Chapter 648 - Chapter 648: Chapter 295: Da Changhe Descends_3

Chapter 648: Chapter 295: Da Changhe Descends_3

Subsequently, Lu Yuan left ten thousand Forbidden Army and four thousand county soldiers to maintain order in this place, quelling the remaining unrest and watching over the more than forty thousand Yi prisoner soldiers captured during these days.

He and Huang Xuan then led the remaining fifty thousand Forbidden Army directly down to march towards Da Changhe Country.

On the fifteenth of April, Lu Yuan led the army to capture the Ke Department Country directly under the jurisdiction of Da Changhe Country, entering the core area of the country.

On the seventeenth of April, he led the army to break-through Nuodan City, seizing this major city in the northernmost region of Kunhai.

On the nineteenth of April, he led the army to approach Lu Dan City, where the Da Changhe Army and the Kunhai Army were battling each other. Successfully uniting with the Kunhai Army led by Li Xiong, they surrounded the Da Changhe Army from the south and the north.

On the twentieth of April, the Chu and Kunhai United Army launched an attack on the Da Changhe Army.

During this, Lu Yuan and Huang Xuan personally went to the front lines, and Li Xiong also donned armor to charge. The Grand General of the Da Changhe Army, Li River, came forward to block them, but was seriously injured by Lu Yuan using the Talisman Sword Technique. Eventually, he found an opportunity to escape under the pretext of deliberately giving way.

By this point, with the top echelon Da Changhe Army escaping, Lu Yuan Liumen saw no one to hold them back and ruthlessly annihilated the enemy ranks, leading the charge against the Da Changhe army formations.

After three days of bloody battle, the Da Changhe army eventually could not hold up any longer. After leaving behind over forty thousand corpses, they scattered and fled.

The United Army then consolidated the soldiers and pursued the prisoners, leading an army of one hundred twenty thousand to enter the capital Yangcheng of Da Changhe country.

For a time, Da Changhe Country was shaken, as were Kunhai and the southwestern countries.

The Da Changhe Country, with a lineage of over five hundred years, was already falling apart under the pressure of powerful enemies.

…

The vast lake is covered in ripples under the breeze.

To the shores are expanses of farmland, which are all sprouting verdant seedlings at this moment.

But in this season of farming, this fertile field is not attended by any farmers. On the deserted fields, not even half a Yi person can be spotted.

In their place are barracks built on the fields, and between each barracks, there are soldiers patrolling and drilling.

The dull sound of the drum resonates in the camp, accompanied by the shouts of soldiers, as if making heaven and earth tremble.

Outside this bustling camp, by the Kunhai Lake, there stood a deserted small pier close by.

Lu Yuan leaned into a small pavilion in the center of the lake, looking at the thousands of miles of lake sparkling under the sunshine, and praised, “It is indeed one of the three largest lakes in the southwest. This thousands-mile-wide lake is as boundless as Dongting Lake. In the eyes of the Yi people who have never seen mountains and wide oceans, it is indeed boundless, no wonder they named it Kunhai (Boundless Sea).

If water conservancy projects were built here, bringing the water of Kunhai to both shores, hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land would be readily available.

This is truly a fertile land for rulers.”

Listening to Lu Yuan’s praises, Li Xiong who was standing by him couldn’t help but feel his heart drumming.

It was the first time for Lu Yuan to come here and see Kunhai, and he was full of praises right away.

But Li Xiong had already unified the south and east of Kunhai, and even more than half of the northern region, and had been ruling for over a year.

With this experience, he knew very well just how rich the Kunhai region was.

Just the half of Kunhai under his control had ten thousand acres of fertile land cultivated by the native Yi people, enough to support six or seven hundred thousand people.

And this wasn’t the limit.

Just as Lu Yuan said, if channels were to be built on the shores, the area of cultivated farmland could be increased by half, and even more people could be supported.

Just this one area could support a population of a million.

And this was only the area near Kunhai. Within Kunhai, there were large areas that weren’t on the shores of Kunhai.

Though these areas had many mountains, tens of thousands of acres of farmland could still be developed, enough to support two or three hundred thousand people.

The potential of just two and a half prefectures was extremely great.

It was hard to imagine what the scene would be like if the whole Kunhai region was occupied and fully developed.

Wouldn’t it be easy to support two or three million people?’

With such thoughts in mind, Li Xiong couldn’t help but become more nervous.

He saw such a rich land and couldn’t help but covet it, viewing it as the foundation for his domination of the southwest.

As for the ruler of the Chu kingdom in front of him, it was impossible for him not to be tempted by such a rich territory.

If the other party were to nurse any ambitions, in the face of the colossal Chu State, wouldn’t he have to hand over the territory he had fought so hard to gain?

No one would willingly give up what they have painstakingly accumulated for themselves.

Li Xiong was no exception.

Yet he lacks the strength to resist or fight back. No matter what decision he is forced to make in the present situation, Li Xiong’s fate is one of acceptance.

Under these circumstances, how could he not be anxious?

“Relax.”

Lu Yuan, being highly cultivated, when focused becomes extraordinarily sharp and perceptive. He detected the slightest change in Li Xiong’s thoughts from his facial expressions and body movements.

With just a quick thought, he knew what Li Xiong was worried about.

So he couldn’t help but laugh, “I’ve said this before, the Kunhai area that you’ve conquered, will belong to the Kingdom of Kunhai. As long as the Kingdom of Kunhai remains loyal to Chu, and its annual tribute of money, food, and supplies are not lacking, I will not interfere.

Great Chu is already stretched to its limits after taking over Qianzhong County. For decades to come, it will not have the capacity to expand further.

Besides, if we were to expand further, it would neither be to the southwest; west or south. Those areas are just as worthwhile as Kunhai, and easier to assimilate.

In this wilderness, I plan on only establishing tribute relationships and collecting vassal states, not further development.”

Lu Yuan gazed at Li Xiong as he delivered these meaningful words.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiong’s heart lightened and a look of delight appeared on his face. He was about to speak up, express gratitude, and offer an explanation.

But before Li Xiong could get a word out, a squad of more than ten people bypassed the layers of personal guards and made their way towards the center of the lake.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan waved his hand to stop Li Xiong, and laughed, “Li Qing, look, the representatives of Da Changhe Country are here. They are your future colleagues.

Da Changhe and Kunhai will coexist in the land of Kunhai, serving as dependencies of Chu.

When dealing with the kingdoms of Dali and Nanzhao, you must work in concert with each other, shielding Great Chu from foreign enemies, and stabilizing the Southwest.”

Li Xiong watched as the envoys from the Great Changhe Country approached, his eyes reflecting a complexity of emotions. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

But ultimately he let out a sigh, nodded reluctantly, and said, “Your subject will obey.”

When his words fell,

Li Xiong knew that his ambitions of ruling over the entirety of Kunhai, and dominating this fertile land, had been utterly dashed.

The King of Chu before his eyes would never allow any single country to unilaterally occupy the land of Kunhai.

It is an emperor’s equilibrium to divide this place in two, and to have it governed by two puppet states under his control.

And Kunhai, lacking the strength to resist, must accept this reality even if it is filled with internal resentment and reluctance.

Realizing this, Kunhai Duke’s slight ambition, built up after consecutive battles over recent years, was immediately extinguished.

On the first day of the fifth month of the sixth year of Shenwu.

King Lu Yuan led an army of one hundred thousand to besiege Yangcheng, the capital of Da Changhe Country.

At this time, Yangcheng had no more than thirty thousand soldiers, most of which were old and weak. The Grand General, Li River, was seriously injured and bedridden, greatly reducing their strength.

Fear was rampant in the city; officials, royalty, civilians, and soldiers alike were panicked, with no will to fight.

Hence, the next day, the city’s surrender party reached a consensus, sent out a messenger to negotiate terms of surrender.

On the fifth day of the fifth month, after several days of negotiations, Da Changhe Country officially surrendered to Chu State.

Subsequently, in accordance with the agreement, Da Changhe Country dropped its grand name and was renamed as the Chilih Country, with the ruler titled Chilih Duke.

Chilih Country ceded the entire northern half of Kunhai, which it controlled, to Kunhai Country. It only retained the western region of Kunhai and eleven countries to the west, roughly six prefectures.

Meanwhile, Kunhai Country controlled the south, east, and north of Kunhai, a total of four prefectures.

Chilih Country officially became a subordinate of Chu State, and the conflict between the two nations ceased.

With this, in the lands of the southwest, Chu State occupied one county and ten prefectures in Qianzhong, with Kunhai and Chilih as its tributaries, which amounted to the opening up of one county and two nations.

The campaign of Great Chu against the southwestern barbarians, which lasted one year and ten months, was officially concluded.