The interests of Lu Yuan and Yan Wangqiu had been discussed many times before.
Lu Yuan wants Dongting County, and Yan Wangqiu wants Nanhai County. Of course, if it doesn't work, taking Yulin County is not impossible.
So there is no need for the two of them to say more about this.
The key is Su Xuange's side.
The Jiuchuan Sword Sect dominates Jian'an County and is considered the overlord of the martial arts community in the southeastern part of Vietnam.
Although in terms of true strength, Su Xuange was actually far behind Lu Yuan and Yan Wangqiu.
After all, both of them can send out 300,000 troops, but Su Xuange can only send out 150,000 troops. This is the difference.
"I need a county, no matter where it is."
Su Xuange clearly expressed his interest demands, that is, the three of them would be treated equally and be able to start the country with one county.
“Nowadays, Dai Viet and Xichuan counties have been occupied by the Liang people, and only eight counties are still in the hands of the imperial court.
Linhai County, Yuzhang County, and Guangling County, these three counties are the core hinterland of the imperial court, and it is impossible to give them away at all costs.
The remaining Dongting County and Nanhai County were divided by Sect Leader Yan and I.
In Jiuzhen County, the imperial court has promised Baifeng Temple. If we fight for it, we will definitely offend this temple and make an enemy.
In this case, if Sect Master Su wanted land in a county, he could only choose from Yulin and Jian'an counties. " Lu Yuan analyzed.
"Jian'an County can't do it."
After listening to Lu Yuan's words, Su Xuange said directly: "Jian'an County borders Linhai to the north and Yuzhang to the west, both of which border the heart of the imperial court.
If I establish a country here, it will be like a sharp sword thrust into the heart of the imperial court.
The court will never allow it.
Even if it is allowed, the court is in danger at this time, perhaps due to a life and death crisis, and will respond.
But after they have overcome the current crisis, they will send troops to the north and west in the future, and hundreds of thousands of troops will come to the border. How can Jian'an County be stopped because of its poverty? "
Jian'an County only has eight prefectures, and there are eight mountains, one water, and one field in the territory, so it can't support many people at all. So far, the county has only 300,000 households and 1.5 million people.
With such a small population, such a narrow border, and such difficult conditions, even if Su Xuange tried his best, he could only support 50,000 to 60,000 full-time soldiers at most.
If you include the militia groups, you may be able to draw more than ten or two hundred thousand people.
But this strength is still not enough, and it is impossible to withstand the attack of the imperial court.
Therefore, staying here to found a country, although for the Jiuchuan Sword Sect, can preserve its own strength to the greatest extent. But it also means that he has fallen into an embarrassing dead situation and faces the risk of being attacked by the court at any time.
How can you let others sleep soundly on the side of the couch?
For the imperial court, Jian'an County was the bedside.
Next to him, Yan Wangqiu stroked his beard and said, "In this case, the only one Su Sect Leader Su can choose is Yulin County."
When Su Xuange heard this, he nodded slightly: "If it's Yulin County, that's okay."
Yulin County is actually mountainous and there are many barbarians, but the geographical conditions are still much better than those of Jian'an County.
The most direct point.
At its peak, Yulin County had 500,000 households and more than 2.7 million people. In terms of household registration alone, it is almost twice that of Jian'an County.
Today, although Yulin County has experienced the ravages of Jinghai Kingdom in the past few years, its preserved population should be about two million, which is still stronger than Jian'an County.
The most important thing is that Yulin County borders Dongting and Nanhai counties. If you build a country here, you can help each other with Lu Yuan and Yan Wangqiu.
By then, the three families will be able to cope with external pressures together, and they will be able to survive in troubled times.
Lu Yuan personally agreed with Su Xuange's choice of Yulin County to found the country, because this man made the best use of the three people's territory.
The three counties can form a small circle and advance and retreat together, which is enough to cope with the crisis.
But in this way, he became the one who suffered the most.
Both of them moved to Lingnan, and Lu Yuan was blocking the way. He was responsible for blocking the pressure from the Zhou Dynasty in the north and the imperial court in the east.
Neither of these two enemies is easy to deal with.
If we only rely on the strength of Lu Yuan Dongting County, we simply cannot bear it.
So seeing that Su Xuange had chosen the place to found the country, Lu Yuan looked at the two of them and said, "It is indeed appropriate for the two sect leaders to choose Lingnan to found the country. But at that time, I was alone in Lingbei and had to deal with the Zhou Dynasty alone. The people and the court were separated.
Dongting County has been in ruins for several years after years of war, and now there are probably more than a million people in the county.
It is really difficult to maintain it when it is in decline.
By then, I won’t even be able to support the troops and horses in my hands.
The two sect masters are in the rear. Lingnan is rich and prosperous, and there are no worries from external enemies. They may need to help me defend against the enemy.
After all, I am in Dongting County, helping you two to block the enemy from Lingbei. "
Now Lu Yuan governs the six prefectures, with a total population of only 1.2 million. The remaining three prefectures of Yueyang, Hengyang, and Changsha controlled by the imperial court are estimated to have a population of 600,000 to 700,000 people.
As for Tianmen Mansion in the north of the Yangtze River, hundreds of thousands of troops are there. After the Zhou people are defeated, it is hard to say whether there will be any left.
Therefore, with such a small population, it is simply unrealistic to feed Lu Yuan's hundreds of thousands of troops.
Now we are supported by various aids and extra money, and we can still support it for the time being.
But after two or three years, when all the money is used up, Lu Yuan's finances will collapse.
But the situation faced by Dongting County forced him to maintain such a large army.
Because to the north of Dongting County is Xiangyang County of Zhou State, to the east is Yuzhang County of the imperial court, and to the west is Xichuan County.
There are enemies in the west, north and east. The military pressure can be imagined.
When the country is really about to be founded, whether these 100,000 soldiers will be enough is still a question.
Therefore, reducing the military and saving expenditures is simply not feasible.
If Lu Yuan wants to maintain his rule in Dongting County, he must maintain a military force of more than 100,000 people, so that he can suppress internal forces and resist foreign enemies.
But in this case, if he wants to raise such a large army, he cannot rely on himself and must ask for help from outsiders.
And this outsider is naturally the two allies in front of him.
"Don't worry, General Lu. You and I are allies. If we build a country in the future, we should support each other. We will provide subsidies for the money, food and materials the general needs."
Yan Wangqiu readily agreed to Lu Yuan's request.
"Yes. The general shielded Lingbei for us and isolated Zhou and Yue. We will not begrudge him." Su Xuange also expressed his attitude at this time.
These two sect masters knew it very well. The most critical and important link in this three-person alliance is Lu Yuan.
If Lu Yuan had not stood in the north of the mountain and blocked the Zhou Kingdom from the imperial court, then the hundreds of thousands of troops from the north would have been pressing down, and they would not have been able to stop them.
Therefore, Lu Yuan absolutely cannot fail without the hundreds of thousands of troops under his command.
Without this barrier, even if the two established a country, they would never survive for long.
Maybe every few years, the country will be destroyed.
Compared with the consequences of national subjugation, it would be better to pay some money and food and let Lu Yuan stand in front of them to withstand the threat of Zhou State and the imperial court.
As for Lu Yuan taking their money and food to increase his strength, what should he do?
The two of them were confident that they controlled the money and food, which was equivalent to controlling Lu Yuan's lifeline. Since the lifeline is there, there is no need to worry about the other party annexing itself.
Moreover, with both sides working together, if two counties are fighting one county, are they afraid they won’t be able to defeat them?
In this way, the three parties can check and balance each other and cooperate together to cope with most crises.
"With the two sect masters saying this, Lu is relieved." Lu Yuan couldn't help but smile and nod when he saw the two people expressing their opinions.
After setting this tone, the three began to discuss how much assistance should be given to Lu Yuan after the founding of the country.
Finally came up with a plan.
Lu Yuan's 100,000-strong army requires an annual military expenditure of six million taels, and an annual food consumption of about five million taels.
This expenditure will be borne by Yan Wangqiu in the amount of three million taels of silver and three million shi of grain. Su Xuange will bear two million taels of silver and one million shi of grain. The remaining one million shi of military expenses and one million shi of food were prepared by Lu Yuan himself.
It can be seen from the division that Yan Wangqiu is the leader, Su Xuange is second, and Lu Yuan is the least.
The reason for arriving at such a distribution plan is mainly based on the territory occupied by the three people and their level of wealth.
Nanhai County is the richest, with convenient maritime trade and prosperous commerce. There are also large plains, which are important areas for grain production. Therefore, there are many household registrations, with 700,000 households and more than 3.7 million people.
Just such a county is equivalent to the two counties of Dongting and Yulin combined.
So it stands to reason that Yan Wangqiu has received such great benefits, so he will naturally do his best.
Otherwise, Lu Yuan and Su Xuange would have worked for him in vain.
Lu Yuan's territory was the worst, had the smallest population, and faced the worst situation, so naturally it suffered the least.
After talking about the distribution of interests, the three of them then talked about how to deal with the court?
For example, how should the court respond if it disagrees with the three people's conditions?
Finally there is a conclusion.
If the imperial court really turns against him, then Su Xuange will raise troops to attack Linhai County northward. Yan Wangqiu then raised his troops to attack Yulin County and Jiuzhen County to the west and south. Lu Yuan sent his troops eastward to attack Yuzhang County.
These three directions act together and echo each other.
But at that time, how much territory each of the three parties can occupy will depend on their own abilities.
Anyway, we have already broken up with the imperial court, so there is no need to kill the three counties.
Whoever can grab as much as they want will get it.
"Since there is no objection, let's do this today and make a bloody alliance!"
After discussing all the alliances, Lu Yuan used his skills to force out a few drops of blood, and dropped them into three prepared wine glasses. He raised them up and said: "In the future, we and the three families will face the Imperial Court of Dai Viet and the Kingdom of Zhou, and we will advance and retreat together. We share the same adversity and are allies to each other.
If you violate this oath, you will be punished by both heaven and man! "
Yan Wangqiu and Su Xuange also raised their glasses with blood and said in unison: "If you violate this oath, you will be punished by both heaven and man!"
After saying that, the three of them drank and smashed their glasses together, then looked at each other and laughed.
The Three Kingdoms Alliance was thus established.
…
After the establishment of the Three Kingdoms Alliance, the relationship between Lu Yuan and the three people quickly improved.
Several people understand each other that in the future, a close personal relationship between the three families will be absolutely indispensable for helping each other.
So we all take advantage of this moment to enhance our friendship as much as possible.
Within a few days, they all became brothers. Although they haven't become sworn friends yet, at least on the surface, they are already close friends.
At this time, Lu Yuan, the Five Poison Sect's side, finally relaxed after grinding them for several months.
Lan Zhaoyun, the leader of the Five Poisons Cult, finally lowered his head and sent someone to send a message that he was willing to come to Shaoyang Fucheng to pay his respects.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan finally nodded and was willing to meet him.
Then the two parties agreed to meet at the military camp outside Shaoyang City on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month.
Time passed quickly.
In a blink of an eye, the day came to meet.
On this day, General Lu Yuan raised the drum and conducted a grand review of the troops at the military camp outside the city.
As previously agreed, he called over Yan Wanqiu and Su Xuange and asked them to support the scene.
Later, he invited Zhenren Anqiu, who was also in Fucheng, to watch the ceremony.
The reason why we invited this veteran was mainly because this was a military parade and we wanted to tease the other party. Let the other party be more convinced that he intends to practice Taiping Taoism.
Try to postpone the moment of falling out as late as possible.
At the same time, we can also show our strength through today's military parade. Let Dan Dingdao know that he is not something he can control.
If it works well, it might be able to scare the other party so that they don't dare to retaliate when they fall out.
Moreover, Anqiu Zhenren is also a cultivator who can rival the innate martial arts. He is not only very powerful, but also represents the Danding Dao behind his back.
Bringing such a person here will also be a strong deterrent when he meets Lan Zhaoyun later.
At that time, it will undoubtedly be more beneficial for me to negotiate terms with the Five Poison Sect.
After so many preparations were made, at about nine o'clock in the morning, in the wilderness outside the city, the army had been displayed and was practicing formation skills.
At this moment, a report came from outside the camp that Lan Zhaoyun, the leader of the Five Poison Sect, had finally arrived.
When Lu Yuan heard the announcement, his expression remained unchanged and he had no intention of going out to greet him. He just said calmly: "Call people in."
After saying that, he turned back and continued to chat with Yan Wangqiu and others, laughing and watching the soldiers and horses below.
Among the three people invited to watch the ceremony, Yan Wangqiu was actually fine. He had been fighting with Lu Yuan before, so he knew the status of his troops and knew that they were an elite force.
But this was the first time for Su Xuange and Anqiu Zhenren to see Lu Yuan's powerful soldiers.
After watching this, I couldn't help but feel shocked.
This was not the elite of Lu Yuan's troops that shocked them.
It must be said that of Lu Yuan's 100,000 soldiers, only 50,000 veterans can be truly considered elite.
There are still 50,000 people left, all new recruits, most of whom have not seen blood yet. Compared with the elite soldiers of the imperial court and Liang and Zhou countries, they were still far behind.
What really shocked the two of them was that Lu Yuan could support such a large number of elite soldiers with the strength of half a county.
Although it is only 50,000 strong, with such an elite force, and with the new leading the old, the 100,000-strong army in front of us can become an elite force in less than a year.
And with 100,000 elite soldiers in hand, even big countries such as Zhou, Liang, and Yue would not dare to look down upon them.
After all, these big countries generally only have five or six hundred thousand regular combat troops. And these troops have to suppress and guard each place separately, and it is impossible to concentrate them all.
Lu Yuan has 100,000 soldiers, enough to fight a head-on war with these big countries in a certain direction.
Isn't it shocking enough that half a county has such strength?
After being shocked, Su Xuange came back to his senses, feeling naturally excited and happy.
The three of them are already allies. With their allies having such strength, they will undoubtedly have greater success and greater guarantees when the country is founded in the future.
So, how can you not like it?
Master Anqiu was also very happy.
Lu Yuan training elite soldiers in this way undoubtedly shows that this person has the ambition to dominate the world.
To compete for world hegemony, one must have sufficient strength.
This strength does not only refer to soldiers and horses. It also refers to the sufficient high-end combat power of an innate grandmaster.
Therefore, from this aspect, it is further confirmed that Lu Yuan is seriously preparing to practice Taiping Taoism.
'And it's not just that. '
Master Anqiu withdrew his gaze from looking at the military formation below. He turned his gaze to the side and landed on Su Xuange and Yan Wangqiu. He was shocked again: "This Lu Yuan has such a close relationship with these two innate masters."
Judging from their appearance, they are far more than just close friends. They look a bit like the six surnames and seven tribes of the Yue Kingdom, who have formed an alliance with each other.
If my guess is true, then there may be an alliance unknown to outsiders between the Jiuchuan Sword Sect, the Nanhai Sect, and this general who conquers the South.
With these three people together, Yue and Zhou would probably have a headache. '
Anqiu Zhenren thought like this in his heart, feeling a burst of schadenfreude.
Although he is a cultivator, he is an outsider.
But I have to say that as a member of the Liang Kingdom, he was quite happy to see the two enemy countries, Zhou and Yue, in bad luck.
Otherwise, when Dan Ding Dao supported the experimental subjects, he would not have found Chi Mingzhu, who specifically set up an uprising in Jian'an County, Yue State.
Moreover, Lu Yuan's active search for allies is more in line with Dan Ding Dao's interests.
With so many allies, when he raises his army, he will not be attacked and destroyed by the Yue court all at once.
In this way, it can last longer and even lay down a larger territory, which is undoubtedly valuable data for practicing Taiping Taoism.
All of the above are of great benefit to Danding Dao.
So in a happy mood, Master Anqiu looked at Lu Yuan next to him and couldn't help but start praising him: "The general is indeed a famous general in the world. He can train such elite soldiers. It is no wonder that in just a few years, he has defeated the chaos and achieved great military exploits." Hehe..."
As soon as these words were spoken, the face of the person who had just arrived behind him turned dark instantly, and he couldn't help but snort.
When everyone heard the noise, they turned their heads and saw a burly man in Miao costume standing behind, looking at him and others with a bad expression.
Needless to say, everyone immediately understood the identity of the other party. It was Lan Zhaoyun, the leader of the Five Poisons who came to beg for peace.
When they thought of this, everyone's expressions and gazes suddenly became strange.
Being stared at by everyone, Lan Zhaoyun felt extremely uncomfortable. How had he, the majestic leader of a sect and the leader of the Miao people, ever suffered such humiliation?
He wanted to glare back and show some integrity.
Tell them that even if I lose, I can't be bullied at will.
But as he glanced around and looked at the four people in front of him, his heart felt colder every time.
Because Lan Zhaoyun discovered that the three people in front of him were all innate masters.
There is one person left, although he is not a grandmaster, but his aura is not much worse than that of the grandmaster next to him, and is even slightly stronger.
As the leader of a religion, he naturally has insight.
Knowing that this should be the immortal cultivators in those Taoist sects, people who are more terrifying than the innate master.
"Gulu..."
After recognizing the strength of the people in the field, Lan Zhaoyun's anger was instantly extinguished by the pouring water. He couldn't help but swallow dryly, feeling miserable and bitter.
