Chapter 506: Chapter 248: Long-term Endeavors_2
From being the ruler of five prefectures and five countries to the ruler of the four prefectures of Jiangdong, this change in status is not just a simple difference in title.
It’s a direct drop from being the Master of Yangzhou who originally controlled ten prefectures, and even the Supreme Dominator of the world, to becoming a regional power within Yangzhou.
Ning Country, which originally held an equal status with Zhou and Liang, suddenly falls into a similar position as a vassal state of the two countries.
You tell me.
Can there be no difference in this disparity?
This is not only a drop in national prestige, but also in the soft power and the intangible aspect.
Let’s talk about actual strength.
Without the title of the ruler of the five countries and five prefectures, the royal court of Jinling will no longer be able to mobilize the armies of the five countries under the name of the Heavenly Son and command them to cooperate in their military campaigns.
Just like the previous situation where the Pre-Yue Heavenly Son called upon the three subjugated countries of Changsha for a joint Northern Expedition against Zhou Country; such a scenario will never happen again.
And by losing Jiuzhen Prefecture, the Jinling royal court also loses an Inborn Grandmaster and seventy thousand soldiers.
All these losses are tangible.
So, it goes without saying.
The rebellion led by Lu Yuan and others now causes a huge internal problem for Ning Country in terms of legal validity, making it hard to gain the world’s acknowledgement- the legitimacy of the court has greatly declined.
Externally, Ning Country’s national prestige and authority have directly plummeted, falling from the position of Supreme Dominator to a normal regional power.
Combining these internal and external losses together, you tell me, could any emperor accept this?
Not to mention that at this time, the one facing all these issues is the founding Heavenly Son of the New Dynasty, Shen Qiu.
“Your Majesty, although Changsha, Nanhai, and Ninghai are conspiring against us, the territories of these three countries have merged into one, encompassing a vast area of over four thousand miles from north to south, and over three thousand miles from east to west, spanning across five prefectures, with a huge momentum.
The population is up to tens of millions.
The combined forces of the three countries amount to a million soldiers.
If we want to eliminate them now, I’m afraid it would be another Hongdao Rebellion, which cannot be quelled for at least ten years.”
Seeing the anger in Shen Qiu and his intentions to send troops in anger, Li Xian knew this was bad, and couldn’t help but quickly advise, “Now that our Great Da Ning is newly established after the chaos of the former Yue, taxes on the local people are getting heavier by the day, and the hardship of war has lasted too long.
If we start another war, I’m afraid the foundation of the court will be completely destroyed.
Even if we put down the rebellion of the Three Nations, there is still Liang and Zhou surrounding us, as if surrounded by wolves.
It would be easy to annihilate the Three Nations, but difficult to defend against these two countries.
Therefore, the best current strategy is to recuperate and gather arms and men.
With the wealth of Linhai and Yuzhang, if we rest and accumulate for ten years, the court will be able to train an additional two hundred thousand soldiers. If we recuperate for twenty years, the court will be able to train an additional four hundred thousand soldiers.
At that point, the court will have a total of seven hundred thousand armored soldiers, accumulated money and food, making it incredibly easy to pacify the Three Nations.”
Although the Military Department does not directly command the army, it is responsible for the logistics of the army.
So others may not be aware of it, but Li Xian knows very well that Ning Country is really incapable of fighting a full-scale war at this time.
Now, when he persuades, he offers reasonable arguments that directly address the core issues.
After hearing his words, Shen Qiu’s anger could not help but subside a bit, regaining some of his rationality, and then he asked, “How many soldiers do I, Da Ning, have right now from top to bottom?”
This being within his scope of responsibility, Li Xian knew about it very well and immediately replied, “Your Majesty, if we remove the several thousand miles away Jiuzhen Prefecture, now the court has a total of 320,000 soldiers in Jiangdong’s four prefectures, as well as Xiangyang Prefecture’s three counties.
Among them, there are 10,000 forbidden army and 10,000 county soldiers stationed in Xiangyang Prefecture.
Guangling Prefecture has 30,000 forbidden army and 15,000 prefecture and county soldiers.
Yuzhang Prefecture has 100,000 naval forces and 20,000 prefecture and county soldiers.
Jian’an Prefecture has 15,000 prefecture and county soldiers.
Linhai Prefecture is the key location in the capital, with 10,000 local county soldiers and 5,000 palace guards, 5,000 capital garrison, and 100,000 forbidden army stationed in Jinling City.
In total, the court can now mobilize 140,000 forbidden army, 100,000 naval forces, 70,000 prefecture and county soldiers, 5,000 palace guards, and 5,000 capital garrison, totaling 320,000 soldiers.
However, among these 320,000 soldiers, those prefecture and county soldiers, palace guards, and capital garrison cannot be mobilized.
They must defend the realm and protect the capital.
Among the 140,000 forbidden army, if there is no support from the capital, at least 50,000 soldiers and one Inborn Grandmaster are needed to protect Guangling Prefecture from the threat of the northern Liang people.
The same is true for Xiangyang Prefecture, which also needs at least 30,000 forbidden army, cooperating with local prefecture and county soldiers, and one Inborn Grandmaster for its preservation.
Jian’an Prefecture, adjacent to Nanhai Country, can maintain its stability with local prefecture and county soldiers if there is no war, as Nanhai Country has weak military power.
But if a war starts, at least 10,000 forbidden army and one Inborn Grandmaster are needed to be stationed in the prefecture to deal with the threat from Nanhai Country.
In this case, if we truly go to war with the Three Nations of Changsha, the court would be able to deploy, at most, 50,000 forbidden army.
As for the naval forces, even though the Yangtze River waterway must be defended, not all of them can be deployed; according to the basic defensive requirements, at least 50,000 naval forces and one Inborn Grandmaster are needed.
Thus, the maximum naval forces that can be deployed are also 50,000.
As for the Inborn Grandmaster, including Your Majesty, there are only four of them in Jiangdong, who can barely fill the requirements of Guangling, Xiangyang, Jian’an prefectures, and the naval forces.
With 50,000 forbidden army and 50,000 naval forces, without the command of an Inborn Grandmaster, it is impossible to annihilate the Three Nations.