To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck-Chapter 830 - 356 The Overall Situation is Set_2

Chapter 830: Chapter 356 The Overall Situation is Set_2

Ultimately, leaving a reserve force of a hundred thousand men and possibly one or two Inborn Grandmasters was like holding a plan for contingencies, ensuring that there would still be these hundred thousand men as a fallback if something unexpected happened.

Or if the front-line battle was going poorly, they could be urgently called upon to provide support.

One cannot say that this strategy is entirely wrong.

If one’s own side could maintain the advantage, then taking action according to this strategy would indeed be the most prudent, ensuring that one’s side remained invincible.

But the question is, does Ning Country really have an absolute advantage over Chu State?

Just looking at the main battlefield of Dongting in Yuzhang Prefecture, the Chu army has 210,000 troops, while Ning Country has 400,000.

However, since the Chu army belonged to the defensive side, they could also levy civilian workers and, relying on the city’s advantageous location, the actual gap with the Ning army wasn’t that significant.

If we look further and consider the power balance between Chu State and the Four Kingdoms,

In this battle, Chu State mobilized ten Inborn grandmasters and the seventy thousand main forces in the front-line battlefields. With the vassal states in the southwest and Hanzhong Prefecture in the northwest combined, there are also two Inborn grandmasters, approximately a hundred thousand vassal troops and a hundred thousand forbidden army, making up another two hundred thousand troops ready for deployment.

Thus, totaling twelve Inborn grandmasters and nine hundred thousand troops, Chu State could be said to have given their all in this Great War.

What about the United Army of the Four Kingdoms?

Ning, Su, Song, and Southsea combined have only twelve Inborn Grandmasters, and the United Army assembles only about eight hundred and fifty thousand troops, even less than Chu State.

Looking solely at the numbers, Chu State actually seems to have an advantage over the United Army.

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The reason Chu State appears to be at a disadvantage is that Lu Yuan allocated too much force to the other three battlefields, leaving the main battlefield slightly empty, creating such an illusion to the outside world.

But now,

As Lu Yuan takes a huge gamble and Shen Qiu, due to excessive concerns, dares not commit all his strength, the deadlocked situation on the main battlefield between the two countries has emerged.

Ning Country has also missed its only chance to defeat Chu State.

Thereafter, as time progresses, once Chu State’s bottom-of-the-barrel accumulation slowly erupts, the defeat of the United Army is a foregone conclusion.

The disposition of Shen Qiu, who comes from an aristocratic family, and his wrong decisions, have already led him down the path of defeat.

“However, although the scales of victory are now tipping in favor of Chu State,

if Shen Qiu were to suddenly come to his senses, crack the code, and desperately mobilize troops from within the country, executing a renewed plan to attack Dongting, he could still turn the tables.

This point must be considered.”

Lu Yuan stroked his chin, still considering Shen Qiu, and the hundred thousand troops remaining in Dongting Prefecture, along with one or two Inborn.

There was also the Ning Country army of two hundred thousand within the country, meant for defense against Liang to the north of the Yangtze River and for suppressing domestic issues, along with four Inborn Grandmasters.

Combined, these forces were not to be underestimated.

If Shen Qiu truly threw caution to the wind, or took some risks, Ning Country could still summon another two hundred thousand troops and three to four Inborn Grandmasters to target Chu State.

If such mighty power were to be divided for simultaneous assaults on Luyang, Hengyang, and, perhaps, a portion attacking Changsha,

Then, under the pressure of three-sided attacks, Lu Yuan would indeed find it difficult to cope and struggle to keep up.

“Although, given Shen Qiu’s character, he is unlikely to execute this even more insanely risky plan, but there is always a chance, what if he does?”

Lu Yuan speculated about Shen Qiu’s character and shook his head with a trace of disdain.

But to be cautious, he made up his mind, “Once Chu Wei breaks through, it’s better to station him in Luyang Prefecture. With an Inborn like him in place, even if Ning Country launched a surprise attack, he could ensure the safety of Fu City, blocking them at the border, preventing the army from penetrating into the hinterland.

The same goes for the Spiritual Woman; she could also be sent to Hengyang Prefecture to take over local defenses.

With one Inborn Grandmaster settled in each of the border prefectures of Changsha, Hengyang, and Luyang, and by conscripting civilian workers, nearly a hundred thousand troops could be amassed.

With such strength, if not seeking to attack, defensively speaking, it is more than enough already.”

Lu Yuan still decided to play it safe.

After all, time was on his side; there was no need to continue taking risks as he had previously done.

As for the potential problems in the main battlefield after relocating the Spiritual Woman and Chu Wei?

Lu Yuan wasn’t bragging, but relying on the stronghold of Jiangxia, and the more than hundred thousand land and sea troops here, coupled with his title as the first grandmaster in the world,

forget about those mere hundred thousand Ning troops outside the city, even if Shen Qiu amassed the hundred thousand troops from Yuzhang Prefecture and the remaining five Inborn, dreaming of seizing Jiangxia City under his defense would be pure fantasy.

In the end, they might just shatter their very own teeth, counting themselves lucky if that’s all the opponent managed to achieve.

“So it’s decided. In the Dongting Prefecture’s main battlefield and the four border prefectures, we’ll take a defensive stance, assigning one Inborn Grandmaster and over a hundred thousand troops to each to fend off Ning’s army.

The other three off-center battlefields will take an offensive approach to achieve breakthroughs as quickly as possible.

Besides Chu Wei, the remaining Li Liang and his fellow disciples—these four disciples—should consecutively break through Innate by next spring before summer comes.

At that time, these newly advanced four Inborn can be dispatched to the three battlefields, having a decisive impact.

With this strategy,

if all goes well, by this time next year, we might be able to claim victory in this decisive battle.

Then spend another year or two, gradually conquering each country until Yangzhou is unified.”

After analyzing the current situation of all the battlefields, Lu Yuan slightly adjusted his strategy and made a new decision.

Having reviewed the overall situation and confirming there were no omissions, he nodded in satisfaction, a smile on his face.