From a purely historical perspective, Nanhai Kingdom is actually the leader of the Three Lingnan Kingdoms.
Although its territory is only one county, it is only five thousand miles away. There are no more than 100,000 soldiers, including 60,000 infantry, 40,000 navy, and no innate master.
From a military perspective alone, this is a real small country, one of the weakest among small countries.
But if you ignore the military and only look at other aspects of agriculture, commerce, economy, etc., then you will find that the Nanhai Kingdom, with a household registration of 800,000 and a population of more than 4 million, is actually worthy of being called a big country.
After all, one of the basic conditions for a hegemony is only a population of tens of millions.
Nanhai State has a population of more than 4 million, which is almost half of the Hegemon State. With such a background, it is natural to become a big country.
Nowadays, the reason why Nanhai Country is called a small country, or even regarded as one of the last of the small countries, is simply because the country does not have the blessing of an innate master, so it is looked down upon by others.
But if the country has a master, then it can take advantage of a small grain-producing land in the delta plain near Nanhai City, as well as the maritime trade benefits of the two states and two regions near Nanhai Trading.
So with the money, food and population of the country, under the extreme state, it is enough to support 400,000 standing troops.
With this 400,000-strong army, coupled with two or three innate masters, even among all the countries in the world, it will be the first-rate power among the hegemons.
Even if you encounter a great overlord, with this background, you may not be unable to fight.
When the Chu State was newly established, Lu Yuan only had more than 200,000 soldiers and only 6 million people in the country. However, relying on the two talents of him and Lan Cai'er, he also forced the then weak overlord Ning Guo to give in and admit Did he lose the independence of Chu State?
Now times have changed, and only ten years have passed. The Chu State has become a hegemonic country, and even the old hegemonic country Ningguo has been retreating steadily, and it has a vague tendency to unify Yangzhou.
The foundation of the South China Sea Kingdom far exceeds that of the Changsha Kingdom when Lu Yuan started his business. If this country makes up for its inherent shortcomings and develops for a few years, it will be the most likely among the three South China Sea Kingdoms to replicate what happened to the Changsha Kingdom and rise in adversity. Unify the country of Lingnan.
If it is really allowed to unify the three Lingnan kingdoms and obtain the land of five counties and forty prefectures with a population of more than 6 million, then a new "Chu State" will rise in the south of Chu State, a great Lingnan country.
This great Lingnan country will compete with Lu Yuan's Chu State for hegemony in the south of the Yangtze River, and may even intervene in affairs in the southwest, trying to annex the remaining two kingdoms of Dali and Nanzhao to complete the hegemony puzzle.
With the remaining 4 to 5 million people in Dali and Nanzhao, as long as the Lingnan country eats it, it will have a population of tens of millions, own eight counties, build millions of troops, and dominate the world.
Yes, after several rounds of expansion, Yangzhou now has approximately eighteen counties, which is enough to support three low-end hegemons.
The foundation is so rich that it ranks among the best in Kyushu.
This also means that if the Chu State can unify Yangzhou, its national power will definitely become one of the top three countries in the world, with a population of nearly 40 million, the ability to support 2 to 3 million soldiers, more than 20 innate masters, and a territory of 100,000 inside.
Among the other countries, only the Liang Kingdom, which unified the sixteen counties of Qingzhou, could compare with it.
When the time comes to raise troops to the north to fight for Zhongzhou, the chances of winning will naturally increase.
Precisely for this reason, in order to prevent the third Lingnan hegemony from appearing, Lu Yuan directly gave up on the stronger but remote Song State after attacking the Su State.
Instead, he ordered Lan Cai'er to go east and cooperate with Qing Yunzi to attack Nanhai Kingdom.
The reason is naturally because Nanhai State, which already has the help of Ning State and has two innate masters in the country, has posed a huge threat to Chu State.
If Nanhai State is really able to gain a firm foothold, then Ning State will use its national power to start a competition with Chu State in Lingnan.
If we persist, it may really be possible for this "Lingnan Hegemon" to emerge.
However, this hegemonic country may not be called Nanhai Kingdom, but Ning Kingdom.
Lingnan will be annexed by Ningguo.
After all, the Nanhai Kingdom had already surrendered to the Ning Kingdom and was no more than a puppet.
The Song Kingdom was originally split from the Ning Kingdom. The leader of the country, Xie Ning, was from a Linhai family. With a slim future, there was a high chance of being merged into the Ning Kingdom.
There is only one Su State left, with a weak national power and less than a million people. As long as Ning Guo is willing, it can be easily destroyed just like the Chu State that wiped out the Su State.
The unification of Lingnan in this way may happen overnight.
It is precisely because of these advantages that when Bai Yi'an proposed a plan to abandon Lingnan and retreat to Jiangdong, Shen Qiu and others rejected it.
Because as long as Ningguo plans properly, it is indeed very likely that Ningguo will annex Lingnan.
As long as Lingnan is in hand, Ning Guo can recruit an army of 4 to 50,000 to fight Chu State and contain nearly half of Chu State's troops in Lingnan.
Even if the plan is good, Nanzhao and Dali can be mobilized to join forces with Ning to attack the southwest of Chu, disrupt the heart and rear of Chu, and open another battlefield.
With such a three-sided war, and enemies at both the front and rear, the Chu State was naturally unable to sustain itself as it was weak on the left and right, and defeat was inevitable.
With such a broad vision, Shen Qiu was certainly unwilling to give up Lingnan, a land of thousands of miles, a population of more than six million, and the hope of hegemony.
But now, all the above has become false.
Lu Yuan, who had long seen through Ning Guo's plot, had the two Lingnan armies take action early, and with thunderous momentum, they successively attacked Su and Nanhai.
At this time, the land of the two countries thousands of miles away was merged into the Chu State, and nearly five million people were used by the Chu State. In just two or three years of integration, the Chu State could add another 300,000 soldiers and horses, and the standing military force officially entered the state. Among the millions, he is the first-class in the hegemonic country.
"But that's not enough."
Lu Yuan finished sorting out his thoughts about the Nanhai Kingdom, and then opened the map. The mountains, rivers, landforms, cities and settlements of Yangzhou were all scattered on it.
From a certain perspective, Nanhai Country is actually a hub.
Nanhai County, where it is located, borders Dongting to the north, Yulin to the west, Jian'an to the east, Yuzhang to the northeast, and the boundless South China Sea to the south. This can be said to be the intersection of five places.
If you occupy this county, you can attack in all directions, whether heading north, east, west, or south. Among them, the east, west, and south have convenient sea routes, and you can transport troops and food by sea ships, which is extremely light.
It has always been the case that armies in the south of the Yangtze River must first attack the South China Sea if they want to conquer Lingnan.
If the country of Lingnan wants to expand to the north, it must first seize the South China Sea.
In the past, when the Jinghai Kingdom was involved in rebellion, after raising its troops, they marched all the way north and east, until they reached Nanhai City. This was the reason.
Now Lu Yuan's attack on Lingnan was to attack the South China Sea first, and Ning Guo only sent a large army to save the South China Sea. This is also the reason.
The importance of the South China Sea is self-evident.
At this time, Lu Yuan had already conquered the Nanhai Kingdom and entered the Nanhai County. His expansion to the north and east would naturally be his gain.
"To the northeast of Nanhai Country, there is a Meiling Road.
When I was a hunter in the mountains, I went to sell fur goods in the South China Sea and walked through this place. This road can lead directly to Luling Mansion. It is the first road from Lingnan into Yuzhang and can lead to large armies.
From Nanhai Kingdom to the east, you can reach Jian'an County through the Yanshi Road. Or take the sea route to reach the coastal areas of Jian'an.
By advancing from these three places, Lingnan troops can enter Yuzhang and Jian'an, disturb the heart of Ning State, seize its foundation, and break its strategy of shrinking its fortresses. "
Lu Yuan stared at the map and couldn't help thinking.
With the beginning of spring, Shen Qiu's original plan to recruit 500,000 soldiers was also in full swing in the heart of Ningguo.
However, it is still short. Even if various places start to recruit troops, it is estimated that only more than 100,000 people will be recruited in just one month.
But if it takes another two or three months, given Ning Guo's background, half a million people will be recruited soon.
By then, the army will be recruited and trained for a few more months, and the border fortresses in various places have also been built by enlisted civilians. It will be difficult for the Chu State to invade the hinterland of Ning State.
Even if they fight in and fight countless bloody battles, the land of Ningguo will still be devastated and covered in blood.
This kind of scene was not what Lu Yuan wanted to see.
Therefore, he asked Qingyunzi and others to quickly destroy Nanhai. He also planned to take advantage of Ningguo's lack of preparations to kill all its territory and disrupt its position.
At this time, the Nanhai Kingdom, the last Song Kingdom in Lingnan, was under attack. Han Hu was in Yulin County with a hundred thousand soldiers and horses to watch, but he could not make any trouble.
As for Dongting, Huang Xuan has led his troops to Changsha, and the results will be obtained soon, without the need for the Lingnan army.
Then these idle soldiers and horses can naturally be used for other purposes.
"Previously, I ordered the army to attack the city, and the troops and horses of the Lingnan tribes suffered heavy losses.
According to Qingyunzi's report, the 270,000 troops who participated in the siege of the city were attacked by force in ten days. More than 40,000 people were killed and more than 30,000 were seriously injured, resulting in the loss of 70,000 troops.
Of the 200,000 soldiers and horses left, many were slightly injured and their morale was slightly affected, requiring time to recuperate and adjust.
Under this situation, it is impossible to mobilize all the troops and horses in this unit.
However, there were still 20,000 soldiers and horses left in various places in the South China Sea to suppress the local areas. The morale of these people is pretty good and they can be used..."
Lu Yuan tapped his family's assets and gradually came to a decision.
"Queen Lan Cai'er was appointed as the envoy to guard the South China Sea and the envoy to Lingnan. She led 80,000 troops to guard Lingnan, pacify the three counties in Lingnan, and monitor the Song Dynasty.
With Qingyunzi, the real protector of the country, as the envoy to conquer Jian'an, and Li Chuan as the deputy envoy, he led one hundred thousand troops to conquer the Jian'an areas of Ningguo by land and sea.
Li Xiong, Duke of Kunhai, was appointed as the envoy to conquer the southern part of Yuzhang, and General Han Liang, the protector of the country, was appointed as his deputy envoy. He led 40,000 troops to conquer Luling Prefecture from Meiling Road.
They also cooperated with the Chu Wei and Ling Nu tribes from Luyang and Hengyang in Dongting to annihilate the two armies of Ning people who invaded Dongting.
When the order is given, set off immediately. "
After pondering and making arrangements, Lu Yuan immediately communicated with Qingyunzi through his spiritual message and ordered him to mobilize the troops for action.
When the armies went south, Lu Yuan had issued an edict that Qingyun would only be the commander-in-chief of the Lingnan armies, and his status in the army would be higher than that of Queen Lan Cai'er.
Later, when Lan Cai'er's troops were mobilized to reinforce Nanhai, they confirmed this point again by sending envoys to convey the imperial edict, and granted Qing Yunzi the power to act expediently and make orders as if they were kings.
Doing this is naturally so that through this clone, you can reach thousands of miles away and conveniently control the armies to achieve your own goals.
Therefore, at this time, Lu Yuan had an overview of the overall situation. He could see all the wars in Jiangxia, Changsha, and Lingnan by one person, and easily mobilize millions of troops without any lag or omission, just like ordering troops in front of his eyes.
At this time, with just one order, through Qingyunzi's mouth, the Lingnan armies can be mobilized as quickly as possible and at the best opportunity.
Like now.
Nanhai City had just been destroyed, and even the remnants of Shangguan Ming and the remnants of the Nanhai Kingdom might have just escaped from Nanhai City and had not yet left the nearby waters.
But thousands of miles away in Jiangxia City, Lu Yuan already knew the details here.
As for Ning Jun, they may still be kept in the dark.
The two armies of Ning State that were assigned to attack Luyang and Hengyang Prefectures of Chu State may have just arrived under the cities of the two prefectures and were building fortifications. They were not even ready to attack the city.
At this time, if a partial army is sent northward and directly enters Luling Mansion in Yuzhang, it can directly cut off the retreat of these two partial armies.
From then on, regardless of whether they stayed in the southern prefectures of Yuzhang, they blocked the retreat of the two partial armies of the Ning army.
Or, after capturing Luling Mansion, they could then divide their forces and march westward, like Huang Xuan did, to sneak attack the rear of the two Ningren armies. It would be excellent to cooperate with the defenders of Hengyang and Luyang to attack from the front and back and directly destroy the two Ning armies.
On Qingyunzi's side, they can also advance by land and water, leading a hundred thousand main force to directly attack the relatively empty Jian'an County of Ningguo.
Although Ning Guo was in the country before, he had left an army of 200,000, and the four innates divided their troops to guard various places.
Of these 200,000 troops, there are 50,000 naval troops and 50,000 standing troops stationed in Guangling County to guard against the threat of Liang Guo.
No, of the 50,000 navy troops, 10,000 more were transferred to the South China Sea and are now floating on the sea.
The remaining 50,000 standing troops are stationed in Linhai County, where the capital is located, to guard this core foundation.
The remaining 50,000 people, 24,000 in Yuzhang County, and 26,000 in Jian'an County, are all local county soldiers.
As for the four innate masters, one is in the navy and is stationed in the Yangtze River waterway to guard against the Liang Kingdom. The remaining three are in Guangling, Linhai and Jian'an counties.
The last Yuzhang County, because it is close to the front line of the battlefield and has ten innates from the Ning Kingdom nearby, has sufficient high-end combat power, so there is no need for additional innate guards.
When Shen Qiu stayed at the Pengli Camp in Yuzhang, he had 100,000 soldiers and horses as a reserve, as well as two innates, which were essentially equivalent to Yuzhang County's garrison troops and horses, used to respond to all directions at any time.
However, these guarding troops and horses have now been transferred out due to the needs of the situation. At this time, they can be considered as using all their strength.
So at this moment, the hundreds of thousands of new soldiers recruited by the Ning Army have just entered the camp and have not yet achieved combat effectiveness. They are essentially just civilians.
Not only will it not be of much use, but it may also become a drag on the battlefield. Please refer to the Southern Navy for details.
The two counties of Yuzhang and Jian'an in Ningguo have actually become the most empty places.
Jian'an only has 26,000 soldiers and horses, all of whom are local soldiers, and there is only one ordinary innate guard.
Qingyunzi led Lichuan to conquer this county, with one hundred thousand soldiers and horses under his command, and thousands of Nanhai navy troops from the previous battle.
By recruiting some civilian ships, a partial army can be sent to attack Jian'an directly from the sea and land, bypassing the mountain passes on the road.
With this advantage, before Ning Guo could react, he might be able to quickly capture this county with thunderous force.
As for Yuzhang County.
In the south, Li Xiong, Chu Wei, and Ling Nu were cooperating with each other. In the middle, Huang Xuan and Sun Siwen were attacking from both sides. In the north, Lu Yuan was watching Shen Qiu personally.
As long as all three battlefields are activated, if everything goes well, the 300,000 troops on the Ning Army's front line may be dispersed and turned into ashes.
At most, Shenqiu is covered by the Ningguo Navy, and can escape back to Ningguo through the waterway, and can save one hundred thousand troops.
But even so, the fall of Ning's 200,000 troops in the south and central part, as well as the three Xiantian, will be a huge blow to Ning, the kind that will break bones.
And with so many soldiers and horses lost at once, the one hundred thousand remnant troops brought back by Shen Qiu would never be able to defend Yuzhang County.
Lu Yuan could easily seize Yuzhang by simply sending his troops eastward.
Once Yuzhang was lost, Ningguo and Xiangyang County in the north of the Yangtze River formed an enclave, making it difficult to connect.
Therefore, if the Xiangyang soldiers and horses led by Yang Jing did not want to be surrounded and annihilated, it became the only option to evacuate with the navy.
In this way, Xiangyang County can also be easily captured.
After the three counties of Jian'an, Yuzhang and Xiangyang were lost, Ningguo lost half of its country, leaving only the two counties of Guangling and Linhai, and only ten thousand miles of land remained.
According to the numbers announced by Ning State, Guangling County has a population of three million and Linhai County has a population of five million. The combined population of these two counties is only eight million, which is already half of Ning State's original population.
After successive disastrous defeats, Ning Guo's troops who were able to escape back to the country were probably more than 200,000.
These remnants, combined with domestic troops, number at most around 400,000.
With two counties, a population of 8 million, 400,000 remnant soldiers, and perhaps ten or so remaining innates, although their strength is not weak, it has completely fallen below the level of a hegemonic country, and it will be difficult to compete with the Chu State.
After that, the Chu State only needs to digest Xiangyang, Yuzhang, Jian'an, and the Lingnan counties. After two or three years, it will be able to accumulate enough strength to completely eliminate the Ning State.
With the remaining strength of the Ning State, as the Chu State's national power has greatly increased, even if it defends with all its strength, it will last for at most three to five years, and it is difficult to escape the situation of destruction.
"In the fight for hegemony in Yangzhou, I am the winner after all. The ten-year strategy of unifying Jiangnan has now laid the foundation and is about to be completed."
Lu Yuan reviewed the battlefield situation in various places in the south of the Yangtze River and the changes in the situation between Chu and Ning. After comparing them, he felt very good.
I am confident about the future.
After several successive adventures and continuous victories, the Chu State finally completed its mission of defeating the old hegemon with its new hegemon, taking a crucial step in laying the foundation for Yangzhou's hegemony.
In the future, he will compete with the princes of the world and be one step ahead of other countries after Liang in the cause of establishing Zhongzhou.
After this battle, Zhou Ning and his like could no longer be compared with Chu.
When the world talks about Chu State, it will only be compared with Qingliang.
"And my cultivation level. After defeating the Ning Kingdom and seizing half of its territory, coupled with the accumulation in Lingnan, my luck has doubled. Perhaps by the time summer and autumn come together, I will be able to enter the realm of condensing two qi."
Thinking of this, Lu Yuan's heart surged even more.
With his current cultivation level, after those Jiuzhou monks left, he was already ranked number one in the Nine Provinces.
But if one breaks through and condenses the two qi, then even counting those Jiuzhou monks who are rushing to the northern Mingyou capital and have not yet started to ascend, they can be regarded as the best in the world.
It has been the sixth year since Yue Hongdao, when he first started to practice Taoism. It has been the eleventh year of Shenwu, plus or minus fifteen years, and the Immortal Dao will finally reach the pinnacle of this world.
