TO ACHIEVE IMMORTALITY, I CULTIVATE USING QI LUCK

Chapter 1077: Chapter 439: Defend the West, Secure the East Chapter 1077: Chapter 439: Defend the West, Secure the East The cold winter pierces to the bone as the north wind howls fiercely.

With the arrival of early winter snow, a white shroud envelops heaven and earth.

Under the life-threatening cold, everyone tries to minimize going out and instead huddles at home, warming up by the stove.

The Liang people, originally agitated by the immigrating Chu State and seeing their own interests encroached upon, also retracted their restlessness under the freezing cold.

“This winter, many people in the city will freeze to death,” Lu Yuan said, standing with his hands behind his back at the Zhengyang Gate of the imperial palace, gazing out at the vast expanse of white that was Liang city.

This year’s siege had left various supplies in the city of Liang severely scarce.

After the Chu army captured the city, they indeed opened the gates and sent in a considerable amount of supplies.

But how much can be transported in just over a month?

Moreover, with the massive influx of Chu immigrants, these fellow countrymen naturally had to be taken care of first, thus they garnered many benefits in the distribution of supplies.

As a result, the Liang people, whose shares were deducted, faced shortages in lifesaving supplies such as grain, clothing, and firewood.

This winter, without enough cold-resistant supplies, and without receiving aid, certainly a large number of them will freeze or starve to death.

A rough estimate suggests at least thirty to fifty thousand would perish.

“As the harsh winter rages and snowstorms blanket the skies, all inhabitants of the Nine Provinces and Ten Domain have been engaged in a struggle for survival determined by natural selection, starting with the climatic shift forty years ago.

The people of Liang have lost in this battle; merely freezing to death is, in fact, their fortune.

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If it were the far north steppes, where would a winter pass without hundreds of thousands dying?

That is true cruelty,” the emperor reflected with a sigh.

Standing beside him, a middle-aged man clad in a third-rank crimson official robe commented upon hearing the emperor’s words.

“Indeed, survival of the fittest,” Lu Yuan replied with a smile, turning to the man and saying, “Gao Qing, the reason I’m appointing you to serve in Guannei Jun is precisely for this reason.

I want you to relocate the majority of the populace there to Henan Jun within the next year, ensuring their proper settlement.

As for Guannei Jun, leave behind a million civilians, each to be settled in various fortified cities.

Have them cultivate the land around these cities, farming grain to fulfill the military needs of the troops in Guannei.

Do this well, and upon your return, you will be the Vice Minister of Revenue.”

The man before him was Gao Mingtao, the newly promoted governor of Guannei Jun and a high-ranking official of Chu equivalent to a third-rank grand commissioner.

“Your Majesty, I understand and shall not fail your expectations,” responded Gao Mingtao promptly after hearing Lu Yuan’s instructions.

Previously, he was but the director of the Immigration Bureau under the Ministry of Revenue.

Although he managed the affairs of immigration, a bureau director held only an office of the third rank.

And from there upward, the positions were those of the left and right Vice Ministers and then a head Minister.

Gao Mingtao was selected by Lu Yuan because of his skilled management of immigration affairs—capable of handling the tasks set before him adeptly.

Thus, he was promoted by one level to the governorship of a province.

And this was not the limit.

If he managed the affairs well after going to Guannei Jun,

he could be promoted yet again, becoming one of the two deputies under a head Minister, stepping half into the empire’s high echelons.

Taking this step would mean a vast and promising future, with real chances of entering the cabinet and becoming a Chancellor in the future.

With such a prospect before him, how could Gao Mingtao not be thrilled?

“It is good that you understand.

I have faith in your abilities, that you can manage the affairs of Guannei well and not disappoint me,” Lu Yuan expressed his satisfaction with a nod.

After the victory of the Northern Expedition this year and the pacification of Yong, Qing, and Yu provinces, the situation of Chu country became unprecedentedly favorable.

On this foundation, Lu Yuan naturally sought to seize the opportunity to commence the long-contemplated plan of reducing the military and conserving resources.

To achieve this, it was necessary to make some adjustments to the current strategies.

After careful deliberation, he formulated a strategic plan: defend the west, stabilize the east, and break through the middle.

That is, in the west toward Yong state, which is to say Guannei Jun, a defensive posture would be adopted.

No longer pursuing offensives, but switching to defense, with a focus on guarding against remnants of Wei in the north and the Western region foreign tribes in the west.

Guannei Jun would become a fortress, a colossal line of defense constructed to shield Chu’s western borders and protect the prosperous counties such as He Nei and Nanyang behind it.

For this, the role of Guannei Jun had to be redefined.

Chu needed to relocate the citizens of Guannei Jun, turning it into an empty military stronghold similar to Helong, to isolate the Wei people to the north and the Western region foreign tribes to the west.

In the future, this place would only have soldiers and farmers – the killers and the growers.

Soldiers for defense, farmers for crops.

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The entire defense line being self-sufficient would greatly alleviate Chu’s logistical strain.

Plus, with the network of key city strongholds built by Wei around Chang’an at its core, already established, Chu’s forces would only need minor modifications to create an effective line of fortifications, saving considerable effort and resources.

Just by using the fortresses available, Lu Yuan could station about eight hundred thousand troops here and place around ten Inborn Grandmasters to turn the entire western border into an impenetrable barrier.

Even if enemy forces, a million strong, were to attack, they would be thoroughly repelled, gaining no advantage.

With a million civilians settled here as well, they could cultivate tens of millions of acres of fertile land.

Benefiting from Guannei Jun’s richness and over a thousand years of careful cultivation by Zhou and Wei, the region already boasted an excellent agricultural foundation.

With these people tilling the land, the grain produced would suffice for the needs of a million-strong army.

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