The Three Kingdoms began with island farming

Chapter 712 Expanding the War
From the perspective of the Seven Kings alone, the longer they develop, the better.

Store up grain, build high walls, and delay declaring yourself king.

Once we have sufficient logistical support, we can then fight battles we are confident of winning.

Unfortunately, Daqi didn't give them any time to delay and was pressing them hard.

Most importantly, they were unable to control the dynamic changes in Parthia and Rome.

The current situation is indeed under the control of the Great Qi and the Seven Kings, creating a huge information advantage between Rome and Parthia.

However, the longer it drags on, the smaller this advantage becomes, and the greater the likelihood that they will be exposed.

Moreover, the more variables there are, the more uncertainties there will be.

The most ingenious plans are often rough, swift, and direct.

The layout, like a hidden thread, seems ingenious, but anyone with a basic understanding of strategy and planning can avoid it as much as possible.

Because there are too many uncontrollable variables.

Just like the Luoyang Incident that brought down the Han Dynasty, the Yuan family's plan was undeniably ingenious, almost to the extreme.

With the empress's relatives and eunuchs perishing together, and the surrounding troops checking and balancing each other, this situation could almost be considered a sure win.

But then Dong Zhuo became a variable.

The emergence of Dong Zhuo was both accidental and inevitable.

The more complex the design and the more steps involved, the greater the possibility of errors.

Human nature and luck are beyond our control.

A rain shower, a gust of wind, or even just an insignificant person can rewrite the outcome.

The Great Qi and the Seven Kings are now racing against time and cannot afford to stagnate for too long.

"The Persians within the Khorasan province are a major threat. If we completely eliminate them, Parthia will surely turn against us. But if we don't eliminate them, they will become a troublesome thorn in our side."

Similarly, the western part of Khorasan province does not border the Mesopotamian plain directly, but rather Persepolis.

"According to Sima Yi's previous statement, a new force has emerged here, called Sassanid Persia."

Zhou Yu frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Although this country is only in its early stages and is semi-independent of Parthia, it may seem insignificant. In reality, however, it poses a considerable threat and may even be more difficult to deal with than Parthia in the future."

"If I rest in peace, I will secretly incite this country to cause friction with us."

"Similarly, further west, the Roman army on the Mesopotamian plain was an even greater enemy."

"Parthia allowed Liu Fan to garrison in the province of Khorasan under the pretext of jointly fighting against Rome. He will absolutely not show any mercy and will definitely force Liu Fan into a major war with Rome."

"Once any problems or excuses are found in Liu Fan, these three forces will inevitably use this as a pretext to attack him, and then things will be terrible."

"Therefore, this matter should be handled quickly rather than slowly. At most one year should be allocated to prepare for the northern expedition to pacify Parthia from the Khorasan province."

"Before that, we need to do a few things."

"First, ensure that the population can be transported to Khorasan Province discreetly, and that they can develop locally, cultivate enough fertile land, store up grain and fodder, and transport and store large quantities of war supplies."

"Secondly, we should secretly eliminate or control the Persians in the Khorasan province as much as possible, and when the time is right, we should take them down in one fell swoop to eliminate the hidden dangers in the rear."

"Thirdly, maintain good relations with Sassanid Persia. They are bound to want independence and break away from the control of the Parthian Empire. We can feign compliance for now and deal with this country after we have dealt with Parthia."

"Fourth, we created the illusion of internal strife within the Kushan Empire to deceive Parthia's investigation and avoid being discovered as a threat by Parthia."

"And the most important point."

He slammed the wooden stick he was holding heavily onto the location in Mesopotamia.

"We must expand the war with Rome as much as possible!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei frowned slightly.

"We are currently in a state of dormancy, why should we escalate the war with Rome? Wouldn't that expose our strength?" "Moreover, it would only give Parthia an advantage for nothing."

Zhou Yu smiled faintly.

"Lord Xuande is too attached to appearances."

"A mixture of truth and deception. Simply hiding one's abilities is not the best disguise; on the contrary, it risks being exposed."

“Since we were able to easily destroy the Kushan Empire, our strength is naturally not to be underestimated. If we conceal it too much, Parthia will become wary. It would be better to expose part of our strength and thus deceive everyone.”

"Furthermore, if handled properly, the ultimate beneficiary of this battle will not be Parthia, but us."

It gently drew a circle in Mesopotamia.

This fertile land is now a place where great events converge, and it is also the best stepping stone for Zhou Yu to destroy Parthia and Rome.

"The one who most wants to seize this place is Parthia. The one who most wants to hold onto this place is Rome."

“We are not interested in this place.”

"As long as enough troops are deployed, we can pull the two sides currently locked in a stalemate off the battlefield and launch another massive battle no less than a few years ago."

"And in battles of this magnitude, there are no winners!"

Strategic decisive battles, to put it bluntly, mean gambling with the nation's resources and destiny.

The result is mostly a lose-lose situation.

If there are only two sides, even if both sides are severely injured, the side that loses less is still the winner.

But I'm afraid there might be a predator lurking nearby.

Just like the Battle of Changping during the Warring States period, the Qin state won.

But did the Qin state profit?

The country's reserves of grain accumulated over many years were exhausted, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers died on the battlefield.

In reality, the Qin state suffered heavy losses.

However, from a strategic perspective, the Qin state actually profited.

He eliminated the threat posed by the great enemy, the State of Zhao, clearing the way for his eastward expansion, the destruction of Zhao, and the unification of the world.

Zhou Yu wanted to recreate the Battle of Changping between Rome and Parthia.

Regardless of the outcome, as long as both sides can afford to lose enough soldiers and supplies, that's all that matters.

There are seven kings lurking in the shadows, and ultimately there will be no winner between them.

"Rome was once a powerful nation, but now it showed signs of being outwardly strong but inwardly weak, and there were frequent hidden dangers in its rear."

"Once it is drawn into this war, it will no longer be able to pay attention to the threats behind it, and will only be bled dry."

"Such a costly war will cost Rome far more than our war with Parthia. If it continues, it will not only weaken Rome outright, but will at least significantly reduce its national strength and trigger internal strife."

Upon hearing Zhou Yu's words, everyone nodded in agreement.

Compare this to their previous campaign against the Kushan Empire. It may seem easy, but the logistics nearly killed them. It was practically a national effort.

Even with the "Mediterranean advantage," Rome still suffered heavy losses in its campaigns in Mesopotamia.

"And as for peace, needless to say."

"Gamblers who have lost want nothing more than to turn their fortunes around."

"As long as you give them hope of turning things around and keep enticing them to bet more, they will eventually go all out."

(End of this chapter)