"It seems this will be a protracted war. This conflict cannot be ended quickly in a short period. If we are dragged into a quagmire of war, it will truly be bad!" Shen Feng mused.
After a day of analysis, many soldiers had achieved victory on the battlefield. This was because these soldiers discovered that as long as they had a flamethrower on their backs, carrying a sealed high-pressure tank, they were invincible when attacking. Once the flamethrower was used, the twenty to thirty meters of road in front of them would be instantly cleared. Even if there were hornets flying in the sky before, with just one blast, their bodies would be scorched.
So, by dinner time, many people were excitedly discussing the day's battles, while others were mourning their fallen comrades. However, the fallen comrades were only a minority, numbering only a few dozen. Such a small loss was negligible for an army of tens of thousands. It could be said that winning this battle with such minimal casualties was a great achievement.
Yet, Shen Feng and other high-ranking officials could not feel at ease. Many knew that the day's battle was merely an appetizer. Although a battle had been won, more and more terrifying hornets awaited them in the future.
"If we fight one battle after another, it will be extremely difficult, especially since our numbers are too small. Even with the mercenaries arriving, we will only have about 100,000 men. While this number might be more than enough for a region, it is too difficult to continuously advance through a vast area! We must find a good way to deal with the impact of these hornets!" Shen Feng said with a troubled expression.
"Why don't we use other poisonous substances? As long as they can quickly kill these hornets, that would be enough. Isn't it said that there are many mountains and forests to the south? How about using Agent Orange in these areas?" Lu Kaiyang suddenly offered his suggestion.
This so-called Agent Orange, its chemical composition was mainly dioxin, a highly toxic substance that could cause vegetation to wither, making leaves turn yellow and fall. It was originally used on the battlefield, but later people discovered that once this substance circulated in nature, it was also harmful to humans, capable of inducing leukemia and various other cancers.
Many animals reacted strongly to this substance because once it entered the body, it would induce a series of changes in the body, leading to gene mutations. Many species would perish as a result. Humans also had issues with dioxin intake; it took five years to clear these substances from the body.
It could be said that once this substance was used, especially on the battlefield, it would cause a series of changes in those areas. Even places where humans lived would be affected because the half-life of Agent Orange in nature is nine years, and it would take decades to reduce the impact of Agent Orange to a minimum.
In fact, this method was also the sentiment of many. After all, it would take an unknown amount of time to deal with so many insects using normal means. It would be better to use a method that would cut off future generations, even if it was a bit ruthless, as it was extremely effective.
However, Shen Feng rejected this plan without even thinking. Instead, he said, "You said you would use Agent Orange for the attack, why don't you say you would use atomic bombs? Are you saying you want to use depleted uranium shells for the attack? Have you considered that this is the kind of method I least want to see? Even if we conquer it, it will eventually become a riddled place, even incapable of normal survival. Then what use do I have for these places?"
The reason Shen Feng wanted to continue south and fight was because he valued the many oil and natural gas resources in the south, as well as the most important access to the sea. Once he obtained access to the sea, his transportation situation could be greatly improved. Through railways and roads, many products from the interior could be sold to the outside world via the ocean.
But if such a highly toxic substance were used, it might kill a large number of insects in a short period, but in the future, it would become very difficult for people to survive in those areas. Because with just a slight mistake, they could die. He wondered how his descendants would curse him in the future.
"Besides using poison, I can't think of any other method. Even using poison gas attacks would not yield ideal results, as these insects also have eyes. As long as they have eyes, they can see the impending danger and dodge it," Lu Kaiyang shook his head helplessly.
Shen Feng thought for a moment and said, "It seems that in this situation, we can only send a message to Yuzhou, asking Yuzhou to quickly produce poison and send it over. Even if poison needs to be used for the attack in necessary circumstances, we cannot use poisons with extremely harmful effects and long half-lives, because they degrade very slowly in nature, which means this poison might regretfully affect future generations!"
Everyone also agreed with this viewpoint, because at present, other than using drugs with very short half-lives, there were no other methods. Drugs with very long half-lives could not be used because they might harm humans themselves. But without using poison, it would be difficult to achieve victory. Therefore, in this case, only relatively simple drugs could be used. After exerting their toxicity, they would quickly degrade in nature.
And the production of such drugs was not simple. Many pesticides degrade very quickly in nature, but many insects have developed resistance to pesticides, so using pesticides now is impossible. Some are using more novel poisons to attack indiscriminately, without distinguishing between friend and foe. In a short period, our side does not need to advance. After these poisons degrade, we can continue to advance. In this way, with the cooperation of air power and ground troops, the final victory can be achieved.
Coincidentally, in Yuzhou, there was someone who could produce this drug. He was Tu Shuangming, Shen Feng's disciple, and also the son of Tu Xuhuai, who was in charge of personnel in Yuzhou.
Therefore, after confirming this plan, Shen Feng immediately sent a message to Yuzhou, asking them to quickly produce poison and send it over. The more poison, the better; they could never have too much. Additionally, Shen Feng was urging the mercenaries to arrive at the battlefield quickly.
Upon receiving the order, Yuzhou immediately responded. Tu Shuangming received the news and rushed to a chemical plant as quickly as possible to start producing poison. Once these poisons were produced, they would be loaded into sealed containers of various sizes and sent to the front lines for combat.
Before his son departed, Tu Xuhuai said, "You are no longer young. You should find a suitable person to marry. I think Wang Xiran, one of the City Lord's disciples, is quite good. You must seize the opportunity, preferably win her heart, and then marry her!"
"In normal times, she always resides in the Fengshen Palace. I have no opportunity to approach her. How can I win her heart?" Tu Shuangming was very confused.
Tu Xuhuai said faintly, "There is nothing difficult in the world if you put your heart into it. As long as you are bold, meticulous, and thick-skinned, you will find a way. I will leave this matter to you. For our family to continue to prosper, you also need to make some sacrifices. Wang Xiran and her brother have always been highly regarded by the City Lord, and their future will be boundless. So, you must take this matter to heart!"
Tu Shuangming nodded in agreement. He actually admired his father greatly because he felt his father possessed great wisdom and always handled many matters with ease. No matter how tricky the problem, it could be resolved when it came into his hands. Therefore, what his father said was definitely correct, and he had to follow it.
Afterward, Tu Shuangming arrived at the chemical plant and began producing poison day and night. This poison was a light green liquid that appeared harmless, but in reality, as long as it came into contact with the skin, it would produce strong toxicity. At this point, it might still be possible to save the person, but if they drank it, it would be beyond salvation, even if Hua Tuo himself came, he couldn't save them.
Tu Shuangming was using his abilities non-stop, producing thousands of cans of highly toxic substance every day. He thought his production speed was sufficient, and the amount of poison sent to the battlefield could kill tens of thousands of people. However, he eventually realized that no matter how hard he tried to produce these things, what he produced was still transported away in the blink of an eye, sent out by train. The steel plant would then immediately send new containers for him to continue filling them with poison.
"Are they treating me like livestock? Even livestock needs to catch its breath!" Tu Shuangming couldn't help but feel annoyed. Facing this insurmountable workload every day, he felt extremely suppressed, feeling that he could never complete the task.
Tu Shuangming's grumbling soon reached Chang Jianyi's ears. She had a way to resolve the grumbling of this young man.
Chang Jianyi sent Li Keyi on an errand, instructing her on the speech she needed to use and the rewards she should offer.
So, Li Keyi arrived at the chemical plant and said to Tu Shuangming, who was feeling weary, "Tu Shuangming, guess why I'm here?"
"Are you here to reprimand me? Because I didn't complete the task on time and I was complaining, so you want to teach me a lesson!" Tu Shuangming thought for a moment and had an answer in his mind.
"No, I'm here to commend you. Because I heard you've been performing very well here, providing important weapons to many frontline troops. So, this time I'm specifically here to praise you. After this matter is over, based on your performance, we will give you an important position, allowing you to undertake more glorious tasks in the future. And, it's not just verbal praise, but also material rewards. Look!" Li Keyi took out an ability potion from herself and handed it over.
"Is this the reward for me?" Tu Shuangming did not have his father's composure. Upon seeing this generous reward, his eyes widened instantly.