Shu Region!
A series of major battles broke out here, with the southern chieftains defeating the Great Ning army and occupying almost a third of the territory. Only tens of thousands of Great Ning soldiers remained to resist.
It's only a matter of time before we take over Shu Region.
But Jiang Li was far from happy. Looking at the battle report in his hand, his face darkened. " Shu Region only has five counties and an army of 80,000, yet we've lost over 70,000 of them! This is simply unacceptable!"
To have an army of 200,000 against an enemy force of 100,000, tens of thousands of whom were hastily assembled, and still suffer such heavy losses—this is an absolute blunder, utterly shameful!
"I also find this strange. Lin Yi can attack Great Ning as easily as eating and drinking, wiping out hundreds of thousands of people in no time. How come it's so difficult for us to even kill 100,000?" The chief of the Sangnong Tribe couldn't help but say with a look of dismay.
One of the leaders beside Jiang Li couldn't help but speak up. He was somewhat unable to accept this reality and posed the existential question, "Is the gap between us and Xiliang really that big?"
That's a huge difference!
They used to crush Great Ning, but now our 200,000 men are being held back by Great Ning's 100,000. The difference in strength is like night and day.
Li Siyuan stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Father, our huge losses this time are due to our lack of siege equipment, which has wasted a lot of time and manpower."
However, now only one tough nut remains. Once we take the five commanderies of Shu Region, we should be able to give the Northern Emperor an explanation."
With the five counties under my control, I should be able to win Lin Yi's favor, and then my future will be bright.
"That makes sense!"
Jiang Li's expression softened upon hearing this; Li Siyuan's words had struck a chord with him.
He had received some information beforehand that Great Ning was suffering repeated defeats, and even the crown prince had been sent to Jiangling Commandery, so now the best option was to appease Xiliang.
If we can capture these five prefectures and present a complete Shu Region to Northern Emperor Lin Yi of the North, then the southern chieftains can at least receive some preferential treatment.
He glanced at his son-in-law and said in a deep voice, "Has there been any news yet? What's the situation in Great Ning now? How far has the fighting progressed?"
"Father-in-law, no news has been released yet; the news must have been blocked!" Li Siyuan shook his head with a wry smile. He had been sending people to inquire about the news, but they had all gone without returning. Clearly, someone was blocking the news.
Jiang Li frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Continue to send people to investigate. We need to know the specific situation so that we can react immediately!"
Logically speaking, Xiliang's chances of winning are almost 100%.
However, anything can happen, so he needs to get the latest information in order to maximize his profits.
Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from outside.
"Report! Northern Emperor Lin Yi of the North has dispatched an army of 1.5 million, completely defeating Li Anlan of the Great Ning and establishing the Great Liang Dynasty. Now, his million-strong army is sweeping across the north and heading straight south!"
An army of 1.5 million?
Upon hearing this news, everyone stared at the scout in disbelief, utterly stunned!
Sang Qiufeng from the Sangnong Tribe fell off his stool, exclaiming, "How many? One and a half million troops? That's ridiculous! Is it for real?"
"Unbelievable! It would be a miracle if Great Ning didn't lose. They could take us all on at once!" someone said bitterly.
Everyone nodded in agreement, completely stunned by the news.
A force of 1.5 million is terrifying, utterly insane. Xiliang is just too fierce.
No wonder the Xiliang could drive the enemy into retreat. With that kind of strength, what couldn't they do? Let alone take down Great Ning, even if they added their own tribes, they probably wouldn't be able to hold out.
Jiang Li felt a chill run down his spine. If he hadn't acted decisively to help Xiliang, he probably wouldn't have been able to save his tribe.
An army of 1.5 million was larger than his own population; this was simply unimaginable to him, and its strength was utterly astonishing.
He said bitterly, "This news is probably true. Lin Yi has established the Great Liang Dynasty, which means a change of dynasty. If I'm not mistaken, Great Ning has completely lost, and Li Anlan is probably in grave danger!"
"Yes, the Great Liang Dynasty has emerged, and Great Ning is finished!" Li Siyuan looked somewhat dazed. Great Ning had actually been destroyed just like that. Had he finally avenged himself?
Tears streamed down his face. He had finally avenged his father, and Li Anlan was probably dead too.
Then he realized what was happening and said in a deep voice, " Great Ning has been defeated, but what about Li Anlan, and his son?"
"There's no news about Li Anlan yet, but it seems his two sons were killed by Lin Yi because of their ruthlessness. Now, he's sending 500,000 troops south to attack Crown Prince Li Qiankun!" the scout said in a deep voice.
Hiss!
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines. They had gone through so much trouble to gather an army of 200,000, but Lin Yi could easily command an army of 500,000. This was simply outrageous.
Several chieftains in the south immediately became restless. Once the new Great Liang Dynasty destroyed Li Qiankun, the overall situation would be basically settled, and they would then have to take action against the Shu Region.
If we don't move faster, we might not even get the credit.
Thinking of this, Jiang Li gritted his teeth and said, "Send the order down: no rest tonight, we'll attack the city immediately, otherwise all our previous efforts will have been in vain!"
They have an army of 1.5 million. If 500,000 go south, the remaining few hundred thousand can easily pacify the Shu Region. Then the credit will be gone.
"That's right, we must take over the entire Shu Region immediately, or the consequences will be unimaginable!" The other leaders also looked anxious; they couldn't wait any longer.
No sooner had they made a move than they heard the deafening sound of galloping hooves approaching. Everyone's pupils constricted in surprise; what was the sound of warhorses coming at this hour?
Upon seeing the other party's appearance, everyone frowned; it turned out to be one of their own.
What's going on?
"This is terrible!"
" The Xiliang's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry has appeared in the north. They are advancing with unstoppable force, and wherever they go, the Great Ning surrender without a fight. Now they are heading straight for us, and we have been forced to retreat!"
Holy crap!
Everyone's expression changed drastically; the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry had actually charged in!
What does this mean? The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry are Lin Yi's elite troops, and now they're actually attacking our side. Are they going to attack us too?
Grunt!
Jiang Li swallowed hard, his whole body drenched in sweat, and gritted his teeth, asking, "How far away are they from us?"
"Less than ten miles!"
Damn it!
Jiang Li's expression changed repeatedly. Finally, he gritted his teeth, mounted his horse, and said in a deep voice, "Come with me to welcome the Great Liang army. Since you've decided to submit to the Northern Emperor, then you must go all the way!"