To deal with the Western Army, the First Prince amassed an army of over a million, even deploying some troops stationed on the border—a desperate gamble!
However, the situation remained extremely unfavorable for the First Prince.
His million-strong army was like paper, utterly vulnerable to the Western Army's semi-automatic rifles and artillery!
In just three months, his million-strong army was decimated, and sixteen large cities were lost.
These cities were vital to the empire; if they fell into Cai Zheng's hands, the empire would have to reduce its tax revenue by at least one-third.
Thus, these tax revenues fell into Cai Zheng's hands!
At the same time, Cai Zheng immediately seized control of the various transportation hubs in these cities, restricting the sale of various goods to
