Trade must be opened in the West Sea!
Trade across the four seas is crucial to the livelihood of the entire nation. The Western Sea, connecting West Sea north through the Jiangnan, was originally the most important trading area for wealthy northern merchants. However, now that the West Sea is blocked by fog, trade between the north and south has come to a standstill, which is very detrimental to both sides.
The north lacked salt, iron, and various types of silk and tea, while the south lacked horses, grain, and cotton, which was a specialty of the north. This does not even include the trade in luxury goods between the two sides.
In wartime, these resources are even more crucial. The troubles caused by the stagnation of trade not only perplexed the Duke of Duke of Wei and his group in the north, but also the current Princess.
The 300,000-strong army was in dire need of food, and she could not rely on Chen Qing for relief indefinitely. Chen Qing had temporarily allied with her to supply food, but now Chen Qing was capable of protecting himself and could cut off food supplies at any time. She had to be on guard and it was imperative to expand her own supply lines. In the West Sea, transporting grain by sea was the most economical and cost-effective option.
"What's the situation on the imperial side?"
The eldest princess lay wearily in the chair, asking the question to Fifth Master Shen, who stood respectfully opposite her.
"According to the information relayed by the insects I left there, the imperial court dispatched troops ten days ago, led by Yuchi Peng. Most of the troops deployed this time are light cavalry, and judging from their speed, they have most likely already clashed with Chen Qing!"
"Light cavalry?" The princess frowned, then took a deep breath. "Those people in the court are still as arrogant and ignorant as ever. Chen Qing was able to force me to leave, so why do they think that 50,000 light cavalry can take Chen Qing down?"
"Does Your Highness believe the imperial court will lose?"
"What do you think?" the Princess asked with amusement. "You saw the scene when Chen Qing came to take over Nanming Prefecture that day, what did you think of it?"
Fifth Master Shen remained silent.
He never expected that Chen Qing would have such military strength in just one year!
He still doesn't understand how Chen Qing did it. At that time, there were at least 200,000 troops near Nanming Prefecture. He could see those soldiers clearly. They were all incredibly strong and had pure and powerful blood and qi, even comparable to the elite fighting force of the Golden Dragon Guard.
Two hundred thousand. Located near Jiangnan, it seems to have appeared out of thin air!
"However, with Yuchi Peng around, it will be difficult for Chen Qing to win decisively," the Princess sighed. "The key is that the pressure from the court is too weak. If Yuchi Peng's retreat this time fails to persuade the court to send more troops, Chen Qing will be free of pressure and may start to have designs on us."
"The imperial court is currently facing a shortage of troops." As a former Ministry of War, Fifth Master Shen was well aware of the court's current situation. "The war in the north is said to be fierce, the Flying Dragon Guard in Cloud Capital cannot be easily moved, the Golden Dragon Guard has been swallowed up by our scheme, and the Black Dragon Guard is now almost completely wiped out. The only force the court can currently attack is the Barbarian Dragon Guard in the western border!"
"The Western Territory?" The princess frowned. The Barbarian Dragon Guard of the Western Territory mainly defended the Southern Barbarians Lands, where the most troublesome Ancient Desolation Kingdom in the Eight Desolations were located, collectively known as the Ten Direction Demon Kingdoms!
Unlike the orthodox beliefs of the Central Plains people, those countries believed in demons and monsters!!
They relied on witchcraft and sacrifices, using human heads and blood to worship their gods, making them a more barbaric and terrifying force than those in the north.
If it weren't for certain arrangements made by the King of Qin of Qin back then, the Southern Barbarians would never have been peaceful for so many years, and the Xiao Household would never have been able to maintain their position in the Central Plains for so long.
Although the ten kingdoms are currently engaged in endless internal warfare and unable to look eastward, the imperial court has remained lax in its oversight of the region. The Barbarian Dragon Guard may not be the strongest, but it is the most numerous and its members are the most loyal!
The imperial court would probably not dare to touch the Barbarian Dragon Guard Flying Dragon Guard.
After all, if those barbarians were released, their influence would be truly boundless!
"Things are different lately," Fifth Master Shen said with a smile. "Among the Ten Direction Demon Kingdoms, the Asura Kingdom, which is closest to the Great Jin Dynasty, has taken the initiative to seek an alliance with the Great Jin, saying that they are willing to marry each other's royal bloodlines and form a firm alliance!"
"Mutual marriage of royal bloodlines?" The eldest princess immediately chuckled, " The Asura Kingdom?"
The Asura Kingdom worships the evil god Asura King Rahu. The people, influenced by Asura's malevolence, have become fierce and warlike. Over the years, they have lost their human form, and the entire country is basically half-demon. Ordinary people generally do not regard the people of the Asura Kingdom as true humans.
The royal bloodline is even more outrageous; each member has four arms and purple skin, resembling true demons, and is exceptionally ugly. Who the hell would want to marry into their family?
"The imperial court has granted its approval!" said Fifth Master Shen.
"Ha, with civil officials in power, they really are spineless!" The eldest princess chuckled coldly.
Although she was far away in the West Sea, she had a general understanding of the current situation of the imperial court.
Most of the dukes are engaged in military campaigns in the north, the regent prince is young, and the empress on the throne... well, although she is formidable, she is politically inept. The basic management of state affairs is now in the hands of the Nine Ministers!
It was for this reason that the Empress was able to sit so comfortably, after all, this was the first time since the founding of the Great Jin that the court's situation had completely tilted in favor of the civil officials.
Unexpectedly, these scholars, having just taken power, were willing to exchange their own royal daughters for allies. They truly had a fine character. No wonder the Central Plains began to weaken after civil officials gained complete control of the government in history.
"I'm very curious, since all the princes are still young, who will the other party marry?" the eldest princess asked with a smile.
"It is said that she is a legitimate princess, exceptionally beautiful, and does not necessarily have to marry into the royal family. She has declared that anyone of her age who can outshine her can marry her!"
"Look!" The eldest princess clapped her hands and laughed, "These are the true children of royalty!"
"And what about our side?"
"Several princesses on our side were reportedly so frightened that they fainted, and we haven't been able to decide on a replacement yet."
"Is that so?" The eldest princess nodded. "So, there really is an intention to form an alliance? If that's the case..."
After the alliance was formed, the imperial court could indeed transfer some of the Barbarian Dragon Guard over, which seemed to change the situation in Jiangnan. And if the other side were to become even more ruthless, such as allowing those Southern Barbarians to enter Jiangnan...
Frankly speaking, those spineless civil officials are sometimes capable of doing such things.
"But no matter what, we must open up our own supply lines," the eldest princess said solemnly.
Fifth Master Shen nodded. Relying solely on Chen Qing was too risky. Even if the imperial court could put pressure on Chen Qing and force Chen Qing to continue cooperating with them, this form of cooperation was still too fragile. The Princess hadn't expected that Chen Qing would take over Jiangnan. Now, they had barely managed to take over the six cities of the West Sea, but they simply couldn't support an army of 300,000.
The evolution of advanced familiars requires more energy and more resources. At this time, the growth of familiars cannot be delayed because of food shortages. After all, once the Dragon Palace opens, a great battle will be inevitable. The higher the level of her living corpses, the more she can seize later.
"It's difficult," sighed Fifth Master Shen. "The outer perimeter of the West Sea has been occupied by that guy, so we can only go from the north. The Kingdom of Ancient Desolation in the north has grain, but whether they are willing to exchange it with us is another matter. Moreover, how do we bypass the Duke of Wei's group in the north?"
Princess Eldest: "."
Just then, a tall, black figure approached in the hall. It was at least three meters tall and covered its entire body in black armor, like a mobile steel fortress.
The eldest princess frowned as she looked around; her family members rarely approached this place on their own initiative.
Fifth Master Shen also looked over, and their two pairs of scarlet eyes met. Fifth Master Shen instantly understood the reason and turned back to look at the Princess in astonishment.
"What's wrong?"
" The Duke of Wei has arrived!"
" The Duke of Wei?" The eldest princess asked, somewhat surprised. "What brings him here?"
The Duke of Wei is currently the focus of the war in the north, so why has he come to the West Sea at this time? What is he planning to do?
"Invited by Chen Qing, we've come with you to Nanming Prefecture for a meeting!"
Princess Eldest: "."