To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck

Chapter 806: Chapter 348: The North Is Without Worry Part 2

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Cough cough… Back to the main topic.

A complete force typically has organized infantry and cavalry; combined, these elements leave no weaknesses.

As it happens.

The Zhou Country to the north fits these criteria perfectly.

Zhou Country’s close proximity to the grasslands not only provides numerous ranches within the nation but also allows access to a vast number of horses from the plains, ensuring no shortage of warhorses.

In fact, Zhou Country maintains a standing cavalry force of over one hundred thousand, all well-trained elite riders. When it comes to horseback archery, they are not inferior to the nomadic herders of the plains.

Moreover, besides archery, these cavalrymen are even better at close combat charges, possessing frontal combat strength far superior to that of ordinary herders.

With such elite cavalry and a vast number of elite soldiers, how could the occasionally starving nomadic riders of the Snowy Wilderness possibly be a match?

This is also why the Snow Plains Nomads, despite fighting Zhou Country for many years, have repeatedly suffered defeats on the battlefield and never gained an upper hand.

Because in frontal infantry battles, you can’t beat the Zhou People.

Charging with cavalry won’t break the opponent’s military formation either.

Even in the skills of horseback archery, direct cavalry charges, you can’t outmatch the elite riders of Zhou Country.

Even their steeds are no match for Zhou Country’s meticulously bred fine horses, which move faster than any others.

If you lose on the battlefield, you can’t even escape as fast as they can.

All these disadvantages combined, the barbarians are fighting a losing battle.

The only advantage the nomads have gained in recent years was a few months ago when Chu State stabbed Zhou Country in the back, causing them to face enemies on both fronts and devastating their formations.

Ultimately, the nomads found an opportunity and took several cities, seizing a substantial amount of grain.

And due to this,

Having tasted victory, the Snow Plains Nomads now seek to cooperate with Chu State again, aiming to gain more benefits.

Regarding this request, Lu Yuan thought for a moment and did not refuse, saying, “The Snowy Plains and my Great Chu are bound by the ties of kinship. Now that you have made a request, I naturally will not refuse it.

“The messenger can return and inform the chiefs of the four tribes that this autumn, once your side initiates military action, Great Chu will also move accordingly, supporting you from behind Zhou Country.”

To weaken Zhou Country while extracting sustenance from them, and at the same time to weaken the barbarians—that was Lu Yuan’s original state policy.

And to achieve this state policy, the best tactic would be through the Helong region.

The nomads and Zhou Country engage in two major battles there each year.

If one wants to fish in troubled waters, to incite conflicts, there’s no better opportunity than these two battles.

“Thank you, King Xie. We of the Snow Plains will never forget this kindness from the king and will be forever allied with Chu State, never to betray.”

Hearing Lu Yuan’s promise, the nomad messenger’s face lit up with joy, and he quickly made many promises and assurances.

However, to these, Lu Yuan merely smiled.

If this were the time when Dao Law was thriving, with divine beings high above and a so-called Heavenly Path destiny permeating everything, then such promises could be fairly trustworthy.

But in this era of sacred absence, The Age of Dharma Decline,

such oaths naturally hold little credibility or binding power.

Others may or may not believe it, but Lu Yuan certainly doesn’t, as he has seen no indication of any deities or Heavenly Path enforcing the execution of vows.

Yet seeing the messenger’s excited expression, he thought for a moment and proposed another deal: “The messenger said, ‘The Snow Plains tribes lack grain, and every year many people freeze or starve to death—a tragic fate for humanity.’

“Fortunately, my Great Chu has had bountiful harvests in recent years and has accumulated a surplus of grain.

If that’s the case, where your side has people without enough to eat, and my Great Chu has abundant land but not enough people to cultivate it,

why don’t we trade, I offer grain and you offer people, to exchange population for grain, how about that?”

Lu Yuan recalled a plan he had previously considered, to exchange grain with the barbarians for people.

Rather than letting a large population die in vain from freezing or starvation, it would be better to use these surplus people, who could no longer be supported, to trade for grain with Chu.

In doing so, people who would otherwise die might find a way of life.

And Great Chu could obtain the labor needed to develop the territory.

It would be a solution beneficial for both sides.

Hearing this proposal, the envoy’s eyes lit up, “How exactly do you propose we exchange people for grain?”

Seeing the envoy’s interest, Lu Yuan smiled and said, “Let’s consider…”

He then outlined his general ideas to the envoy, and after reaching a preliminary consensus, he summoned a minister to discuss the specific details of the trade with the envoy.

As for Lu Yuan, after the envoy departed, he began to contact Huang Xuan to prepare the troops, getting ready to support the nomad’s action come autumn.

However, after the last surprise attack on Helong, the Zhou People suffered a significant setback and have since taken measures to strictly blockade the small path from Hanzhong to Longxi at Yang Pass.

The Linguan Pass, which was initially used, has not only been expanded and reinforced, but its defense has also been increased to fifty thousand troops, accompanied by an Inborn Grandmaster.

Such stringent defenses would be hard to breach, even for Huang Xuan leading Hanzhong’s one hundred thousand soldiers.

Therefore, the prospect of breaking through this route to enter Longxi again seemed impossible.

Even if it were possible, Chu State would have to pay a tremendous cost.

Although Lu Yuan didn’t mind helping the barbarians and maintaining this so-called kinship,

if such assistance came at a significant loss for himself, then the price would need careful consideration.

Therefore, the plan to launch an assault from Hanzhong into Longxi had been vetoed by Lu Yuan after the last campaign.

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