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Chapter 359: 198: The Tripartite Alliance_2

By the time the kingdom is truly established, whether the current 100,000 soldiers would be enough is still a question.

Thus, reducing the army and saving expenses is fundamentally impossible.

If Lu Yuan wanted to maintain rule in Dongting Prefecture, he must have an army of over 100,000 troops in place to suppress internal strife and fend off external enemies.

However, to do so, he could not rely on himself and needed help from outsiders.

These outsiders are naturally the two allies right in front of him.

“General Lu, rest assured, as we’re allies, if our countries are established in the future, we will support each other. As a general, you will need supplies and funding, and we will provide assistance.”

In response to Lu Yuan’s request, Yan Wangqiu agreed very readily.

“That’s right. As a general, you shield us from the north by blocking Zhou and Yue, and we won’t hesitate to help you,” said Su Xuange, clarifying his stance at this moment.

These two leaders knew very well that the most crucial part of this alliance was Lu Yuan.

Without Lu Yuan holding the line in the north to separate Zhou Country from the royal court, they wouldn’t stand a chance against the hundreds of thousands of troops descending from the north.

Thus, Lu Yuan must not fall, especially without his tens of thousands of troops as a barrier.

Without this barrier, the two of them, even if they established countries, would not last long.

It might not be long before their countries are destroyed.

Rather than face the consequences of a destroyed state, it was better to spend some money and food to let Lu Yuan block the threat from the Zhou Country and the royal court.

As for how Lu Yuan would grow his strength with their money and food?

Both of them were confident that by controlling the money and food, they would control Lu Yuan’s lifeline. As long as they held this lifeline, they didn’t have to worry about Lu Yuan turning against and swallowing them up.

With their combined forces, having two Prefectures against one, weren’t they afraid they wouldn’t win?

In this way, the three parties checked and balanced each other, while working together to handle most crises.

“With both of your assurances, I can rest at ease,” said Lu Yuan, smiling as they both made their positions clear.

After setting the tone, the three discussed how much aid they would provide to Lu Yuan after the founding of the country.

Eventually, they reached an agreement.

Lu Yuan would need six million silver tales every year to support his 100,000 soldiers, and would consume approximately five million tons of grain.

Yan Wangqiu would contribute three million silver tales and three million tons of grain. Su Xuange would provide two million silver tales and one million tons of grain. The remaining one million silver tales and one million tons of grain would be provided by Lu Yuan himself.

It was clear from the division that Yan Wangqiu bore the most responsibility, followed by Su Xuange, with Lu Yuan contributing the least.

The reason for this allocation was the wealth of the territories they occupied.

South Sea Prefecture was the richest, with convenient sea trade and prosperous businesses. Plus, it has a vast plain as a major grain-producing area, so there were many households and over 3.7 million people.

This single Prefecture was worth as much as the combined territories of Dongting and Yulin.

As such, it was only natural that Yan Wangqiu, who had the most significant advantages, took on the most responsibility.

Otherwise, Lu Yuan and Su Xuange would be working for him for free.

Having the worst territory, the smallest population, and facing the harshest situation, Lu Yuan needed the least support.

With the distribution of benefits settled, the trio discussed how to deal with the royal court.

For example, if the court disagreed with their demands, how would they respond?

After some discussion, they reached a conclusion.

If the court were indeed hostile, then Su Xuange would lead his troops north to attack Linhai County. Yan Wangqiu would mobilize his forces to the west and south, attacking Yulin County and Jiuzhen County. Meanwhile, Lu Yuan would command his troops to the east, attacking Yuzhang Prefecture.

In this way, they would act on three fronts simultaneously, echoing each other’s movements.

However, by that time, whatever territory each side could seize would be dependent on their individual abilities.

With their faces torn with the court, there was no need to limit themselves to just three Prefectures.

When the time came, they would take what they could seize.

“Since there’s no disagreement, let us drink blood as a pledge here and now!”

With every oath negotiated, Lu Yuan used his power to extract a few drops of blood, which he dropped into three wine cups that had been prepared. Lifting one up, he said, “From now on, the three of us will face the Da Yue court and Zhou together. We will advance or retreat as one, share hardships, and support each other as allies.

If we break this oath, we shall be punished by heaven and man alike!”

Yan Wangqiu and Su Xuange also dripped blood into their own cups, and together they said, “If we break this oath, we shall be punished by heaven and man alike!”

Having said this, the three drank and smashed their cups, then looked at each other and laughed heartily.

The alliance of the three nations was thus formed.

Following the establishment of the alliance, the relationship between the three men, Lu Yuan, Yan Wangqiu, and Su Xuange, quickly deepened.

They all understood that a close personal relationship among the three families would be essential for their mutual support in the future.

So they took advantage of this opportunity to strengthen their friendship as much as possible.

Within a few days, they started calling each other brothers. Although they hadn’t sworn their allegiance yet, at least on the surface, their relationship was undoubtedly like that of the closest friends.

At this time, after grinding at the Five Poisons sect for several months, they finally loosened their grip.

Lan Zhaoyun, the leader of the Five Poisons sect, finally bowed his head and sent a message that he was willing to come to Shaoyang Prefecture City to pay his respects.

Satisfied, Lu Yuan agreed to receive him.

The two parties then agreed to meet at the Shaoyang City barracks on the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month.

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the meeting arrived.

On that day, Lu Yuan called Yan and Su to assemble their troops outside Shaoyang City, making a grand display of martial prowess.