Hold on for one more day. Also..." Old Shi summoned his trusted generals and gave them a series of instructions. If they were to run away, they should leave someone to cover their retreat; otherwise, it wouldn't be a retreat, but rather courting death.

Since those fools like to hoard and speculate, it's better for them to take the grain and supplies than to leave them to the sea monster. As for the servants of those wealthy families, they are the perfect cannon fodder to attract enemy fire.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Carry the reddest bucket, run the smoothest road.

-------------Chapter Dividing Line---------------

Retreat rather than rout is a matter that severely tests a general's command ability and, even more so, the organization of the troops themselves.

In addition, arrangements need to be made for rearguard action, support, and supplies along the way to ensure the remaining troops can successfully withdraw to Yuegang.

Now, without reinforcements, to ensure the sea monsters don't catch up with these people, simply throwing the local wealthy families who haven't fled yet to the sea monsters as bait isn't enough; someone also needs to delay the sea monsters for a while.

After thinking it over for a while, Lao Shi found the Celestial Masters of the Tai Sui Terrace.

"Let's skip the formalities. As you can see, seven or eight out of ten of my troops have already perished. If we continue fighting, the entire front will collapse in no time. We must take time to rest and replenish our forces."

Old Shi respected these celestial masters to a certain extent, after all, they had fought side by side for so long, and there was some camaraderie between them.

"The general is right," the celestial master said with a bitter expression. Indeed, it was true; it couldn't be said that these men did not fight with all their might.

When the gaps in the warship were breached, those carrying shields and filling the gaps with their own lives saw it all. Even if they didn't know whether what the governor said was true or false, the fact that the troops in the camp were rebelling and cooking every day was undeniable.

The purpose of being a soldier is to receive pay and food. If there are only a few people around the pot at mealtimes and no one needs to fight for food, it means that the losses have been truly heavy.

“Those wealthy households also hide hundreds or thousands of servants and military supplies. During this period, I have no choice but to let them serve the country as well.”

"This... General, you can arrange it. It is not appropriate for us to interfere in military affairs." The Celestial Master could only pretend that he had not seen anything. Moreover, they were not without resentment. The front line was almost out of lime to plug the gap, and those people were hoarding it in the rear. They were also furious and wanted to report to the court for cutting down trees on their mountain to build wooden fences to plug the gap for the army.

"That's good. Next, we will launch a massive bombardment against the sea monster and leave hundreds of warriors to guard the towers. Then we will retreat to the vicinity of the Three Passes to rest for a few days and replenish the supplies for our new recruits. We can only entrust this defense line to the Celestial Masters of the Sea God's Platform."

Old Shi scratched his head. "No matter what the situation is, you can retreat in three days. I'll take full responsibility then."

"Are the three lines of defense still secure?"

"No, even if you civil engineers risk your lives, you can only repair a portion of it. However, it's more than enough for a temporary retreat and defense."

"That's good." The purpose of building three lines of defense was to provide layered resistance, allow for layered retreats, and facilitate alternating rest and reorganization with reinforcements. There's no point in fighting to the death at these two critical junctures.

In reality, the most rational line of defense is the first line of defense, which directly suppresses the sea monsters in shallow water. The landing beach is only so wide, so the area of ​​contact with the enemy is much smaller. Under the blockade of crossfire, no matter how many sea monsters there are, they will not be enough to die.

Secondly, the third challenge is the narrow ground roads and rugged, towering mountains, which are insurmountable obstacles for the sea monster. For the defenders, the densely populated and industrially developed Jiangnan region provides a continuous supply of manpower and resources, enough to wear down the sea monster until it is too exhausted to advance further.

However, for now, they can only stand on the second line of defense, which is essentially only used to buy time. If the court heeds the warning from the Observatory and prepares for war three months in advance, they can defend the customs.

If the second pass hadn't been damaged with several large holes, the civil engineers could have concentrated their efforts on repairing the mountain pass.

If the mountain pass is not destroyed or demolished, then if all else fails, the pass can be locked up, sacrificing the coastline to protect the essence of the Great Yan.

"I will not hide it from you, Celestial Master. The imperial reinforcements have not made any move so far. Even if we all fill this place, it will be in vain. Therefore, please make plans as soon as possible."

"Since you've entered the Office of the Year God, this day was bound to come sooner or later, so there's no need to say more."

"Then it's settled. I'll treat you all to drinks when there's a chance in the future."

"Of course, we're definitely going to the banquet." There are some things that everyone knows, but there's no need to bring them up in public.

To be honest, Governor Shi's performance had far exceeded the Celestial Masters' expectations. They originally thought that the Celestial Masters should have abandoned the pass and fled after suffering about 30% casualties.

As a result, they have persisted until today, and even the Director of the Imperial Household Department can't say anything. They have already done everything they could. The only reason they can't be blamed is that the imperial court hasn't sent troops to rescue them. Countless letters requesting help have been sent out, but they have all been intercepted. Even the Director of the Imperial Household Department hasn't sent any reinforcements. Perhaps the imperial court's plan is for them all to die here.

That night, all the warships were left behind, along with the entire fleet's ammunition, for a bombing campaign that lasted until dawn. This successfully cleared out a large area of ​​sea monsters, forcing them to spend some time regenerating and repairing their lairs and replenishing the command nodes that had been destroyed.

Taking advantage of this time, the fleet began to withdraw from the defensive line. Of course, before leaving, they did not forget to simply pass through the villages outside the mountain pass without thoroughly looting them.

There was no need for that; they simply sent all the laborers and servants to the defensive line, even if they were just human shields, they could still hold off some of the attacks.

Some of the stockpiled weapons and supplies were taken away, while the rest were piled up behind the temporarily repaired mountain pass. This way, if any of the Celestial Masters managed to retreat alive, they wouldn't have to fight the sea monster with their fists and teeth.

"Farewell!" Governor Shi bowed to Guan Tou and led the remaining troops on their way home. The unusual mobilization of humans puzzled the Hai Si and they did not immediately launch an attack, which gave the Celestial Masters a short rest.

However, soon, a new offensive began. The black tide crashed against the barrier wall. This time, no one brought shields and flamethrowers to plug the gaps. Thin streams of black water kept leaking into the barrier wall from the gaps in the Celestial Masters' attacks.

Between the gaps in the ship that was blocking the breach, countless runners scrambled through the ruins, corpses, and camps, like a collapsing dam that was leaking everywhere. Black water gushed out and spread into puddles of foul-smelling puddle on the ground.

Before the local powerful clans, whose homes had been looted, could even dry their tears and petition the court for severe punishment, they were horrified to discover that swarms of sea monsters were rushing in from one side of the gate, and almost instantly, their estates were wiped out.

Fortunately, the mountain pass, which had been somewhat repaired, temporarily withstood this sporadic attack.

However, the Celestial Masters at the front lines could not hold out for long. Faced with attacks from both sides and the poisonous fog that they were no longer able to dispel, even escape was a luxury.

Surrounded by sea monsters and teeming with neurotoxins, and with severely limited emergency medications and weapons, the only thing left to do was to die with some dignity.

"A bunch of useless trash!" A stack of memorials was thrown on the ground. "I had placed high hopes on you, and in just a few days you've become like this! A bunch of useless trash! Is this how you, the Director of the Imperial Household Department, guard the nation's gate? And that stone... you've utterly disappointed me!"

When faced with the sea monster blocking the pass, and only a thin wall separating their estates and factories, the local powerful families finally couldn't sit still any longer, and the matter came to the attention of the imperial court.

However, like some of the Grand Secretaries, the Emperor's impression of this defense line was still based on what it looked like at the beginning of the founding of the country, and his judgment on the troops stationed in various Pacification Commissions along the coast was also similar.

In their view, it was utterly incompetent to have such a powerful army and fortified city, with ample supplies, yet have been breached in just a few days.

Of course, this was before news of Governor Shi's escape had spread. Everyone assumed that, based on the contents of the memorial, they had all likely sacrificed their lives for their country.

According to official practice, it is not convenient to smear these dead people at this time, and it would be useless to do so.

Since they all died in battle, they should be given some face and rewards, otherwise who will be willing to risk their lives for your throne in the future?

"What should we do now?" Now that the anger has subsided, it's time to seriously consider this problem. The last line of defense has very few soldiers, and it's hard to say how many hours they can hold out.

"The most urgent task is to move the capital!"

"Move the capital?" The emperor was stunned. What kind of bizarre suggestion was this?

"Your Majesty, a son of a noble family should not sit under a dangerous roof. Once the sea monster breaks through the pass, there will be no safe place to defend the capital. At this time, the capital should be moved to the south."

The south was the stronghold of these gentry, and everyone knew what their plans were for moving the capital there.

However, the Great Yan Dynasty was not yet at its end. Even when it was, there were still a few ministers who still had some sense of shame and honor, and a few who tried to turn the tide.

"What a joke! Fighting for power and profit at this time?! Your Majesty, you should immediately summon the three major camps of the capital, with the Divine Martial Guard as the vanguard and the Heavenly Mystery Camp leading the fleet. The battlefield is open and flat, which is perfect for the Heavenly Mystery Camp's armored troops to fight. Since the founding of our Great Yan, neither the God of the Year nor the Northern Snow Demon (evil demon) has ever escaped. Do you think a bunch of sea monsters are worthy of fighting?"

"The Grand Tutor is right," the emperor said, his expression calming down slightly. At least there were some sensible people in the court.

"I second this proposal. There have been no unusual movements at the Sishuitai Town Mountain recently, so some of the town's guards can be transferred to provide support."

This is the most elite force of the Great Yan Dynasty, a guard composed of military officers of the rank of captain or above, carefully selected from among the millions of troops in the Great Yan army. The Great Yan is stingy with all its legions, but this is the only one that is not skimped on – because every emperor knows that this thing is the lid on a volcano.

Of course, under normal circumstances, this unit cannot be mobilized at all, because it does not belong to the Great Yan Army Department, but to the Si Suitai. Its only job is to deal with those terrifying things that escaped from the mountains.

"In addition, the Civil Engineering Masters will construct a defensive line outside the capital as quickly as possible. We hope Your Majesty will be prepared to lead the expedition in person."

"How dare you! You put His Majesty in such a dangerous situation!" Immediately, someone in the court jumped out to object. It was no joke; the emperor personally leading an expedition was of course a very dangerous thing. If one was not careful, three disasters would befall him.

However, losing is not as troublesome as winning. If they win, it means that the emperor will have enough trust in the troops he personally leads, which is equivalent to actually controlling the military power, and that would be a problem for them.

No official wanted to encounter an emperor who could be made to rule immediately, not even in the Tang Dynasty. If Li Er hadn't staged the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he would have had absolutely no chance of ascending the throne. The crown prince had been in charge of the government for many years, and from the perspective of governing the country, he was more suitable than Li Er.

However, the real reason why it was impossible for him to succeed to the throne was because he was a general. If he became emperor, he would be the emperor of two generations. How could those powerful families possibly tolerate that?

The generals of the early Tang Dynasty were not only generals of the court, but also ministers of the emperor himself. The relationship between them was so strong that it was very difficult to shake them. Therefore, the struggle between Li Er and the aristocratic families never stopped from the time he came to power.

Now, the Celestial Master has ordered the Emperor to personally lead the expedition, and since the Emperor must leave the central government, the Crown Prince or the Imperial Uncle must oversee the country.

However, the emperor could not allow the crown prince to remain, and he dared not let Old Wei oversee the country—the only solution was for the central government to move as well.

That would mean establishing a frontline shogunate, where the emperor would handle both state affairs and military matters. Ideally, the battle would be a swift and decisive victory, regardless of the outcome. However, if the conflict dragged on, the emperor would essentially have a large number of additional courtiers.

It is important to understand that there is a significant difference between a court official and a minister. A court official is loyal to an individual and a private person, and addresses his superior as "Lord".

Rather than His Majesty, the difference in trust and loyalty between retainers and servants and courtiers under a new emperor is enormous.

The thought that the emperor would have a group of officials from humble military backgrounds was something no one could laugh about, as it meant that it wouldn't be so easy to cause trouble in the future.

Because the emperor has a large number of private officials to settle, wouldn't he have to ask you old guys who always disagree to get out of here?

In addition, having ministers in the shogunate means that the emperor has two sets of military and political teams. Unless they are like the early Tang Dynasty, which came from a chaotic period with a depleted population and self-sufficient fortified villages, and their own fighting power is strong enough, the emperor cannot move them even if he has military power.

Otherwise, many reforms that the Great Yan Dynasty had been unable to implement could have been pushed forward, such as the Longjiang Shipyard project.

What if the emperor uses this as an excuse to have his generals forcibly take back the shipyards and land they seized? This piece of fat meat has been shared and eaten clean by everyone; it will be difficult to get people to spit it out.

If it were a eunuch or servant, they could use the pretext of righteousness to force the emperor to abdicate, since eunuchs cannot become prefects or ministers.

If an ordinary general were this arrogant, even the emperor himself would have some doubts, but when it's one of the emperor's own court officials...

Even if the city is besieged, all the officials in the court will do their utmost to stop it. To avoid this worst-case scenario, it is inevitable that concessions will be made in some aspects.

However, the Celestial Master's plan was not intended to be a one-step solution. It was to get these people to relinquish some of their interests and power so that the army could be mobilized to weather this disaster, which, while not necessarily leading to the destruction of the country, could at least cause the Great Yan Dynasty to collapse.

Ultimately, the imperial court compromised, and the emperor no longer needed to personally lead the expedition. However, the funding for the three major military camps was also resolved; with money and provisions, soldiers could be recruited, and the wealthy families had no choice but to reluctantly release a portion of their hidden population to serve.

After all, now only a portion of the population needs to be sacrificed, but if the emperor establishes his own shogunate outside the court, even if the shogunate is dissolved according to regulations after the war ends, there will be a group of people who call him "Lord" instead of "Your Majesty"—then even this small population might not be able to be saved.

History tells them that there is a huge difference between those who address someone as "Lord" and those who address someone as "Your Majesty." The former are at least marquises, while the latter may not receive a good honor upon retirement even after a lifetime of hard work.

The worst thing is that the emperor might realize that he can't collect taxes no matter what, so he might simply change the nominal fiefdoms to real fiefdoms and actually grant these officials fiefdoms to local areas. What would happen then?

Even if it's a nominal fiefdom of 10,000 households, a real fiefdom of 300 households is still a real fiefdom, and there's no need to pay any attention to the local officials.

The army of the Great Yan Dynasty has a peculiar characteristic: it exhibits a certain "silver-absorbing" property, much like a sponge.

When you have no money, you're a small, withered lump, but once you have enough money, you're a completely different person.

At least it looked completely different. With enough money paid, the wealthy families readily contributed, and naturally the Bureau of Armory and thousands of arsenals across the country operated at full capacity. In just a few days, the dilapidated military camp was transformed.