Chapter 489: Chapter 242: Great Wedding and Reorganization of the Army_3
And a year has passed, and now all departments have been rectified.
Among them, after the Northern Expedition, there were more than 78,000 captured soldiers. 60,000 Miao soldiers, and finally more than 23,000 people left.
According to the decree of the king, these remaining and Miao soldiers, after weeding out the old and weak, the strong ones were retrained and formed into the kingdom’s forbidden army, ultimately resulting in an army of 90,000 men.
The remaining 10,000 old and weak people were made into soldiers of the prefectures and counties, and distributed to each prefecture and county.
Of the 110,000 captured soldiers, the old and weak were also eliminated, leaving 90,000 who were retained as the forbidden army.
In this way, the forbidden army had a total of 180,000 men, divided into nine armies of 20,000 men each, known as the king’s nine armies.
The remaining 20,000 captured soldiers were then made into soldiers of Xiangyang and Xichuan counties, each with 10,000 men.
The 60,000 civil soldiers the king brought back from Xichuan County also kept the best of them, leaving 5,000 soldiers to be used as local prefecture and county soldiers.
After such a count, our Changsha nation has 180,000 forbidden soldiers, 20,000 county soldiers, and 34,000 prefecture and county soldiers, totaling 234,000 soldiers.
If the palace guards and city-wide soldiers in Changsha City are included, there are even 240,000 men in total.
The might of the army is so great that none of the surrounding dozens of countries can compare, except for the three countries of Zhou, Liang, and Yue!”
Inside the Council Hall, Lu Yuan sat at the top, listening to the report from his disciple Li Liang below, nodding slightly, and feeling somewhat invigorated in his heart.
Actually, Lu Yuan already had a rough idea of the size of his own army, but he didn’t have a specific number yet.
Now, after continuous reorganization, elimination of the old and weak, and retention of the strong, he has finally figured out the situation.
A total of 240,000 soldiers in the country, of which 180,000 are elite soldiers. If the whole nation mobilizes, it is no longer a big matter to bring out a large army of 500,000 civil soldiers and local soldiers.
With such strength to be honest, it would be enough to dominate the world.
What?
Zhou, Liang, and Yue’s three countries?
Didn’t Li Liang say that, with the exception of these three countries, no one else in the world can compare?
These three nations of Zhou, Liang, and Yue have always been the overlords of the state. Their strength and status are not comparable to that of other small countries.
Simply put.
For example, the countries of Zhou and Liang both occupy the land of seven counties and ten towns, with a territory of tens of thousands of miles and tens of millions of households. When they put in their full strength, they can send out a million troops, throwing their whips into the river, feared by the whole world.
Even after continuous weakening and leaving only the four counties of territory, Yue country still has a population of millions in Linhai and Yuzhang counties, which together account for ten million people.
If the three counties of Guangling, Jianan, and Jiuzhen are added, as well as the three southern prefectures controlled by the court, there will be a total population of sixteen or seventeen million.
Not to mention that these territories are all fertile lands, not only grain-producing areas, but also flourishing merchants and travelers who can provide a large amount of money and grain.
With this population and territory, it is no big deal for the Yue State court to support an army of 350,000 warriors.
This level of strength is still two or three times that of Lu Yuan’s Changsha State, and the two are in completely different tiers.
‘Even though my Changsha State has doubled its national strength, it still falls short of the Yue State court.’
Lu Yuan couldn’t help sighing as he calculated and compared the numbers.
No wonder the Yue State court was threatened by him, Yan Wangqiu, and Su Xuange, so they finally agreed to cede their three counties.
It is because the court held too much rich land.
Before the Northern Expedition, the populations of the three countries of Changsha, Ninghai, and Southsea added up to only half of the four counties in the court.
The same goes for their territory.
When it comes to affluence, they are even less so.
Even in the first-class domain, there are six directly affiliated to the Yue court. If Jihui and Qiao Kangquan are added, there are as many as eight.
On Lu Yuan’s side, there are only four when the three countries are combined.
The difference is also doubled.
And even these gaps are temporary. Once the court’s policies are in place,
Once the localities recover their breath, and after another twenty years, these gaps will be even wider, becoming three to four times what they are now.
With such advantages, it’s only natural that the court will not act hastily.
Not to mention the court, even Lu Yuan wouldn’t be in a hurry.
Because time is on their side.
“I understand. You’ve worked hard these days. Go down first. In a while, the court will have rewards.”
Lu Yuan returned to his senses and waved his hand at Li Liang.
“Yes.”
Li Liang heard the command, saluted, and slowly retreated.
With a gradual lightening of footsteps, the hall was once again left with only Lu Yuan.
The hall was vast and silent, the sound of breathing clearly audible.
Apart from the two inner attendants on either side, there was no one else in the hall.
Lu Yuan didn’t care about these attendants, but let his hands hang down on the table, propping up his chin, and pondering alone.
“The Yue State court wants to rely on time to wear me down, hoping that in twenty years, they can recuperate and then restore the land and rivers.
But on my side, I also need time.
The hundreds of thousands of resettled immigrants need to be resettled and recuperated. The newly formed army of over 20,000 men needs to be trained and reorganized. The newly developed land of Jiangbei’s eight prefectures also needs to be stabilized.
Even in the realm of the Inborn Grandmasters, it will take Xiaoqing a few more years to make a breakthrough.”
Lu Yuan murmured to himself as he sorted through his thoughts, slowly lifting the corners of his mouth into a smile: “Of course, most importantly, with this ten or twenty years’ buffer, my Taiping Dao Book’s cultivation progress should not be difficult to break through to the cultivation of one Qi.
Even a breakthrough to two Qi is not impossible.
As long as I can refine one Qi, my cultivation will be equivalent to the Dao master of the six Dao veins.
By then.
Not to mention the current three counties, even if the territory doubles, with my strength, I can also protect it.
Moreover, over such a long period of ten or twenty years, if possible, I might as well try to train one or two more Inborn Grandmasters with the Immortal Spirit Qi, in addition to Xiaoqing.
If it can be done, with four or five Inborn Grandmasters in the country and my own Dao master cultivation, who in the world would dare to underestimate us?”
Yue State court thought that time was on their side.
However, in reality, it’s hard to say which side time really stands with…
Lu Yuan was looking forward to the scene in ten or twenty years when the court would turn against them and then be shocked by their strength.
At that time, the faces of people like Shangguan Ming would be very interesting to watch.