Dalinghe City had turned into a strange kind of war zone, one where nothing seemed urgent on the surface, yet everything was quietly moving with terrifying efficiency underneath.
The militia from Gao Village had been stationed here for months now, and unlike traditional armies, they showed no signs of strain, no anxiety over supply lines, no visible cracks in morale, because the entire system behind them was simply operating on a completely different level.
Every few days, massive transport ships would arrive along the southern coast near Jinzhou, unloading endless supplies like an industrial artery that never stopped pumping, and from there, steam-powered cargo trucks hauling heavy trailers, along with long caravans of ox carts and horse carts, would carry everything inland toward Dalinghe City without interruption.
No one dared interfere with that supply line.
At sea, no one could touch Gao Village's ships.
On land, the Qing forces had already been beaten into a defensive crouch, clinging to survival while desperately trying to figure out how those iron monsters even moved, all the while silently praying that the emperor would continue making disastrous decisions and buy them more time.
Meanwhile, the militia didn't waste a single day.
From dawn, the entire camp would come alive.
The core units trained with advanced weapons that made traditional soldiers feel like they were watching sorcery rather than warfare.
The Sky Battalion would take to the air whenever the wind allowed it, practicing bombing drills with terrifying precision, and even on days with unstable wind, they would still ascend, experimenting with control techniques that looked reckless but were clearly part of a calculated system.
Nearby, the armored cavalry units drilled relentlessly in combined tactics, coordinating movements between infantry and armored support with a level of discipline that felt mechanical rather than human.
Ma Shouying's heavy cavalry spent their days riding in wide arcs across the plains, not because there was an immediate threat, but because both riders and horses needed constant conditioning, and in this army, even the animals were treated as long-term strategic assets.
Then there were the firearm units.
They trained with live ammunition.
Real gunpowder.
Real bullets.
Every single day.
Lu Xiangsheng watched this with a tightening chest, his eyes practically bleeding from the sheer waste in his perspective, because to him, this was not training, this was burning money, this was throwing away resources that could sustain an army for months.
What kind of household burns through ammunition like this?
Do they really have a mine at home?
And yet, what truly defined Gao Village's militia was not their weapons, but their fundamentals.
Endurance.
Discipline.
Repetition.
Long-distance running in formation, chanting in rhythm, boots pounding the ground in perfect synchronization, lines stretching across the landscape like moving walls.
Lu Xiangsheng watched them day after day, and eventually, he couldn't take it anymore.
He turned to his own troops.
"Look at them," he snapped, voice sharp with frustration. "Look carefully. This is what a real army looks like. And then look at yourselves. You call yourselves soldiers? You're nothing but a bunch of lazy pigs. Move! Run like them!"
The Tianxiong Army obeyed immediately.
They always did.
That was never the problem.
But obedience alone wasn't enough.
After one full round of long-distance running, the difference became painfully obvious.
The militia soldiers returned, still upright, still breathing evenly, still capable of continuing training as if nothing had happened.
The Tianxiong Army, on the other hand, collapsed.
Completely.
The next morning, many of them couldn't even stand.
Lu Xiangsheng was furious, dragging men out of bed, shouting, demanding, pushing them beyond their limits, until suddenly a calm voice interrupted him.
"Governor Lu, you should let them rest for a couple of days."
He turned and saw Li Daoxuan walking over, smiling like he had just arrived for a casual visit rather than stepping into a military training ground.
Lu Xiangsheng frowned. "Perfect timing. Tell me this. Why are your soldiers like this, and mine are like that?"
Li Daoxuan didn't even hesitate.
"Nutrition."
Just one word.
Then he continued, voice relaxed, almost conversational.
"If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it properly. People are the same. Your soldiers have been underfed for a long time. Their bodies simply can't handle this level of training yet. If you force it, you won't strengthen them, you'll break them."
Lu Xiangsheng paused, his expression tightening.
"They are my personal troops. I already do everything I can to provide food and pay."
"It's not enough," Li Daoxuan replied, still smiling. "High-intensity training requires high calories, high protein, even high fat. Running burns fat. If they don't have reserves, what exactly are they supposed to burn?"
That word hit harder than expected.
Fat.
Lu Xiangsheng subconsciously touched his own waist.
Yes, he had some.
But his soldiers?
Not even close.
Li Daoxuan waved it off casually.
"Don't worry. Recently, your troops have been eating our supplies anyway. Give it some time. They'll build up what they need."
Lu Xiangsheng fell silent.
He knew exactly what this meant.
He was accepting support from rebels.
From people he was supposed to fight.
The irony was suffocating.
Before he could respond, a rider came charging in from the distance, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Imperial decree! General Gao Jie is to return to Henan immediately and suppress the rebel Zhu Yousong and his faction!"
Lu Xiangsheng blinked.
Gao Jie, however, simply clicked his tongue.
"Damn. Haven't even gotten proper credit here and now I have to go back."
Lao Nanfeng beside him laughed and punched his shoulder.
"Don't forget how Gao Village counts merit. Killing enemies doesn't mean much. Completing strategic objectives does. You leaving Henan and creating that power vacuum? That's already a big contribution. Now go finish the job."
Gao Jie grinned, shaking his head.
"Fine, fine. I get it. Long-distance marching practice is done anyway. My unit is sharp now. Real sharp."
Despite everything, Gao Jie still respected the imperial structure in his own way.
Before leaving, he even went to Lu Xiangsheng and saluted.
"Governor Lu, I'm heading back to Henan to deal with Zhu Yousong. Came to say goodbye."
Lu Xiangsheng looked at him coldly.
"You're all in the same group anyway. Going back just means acting out your script together. What I really want to know is this. First Zhu Yujian, now Zhu Yousong. You're raising multiple claimants. Who are you actually planning to make emperor? Or are you going to have them fight each other in the end?"
Gao Jie laughed.
"I'm just a soldier. Politics? No idea. I just follow orders and collect achievements."
Lu Xiangsheng turned immediately to Li Daoxuan.
"You understand this, don't you?"
Li Daoxuan looked at him, calm as ever.
"Governor Lu, you're forgetting something again. I'm not trying to overthrow the emperor as a person. I'm trying to destroy a system where one person's word cannot be questioned."
He paused slightly, letting that sink in.
"If I only support Zhu Yujian, his personal authority becomes too strong. If I only support Zhu Yousong, the same thing happens. So instead, I raise multiple figures. Each with influence. Each with legitimacy. But none of them allowed to dominate the others through force."
Lu Xiangsheng's eyes widened slightly.
Understanding hit him like a blade.
"You're building a system," he said slowly, "where multiple leaders exist at the same time, each strong, each legitimate, but none able to eliminate the others. That forces them into cooperation. That creates… a shared governance structure."
Li Daoxuan smiled.
"As expected of Governor Lu. You see it clearly."
Then he added, almost casually.
"That's why I've always respected you. Even if we stand on opposite sides, my people will always treat you with respect."