Chapter 1380: Shouzhe's Decisive Victory from Afar

Chapter 1380: Chapter 46: Shouzhe’s Decisive Victory from Afar

…

While the Wang Family was bustling and managing many chaotic affairs, on the other side, the distance between the two nations’ armies and Daqian’s border was rapidly narrowing.

War was gradually approaching.

In the buffer zone between Daqian and Southern Qin’s border, there lies a vast area called “Nether Gate Ridge.”

Compared to other areas, this region has sparse vegetation, with bizarre and densely stacked mountains, and extraordinarily complex geographical features. Numerous boiling hot springs converge here, and the steam that rises forms thick clouds that mingle with the wind, giving rise to frequent lightning strikes and continuous torrential rains.

This harsh environment seems like an entrance to the Nether River, which is why it is called “Nether Gate Ridge.”

Whether Daqian attacks Southern Qin or Southern Qin advances towards Daqian, this “Nether Gate Ridge” is an unavoidable natural gateway.

At this moment.

Within Nether Gate Ridge.

In several hidden valleys, the concealed places among the rocks faintly gleamed with the radiance of inscriptions, as if arrays had been set up at some unknown time. The thick mist swirling around obscured the traces of the array, making the Concealment Array even more effective.

Beneath the array, countless figures clad in dark black armor lay quietly in wait.

These people were orderly and disciplined, with even their eating and drinking making barely any sound. The atmosphere was solemn and indifferent, and looking through the mist, they appeared dense and oppressive, carrying an indescribable heavy pressure.

Clearly, these are three well-trained armies.

They were like three unparalleled fierce beasts, quietly lying in wait, seemingly ready to seize the best opportunity to deliver a crushing blow to the enemy.

The army in the center is designated as “Azure Dragon Third Corps,” one of Daqian’s nine top Ace Battle Groups.

The nine Azure Dragon Battle Groups are the lifelong achievements of Emperor Longchang, who was fond of warfare, and one of his most proud “creations.”

For Daqian to have its current territorial size, these nine battle groups are undeniably significant contributors.

With three Azure Dragon Battle Groups stationed at the Outer Domain Battlefield on a rotational basis, there are only six Azure Dragon Battle Groups permanently stationed within Daqian Realm.

“Azure Dragon Third Corps” returned from the Outer Domain Battlefield rotation five years ago, and after five years of rest and replenishment, their morale was high and their spirits were full, ready to fight at any moment.

Supporting Azure Dragon Third Corps in the ambush mission were two of Daqian’s main battle groups—the White Tiger Battle Group and the Xiqu Battle Group.

When Emperor Longchang was young, he was very fond of war, and coupled with his severe fear of insufficient military power, he devoted himself to building the armed forces, even introducing the Military Family system and the military governance system that was criticized by Wang Shouzhe.

From town to Guardian City, and further up to County, the Military System dominated, and the highest officials were also held by personnel from the Military System, namely, Town Guard, City Guard, and Commander.

The advantage of this approach is that a significant portion of city tax, county tax, and national tax would be prioritized for military construction, ensuring the army maintains strong combat power and can replace national taxes to maintain ordinary corps, significantly reducing the national tax expenditure on military affairs.

The downside is that military governance often leads to negligence in local development. Even when there is an intention to develop, the leftover tax funds are insufficient, making them powerless to conduct local development.

This was also why Taishi An Kang was willing to let Wang Shouzhe take charge back then.

With tight finances, the county couldn’t afford development, and someone willing to help was naturally welcome. After all, with military power in hand, he was not afraid of local Noble Families rebelling.

Moreover, Emperor Longchang feared that the military system’s power would become too large and cause fragmentation at the local level. Thus, he mandated that a City Guard of a Guardian City should be rotated every twenty to thirty years.

And without long-term interests, people find it difficult to settle down and focus on developing and building the locality.

As a result, the development of various counties and guardians within Daqian Realm has become uneven. Whether development is good or not depends mainly on the local Noble Families’ initiative. Those like the Wang Family, who are willing to invest in infrastructure development, have seen their areas develop well. In contrast, where the Noble Families do nothing, local people tend to live more difficult lives.

Thanks to the well-functioning Daqian Inner Pavilion and strict oversight by the Inspectorate, even if local Noble Families wish to monopolize wealth, they are cautious and avoid causing public outrage. For example, the Qeng’an Zuoqiu Family, as a Fourth-Grade Noble Family, immediately quelled their actions when they discovered it was causing public discontent.

Any national policy has its relative pros and cons.

Emperor Longchang’s military policy has significantly elevated Daqian’s overall combat power.

While peace times don’t show much, once a full-scale national war occurs, even excluding the Outer Domain Battlefield’s garrison, forty formal battle groups, fourteen main battle groups, and six Ace Battle Groups can be mobilized at any time.

If not considering the survival of the Outer Domain Battlefield, drawing all of Daqian’s army back would further increase overall combat power by fifty percent. In a one-on-one scenario, whether against Southern Qin or Western Jin, Daqian would be capable of defeating the opponent markedly.

Because of this.

Western Jin and Southern Qin often act jointly. Should one of them have military conflict with Daqian, the other would join the war out of fear of being next.

At this moment.

Inside a seemingly ordinary large tent within the Ace Battle Group Azure Dragon Third Corps, a group of figures gathered.