To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck

Chapter 738: Chapter 325: The Unsolvable Situation_3

Even if Chu State has grain, they cannot transport it to the Snowy Wilderness.

Therefore, the path of Chu State is cut off.

If Chu State is not an option, the only remaining choices for them to obtain food outside the Snowy Wilderness would be Western Liang and Zhou Country.

Western Liang is located in the western part of Yong State, with mostly grassland and sand. It is barely richer than the Snowy Wilderness, as its entire population amounts to only three million, making it a truly barren land.

Furthermore, like the Snow Plains Nomads, Western Liang has also fallen into food shortage due to a snow disaster.

Although their situation is slightly better, to the point that they are not on the verge of starvation, they are not far from it either.

At the same time, the people of Western Liang are fierce and courageous, even more so than the Zhou People or the Nomads.

It is already a blessing that they didn’t come to rob Zhou Country or the Snow Plains.

Only a foolish tribe would try to steal from these impoverished and strong-willed people.

So, the path of Western Liang is also cut off.

If Chu State and Western Liang are not viable, the only option left for the Nomads is Zhou Country.

However, like Chu State, Zhou Country has a population of about twenty million. Each year, they can only produce enough surplus grain to feed three million people.

Of these three million people’s food, one million mouths still need to be fed by Zhou Country’s own army, leaving only enough for about two million mouths in the end.

Not considering whether Zhou Country is willing to give food to the Barbarians, two million mouths’ worth of food definitely wouldn’t be enough for the Barbarians who face a six-million-mouth shortfall.

In the end, there would still be four million people – nearly a third of the Snowy Wilds’ Tribes’ population – who cannot escape death by starvation.

So now, the problem is that the money of the Barbarians is insufficient for them to purchase food in the long run.

Zhou Country’s surplus food is also far from meeting the needs of the Barbarians.

This is essentially a dead-end situation.

If both sides want to survive, then the only ultimate outcome is war.

Taking advantage of their current wealth, the Barbarians could wage a war to seize the food that originally belonged to the Zhou People.

At the same time, wars consume the surplus population, saving food for the remaining ones.

Over four years, the Barbarians’ six-million-strong needy population has already been reduced by 3.5 million.

However, due to the ongoing cold and the impact of the war, the remaining 2.5 million starving population has not decreased, but has instead grown.

Currently, there are still around three million starving people in the Snow Plains tribes, and the prospect of resolving this problem remains distant.

And on Zhou Country’s side…

Countless deaths have resulted from the years of war, with every household in the Hexi and Longxi counties draped in white mourning clothes.

Those who survived, every single one of them, bear a deep grudge against the Barbarians.

Many of the soldiers gathered from all over the country in the army have fallen in the battles against the Barbarians.

It can be said that the entire Zhou Country has formed an intractable blood feud with the Snow Plains Nomads.

Driven by the hatred, even if the Barbarians seek to end the war and negotiate peace, it’s impossible for Zhou Country to agree.

There have been too many deaths, too many sacrifices.

If the Barbarians cannot be destroyed, with their blood redeeming the losses, and war medal reaping the benefits, it wouldn’t pacify the hearts of the Zhou People.

One side between the Barbarians and Zhou Country must fall, their corpses becoming nourishment for the victor to heal their wounds and grow stronger.

No one wants to be the one to fall.

At this point, Chu State becomes an outsider that can influence the outcome of this battle.

If Chu State helps Zhou Country, assisted by Chu State’s food aid, the Barbarians without reinforcements will undoubtedly perish.

If Chu State helps the Barbarians, Zhou Country, having exhausted all its strength, would be unable to prevent the southern blade from piercing its chest – it cannot escape the fate of defeat in the war.

Being fully aware of this, understanding the importance of Chu State, is the reason why these foreign messengers are so overjoyed and emotional upon hearing Lu Yuan’s personal promise.

Because it represents the continuity of their race, the survival of their tribe, the life and death of themselves and their people…

How could they not be grateful?

As for Lu Yuan, he is naturally pleased with this situation.

The more grateful the Barbarians are to him, the more dependent they are on him, the easier it will be for him to manipulate them in the future.

He has only promised to join forces with the Barbarians to launch a northern expedition against Zhou Country. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

However, he has not promised whether the target of the attack would be a single Hanzhong county or the whole of Zhou Country.

Chu State only intends to take down Hanzhong county, intending to strengthen the defenses in the northwest direction.

Before unifying Yangzhou, Lu Yuan has no intention of expanding into other territories and does not plan to go head-to-head against Zhou Country.

Therefore, after occupying Hanzhong county, his most probable choice would be to continue supporting the Barbarians, letting these people driven by hunger constantly harass the Zhou People, causing them to bleed indefinitely.

Let them consume each other for eight, nine, or ten years, until both sides have bled dry and exhausted their strength.

By that time, Chu State would have already conquered Ning Country and unified Yangzhou.

Then they can divide their army into two routes.

One route going north from Hanzhong, connecting with the Snow Plains Barbarians, coming out of Longxi, pacifying Hexi, and occupying two provinces in the western part of Zhou Country.

The other route could follow the Han River, emerging from Xiangyang, conquering Xiangyang and Nanyang counties in Zhou Country.

In this way, with both armies marching simultaneously, how could the already weakened Zhou Country, due to years of warfare, withstand the northern expedition of a million Elite Army?

If Chu State can take over Zhou Country’s Longxi and Hanyang provinces, relying on these strategically advantageous locations, they can continue moving north, wiping out Zhou Country, and dominating Yong State.

If they command an army to move east, they can combine forces with the Water Army on the Jiangnan, attacking Liang Country in the southwest and launching an expedition into Qingzhou.

Regardless of their objective, Chu State will have an absolute advantage in the future power struggle for Nine Provinces.

Zhuge Liang’s Longzhong Plan from the past life is not more than that.

Moreover, unlike Liu Bei who had only a single city of Xinye, Lu Yuan now has a lot more capital.

Five provinces, three nations, a million elite soldiers, six Inborn individuals, the foundation of a hegemon.

With such strength, what the Shu Han failed to achieve in the Longzhong Plan can be easily realized by Chu State.

“What I need to do now is to seize Hanzhong county first, then conquer Ning Country thoroughly and unify Yangzhou along the river, resolving this concern behind me.

Only then can I move northward with peace of mind and compete with the powerhouses of Nine Provinces.”

Lu Yuan thought to himself as he continued discussing further cooperation details with the messenger.

For instance, when would the Barbarians send the benefits and conditions they had promised?

Chu State is about to dispatch its troops. Would the Barbarians be willing to send some troops to help distract Zhou Country’s attention?

All of these issues are related to core interests and are worth debating.

Even as allies, neither side is willing to concede.

For a moment, the ministers, who had been called into the main hall after forming an alliance, began to argue with the Barbarian messengers.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan quietly slipped away, leaving the spittle-spraying scene.