Chapter 460: Chapter 233: Let’s Run Away
Translator: 549690339
Xichuan County, Jiange Prefecture, Jianmenguan Pass.
Lu Yuan led his troops into the northern gate of Xichuan County and entered the city. He ordered some men to clear out the remaining enemies in the city while he himself went to the south-facing watchtower.
Standing at the lofty pass, he gazed southwards, taking in the sight of towering mountains and ridges, with only a few winding paths carved out by ancestors for people to traverse the mountainous terrain.
Xichuan County was indeed a blessed land.
Not only was the land fertile, with good irrigation systems supporting millions of lives, it was surrounded by mountains and ridges, providing protection from external intrusions.
If Lu Yuan hadn’t taken advantage of the weak defenses of Xichuan County this time, Jianmenguan Pass would have only had slightly over a thousand defenders, making it impossible for the city to be conquered with one drumbeat.
Had it been another time, the city would have been garrisoned with ten thousand troops and been aided by an Inborn Grandmaster, or even another top-tier expert, to help.
Even if he were the attacker, as long as the defenders’ will was strong, capturing the city would not be easy.
“Even the most dangerous pass depends on people to defend it. If there’s no one to guard it, it’s just an empty structure that can be easily pierced through like paper,” Lu Yuan sighed, then turned back to look at his disciple Zhou Qing, asking: “Are there any righteous heroes in Xichuan County that we can contact?”
This time, although Lu Yuan had mobilized 60,000 troops, he had left 30,000 in Hanzhong County for defense.
Now, only 30,000 soldiers remained with him in Xichuan County.
With 30,000 troops, capturing the entire Xichuan County seemed unrealistic, especially because occupying some of the important cities in the region would cost the majority of their forces.
When Lu Yuan’s army reached Wushan Prefecture, they would be fortunate to have 10,000 soldiers left.
With merely 10,000 troops, fulfilling the task of coordinating with Shangguan Ming and launching a pincer attack on Wushan Prefecture was obviously insufficient.
Therefore, if Lu Yuan wanted to complete his surprise attack, he had to follow Marquis of Wuan Bai Mengyang’s plan, which was to incite the local gentry and commoners to rise in rebellion against the Zhou-Shu Alliance after entering Xichuan County.
Only by mobilizing the people of Xichuan County would he have enough strength to carry out the surprise attack and defeat the 100,000-strong Zhou-Shu United Army stationed in Wushan Prefecture.
However, Lu Yuan was unfamiliar with Xichuan’s situation and did not know how to mobilize the locals. Fortunately, his own disciple had traveled in the area for a while and was quite familiar with the internal affairs, so they would not be entirely in the dark.
Zhou Qing shook his head upon being asked, recalling what he had seen during his travels in Xichuan County: “The martial artists from the Jianghu of Xichuan have been reduced by about ninety percent after two rounds of suppression and cleansing. And even those who survived are likely to have joined the Zhou and Shu factions, making them untrustworthy.”
“As for the local gentry and aristocratic families, they have withered away after years of war, leaving few remaining. It would be difficult to rely on them to accomplish anything.”
Lu Yuan furrowed his brow: “So relying on the local Jianghu martial artists and gentry to instigate rebellion would not work.”
Zhou Qing nodded: “We can’t count on those people.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan couldn’t help but feel disappointed because losing the support of the local gentry and martial artists would make their surprise attack more challenging.
Fortunately, even without inside help, taking down Xichuan County wouldn’t be difficult considering the current situation. After all, the Zhou-Shu United Army stationed in Wushan Prefecture was still thousands of miles away and was being restrained by Shangguan Ming’s army, making it difficult for them to move so easily.
By the time news from this side reached them, Lu Yuan’s forces would have occupied more than half of Xichuan County, already a force to be reckoned with.
Then, even if the Zhou-Shu United Army in Wushan Prefecture wanted to return to face the enemy, how many troops could they mobilize in haste?
If only 30,000 to 50,000 soldiers arrived, Lu Yuan could swallow them up in one bite.
And if the entire army retreated, they might even collapse before traveling far due to losing their rear support.
Thus, no matter the outcome, the demise of the Zhou-Shu United Army in Wushan Prefecture was already determined from the moment Lu Yuan entered Xichuan County.
Although disappointed at the moment, Lu Yuan was still full of confidence, saying: “Since we cannot rely on the locals to launch the rebellion, we will not bother with them anymore. Instead, we will recruit people ourselves.”
“You immediately send someone to post recruitment notices near Jianmenguan Pass.”
“State that the imperial army has returned to Xichuan County and calls all loyal and righteous people to join the army to drive out the tyrannical Zhou and Qiang bandits, and restore peace in Xichuan County.”
Taking into account his own reputation, Lu Yuan thought that he might not have much appeal in Xichuan County, so the banner he hoisted upon entering Xichuan County was still that of Da Yue.
Da Yue had been ruling Xichuan County for 200 years. The name of Yue’s Orthodox lineage had long been ingrained in people’s hearts.
If not for that, when Marquis of Wuan Bai Mengyang returned to Xichuan County, he wouldn’t have garnered such a response from the local martial arts world and gentry, raising 100,000 troops in a short span of time.
Now, although the orthodoxy of the Yue State court had declined and lost some of its luster, it couldn’t overshadow the crimes committed by the Zhou and Qiang people, which were simply too terrible and unbearable for the local population.
These enemies and traitors had reduced the Xichuan County’s population from over 4 million to just over a million people today through a series of brutal acts.
It could be said that everyone who survived in Xichuan County harbored deep resentment and hatred t
owards the Zhou and Qiang people.