Ten years of dormancy: Starting as a martial arts master at the pinnacle

Li Changqing had already weighed the options of whether or not to leave any grain or fodder.

In the end, he decided to stay.

Once the 600,000-strong army is cut off from its retreat, it will definitely fight to the death for Beimo City.

If logistics can't keep up, they'll go hungry very soon.

What will the steppe people and the Jin people do then?

They have no food supplies, but there must be some in Beimo City.

As the logistical core supporting the northern border of the Great Zhou, Beimo City has at least 300,000 troops and enough food and supplies to last for half a year.

If they take Beimo City, they will have a glimmer of hope; if they fail, they will face utter ruin.

This is equivalent to both sides engaging in a full-scale war of attrition.

Although their combat strength at the Grandmaster level has now surpassed that of their opponents, in terms of the number of soldiers, their Great Zhou's soldiers are still less than half of their opponents'.

After the previous battles, the army in Beimo City now numbers less than 200,000. In addition to the losses, there are two detachments that are supporting the army in Beimo City.

The Jin Dynasty and its 600,000-strong army on the grasslands have not suffered many losses.

That evening, General Xiao requested an audience with the Prince of Qinghe.

Li Changqing met him in his tent, and the two quickly discussed and agreed on their next strategy.

They continue to prioritize defense.

Although at this time, taking advantage of the enemy's chaotic morale, they have a certain probability of completely annihilating the Jin and grassland armies.

This severely damaged their vitality.

But in such a major battle, their losses will also be significant.

The Jin Dynasty and the tribes on the grasslands have always been closely connected.

They all belong to the bloodline of the Golden Family.

Further north, the Great Jin Kingdom was left with only Ice City. Ice City could only defend itself and posed no threat to their dynasty.

In other words, the Great Jin Dynasty had no enemies to the north, a vast ocean to the east, and the desolate Ula Mountains to the west.

Only the south bordered the Great Zhou.

To put it bluntly, the only thing they need to be wary of is the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The Great Zhou Dynasty was different.

To the north of the Great Zhou lies the grasslands and the Great Jin Dynasty, while to the east, though it is also an ocean, it is dotted with numerous islands.

On those islands, there lived a powerful Star Dynasty.

The Star Dynasty's strength surpasses that of the Great Jin Dynasty.

To the south of the Great Zhou Dynasty lay fifteen kingdoms. The larger kingdoms had populations exceeding ten million. Even the smaller ones had several million households.

None of them can compare to the Great Zhou, but together they are enough to contend with three Great Zhous.

Among the fifteen kingdoms in the south, there are five supreme-level experts.

They, too, were eyeing the Great Zhou with covetous intent.

To put it bluntly, if the Great Zhou were to fall into the war in the north, it would have to bear the pressure from the Starry Sky Dynasty and the fifteen kingdoms in the south.

Even the West was not peaceful. Fortunately, the five tribes were fighting like a hot kiln, and no one dared to do anything to the Great Zhou.

The Great Zhou Dynasty has stood firm for so many years. One reason is that they are the strongest in terms of national strength, military, politics, and martial arts.

Of the fifteen kingdoms in the south, only five have produced a supreme ruler.

The Great Zhou Dynasty itself had three, and there was also a Great Zhou Emperor who was comparable to the Supreme Peak.

None of the surrounding forces could match the Great Zhou in a one-on-one fight.

Let's unite and fight to the death against whoever starts it.

If you won't let me live well, then nobody else should either.

It was in this environment that they stumbled and struggled for hundreds of years, and remained the strongest dynasty on the continent.

Similarly, if the Great Zhou takes drastic measures against a certain power in the surrounding area, it will also arouse the covetousness of the surrounding powers.

The most resource-rich central dynasty had always been their sacred land.

Not to mention the Great Zhou Armory.

If given the opportunity to obtain it, which faction would be willing to give it up?

Li Changqing has no intention of changing the surrounding situation for the time being. He has not yet taken control of the entire Great Zhou, so why would he want to cause trouble for himself?

Once he has complete control of the Great Zhou, he will visit all the sacred sites of the major sects within the Great Zhou territory.

Li Changqing would then focus his energy on those places that were comparable to the Great Zhou Armory.

For example, the ice city in the far north, the two great holy temples in the south, and the sacred blood passed down by the five major tribes in the west.

And the Holy Grail, a divine artifact passed down from the Star Dynasty.

You can't get fat overnight; you have to take things one step at a time and not be too hasty.

For Li Changqing at present, maintaining the status quo is the best option, rather than pushing the Great Jin Kingdom to the brink of collapse.

General Xiao and the commander of the Northern Army both agreed with Li Changqing's opinion.

A great achievement comes with a great risk. If we were to risk the 30-strong army of Beimo City for the sake of merit, it would be a losing proposition.

Li Changqing did not leave with the heroes of the martial arts world; he was waiting for the actions of the grassland tribes and the Jin Dynasty.

The next day, Li Changqing received information that left him speechless.

"The Great Jin Kingdom and the grassland tribes have gathered an army of 50, which is now stationed three miles outside Beimo City."

"They're preparing to attack the city!"

At this time, the Jin Dynasty did not choose to preserve its military strength, but instead chose to fight a desperate battle.

"Didn't they leave ten days' worth of provisions? Why are they fighting a desperate battle?"

"Your Highness, the remaining provisions have also been burned. It's said they only have three days' worth of rations left; they can't return!"

Upon hearing this news, Li Changqing felt his heart turn cold.

Regardless of victory or defeat, this battle is over.

Of the 600,000 elite troops from the Great Jin Kingdom and the grassland tribes, it seems unlikely that many will be able to return.

Despite having no hope of winning, they still had to sacrifice the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

The key issue is that their Great Zhou side will likely suffer heavy losses of soldiers' lives as well.

This was completely different from what Li Changqing had envisioned.

"Which bastard came up with this idea? Find out for sure. I don't care who he is, he won't leave this battlefield alive. Tell my heroes who came to help that they'll probably have to fight another battle."

This time, it wasn't as easy as their raid on the supplies.

"yes!"

Li Changqing's bodyguards quickly went out.

They investigated intelligence while also informing the heroes and valiant individuals.

Li Changqing once again transformed into Chen Changfeng and delivered another impassioned and eloquent speech.

The grasslands and the Jin dynasty, their treacherous intentions remain undiminished.

This time, their 600,000 elite troops were wiped out, leaving the Jin Dynasty and the grasslands vulnerable.

"At that time, I, Chen, am willing to join you all in trampling the Golden Family underfoot and drinking from the Great Jin Royal Court!"

"Treading upon the golden family, drinking from the great Jin royal court!"

Having experienced fighting alongside Li Changqing before, these heroes of the martial world were now filled with boundless pride.

In addition, they originally looked down on the masters and great experts of the Jin Dynasty and the grasslands.

Now the opportunity is just right; they will completely crush their opponents and ensure these guys never have a chance to rise again.

That evening, Qin Yu came to Li Changqing.

"The investigation has been completed; the order was given by the Great Shaman of the Grasslands."

"That person is the Great Shaman's deputy, known as the Second Shaman. His exact name hasn't been found out yet, but his strength should be at the half-step Supreme level."

"The sole supreme being of the grasslands, the Great Shaman of Shamanism?"

……