Chapter 633 - Chapter 633: Chapter 290: Training Soldiers and Grooming Horses_3

Chapter 633: Chapter 290: Training Soldiers and Grooming Horses_3

Now, these two forbidden armies have been dispersed to the localities. Under the leadership of Lan Zhaoyun and Li Liang, they respectively carry out military training and bandit suppression in the north and south of Qianzhong County.

After more than a month, some progress has been made. Thousands of local rebel bandits and Yi people have been eliminated, and these new soldiers have been well trained.

As for the remaining two experienced forbidden armies, they are assembled and retrained by Lu Yuan, preparing to serve as the main forces in the upcoming war.

With these forty thousand veterans by his side, coupled with his unparalleled martial arts, even if faced with a hundred thousand-strong army, he has the confidence to break them in one strike.

…

As Chu State was busy preparing for the new war, Lu Yuan, amidst his cultivation and busy government affairs, took the time to meet the messenger from Nanhai Country.

“I, the foreign minister, meet the King of Chu.”

The messenger from Nanhai Country is a plump middle-aged man who looks more like a businessman than a Jianghu or a government official.

And that’s actually the case.

Because the predecessor of Nanhai Country, the Nanhai Sect, originally relied on maritime trade and gradually prospered into a major Jianghu sect.

Within the Nanhai Sect, almost every elder lineage has a large number of fleet industries and commercial profits. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to nurture tens of thousands of disciples under their gates.

To the Nanhai Sect, you may have weaker martial arts to become a high-ranking official, but you absolutely cannot be bad at business.

Otherwise, you won’t have money, and without money, no one will follow you. With no one following you, your voice will naturally weaken.

It must be known that cultivating one’s martial arts also requires a lot of money.

“Please stand.”

Lu Yuan withdrew his examining gaze. After having some idea of what to expect, he asked, “What brings the Messenger here this time?”

In mid-February, Nanhai Country sent a messenger to inform the late King Yan Wangqiu of his death and announced that his 13th son, Duke of Xin Country Yan Baiquan, had succeeded him to the throne of Nanhai Country.

Upon receiving this message, Lu Yuan had already sent a messenger to Nanhai Country to express his condolences.

But just a month later, Nanhai Country sent another messenger. The intention was thought-provoking.

In response to the inquiry, the messenger from Nanhai Country respectfully said, “In reply to His Majesty, I have been sent by my king to reiterate our old friendship with the Great Chu and establish an alliance.”

Upon hearing this, a mysterious smile appeared on Lu Yuan’s face. He asked with great interest, “Oh? And how does the King of Nanhai plan to reiterate this old friendship, and what type of alliance does he wish to forge with me?”

Ten years ago, when the alliance between Yan Wangqiu, Su Xuange, and himself was first established, it was agreed that the latter two would fund Lu Yuan, while Lu Yuan would provide military protection for the two.

The three families were united in their joint defense against foreign enemies.

After the alliance was made, despite the various thoughts and grievances between the three, there was never any discount on the execution of the various terms of the alliance and they were always adhered to.

But in the tight alliance, there inevitably came a moment of breaking.

Following the separate independence of Chu State and Su State, both of which changed their titles and established their own eras, Nanhai Country fulfilled the terms of the alliance and jointly resisted Ning Country with them.

However, after the incident had ended, Nanhai Country did not change its title and era along with them, but rather continued to honor the Ning Country’s Jianwu era and regard Jinling’s court as the orthodox regime.

From that moment on, the first crack appeared in the alliance between the three countries.

For the first time, there was a violator in the treaty of the three countries.

Next came the Shenwu Year Four when internal strife broke out in Su Country, leaving the country in disarray and unable to afford the two million silver tales and one million stone grains of aid to Lu Yuan.

However, Su Xuange had already communicated with Lu Yuan about this, and Lu Yuan had agreed that Su Country could temporarily suspend its aid for a few years.

Therefore, in a strict sense, it cannot be considered a breach of contract, or at least not a complete violation.

But since then, the alliance between the three countries had essentially begun to fall apart.

And then came this year.

According to the alliance agreement, Su Country and Nanhai Country should deliver aid such as money, grain, and supplies to Chu State every First Month of the year.

But it just so happened that at this time, in the First Month of Yan Wangqiu’s death, the aid that Nanhai Country was supposed to send did not arrive in Chu State.

Considering that Yan Wangqiu had just died and that Nanhai Country was in chaos without a leader, they temporarily ignored the issue, understanding that no one would be available to handle it.

But by the time the second month arrived, a new ruler had been selected in Nanhai Country, and the new ruler had been in power for a month, with the court having initially stabilized.

However, when that Nanhai Country envoy visited Chu State and met with Lu Yuan, besides informing him of Yan Wangqiu’s death and the news of the new king ascending to the throne, there was not a single word about fulfilling the obligations of the alliance.

As if the three million silver tales and two million stone grains that were supposed to be sent did not exist, they were deliberately ignored.

It was also around that time, not long ago, that Lu Yuan received an emergency report from the Imperial City Secretarial Office.

On the 27th of February, in the Royal Palace of Nanhai City, the newly-appointed King of Nanhai, Yan Baiquan, officially accepted the envoy’s investiture from Jinling, and under the title given by the Jianwu Heavenly Son, became a part of Ning Country’s administrative system.

Nanhai Country had become a vassal state of Ning Country!

When this news came back, Lu Yuan felt like he had been betrayed.

It must be known that their alliance between the three countries had cost a lot, and it was not easy to break away from the tribute system of Jinling City and become independent sovereign states.

Even afterwards, when Yan Wangqiu continued to honor the title of the Heavenly Son of Jinling, he did not declare himself a vassal state of Ning Country, and Nanhai Country remained independent.

But now, Nanhai Country, which had just gained its independence, has returned to Ning Country’s embrace.

What does this mean for Chu State and Su State, who consider Ning Country as their enemy?

This was an outright betrayal.

It’s just that Chu State and Su State, currently embroiled in the southwestern Yi wars, have no energy to deal with the betrayal for now.

But their silence does not mean they accept or concede to it.

When the messenger of the traitorous Nanhai Country came to meet him and talked seriously about reiterating old friendships and establishing alliances, Lu Yuan could not help but feel a bit amused.

At the same time, he was also curious about what the other party wanted to say to him.

Hopefully it won’t be disappointing.