TO ACHIEVE IMMORTALITY, I CULTIVATE USING QI LUCK

Chapter 998: Chapter 412 Half of the Country Falls_3 Chapter 998: Chapter 412 Half of the Country Falls_3 From the news coming from these two battlefields, both Chu armies appear strong, not mere feints designed to confuse, but their actual main forces.

Considering the necessary forces that Chu State must maintain within its own territory.

So now, does the entire Chu army’s main force already consist of 6 million soldiers?

6 million people…

Well, this number is indeed not unachievable.

A decade and a half ago, at the peak of Liang, at its limit, it too had assembled an army of 6 million.

Given that Chu State has taken over all of Yangzhou and parts of the Snowy Wilderness and Yong State, if taken seriously, it is indeed not impossible to muster such a large army.

But hasn’t Chu State already started immigration and reached a scale of tens of millions within its own borders?

Under these circumstances, how did they manage to raise an army of 6 million?

Even if it isn’t 6 million, the mere possibility of raising at least 4 million, based on current estimates, is extremely frightening.

The monarchs and ministers of Liang can’t understand, truly can’t fathom it.

But whether they can comprehend it or not, Chu State’s massive invasion is imminent, and they are looking at potentially losing half of the West Side of the country, even at risk of the Imperial Capital being taken.

In these dire times, something must be done to turn the situation around.

Summoning soldiers from across the country to defend the king is just the beginning.

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Because even if Liang manages to call up reinforcements, they can, at most, assemble 1 million soldiers, and that’s already the limit.

Yet this mere million, facing this northern expedition by Chu State, could conservatively be 2 million, and potentially as much as 3 or 4 million.

Even with some remnant troops from the Southern Line helping to contain, the monarchs and ministers of Liang still lack confidence.

Thus, assembling a million soldiers is only to hold the city of Liang initially.

As long as Liang is not lost and the Imperial Capital remains, they could, relying on the imperial legitimacy, endlessly recollect soldiers from the eight or nine secure prefectures in the rear, and dispatch them to the front lines for support.

As long as these territories remain, Liang can continue to hold on.

But if Liang were to fall, the Imperial Capital to be captured.

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Even if the emperor could escape to the east and the framework of the court remains, would the dethroned monarch and officials be able to command the prefectural governors across the land?

Moreover, without Liang as a barrier to block the Chu army,

the Chu forces would be able to advance into the rear areas unimpeded, treating the entire eastern prefectures as their battlefield, rampaging at will, leaving Liang with no hinterland.

Therefore, whether it’s for the sake of their legitimate position or for preserving Liang’s final piece of territory, Liang city must not be lost.

And with a million-strong army defending it, it should be enough to firmly block the Chu forces, buying time for a response from the back.

Therefore, in addition to ordering local rulers to defend the king, the monarchs and ministers of Liang also issued orders for various prefectures to immediately recruit soldiers, taking as many as they can get, all sent towards Liang.

To repel this northern expedition by Chu forces, or even if unable to repel the enemy, to hold Liang, they must have around 2 million soldiers nearby at the very least.

At the same time, as so many soldiers have been drawn from the hinterland and various border areas, these regions have also become extremely vulnerable.

The North’s Xu State, and Tang Kingdom to the Northeast, might take advantage of this opportunity to attack and kick us while we’re down.

Under these circumstances,

after the mass withdrawal of troops, the local and border areas are in urgent need to rapidly form large numbers of new armies to fill these military vacuums.

Considering all these factors, conservatively estimated, Liang will have to recruit at least another 2 million new soldiers to meet all the military demands.

Therefore, right now, Liang needs to first hold Liang city, stall for time, and race for these new recruits to be trained and put in position.

Once these 2 million new recruits have been trained, the number of soldiers Liang can command will reach 4 million; of these, more than 2.5 million can be deployed to fight Chu State on the Eastern Front.

Then, they may attempt an eastern counter-offensive to reclaim lost territory.

But, it’s uncertain whether the numerous troops in the Eastern and Southern defensive regions will still be there by that time.

However, the current rulers of Liang can no longer consider so much.

Because by mid-May, Chu’s vanguard had already broken through Liang’s defensive blockade, with tens of thousands of Chu cavalry bearing down on the gates of Liang city.

The beacon of war is truly igniting upon this foremost formidable city in the world.

…

Jiangxia city.

While the beacon flames were rising in the North, at that same moment, this core city in the Southern defensive line of the two countries, also the capital of the Jiangxia prefecture, had finally opened its gates to the Chu army.

The high-spirited soldiers entered the city through the wide-open gates with their banners fluttering in the wind.

The flag of Liang, which had been flying on the city tower, was quickly taken down, replaced by the dragon banner of Chu State.

Lu Yuan rode on a snow-white steed, accompanied by countless golden-armored soldiers, and entered this northern stronghold with majestic authority.

On either side of the street, ranks of cheering Chu soldiers lined the way.

From the houses alongside the roadway, pairs of fearful eyes peeked through the slits of doors and windows, watching this scene unfold.

Feeling the heavy atmosphere, a surge of enthusiasm arose in Lu Yuan’s heart, and he whispered, “Liang, Central State, I have arrived.”

To capture the Southern defensive line turned out to be easier than he had anticipated.

It was mainly because Liang’s Southern Line was too extensive, with 500,000 soldiers and nine Inborns required to defend numerous locations.

Thus, when averaged out, the forces allocated to each key town were somewhat limited.

Normally, this wouldn’t matter much.

If one key town were to be attacked and fall quickly, the news would still spread, and the forces from the other key towns could then be assembled to confront the invaders.

With this mechanism, defending the Southern Line should not be a problem.

But this time, the strength that Chu State deployed was far too great.

Nearly 10 million soldiers and 60 Inborns, a disparity of over ten times, was enough to shatter any resistance.

The Liang forces on the Southern Line didn’t have time to react; the Chu army, several times more powerful, quickly surrounded them.

Without sufficient strength to rally, they faced Chu’s heavy punches as the less equipped forces.

A million soldiers swarming a few tens of thousands; millions besieging over a hundred thousand; three to five Inborns attacking one; a dozen Inborns ganging up on one…

Examples of such occurrences were far too numerous.

Under these conditions, the 500,000-strong Liang army on the Southern Line was swept away with ease by the Chu forces, more quickly than anticipated.

The two northern prefectures of Jiangxia and Guangling held out for less than a month before falling completely into the hands of Chu State.

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