Chapter 562
Lin Chu Changes Hands, Wei Bo Arrives
Chapter 562 Lin Chu Changes Hands, Wei Bo Arrives
Among the four fiefdoms of Mo'aochuan, Caiqiu had the smallest territory.
Caiqiu administers four prefectures, two lakes, and one valley. The four prefectures are Linchu, Baishui, Qingcang, and Donghe; the two lakes are Yanze and Hanbo; and the last valley is Changqing Valley. The total area is 12 square kilometers.
Yanze Lake is shared by Caiqiu and Chencang; Hanbo Lake serves as a barrier between Mo'aochuan and the outer region of Lulong; and Changqing Valley is resource-poor, so if it weren't for the Bone-Eroding Path on its south side, almost no one would look here.
With these three premises in place, the basic foundation of Caiqiu's territory becomes very clear.
Those are the four prefectures!
The four prefectures also had different statuses.
The current situation in the four domains is quite clear.
Fu Wanhe, the governor of Hezang, is nearing the end of his life and is preoccupied with prolonging his life, neglecting even the affairs of his own vassal state. Although Weibo is powerful, its governor, Li Gangfeng, is obsessed with immortality and neglects state affairs, resulting in frequent natural disasters, a small population, and little ability to expand outwards.
Chencang alone, with its twin suns hanging in the sky, was not only the root of internal strife, but also the strongest deterrent to the other three vassal states. In addition, the regional governor Chu Longteng was ambitious, and his sons were all outstanding individuals. The population size, military strength, and number of powerful figures of Chencang had created a significant gap with the other three vassal states.
In recent years, Chu Longteng has spared no effort in suppressing the Chen family, promoting a large number of new people, and even boldly employing people from other provinces, vigorously promoting the reform of the provincial governorships, and it seems that he is about to take action against the sixth-class registered households.
These measures may seem like Chencang's own business, but anyone with common sense can easily see the signs.
Chu Longteng wants to unify the Mo'ao River!
Limited by the natural barrier of Mount Mo'ao, the four vassal states no longer have room to expand outwards. Originally, Chencang and Caiqiu could still go south, but halfway there, the Blood Miasma Plain appeared. Even without considering the newly rising Great Xia, just trying to bypass the Blood Miasma Plain is not a simple matter.
Unable to expand into unfamiliar territory, one should naturally target familiar neighbors.
Chen Cang's ambition alone wouldn't be so bad, but the key is that he also has the strength to match that ambition, which makes Cai Qianshan uneasy.
Of the four commanderies of Caiqiu, Linchu Commandery is the most important, for two reasons:
Firstly, the neighboring Chencang was ambitious, and it was adjacent to the two counties of Yanling and Heyang of Chencang, so it was the front line of Caiqiu's defense against Chencang, and its importance goes without saying.
The second reason, which is actually more important, is that the altitude of Linchu County is much higher than that of the other three counties of Caiqiu.
The terrain of the entire Mo'ao River is generally high in the west and low in the east. To be more precise, Chencang has the highest overall elevation, while the other three vassal states are lower. Chu Longteng's ambition to unify the Mo'ao River was largely due to this unique terrain feature.
Chencang held a superior position compared to the other three feudal lords.
Of course, this is the overall picture. In some local areas, including some minor details, the other three San Franciscos still have their own unique advantages.
Caiqiu's local advantage lies in its control of Linchu County, which shares the same altitude as the entire Chencang region.
As the name suggests, Linchu County means bordering the land of Chu. Before Chu Longteng unified the entire Chencang, the Chu clan's old stronghold was in Yanling, which was formerly known as Chuqiu. This is how the place name Linchu came about.
This also shows that the name Linchu existed before Chencang was established as a fiefdom. However, if we delve deeper, we will uncover an old feud between Chencang and Caiqiu that occurred a hundred years ago.
"What bullshit Linchu? This is Chuqiu!"
More than a hundred years ago, the fifteen towns within the vassal state were constantly at war with each other. The governor led his army from Chuqiu, conquering east and west, subjugating each tribe one by one, thus laying the foundation for the establishment of the vassal state!
Cai Qianshan, that despicable scoundrel, saw that Chuqiu was undefended and took advantage of the fact that Fang Bo was leading a large army to fight the Chen family in Longxing City to send troops to occupy Chuqiu.
Chuqiu is, after all, the foundation of my Chu clan. At that time, everyone thought that Fangbo would lead his army to retreat, but who would have thought that Fangbo would not care at all, but would continue to besiege Longxing City, and finally defeat the Chen clan's army, establish the foundation of the vassal state, and then turn around to deal with the Caiqiu army..."
On the east side of Linchu County, in a snow-covered forest, a dozen armored soldiers were patrolling. The one in the lead was wearing armor of a significantly higher standard than the others, and he was telling them stories of the past of Linchu County.
"The great battle with the Chen family has just ended, and now we're turning back to deal with Cai Qiu's army? That's too hasty. Can we really win?"
Interrupted, the man showed no displeasure. Instead, he turned to look at the questioner, a hint of appreciation on his face, and nodded, saying, "Of course, although our army is strong, it has been fighting continuously, and the soldiers are exhausted. How can we defeat the Caiqiu army, which is well-rested and ready?"
At this point, he couldn't help but sneer a few times, then revealed an arrogant expression and continued, "But Chuqiu is, after all, the foundation of the Chu clan. Back then, our ancestors fought to the death and managed to wrest half of the territory back from Caiqiu. If Caiqiu hadn't brought in Weibo to help them, Fangbo would have been able to recover the entire territory."
"Wei Bo has overstepped his bounds, meddling in things he shouldn't be doing. No wonder there are so many disasters within his domain; they deserve to have so many people die every year."
"If the two vassal states join forces, then the regional governor will have no choice but to withdraw his troops."
“No wonder. I’ve heard people say that Chuqiu was much bigger in the past, much bigger than Yanling is today. I was wondering at the time that Caiqiu was adjacent to Chu County and was also part of Chuqiu in the past.”
………………
Hearing the words of his subordinates, Chu Dongying couldn't help but sneer: "When Wei Bo helped Cai Qiu, it was obvious that he didn't want to see Chencang rise and wanted to maintain the balance of the four vassal states. Although He Cang didn't make a public move at the time, he did a lot of small tricks in secret. I have to say that, judging from the situation of the four vassal states over the past hundred years, the methods of Li Gangfeng and Fu Wanhe were indeed effective."
Of course it worked!
With half of Chuqiu lost, Caiqiu gained Linchu County, allowing it to extend its defenses right up to Chencang. Chencang lost its superior position and dared not rashly launch an attack on Caiqiu.
Of the four vassal states, Chencang is the strongest and most likely to make the first move. If Chencang does not take action, the other three vassal states will naturally not move either.
As a result, the peaceful scene that the four vassal states are currently in has been maintained for more than a hundred years.
Upon hearing this, the soldiers immediately had the same thought in their minds. Thinking of losing half of Chuqiu's territory, they couldn't help but show regret and resentment on their faces.
It's a pity because if Chuqiu hadn't lost half of its territory, Chencang might have already marched east and captured Caiqiu.
His resentment stemmed from Cai Qiu and the other two vassal states taking advantage of his vulnerability.
"However, starting today, the situation has completely changed!"
But soon, with Chu Dongying's next words, the regret and resentment on everyone's faces vanished instantly, leaving only pride and arrogance.
Starting today, the situation has indeed completely reversed.
Just now, their 150,000-strong army in Chencang had breached the city of Linchu and stormed into the prefectural governor's mansion. Cai Qiu's 100,000-strong garrison had been completely routed. Although Cai Qianshan appeared at the last moment and managed to reorganize the defeated army, the city's fate was sealed.
"With Lord Fang here in person, it's no use no matter how capable Cai Qianshan is. The remaining troops in Caiqiu City number at most fifty or sixty thousand. The battle is nearing its end. Otherwise, Father wouldn't have sent me to keep an eye on the east side. Even if Caiqiu sends reinforcements now, it won't help. Next, it depends on whether Lord Fang can kill Cai Qianshan."
Chu Dongying's face was full of excitement at this moment.
For a general, the greatest achievement is nothing more than recovering lost territory.
The credit for recapturing the old territory of Chuqiu can be said to go entirely to Heyang Commandery.
He is the heir of the Chu family's Heyang Prefecture. Chu Tianming, the governor of Heyang Prefecture, is his eighth-generation ancestor. He has already foreseen that after this battle, his ancestor's status in Chencang will inevitably rise to an unparalleled level.
"With such a great achievement as reclaiming the homeland of Chuqiu, it's almost a certainty that my great-grandfather will be granted the title of Junior Governor. Once his position as heir is secure, Yanling will never be able to compete with my Heyang lineage again."
The Chu family has existed for hundreds of years, with its five branches passing down their lineage for over a dozen generations. While the second and third generations might still have some affection for each other, there is almost no kinship left after that. According to the system of seniority, the ancestor Chu Tianming should undoubtedly be the Junior Governor. However, in recent years, the Governor's favoritism towards Chu Tianxu, the Prefect of Yanling, has become increasingly apparent. Even Chu Dongying, a descendant several generations removed, has noticed something amiss.
The seniority system was established by Fangbo Chu Longteng himself. Furthermore, as a descendant of the Heyang lineage, Chu Dongying naturally stood on the side of the county ancestor Chu Tianming and was happy to see Chu Tianming successfully seize the throne and ascend to the position of junior Fangbo.
At this point, there should be no more obstacles for the ancestor to ascend to the throne.
The capture of Linchu County is just the beginning. Both Fangbo and Lord Lingyi have arrived. When he left the city, he personally witnessed the scene of Cai Qiu Fangbo Cai Qianshan being besieged by the two and in great danger. If Cai Qianshan can really be killed here, then the benefits of Chencang's expedition will probably be far more than just Linchu County.
"Commander, look to the east! It looks like someone's coming!"
Chu Dongying was envisioning the bright future of the Heyang region when he was interrupted by a subordinate standing beside him.
Although he was displeased, Chu Dongying did not forget his mission and quickly looked towards the eastern sky in the direction the soldier was pointing.
Upon seeing this, his expression immediately froze.
A dozen figures were rushing towards them from the eastern sky. They were all radiating intense light, and even from several kilometers away, Chu Dongying could clearly feel the terrifying pressure contained in the light.
"The Body Tribulation Realm, it must be the Body Tribulation Realm, someone's coming!"
"Does Cai Qiu have so many Tribulation Realm cultivators?"
"It's not Caiqiu, it must be someone from an outer region."
"The only place to the east is Weibo! How did Weibo receive the news so quickly?"
"Wait, isn't there the Great Xia Dynasty to the south?"
………………
Chu Dongying himself was at the Manifestation Yang level, so he immediately judged that the dozen or so people in the sky were all Tribulation Body Realm experts. He ignored the guesses of the soldiers around him and first moved his body to the west. But as if he thought of something, his expression changed several times and he stopped.
"It's too late to rush back and report now. These people didn't even try to conceal their presence. Our task is to see if any reinforcements are coming from Caiqiu. Continue patrolling here with me. The governor and other officials are in charge of the city. Just do your job!"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately nodded in agreement, turned their gazes back, and followed behind Chu Dongying to continue observing the situation on the east side.
The crowd, who had been extremely excited, suddenly fell silent.
Although Chu Dongying, who was in the lead, kept his eyes fixed on the east side, his face turned extremely ugly, and all his previous smugness disappeared.
He previously mentioned the old story of Chuqiu more than a hundred years ago. The main reason at that time was that Weibo and Hecang were unwilling to let Chencang become too powerful, so they supported Caiqiu to send troops to occupy Chuqiu. In the end, Chulongteng sent troops but only managed to take back half of the territory.
Seeing this scene before him, it was hard not to connect the two.
Weibo has made another move, intending to recreate the scene from a hundred years ago, put pressure on Chencang, and help Caiqiu.
“This time the situation is definitely different. Linchu County has been breached. Even if Li Gangfeng comes in person, Fang Bo will never back down. Perhaps Cai Qianshan will be beheaded. Even if Li Gangfeng comes, what use will it be? Humph!”
Chu Dongying quickly understood the situation and gave a cold snort.
Although he was unwilling to admit it, Chu Dongying had to admit that he could roughly see how things would develop.
If Wei Bo can rescue Cai Qianshan and give full support to Cai Qiu, then Chen Cang will at most be able to occupy Lin Chu County this time, and it is highly unlikely that he will be able to swallow more territory.
Wei Bo represents more than just his own family!
Li Gangfeng was skilled in the art of longevity, while Fu Wanhe was nearing the end of his life and what he wanted most was the method of achieving immortality. So, starting a few years ago, Hezang had been associating with Wei Bo, and the two families were practically of one mind.
If Weibo puts pressure on Chencang, Hecang will inevitably follow suit. In this way, it will be no different from more than a hundred years ago, and Chencang will have to face pressure from three parties at the same time.
There is no other way but to compromise!
Fortunately, Chen Cang managed to capture Linchu County before the other two vassal states could react. Once something was in their grasp, there was no reason to give it back, and no amount of coercion from the three vassal states of Weibo could change that.
boom………………
Half an hour had passed, and just as Chu Dongying was inwardly cursing Wei Bo, a loud bang suddenly came from the west. He and a dozen other patrolling soldiers quickly looked up to the west.
"Such a strong light!"
"what is that?"
"It must have been those dozen or so people who just flew over who made the move."
…………
"You guys keep watching from down here, I'm going to go closer and take a look!"
Chu Dongying possessed the strength of the Manifestation Yang level. Seeing that he couldn't see anything clearly from too far away, he gave his subordinates some instructions, then flew into the air and quickly headed towards the west.
Judging from the commotion, it's likely that more than just one or two people at the Tribulation Realm have made their move; the dozen or so people Wei Bo just sent over must have all taken action.
Why are so many people working together?
As Chu Dongying sped forward, a thousand thoughts raced through his mind. Suddenly, he looked up and saw something, causing his body to freeze abruptly. He quickly tried to land.
call…………
A dozen or so beams of light suddenly streaked from the west, barely glancing at him before passing overhead.
"Li Gangfeng, how many times can Weibo save Caiqiu? Join forces, fine! I, the governor, am in Linchu County, waiting for your three vassal armies to arrive!"
It's Fang Bo's voice!
Before Chu Dongying even landed, he immediately recognized the slightly angry voice from the west as coming from Fang Bo Chu Longteng.
(End of this chapter)