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While Lu Yao was busy with the warship, coincidentally, Izumo's Yamato was also completed.
This largest battleship in naval history was finally equipped with 460-mm caliber naval guns.
It also featured three triple gun turrets, a total of nine massive guns, along with various secondary armants and anti-aircraft machine guns.
The whole ship was covered with extensive armor, with key parts of the hull able to withstand hits from 460-mm cannons, even the smokestacks had protective armor fitted.
This too was a formidable steel beast, roughly the sa size as the Jie Shuangyu.
The two were evenly matched and were bound to engage in an impassioned exchange of fire, each seeking to leave as much of their ammunition as possible inside the other.
Furthermore, Izumo also initiated the construction of a series of battleships like the "Ise-class, Kongo-class, Fusang-class," and others.
Such relentless militarization should have bankrupted resource-poor Izumo long ago, with people within the country living in misery and revolt brewing.
On the contrary, the internal situation in Izumo was exceptionally stable; the public not only refrained from revolting but was actually eagerly anticipating war!
Because they had tasted the sweetness of aggressive expansion.
Izumo occupied Goryeo and several smaller southeastern countries, sending a steady stream of resources ho under brutal plundering and exploitation.
Many people made a fortune from the war—small-scale like gauze, large-scale like tanks and warships—and the whole country reaped enormous benefits from it.
At the sa ti, social and economic developnt soared. Industrial production increased by 80%, and exports nearly doubled.
Telephone subscribers jumped from 550,000 to 982,000. The streets were filled with buses and taxis, and three new subways were opened.
The rate of households owning radios in the city climbed dramatically from 26% to 45%.
All these signs of prosperity were founded on ruthless foreign plunder.
And the people of Izumo, to maintain their "affluent life," would only support aggressive wars more firmly.
They didn't even need Emperor Xu Fu to deceive them before they eagerly joined the bandwagon of invasion and expansion.
The young n of Izumo enthusiastically joined the military, eager to make their mark by stepping over the corpses of innocents in the countries they invaded.
Old people, won, and children were also contributing to the war effort. Especially won, who were no less fanatical than n!
~~~~~~~~~~
The news of the Great Yi Dynasty's war mobilization was promptly discovered by Izumo.
Izumo certainly did not want to lose its important colonies and imdiately sent reinforcents to Goryeo.
One lieutenant from the 37th Regint of the Osaka Division—Inoue Seiichi—also received mobilization orders and was about to be dispatched to Goryeo.
But Inoue Seiichi was sowhat displeased, as he had only been married for three days.
His wife was as tender as honey, and their affection was incredibly intense. Naturally, he was unhappy about leaving his beautiful wife at such a ti.
But unable to defy military orders, Inoue Seiichi sighed and grudgingly packed his belongings at ho.
All of this was seen by his newlywed wife, Chiyoko.
Unexpectedly, the petite and gentle woman, not wishing to impact her husband's fighting spirit, perford an act that shocked the nation.
On the night before Inoue Seiichi was set to depart, Chiyoko lay beside her husband and slit her own throat with a small knife.
The frail woman's strength was limited, and her act of suicide took a long ti, yet it failed to awaken her husband.
Not until the next morning did Inoue Seiichi notice the blood-soaked tatami and his petite wife lying in a pool of blood.
And in her hands, he found a will titled "A Military Wife's Lesson."
The letter read, "My heart is filled with limitless joy; I hope from now on you will not have a shred of concern for . I wish you success and bless you."
The letter was clearly intended to inspire her husband!
After reading the will, Inoue Seiichi shed not a single tear. He entrusted the aftermath to his family and boarded the battleship bound for Goryeo without looking back.
~~~~~~~~~~~
In a normal country, such behavior would be considered insane, but in Izumo, it beca a model for propaganda.
Major newspapers covered the story in full pages, creating an image of Chiyoko as a "shining example of Izumo's wifely virtue."
The national dia followed suit, and movie companies rapidly turned the story into the film "Ah! Lieutenant Inoue's Wife," which was released nationwide and even sent to the front lines of all colonies.
Under such unthinkable behavior, not only were the soldiers at the front lines greatly encouraged, but they also indulged in slaughtering and raping without any psychological burden...
Won in Izumo fell into madness.
So married soldiers about to deploy in hasty ceremonies, so went directly to the front lines to assist in the fight, and so even volunteered to be comfort won, offering their bodies.
And it wasn't just young won; ordinary citizens of Izumo, from 80-year-old elders to 8-year-old children, were doing everything they could to support the troops at the front.
They volunteered to console the army, comfort the soldiers' families, mourn the fallen, and care for the wounded. Those injured in the front lines while committing atrocities were treated as heroes.
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And so, the entire nation was engulfed in a frenzy of war worship, greedily fixing its sights on Divine Land!
Even the lowest-ranking farrs firmly believed that for Izumo to rise, it must swallow Divine Land whole! By devouring this lush land, the people could lead prosperous and better lives.
It was against such a ravenous monster, salivating at the scent of blood, that Lu Yao had to contend.
~~~~~~~~
The two nations faced each other across the sea, trade frequent, the recent situation within Izumo Country quickly becoming known to the Shun Dynasty.
Many businesses engaged in international trade took the initiative to curry favor with the Imperial Court, providing a continuous stream of intelligence.
At this mont, Lu Yao had in his hands several well-organized morials, detailing the crazed sentints within Izumo Country.
"No souls rest beneath an atomic bomb."
Lu Yao muttered a phrase that no one else understood and passed the morials to the curious girls by his side.
The family was engaged in their daily "routine massage," currently massaging the Spiritual Sparrowhawk, while Su Erya held Ali, waiting her turn.
The ladies' hands moved unceasingly while they passed around the morials to read through them.
Li Pei sneered, "Izumo has been expanding through foreign aggression for over a decade now. Without the support of ordinary people, how could it have lasted?"
The others frowned deeply, their faces full of disgust at the thought of this crazed nation.
Even the ever-gentle Liao Ya sincerely agreed with her junior brother's decision to conquer their country.
After reading, Su Erya's pretty face turned frosty. The young girl didn't have much feeling about national enmity or family hatred; she simply thought that this disgusting little country had provoked her uncle one too many tis and deserved to be killed!
Caught up in her agitated thoughts, her arms unconsciously exerted strength, forgetting she was holding Ali, who began to pant heavily because of the tight squeeze.
But Ali wasn't concerned with the discomfort; she was staring dumbfounded at the Spiritual Sparrowhawk receiving its massage:
[5 Human Race Grandmasters devotedly serving, and daily at that; even a pig could achieve Core Formation!]
The three large birds could be seen closing their eyes in satisfaction, "cooing" contentedly, occasionally raising their wings or turning their necks to go along with their masters' techniques.
This posture alone showed imnse pleasure, and the service of 5 Grandmasters was undoubtedly blissful.
Ali was envious and thought to herself—being labeled as a Spirit Pet, could she also receive so benefits?
[If these foolish humans insist on massaging ... I shall reluctantly indulge.~]
Yet, to Ali's great anticipation, after waiting for quite so ti, these humans finished massaging each other but completely ignored her!
Seeing them about to leave with laughter and chatter, Ali panicked and quickly scampered to the kindest Liao Ya, "owing" and acting cute.
[Damn it! I'm doing this for intelligence gathering!]
The cat bore her humiliation, her bright green eyes sparkling with hope.
Liao Ya rely lifted a hand to pet her, casually remarking, "Erya's pet is quite cute."
And that was that...
What was even more crushing for Ali, was seeing Lord Lu take out many cherished "Blood Cores" and feed them to the three large birds!
[They've already achieved Core Formation; it's a waste to feed them that! Give them to !]
Ali was on the verge of a breakdown watching a handful of precious resources being treated like casual snacks, nearly revealing her cover to Lu Yao.
But her extrely low combat power ca with an advantage in stealth. Unless she chose to expose herself, dissecting her molecule by molecule would reveal nothing unusual.
Lu Yao just thought the cat naturally possessed spiritual attributes and didn't pay it much attention.
~~~~~~~~~~
After the massage session ended, everyone prepared to leave.
Yu Yani suddenly said to the won, "I'll need Lu Yao for a few days."
This statent created a subtle atmosphere.
The group was curious, as Grandmaster Yu usually played the part of the chaste and pretended to be oblivious; why was she so bold today?
Liao Ya laughed drily, "Grandmaster Yu, please feel free to use him as you need..."
Yu Yani quickly realized the awkwardness in her words, her face flushed but her expression unchanged as she rapidly explained:
"I—I need his help with my cultivation, so you won't be seeing him for a few days..."
The won smiled knowingly, without a trace of awkwardness.
Li Pei also spoke up, "Don't be shy, Master; use him for as long as you need to, in the hopes that we'll soon have another Great Grandmaster in the family~"
Having gone through much together, everyone had long since accepted the brave, tough woman with a cold exterior but warm interior; it was only she herself who remained hesitant.
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