Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

She didn't take it too seriously.

After all, previous reports about the Beiting Protectorate were either about how much tax revenue had increased through trade and commerce, or about the shortage of porcelain and tea from the Central Plains on the grasslands, and the hope that the Central Plains would increase exports.

Presumably, this is just another trivial matter.

The official below shook his head, took a deep breath, and said with a serious expression, "Your Highness, the Xiongnu have joined forces with the Donghu to rebel. According to the report, they have already sent troops to invade our Beiting Protectorate..."

Hu Yi's smile suddenly froze.

What? The Xiongnu and Donghu have sent troops to invade? What... what deep-seated hatred could this be?

Why did they have to rebel so early or late, choosing to declare war on the very first day of my reign, before I'd even had a chance to settle in?

Chapter 304 This really is a treasure!

After being stunned for a long time, Hu Yu slowly came back to his senses.

However, she was no longer the naive young girl she once was. Although she was panicking inside, she was able to keep her face calm.

"How are the troops of the Xiongnu and the Donghu?" Hu Yu asked after a moment of contemplation.

The official bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Xiongnu Chanyu Modu has occupied the northern desert, annexed many tribes, and joined forces with the Donghu. He commands an army of over 300,000, and his power is formidable and should not be underestimated."

Hu Yu: "..."

She stayed by Bai Su's side every day, and through Bai Su, she learned a thing or two about the situation on the grassland.

The power of the grasslands is mainly divided into three regions.

Divided by the Yinshan Mountains, the region is divided into two areas: South and North of the Gobi Desert. The Central Plains controlled the South Gobi region and established the Beiting Protectorate there, while the Xiongnu occupied the North Gobi region north of the Yinshan Mountains.

The reason why it was limited to the southern part of Inner Mongolia at that time was quite simple.

When they launched their northern expedition against the Xiongnu, the population of the Central Plains was only over 20 million. The population was too small to develop the conquered territory.

Moreover, the rice was not yet ripe at that time, and the grain reserves were not very abundant. When Meng Tian's hundreds of thousands of troops were unable to maintain their daily needs, the expansion had reached its limit.

If we continue north, the logistics will be too much for us.

Therefore, the Yinshan Mountains were used as the boundary to occupy the relatively water-rich southern Gobi region, while cutting off the trade routes between the Xiongnu and the Western Regions. They developed trade in the area while waiting for Xianyang to accumulate national strength.

This gave the Xiongnu Chanyu Modu a chance to prolong his life.

Although this northern desert region is not as fertile as the southern desert region and is known as a muddy land, it is still able to support an army of over 100,000, despite its smaller size.

After all, the North Sea, which is enough to feed millions of cattle and sheep, is located in the northern desert region.

Besides the Xiongnu in the northern desert, there was a third force on the grasslands: the Donghu who occupied Liaodong.

They once dominated the grasslands, and although they were later defeated by the Xiongnu, they remained a force to be reckoned with in the Liaodong region.

Firstly, the Donghu had an army of over 100,000, which was quite powerful. Secondly, the weather in Liaodong was too cold, and after the autumn harvest in the Central Plains, there were only less than two months left to fight.

It was nearly impossible to wipe out the Donghu, who didn't even have a capital, in one battle before winter arrived, which is why the campaign had been delayed.

Hu Yu did not expect that before the Central Plains had even made a move against them, these two groups of barbarians would actually unite and launch an attack on the Central Plains.

Fortunately, although they came with great force, the Northern Protectorate was guarded by General Meng Tian, ​​so they should be safe.

All she needs to do is call in reinforcements from the rear.

Just as Hu Yi was about to speak, another messenger rushed in, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

"Your Highness... Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The remnants of the six kingdoms have rebelled in Jiangdong, capturing several cities in succession. Kuaiji Commandery and Guzhang Commandery have both fallen. Now the rebel army is heading towards Jiujiang, and the entire Chu region is in complete chaos..."

Hu Yu: "..."

She opened her mouth slightly, wanting to say something, but for a moment she didn't know where to begin, her whole brain buzzing.

What...what grudge or hatred?

When Mother was in power, everything was fine. Now that she has just taken the throne, rebellions have started in various places, and the whole country seems to be in complete chaos.

"Bai...Bai Su, what do you think we should do?"

Her voice sounded like she was about to cry, and she looked at Bai Su with a pitiful expression.

Bai Su couldn't help but find her pitiful appearance amusing, but he also knew that this was not the time for jokes.

He stroked his chin and analyzed, "The simultaneous rebellions in the south and north clearly indicate that these rebel groups are secretly colluding. Moreover, the remnants of the six kingdoms are making such rapid progress that the person leading the troops must be a talented individual. I wonder who is in command?"

"The rebel army was divided into three routes, among which the commander named Xiang Yu was the most valiant in battle. Of the ten cities, at least nine were captured by her."

Bai Su suddenly realized, "So it was her. Then it's not surprising at all."

The officials in the hall looked at each other, puzzled by Bai Su's strange behavior.

Immediately, a man stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Highness, the rebel army is currently in rebellion. The court should send troops to suppress it in time, otherwise, once the rebel army grows stronger, it will bring disaster to the entire country."

Everyone nodded slightly, knowing that the current situation was very dangerous and that immediate action was needed.

But here's the problem: which should we deal with first? Should we focus on external threats or internal stability?

Let's focus our efforts on external defenses first, or we might allow the power of the six states to grow uncontrollably.

Let's stabilize the internal situation first. If the Beiting Protectorate is lost, it won't just be the southern grasslands that will be lost. Since the connection between the Western Regions Protectorate and the Central Plains will be severed, the Western Regions Protectorate may also be lost.

As for this split-force operation, if we win, that's fine, but if we lose, we might end up being attacked by the bandits instead of suppressing them, ultimately pleasing neither side.

The officials in the court immediately began to argue, unable to come up with a solution for the time being.

Hu Su's delicate eyebrows furrowed, and she looked at Bai Su with tense eyes: "Bai Su, what do you think?"

Bai Su stroked his chin, pondered for a long time, and then suddenly smiled and said, "Your Highness, have you ever seen waterfowl performances?"

Hu Yu gritted her teeth, so angry she wanted to bite Bai Su. She glared at Bai Su fiercely: "What... what time is it? You're still thinking about watching the show."

"No, no, no, you misunderstood me. This is like taming birds..."

"what do you mean……"

Bai Su smiled slightly: "This flock of white cranes looks impressive, but they each have their own agenda. If you want to target them, it's simple: first conquer the weak ones, then subdue the strong ones, and as for those that are neither strong nor weak..."

"We don't need to lift a finger; they'll just obediently comply once they see the situation turning against them."

Some of the officials didn't understand Bai Su's meaning.

Prime Minister Li Si reacted instantly. She looked at Bai Su with her clear, bright eyes and asked, "Does Lord Bai mean to first destroy the Xiongnu and Donghu, and then exterminate the remnants of the six kingdoms?"

Bai Su nodded slightly and said, "This Xiang Yu is no simple man. Even with ten times the troop strength, he wouldn't be entirely confident without an absolute advantage."

Li Si frowned deeply and couldn't help but ask, "Is this person really that terrifying?"

Bai Su scratched his cheek and said, "This person is incredibly brave and unparalleled throughout history. If we were to fight her head-on, I doubt anyone could do it, not even me. The only way is to concentrate most of the Central Plains' strength on her and overwhelm her with sheer force, so that we can have a 70% chance of winning."

Li Si's eyes widened, and for a moment he could hardly believe it: "Wh...what, even if we concentrate most of the forces of the Central Plains, we only have a 70% chance of winning?"

Even the other ministers in the court shook their heads, feeling that Bai Su was exaggerating.

Only Bai Su felt a bitter smile in her heart.

Having read historical records, he naturally knew just how fierce Xiang Yu was. An ordinary general who could fight ten opponents and achieve a victory was already considered a great general.

For Xiang Yu, taking on ten opponents single-handedly on the battlefield was as easy as drinking water.

In the Battle of Julu, most of the army was in the rear, with only tens of thousands of soldiers having just crossed the river. Facing Zhang Han's 400,000-strong army, they broke through the enemy lines and defeated the 400,000-strong army in three days.

In the Battle of Pengcheng, Xiang Yu personally led a large army on a long raid.

With 30,000 exhausted troops, facing a well-rested Han army of over 600,000, he defeated them in just half a day. Over 200,000 Han troops were driven into the river, and Liu Ji was crushed and forced to flee in all directions.

If it weren't for good luck in encountering a sandstorm that disoriented the pursuers, Liu Ji would have perished there.

In the Battle of Gaixia, with 100,000 troops, they fought head-on against Han Xin's 500,000-strong army, managing to achieve a 40/60 split.

Surrounded by an inescapable net, he led six hundred cavalrymen out of the encirclement, and no one could stop him.

When faced with a monster that defies common sense, who wouldn't feel uneasy?

After pondering for a long time, Li Si said, "In Lord Bai's opinion, we should first deal with external threats and eliminate the Xiongnu and Donghu in the shortest possible time. Then we can mobilize all our forces to deal with the remnants of the six states led by Xiang Yu."

"This strategy is good, but there might be problems in implementing it."

"After all, the Xiongnu and Donghu are a formidable force, and it is not easy to wipe them out in a short time. What if the Xiongnu are not wiped out, and the rebel army in the rear grows to an uncontrollable level?"

Upon hearing this, the officials in the court began to whisper among themselves.

Li Si's concerns were not unfounded. In the past, it had been difficult for Xianyang to wipe out the Donghu and Xiongnu, and now, in this emergency, it would probably be even more difficult.

Bai Su smiled and said, "There is no need for you to worry. In the past, we were unable to defeat the Donghu and Xiongnu, firstly because we were constrained by logistical constraints, and secondly because of the problem of keeping warm."

"In Liaodong, the climate on the grasslands is unpredictable, and our soldiers from the Central Plains are prone to catching colds and getting frostbite. Before the war even started, our fighting strength was already reduced by four-tenths, which is why we were unable to deal with them for so long. But now it's different."

"Just six months ago, the disciples of the Mohist school brought back cotton seeds from the Mauryan Empire. Now, after being planted, they have matured and can be made into warm military uniforms and boots."

"Even in the midst of wind and snow, they will not suffer from frostbite at all. In addition, the grain harvest in the Central Plains has been in succession, and the granaries are full of grain. We can mobilize a large army and wipe out the Donghu and the Xiongnu in one battle."

"In my judgment, as long as the time is right, it will take at least one month, or at most two or three months, to completely wipe out the Xiongnu and Donghu and resolve the problem of the Northern Court."

Li Si and the others looked puzzled. Cotton? What is that?

Bai Su didn't explain further, but instead instructed the guards, "Go to the Imperial Household Department and bring the things over..."

"Yes……"

The guard clasped his hands in a fist salute and withdrew.

About half an hour later, he returned, carrying some white cotton and gloves sewn from the cotton.

Li Si curiously put on the gloves, feeling their soft warmth, and a hint of surprise appeared on her face.

In particular, when she reached out and touched the guard's body, and found that even the cold sword he carried was not cold at all, a look of excitement immediately appeared on her face.

"This...this is truly a divine object! With this treasure, the soldiers of our Great Xia will no longer have to worry about frostbite and ulceration on their hands and feet in winter, nor will they have to patrol the city in the biting cold wind."

The other officials curiously tore off a piece of cotton, feeling its light weight, and marveled at it.

This stuff is really interesting. It's so much lighter than linen, yet it's so warm. It's unbelievable.

Chapter 305 There's nothing to be afraid of.

The courtiers in the palace were all amazed by this magical substance called cotton.

Only Prime Minister Li Si remained calm.