Conquering Myriad Worlds from the Mythical Three Kingdoms

The Wu family showed great sincerity by sharing all the information they knew with Lü Meng.

"They claimed to have an army of 500,000, but in reality, after emptying their coffers, they only had 100,000 elite troops?"

Lu Meng frowned upon seeing this news.

This is because it provides a general overview of the military equipment of the Chu state, but it does not include any information about Chu mythology.

However, the existing intelligence clearly indicates that there are a large number of divine guards in the Heavenly Palace of Chu.

"No news about the Heavenly Palace?" Lu Meng sized up the envoy in front of him. Wu Zhe was the younger brother of the Wu family patriarch, and could be considered a person of status.

"Reporting to the general, all information regarding the gods is in the hands of the Chu royal family. Although the Wu family is noble, they are ultimately outsiders!" Wu Zhe respectfully responded to Lü Meng's message.

At first, he did not understand the choice his elder brother made, but after witnessing the might of Lü Meng's troops, he immediately understood how wise and powerful his elder brother was.

They actually gleaned crucial information from just one victory or defeat, thus seizing the opportunity to present the State of Chu as a symbol of advancement to the Xinghan Empire.

Lu Meng was very satisfied with this pragmatic local force.

When dealing with large empires for a long time, one subconsciously forgets psychological tactics such as sowing discord.

After all, it is quite difficult to try to sow discord among the great empires.

Every empire has its shortcomings, and even the Star River is no exception. There are conflicts between humans and demons, conflicts between different races, and conflicts stemming from historical issues.

These are all points that could be exploited, but basically nobody is thinking about them.

Firstly, the cost-effectiveness is too low, and secondly, they are all small-scale operations that cannot achieve significant results.

Secondly, it is because of the existence of the imperial will, which is born from the beliefs of the people and can in turn influence them.

Countries with an imperial will are unyielding when it comes to patriotism, and there is no possibility that they can be influenced by simple means.

As for complex methods, it's still too difficult to use them across the world.

The spies under Jia Xu's command were not just for show. Jia Xu himself was a master of intrigue, and it would be extremely difficult to cause trouble under his surveillance.

But as Lü Meng looked at Wu Zhe, a sudden realization flashed through his mind.

Since the opponents aren't those great empires, some of the strategies that were discarded in the trash heap seem to be usable again.

While a direct assault is undoubtedly the noble and righteous path, it would result in too many losses and take too long. If some tricks could be employed, the progress in conquering the State of Chu would be greatly accelerated.

Lu Meng's mind was instantly filled with all sorts of ingenious ideas, and after a moment he made up his mind, looking at Wu Zhe with a smile.

Before that, we must first figure out whether the Wu family is bait or genuinely pledged allegiance.

"I agree to the Wu family's terms!"

“I will send five hundred men with you back to the Wu family. Does your Wu family have a way to settle them?” Lu Meng intended to test the waters.

“The Wu family has a caravan; I can use the caravan to bring soldiers into the capital!” After thinking for a moment, Wu Zhe gave an affirmative answer.

"Good, this matter has been handled well, I will give you a big credit!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Zhe became even more excited. The Wu family is the Wu family, and he is himself. If this credit is attributed to him, it will be an immense fortune.

"Thank you for your kindness, General!"

"Let me make this clear from the start: if anything happens to these five hundred people, don't blame me for turning against you!" Lu Meng stopped Wu Zhe and sternly warned him.

After seeing Wu Zhe off, Lü Meng pondered the intelligence report in front of him.

He wasn't blinded by the Wu family's offer of allegiance; he still needed to test whether the Wu family was reliable.

If we can truly trust him, he will perform another extraordinary feat!
Two days later, Zhao Yunfei returned with good news.

"Marshal, I have fulfilled my mission and found the location of the Divine Land of Chu!"

"Good!" Lu Meng excitedly stood up, pulled Zhao Yun to the map presented by the Wu family, and asked him to point out the location of the Divine Land.

Zhao Yun quickly circled the location on the map.

"I didn't expect it to be here!" Lu Meng frowned. The location of Chu Di Shen Xiang was not in the capital of Chu, but in the northern part of Chu.

"From north to south?" Lü Meng quickly sorted out his thoughts.

Even with the blessing of the gods, the State of Chu could not conquer the north. In other words, the fighting power in the north was superior to that of Chu. Therefore, Chu was forced to fight south.

The current capital of Chu is in the south, perhaps in a sense, to avoid the control of the divine land.

"After gaining power, did he harbor rebellious intentions?"

Lu Meng roughly understood the Chu royal family's thoughts; after all, no monarch would willingly have an extra mountain above their head.

"Attacking Shenxiang will inevitably attract the Chu army, and then the country will be in turmoil. The enemy in the north will take advantage of the chaos, and this situation will be difficult to resolve."

Lu Meng rubbed his temples. The situation was far more complicated than he had imagined; a single move could have far-reaching consequences.

If we act rashly and introduce variables from the north into the ban, it would be bad.

Lu Meng's plan was to integrate the resources of the Chu state, form an affiliated army from Chu to serve as cannon fodder, and then expand the territory, minimizing the casualties of the main army.

If the State of Chu were to be dragged directly into the quagmire of war, it would become a hot potato.

"Marshal, I have a plan, but I don't know if it's feasible?" Zhao Yun asked tentatively, looking at Lü Meng who was deep in thought.

"Oh? General Zhao, please tell me quickly!" Lu Meng himself had no clue, but upon hearing Zhao Yun's suggestion, he immediately pulled Zhao Yun down to sit and asked him.

Zhao Yun then revealed all the plans he had come up with on the way.

"It's quite simple. How about establishing contact with the north and dividing the Chu state in two?"

Zhao Yun drew a line on the map, the center of which was precisely at the midpoint between the location of the sacred land of Chu and the location of the capital of Chu.

"Why do you say that?" Lu Meng examined the map, pondering the feasibility of Zhao Yun's plan.

“I observed along the way that the northern part of Chu was dominated by the divine lands, just like the Kushan Yuezhi and Brahmins of that time.”

"The south is relatively more prosperous, and although the people worship gods, it is not as intense as in the north, so it may be more suitable for us."

"We will cooperate to divide the State of Chu in two, leaving the problem of Chu's sacred land to the northern states, using one barbarian force against another!"

Zhao Yun shared all his thoughts in one breath, and Lü Meng stared at the map, lost in thought.

After a moment, he shook his head.

"General Zhao, this plan is excellent!" Lü Meng first affirmed Zhao Yun's idea.

This strategy of dividing and conquering is indeed very tempting.

"But there's one thing the general has overlooked!"

"How can the general guarantee that the northern states will not cooperate with the divine lands of Chu?"

Lu Meng astutely pointed out the biggest problem with Zhao Yun's plan.

That is, they cannot influence the attitude of the divine land of Chu.

"General Zhao, you just mentioned the Kushan Empire. Don't you think the northern countries are more like the Yuezhi?"

“The divine land needs the offerings of the people, while the northern country needs land and taxes. There is no fundamental conflict between them.”

"The real conflict lies between the capital of Chu and the northern states. To put it bluntly, the relationship between Shenxiang in Chu and the capital of Chu is merely one of cooperation, except that Shenxiang holds a dominant position."

Lu Meng shook his head. If the northern states and the divine land of Chu were to cooperate, a conflict between monarchical and divine power would inevitably erupt in the future. But before that, there would certainly be a honeymoon period between the two sides.

Zhao Yun's plan seemed brilliant, but it was just a castle in the air, which made Lü Meng feel somewhat regretful.

It is often said that Zhao Yun was a civil official mixed in with military generals, but judging from Lü Meng's perspective, Zhao Yun was actually a military general at heart.

It's easy to use, but relying on Zhao Yun to come up with ideas is still a bit lacking.

The capital of Chu, the grand residence of the Wu family.

Only the head of the family, Wu Fei, and Wu Zhe were inside the main hall.

"How are General Lü's men being arranged?"

"Reporting to elder brother, everything has been placed in the Wu family's shops. It's just that the weapons are a bit difficult to handle, so they are still stored in the warehouse outside the city!"

Wu Fei was very satisfied with Wu Zhe's arrangements. Although his second brother was somewhat greedy and lustful, he was still capable.

"This matter must be kept confidential. Report any unusual activity to me, understand?"

"Don't worry, brother, I've made all the arrangements!"

Wu Zhe would naturally not be careless in such matters; he had personally dealt with the servants who had accompanied him.

"Yes, well done. Make sure to comfort the families of those servants and don't let the people below lose heart."

Wu Fei nodded and asked curiously:

"You personally visited General Lü's camp. What was your impression?"

"With their strong and well-equipped troops, they are far beyond the reach of the Chu army!" Wu Zhe said decisively.

He then told Wu Fei everything he had seen.

Lu Meng also deliberately showed Wu Zhe the strength of his troops. Regardless of whether the Wu family was loyal or treacherous, Lu Meng did not hesitate to show off his strength.

His concern was only about casualties, not the lack of ability to sweep through.

Wu Fei nodded repeatedly as he listened; both he and his brother were knowledgeable about military affairs.

He naturally understood the vast difference between 200,000 elite troops and 200,000 cannon fodder.

Especially considering that Lü Meng's side had the record of defeating the Chu army with fewer troops in a direct confrontation, Wu Zhe's words at this moment seemed even more credible.

"Great! Great!" Wu Fei was so excited that he couldn't contain himself. He never thought he would have such an opportunity in his lifetime.

"The powerful army from outside the borders is truly extraordinary. This time, our Wu family is about to rise to prominence!"

"Outside the boundary?" This was the first time Wu Zhe had heard such a term from Wu Fei.

"Hehehe, second brother, you don't know this world. There are other worlds beyond this one. I had a special opportunity to travel to the heavens in the past!" Wu Fei said with a smile.

Information is a very valuable asset. Just like in the Milky Way, everyone knows about the existence of the outer heavens, but in this world, very few people know about it.

Wu Fei was well aware that an army of 200,000 could not have been created out of thin air.

No matter which country in the surrounding area, it would be impossible for them to deploy an army of 200,000 men without anyone knowing.

Not to mention, Lü Meng and his group appeared so abruptly, as if they had appeared out of thin air.

Therefore, after a brief investigation, Wu Fei decisively betrayed all of Chu's intelligence in order to gain favor and advance his career.

Wu Fei knew it was a huge gamble, but the potential gains from winning were too great, so he didn't hesitate to bet the entire Wu family on it.

"After you leave, do not mention this to anyone. Closely monitor the royal family's movements and be prepared to provide support!"

"yes, Sir!"

Meanwhile, the scouts who had secretly followed the Wu family's caravan returned to the camp and reported the Wu family's movements to Lü Meng.

The Wu family also sent news that the Chu royal family was assembling an army.

"It seems the Wu family is truly loyal and is gathering their troops to march straight to the Chu capital." Lu Meng was quite satisfied after receiving the news.

The Wu family had an elite force that was recruited by the King of Chu to join the army.

As an inside agent, he sent all the information about the troops assembled in the Chu capital to Lü Meng.

Lu Meng, who had been hesitating about which target to deal with first, naturally stopped hesitating and decided to attack the capital of Chu.

For Lü Meng, whether the Wu family had truly pledged allegiance was no longer important.

The Wu family gave them a reason to attack the capital of Chu, and that was enough.

They had enough power to push forward, and they didn't care what moves the opponent might make.

The army marched off in a grand procession, and its movements were thoroughly known by the villages along the way. This news was then relayed to the Chu royal family via the divine land.

"Who can tell me how these blasphemous people got here!" King Chu roared angrily.

It was already incredible enough that tens of thousands of people had appeared in the heart of the Chu state before, but now an army of two hundred thousand has emerged.

The entire court was deathly silent; no one knew how these people had appeared.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say!" Wu Fei stepped forward.

"Speak!" The King of Chu wearily returned to his throne and waved his hand, signaling Wu Fei to speak.

"At this juncture, discussing how the enemy appeared is no longer important. The most urgent task is to rally the surrounding people, clear the fields and fortify the walls, and conscript soldiers from all families to resist the enemy's attack on the city!"

Wu Fei calmly analyzed the current situation, appearing as if he were sharing the King of Chu's worries.

"You are right, my dear minister!" The King of Chu also withdrew from his anger and began to face the cruel reality.

"Tell me, how should we deal with the enemy?"

“Your Majesty, the only course of action now is to offer sacrifices to the heavens and pray to the gods for their protection!” another nobleman stepped forward and reported.

Upon hearing this, the King of Chu's anger flared even more. He knew without even thinking what the gods would ask for.

The Chu royal family had spent so many years barely managing to break free of their shackles and gain a moment's respite, and now they were to willingly hand over the ropes to the gods. How could he possibly accept this?

But he also knew in his heart that without the gods, they probably couldn't win.

Ma Xige has already reported the situation, and the King of Chu knows how powerful the enemy is.

The military strength of the Chu state was not particularly strong, and it relied to a large extent on the blessings of the gods.

This was a hidden danger that was sown at the very beginning of the establishment of the State of Chu, and it was also the foundation upon which the State of Chu was built.

"Your Majesty!" Wu Fei raised his voice.

"Compared to the matter of offering sacrifices to Heaven, the most urgent task is to prepare for the city's defenses!"

The King of Chu nodded. The matter of offering sacrifices to Heaven was unavoidable, but the more troops they had, the more room they would have to negotiate with the gods.

"My dear minister, I entrust this matter to you. Ma Xige will assist you!"

"Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

Wu Fei tried hard to suppress the corners of his mouth. He had jumped out in such a hurry just for this.

The more they do, the more they will receive in the future. (End of Chapter)