To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck

Chapter 727: Chapter 322: Eliminate the Die Together

A war cannot be easily instigated with a snap of the fingers or a wag of the tongue.

It requires the preparation of various aspects, such as the mobilization of troops and horses, accumulation of food and fodder, and the strategy of dispatching soldiers, before choosing the right timing and opportunity to launch the war according to the predetermined strategy.

For the upcoming Battle of Hanzhong, Lu Yuan was responsible for the mobilization of troops, deployment strategies, and other aspects.

As Chu State’s highest military commander, he had to be involved in the approval and consent of the movement of troops within the country, both large and small.

Therefore, the decision on which army to dispatch for the conquest of Hanzhong could only be made by Lu Yuan.

First of all, the garrison troops originally stationed in Qianzhong County and Dongting County could not be mobilized.

That is to say, the fourteen thousand soldiers and ten Forbidden Army units in Qianzhong County, as well as the local prefecture and county soldiers of both counties, were all reserved for defensive purposes.

They were needed to deter the southwest and guard against Ning Country, so their important duties could not be easily disrupted.

Besides the garrison forces in these two counties, Lu Yuan could only mobilize two units of the Forbidden Army and forty thousand soldiers from within Dongting County.

As for Xiangyang and Xichuan Counties-

There were a total of three Forbidden Armies stationed in Xichuan territory.

Of these, two were stationed at Jianmenguan in the north of Xichuan County to defend against Zhou soldiers in Hanzhong County, and the remaining one was stationed in Jinguan City to serve as a mobile force, ready to assist Xichuan and Hegu Counties in quelling local rebellions.

The Forbidden Army in Jinguan City must not be moved under any circumstances.

They were the last insurance for the stability of the western borders of Chu State and could not be taken lightly.

However, the two Forbidden Armies at Jianmenguan, originally stationed to guard against the north side of Zhou Country, could be utilized in the upcoming expedition, providing an additional forty thousand soldiers.

In Xiangyang County, one Forbidden Army was stationed in Xiangyang City to guard against the threat from Zhou’s north side, and another one was stationed on the east side of Xiangyang County to defend against the threat from Ning Country.

The duties of these two Forbidden Armies were equally important, and they could not be mobilized.

Fortunately, in the western part of Xiangyang County where it bordered Hanzhong County, there was also a Forbidden Army stationed in Xicheng to guard against Zhou’s soldiers in Hanzhong County.

This Forbidden Army could indeed be deployed.

After such calculations, the forces that would participate in the conquest of Hanzhong included two Forbidden Armies each from Dongting and Xichuan Counties, and one from Xiangyang County.

In total, five Forbidden Armies and a hundred thousand soldiers were available.

Apart from Hegu County that had been recently pacified and needed a significant military presence, Xichuan and Xiangyang Counties could also each provide ten thousand county soldiers who were as strong as the Forbidden Army, obtaining support from an additional twenty thousand people.

Furthermore, there was the naval force in Dongting Lake; since the Han River flowed through Hanzhong, ships could directly sail upstream and penetrate deep into Hanzhong territory.

Excluding naval defenses on the rivers of Dongting and Xiangyang Counties, the navy could send another twenty thousand men to participate in the Hanzhong Expedition.

After a thorough inventory check, without affecting various defensive lines and local stability, Chu State could deploy one hundred and twenty thousand land troops and twenty thousand naval forces, totaling one hundred and forty thousand troops for this war.

Regarding innate experts, Huang Xuan from Xichuan County and Lu Yuan could also participate in the fighting.

In comparison, the enemies to deal with included the fifty thousand Zhou soldiers stationed in Hanzhong County, as well as a Zhou Pillar State Grand General from the south.

The gap in strength between the two sides was more than three to five times.

Furthermore, the forces mentioned above were not Chu State’s full strength.

Lu Yuan had made up his mind that if the invasion failed and the Zhou discovered their weak spot, preventing a quick resolution of the conflict, the southwestern tributary states could also be enlisted to participate in the war.

After several years of recovery, the allied nations of Kunhai, Chilih, and Jianchuan had restored some of their vitality.

Under an extreme order of conscription, each nation could mobilize a hundred thousand civilian soldiers.

Lu Yuan did not need them to exhaust their efforts; each nation could contribute fifty thousand soldiers and conscript one or two kings, providing Chu State with an additional one hundred and fifty thousand available soldiers and one or two Inborn Grandmasters.

Once these tributary nations were weakened, the soliders stationed in Qianzhong County could be relaxed accordingly, and another unit of the Forbidden Army could be deployed, adding another twenty thousand soldiers.

Through this small-scale mobilization, Chu State could now deploy more than three hundred thousand soldiers and three or more Inborn Grandmasters.

Such strength, even for those world-dominant countries, was equivalent to a national war.

If they lost, the consequences would be severely damaging, causing a decline in national fortune.

During the previous Northern Expedition of Yue Country, Zhou had lost more than two hundred thousand soldiers and two Inborn experts. After that, they had spent six to seven years recuperating before they could barely recover.

If Chu State were to lose the Hanzhong conquest and all their soldiers were left in Hanzhong-

Their hegemonic ambitions would be heavily affected, and the national power would decline significantly. Without more than a decade of recuperation, Chu State could not expect a resurgence.

Thus, for Chu State, this war could only result in victory and not defeat.

Both Lu Yuan and Chu State could not afford the consequences of losing this battle.

Fortunately, from the current situation, Zhou Country was simultaneously facing three major enemies and was already exhausted.

Even if they exerted all their strength at this time, it would be difficult to mobilize forces comparable to those of Chu State to face this challenge from the new hegemonic power.

In this war, Chu State held an absolute advantage and the chances of winning were very high.

Especially now that Zhou Country had not yet realized that the war had quietly begun, Chu State’s advantage was even greater.