Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

Chapter 129 Your Highness, the sky has fallen!!!

After a long while, Mu Changtian and Qin Yushan in the study finally came to their senses. Both of them were shocked by Lu Chen's ambition.

However, Qin Yushan quickly calmed down. After all, in his eyes, Lu Chen was the chosen one who would one day unify the entire continent.

But Mu Changtian was different. Although he had thought that Lu Chen’s ambition was to unify the world, he did not include the North in his understanding of the world.

Even the barbarians didn't know how big the Northern Lands were, yet Lu Chen actually wanted to include them in his fiefdom.

If Lu Chen really did that, then the land area he owns would be larger than all the land in the entire Great Xia Dynasty except for the Northern Prefecture.

If a vassal king owns more land than an emperor, can he still be a vassal king?

Of course, that's not the key point. The key point is whether we can actually possess the North.

Simply drawing a circle on a map and claiming that the North belongs to the Northern King is not enough.

The barbarians won't recognize your map.

At this point, Mu Changtian tentatively asked, "Your Highness, if you intend to make the Northern Lands your fiefdom, how will you defend against barbarian invasions?"

"Are you planning to build a Great Wall in the north?"

Lu Chen retorted, "Barbarians? What barbarians?"

Upon hearing Lu Chen's question, Mu Changtian was momentarily stunned.

There are several barbarian tribes in the North, and the Northern King is well aware of this. Moreover, the Sirius King's court is also in the North. Why would the Northern King ask him about barbarians?

Lu Chen then continued, "There are no barbarians here, they are all my subjects."

This……

Lu Chen glanced at the map of the North and continued, "No matter how magnificent or sturdy the Great Wall is, it cannot stop enemies from within."

"The Great Wall that I want to build is not an external Great Wall, but a Great Wall in the heart, a Great Wall built in the hearts of the enemy. One day, I will make the enemy unconsciously retreat and dare not take a step forward when they think that the land ahead is my territory."

Both Mu Changtian and Qin Yushan were taken aback by Lu Chen's words.

Lu Chen had a strong desire for the land in the North. Not to mention that the North could be used as a livestock farm to raise horses, cattle and sheep for their Northern County, such a large piece of land in the North must also have abundant resources.

For example, coal, oil, and various metal ores.

These things may not be used or discovered yet, but the larger the area, the more likely it is to have, and it will be able to use these resources sooner or later.

The key issue is that the northern lands are currently inhabited only by barbarians, and these barbarians are not the masters of the northern lands.

The North could be considered a no-man's-land.

Even the Dayue Dynasty did not include the northern lands in their territory.

Lu Chen remembered that the system had once reminded him that as the number of children he had increased, the rewards he would receive would become increasingly abundant.

Although there are many resources that cannot be explored or mined at present, as the system provides him with more and more rewards, he will eventually be able to find a way to mine those resources.

In short, the larger the territory, the more resources are likely to be available; prioritize securing the land first.

As for how to deal with the barbarians in the north, Lu Chen's idea was simple.

Population can also be considered a resource.

After a long while, Mu Changtian finally came to his senses from what Lu Chen had just said.

He immediately clasped his hands and said, "Your Highness has lofty ambitions. I am willing to be the sword in Your Highness's hand, and wherever the sword points, the army will advance. I am willing to build a Great Wall that the enemy can never cross!"

Lu Chen coughed and then said, "I have already felt General Mu's loyalty. Let's get down to business."

Lu Chen then said to Qin Yushan, "Commander Qin, you lead the Embroidered Uniform Guard to continue gathering intelligence on the Heavenly Wolf King's court. You must keep track of their movements at all times."

Qin Yushan replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

After thinking for a moment, Lu Chen said, "Let's go see Xiao Pengtian first. I happen to have something I want to say to him."

Upon hearing this, Mu Changtian and Qin Yushan immediately led Lu Chen to the prison in Yancheng where prisoners were held.

At this moment, Xiao Pengtian sat on the ground, disheveled and listless. His martial arts had been sealed by the Imperial Guards with medicine, and he was now just like an ordinary person.

Xiao Pengtian's cell was relatively clean, with a bed and blankets, unlike other cells which were dirty and messy.

Upon hearing the door open, Xiao Pengtian realized someone had arrived and looked up at the person outside the cell.

Upon seeing that the newcomer was a young man dressed in a brocade robe with a python dragon design and a white jade belt, Xiao Pengtian instantly guessed the man's identity.

Xiao Pengtian gave a bitter smile and said, "Everyone says that the Northern King is a mere child, lecherous and incompetent, a coward who is afraid of death. I never expected that in the end, it was this child who led a mere tens of thousands of soldiers from the Northern County to wipe out our Heavenly Wolf King's army of 300,000."

Lu Chen said, "To my face, you call me a mere child? Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

Xiao Pengtian said nonchalantly, "What difference is there between me now and being dead?"

Xiao Pengtian thought his skills had been ruined and he was now a useless person. Moreover, the 300,000-strong army of the Tianlang King tribe had been wiped out by the Northern King, and he had no face to return to the Tianlang King tribe.

Xiao Pengtian continued, "I wonder what the Northern King wants to get out of me by coming to such a filthy place to see me?"

Lu Chen smiled faintly, then said, "I probably know more about your Sirius King tribe than you do. What do you think I need to find out from you?"

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, a certain figure instantly flashed into Xiao Pengtian's mind.

At first, he didn't think much of it, believing that Wu Yuan was just secretly hiding money, but now he basically understands what's going on.

The erroneous intelligence they gathered about the Northern King mostly came from Wu Yuan's caravan, which led to a serious misjudgment of the Northern Commandery.

If they had known that Beijun had around 50,000 heavy cavalry, they would never have dared to rush directly to Yancheng. Even without that mysterious weapon that could explode, those 50,000 heavy cavalry would have been enough to confront their 300,000-strong army head-on.

In this situation, even if they conquered Beijun, their Tianlang King tribe would suffer heavy losses. Although they wanted Beijun, they would never make such a great sacrifice for a piece of land.

Xiao Pengtian chuckled and said, "Could it be that the Northern King came here specifically to see my miserable state and have a good laugh?"

Lu Chen said, "I have no such hobby."

"I have come here to make a deal with you."

Xiao Pengtian frowned.

"A deal? What deal?"

Lu Chen asked directly, "Do you want to be the Sirius King?"

Upon hearing Lu Chen's question, Xiao Pengtian seemed to understand something. He then sneered and said, "Does the Northern King think I would betray the Sirius King's tribe to survive? Ridiculous! As a warrior of the barbarians, I will only die standing, not live on my knees!"

Lu Chen wasn't surprised at all by Xiao Pengtian's answer. He said calmly, "It's indeed easier to die, but have you considered what would happen to the 100,000 barbarian prisoners if you died? What would happen to your wife and children in the Sky Wolf King tribe?"

"If the Sirius King tribe didn't have these 100,000 barbarian men, it would probably only have some old, weak, sick and disabled left. It's hard to say whether the Sirius King tribe would still exist in ten years."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Pengtian's mind went blank.

At that moment, familiar figures flashed through his mind.

If he and the 100,000 barbarian prisoners were to die, the Sirius King's tribe would truly have no men left.

Don't be fooled by the fact that they have assembled a massive army of 300,000 barbarians. In reality, apart from the Northern Xian King's soldiers, the Tianlang King tribe has gathered almost every barbarian man capable of fighting to form this army of 300,000.

Their southward journey was essentially a gamble. In the eyes of the Sirius King's tribe, if they conquered the Northern Prefecture, according to the Queen's plan, their tribe would no longer have to live a nomadic life, they would have an endless supply of food, and they would no longer have to worry about hunger or cold.

Therefore, almost everyone was extremely enthusiastic about moving south.

They originally thought that with the powerful families of Great Xia and the Eighth Prince restraining the court, taking over Beijun would be an easy task, but the result was unexpected.

Moreover, without men, the Sirius King tribe will likely have an even harder time this winter.

The Northland is vast, and it has more than one Sirius King tribe.

Without men, other tribes would inevitably raid the Sirius King's tribe every winter.

Especially the tribe of the Northern Xian King.

The Northern King was too old to follow them south, and he is still alive.

The Northern Xian King has always coveted Xiao Wenyao's beauty. If he were to learn that the Heavenly Wolf King's 300,000-strong army was gone, he would likely lead the Northern Xian tribe's soldiers directly to the Heavenly Wolf King's court.

At that time, not only Xiao Wenyao, but even the princess will probably be captured by the Northern Xian King.

If the Sirius King tribe loses its queen, then the Sirius King tribe is truly doomed.

Thinking about this, Xiao Pengtian's expression kept changing. Lu Chen could tell that Xiao Pengtian was struggling with his inner conflict.

After a long pause, Xiao Pengtian asked, "If I agree to cooperate with you, will you release those 100,000 barbarian soldiers?"

Lu Chen immediately said, "That's impossible."

Xiao Pengtian sneered, "Then why is the Northern King telling me all this? Is he just making fun of me?"

Lu Chen continued, "I do not intend to release those 100,000 prisoners so easily. However, I can relocate the entire Sirius King tribe to the Northern Prefecture. Furthermore, if any of these 100,000 prisoners behave well, the Northern King can allow them to reunite with their families."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Pengtian was taken aback.

What was the biggest objective of the Sirius King tribe in attacking the North County this time?

It's all about occupying the land of North County.

They moved to North County to settle down.

If what the Northern King said is true, and if he really thinks that way, then even if he cooperates with the Northern King and becomes a traitor to the Sirius King tribe, Xiao Pengtian wouldn't feel anything.

It's better than them starving and freezing to death on the grasslands, or being plundered by the Northern Xian King.

Xiao Pengtian asked, "How can I be sure you're not trying to lure the Sirius King's tribe to the Northern Prefecture so you can wipe them out completely?"

"It seems that what you Great Xia people like to do most is to nip the weeds in the bud."

Lu Chen had anticipated Xiao Pengtian's concerns, so he said directly, "Even if you disagree with cooperating with us, I can easily find the location of the Heavenly Wolf King's royal court. General Xiao, you must have heard of Wu Yuan, right?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Pengtian's face darkened, and he said coldly, "He really is one of yours! I should have just chopped him down with an axe!"

Lu Chen said, "General Xiao, don't you think it's pointless to say all this?"

Xiao Pengtian fell silent and did not speak further.

Seeing that he had said enough, Lu Chen turned around and said, "General Xiao, you can think it over again. I have plenty of time. When you have made up your mind, just have someone tell me. Also, I would like to remind General Xiao that winter is coming soon, and your tribe does not have much time left."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Chen turned and left the cell.

……

at the same time.

The northern lands, the royal court of the Sirius King.

The beautiful woman, Yelü Nanyan, lay half-reclined on the couch, looking very languid. She sighed softly and said, "As expected, even with a couch in the tent, it's not as comfortable as the beds of the Great Xia people."

"Alas, I wonder if His Majesty has conquered Beijun yet."

Just then, Xiao Wenyao lifted the tent flap and came in, saying, "Your Highness, do you have any news about my father and the others?"

Xiao Wenyao was already planning how to escape to Daxia. As soon as Beijun was captured, she would go to Daxia immediately and never return to Beidi.

She was prepared to endure hardship; even if she suffered in Daxia, she would rather not marry the Northern Xian King, that filthy old man who never bathed.

Yelü Nanyan replied, "There's no news yet, but it should be soon."

Yelü Nanyan recalled their deal with the Eighth Prince. To prevent the powerful families within the Great Xia territory from rebelling, the Xia Emperor would probably not send too many soldiers north. In that case, the 300,000-strong army led by the Heavenly Wolf King would easily conquer the entire Northern Prefecture.

Just then, a man's voice suddenly came from outside the tent.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened!!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Yuan, with disheveled hair, entered the tent, knelt on the ground, and cried out, "Your Highness, the sky has fallen!!!"

Seeing Wu Yuan's appearance, Yelü Nanyan immediately had a bad feeling. She frowned slightly and quickly asked, "Wu Yuan, what happened?"

With tears streaming down his face, Wu Yuan reported in a sobbing voice: "Our caravan originally planned to go to Yancheng to receive the King's spoils of war, but we have heard that the King's army of 300,000 has been defeated by the Northern King. The King died in battle under the walls of Yancheng, 200,000 soldiers were killed, and another 100,000 soldiers have been captured by the Northern King!!!"

Upon hearing Wu Yuan's report, Yelü Nanyan and Xiao Wenyao were greatly shocked. Their faces turned deathly pale, devoid of any color.

Yelü Nanyan collapsed onto the couch, her delicate hands trembling uncontrollably, muttering to herself, "How...how could this be..."

(End of this chapter)