Preparations for Chu State's southern expedition are in full swing.
This southern expedition is expected to involve 60,000 imperial troops and 100,000 vassal troops.
Such a large number of soldiers and horses consume more than 100,000 dan in food alone every month. If you include the civilians transporting grain, the amount would be hundreds of thousands of stones.
Such a large-scale transfer of grain and grass supplies and the transfer of personnel certainly cannot be covered up.
So when these various signs were exposed and compiled by interested people, the surrounding major forces immediately came to a conclusion.
That is, after the Chu State fought the Battle of Hanzhong, it was not ready to stop, but planned to start a new war.
And the scale of this war is not small, involving the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of personnel, almost equivalent to a national war.
After the news spread to the surrounding areas, it immediately aroused the attention and nervousness of many people.
Especially those small countries in Lingnan.
Because according to the existing signs, the Chu State used troops and horses, about ten or two hundred thousand people.
This small number of troops cannot defeat Xiangyang and Nanyang counties of Zhou State in the north of the Yangtze River. There are more than 200,000 troops stationed in these two counties. If you include the common people, you can easily get 400,000 to 500,000 people.
With such a strong strength, with the troops and horses of the Chu State at this stage, it is absolutely impossible to defeat it unless they move northward.
Therefore, Zhou State was naturally excluded from the target.
The same is true for Ningguo in the east.
The territory bordering Ning State and Chu State included Xiangyang and Yuzhang counties.
Among them, Xiangyang County is located in the north of the Yangtze River and has three prefectures. After successively increasing troops here over the years, Ningguo has already stationed about 100,000 soldiers and horses, and about 50,000 naval troops are also stationed at Xiakou Stronghold.
Not to mention Yuzhang County.
Within the Pengli camp in Yuzhang, there were 250,000 soldiers and 50,000 naval troops stationed. There are also about 100,000 soldiers stationed on the border with Chu State.
The above two counties have 550,000 soldiers and horses on land and water. If they are just defensive, even if they fight the entire Chu State, they may not be able to defeat this hard nut.
Therefore, Ning Guo cannot be the target of Chu State.
Here comes the problem.
Zhou State in the north is not the target, Ning State in the east is not the target, and Chu State in the west is a vassal state. With these three directions eliminated, the remaining target of Chu State can only be the land of Lingnan.
Moreover, compared with the major surrounding forces, the several small countries in Lingnan are indeed the best targets.
The domestic political situation in the South China Sea is corrupt, civilized and military-minded, and the military has been neglected for a long time. The whole country cannot find a few men who are worthy of fighting, and there is a lack of innate masters.
The Su State's national power was weak. Although it had innate masters and a strong army, it could not last long and could not be a rival to the Chu State.
As for the Song Dynasty?
A small, remote and desolate country has no climate.
After synthesizing all the intelligence, the outside world had to admit that if Chu wanted to expand, the Lingnan Three Kingdoms were indeed the best targets.
And if these three countries are captured, Chu State will be able to expand thousands of miles in an instant, have millions more people under its rule, and completely have national power comparable to Ning State.
With such a big temptation in front of you, anyone would be tempted. It is logical that Chu wants to attack Lingnan.
But Chu State had a good plan.
The other Lingnan Three Kingdoms, who were treated as prey, felt uncomfortable.
…
Yulin City.
As the county seat of Yulin County and now the capital of the Su Kingdom, this city should have been extremely majestic, rich and prosperous.
In fact, as early as ten years ago, this city was indeed prosperous.
At that time, there were more than 400,000 households in the entire Yulin County and a population of more than 2 million, which was barely considered a wealthy household.
As the county seat, Yulin is known to have a household registration of 50,000 people and a city-wide population of 300,000 people. It is the largest city in Lingnan after Nanhai City.
But times have changed.
In just ten years, Yulin County has experienced countless violent conquests, rebellions in the Seven Prefectures, wars to conquer the barbarians, Tonghai barbarians revolting and suppressing them, and other military and man-made disasters.
Over time, Yulin County, which originally had a prosperous household registration, became dilapidated, dilapidated, and the people were in poverty.
Affected by this, Yulin City, as the county government and the capital, also slowly declined.
Not only was a large number of people lost, the population dropped to less than 100,000, but the remaining people in the city were also dull, numb, and could not see any vitality.
At this time, in the depressed Yulin City, the streets were sparse, and not many pedestrians could be seen. Occasionally, one or two people walked by, and they looked thin and weak, unable to exert much strength.
On the other hand, in the wine shops and teahouses on both sides, many big-shouldered, round-waisted, red-faced men were gathering to drink and talk, laughing loudly and loudly like thunder.
Passers-by walking at the door smelled the fragrance coming from the wine shop and the noise inside. They couldn't help but stop a step or two, take a few sips of the aroma of the wine, look at it with envy, and then left reluctantly.
In this impoverished country of Su, the only people who can feast in wine restaurants, apart from the high-ranking officials, are naturally the only soldiers in the Divine Sword Army.
The Su country was poor, with a household registration of only one million. Even if it had two counties, it could not support many soldiers and horses.
After experiencing the previous rebellion of the seven local governments, Su Xuange learned his lesson and did not continue to impose excessive taxes and reduced some of the swaying taxes.
In the end, although the taxes collected were still heavy, the people below could still survive.
However, after this, domestic income has been greatly reduced, and it is difficult to maintain the previous number of 150,000 troops.
Therefore, in order to maintain combat power, Su Xuange reduced the originally redundant troops to 50,000 and abolished the establishment of county soldiers.
Among these 50,000 people, except for the 28,000 who served as county soldiers, the remaining 22,000 were reorganized into the Forbidden Army, given the military title and divine sword, and served as soldiers and horses directly under the central government.
The Divine Sword Army was a group of elite soldiers and horses that Su Xuange selected after the Su Kingdom's successive campaigns and taught them some rough swordsmanship from the original Jiuchuan Sword Sect.
Because they have learned the swordsmanship of the Jiuchuan Sword School, all the soldiers in the Divine Sword Army have at least one or two good swordsmanship skills.
Although more than 99% of people are not in the mainstream, even if they are placed in the world, they can still be called good players and can be considered elites.
This group of divine swordsmen trained in Jianghu swordsmanship is what Su State now relies on to coerce the country and compete with foreign countries.
With the entire country's efforts to support 20,000 people, the many soldiers of the Divine Sword Army naturally had a good life.
The generous monthly salary and annual rewards not only allow them to easily support the whole family, but also allow them to go out to restaurants and restaurants from time to time, open a small stove here, and enjoy themselves.
Therefore, every day on this wine and food street in the city, you can see a large number of rough men dressed as warriors coming in and out, forming the main consumer force here.
Today, at noon, the shops on both sides were quickly filled with people.
Countless Excalibur sergeants crowded into the restaurant, laughing loudly and bragging to each other.
The waiter, who was so busy that he was sweating profusely, ran back and forth delivering food and wine to the old men in the store. From time to time, he would be scolded by the warriors, and then he would be afraid to give him a smile.
In today's world, force is respected.
Facing these warriors with swords and guns, ordinary people did not dare to offend them at all. For fear of making the other party dissatisfied, they just raised their swords and chopped themselves.
For those who did not believe this in the past, the grass on their graves is now three feet high.
The past events are so vivid in our minds that future generations cannot be careless.
Just when the atmosphere was getting thicker, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the street outside, and a knight wearing black armor, a green feather on his head, and a red flag on his back was seen, cheering and driving away pedestrians while flying deep into the city.
This scene suddenly happened on the streets of the busy city, causing people to jump and scream.
This huge movement immediately attracted people in the teahouses and restaurants on both sides, causing them to look over one after another.
When the flying knight walked away, someone in the inn withdrew his gaze and said, "Feiyu passed the message and the blood flag cleared the way. Could it be that something big happened somewhere?"
Someone nearby responded: "In the past few times, these battles were either local rebellions, large armies sent out, or powerful enemies came to attack. Now the king is frivolous in corvee service, exempting taxes, and the people in the country are stable, and no one wants to rebel.
And I took my monthly vacation as usual, never heard of any rumors, and were not allowed to assemble. It was not like going on an expedition.
Therefore, there is probably a strong enemy coming to attack. "
Some people were surprised and said: "A powerful enemy is coming to attack? Who dares to attack my country, the Soviet Union?"
"Yes, among the Lingnan countries, our country, Su, is the most prosperous in martial arts. Who is so impatient that they dare to come and cause trouble for me?"
"Maybe it's the Dali Kingdom. Ever since we occupied his Tonghai County, those Dali barbarians have been trying to take it back. I heard that they have been accumulating armor and training soldiers over the years. If we want to fight, they are the most likely ”
"It could also be the Song Dynasty. The King of Song has always supported the emperor of Jinling and still uses the Jianwu reign. He has different intentions from our king who established his own reign. It's not surprising for such a thieves to fight against him."
"It would be best if the Nanhai Kingdom comes over. Nanhai is rich, but the profiteers over there have extorted so much money from us in the past two years?
I fought countless battles in Dali Kingdom and let them earn all the money I finally got back.
I have long disliked them and have always wanted to go over there to rob them. "
Everyone in the store was talking about it, and when the last person mentioned the Nanhai Kingdom, they burst into laughter.
As for the South China Sea, no one in the surrounding countries knows that it is a weakling, neither attractive nor useful, and a real soft persimmon.
In addition, this place has a large amount of wealth, which has long been extremely enviable.
Now that someone has opened the door, the people around them no longer care to guess what the big deal is, and they all join in the disparagement of Nanhai Kingdom.
Many people even fantasize about how they will make a fortune when they conquer the Nanhai Kingdom.
An agreement was soon reached, and by then, in addition to grabbing money, they would also snatch a few women back, so that the trip to the South China Sea would be worthwhile.
However, among the many laughter and disparaging words about Nanhai Country, a not so harmonious voice was quickly inserted.
"Could it be Chu State?"
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere of laughter around him suddenly stopped.
Many people lowered their voices, looked at the speaker with ugly expressions, and their breath seemed to be somewhat frozen.
The object that was originally deliberately avoided by everyone was now revealed, making this fantasy no longer sustainable.
It has never been a secret that Chu wanted to go south over the years.
Even under Su Xuange's deliberate guidance, it has become the consensus of all Su people that there will be a battle between Su and Chu in the future.
It's just that as the Chu Kingdom has become more powerful over the years, many people have begun to deliberately avoid this, unwilling to think about that desperate thing, not wanting to face that suffocating enemy.
Just blindly avoiding it is just an illusion after all.
In the past few days, Chu State has been mobilizing troops, horses and supplies, and it seems that news of mobilizing troops to the south has begun to spread throughout Lingnan.
It’s just that not many people want to believe it.
When things came to an end, the dream was finally exposed.
However, the warrior people below want to escape and are unwilling to face it.
But the vested interests at the top, faced with the war that was about to sweep across Lingnan, were unwilling to give up their interests just like this.
The royal palace in the city.
In the palace, which seemed extraordinarily luxurious compared to the poverty in the outer city, Su Xuange read the letter that had just been sent from the north from the letter handed over by Feiyu messenger, and his face turned completely ugly.
The content mentioned in the letter is very simple, only one sentence.
The Chu people gathered a heavy army in Lingling, numbering 50,000, and they seemed to intend to go south.
The area bordering Chu State and Su State, apart from Qianzhong County, is Dongting County.
The only thing in Dongting County that borders the Su Kingdom is Lingling Mansion, which is located on the southwest border.
Previously, only local and county soldiers had been stationed in this mansion, and no imperial troops had ever been stationed there.
But at this time, the Chu State had stationed 50,000 troops here. It was already clear what its purpose was.
Chu State has begun to prepare for the southern expedition.
Su Xuange quickly realized this and felt angry in his heart.
Regarding the threat from the Chu State, he had anticipated it since the establishment of the Ninghai State, and he had thought about changing it later, and even worked hard to strive for hegemony and participate in the world competition.
But eventually all efforts came to naught as a rebellion broke out in the country.
Now Su Xuange has realized that he is not the material for hegemony, and Su Guo does not have that background either. The only idea now is to keep this inheritance and pass it on to his descendants.
"But why, why do you want to take even some wishes away from me!"
Su Xuange held the letter and gritted his teeth, feeling extremely angry.
When I think that after more than ten years of hard work, the country of Su is not as good as when it was first founded. And Lu Yuan, who also started out as a country, has now become the overlord of six counties.
The jealousy and resentment in his heart almost made him blind.
'Okay, since you don't leave me a way to survive, then I have to show you that this Lingnan land is not something that the southwestern barbarians can manipulate at your will. '
Su Xuange gritted his teeth secretly in his heart, and then immediately shouted to the attendant next to him: "Come, hurry up and send the envoy from the Song Dynasty."
The threat from the Chu State and the changes in these days were not only noticed by the Su State.
Even the Song State, which is in the most difficult position in Yangzhou, has been keenly aware of the threat and sent envoys a few days ago to reach cooperation with the Su State.
At first, Su Xuange still had doubts about cooperating with the Song Dynasty.
After all, other countries may not know much about the strength and details of Song State because of the distance.
But as the Su State is closely adjacent to the Song State, it is of course impossible for the Su State to be unaware of the threat posed by the Song State.
This is a powerful country that is far stronger than the Soviet Union in terms of area, population, and military strength. In the Song Kingdom, Brother Su Xuan even saw the shadow of the former Changsha Kingdom.
In the same way, one county can be used to support a hundred thousand soldiers, and in the same way, half a county can be opened up through a coalition of countries.
In the same way, domestic politics are clear and the people are happy.
The same king is extremely powerful, wise and martial.
No matter how you look at it, Song State looks like a smaller version of Chu State, or a former Chu State.
If the Song State was given time, it might take another ten years to develop, and the other party would be able to achieve the momentum of the Chu State today.
As Su Xuange, who has personally experienced the rise of Chu State, how could he not feel threatened and fearful when he saw a new Chu State rising behind him?
This kind of fear even exceeds that of Chu State.
Because although Chu State is close to Su State, it is still in the north of Ling Dynasty. The mountains between the two countries are blocking them. It seems that they are far apart and in two worlds.
Therefore, Su State did not feel the threat of Chu State that strongly.
However, the waterway between the Su State and the Song State was smooth, and there were no mountains separating them. The two countries were as close as one horse to the other, and it only took five days to ride a fast horse from Yulin City to Songping City.
The two countries are so similar, which shows how simple and easy it is to attack the Soviet Union from the Song State.
This is also true.
After sensing the threat from the Song Dynasty, Su Xuange mobilized half of the Divine Sword Army all year round and stationed it at the southern border of the Su Kingdom to guard against the Song Dynasty's northward march.
With such a relationship, he would certainly be wary of Song Guo's request for cooperation.
Although the threat from the Chu State was great, Su Xuange was also worried that it would be easier to invite gods than to send them away.
If the army of the Song State were put into the Su State, and after the Chu State was defeated, the other side would easily destroy them, and it would be difficult to fight back.
It is precisely because of this concern that he has not agreed to cooperation between the two countries.
but now……
When I thought that the army of Chu State was gathering, and the spearhead was already pointed at Su State.
Now is no longer the time to worry about whether it will be annexed by Song State in the future.
But if he doesn't seek help from the Song State, he will soon be destroyed by the Chu State.
For this reason, Su Xuange completely put down his worries and turned his head towards the olive branch of the Song Dynasty.
Not only the Su State and the Song State.
After more and more soldiers and horses from Chu State gathered, the commotion from all sides became louder and louder.
At the same time, the Nanhai Kingdom had sent envoys to Jinling and began to cry for help to its nominal master.
There were also frequent changes in Jinling. Not only did they send several waves of envoys to Nanhai Kingdom.
Even in Ningguo, a large number of troops and horses were gathered in Yuzhang. Many Wuhou were transferred to the Pengli camp to conduct military inspections and familiarize themselves with the army.
Even the two kingdoms of Dali and Nanzhao in the southwest sensed the impending storm and began to secretly gather forces.
The Liang Kingdom in the north also noticed that the wind direction was wrong and began to gather troops and horses in Jiangxia, not knowing where it was headed.
That is to say, the Zhou State had just ended its spring raiding war with the Tibetan people, and had suffered heavy losses in its troops and horses. It was licking its wounds secretly, unable to care, and did nothing.
The rest of the surrounding areas followed closely because of the Chu State's changes.
For a time, the entire land south of the Yangtze River and Yangzhou became stormy and the atmosphere was depressing.
The dark cloud of war hangs over everyone, like a powder keg, just waiting for sparks to ignite and then explode, affecting all countries.
