Chapter 632: Chapter 290: Training Soldiers and Grooming Horses_2

In a certain sense, the state of Liang could also be considered a benefactor to the countries of Chu, Su, and the Southsea.

But neither side acknowledges it, nor do they consider it to be the case.

However, since the sixth year of Hongdao, when Liang and Yue made peace, the Liang state, which didn’t gain much from the South, began to focus its main energy from the South to the Northeast region of Qingzhou territory within some small countries.

Especially since five years ago, the Liang state has dispatched five hundred thousand troops to invade the Lai state in the northeast of Qingzhou.

Lai state claims to have a population of one million, and it has two counties, with three hundred thousand valiant troops. There are three Inborn Grandmasters in the country, and it is a solid powerhouse in the territory of Qingzhou.

From the apparent strength, it is actually stronger than the Chu state before annexing Qianzhong County.

But even such a large country, facing a colossal thing like the Liang state, still appears small and unimportant.

The two countries had only been at war for a year, but the Lai state had lost half of its counties and shed over a hundred thousand soldiers.

At the most challenging time, even the capital was besieged and was at risk of being annihilated.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, the Xu state in Xuzhou, neighboring the Lai state, felt the unsettling threat of their neighbour being attacked by Liang state and dispatched three hundred thousand troops to aid them.

The name of Xu state says it all; daring to name the country after a state implies having remarkable strength to stand in the world.

Indeed, Xu state is the overlord of Xuzhou, owning six counties. While it is not as strong as Liang state, it has reached the threshold of a world dominator.

Therefore, with its help, the Lai state managed to narrowly resist the invasion of the Liang state.

But even after several years of fighting, even if the two countries combine their forces, they are still no match for Liang.

As of now, Lai has lost one of its two counties, and some small countries in the northeast of Qingzhou have been eradicated by Liang as well.

If one also takes into account the scattered territories that Liang occupies in other directions, the territory that Liang currently possesses is actually equivalent to twelve counties, subtly surpassing all other world dominators.

Perhaps, it is because of this that Xu country to the northeast of Liang, Zhao country to the north, Zhou country to the west, and Ning country to the south, which are all world dominators or state overlords, are not in good terms with Liang.

Knowing that so many powerful nations are hostile towards them, the border pressure on Liang is actually quite big, and it’s a long-standing million-man standing army that is there to deal with these enemies.

But the fact that Liang can still slowly expand its territory under the gaze of so many powerful enemies is enough to make people cautious about its strength.

Not to mention far away places, considering the Liang Jiangxia County that borders Baling City, the hundred thousand Liang soldiers stationed there are not just there to deal with Zhou and Ning.

If there are demands and opportunities, this army of a hundred thousand can head south or east at any time, striking at the Dongting County of Chu.

With Zhou, Liang, and Ning, three powerful nations surrounding it, even if these three have not shown signs of attacking Chu, how could Lu Yuan, the ruler of Chu, relax his guard?

To him, ending the war against the southwestern Yi’s sooner, starting the development of Xichuan and Qianzhong counties sooner, and accumulating strength sooner are all matters of pressing urgency.

…

“So this year, not only do we have to resolve the Great Changhe State and seize the territory of the Hui Chuan State, following that we have to recover the Xichuan County, completely subjugate Nanzhao Country, and end these two wars. We can then accumulate strength to confront the challenges posed by the great countries,” said Lu Yuan, in the early days of March, in the grand palace as he looked at the recruitment report just presented from Qianzhong County, determination flashing in his eyes.

He had no doubts about ending these two wars, and his heart was filled with confidence.

This confidence came from his own power.

A cultivator who can condense aether into one entity, who is equivalent to a third-stage Grandmaster, the massive power he controls is the source of all his confidence.

Although he can’t directly annihilate Da Changhe and Nanzhao, he can eliminate the two Grandmasters of both nations with a thunderbolt’s momentum. He can intimidate the enemy to surrender with his absolute strength.

As long as he possesses this overwhelming strength, as long as he is not dead, those little beings beside him dare not stir things up.

A Yi Ziyun can make the Pre-Yue compromise and retreat during its heyday.

Lu Yuan, who now possesses the same power, can instill the same fear and dread in those south western Yi’s.

In this world, where great power is accumulated in one person, even though it’s in its decline phase, individual strength can still influence the rise and fall of a state or a province.

This is the charm of cultivation.

The time was slowly approaching April.

As the date of deployment set by Lu Yuan was approaching, Chu State’s various preparatory works were gradually completed.

The county and prefecture troops of Xichuan and Qianzhong counties, after two months of urgent conscription, were finally fully established. Six Forbidden armies within the two counties have resumed their full strength, with a steady stream of new soldiers coming from within the country.

However, because two of the Forbidden Armies are mostly made up of new recruits, their combat effectiveness has dropped significantly, and it would take an additional two to three years of training to recover their combat effectiveness and become elite troops.

Lu Yuan has already made a decision regarding this; he will leave these two Forbidden Armies in Qianzhong County.

Although Qianzhong County has been initially stable, there are occasional uprisings of several hundred people in places. Mountain ridges within the county also harbor a large number of Yi tribes. They do not have a good impression of the Chu migrants and often come down from the mountains to attack the villages.

All of these rebellions and attacks, although not large in scale, have little impact on Chu’s rule over Qianzhong County.

However, these are still wars, and they’re not too intense. Although there will be casualties, there won’t be too many, which is just right for training new recruits.