Six Return to Three
The Ming Dynasty will eventually be unified, but no one can say for sure who will unify it.
Countless people, forces, and sects have turned their attention to the Ming Dynasty.
Not only are the various wars, strategies, and diplomatic stories that took place during this period interesting and breathtaking.
Furthermore, given the sheer size of the Ming Dynasty and the prevailing atmosphere of cultivation among its citizens, once it achieves unification, it is destined to become a significant force in Taiheng.
It's even more terrifying than Jiang Yun back then, because Jiang Yun didn't have any magical artifacts behind him, but the Ming Dynasty does!
Furthermore, the Great Ming Kingdom was once part of the Taiheng Sect's faction. Once the Ming Dynasty unified China, would it still submit to the Taiheng Emperor?
The Ming Dynasty and the Taiheng Dynasty are right next to each other. If the Ming Dynasty does not submit to the Taiheng Dynasty, will they go to war?
If war breaks out, it will inevitably be a protracted conflict.
Don't say that the Ming Dynasty has a small population, but the Ming Dynasty will never lack support.
The Tianyi Sect and the Far North Myriad Saints Alliance would never miss this opportunity to make Tai Heng bleed profusely.
As for whether this support will cause the Ming Dynasty to bleed to its last drop, who cares? Anyway, you are contributing to the peace and stability of Taiheng.
With various expectations, some well-intentioned and some malicious, countless people are waiting for the day when the Ming Dynasty will unify the country.
Some people even started betting, speculating which of the six countries would have the last laugh.
They also evaluated these six countries from multiple perspectives, including area, strength, potential, and system, and finally created a ranking of these six countries based on the results.
NO:1 Great Qin
Possessing the wealthiest northern region of the Ming Dynasty, Qin boasts the largest reserves of minerals, water resources, and arable land among the four major regions. Furthermore, Great Qin's system of combining agriculture and warfare instills a strong desire and willingness to fight among Great Qin people. Therefore, Great Qin is currently the strongest and possesses the greatest war potential.
NO:2 Da Xia
Although the western part of the Ming Dynasty is relatively barren, with a small population and limited arable land, it is still a power that occupies a region. Moreover, it is backed by the South Sea Man Family, and further away is the sea outlet, making it easy for various powers to send troops along this route to support the Great Xia.
NO:3 Great Tang
The Great Tang occupied the same wealthy lands as the Ming Dynasty, and the Great Tang's fighting power was too exaggerated. Its monarch was always charging ahead and could fight against thousands of men. Not to mention, its subordinates were all fierce men. There were many generals who could fight against hundreds of thousands with only three thousand men.
The Great Tang had more than a dozen generals who had fought in wars that destroyed other countries—it's simply outrageous!
Moreover, the Great Tang also had a powerful martial arts world, with numerous Heavenly Saber Wanderer such as the Demonic Sect, the Holy Sect Cihang Jingzhai, Tiandao Sanren, and others.
NO:4 Ming Dynasty
It has the same capable monarch, the same many skilled generals, and a powerful martial arts world; it's practically a replica of the Great Tang.
NO5: Great Song
A capable monarch, a group of skilled generals, a group of talented scholars, and a martial arts community wholeheartedly devoted to the monarch—the situations in the Song, Great Song, and Great Tang were all quite similar.
NO:6: Cao Wei
Although the Cao Wei appeared powerful, its conquests resulted in countless massacres and the destruction of numerous cities and states. Furthermore, its rulers were lustful and suspicious, and internal power struggles between civil and military officials were severe, with the Cao Lineage and the Yingchuan group attacking each other.
Everyone agreed that Cao Wei should be the first to be eliminated.
But in the spring of the 27th year of the Great Xia Calendar, the Great Song told everyone that it was the first one to be eliminated.
It wasn't because he hadn't fought against the Ming Dynasty, but because Yue Fei genuinely preferred leading troops into battle. The main reason he was promoted to a high position was that none of the Song Dynasty emperors were worth following.
On the Xia side, led by Zhuge Liang, who remained Prime Minister after joining Shu Han, and with the advice of scholars such as Pang Tong, Fa Zheng, and Zhang Song, a plan was devised to persuade Yue Fei.
The two sides corresponded for three months, and Yue Fei even visited the territory of Da Xia several times to observe firsthand the living conditions of the people there.
Furthermore, Zhuge Liang was his idol, and after three months of back and forth, the two sides finally made contact.
Yue Fei relinquished the throne of the Song emperor and joined the Great Xia, where he was granted the title of King Wu. Other civil and military officials were also given appropriate arrangements.
Thus, the six major powers became five.
The change of flags of the Great Song directly ignited public opinion throughout Taiheng. Everyone was stunned. Who knew it could be like this?
When the Great Song was conquered by the Xia Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty was the most anxious. Zhu Yuanzhang personally went to the front line and deployed defenses along the Chao River, the border between the Xia and Ming Dynasties, leading an army of 1.7 million to fight against the Xia Dynasty.
The Ming Dynasty was attacking the Xia Dynasty, and the Xia Dynasty was probably also attacking the Ming Dynasty, so their neighbors, the Great Qin and Tang Capital, relaxed their efforts.
The Great Tang wanted to destroy Cao Wei first, Great Qin felt that it was also powerful and renowned, so why didn't Cao Wei come and surrender to them?
After all, if Yang Guo, a mere nobody, could attract Yue Fei to join him, how could I, the mighty First Emperor Ying Zheng, not attract Cao Cao?
But Cao Cao considered himself a hero, so how could he accept the Great Qin's offer? He contacted the Great Tang, saying that they had to support him, otherwise they wouldn't be able to withstand the Great Qin.
Although Er Feng was proud, she was still a little intimidated by the Qin Dynasty version of "Qin Shi Ming Yue" —a Great Qin character dressed in black stockings and high heels playing with contraptions. She could only send the famous general Zhang Yichao to assist Cao Wei in defending the border. The two sides then clashed in the Ling Mountain area.
The scene returns to the Great Xia Dynasty. Faced with the vigilance of the Ming Dynasty, Zhuge Liang dispatched Zhao Yun with 100,000 Guan Yu (claimed to be 400,000) and Guan Yu with 200,000 naval troops (claimed to be 600,000), along with a million-strong army, intending to cross the Chao River.
In reality, he led 700,000 of his million-strong army northward and invaded the Great Qin.
The Great Qin's attention was entirely focused on Cao Wei to its east. It never expected that the Xia Dynasty would sneak up on them from the rear. Caught off guard, they lost thirty-six major cities and nearly one-fifth of their territory!
The most unpleasant thing is that this place is in the rear of the Great Qin, and it's also a vast plain.
Therefore, the three million surrendered soldiers who had previously defeated Great Peace Way, along with the four million surrendered soldiers from Great Chu, Great Han, and Great Wei, totaling seven million people, were stationed here to cultivate land, build fortifications, and construct cities. As a result, all seven million people were captured by Da Xia!
These seven million people refused to surrender to Qin, after all, Qin was their enemy, but surrendering to Xia was not a problem. Zhuge Liang selected the best from among the seven million people and raised an army of seven hundred thousand, bringing the total number of troops under his command to one million four hundred thousand!
These days, everyone has a mobile phone, yet 700,000 people from the Great Xia Dynasty passed through without any news leaking or a single passerby taking a picture. One has to admire the strict discipline of the military.
Then Zhu Yuanzhang found out the next day.
Zhu Yuanzhang was furious and wanted to immediately cross the river to attack the defenders of the Xia Dynasty. However, the Song army had also assembled a strong force after a period of consolidation.
Led by Yue Fei and with Guo Jing as the vanguard, a total of 800,000 men have gathered on the west bank of the Chao River. Together with the two armies of Zhao Yun Guan Yu, the total force is now 1.1 million!
One million to one million seven hundred thousand seems like a disadvantage, but the numbers don't add up.
The two sides were separated by a wide river, and any attack by either side would be met with a surprise attack while the other was crossing. Therefore, even if Zhu Yuanzhang had 600,000 more men than Yue Fei, or even 1.2 million more, the situation would still be unstable.
Both sides can only look at each other from across the river; neither can attack the other, nor can they allow the other to attack.
When Zhuge Liang attacked Great Qin, Great Qin's main force was in the Great Qin. He not only took away most of Great Qin's elite troops, but also most of its famous generals, leaving the country vulnerable and the Qin capital in grave danger!
Logically speaking, the Qin army shouldn't be this small. Even if Bai Qi took two million with him, the Qin family should still be able to spare another two million.
Soon everyone knew where the two million Qin soldiers had gone.
Apart from 400,000 men who remained to garrison the major cities of Qin, the remaining 1.4 million were led by Meng Tian across the Qin Mountain to attack the Northern Plains!
Ying Zheng's idea was that the Great Xia was caught in a tug-of-war with the Great Ming, and that a little precaution was enough.
Although Cao Wei and the Great Tang joined forces, they were not of one mind. I could defeat them with half my strength.
As for Northern Plains, unlike the Ming Dynasty which had been fighting for several years, Northern Plains had been in a state of peace for a long time, and the rise of various rebel armies was only a matter of last year and this year.
If our Qin army attacks Northern Plains, wouldn't it be like a max-level character attacking a low-level character, a complete mob wipeout?
Indeed, this was the case. When Meng Tian entered Northern Plains, it was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep or a fish entering a river or sea; his advance was unstoppable.
They encountered almost no resistance wherever they went, and all the cities immediately opened their gates and surrendered.
There was no other way; although Zhang Jiao promoted the law, he dared not practice it elsewhere.
With the Emperor Taiheng watching from above and the Emperor himself overseeing from below, in such an environment you can only practice in secret. What kind of skill can you possibly develop under such circumstances?
When the Great Qin attacked the Northern Plains, it wasn't just a case of veterans fighting new recruits, but also cultivators fighting mortals, superpowered individuals fighting ordinary people, and high technology fighting against cold weapons. It would be strange if they didn't utterly crush them!
Ying Zheng urgently dispatched 400,000 troops from within the country to confront the Great Xia, and also began conscription on short notice.
The Great Qin's agricultural and military system fostered a culture of warfare among its entire population, making them skilled and courageous in battle.
With a single order, another 600,000 soldiers were conscripted.
This army, along with the previous 400,000 troops, was handed over to Wang Jian for command.
During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, technology was underdeveloped, making it easy to build cities but difficult to conquer them. As a result, wars often turned into wars of attrition, lasting for months or even years, depending on whose logistics could not hold out.
After arriving in the new world, Wang Jian received knowledge and cultural education from the future, but he was, after all, a veteran with a firm set of values, and it wasn't so easy for him to change his mind in a short time.
On the contrary, Zhuge Liang, who was opposite him, was capable of everything and was extremely good at learning!
Moreover, given that he was Zhuge Liang, Yang Ning gave him top-notch attention, which resulted in Zhuge Liang's exceptional talent and calculation ability being among the best.
Despite his scholarly appearance and the presence of a man with a feather fan and turban, his cultivation level has already reached the Qi Refining Fifth Level Supernatural Power Realm.
This was achieved while I was busy cultivating and practicing as a side project.
After Wang Jian's army took command, he reasoned that the Xia army had come from afar, making the transport of provisions difficult. Furthermore, the Xia had recruited seven million surrendered soldiers, which would only exacerbate the food supply problem.
Therefore, he could adopt a scorched-earth policy, hold out, and wait for the Great Xia to be unable to withstand the pressure before retreating.
Because of the severing of the Absolute Earth Heavenly Connection, all Space Divine Abilities and inner realms are unusable these days. Even Storage Bag can't be opened, and transporting food using spatial equipment is impossible!
Then, General Wang Jian saw something new appear on the battlefield.
Transport planes, drones!
This invention by players has actually been adopted by various countries, but the members of each dynasty all come from their respective dynasties, so even if they acquire new knowledge, they need a certain amount of time to learn and accept it.
Many countries haven't even built factories yet!
But Daxia is different. Its members come from modern countries, and its soldiers come from modern military units, so they are naturally very familiar with things like airplanes and drones.
Great Qin's Fighter Jet research speed is also very fast, after all, there are Mohist School and Gongshu Clan, but in the end, it is not as good as academicians. The chief designer of J-20 and Y-20 did it himself.
So while Great Qin's transport planes were still on the drawing board, Xia's transport planes were already being used on the battlefield!
Transport planes carried grain, and drones bombed the garrison on the city walls, the garrison commander's residence, and even his own home. As a result, Wang Jian, a veteran general who had spent his entire life on the front lines, had to retreat and go to the rear to command the army.
Then Zhuge Liang seized this opportunity to launch a propaganda campaign, telling the Great Qin that their general had fled, leaving them to suffer here.
If they were veterans of the Great Qin, they probably wouldn't be affected, but among this million-strong army, 600,000 were newly recruited soldiers!
At this point, the morale of the Great Qin army plummeted.
Zhuge Liang continued his propaganda offensive, telling the Great Qin that in the Great Xia, there was no need to fight desperately to gain status; all they needed to do was study hard.
The system of farming and warfare aroused the people's desire for war, but it did not mean that the people liked fighting. It was just that fighting could bring them titles, a better life, and a smoother path to cultivation, nothing more.
After all, people die in war!
Upon hearing that joining the Great Xia Dynasty would eliminate the need for ordinary people to fight, and that they could improve their status simply by studying, the Great Qin side became even more excited.
Changing one's destiny through learning is certainly not easy, but can it be more difficult than fighting a war?
Moreover, even if you obtain a title through war, you will still be nothing more than a warrior. Pure martial arts practitioners do not have a high status in the Great Qin, and they can only learn the most basic martial arts. Don't even think about Divine Ability or peerless Peerless Divine Abilities!
The Great Qin also suffered from severe knowledge censorship. Don't assume that learning from later generations will change the Great Qin. There wasn't even an emperor in later generations yet; how could the Great Qin possibly learn from them?
The stakes are high; not everyone is willing to sacrifice their own flesh to feed the eagle.
But all of this will change once you join the Great Xia!
While they wouldn't betray their country on the spot, their enthusiasm wasn't as high when fighting or defending in the future!
Thus, Zhuge Liang, who was good at seizing opportunities, combined with the tanks transported from the rear, and won the battle in one fell swoop. Not only did he capture 800,000 prisoners, but 8,000 tanks also advanced at full speed along the straight road built by the Great Qin. The tanks did not stop even when the people stopped, and in just three days they had traveled 5,000 kilometers and arrived at the Qin capital!
On September 1, 27th year of the Great Xia Calendar, eight thousand tanks and ten thousand cannons fired simultaneously. After holding out for three hours, the walls of the Qin capital collapsed. One hundred thousand infantrymen, riding on tanks, entered the city. Ying Zheng hanged himself, Fusu left the palace with the Ying Zheng seal.
Thus, with 3.4 million troops still stationed Great Qin, the Qin king died, and the Qin state was destroyed!
The Great Qin, ranked No. 1, is now facing its own self-inflicted demise.
But whether the Great Xia can ultimately win remains to be seen.
Because Bai Qi and his two million-strong army surrendered to the Great Tang, he and Zhang Yichao, two great generals, attacked from both sides, first destroying Cao Cao's front-line army and killing generals Xiahou Yuan, Zhang He, Cao Ren, Xu Zhu.
Later, they cooperated with the Great Tang in launching attacks from both the north and south.
Bai Qi's defection to Li Shimin was essentially the Great Qin and Great Tang dynasties joining forces to fight against Cao Wei.
Cao Wei was inherently weak, internally unstable, with minor uprisings every three days and major uprisings every ten days. In addition, it was also experiencing economic problems. Now, with its main force at the front line wiped out, it has directly reached its most dangerous moment.
Cao Cao mobilized his entire army of three million soldiers stationed in agricultural settlements, intending to engage in a decisive battle with Bai Qi and Li Shimin. Unfortunately, these soldiers were nominally an army but were essentially farmers, and they were no match for professional soldiers.
Li Jing's three thousand cavalry charged into the enemy lines, throwing the million-strong army into chaos. Li Shimin, Bai Qi Zhang Yichao led their armies in a relentless advance.
The soldiers stationed in the agricultural settlements were burdened with six or seven tenths of the taxes, making their lives already difficult. Now, without any training, they were forced to fight, and faced with this dire situation, they immediately collapsed.
Amidst the chants of "surrender or be spared," all three million peasants surrendered.
Cao Cao cut off his robe and beard, and threw away his magnificent clothes, barely managing to escape under the cover of his personal guards.
But you can run away, but you can't hide Heavenly Queen, Li Shimin besieged the Wei capital, and this time Cao Cao finally had nowhere to run.
Cao Cao stood on the Bronze Sparrow Platform, reflecting on his short life.
As the descendant of a eunuch, he rose to prominence in his youth, and in his prime, he failed in his assassination attempt on Dong Zhuo. He then drafted a proclamation to punish Dong Zhuo, displaying remarkable spirit and ambition!
After repeated defeats, they fought on despite heavy losses, eventually unifying the north and achieving great success.
Unfortunately, he was plagued by bad luck and misfortune. The fire at Chibi and the flood at Fancheng shattered his dream of unifying Huaxia.
Later, an immortal descended to earth and was willing to give him another chance.
This is a world where cultivation is possible, and he has many choices since arriving in this world.
Find a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains to cultivate yourself; it's not impossible to become a Buddha or an ancestor someday.
Or perhaps, they could plunge into this chaotic world and achieve great things.
But who am I, Cao Cao!
Children make choices, I want them all!
I want to cultivate to become an immortal, and I also want to be an emperor!
But
"Now I realize how vast the world is, and how many heroes there are besides myself and Liu Bei?" Cao Cao thought of Liu Bei, who had decisively surrendered to the enemy.
He certainly knew that the Ming Dynasty would eventually fall to the Xia Dynasty, but how many of those who ascended the throne truly believed in fate?
He didn't believe it, the First Emperor didn't believe it, Li Shimin didn't believe it, and even Liu Bei probably didn't believe it.
But now
"I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me. My ambition for hegemony is not yet complete; what is the point of seeking immortality? I might as well return!"
Li Shimin is at least a wise ruler; surely he wouldn't harm my wife and children!
He poured kerosene on the Bronze Sparrow Platform, then threw out a torch, and the entire Bronze Sparrow Platform instantly turned into a sea of fire.
Half an hour later, Er Feng rode her horse to the fire scene.
Seeing the burning Bronze Sparrow Platform, Er Feng shook her head and then ordered the soldiers to put out the fire immediately.
He didn't think Cao Cao was a particularly difficult person to deal with. After all, Cao Cao collapsed on his own without him even having to lift a finger, so he couldn't muster any particular feelings about him.
But
He first looked to the west, then to the south.
A year ago, the six powers were locked in a standoff, but in the blink of an eye, the strongest, Great Qin, has been annihilated, and Xia has taken over Great Song, as well as the armies of Chu-Han Great Wei, and the lands of Great Qin.
The Great Tang destroyed Cao Wei and acquired the essence of Cao Wei and the Great Qin.
At this time, the Great Xia occupied the west of the Great Ming, while the Great Tang occupied the east of the Great Xia, thus forming a tripartite balance of power!
However, it depends on the territory and military strength: the Great Xia had five, the Great Tang had two, and the Ming Dynasty had one.
In terms of technology, the Great Xia Dynasty was undoubtedly the most advanced, followed by the Ming Dynasty, and then the Great Tang Dynasty.
As for the forces of the martial arts world?
There are no Jianghu forces within Daxia, but Datang and Zhu Ming have the advantage in this regard.
However, powerful figures in the martial arts world can only add to existing success, not provide immediate relief.
"This battle will be very difficult!" Li Shimin and Zhu Yuanzhang exclaimed in unison.
But no one was discouraged, after all, their opponents back then were all strong and invincible.
The stronger the enemy, the more excited we become!