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Chapter 345: 193: Five Thunder Enters the Door_3

But the situation didn’t seem to have improved.

Although the Miao people’s exploitation was gone, the imperial levies followed closely.

This year, due to the conscription of too many civilian workers in Hengyang Prefecture, the grain production of summer and autumn was greatly reduced. There was not only insufficient grain supply for the army, but even feeding their own families had become a problem.

Under such circumstances, Lu Yuan couldn’t continue to exploit the people either.

After all, they had sent 80,000 people to help him in the war, providing grain and money in the process, doing everything they could.

To levy grain and taxes on them now would be driving the people of Hengyang Prefecture to their deaths.

Lu Yuan now regarded Dongting County as his own territory, and the people of Hengyang Prefecture would be his people in the future too.

Driving people to death now would only give him a mess to deal with when he took over. It would also provoke the resentment of the local people, making his rule unstable.

He would, of course, not do such a thankless task.

But the dilemma was that the army still needed food.

To feed over a hundred thousand people, the imperial court could supply a portion, but most of it still needed Lu Yuan to figure it out.

Fortunately, over the past two years, he had continuously bought grain from other prefectures, and through several purchases in Luyang Prefecture and Yangshan Prefecture had already stored more than a million Shi of grain.

In addition to that produced by Luyang Prefecture, it was barely enough for the use of his army.

However, transporting it from Luyang Prefecture and Yangshan Prefecture over long distances caused great losses.

So, it was better to use locally sourced grain than to go through long-distance transportation.

As a result, the people of Shaoyang Prefecture and Wuling Prefecture were the ones who had to suffer.

But, fortunately, this kind of hardship would not last too long and wouldn’t really drive people to death.

On this day.

Zhou Qing hurried back from Wuling County and arrived at the barracks outside Fu City. After meeting Lu Yuan, he brought some news.

“The Five Poisons Sect wants to make peace with me?”

Lu Yuan was astonished to hear the news his disciple had brought back.

“Yes. In Qianling County, the Five Poisons Sect sent people to send a message, tentatively asking for peace.” Zhou Qing nodded and continued, “They offered the condition to leave only Qianling County as a place for the Miao people to live.

In return, they were willing to offer money and grain to the imperial court and even provide soldiers, sending the Miao people to fight for us.”

Upon hearing these conditions, Lu Yuan could not help but sneer: “Now the Five Poisons Sect is like a trapped fish in a jar, a corpse in a tomb. If I were to eliminate them, wouldn’t all their promises be mine?

Why would I need them for tribute and supply of soldiers when I can collect levies and taxes myself for even more?”

“Do they think I would agree to keep such a hidden threat and maintain a state within a state in Wuling Prefecture?”

No matter how submissive the Five Poisons Sect might sound now, offering money and soldiers like a vassal, the grudges between the two parties have long been as deep as the sea, impossible to wash away.

Lu Yuan didn’t believe the other party would submit willingly and serve him wholeheartedly.

The reason they were submitting now, too, was only because of having exhausted their strength and only to gain some time to recover their strength.

How could he fall for such an obvious plot?

As the saying goes, “Take advantage of one’s sickness and seek one’s life.”

Taking advantage of the Five Poisons Sect’s weakest moment to destroy them was the only correct choice.

But, the Five Poisons Sect must have considered this too.

Zhou Qing then said, “The Five Poisons Sect is indeed calculating to their advantage. But in their hands, there is still an Inborn Grandmaster. The messenger from the Five Poisons Sect said to me:

If we do not agree to make peace, even if their sect can be destroyed and their people wiped out,

Lan Cai’er, the Saintess of the Five Poisons Sect, will escape into Jianghu and target us exclusively for assassination and sneak attacks from then on.”

“So whether it’s war or peace, let us think it through.”

Zhou Qing couldn’t help but smile bitterly when he said this.

Even Lu Yuan’s expression changed slightly.

It had to be said that the Five Poisons Sect had hit his weak spot with this tactic.

Although Lu Yuan was now an Inborn Grandmaster and no longer feared Lan Cai’er of the Five Poisons Sect,

she might not be able to do anything to him personally, but she could hurt the soldiers and officers under his command.

A single Inborn Grandmaster, as long as they were willing to stoop to carrying out assassinations and sneak attacks, could cause destruction beyond imagination.

All Lan Cai’er had to do was kill a county officer one day, then another county the next day, and within a year all the officers under Lu Yuan’s command would be wiped out.

Similarly, if she killed a hundred of Lu Yuan’s soldiers today and another hundred tomorrow, the army would eventually crumble within a year or two.

This kind of bottomless destructive tactic, combined with the martial prowess of an Inborn Grandmaster, would be as intimidating as a walking nuclear bomb, causing great anxiety once detonated once or twice.

Previously, the Inborn Grandmasters of various forces had families and businesses under them, so they were wary of each other and dared not engage in such bottomless acts.

But now the impending doom of the Five Poisons Sect and the threat of annihilation for the Miao people,

had clearly driven them to desperation.

So, they used Lan Cai’er, their Saintess, to threaten Lu Yuan.

But, once this tactic was employed, it really hit his weak spot.

After a long grim silence, Lu Yuan reconsidered his options and felt that his chances of successfully hunting down an Inborn Grandmaster were still too low.

Finally, he raised his head and said, “I can talk about making peace with the Five Poisons Sect. But their conditions are too low, and without any guarantee, how can I believe they really want peace and are not trying to deceive me?

So, if they want to negotiate and make peace, it’s possible.

But to show sincerity, let the leader of the Five Poisons Sect come and talk to me personally. I’ll be waiting for him here.”

Lu Yuan laid out his conditions.

He wanted Lan Zhao Yun to come over and talk to him personally.

As for Lan Cai’er, he didn’t mention her name.

It was clear that now that she had issued the fierce threat, this nuclear deterrent would not be placed in front of him, giving him the opportunity to take advantage of the situation and eliminate her.

“Alright, after I return, I will immediately contact the Five Poisons Sect and inform Master of the conditions.” Zhou Qing nodded and agreed decisively.