Silence, silence again.
In the spacious hall, Lu Yuan looked at the album held high by Hui An, and his heart couldn't help but beat twice.
The other party actually came for real?
There is also the Xichuan Kingdom, which actually plans to surrender.
Thinking of this matter, a sense of surprise and confusion couldn't help but appear in his heart.
"Messenger, please get up first."
Lu Yuan took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, watched the other party stand up, and then said: "You said that you came to offer soil on behalf of the King of Xichuan. There must be a reason. King Xichuan went to the north with Gu Gu in the past, and then he went to Vietnam There, I earned my current family fortune.
He fought hard to get half of the county, but now he doesn't want it anymore.
I still have doubts in my heart. Can the messenger help me clear up my doubts?
Otherwise, with this problem in mind, Gu Ke would be uneasy and just accept the surrender of King Xichuan. "
Now that he had calmed down, Lu Yuan could guess some of the reasons why Ji Hui made the choice to join Chu.
But just like he said.
Without listening to the other party's explanation in person, he wouldn't feel confident accepting such a big deal like Xichuan Kingdom.
After all, although the Xichuan Kingdom is now in decline, it may even be destroyed within a few months.
But no matter what, it is still a country, especially within the country, there is Ji Hui, the innate master, and Baifeng Temple, the innate sect that has been passed down for thousands of years.
With this background, it is really not an easy thing to annex the other party.
If the other party doesn't show sincerity so that he can trust the other party, then this matter really won't happen. Lu Yuan will not casually agree to this request.
Hui'an also knew the difficulties, so when he heard Lu Yuan's inquiry, he did not hide anything, but answered truthfully: "Back to your Majesty, since June last year, while the Holy King was leading his troops, Nanzhao An army of 100,000 people took us by surprise, traveled thousands of miles, and attacked our country by surprise.
Our country is weak. Although we tried our best to resist, we still inevitably lost our troops and our capital fell early.
Up to now, the five palaces in the country have been destroyed one after another.
Although the Holy King tried his best to resist in Panshi Mansion, he eventually retreated and was seriously injured and fled to Nanchong Mansion.
Now, with the help of Han Chinese, they have gained a little foothold in Nanchong Prefecture.
But at this time, the Zhou Dynasty on the Hanzhong side mobilized troops again, seemingly intending to take advantage of the instability in Xichuan and take the opportunity to move south.
The enemy in northern Xinjiang was approaching, and Han China had to withdraw its reinforcements in order to resist Zhou.
Nanzhao's tens of thousands of troops followed closely and surrounded Nanchong.
Without the aid of Han China, in the hands of the Holy King, there are no more than eight thousand soldiers and no more than four counties. The army is small, the land is small, and the strength is low. Our country is really unable to resist.
After suffering this catastrophe, we have clearly understood that the struggle for hegemony in the world is not something that outsiders like us can interfere with.
I didn't believe this before and broke the precepts rashly, which ultimately led to this disaster.
Now that I have woken up, all the monks in this temple, including the Holy King, have given up this thought.
The only thing I want now is to protect the inheritance in the temple and save the lives of tens of thousands of Xichuan people in the remaining four counties.
Your Majesty and I, Xichuan, have an original alliance. The Nanzhao invasion of Xichuan this time was also caused by the Holy King responding to your Majesty's request and conquering Nanzhao.
In battlefield battles, victory or defeat depends entirely on strength. We are not as good as Nanzhao, and we have no regrets even if we are defeated.
I only hope that the king will take care of the covenant and take us in. "
At this point, Hui'an fell to the ground and spoke sadly.
Seeing this, Huiming next to him also bowed down.
Seeing the two monks like this, Lu Yuan couldn't help but remain silent and felt a little ashamed in his heart.
Hui'an was right. He did have a share of the credit for Xichuan Kingdom's current situation.
Although it was the Xichuan Kingdom that chose to respond to the Co-Vertical Covenant and join the alliance in conquering the southwestern barbarians, this was purely the other party's wish.
But one thing cannot be denied.
That is, if Lu Yuan did not mention this alliance, even with Xichuan Kingdom's national strength and ten courages, he would not dare to attack Nanzhao Kingdom.
And to this day, the Four Kingdoms Alliance still exists, and the Xichuan Kingdom is still an ally of the Chu Kingdom.
In this situation, the other party was reduced to this, and the Chu State had any obligation to help the other party no matter what.
Under such circumstances, the Xichuan State did not ask the Chu State to send troops to help it recover, but asked the Chu State to accept the remaining soldiers and people of the Xichuan State. It can be said to be quite humble.
He was so humble that when Lu Yuan heard this, he couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.
So after thinking about it, he finally relaxed a little and asked: "After accepting the Xichuan Kingdom, have the king of Xichuan and the monks of your temple ever thought about where to go?"
Taking over the remaining territory and people of the Xichuan Kingdom would naturally be no problem for the Chu State. On the contrary, accepting the remaining tens of thousands of people would also greatly enhance the Chu State's national strength.
But it is not that simple for monks like Ji Hui and Baifeng Temple to accept them.
The other party was an innate master, and hundreds or even thousands of monks with martial arts. Such a huge force, if not handled properly, Lu Yuan would not worry about letting them wander around the Chu Kingdom.
And to be honest, with the current size of Chu State, it is impossible to place an innate sect.
The presence of those first-rate Jianghu sects in the local area that were not under the direct control of Chu State was enough to give Lu Yuan a headache.
If another Xiantian sect appeared, wouldn't it be obvious that it would cultivate a martial arts leader in the Chu Kingdom and a giant in the world?
If the leader of the martial arts alliance has any intention at that time and cooperates with outsiders to make trouble, it will be a disaster for the Chu country.
Therefore, for Lu Yuan, there is no problem in taking over the Xichuan Kingdom. But whether these monks from Baifeng Temple should be accepted is worthy of consideration and reflection.
However, Baifeng Temple seemed to have considered this issue for a long time. When Lu Yuan asked, Hui'an replied: "If the king is willing to take him in, all the monks in our temple, including Master Ji Hui, will do so." Serve the king.
I just ask the king to choose a place within the Chu Kingdom and let us rebuild the mountain gate.
If the king is not willing to take him in, we just ask him to open the road and let us pass.
Although our Baifeng Temple has moved to Xichuan, there are still some other foundations left in Linhai County of Ningguo. Our temple also has some friendship with Jinling Gongqing, so we can move back to Linhai County and rebuild Baifeng Temple. "
Hui'an gave them two choices: take them in or let them go through the passage.
Well, their options did not include Han China.
Although Han China is indeed close.
But now the situation is clear. With the Xichuan Kingdom's homeland being occupied by the Nanzhao Kingdom, Han China is already facing an unfavorable situation of being attacked from the north and the south.
Even at this time, Zhou State might attack Han China.
With the other party's weak national power, after analyzing it from top to bottom, Bai Feng Temple did not think that the other party could last long in this situation.
Perhaps in less than two or three years, or at most three to five years, Han China might not follow in the footsteps of the Xichuan Kingdom and usher in its demise amidst the exhausting war.
This game of fighting for world supremacy is exclusive to those powerful countries.
Small countries like Xichuan and Hanzhong, which did not even have a single county, were not qualified to intervene.
If you insist on joining, the consequences will be today's Xichuan Kingdom.
The monks of Hakuho Temple who have already had this profound experience do not want to go through this painful choice again.
And even if they want to join Han China, whether Han China dares to accept them is still a question.
Even the State of Chu was worried about whether to accept Baifeng Temple, fearing that it would cause hidden dangers.
With the size of Han China, it really dares to take over Baifeng Temple. Is it really not afraid that the other party will take over the magpie's nest and list it through a backdoor?
Therefore, based on the above considerations, for the sake of future stability and for the sake of the sect's inheritance, even if Baifeng Temple needs to be moved, it will only be moved to a big country.
Such as Chu State and Ning State.
And if neither of these two countries accepts it, then the only options are Zhou and Liang.
With Hakuhoji's background as a bargaining chip, in this era of great competition, there is no need to worry about finding a suitable buyer.
After all, he is an innate master and has hundreds of monks with excellent martial arts skills.
If this power is harnessed, it can greatly enhance national strength.
As for Chu State, which was one of the considerations, after hearing Hui'an's conditions, Lu Yuan pondered for a long time, and then said slowly: "Sixty miles southeast of Shicheng, there is Longyu Mountain. This mountain has beautiful bells and beautiful scenery, and the scenery is extremely prosperous. , is a famous mountain in the southwest.
If the temple is not abandoned, it can be moved here and the mountain gate rebuilt.
The lonely king would also order the local government to help build the temple, and the government would be responsible for all the manpower and supplies. "
After thinking deeply, Lu Yuan decided to keep Baifeng Temple.
The temptation of a man with innate fighting ability was so great that he couldn't bear it and wanted to keep him.
Especially in the current situation of Chu State, top-level combat power is scarce. If Jihui can really be effective, it will undoubtedly greatly alleviate the current predicament.
And with Lu Yuan's current strength, he was confident that he could restrain the opponent and make Ji Hui obey his orders.
Not to mention, there are hundreds of people from Baifeng Temple who can be used as hostages.
Besides, seriously.
If the Chu State did not keep Ji Hui and sent him to the Ning State, or to the Zhou State, or to the Liang State, wouldn't that be equivalent to adding an innate master to his enemies, and making Chu's border defense pressure even greater? ?
How could Lu Yuan do such a thing of capitalizing on the enemy?
So Hakuhoji seems to have given a choice, but in fact both parties know that there is only one choice.
That is, Chu State accepts the other party.
Sure enough, after hearing Lu Yuan's words, Hui'an immediately changed his mind: "Your Majesty is willing to take you in. There are more than 300 monks in Baifeng Temple who are very grateful. I, my minister Hui'an, have met your Majesty."
"My lord, Huiming, pays homage to the king."
The two monks from Baifeng Temple, after receiving Lu Yuan's promise, immediately performed the courtesy of a monarch and a minister and settled down.
When Lu Yuan saw this, he couldn't help but smile. He waved his hands and said, "You two wise men, please get up first."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Upon hearing this, Hui'an and Huiming stood up one after another.
Seeing the person standing up, Lu Yuan pondered for a moment, and then asked: "Since the Xichuan Kingdom is willing to surrender, and the entire Baifeng Temple has joined our Chu Kingdom, then you and I can be considered a family. Since we are a family, I will not beat around the bush."
Hui'an, tell me, how is Saint Monk Jihui's health doing now? Can he still fight against the innate master? "
Now that it is ready to take over the Xichuan Kingdom, how to take it over, and how to contain the encroaching Nanzhao Kingdom after it is taken over, is what the Chu State has to think about next.
And among these things, Ji Hui cannot be avoided.
According to previous news from the Xichuan and Jianchuan Kingdoms, Taboo had fought two battles in succession, and both times he was seriously injured and escaped.
In just half a year, he was seriously injured twice. Even if he was an innate master, it would be quite embarrassing.
Therefore, Lu Yuan must find out Ji Hui's physical condition so that he can decide his next strategy in Xichuan based on this.
Hearing such a straightforward question, Hui'an couldn't help but hesitate, but looking at Lu Yuan's sharp eyes, he finally couldn't help but sigh and said: "Back to your Majesty, Master Ji Hui's health is very bad now.
The two injuries had already damaged the foundation of the uncle's body. Not only had most of his innate true energy been lost, but his longevity was also greatly affected, and he had aged by more than ten years.
With the uncle's current body, if he were to hold on in a fight with a grandmaster of the same level, he would probably die on the spot.
In the situation in Xichuan, I am afraid that my uncle will not be able to do much. "
Of course Hui'an knew why Lu Yuan asked about Ji Hui's physical condition.
It was nothing more than wanting Master Ji Hui to hold back the innate grandmaster of the Nanzhao army in the upcoming battle.
But the problem is just as he said.
It's not that Ji Hui can't take action, but if he really takes action, his fate will be decided there.
Under this situation, as the only bargaining chip in the hands of Baifeng Temple and the only pillar of the future, how could they let Ji Hui take action with his life.
So even though he knew that saying this would affect the future status and interests of Baifeng Temple, Hui'an still declined Lu Yuan's request for the sake of Ji Hui's life.
"Is that so?"
Lu Yuan couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when he heard Hui'an's words.
But he had already anticipated Ji Hui's physical condition, so he quickly calmed down and started thinking about countermeasures accordingly.
Since Ji Hui, the innate master, can no longer be counted on.
So next, on the Xichuan side, without Ji Hui entangled the Nanzhao army, and Han China was distracted by the Zhou Dynasty, the innate master in the Nanzhao army would no longer be restrained and completely liberated. .
The destructive power an unchecked innate grandmaster can cause is unimaginable.
No one knows where the Nanzhao army, which has annexed the Xichuan Kingdom, will target next after losing its checks and balances.
Regardless of whether it is to the north, he will attack the weaker Han Dynasty together with Zhou State. Or go east and attack Xichuan County of Chu State, which has no innate defense at this time.
This is an extremely bad thing for Lu Yuan.
Without Han China and this barrier, the Chu State in the west would be directly bordering the Zhou State, and the pressure on the border would worsen instantly.
If Xichuan County is attacked.
Facing an army of 100,000 people led by an innate master, even though Lu Yuan had stationed an army of the same size on the Xichuan side, there was not much certainty that he could stop the opponent.
Not to mention, Nanzhao State borders Xichuan County, and the other party can continuously dispatch troops and horses from the rear to support the front line.
No matter which of the above two possibilities it is, it is unimaginably bad news for Chu State.
'So the Nanzhao prince in Xichuan County must be held back by someone to prevent him from letting go. It's best to get rid of him directly and avoid future troubles completely. '
Lu Yuan thought like this in his heart, a flash of murderous intent flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly hidden deep in his eyes, then he looked up at Hui'an and said in a deep voice: "Since Holy Monk Ji Hui can't take action, then let's forget it.
However, Nanchong Mansion is located on an important road, located in Xichuan, connecting north, south, east and west. It is actually a fortress and cannot be missed.
Later, Guhui issued an order to garrison Xichuan County and transfer 20,000 forbidden troops to assist in the defense of Nanchong Prefecture.
With 20,000 elites here, including the old troops of the Xichuan Kingdom, even if the Nanzhao army attacks with all its strength, it will be enough to last for several months.
And with the help of a large army, even if Holy Monk Ji Hui is in poor health, he will be able to contain and hold back the eldest prince of Nanzhao Kingdom, right?
I have only one request, that is, the Holy Monk Ji Hui is in Nanchong Mansion to support me until at least April.
By April, it is expected that people will go to Xichuan to replace the holy monks and deal with Nanzhao's army. "
Now that it is winter, not only the Su, Song, Dali and other countries in the south have stopped fighting, they have begun to lick their wounds and accumulate the strength to fight again.
Even Nanzhao, Xichuan and other countries in the north also began to call off their troops and declare a truce.
It was precisely because of this that the Xichuan Kingdom had enough power to send envoys such as Hui'an to the Chu Kingdom to discuss the matter of surrendering land.
As for the Nanzhao Army, 200,000 troops were recruited in the directly administered territory last year. The vassal Jianchuan Kingdom also mobilized an army of 150,000 troops.
The total of 350,000 troops combined almost wiped out all the adult males in Nanzhao. The entire year was spent on the war, and domestic production came to a standstill.
For a country with a population of only more than two million, if it wants to maintain an army of 350,000, it will almost empty its savings of two to three years.
So as early as September last year, the one hundred thousand army in Nanzhao that was used to confuse the world had been disbanded and gone home.
Similarly, after the conquest of Jianchuan Kingdom, after all the wars, the remaining 100,000 troops were sent home after assisting the Nanzhao army in Xichuan Kingdom to break through Panshi Mansion.
After these 200,000 militiamen dispersed, as long as Nanzhao did not want large-scale starvation to death in the country next year, they must be allowed to participate in the spring plowing at the beginning of the year before they can continue to send troops.
After spring plowing is over, it’s March and April.
By the time they gathered their troops and headed north to Xichuan, it was already May or June.
Therefore, before these troops arrived, only the surprise army led by the eldest prince of Nanzhao Kingdom was left in Xichuan.
After constant consumption, this army only had about 60,000 people left at this time.
Moreover, these 60,000 people are still facing the dilemma of lack of food and supplies.
The reason why it can still be maintained at this time is entirely by exploiting countless civilians in Xichuan Kingdom, and by taking away their survival rations, it can barely maintain supplies.
But this approach is destined to be short-lived.
The people in Xichuan have always been poor. Even if they want to plunder, they can't plunder much food and grass.
Therefore, until grain and grass are transported from the rear of Nanzhao to replenish troops, there is no need to worry about a war breaking out in Xichuan for the time being.
With the 20,000 troops and horses supported by Lu Yuan, Ji Hui could hold out for several months at Nanchong Mansion without any problem.
And wait until after April...
'My Yellow Turban Warrior should also be refined by then. I can also leave the Yellow Turban Warriors here and take action with peace of mind. '
Lu Yuan's eyes were dark and he was determined.
