To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck

Chapter 693: Chapter 310: Snow Disaster and Barbarians_3

Clearly, even Lu Yuan, who is thousands of miles away, can recognize the horror of those barbarian tribes.

Zhou Country, which borders the Barbarians and is harassed by them year after year, naturally understands their strength even more.

The barbarians currently rampaging through Hexi and Longxi prefectures seem to have a huge momentum.

But in fact, compared to the entire barbarian tribes on the plateau, they only account for a small part of their forces.

They are far from being the main force.

If they do not exhaust all their efforts and launch a heavy blow to drive back the barbarian tribes descending from the mountains.

Then, once they gain advantages and victories, the news spreading back to the plateau might cause more tribes to think that Zhou Country is an easy target and come to take advantage of them.

If that happens, countless barbarian tribes would swarm in, with millions of barbarians covering the sky and earth, and facing this terrifying power, even if Zhou country can withstand it, its vitality will be severely damaged after the war.

At that time, when the losses are so heavy, who can resist not taking a bite when they see it?

Zhou Country might collapse directly then.

In order not to let this happen, Zhou Country must use a heavy hand now to deter those barbarians in one breath.

They must use their overwhelming military force to behead them all, strike fear into their hearts, and make them never dare to provoke Zhou Country again.

Only then can Zhou Country’s western territory maintain long-term stability.

“A report has arrived, at the beginning of September, the Zhou Country’s western army had reached Longxi Prefecture.

In the same month, Sima Zhengde, the Grand General of Zhou’s western Pillar State, led his army to defeat the Barbarian Army in Longxi, killing a hundred thousand enemies and capturing more than a hundred thousand people.

Then the Western Army continued to advance westward, successively defeating two more barbarian armies, annihilating another two hundred thousand enemies and relieving the siege of Hexi Prefecture.

However, despite the three victories, which eliminated a large number of barbarians, none of the Inborn Grandmasters among the barbarians had been killed.

This is quite normal, after all, not everyone has my strength and can easily kill Inborn Grandmasters.

But such a victory that only eliminates their wings but not their heads can never completely eradicate the enemy.

After the Grand Army was defeated, those Inborn barbarians who fled back to their plateau tribes gathered another more than 200,000 troops.

At the same time, they used the money and food they had plundered from Longxi and Hexi Prefectures to bribe many barbarian tribes and invited them to attack Zhou Country’s western territories again.

After the floods and snow disasters, there were countless struggling barbarian tribes on the plateau needing survival.

Many people accepted the invitation directly just to stay alive.

Now the barbarians have gathered an army of more than 600,000, and the number of Inborn Grandmasters has increased to six.

Although the snow is now preventing these barbarians from launching their offensive, once the snow melts in spring, it can be foreseen that a big battle in Zhou Country’s western territory is inevitable.”

A smile appeared on Lu Yuan’s face when he thought of this.

Those Barbarians came down from the mountain just to survive.

Under the floods and snow disasters, without cattle and sheep, their only hope is to plunder Zhou People in a battle of survival in order to live.

This wasn’t a situation that could be solved by Zhou Country killing many barbarians or winning many battles.

As long as the snow disaster persists, these barbarians will have to raid south for food every year after winter.

Such large-scale battles for food, one or two years, one or two times, is not a big deal.

But if this happens year after year, with millions of barbarians invading each year, even the strong Zhou Country couldn’t withstand it.

“It doesn’t need to last long, as long as these snow disaster wars continue for three or five years, Zhou Country will have been continuously drained of its strength and will suffer great damage.

By then, the resources and power of Zhou Country will be concentrated everywhere to support the western war, and the defense strength locally will naturally become weaker.

By that time, Great Chu will have completed its recuperation, with its three armies equipped, and the army and provisions ample.

At that point, all Great Chu needs to do is send one great general with a hundred thousand elite soldiers to easily seize Hanzhong and completely fill in the gap in Great Chu’s northwest defense.”

Lu Yuan calculated in his heart.

He has long coveted Hanzhong Prefecture and was determined to win it.

This prefecture borders Chu State’s Xiangyang Prefecture to the west and Xichuan Prefecture to the south.

With this prefecture, Zhou Country can threaten Xiangyang to the west and Xichuan to the south.

In order to guard against the Zhou army in Hanzhong Prefecture, Lu Yuan had to station 40,000 Forbidden Army in Jianmenguan at the north of Xichuan, and another 20,000 Forbidden Army in Xicheng Prefecture to the west of Xiangyang.

In addition, 20,000 Forbidden Army and 10,000 Prefecture soldiers were stationed in each of Xiangyang and Xichuan of Chu State, ready to support the front line of Hanzhong and resist the invasion of Zhou Country.

All together, more than 100,000 soldiers were restrained by Zhou Country’s Hanzhong Prefecture, unable to move.

For such a thorn in his side, Lu Yuan naturally hated it and could not wait to seize it back to solve the security concern in Chu State’s northwest border.

Once Hanzhong Prefecture is taken, Chu State can build a northern defense line there. Relying on the poor mountains and steep ridges of Hanzhong Prefecture, they can defend the passages with a small number of soldiers, blocking the threats from the north.

The troops from Xichuan and Xiangyang Prefectures can be freed up, and will focus on dealing with the pressure from surrounding countries.

At the same time, with Hanzhong Prefecture, Xichuan and Xiangyang Prefectures can be connected, relying on the Han River, enabling the circulation of goods, promoting people’s livelihood, and enhancing tax revenue in the three prefectures.

Not to mention that seizing Hanzhong will yield 5,000 miles of rivers and mountains and millions of people, resulting in further strengthening of Chu State’s power.

With so many benefits, it’s natural for Lu Yuan to keep an eye on it.

As a result, after learning the details of the war between the barbarians in the Snowy Plateau and Zhou Country, he immediately ordered the spies from the External Affairs Office to send additional manpower to Longxi and Hexi Prefectures in Zhou Country for in-depth layout, so that he can be informed of the situation in time.

In this way, Chu State will be able to make preparations early when Zhou Country’s strength declines significantly and becomes somewhat untenable in the future, laying the foundation for the Northern Expedition to Hanzhong.

However, considering Zhou Country’s strength, even if they face a large-scale invasion of barbarians, they will not have problems in the short term and will definitely be able to hold on.

So for now, this matter could only be watched closely, and there is nothing Chu State can do for the time being.

But that’s just as well.

Now that Lu Yuan has established the direction of recuperation, he can use this time to prepare for the future Northern Expedition.

Let Hanzhong Prefecture stay in Zhou Country for now.

When the opportunity is right, Chu State will take it back.