Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

Just as Lin Mu and the others continued their meeting, Cui Wu hurriedly walked in again.

This time, he brought bad news.

Some feudal lords have made a move against the Great Wilderness territory!

That's right. The campaign against Dong Zhuo had just ended not long ago, and the various warlords, after returning to their territories, hadn't even had a chance to develop their lands before starting preparations for war. Even so, it would still take some time.

But now that some lords have already taken action against the Great Wilderness territory, it proves that some people can't wait any longer!

The one who made a move against the Great Wilderness Territory was not a cat or a dog, but Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou, who was ranked eleventh among the feudal lords of heaven and earth!
To be honest, when Lin Mu learned that the first person to attack him was Tao Qian, he was a little incredulous, because Tao Qian didn't have any great ambitions. Although he wanted to be a warlord, he wasn't very ambitious and just wanted to protect his small territory and develop it properly.

It's a bit unexpected that he's the first one to jump out.

Cui Wu revealed the details: Tao Qian had made the first move to force Lin Mu to hand over Kong Rong!

Tao Qian took action, it turned out, for Kong Rong's sake.

Historically, Tao Qian had also sought help from Kong Rong when he was trapped, suggesting the two were close friends. Therefore, it was perfectly normal for Tao Qian to step forward and rescue Kong Rong after he was captured by Lin Mu.

Tao Qian led his army to garrison in Gumu City, Langya Commandery, near the Beihai Kingdom of Qingzhou.

Tao Qian had already led his troops to attack Chang'an City once, but the attack was not strong, and the defending soldiers stopped them.

Given Tao Qian's size and resources, if he were truly determined to attack Chang'an City, he could have taken it easily. But he didn't, clearly intending to alert the enemy and then negotiate.

In fact, Tao Qian did not want to attack Qingzhou!
Currently, Tao Qian is only the governor of Xuzhou. If Tao Qian truly flatters Dong Zhuo and others, it would be very easy for him to rise to the position of governor of Xuzhou in one step.

But he didn't, which proves that he still has integrity and moral principles.

Furthermore, Tao Qian did not have any particularly outstanding generals or strategists under his command, yet he was able to rank eleventh on the list of feudal lords, surpassing many others. Clearly, the foundation of Xuzhou had been well-accumulated under his diligent governance.

Tao Qian is a capable administrator; if the Great Wilderness Territory could recruit him, it would be like adding wings to a tiger. Unfortunately, he is old, and there's no way he would ever pledge allegiance to the Great Wilderness Territory. This fact has already been ascertained…

"We don't need to worry about him for now. As long as we have Kong Rong in our hands, Tao Qian and Kong Zhou won't dare to make any moves... Qingzhou is currently calm and peaceful, and those local noble families are still taking a wait-and-see attitude because we have Kong Rong."

"My lord, taking Kong Rong under your control is truly a brilliant move!" Guo Jia exclaimed.

"Hehe... With Tao Qian here, the pressure from the south of Qingzhou is actually less of a threat. We just need to withstand the attacks from Jizhou and Yanzhou."

"According to intelligence, Yuan Shao and Han Fu have joined forces and will attack Qingzhou from the west. There are also moves in Yanzhou, but the marching legions are not displaying any flags, and there are no other markings or familiar faces, so their affiliation is currently unknown."

“As for Youzhou, they must have taken action, but so far there has been no sign of anything happening…” Xi Zhicai said in a deep voice.

While Lin Mu was plundering the ancient treasury, everyone had already begun to plan and understand the situation.

"Now that we've brought this up, let's discuss the impact of this incident first," Lin Mu said, standing up to preside over the discussion.

"This attack by various warlords was actually expected. Even without the campaign against Dong Zhuo and the events in Luoyang, even if I weren't ranked first among the warlords, this would still have happened. Because we swallowed up Youzhou and Qingzhou all at once, we were bound to suffer the chain reaction!"

"This time, in addition to defending our base in Yangzhou, we also need to hold onto these two prime pieces of meat!"

"My lord, this humble general requests permission to garrison Qingzhou!" Yu Jin was the first to stand up, clasp his hands in greeting, and shout.

"My lord, I also request permission to garrison Qingzhou!" Zang Ba, not wanting to be outdone, immediately volunteered.

"My lord, this humble general requests permission to garrison Yangzhou!" Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin stood up almost simultaneously and shouted in unison.

After that, everyone else stood up and volunteered to defend various places.

Chang Yin and others also stood up to report on the logistical situation in various places.

This is a tough battle. The pressure faced by the Great Wilderness Territory is unprecedented, even more terrifying than the previous attacks by the various gods!
If we are not careful, the entire Great Wilderness Territory may be severely damaged, and all the efforts we have recently made to Qingzhou and Youzhou may be destroyed.

The Great Wilderness Territory has been managed and developed in the same way that Yangzhou was before, with countless investments made.

The garrison troops in each city have been screened many times. Unqualified soldiers have been dismissed, and capable local militia have been recruited and trained with heavy pay to become the garrison troops.

Cai Yong and Xun Shuang devoted themselves to building, eliminating, and cultivating the civil service system in each city. They also transferred a large number of experienced civil officials from the Great Wilderness territory to Qingzhou and Youzhou to take charge of the overall situation, while also recruiting learned and upright scholars locally, attempting to build an efficient and stable governance structure.

The tax system, agricultural and sericulture planning, and water conservancy construction of each county have undergone repeated discussions and pilot projects to ensure that they are in line with local conditions, so that the people newly incorporated into the territory can settle down and live in peace as soon as possible, feel the advantages of governance of the Great Wilderness Territory, win the hearts of the people, and stabilize public order.

Moreover, the armories that had been stockpiled in the Great Wilderness Territory for a long time were being moved day and night, with countless weapons being transported to various cities to replenish their military equipment.

All the blacksmiths in the Great Wilderness Territory worked day and night, sweating profusely, forging swords, spears, halberds, armor, and shields; while the carpenters and inscription masters rushed to make the equipment needed for attacking and defending the city, such as ladders, catapults, and barricades.

The collection and transportation of provisions were of paramount importance. Grain transported from Yangzhou was continuously delivered to various strategic locations to ensure that soldiers on the front lines would not face a food shortage crisis should war break out. Even though cities were in danger of falling and stockpiled grain could become enemy supplies, the Great Wilderness Territory spared no effort in replenishing each city, ensuring it was in the best possible condition to cope with the war.

Before Lin Mu appeared, the entire Great Wilderness Territory had already begun intensive preparations for this battle.

Looking down at the generals who had volunteered for battle, the enthusiastic logistics officers, and the strategists with solemn expressions but firm eyes, Lin Mu felt both moved and burdened by a heavy sense of pressure.

He knew that this was not just a military contest, but also a severe test of the Great Wilderness Territory's overall strength, internal cohesion, and ability to cope with pressure.

He slowly raised his hand, signaling everyone to quiet down. His gaze swept over every familiar face, and he said in a deep voice, "I appreciate your loyalty, courage, and wisdom. Qingzhou, Youzhou, and Yangzhou are the foundation of our Great Wilderness, and none can be lost. Let us discuss the defense carefully and ensure that nothing goes wrong. We must place every general in the most suitable position to deal with this great battle that concerns the life and death of our Great Wilderness!"

In reality, this attack might not necessarily be met with the full force of the various warlords. They have long harbored their own ambitions and are unlikely to unite in their efforts.

Even if they unite, it will only be a macro-level alliance; they won't even unite their forces in one place, like they did when they attacked Dong Zhuo.

When the various warlords united to oppose Dong Zhuo, it truly terrified Dong Zhuo.

With tens of millions of troops, including many fierce generals and brilliant strategists, a deep foundation, and the support of various powerful clans, they cannot be ignored.

If the same scenario were to repeat itself, even Guo Jia, Xi Zhicai, and Xun You would feel helpless, because strategies would be useless. As long as they proceed steadily, Qingzhou and Youzhou would be unable to stop them.

The only thing that can stop it is Yangzhou.

Afterwards, everyone began brainstorming, sharing their opinions and discussing how to deal with the crisis.

"Gentlemen, I have a preliminary idea regarding the Ji Province region," Lin Mu suggested during the discussion.

“Yuan Shao is an ambitious man, and he is not content to be confined to Bohai Commandery in Ji Province.”

"And Han Fu, the governor of Ji Province, is a protégé of the Yuan family. He is similar to Tao Qian, both having a sense of cowardice. If Yuan Shao intends to seize Ji Province, what do you think will happen?" Lin Mu reminded him quietly.

Guo Jia, Xi Zhicai, Xun You, and others' eyes lit up slightly upon hearing this.

This kind of thing could actually happen!

If this matter is used to disrupt the situation in Ji Province, the pressure on Qing Province and You Province may be much less!

Just then, Cui Wu entered again: "Reporting to the lord, we have discovered Liu Yu's whereabouts. He and Li Dian are currently in northern Ji Province, presumably planning to attack You Province!"

Unwilling to lose, Liu Yu and Li Dian also made their move at this critical juncture. This was not unexpected, but rather expected.

Lin Mu and the others did not say anything about this.

After Cui Wu finished his report, he immediately went downstairs. He stayed outside to oversee the compilation of intelligence from various sources, ready to report any developments immediately upon entering the conference room.

Afterwards, they discussed for two full days and nights before initially formulating a defense plan and a counterattack plan.

Defense is necessary, but simply defending doesn't fit the style of the Great Wilderness Territory. Guo Jia and his men devised several counterattack plans, such as a plan for Yuan Shao and Han Fu to fight each other, a plan to swallow up Liu Bei, the governor of Hanoi, and a plan to cripple Liu Yu again, among others…

This time, we plan to bring out all the legions, such as the newly formed Vanguard Divine Army and the Ziyang Legion, which will all be deployed!

Currently, the Vanguard Divine Army has only 8,000 men, and the Purple Sun Legion has only 30,000 men, none of whom are veterans. This battle will be a chance for them to see blood!

In fact, the Great Wilderness Territory has another terrifying type of troop, the Great Wilderness Xuanwu Guard, which can be resurrected indefinitely. As long as temporary subordinate territories are built on the front line, they can be used to hold the line.

(The specific strategies will be discussed later, so I won't list them here. Related discussions will also be briefly mentioned. Originally, I planned to take the southern route, but I changed my mind after some consideration. After all, the south would be very chaotic. Yuan Shu, Gongsun Zan, Sun Jian, Liu Biao, Cao Cao, Liu Dai, Liu Bei (who will be there later), and others would all be building their careers in the south.) (End of Chapter)