Liang State, Daliang City.
Since Emperor Huaguang became the first human emperor in ancient times, he chose Daliang as his capital to control all the barbarians in Zhongzhou. The prosperity of this place began from this.
However, in ancient times, immortals and gods existed side by side.
The people who dominate the entire Kyushu world are not the mortals who are like ants, but the immortal gods who have mastered extraordinary power and can move mountains and fill seas.
So the so-called Human Emperor at that time was actually just a co-lord who had surrendered all the immortals and gods and was recognized by all the monks.
The three ancient emperors only ruled the immortals and gods, and did not directly rule mortals.
He is the emperor of immortals and gods, not the emperor of mortals.
As for the immortal monks, in order to cultivate, they mostly live in the blessed land of cave heaven, in a place with abundant spiritual energy.
Such places are often deep in mountains and swamps, far away from plains.
Therefore, in ancient times, the Three Emperors and the monks actually did not put much thought into the governance of secular mortals. They simply allowed it to take its own course and did not take it seriously.
It is precisely for this reason that, except for Zhongzhou, the development of other Kyushu lands only started after the spiritual energy began to dry up rapidly in the past two or three thousand years and the immortals and gods hid themselves.
Just like more than two thousand years ago, the Linhai family made Yangzhou in the south its capital Jinling, and slowly developed the southern land from this stronghold.
This is also the case in other places such as Yongzhou, Jizhou, and Xuzhou.
This shows how prosperous Zhongzhou must be, which has been developed for tens of thousands of years.
And Daliang, the ancient imperial capital at the core of Central Continent, is so majestic.
This is also true.
Daliang City is located in the south of the river, surrounded by three rivers. It has more than one million hectares of fertile farmland and supports tens of millions of people.
Among the entire Kyushu, Qingzhou has always been the leader, and the Liang Kingdom, which occupied the entire Qingzhou, naturally became the most powerful country in Kyushu.
Since the seventh year of Shenwu, when he conquered the foreign country and unified Qingzhou, the Liang Kingdom has refrained from war all year round, instead concentrating on sorting out its internal affairs, cultivating itself, and accumulating internal strength.
Now six years have passed, and with the in-depth governance of the Liang State, all the newly acquired territories in the five eastern counties of Qingzhou have long been returned to their homeland, and they have begun to produce a large amount of money and grain taxes, which are imported eastward to Daliang.
And business travelers from all over the world, including the north and south, are also transporting goods to this most central city in the world.
Daliang City, which has gathered all the wealth in the world, and the Liang Kingdom that owns this city, also use this to radiate the world and exert their own influence.
At this time, in response to the changes in the west and south of the Liang Kingdom, the monarchs and ministers in Daliang City held a meeting.
Liang Palace.
In the political hall, Emperor Liang sat high at the head, and two rows of ministers below sat side by side. Each of them had some documents and memorials placed in front of them, with solemn expressions on their faces.
"My lords, now that Wei is forcing Zhou, the capital of the Zhou people is Chang'an. We hear police every day and there are constant sounds of war.
Similarly, the Zhao people marched in Hanoi, and an army of 300,000 troops drilled day and night, built warships, and trained naval forces.
Above the river, there are all the shadows of Zhao people's boats.
Everyone knows that he covets Henan.
Given the current situation of the Zhou people, they were surrounded by enemies on all sides. They had raised armies in the country for seven years, and millions of soldiers had been killed or wounded. The people were suffering from taxes, tired from traveling, and displaced.
This kind of scene has the potential to destroy the country.
From what I see, the Zhou people may not be able to protect their Henan and Nanyang lands.
The ministers think that we in Daliang should take action to raise troops to the west to seize these two counties to prevent them from being taken by Wei, Zhao, Chu and other countries.
It can also shield our western border of Daliang and stabilize the border. "
Emperor Liang's voice was majestic and solemn, with a strong confidence and confidence. He seemed to have no fear when facing the three hegemons of Wei, Zhao, and Chu.
To outsiders, this may seem a bit big.
But if you have a thorough understanding of the current Emperor Liang, you will know that this is not arrogance, but rather humility.
Emperor Liang is now forty-two years old and has been on the throne for twenty-two years. Since he succeeded to the throne, he has raised troops year after year to conquer the north and south of the four frontiers.
At the beginning of his accession to the throne, he conquered the Yue Kingdom in Yangzhou in the south, and used troops for several years. Finally, he forced the Yue Kingdom to cede the three prefectures of Guangling in the north of the Yangtze River, and made this big country in the south of the Yangtze River surrender to his younger brother Liang.
After conquering the Yue Kingdom, Emperor Liang returned to his country to recuperate for less than a year, and then led his troops to conquer Qingzhou and the East China Sea countries, wiped out several small countries, and established Donghai County.
Immediately afterwards, he went north to conquer the coming country. It took several years to eliminate the two-county country in the northeast of Qingzhou despite the intervention of the northern overlord Xu State, and completely solved the stumbling block to the unification of Qingzhou.
Later, the facts proved this.
After there was no obstacle to coming to the country, all the small countries in the east of Qingzhou were eliminated by the Liang State and established counties one by one, even if they did not last more than two years.
Up to now, the entire Liang Kingdom has fifteen counties, becoming the only country in Qingzhou and a veritable overlord of Zhongzhou.
Among the fifteen counties of the Liang Kingdom, there were five counties that were conquered by the current Emperor Liang.
With such prestige, such achievements, coupled with the record of defeating several overlords in succession, and the current strong national power of the Liang Kingdom, it is natural that the Liang Emperor has the confidence to say this.
Because he is a veritable Martial Emperor.
Opening up territory and expanding territory is martial arts.
"Your Majesty, our country has unified Qingzhou and has become feared by all the countries in the world, making them wary and hostile to me.
Moreover, we have occupied half of Zhongzhou, and among all the countries in the world, our gains can be said to be the richest. Half of the future benefits of the world are already in my hands.
If it is full, it will overflow; if it is too full, it will be too little.
As long as Qingzhou is unified, the two countries of Zhao and Xu in the north and the two countries of Chu and Ning in the south will all look at me and covet the land of Qingzhou.
If the two counties of Henan and Nanyang were captured at this time, then the Zhou and Wei kingdoms to the west would probably stop their troops and make a truce immediately and send their troops to the east. "
Among the ministers below, Yang Chen, the famous general of the Liang Kingdom and Lord of Changyi, saw that his emperor seemed to be greedy for the two counties of Nanyang in Henan Province and wanted to send troops to attack. He immediately stood up and admonished: "I, Daliang, occupy a single state for myself. The best in the world.
But no matter how strong the national power is in one state, it is difficult to defeat the entire nine states.
Around Daliang, the State of Zhao occupied Jizhou in the north, the State of Xu occupied Xuzhou; the State of Zhou occupied Yongzhou in the west; the State of Chu occupied Yangzhou in the south; and the State of Zheng occupied Yuzhou in the east.
At the same time, the Wei State of Yanzhou in the north also began to move southward in large quantities, hoping to advance into the hinterland of Zhongzhou.
The above six countries are all the overlords of a state, and the country can send millions of soldiers.
If these four countries unite, with a little mobilization, they can send out an army of three to five million to attack Liang.
Although I am a strong leader, after these years of recuperation, my household registration has only increased to more than 60 million, and my army has only reached 3 million.
Although this kind of strength is strong, it is far from the point where one country can defeat the whole world.
Now the reason why all countries have not united to attack Liang is because Zhou is tired of the disasters caused by the Fans and Wei, Chu and Ning are fighting for hegemony in the south of the Yangtze River, and Zhao and Xu are troubled by the Hu in the north.
Zheng Guo is located in the same state as Zhongzhou. He and our country are coveting from other countries, and they have no time to take care of themselves.
Every country has its own troubles and it is difficult to take care of our country.
But now, the Zhou Kingdom is about to fall to Wei, the Chu people have already unified the south of the Yangtze River, and the Zhao and Xu Kingdoms have stabilized the northern frontier.
There are already four countries surrounding Liang State that can spare their efforts to intervene in Qingzhou affairs.
The reason why they didn't take action immediately at this time was just because they were afraid that it was difficult for one country to compete with us.
But when they connect with each other and their communication becomes closer, sooner or later they can join forces vertically and horizontally to form a coalition to attack our country together.
Therefore, our country's top priority at this moment is definitely not to seize Henan and Nanyang counties, or seize the last piece of nearby Zhongzhou land.
This will stimulate nearby countries to speed up their joint efforts to attack our country.
What I, Daliang, have to do is to vigorously support the Zhou State and let it help the Wei State, which is moving from the north to the south with great momentum.
The state of Wei controlled ten counties with a population of more than 30 million. There are two million soldiers available to the whole country.
In addition, he also has the full support of the Divine Sword Sect, and there are more than twenty innate masters in the country.
Looking at all the countries in the world, Wei is second only to Liang.
If it were allowed to annex the Zhou State, the power of the Wei State would further rise. By then it would span two states and its power would be even greater than that of Daliang.
When the time comes for the Wei people to send troops to the west, they may be able to defeat us in Daliang with just one country.
This is truly the most terrifying enemy in our history.
Therefore, in order to prevent such a situation from occurring, we must prevent Wei from going south and block it in the northwest so that it does not border with me.
It just so happened that the Zhou people were exhausted and their national power was greatly weakened. They seemed to have fallen into the position of overlord, and their strength was no longer what it was before. It would no longer be a problem for us in the western border of Liang State.
Moreover, although the Zhou Kingdom was weak, it still had tens of millions of people, millions of troops, and seven innate masters.
This kind of strength is not enough to be aggressive, but it is more than enough to protect itself.
If you just focus on defense, you can still block Wei.
Even the State of Zhao in the north can use the State of Zhou to contain one or two of them, preventing them from moving southward and becoming our enemy, the State of Liang.
With my help, Zhou State can secure Nanyang and Henan counties. It will also have a way out in the future, and the state of Zuo will be safe.
Such kindness will definitely make him feel grateful, and from now on he will stick close to our country, Liang, and serve as my shield.
Therefore, I think it is better to support a weak Zhou State and make it a subordinate of Liang State, guarding the western border for Liang State and blocking the troubles of Wei State. "
Yang Chen gave a long speech and told Emperor Liang his views.
After listening to this, Emperor Liang pondered for a while, and finally nodded slowly: "Mr. Changyi is right, I, Liang, now occupy half of Zhongzhou. Compared with other countries, I have already taken advantage of it.
If I covet Henan and Nanyang again, even if I get them, it will not be of much benefit to me. Instead, it will arouse the anger of other countries.
On the contrary, aiding the Zhou State will allow me to obtain a western border barrier to block the Wei State's troubles and contain the Zhao State's power, which will be of greater benefit to me in Daliang. "
When Emperor Liang said this, he turned to look at the person below and ordered: "Zhang Qing, later you will discuss with Lord Changyi, the Ministry of Husbandry, and the Ministry of War to see how to assist the Zhou Kingdom.
After we have a charter, we will select a suitable envoy and report it to me, and order him to be an envoy to the State of Zhou to discuss the alliance between the two countries. "
"yes."
Zhang Kai, the minister of Honglu Temple, immediately stood up and responded to the order.
After talking about the affairs of the Zhou Kingdom, Emperor Liang looked around at everyone, and continued: "The affairs of the Zhou Kingdom have been settled. I will lead Liangxi and the Zhou Kingdom to protect the border.
With Zhou Guo here, the western border can be protected from worries.
However, the two kingdoms of Zhao and Xu in the north and Chu in the south have continued to expand over the years. Zhao destroyed three Hus in the north, collected millions of Hu cavalry, and expanded two counties.
Now Zhao State has nine counties, more than 20 million people, 16 Xiantian people, and 1.5 million soldiers. It is a powerful country in Hebei.
Although Xu State has not expanded its territory, it has continued to go to sea to trade with various countries in recent years, using business to subsidize state use.
In recent years, it has not only greatly increased the treasury, but also used money and food to attract a large number of barbarians and Di people in Xuzhou to become people, so that Xu's household registration has been rapidly enriched.
As a result, it only covers six counties, but has a population of 20 million. The territory is widely spread with fertile land, commerce and trade are developed, and the wealth is the highest in the world.
Relying on this money and food to accumulate wealth, Xu Guo has raised an army of millions, and there are also twelve innate masters, who should not be underestimated.
The Chu State in the south defeated the Ning State last year and was only a few years away from unifying Yangzhou.
At that time, it will be the second country besides Liang that is completely controlled by one state.
With Yangzhou's wealth, even if it has suffered from repeated military turmoil in recent years and the place is poor, there are still 30 to 40 million people left.
After several years of cultivation, you can have an army of two to three million.
And its innate generals numbered twenty-five, far better than any other country.
King of Chu Lu Yuan, a famous general in the world, single-handedly created this huge foundation. It is said that he is a master of both immortality and martial arts, and his strength is no less than that of the Taoist Master of the Immortal Sect.
With such national power and such a bright leader, if we don't control it early, I am afraid that our southern border of Daliang will be at war from now on. "
When Emperor Liang talked about Chu and Lu Yuan, he couldn't hide the fear on his face.
Among the nine states, Chu State has always been a very special existence.
This specialness does not lie in its system, culture, or customs.
It's because Chu State is the only country among the major hegemons in Kyushu that has been established in recent years, has a grassroots background, and has rapidly grown to its current status.
The other hegemonic countries in Kyushu all have inherited origins. Like Ningguo, they have a profound heritage, are of extremely noble birth, and are governed by noble ministers from aristocratic families.
Therefore, countries such as Liang and Zhou, who were both governed by aristocratic families, were naturally full of fear and hostility towards a country like Chu, which had a grassroots background, employed a large number of people from poor families, and was like a nouveau riche.
certainly.
No matter how declining Kyushu is, it can still be regarded as a world of cultivators, where strength is the most important thing.
Therefore, in the face of the powerful Chu State, all countries did not care what they thought in their hearts, but they still maintained respect and friendliness on the surface, and were not so stupid that they provoked it without reason.
Even Ning Guo, who was severely beaten by Chu State, those Linhai aristocratic families still kneel down and lick when they should, and collaborate with the enemy when they should, without any hesitation.
But that's exactly why.
Facing a Chu State that has risen from the grassroots, and a Chu State that has created a huge foundation through force, the people of the world are more vigilant than ever before.
Especially in recent years, various rumors about Chu King Lu Yuan have spread.
Ru He has led troops in battles since his debut and has never been defeated. He has become a famous general in the world.
His personal magical powers were astonishing, and he was a master of both immortality and martial arts. Five innates had already died at his hands, and he had killed the most innates in the world.
For example, the Qing and Huang real people of Chu State, these monks who suddenly appeared are said to have a deep connection with King Lu Yuan of Chu and are suspected to be his clones.
These kinds of rumors have attracted the attention and fear of countless people.
Coupled with Chu's successive great victories in recent years and its current national strength, Emperor Liang had already regarded Chu as his number one enemy.
Now that it is officially proposed, it is necessary to brainstorm and come up with a check and balance method with the ministers.
After listening to what Emperor Liang said, the ministers couldn't help but frown and ponder, whispering to each other, and discussing.
The troubles in northern Xinjiang and southern Xinjiang are indeed urgent matters that Liang State needs to deal with now, and it has reached the point where there is no need to delay.
After a while of ministers, Yang Chen, Lord of Changyi, finally stood up and expressed everyone's opinions: "Your Majesty, although the two kingdoms of Zhao and Xu in northern Xinjiang have gradually stabilized their northern borders in recent years, the danger of barbarians in the northern border has not been eliminated.
Driven by the cold wave, the barbarians and barbarians from the three states and three regions of the northern country all migrated southward.
In recent years, the two kingdoms of Zhao and Xu had to fight with numerous enemies, Hu Lu, Yi and Di, in the northern border.
It's just that Zhao State adopted the strategy of opening up territory and moving the border northward to gain sufficient strategic depth and ensure peace in the north.
Xu State, on the other hand, used money and food to lure the barbarians and barbarians, and then incorporated them into the people to enrich the country's strength.
But there are hundreds of millions of barbarians and barbarians in the three states and three regions in the north. How can these two countries be able to kill and lure them all?
Now every spring and autumn, millions of barbarians and barbarians go south to harass the borders of the two countries.
In order to resist the Hulu and Yi Di, these two countries stationed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses in their northern borders and sent heavy generals to guard them, so as to ensure that there would be no worries at home.
Under such circumstances, even if these two countries want to go south and attack Liang, they will not be able to use their full strength.
Isn't it as powerful as the Wei State? It conquered the Zhou State several times in the south. Didn't it only use four to five million soldiers and horses and five or six innates each time?
The two kingdoms of Zhao and Xu were far inferior to Wei.
According to my opinion, based on the current situation of the two countries, if Zhao goes south, he can send up to 500,000 to 600,000 troops, including five or six Xiantian.
When Xu went south, he could send up to three or four hundred thousand troops, including three or four Xiantian.
The two countries combined have less than a million soldiers and horses, and less than ten innate talents.
With such strength, our country, Liang, only needs to deploy a million soldiers and horses in northern Xinjiang and set up ten innates, and we will have no worries.
As for Chu State..."
Yang Chen paused, frowned slightly, and said in a more serious tone: "Chu is a great enemy, and Chu King Lu Yuan is even more unfathomable. I believe that against this enemy, we should not take the initiative to attack, and must put defense first.
However, even though no troops are sent, Chu's current expansion needs to be curbed with all his strength.
I thought that I could support the Ning Kingdom in the south of the Yangtze River and use it to contain the Chu Kingdom according to the Zhou Dynasty's rules.
As far as I know, the Jiangnan Ning Kingdom now has the full support of Ziyundao. There are still thirteen innate masters in the country, and there are still five to six million soldiers and horses.
This kind of strength is even stronger than that of Zhou State, but the soldiers and horses are only slightly inferior.
If I, Daliang, can provide money and food to the Ning State, help it recruit enough soldiers and horses, and then support it in the north of the Yangtze River, and station a large number of troops to intimidate the Chu State.
The people of Ning will be encouraged, and the people of Chu will be frightened and have to confront me with heavy troops.
In this way, the number of troops and horses that can be used to unify Jiangdong will inevitably be greatly reduced.
Ning Guo has my support again, and its national strength and momentum have been greatly defeated, so it will fight to the death against the Chu people.
With such a two-pronged approach, the Chu people's desire to unify Jiangdong was naturally far away.
And if Jiangdong is not unified, Yangzhou cannot be unified, and with the great enemy Ning on its side, how can the Chu State dare to send troops to the Northern Expedition?
We in Daliang have heavy troops stationed in the north of the Yangtze River, and the border is tightly defended. The Chu people have no chance, so they can naturally be blocked in the south of the Yangtze River.
If you stay like this for more than a hundred years, when the four poles are destroyed and the foundation of Chu is destroyed, it will naturally no longer be a threat. "
Yang Chen, the king of Changyi, may have learned the lesson of Ning State, and adopted an extremely prudent approach this time in response to Chu State's plan.
