Chapter 349: Chapter 195: Strength Reversal

Translator: 549690339

For Lu Yuan, being able to hold his nose and agree to the peace-seeking terms of the Five Poisons Sect was already a great concession.

To put it bluntly, without their Holy Maiden, what did they count for, considering the strength of the Five Poisons Sect at this moment?

Merely just over thirty thousand civilian-workers-like soldiers, now stranded and besieged in a small county area.

This level of strength, in contrast to Lu Yuan’s situation, possessing a hundred thousand soldiers, and with Miao soldiers and militia numbering over a hundred thousand under his command, was no longer on the same level.

The Five Poisons Sect thought they were in a position to negotiate terms with Lu Yuan, but in reality, this was just their wishful thinking.

If it weren’t for Lan Cai’er’s involvement, these remnants would have been eliminated long ago.

But unfortunately.

They do have Lan Cai’er, and they do have an Inborn Grandmaster in their ranks.

So, Lu Yuan had no choice but to suppress his temper and sit down to talk with them.

However, his willingness to talk didn’t mean he would indulge the Five Poisons Sect.

After all, it’s the Five Poisons Sect who is anxious now, not Lu Yuan; he can wait patiently.

It’s just that while he can afford to wait, it’s not so certain whether the Five Poisons Sect can do the same.

Just like the people of Anxiang County, the Five Poisons Sect, trapped in Qianling County for more than half a year, consumed astronomical amounts of grain with tens of thousands of people not engaged in production every day.

Although they should be able to hold out for some time with their previous reserves, even the most abundant grain reserves can’t withstand this rate of consumption.

The more they delay, the more unbearable it becomes for them.

Now they are still putting on airs, wanting to negotiate with Lu Yuan. He just needs to keep pushing them, and sooner or later they will have their arrogance subdued.

Upon deciding to keep dragging, Lu Yuan didn’t bother with them anymore.

Because three months after Yan Wangqiu left, he finally returned from Jianan Prefecture, bringing news of the Nine River Sword Sect.

Seeing the Old Lord again, Lu Yuan found his demeanor quite good, not only in high spirits but also looking very pleased with himself.

“General Lu, I have met Su Xuange, the master of the Nine River Sword Sect. I hinted at forming an alliance, and he showed great interest in it.

After several months of discussions, he has been persuaded to join our alliance and has already begun preparations.

When the time comes for us to really make a move, Su Xuange is willing to raise an army of 150,000 in Jianan Prefecture, echoing our efforts from afar.”

Yan Wangqiu recounted his experiences and gains of the past few months with a hint of ease.

“Great! With the help of the Nine River Sword Sect, our side will have one more Inborn Grandmaster and an additional 150,000 troops.”

Lu Yuan listened to it all with joy, looked at Yan Wangqiu, and praised him, “Your Lordship’s contribution to our alliance in this trip to Jianan Prefecture is indispensable.”

Yan Wangqiu stroked his beard with a triumphant expression: “Actually, it’s not that big of a deal. It’s just that our Nanhai Sect and the Nine River Sword Sect had a good relationship in our early years, so they were easy to persuade.”

“Bah! There are many people in the world with good relationships, but not many who can turn their relationships into advantages. Old Lord, don’t be modest.”

Lu Yuan waved his hand dismissively, then looked at Yan Wangqiu and spoke with a smile: “Since the Old Lord has been gone for several months, there have been quite a few happenings here. There’s also a piece of good news I’d like to share with you.”

Seeing his solemn expression, Yan Wangqiu became curious: “What could it be?”

“Last month, the Five Poisons Sect sent someone to find me…”

So, Lu Yuan told Yan Wangqiu about the peace-seeking negotiations with the Five Poisons Sect. After summarizing the events, he continued: “So this time, if we can conquer the Five Poisons Sect, our side will have an additional 30,000 Miao soldiers.

Also, I can use the Five Poisons Sect and the Miao people to force their Holy Maiden into submission.

In this way, when it’s time to reveal our cards, our side will be able to deploy 300,000 soldiers and have two Grandmasters.

If we count the Old Lord’s side, our three-family alliance will have nearly 800,000 troops and four Grandmasters.

With such strength, the court would have no choice but to make concessions if they want to avoid complete destruction.”

Theoretically, if Lu Yuan and Yan Wanqiu choose to betray the Imperial Court, the so-called “Ten Grandmasters Plan” would become a joke.

Without the two of them, the court would have eight Grandmasters left, even if they managed to pull in the Qiao Family from Guanhai Villa.

Among these eight Grandmasters, three need to be stationed in various places, unable to act.

Putting all these constraints together, the court can deploy a maximum of five Grandmasters at most.

But on Lu Yuan’s side, they already have four Grandmasters.

As for the number of troops, the three-family alliance on Lu Yuan’s side can field 750,000 troops. Regardless of the quality or the fighting ability, at least the numbers and momentum are in place.

What about the court?

Marquis of Wuping, Xie Ning, has 50,000 troops in Jiuzhen Prefecture.

However, these 50,000 men, not only have to maintain the security of Jiuzhen Prefecture and prevent the resurgence of Jinghai Country remnants but also need to suppress Yulin and Southsea, ensuring stability in Lingnan.

Moreover, they have to deter several neighboring small countries near Jiuzhen Prefecture to prevent them from following in Jinghai Country’s footsteps and causing trouble.

Maintaining the above multiple situations with 50,000 troops is already stretched thin, and there is no possibility of deploying more troops to quell the rebellion.

In Dongting Prefecture, Yueyang Prefecture still has 50,000 left, while Bai Mengyang in Tianmen Prefecture, after being besieged for so long, probably has only 10,000 or 20,000 remaining(”

There are still 150,000 border soldiers in Guangling Prefecture, but in recent days, as the Liang Country sees the Zhou people continuously winning battles in Yue Country, they have already taken Xichuan and are about to hit Dongting Prefecture.