To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck

Chapter 857: Chapter 365: Triple Attack on Ning_2

“However, this is still not enough.”

After organizing his thoughts about Nanhai Country, Lu Yuan then unfolded a map, which displayed the entire landscape of Yangzhou with its mountains and rivers, cities, and settlements, all spread out before him.

In some respects, Nanhai Country could actually be considered a hub.

Located in South Sea Prefecture, it borders Dongting to the north, Yulin to the west, Jianan to the east, Yuzhang to the northeast, and the boundless Southsea to the south. This location can truly be described as a crossroads connecting five regions.

If one holds this prefecture, whether marching north, east, west, or south, one can strike out in all directions. There are convenient sea routes to the east, west, and south, allowing for easy transportation of troops and supplies by ship.

Historically, any Jiangnan army aiming to strategize over Lingnan would always first target Southsea.

Likewise, any Lingnan country looking to expand northward must first seize Southsea.

In previous years, when Jinghai Country plotted rebellion, their forces marched north and then east, reaching the gates of Nanhai City, which illustrates this point.

Now as Lu Yuan wages war on Lingnan, his initial attack on Southsea and the fact that Ning Country sent a large army to its aid, follow the same logic.

The importance of Southsea is self-evident.

By now, Lu Yuan had conquered Nanhai Country and claimed the territory of South Sea Prefecture, naturally including the expansions to the north and east.

“To the northeast of Nanhai Country is the Meiling Road.

Back when I was still a hunter in the mountains, selling furs in Southsea, I traveled this road. It leads directly to Fu City in Luling, being the first major route from Lingnan into Yuzhang, through which a large army can pass.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on 𝕟𝑜𝘃𝕘𝑜.co

To the east of Nanhai Country is Yanshi Road, which leads into Jian’an County. Alternatively, by taking the sea route, one can reach the coastal areas of Jian’an.

Advancing through these three points, Lingnan troops can enter Yuzhang and Jian’an, disrupting the very heart of Ning Country, undermining its foundations, and countering its fortress retreat strategy.”

Lu Yuan stared at the map, his mind constantly pondering.

With the onset of spring, the plan to recruit fifty thousand troops, initiated by Shen Qiu, was fervently underway in the core regions of Ning Country.

However, being short on time and even though recruitment had started everywhere, only around ten thousand recruits had been enlisted within a month.

But, if delayed for another two or three months, with the resources of Ning Country, it wouldn’t take long to muster all fifty thousand.

By then, once the recruitment was complete, and a few more months spent on training, with the civilian workers having finished building fortresses along the borders, Chu State’s ambitions to invade the heartland of Ning would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Even if they managed to break through, countless bloody battles later, the lands of Ning would be devastated and soaked in blood.

Such scenes are not what Lu Yuan wished to see.

Hence, his command to Qingyunzi and others to swiftly eliminate Southsea was based on the intent to strike at Ning’s territory and disrupt its formation before their preparations were complete.

Now that Nanhai Country had fallen, and the last Lingnan country, Song Country, also stood watched over by Han Hu in Yulin County with a hundred thousand troops, unable to cause any significant trouble.

And in the region of Dongting, Huang Xuan had led troops to Changsha and would soon achieve results, not requiring Lingnan’s forces.

Thus, these idle troops could naturally be allocated to another use.

“Earlier, I forced the army to take cities, causing heavy losses to the various military divisions of Lingnan.

According to Qingyunzi’s reports, out of the two hundred and seventy thousand soldiers that participated in the siege, over forty thousand died in ten days of fierce fighting, with another thirty thousand seriously wounded, resulting in the direct loss of seventy thousand troops.

The remaining two hundred thousand also had many light injuries, and their morale was somewhat affected, necessitating time for rest and readjustment.

In this condition, it is impossible to fully mobilize this body of troops.

However, there are still twenty thousand troops left in the various locations of Southsea to suppress local unrest. Their condition and morale are still quite good and they can be used…”

Lu Yuan tapped on his resources and gradually made his decision.

“Appoint Queen Lan Cai’er as the Military Governor of Southsea and the Civil Governor of Lingnan, commanding eighty thousand troops to garrison Lingnan, pacify the three counties of Lingnan, and monitor Song Country.

Appoint the Protector true person Qingyunzi as the Crusader of Jianan, with Li River as the deputy, commanding one hundred thousand troops, and call for troops from the land and sea towards the territories of Ning’s Jianan.

Appoint Li Xiong, the Duke of Kunhai, as the Southern Yuzhang Crusader, with Protector General Han Liang as the deputy, leading forty thousand troops through Meiling Road to subjugate the areas around Luling Prefecture.

Coordinate with the forces of Chu Wei in the two prefectures of Dongting, Luyang, and Hengyang, and the Lingnu Division to annihilate the invading Ning armies in Dongting.

The moment the order is given, set out immediately.”

Musing over the arrangements, Lu Yuan immediately used his mental connection to communicate with Qingyunzi, directing him to deploy the armies.

When he had originally ordered the armies to move south, Lu Yuan had decreed Qingyunzi to be the commander-in-chief of all Lingnan forces, even placing him above Queen Lan Cai’er in the army hierarchy.

Later, when dispatching Lan Cai’er’s division to reinforce Southsea, and through the sending of messengers to convey the imperial decree, this arrangement was reaffirmed, and Qingyunzi was given discretionary powers almost equal to that of the monarch himself.

By doing this, the intent was to control the armies from a remote location conveniently via this avatar, so that they would act according to his wishes.

Therefore, with Lu Yuan overseeing the entire situation, he alone could observe the military engagements in Jiangxia, Changsha, and Lingnan, effortlessly command millions of soldiers without any delay or oversight, as if moving pieces on a game board before his eyes.

At this moment, with just one command, and through Qingyunzi’s authority, he could mobilize the Lingnan armies at the fastest speed and at the best timing.

Just like now.

Nanhai City had just fallen; even Shangguan Ming’s remnants and the remnants of Nanhai Country had likely just escaped the city and hadn’t left the nearby sea areas.

But in Jiangxia City, thousands of miles away, Lu Yuan was already informed of all the details.

And the Ning Army, there, might still be kept in the dark.

The detached armies of Ning Country, sent to attack Chu’s two prefectures of Luyang and Hengyang, would have likely just arrived under the prefecture cities, still constructing their camps, with no preparations for siege in order.