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

Chapter 64 That's an army of 300,000!

As night fell, Lu Chen stayed in his study, repeatedly examining the map of the Great Xia, especially the terrain of the Northern Prefecture.

Although the map was hand-drawn by the soldiers, it still has some reference value.

Lu Chen was thinking that the best way to maximize the effectiveness of the howitzer was to lure all 300,000 barbarian cavalry into narrow terrain.

Then we'll tie up their sacks, and the barbarian cavalry won't be able to escape.

Of course, his current plan is just theoretical; its practical implementation will certainly be extremely difficult.

For example, whether the barbarians will be fooled or follow their thinking depends on the barbarian general.

Just then, there was a knock on the study door.

"Chen'er, may I come in?"

Hearing that it was Chu Yuqin's voice, Lu Chen said absentmindedly, "Okay, come in."

Chu Yuqin then entered the study and saw that Lu Chen's eyes were fixed on the map on the desk. In addition, Lu Chen had locked himself in the study after meeting Qin Yushan. Chu Yuqin knew that some major crisis must be coming.

Chu Yuqin asked worriedly, "Chen'er, what happened?"

Chu Yuqin was not an outsider, and Lu Chen had no intention of hiding anything from her, so he replied, "The barbarian royal court has issued a summons, preparing to gather an army of 300,000 to march south, occupy Beijun, and then establish a kingdom in Beijun, with Yancheng as their capital."

Upon hearing this, Chu Yuqin's mind went blank for a moment.

In this world, large-scale wars cannot be controlled by a grandmaster or a few powerful individuals.

If 300,000 cavalry were to march south, the small number of people in Beijun would certainly not be able to hold out. No wonder Lu Chen had lost his appetite and stayed in his study all night.

Chu Yuqin then asked, "Chen'er, is the information accurate?"

Lu Chen nodded. "This is intelligence sent back by the Embroidered Uniform Guard from the grasslands."

Chu Yuqin fell silent.

She couldn't even protect Lu Chen when the Blood Moon Tower sent assassins to kill him, let alone protect the royal palace amidst 300,000 cavalry.

Chu Yuqin also understood that this was clearly not something she could interfere with.

Lu Chen then said, "Aunt Chu, I plan to transfer Zi Xuan and the others to Anping City, and then I will lead 30,000 troops to fight a decisive battle against the barbarian cavalry in Yancheng."

Anping City is also a city in Beijun, but it is located further south.

If Beijun really falls, Mu Zixuan and the others will be able to leave Beijun and return to the capital as soon as possible.

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, Chu Yuqin was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "Chen'er, you absolutely mustn't!"

"That's 300,000 cavalry!"

"How could the 30,000 soldiers of the Northern Commandery possibly be a match for barbarian cavalry!"

Although Chu Yuqin had never been on the battlefield, she knew that the barbarian cavalry numbered 300,000—that was a real 300,000 cavalrymen.

Normally, when the Great Xia Dynasty or other dynasties waged war against foreign powers, they would claim to have hundreds of thousands or even millions of troops.

However, these so-called hundreds of thousands or even millions of troops are largely misrepresented. Logistics account for the majority of the army's expenses, and the actual number of soldiers available for combat may not even be half of that.

But barbarian soldiers are different. Every one of their cavalrymen is capable of fighting. If they claim to have 300,000 cavalrymen, then it is equivalent to them having 300,000 actual combat soldiers.

Chu Yuqin simply couldn't imagine how Lu Chen would defend the 30,000 soldiers of Beijun if the barbarian cavalry were to besiege the city!

Seeing Chu Yuqin's flustered state, Lu Chen revealed a confident smile, "Aunt Chu, have you forgotten that I have a destiny with immortals?"

Chu Yuqin didn't breathe a sigh of relief at Lu Chen's words. She continued, "Chen'er, Auntie knows you have a destiny for immortality, but with your current strength, you can't withstand an army of 300,000."

"Moreover, there must be many Grandmasters among the barbarian army, and even some Great Grandmasters."

Lu Chen said calmly, "What I mean is that I possess even more terrifying weapons."

This……

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, Chu Yuqin suddenly remembered the mysterious weapons that Lu Chen had used in the past.

If Lu Chen possesses a large number of those weapons, or if the Prince's Mansion can manufacture similar weapons, then it's not impossible for 30,000 to defeat 300,000.

Chu Yuqin asked curiously, "Chen'er, can the weapon you're talking about really withstand the charge of the barbarian cavalry?"

Looking at the map, Lu Chen didn't directly answer Chu Yuqin's question, but instead asked, "Aunt Chu, do you know what I'm most worried about right now?"

Chu Yuqin glanced down at the map but remained silent.

Since Lu Chen has already said that he will lead 30,000 soldiers to confront the barbarian 300,000 cavalry head-on, Lu Chen is naturally not worried about the barbarian army besieging the city.

If Lu Chen wasn't worried even when the barbarian army was at the city gates, Chu Yuqin couldn't think of anything else Lu Chen should worry about.

Lu Chen continued, "What I'm worried about is that the barbarian cavalry will escape, and we won't be able to completely contain these 300,000 barbarian cavalry."

Chu Yuqin: "...???"

Hearing Lu Chen's words, Chu Yuqin suddenly felt like her mind was going blank.

Not only do they want to resist the southward advance of these 300,000 barbarian cavalry, but they also want to completely defeat these 300,000 cavalry and leave them all behind.

If anyone were to hear this, they would probably think that the Northern King had lost his mind after hearing the news that the barbarians were about to invade the south.

That's an army of 300,000!

Moreover, they were cavalry. Leaving aside whether we could defeat these 300,000 cavalry, trying to capture them was nothing short of a pipe dream.

At this moment, Chu Yuqin sighed and said, "Chen'er, I'm just a woman, and I don't know much about war. I only hope that you can be safe and sound."

Lu Chen looked up at Chu Yuqin, whose eyebrows were slightly furrowed and whose face was full of anxiety, and said with a smile, "Aunt Chu, don't worry. If we are really no match for the barbarians, I will find a way to escape."

"For me, escaping the barbarian encirclement is not too difficult."

Chu Yuqin asked, "So when do you plan to send Zixuan and the others to Anping City?"

Lu Chen said, "The sooner the better, I need to prepare in advance."

At this moment, Lu Chen looked into Chu Yuqin's eyes and continued, "Aunt Chu, I hope you can leave with Zixuan and the others and help me protect them."

Chu Yuqin did not refuse Lu Chen's request this time, because she knew that she could not play a significant role in such a large-scale war.

"Alright, if Beijun really falls, Auntie will take Zixuan and the others back to the capital. You can focus on fighting the barbarians in Yancheng."

Seeing that Chu Yuqin had agreed, Lu Chen felt one less worry.

Just then, the voice of a maid rang out from the doorway.

"Your Highness, an urgent message from the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Lu Chen said, "Come in."

The maid then entered the study and handed the letter to Lu Chen. Lu Chen opened it, glanced at it, and muttered to himself, "It seems that before we can fight against the barbarian army's southward advance, we still need to resolve a few minor troubles."

(End of this chapter)