To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck

Chapter 699: Chapter 312: Qingzhou United_3

There is no need to worry about Liang Country becoming too powerful and difficult to control if they really capture Henan and Nanyang prefectures.

If that day truly comes, then facing such a threat, Zhao and Xu countries to the north, Zhou Country to the west, Ning Country to the south, and Lu Yuan’s Chu Country will naturally not allow such a formidable enemy to grow in peace.

When that time comes, the Five Countries attacking Liang, or even the Nine Provinces attacking Liang, will take turns playing out.

Competing for supremacy is not a game; none will sit idly by and watch Liang Country slowly rise and strengthen.

Before it can grow, the countries will unite to weaken and destroy it, as is the norm.

Confronting the Five Countries, or even alliances among the Nine Provinces, even if Liang Country unifies Qingzhou and takes Henan and Nanyang prefectures from Zhou Country, it cannot be the match of the world’s various nations.

The geographical location of Liang Country and the surrounding situation it faces are just too poor.

When people pursue the world, they often speak of the gold edge, silver horn, and the belly of grass; Liang Country occupies precisely that position of the belly.

It is close to all countries on all sides, and can attack and conquer the world in all directions.

Similarly, the various countries of the world can also strike from all sides, leaving Liang Country exhausted and running.

In comparison, Chu Country, located in Yangzhou, is situated in the south of the Nine Provinces, and relies on the Yangtze River natural barrier; its geographical position and national defense pressure are far better than those of Liang Country.

It definitely ranks among the golden-edge elite.

With the Yangtze River, Lu Yuan can calmly defeat the various countries, slowly unify Yangzhou, and then accumulate enough strength to go north and compete for the world.

Of course, even if that day comes, it will not be until several decades later at the earliest.

Now, it is time to solve the financial problems of Chu Country first.

…

Just when Lu Yuan received the report from the Royal City Division, the news of Liang Country’s annihilation of Lai Country was also spreading among other countries.

The situation is exactly as he guessed.

After the other countries learned about it, they immediately realized that the time for Liang Country to unify Qingzhou was not far off.

A true hegemon of one province is about to take the stage in the world.

As for the countries surrounding Liang Country, they couldn’t help but be greatly alarmed.

In the north, Ji State Zhao Country, upon receiving the news, immediately stopped its conquest in Ji Province.

They then withdrew all 200,000 troops that had been conquering various small countries in the north and stationed them on the southern border between Zhao and Liang.

Xu Country, which had been supporting Lai Country in resisting Liang Country’s invasion, was even more terrified, not only deploying the 300,000 troops that were originally aiding Lai Country to defend the border. They then launched a recruitment drive in the country, creating another 300,000-strong army in one breath, ready to counter Liang Country’s invasion at any time.

As for Zhou Country to the west, it was even more fearful.

They also realized that among the countries surrounding Liang Country, they were the easiest target for Liang Country’s attacks.

Therefore, even though it had already employed nearly 400,000 troops in Longxi and Hexi prefectures to resist the barbarians, Zhou Country still gritted its teeth and conscripted another 100,000 troops from within the country and deployed them to defend Henan and Nanyang prefectures.

But even so, both Henan and Nanyang each only had 100,000 troops.

These troops are no threat to Liang Country, which is on the verge of unifying Qingzhou and has rapidly expanded its forces to more than a million.

Without the natural barrier of the Yangtze River and relying only on these troops for defense, Liang Country could easily shred this fragile line if it wanted to.

But this is already the limit of the troops Zhou Country can mobilize.

Zhou Country has a total of only 800,000 troops.

Of these, 400,000 are fighting the barbarians in the west.

In the north, to defend against their sworn enemy Wei Country, they have to keep 100,000 troops stationed on the northern border.

In addition, the 50,000 troops stationed in Guannei County, where the capital is located, and the newly reclaimed Hanzhong County, amount to a total of 600,000 troops.

The remaining 200,000 troops Zhou Country can use have all gone east; there is no more room.

However, in the face of such a powerful enemy, Zhou Country also realizes its lack of troops and has ordered Henan and Nanyang prefectures to locally recruit soldiers, preparing to build a 200,000-strong New Army in these two places.

Counting the original 200,000, a total of 400,000 troops should be barely enough to defend against Liang Country.

As long as they can survive this period, there will be no need to fear Liang Country once the troops in the west are sent back after dealing with the barbarians.

The above describes the actions of the northern countries.

On the side of Yangzhou, Chu Country, under Lu Yuan’s guidance, still has not made any moves, and continues to accumulate money and grain and train troops as usual.

After all, Chu and Liang countries do not border each other, and while they can feel the threat from the north, the pressure is actually not great.

As for Ning Country, which borders Liang Country in many places and has had many disputes with Liang Country throughout the dynasties in Jinling, it is considered a historical enemy.

So upon learning the news, Ning Country strengthened its defenses in the north.

According to rumors, they plan to train an additional 50,000 naval forces on top of the original 100,000, and also add 50,000 defenders to Guangling County, bringing the total number of stationed troops there to 200,000.

With a total of 150,000 naval forces and 350,000 land and naval troops, Ning Country will be well protected.

The surrounding countries all have their own actions.

On the side of Liang Country, things are as steady as Chu Country.

Aside from sending troops to station in the former territory of Lai Country, the remaining Northern Expeditionary Army did not disband but continued to move northeast.

It seems that they are ready to annihilate the remaining small countries within Qingzhou’s territory and unify the whole of Qingzhou.

Before this, Liang Country should not have any other moves.

During this period, the messengers sent by Lu Yuan to various prefectures and counties to investigate the disaster situation finally returned with detailed information.

In this snow disaster, 113,000 households in Chu Country’s four prefectures and 34 counties were affected, with more than 11,000 households suffering casualties and 47,000 deaths.

A single natural disaster cost Chu Country the lives of one or two entire counties’ populations.

Upon receiving this news, Lu Yuan was deeply grieved; these losses were the very foundation of Chu Country and his own Qi Luck.

So many people, if relocated to Qianzhong County, could easily stabilize a prefecture, but now they have been sacrificed in vain.

Such a painful lesson is enough to be remembered and engraved in one’s heart forever.

Therefore, he immediately ordered the prefectures and counties to do a better job of snow disaster prevention and linked this matter with the assessment of officials’ performances to prevent them from neglecting it.

Lu Yuan did his best to prevent the lessons of today from being repeated in the future.

As for how effective the results will be, it all depends on fate.