You Have Science, I Have Martial Arts-Chapter 614 - 276: Third Gear, Activate!

Clack clack ~ Woo woo woo ~

In the early morning, the sound of the train arriving broke the winter’s tranquility.

As soon as the door opened, the chilling north wind fiercely swept into the warm carriage, and a middle-aged man of imposing demeanor stepped out.

Outside the door, the crimson carpet extended all the way to the station’s exit, with soldiers in uniforms standing solemnly like statues on either side, their spines as straight as the steam rifles in their hands.

"Your Majesty."

General Barton, known as the Imperial Iron Wall, stepped forward respectfully to pay his respects.

The Blood Emperor Ishtar said coldly, "Take me to the frontlines."

"This..."

Barton was somewhat caught off guard, but dared not defy the Blood Emperor’s authority, so he nodded in acknowledgment, "Yes, at your command."

The dignitaries who came to welcome the Emperor could only follow, accompanying the Blood Emperor to the frontlines for inspection.

Although called the ’frontline’, it was actually just a camp for storing frontline military supplies, and it also served the roles of treating and transporting wounded soldiers.

Barton wasn’t a fool; naturally, he couldn’t really take the Emperor to the battlefield frontlines with cannon fire and flesh flying, but if he had to explain, this was also the frontline.

Looking at the despondent soldiers inside the camp, along with the maimed and disabled wounded, the Blood Emperor’s face was very grim.

The battle had been going on for over half a year, and the Empire had not been able to capture even one city from the enemy, something that hadn’t happened in the past few decades.

Now, the Empire had invested a vast amount of resources, but hadn’t reaped enough returns; internally, there was obviously some discontent growing, and the enthusiasm of the nobility to support the war was waning, which was an extremely dangerous signal.

"Why has the frontline not made progress?"

Ishtar looked at Barton. Although in the Imperial Palace he had seen many analysis reports, nothing compared to the reality of witnessing it firsthand. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Barton, known as the Imperial Iron Wall, was already the most outstanding general in the Iron Fury Empire, but at this moment, in facing the Emperor’s inquiry, he couldn’t display any confidence in achieving victory.

"Your Majesty, the enemy’s methods of combat are unlike anything we’ve encountered before. Although they lack powerful steam weaponry, they possess iron-like will and physique, and their tactics are highly flexible, consistently evading our main forces, frequently using flanking and encircling tactics to attack our army’s flanks and rear..."

It was evident that the undefeated Imperial Army had never fought such a tough battle, nor had it encountered an opponent as evenly matched as Great Qi.

In past wars, quite simply, the Imperial Army utilized dominant steam technology to unilaterally crush the feudal lords along the Black Sea and White Sea coasts, achieving unstoppable success.

In contrast, the Central Plains, with a history of large-scale warfare spanning thousands of years, has a far more robust logistics and mobilization system, and the fighting spirit of their soldiers far exceeds that of ordinary humans. Even steam and steel cannot shake them.

Ishtar frowned slightly upon hearing this, "How many forces has the opposing side committed?"

"Not counting logistics, the main forces involved in battle number around sixty thousand."

"Sixty thousand..."

Ishtar was so enraged by this result that he laughed, his voice sharper than the cold wind, "The Empire committed a full three hundred thousand troops, deploying more than half of our steam battle armor and steam tanks, yet we are evenly matched with an enemy of sixty thousand soldiers? And even as the weather turns colder, our forces are starting to lose the upper hand?"

"Your Majesty, the enemy soldiers possess extraordinary physiques; they can disregard the cold, but our soldiers are struggling to adapt to the harsh winter here..."

Barton was quite helpless too.

Even if he disregarded the casualties of ordinary soldiers and compelled them to fight in the ice heaven and snow earth, the mechanician piloting steam battle armor are of noble birth, and you can’t just point a steam pistol at these young masters’ heads and force them to fill the lines on the battlefield, can you?

Ishtar’s expression was somber, "I shall initiate a winter offensive, achieving victory in one sweeping move."

"This is too risky; please reconsider, Your Majesty!"

"Alas~"

Ishtar threw several top-secret documents he carried with him to Barton, "Take a look at these."

Barton was shocked after reading them, "How could this be?"

After the news of the Empire’s defeat on the frontlines came back, within the territories that had originally been conquered, many of the old nobles began to stir under the banner of the ’Recovery Faction’.

If it was just them, it would be manageable; after all, the steam battle armor and steam tanks remaining in the homeland can easily crush these outdated remnants.

The real problem lies in the fact that the intelligence network left by Wang Junfeng before his departure is still operational, and the martial arts legacy of the Heart Martial Sect is spreading in the Land of the Setting Sun.

Especially those former nobles who lost their lands have joined the Heart Martial Sect and embarked on the path of martial arts cultivation.

With the power of martial arts, they effectively wield a means to combat the Imperial Steam Army, even if they are currently still weak. However, this trend greatly concerns the Blood Emperor Ishtar.

"There is an old saying in the East, a spark can start a prairie fire."

Ishtar gazed firmly at General Barton, "The Empire urgently needs a victory right now; only victory can suppress these restless remnants of old nobility."

Subsequently, Ishtar’s tone became resolute, filled with an unyielding determination and decisiveness, "This time, I will personally lead the expedition. I will not return until I break the enemy and achieve victory."

Although he did not wish to engage in such a military gamble lacking absolute certainty, given the budding seeds of internal strife within the Empire, there was no time left for hesitation.