Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 170 Xiaohan (Part 2)

Since Fuxi created the heavens with a single stroke and took control of the celestial realm, powerful figures such as Lieshan, Dihong, Jintian, Gaoyang, Gaoxin, Taotang, Youyu, and Xiahou successively ruled the human world. They were all the strongest beings in the nine provinces of the human realm at that time.

Seeing the virtuous, Lü Shang also aspired to emulate these Heavenly Emperors and Holy Kings, to establish great achievements in the vast wilderness and seize the Mandate of Heaven. By disrupting the destiny of an era, he aimed to attain the Dao Fruits of the Five Heavenly Emperors and Four Holy Kings, and reach the pinnacle of the Taiyi Divine Path.

Just as Wu Wenhe said, he used the state of Xu as a base to subdue the direct line of the Gonggong clan, take their place, and become the leader of the various states under the Gonggong clan of the Jiang surname. Then, with the army of the Gonggong clan, he conquered the various states, attacked the Xia dynasty, unified the nine provinces, ruled the world, and passed on the Gonggong clan's rule.

Wu Wenhe's words at the time did indeed ignite Lü Shang's ambition. This was ultimately a shortcut to enlightenment, a path that had been followed by all, from Fuxi to Emperor Yu of the Xia Dynasty, to achieve supreme supernatural powers through ruling the world. The path ahead was clear, and this was the glorious Great Way.

Lü Shang not only had the desire to seek the Dao, but also the ambition to compete with the heroes of the world.

“Elder brother, my country of Xu currently has only eight thousand households, yet I intend to use these eight thousand households to support thirteen battalions of soldiers. I know that many noble families in Xu say that I am pursuing a policy of excessive military expansion, and if this continues, the national strength of Xu will inevitably be unable to sustain it.”

As he spoke, Lü Shang raised his gaze from the map and looked at the eldest son of a concubine, Chong, who was sitting upright to the side. A flame seemed to flicker in his eyes.

"However, how could they know that I was genuinely frightened by the chaotic orders of the Xiahou Emperor? Back then, when the North Sea was in chaos, the Xiahou Emperor mobilized the troops of the Gonggong clan. When it came to my Xu state, they wanted to draw six brigades of armor, which was the entire military equipment of my Xu state at that time."

“If we lose these weapons in the North Sea, our Xu Kingdom will not be able to recover for at least twenty years.”

Gongzi Chong nodded slightly, his expression solemn, and said, "Fortunately, the Xiahou Emperor suddenly changed his appearance and used the great supernatural power of shifting stars and changing constellations to pluck stars and drop them into the North Sea. Otherwise, if it really came to the end, it would be uncertain whether the armor of these six armies could have been preserved."

In this vast wilderness of mountains and seas, sparsely populated, the strength of a nation was not determined by the size of its territory, but by the number of its people. These people were different from the weak savages; they carried the divine blood of their ancestors and were the true foundation of their nation.

Only Chinese people can become armored soldiers.

Don't assume that the original six brigades of armored soldiers in Xu were unimportant just because Lü Shang expanded them to thirteen brigades in less than four years after his ascension to the throne. Without the foundation laid by these original six brigades, even if Lü Shang wanted to strengthen the army, he would have found it difficult to achieve anything significant in the short term.

"Yes, the Sixth Brigade was lucky, but will we be so fortunate in the future?"

Lu Shang placed his hands on either side of the map and said, "With a single edict from the Xia emperor, the lifeblood of my Xu state can be severed. Today it is the North Sea, tomorrow it may be the Nine Yi. If we do not become strong, one day we will become the Xia emperor's discarded pawns."

Gongzi Chong said softly, "That may be true, but the daily consumption of food, fodder, and the repair of weapons and armor by the thirteen armored brigades is already a huge burden for the Xu Kingdom. If we cannot strengthen our national power as soon as possible, I'm afraid our Xu Kingdom will become unstable."

"Your Majesty, we have raised an army for a thousand days, and now we must use it for one. Whether we expand eastward or westward, please decide. Your subject is willing to don armor and wield weapons to expand the territory of my Lü clan's state."

"Expand eastward and westward,"

Lü Shang tapped the map with his knuckles and said, "In the east there are states of the Ji surname, such as Nan Yan, E, Qi, and Yin, and in the west there are states of the Ying surname, such as Dong Liang, Xia, and Xi."

"Brother, among the states in Henan, the Ji clan is the most powerful. Do you think we should first strengthen them and then expand eastward, or first weaken them and then strengthen them, avoiding the sharp edge of the Ji clan lords and expanding westward?"

After a moment of contemplation, Prince Chong slowly said, "Your Majesty, going east will inevitably lead to enmity with the Ji clan, while going west will lead to enmity with the Ying clan. If I had to choose, I would rather offend the Ji clan."

Lu Shang looked at Gongzi Chong with surprise and asked, "Why?" Gongzi Chong replied directly, "The Ji clan is powerful. If we become enemies with them, we can unite with other Jiang clan states, and even the Ying clan lords in the west, to jointly resist the Ji clan states."

"Your Majesty, for a nation to become strong, conflicts are inevitable. Just as an eagle soaring in the wild startles all birds, and a dragon leaping in the sea disturbs even the smallest creatures."

“It is not because of arrogance due to military strength, but because the rise and fall of nations are intertwined, and the strong and weak compete with each other. If my Xu Kingdom becomes powerful, other nations will decline accordingly. If my Xu Kingdom wants to become powerful, it will harm the interests of the Ji clan nations.”

"This is unavoidable unless my country maintains the status quo."

Lü Shang said coldly, "To live in a corner of the world is not the way of a great man. How can a great man be content with the status quo and waste his youth?"

"Let's expand eastward. Since we'll inevitably become enemies with the Ji clan lords sooner or later, let's bring that time forward."

As he spoke, Lü Shang's finger traced across the map, landing on the territory of the Ji clan state. His gaze then fell upon a small state between the Southern Yan and the E state, where there was a vast marshland spanning a hundred li, named Tongqiu.

He tapped the table and said, "Let's take Tongqiu first."

"Tongqiu?"

Gongzi Chong's gaze followed Lü Shang's finger and landed on the map.

Lu Shang tapped his finger heavily on the map of Tongqiu, causing the bronze candlestick on the table to sway slightly. The candlelight sharpened the shadow on his brow bone, making it appear as sharp as a knife. He said, "Although Tongqiu is small, it guards a vital passage between Southern Yan and E State."

"There are 1,700 households of people in the country. The land is rich in reeds and rushes, which can be used to make armor. The marshes produce fish and salt, which can provide for food and fodder."

"and,"

He suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a hawk, and said, "Last year, Lord Tongqiu murdered his brother and seized the throne. His position is illegitimate, so we can use the pretext of 'denouncing the wicked' to raise an army."

Gongzi Chong stood up, placed his hand on his sword, bowed deeply, and said, "Since Your Majesty has made up your mind, I request to lead three armies to attack and capture Tongqiu."

In ancient times, each state had a system in place where a thousand households supported one brigade of armored soldiers. The state of Xu, with only eight thousand households, supported thirteen brigade-level soldiers, almost one brigade per household, but this was an exception.

Tongqiu, as a vassal state of the Ji clan, was a weak and sparsely populated state with 1,700 households, which could amount to at most two brigades, or even just one.
Prince Chong led three armies to conquer Tongqiu, also preparing for the possibility of intervention from Southern Yan and the State of E.

As long as the Southern Yan and the State of E dare to send troops, Prince Chong will lead these three brigades of armored soldiers to give these two regional governors a surprise.

Speaking of which, Gongzi Chong also aspires to strengthen his nation. He has been stuck at the pinnacle of the True Person realm for nearly twenty years, unable to attain the status of a Supreme Being. This is not because his talent is flawed and does not support him reaching the Supreme Being level, but because the Xu Kingdom already has Wu Wenhe, a Supreme Being.

The power of the Xu Kingdom during Xu Bochu's era was insufficient to support two supreme beings. Even though Prince Chong was Xu Bochu's eldest son by a concubine, he could only remain at the realm of a true person.

(End of this chapter)