To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck

Chapter 730: Chapter 323: The Barbarian Envoy

However, even in just one month, Chu State lost two pillars, and it was still far from the end.

It seemed that during the 9th year of Shenwu, Heaven was particularly targeting Chu State.

Not long after, on the tenth day of the eighth month in the 9th year of Shenwu, news came from the southwest.

After Jihui’s death, the three feudatory states of the southwest and the two barbarian states of Nanzhao and Dali were mobilizing troops frequently, suggesting unusual movements.

War might break out again in the southwest region at any time.

At such a critical time, Qianzhong County must have a sufficient amount of forces to maintain Chu’s interests there.

So, in grief, Lu Yuan could only send Lan Cai’er as the appeasement envoy for the three countries in the western and southern regions, using the dignity of the queen and the innate position to replace the kings of those countries to stabilize the southwest for Chu State and appease the local people.

Then, on the 19th day of the same month, news of Ning Country’s massive military expansion reached Chu State.

Faced with this enemy within Yangzhou’s jurisdiction, Chu naturally became more vigilant.

Thus, shortly after making some arrangements for the country, Lu Yuan ordered Sun Siwen, Cui Changqing’s son-in-law and the current co-prime minister, to take over administration.

He let the current leader of the civil officials in Chu State integrate the domestic officialdom and calm down the turmoil caused by Cui Changqing’s death.

Considering the status and qualifications of these people, it would likely not take long for them to receive good news.

The friendship between the monarch and ministers of Chu State, especially between Lu Yuan, Sun Siwen, Zhou Qing, Cui Changqing, and others, was far beyond the imagination of outsiders.

They thought that Chu State, after experiencing continuous shocks, might need several months or half a year of stabilization.

But in reality, that time could be reduced to just one or two months to thoroughly stabilize Chu State.

As for Chu’s northern expedition.

Under the pre-established plan, the death of a left prime minister who had little to do with the national politics would only have minimal impact.

Even on the day Cui Changqing died, the mobilization of troops and supplies inside Chu State was carried out methodically.

Through more than 20 years of hard work by Lu Yuan, Sun Siwen, Cui Changqing, and others, the bureaucratic system created was incomparable to the countries that had already decayed after several hundred or even a thousand years of history.

This new-born polity was brilliant enough to catch the attention of the world.

After making these arrangements, Lu Yuan mobilized troops and led the army to the Baqiu Military Camp on the border of Chu Ning, where he patrolled the defense, trained the soldiers, and guarded Chu State.

However, when they led the army to Baqiu, Chu State secretly sent a forbidden army to Xiangyang by boat using the opportunity of an openly mobilized army.

This secret operation was hidden within the large-scale troop movements of Chu, going unnoticed by anyone, including Zhou Country.

On the contrary.

Seeing Chu State’s recent chaos and threats in the southwest and eastern borders, Zhou Country’s court completely dissipated their last bit of vigilance when they learned that the right prime minister and the king of Chu were both tied up in different locations.

As Chu suffered from a series of setbacks and faced such big problems at the moment, they would not have any surplus force left to launch an external campaign; meanwhile, Zhou Country could completely relieve its defenses.

The civilian workers who were originally prepared for mobilization in Hanzhong County were all canceled at this time.

Zhou Country was now short of grain, and it would be a huge consumption to mobilize two hundred thousand civilian workers at once, even temporarily.

Being able to save some for Zhou Country at this time was a good thing.

So, during the grain trade, the heavily vigilant Zhou Country gradually dropped its guard after hearing continuous news about Chu State.

Even in Zhou’s court, suggestions arose to take advantage of the stable situation in the south to move the Pillar State General of Hanzhong County to Longxi County to deal with increasingly fierce battles there.

However, while battles in Longxi County were important, the situation in Hanzhong County, as Zhou’s southern border, was also extremely important.

Therefore, although someone proposed such suggestions, more people quickly vetoed them, and they didn’t actually materialize.

Just as an isolated glance.

The fact that such a proposal could be made showed that Zhou Country was completely deceived by Chu’s elaborate ruse.

Under the sudden convergence of heavenly and human factors, Lu Yuan’s deception played a big part in their success.

…

Time passed slowly.

While the outside world was in chaos and the surrounding countries were watching Chu State with schadenfreude, Chu’s various armies to be employed for the expedition arrived in Xichuan and Xiangyang Counties as they gathered to sell grain to Zhou Country.

At this point, there was only one month left before the trade agreed between Zhou and Chu.

However, Chu State’s grain and supplies had not yet been fully gathered, and the supplies needed for the military campaign were not yet fully prepared.

At the same time, Zhou Country had not yet raised all the silver needed for the purchase of grain.

Although Zhou Country boasted vast lands, a population of twenty million, and an annual revenue said to be hundreds of millions of silver tales, they had to spend a lot as well.

Even during peacetime, the annual military expenditure for its million regular troops exceeded sixty million silver tales.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om