There was some silence in the small pavilion.
After Concubine Ling raised the topic of worrying about her compatriots in her hometown, Lu Yuan had been deep in thought.
When Concubine Ling saw this, she also knew that her husband was thinking about the pros and cons.
As a concubine, it was her limit to express her feelings in a subtle way.
Any further attempts to interfere are likely to cause dissatisfaction and have the opposite effect.
So she didn't say anything, just waited quietly.
After thinking for a long time, Lu Yuan took a long breath, stood up, walked to the attic window, faced west, and looked out at the scenery outside.
At this time, there was mist in the mountains, making the mountains somewhat hazy.
The sun rises high in the sky, and a golden ray of light shines through the clouds and fog, and falls in front of the small pavilion, making it look extremely brilliant.
Looking at the sunshine, Lu Yuan's heart moved slightly. He made up his mind and turned around: "As for the matter of aiding the Tibetan people, I can accept it. There are one hundred thousand soldiers in Hanzhong. In a few days, I will pick one." The general ordered him to lead his troops to aid Helong."
When the spirit girl heard this, she was overjoyed, with a smile on her face, and she thanked her happily: "I thank you for your kindness to my people in the snowy plains. I, the Tibetan people, will never forget the kindness of Da Chu."
Lu Yuan took two steps forward, helped the spirit girl up, and said comfortingly: "There is no need for this, you and I are one husband and wife, and now you are pregnant with my son, it is right for you to help solve some of the troubles of your mother's family.
Moreover, we, Dachu and Xueyuan, already have an alliance, and we have cooperated several times before. Now we are supporting the Tibetan people, but we are just acting in accordance with the agreement. "
"Your Majesty..."
The spirit girl looked at Lu Yuan, her face filled with emotion.
Lu Yuan hugged her and said nothing.
This time, helping the people of Xueyuan was naturally not out of affection for children, nor was it due to any covenant constraints.
What prompted Lu Yuan to make this decision was the influence of the current situation.
Because after thinking about it, he suddenly discovered that if there was no Tibetan shield in the northwest and the Xiliang Kingdom was allowed to seize Helong, it would undoubtedly become a huge hidden danger for the Chu Kingdom.
The Xiliang Kingdom is not a Tibetan people. Although the Tibetan people in Xueyuan are one body in name, they have often sent troops together in recent years, and they look like a unified force.
At its peak, it could even compete with a hegemonic country like Zhou on the battlefield.
Even though it is now in decline, in the eyes of outsiders, the Xueyuan Fan people are still a huge force with hundreds of thousands of troops and a total of eight innate masters.
However, Lu Yuan has become good friends with Xueyuan in recent years, and there is a spirit girl in the harem. However, it can be said that he knows the details of Xueyuan Fan people very well.
The seemingly huge Xueyuan people are actually just a joint military alliance composed of four large tribes and more than ten medium-sized tribes.
Even the reason why this joint military alliance was formed was because the cold disasters in recent years forced them to unite together in order to survive.
If there was no cold wave, these four large tribes and a dozen medium tribes would have started fighting on their own.
In the past tens of thousands of years of history in the snowfield, tribes, large and small, have risen and fallen. You have to sing and we will rest. The rise and fall of each tribe is accompanied by countless deaths and hatred.
Just like the current tribes of the Four Kings, before the cold wave came, there were many fights over pastures and river valleys.
Therefore, before being forced by the pressure of survival, the Snowfield tribe could barely unite together, and it was also for the sake of survival and expansion.
But if these tribes temporarily overcome the difficulties, then the Xueyuan people who were originally united as a whole will naturally split into more than two dozen large and small groups due to past hatred, and they will no longer be able to form a strong alliance.
If there is such a neighbor in the northwest, then Chu State is located on the border of Hanzhong County, so naturally nothing will happen.
You can even take advantage of the hatred among the Tibetan tribes in the snowy plains, pull one faction to fight against the other, establish Chu's interests in the Tibetan world, and collect a lot of benefits.
But if the people who unified Helong were changed from the Xueyuan people to the Xiliang Kingdom, then the situation would be completely different.
Xiliang Kingdom is a well-established country with complete officials, laws, systems, army, monarch, culture and other factors related to the country.
If they defeat the Tibetan people, unify Helong, and seize the resources of these thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, then a new hegemon will rise in the northwest of Chu State.
The Xiliang Kingdom itself has three counties and a population of more than 4 million. If the Tibetan people are conquered again, they can get the two counties of Helong and the remaining Tibetan population of 7 to 8 million.
Even the snowy land currently controlled by the Tibetan people may be brought under the control of the Xiliang Kingdom.
When these two forces are integrated together, a behemoth with five or six counties, a population of more than 10 million, countless good horses, millions of soldiers, and more than ten people will rise in Yongxi.
Although the probability of this situation occurring is low, there are many possibilities.
Because before Xiliang Kingdom, there was a good example in front of us that could be used as a learning object.
Yes, this example is Chu State.
Before the conquest of the southwestern barbarians was launched, the Chu State also had only three incomplete counties, a population of six million, and only two innate masters.
But after conquering the southwestern barbarians, Chu State suddenly had five counties on the spot, three vassal states, eight innate people, and a population of tens of millions. It had the potential to dominate the country.
Today's Xiliang Kingdom's conditions are similar to those of the Chu Kingdom, and even the innate masters and troops are even better. They are also launching a campaign against the Helong Fan people.
If they were allowed to make it, wouldn't it be a replica of Chu State?
How terrible is the replica of Chu State?
Looking at Ning Guo who was beaten to the ground now, we can clearly see the dangers involved.
If the Xiliang Kingdom united the Tibetan people, it would be forced by the cold wave to obtain more benefits. The country's next goal must be to expand outwards.
And what are the directions for the expansion of Xiliang Kingdom?
There were more than 400,000 troops stationed in the north, and Shuofang County was occupied by Wei.
In the east, there were also 500,000 to 600,000 troops gathered, and it was Guannei County, the capital of Zhou State.
Hanzhong County of Chu State had only a hundred thousand soldiers and horses in the southeast, and only one Xiantian Grandmaster.
Moreover, Shuofang and Guannei County were the battlefields of two hegemons. Millions of soldiers and horses fought back and forth here, and the place became increasingly dilapidated.
on the contrary.
However, Hanzhong County has been at peace for a long time, with a prosperous population and a lot of money and food.
After capturing this place, it will open the way to Xiangyang and Xichuan. These two places are important places for money and food. If you capture one, you will dominate the world.
In addition, Xiliang was from a small and remote country, and like the Chu State before, he had little background and no immortal sect was interested in him.
Therefore, there is a high probability that they do not know the truth about the demise of the Four Poles.
I don’t know what the Chu State was doing before the great change in the world?
At that time, Lu Yuan was ambitious, sharpening his sword and staring at the barbarians in the southwest, hoping to expand territory there, show off his skills, enrich the heritage of Chu State, and compete with Ning State in the future.
Then Xiliang Kingdom will naturally have this idea.
First, avoid the two counties of Guannei and Shuofang where the two hegemons are competing to avoid being attacked from both sides and being attacked from both sides.
Then he gathered all the soldiers and horses from all over the country, integrated all resources, and competed with the Chu State, which was also newly emerging and had insufficient foundation, to compete for Hanzhong County and open another way to advance eastward.
This is undoubtedly more feasible than directly fighting Zhou and Wei.
It is much easier to fight one hegemon than to fight two hegemons and have to withstand the threat of another hegemon from the side and the rear.
And if the Xiliang Kingdom really fights with the Chu Kingdom after its rise, then Zhou and Wei would be happy to see the two hegemons behind them fight, lest they interfere with their war.
The above speculations are all very likely to happen.
So Lu Yuan had just reviewed the situation in the northwest, and after examining the relationship between the Xiliang Kingdom and the Tibetan people, he immediately became aware of the potential threats.
Although he also knew that the relationship between the Xiliang Kingdom and the Tibetan people could not be compared with the original Chu Kingdom and the Southwestern Yi. It would not be easy for the other party to copy his own path to success.
But no matter how high the probability of success is, as long as there is a possibility, we must do our best to contain it.
Otherwise, the rise of an emerging hegemon in the northwest will undoubtedly affect the geographical structure of Yongzhou, the interests of Chu in the northwest, and the security of Hanzhong.
The Chu State's future energy will be focused on unifying Zhongzhou. If it is hindered by a Xiliang State, it will undoubtedly disrupt its plan.
'Xiliang Kingdom must not be allowed to rise. '
Lu Yuan made up his mind.
…
Since he decided to prevent the rise of Xiliang Kingdom, Lu Yuan was also very efficient in his work.
After agreeing to the spirit girl, on the next day, he took out some more spiritual materials from the inventory, and after a little processing, he enlightened two more clones.
After he broke through in cultivation and condensed two qi, and became a martial arts master, the power of his soul was more than four times stronger than before the breakthrough.
In other words, his current soul strength is enough to support the separation of eight clones, such as Huang Xuan and Qingyunzi.
Now, in addition to the four new clones that were taken away by the two old clones, Lu Yuan still has two clones in his hands.
At this time, since we need to use troops against the northwest, it is natural that a powerful person who is trustworthy and strong enough will take the lead.
Looking at the country, the only ones with such important responsibilities are Lu Yuan himself and those clones.
Therefore, in order to cope with the situation, he created two more clones, named Huang Xin and Qinghezi respectively.
After creating the two avatars, Lu Yuan directly conferred the title of Imperial Master, and then appointed Huang Xin as the general manager of the three western counties, taking over Huang Xuan's previous position and taking charge of all important government affairs in the western territories of Chu.
Chu State's 200,000 troops in the west, as well as the three innate masters, will all be under Huang Xin's jurisdiction.
There are these soldiers and horses in the west, which is enough for Huang Xin to help the Tibetan people contain the Xiliang Kingdom and ensure the interests of the motherland in the northwest.
As for the question of whether he, an unknown person, can be trusted by others...
Previously, Lu Yuan had consecrated four new clones as national masters, and their names were so similar to Huang Xuan Qingyunzi, and they were so trusted by the king, Lu Yuan.
Therefore, after these few months of fermentation, everyone in Da Chu has already been talking about it, and privately there have been many speculations about the deep relationship between them and Lu Yuan.
When thinking about Lu Yuan's practice of immortal magic, many smart people have thought that this may be the magic of the immortal family. Through some unpredictable method, the king created several people with an unbreakable master-slave relationship. of individuals.
As for whether Qingyunzi and others are clones of the King, or individuals who are under the control of the King, no one knows.
But no matter which one they are, everyone knows that these real protectors starting with the two characters Huang Qing definitely belong to the king's confidants, and can even be regarded as the king himself.
Therefore, everyone respected and respected these special protector of the country and did not dare to be disrespectful in the slightest.
Even though Huang Xin and Qinghezi had just emerged and had no reputation before, with this relationship, Huang Xin had no problem in controlling the three counties in the West.
So after conferring the seal on Huang Xin, handing over the Seal Tiger Talisman, and giving him the scepter, Lu Yuan sent the clone to take up his post in Hanzhong County with the appointment.
After appointing Huang Xin, Lu Yuan did not continue to indulge in the landscape harem and start living a ridiculous life again.
Instead, we are taking advantage of the current time to focus on government affairs and simply make more arrangements.
Now that two more clones were created and Huang Xin had an appointment, Qinghezi naturally couldn't let it sit idle.
So after finally looking at the map of the Dachu Mountains and Rivers, especially after seeing the missing corner of Yangzhou in the southwest, he made a decision.
Qinghezi was appointed as the general manager of the Southwest. He was responsible for the military and political affairs of the Three Kingdoms in one southwest county. He was also in charge of the military affairs of Tonghai and Yulin counties. He was responsible for conquering the remaining rebellious Three Kingdoms in the southwest and opening up territory for Chu.
Well, the target of this clone is the three countries of Nanzhao, Dali, and Song Dynasty in Southwest and Lingnan, which are still outside the Chu system.
Nowadays, in Yangzhou, except for the two counties in Jiangdong occupied by Ning State, there are only three areas, Southwest and Lingnan, which are not under the jurisdiction of Chu State.
Although Lu Yuan was not very interested in the remote lands of the Three Kingdoms, after all, the future of Kyushu was Zhongzhou.
But this did not prevent him from subduing these three countries and bringing them into the Chu State's system.
"The three southwest kingdoms combined have strong troops and horses, but only the three counties of Southwest and Lingnan have insufficient troops and horses.
I will allocate two more imperial troops to you from Pengli Camp to serve as the general manager of the personal army to increase your power. "
In the study, looking at the map of mountains and rivers and the information about the southwest countries, Lu Yuan looked at his clone Qinghezi and pondered.
Nanzhao, Dali, and the Song Dynasty each had a population of more than 2 million, and each could produce 100,000 elites. It is not impossible to recruit more civilians and gather six to seven hundred thousand soldiers and horses.
As for the Xiantian Grandmaster, in recent years, thanks to the persecution of the Chu State, Nanzhao and Dali have stepped up their training of talents and have developed a lot of knowledge.
Therefore, both countries have each gained a talent in recent years.
Therefore, in Nanzhao today, there are two innate people and one high priest.
In the country of Dali, there are three secular people and one high priest.
The Song Dynasty also had an innate person.
The three countries combined have roughly six counties, with a population of more than 7 million, which can produce 300,000 elites, 500,000 to 600,000 civilians, and eight innate people.
It can be said that if they did not belong to different forces and split into three parts, if they were integrated together, they could be treated as a small hegemon.
But now, the Chu State is preparing to take action against the Three Kingdoms, and there is external pressure to force them. There is no guarantee that they will not be like the Xueyuan people, limited to the pressure of survival, and unite together.
If this is the case, then the troops and horses of the three countries close to the southwest and Lingnan counties may be really insufficient.
After all, the Chu State's troops in the three counties of Qianzhong, Tonghai, and Yulin totaled only about 200,000 imperial troops, county troops, and prefectural troops.
Counting Qinghezi, there are only four Xiantian Grandmasters among them.
As for the three vassal states of Jianchuan, Chili, and Kunhai, they have a small territory and few people, and together they can only produce at most 100,000 elites.
On the other hand, there are three Xiantian Grandmasters.
Therefore, in the southwest and Lingnan, the troops that the Chu State can mobilize are roughly 300,000 standing elites and about seven innate masters.
This kind of strength has no obvious advantage compared to the three countries such as Nanzhao, Dali, and Song Dynasty.
In view of this, it is necessary for the central government to strengthen local troops.
However, Lu Yuan did not have enough troops and horses, and could only support two forbidden troops in Qinghezi, totaling 40,000 people.
However, with the elite of the Chu army, there are 40,000 people, which is a great help.
"It doesn't matter whether we make them pay tribute and submit to them and become vassal states like Kunhai and Chili. Or we can directly attack and destroy them and establish counties."
Lu Yuan added a few words to his clone Qinghezi.
He doesn't have much obsession with the southwest region.
As long as they can respect the Chu State in name, obey the Chu State's dispatch of troops, and bring their luck to the Chu State for their own use.
All Lu Yuan wanted was his status and luck, as well as the money and food provided by the vassal countries.
There is no insistence on whether these countries should be eliminated.
Therefore, if the three kingdoms can surrender obediently, then it will be okay to accept three dogs.
And in this way, as long as the Three Kingdoms can be ensured, then maybe Chu State does not have to use troops.
You can directly rely on the growing national power of Chu and the threat of soldiers and horses to make the three kingdoms surrender and break up their alliance.
If we can avoid fighting, it is better not to fight.
The Three Southwest Kingdoms are not soft persimmons that can be manipulated.
The Chu State has just decided to recuperate. If possible, Lu Yuan does not want to spend money and food to launch another war to destroy the country with hundreds of thousands of people.
Of course, if the three southwest countries insist on resisting, Lu Yuan will not retreat.
The soldiers and horses of the three counties and three kingdoms under the jurisdiction of Qinghezi were prepared for those who rebelled.
From now on, the Chu State will send troops northward to compete for Zhongzhou.
This major plan is destined to gather all the manpower and material resources in Jiangnan to support the Northern Expedition.
At that time, Lu Yuan could not tolerate that there were several huge forces beyond his control behind him, independent of Chu State.
The three southwestern countries must either surrender or be destroyed. There is no third way.
"I understand."
Qinghezi nodded after hearing the arrangement.
As a clone, his spiritual thoughts came from Lu Yuan, and his two minds were one, so he could naturally understand his own thoughts.
And precisely because he is a clone, he is also the best assistant to implement the original concept and policy, and can ensure that Lu Yuan's ideas will not deviate or make mistakes after they are implemented.
"Go ahead."
Lu Yuan responded and waved his hand.
The main body and the avatar are one and the same, so there are not so many red tapes.
Qinghezi saw that the main body had nothing to say, so he left without staying much.
Watching his leaving figure, Lu Yuan fell into deep thought for a moment.
If nothing else happens.
This year, that is, the entire twelfth year of Shenwu, the focus of Chu State, in addition to the scheduled digestion plan, will revolve around the Battle of Helong and the Second Battle of Conquest of the Barbarians.
"Hope everything goes well."
Lu Yuan thought to himself.
