Chapter 80

Chapter 79

The State of Chu officially declared war on Wei, a matter of no small consequence.

It cannot be denied that, in recent years, the Great Wei and Chu were not entirely at peace. However, the localized conflict in the Ying River region was merely the independent decision of the Lord of Yangcheng, Xiong Tuo, and did not represent the entire State of Chu's attitude toward Wei.

After all, according to information gathered by spies within Chu, the State of Chu still regarded the eastern State of Qi as its most formidable enemy. The humiliation of the joint attack by Qi, Lu, and Song on Chu was deeply felt, leading to the Lord of Yangcheng, Xiong Tuo, later joining forces with the Wei Emperor to destroy the State of Song.

If the enmity between Chu and Wei was largely confined to the hatred between the Lord of Yangcheng, Xiong Tuo, and the Wei Emperor, then for the entire State of Chu, Qi was the sworn enemy. The coalition led by Qi had almost forced the Chu King to relocate the capital, a humiliation that could not be easily forgotten.

However, Wei was a powerful state with four commanderies. If it could be possible to carve out a piece of this rich land, Chu would not refuse.

After all, Wei, Song, Lu, and Qi were the four states bordering Chu. Song had already been destroyed, and Lu, a medium-sized state, had always been a vassal and ally of Qi. Once a war broke out, Chu would face a coalition of Qi and Lu.

In comparison, the current strength of Wei was not as great as that of Qi and Lu, making it a relatively easier target for Chu's northern expansion.

After all, the strategy of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones meant that if Chu wanted to expand its territory, it could only target Wei or Qi.

Now, although the exact details were unclear, the fact that the Chu envoy's convoy was attacked in the heart of Wei provided many high-ranking officials in Chu, who favored expansion, with a pretext for attacking Wei.

In a state like Chu, where the nobility controlled the country's fate, the will of the nobility was paramount. When the Chu King declared war on Wei, the massive war machine immediately began to operate. Many nobles like the Lord of Yangcheng, Xiong Tuo, gathered their forces south of the Ying River and launched an offensive against Wei.

Since this was a full-scale war between Chu and Wei, it could not be confined to one region. According to information from the Wei Ministry of War, Chu's offensive against Wei could be divided into two fronts.

First, the Ying River front, including the Wei Great Wall from Yangdi to the Wei Fen Pass and Xing Mountain, extending east to the confluence of the Ying River's tributaries in the Chen region. This vast border area would become a battlefield.

Second, the Wei Song Commandery front, where another noble, the Lord of Guling, Xiong Wu, launched an attack on the Song Commandery, which Wei had gained by destroying Song, aiming to incorporate this lost territory into Chu.

As for the Lord of Luyang, Xiong Sheng, deploying heavy troops on the Lu-Qi border, it was merely to prevent Qi and Lu from taking advantage of Chu's declaration of war on Wei to attack Chu.

Engaging in war with both Wei and Qi was feasible for Chu, but even so, the Chu people would not be foolish enough to face two powerful enemies simultaneously. As long as the King of Qi remained a bystander, the heavy troops deployed by the Lord of Luyang, Xiong Sheng, on the border would be mere show.

One urgent military report after another was sent to the capital of Wei, Daliang, almost without pause.

Despite the Wei border troops' desperate defense of the Yangdi-Wei Fen Pass-Xing Mountain border, the Lord of Yangcheng, Xiong Tuo, used boats to bypass Wei's strongholds, crossing the Ying River and bringing the war into Wei's territory.

Changping and Chenling fell one after another, and further north was Yanling, the heartland of Wei. If Yanling fell, it would mean that Wei had lost the geographical advantage of the Ying River.

On the other front, the Lord of Guling, Xiong Wu, also launched an attack on the Song Commandery, breaking through Xinning and Huacheng. The only consolation was that the important city of Suiyang remained in Wei's hands, like a nail firmly planted in front of the Lord of Guling, Xiong Wu, causing him to hesitate: should he invest a large amount of effort to capture Suiyang, or bypass it and directly attack the heartland of the Song Commandery?

But regardless, the current situation was extremely unfavorable for Wei.

After all, Chu was a vast and powerful state that could afford to ignore Qi's attitude, but Wei had to consider its northern rival, Han, and whether it would take advantage of Chu's attack on Wei to seize the Shangdang Commandery in northern Hebei.

The news spread, and the entire capital of Daliang was in turmoil. It was unclear whether it was Chu's spies or ambitious individuals within Wei who spread the rumor that Chu's army was about to reach Daliang, causing panic among the people, including the ministers.

Although the Wei Emperor promptly banned the spread of rumors within the city and ordered the Ministry of Justice to investigate the source, it did little to stop the rumors.

Now, discussing who attacked the Chu envoy's convoy was meaningless. What needed to be considered was how to face Chu's attack: to fight or not to fight?

For this reason, the Wei Emperor once again summoned the ministers who had participated in the previous discussion to the Chui Gong Hall.

Some might find such discussions ridiculous, thinking that since Chu had already invaded, they should fight. Of course, they should!

But in reality, this was not a decision to be made lightly.

After all, Wei's territory was only about a quarter of Chu's, and the size of the territory determined the population and the available troops.

Chu's vast territory was four times that of Wei, and its total army was several times larger. Therefore, Chu could easily deploy over 200,000 troops to fight Wei without concern for the number of casualties. However, Wei could not afford to lose too many soldiers, as the northern rival, Han, would take advantage of the situation.

What a miscalculation...

Sitting on the dragon throne, the Wei Emperor rubbed his forehead wearily.

He had originally intended to improve relations with Chu through the marriage of Princess Yulong, reducing the threat from people like the Lord of Yangcheng, Xiong Tuo. However, this move instead provided an opportunity for others.

Watching the ministers argue in the hall, the Wei Emperor felt very frustrated.

To be honest, the Wei Emperor did not want to engage in a war with the vast and populous Chu. Even if Chu lost tens of thousands of soldiers in a year of war, it would not be fatal, but for Wei, such a loss would be catastrophic.

If Han joined the conflict, the situation could lead to the downfall of Wei.

"Stop arguing!" The Wei Emperor, frustrated, shouted to stop the ministers' quarrel. After a deep breath, he said solemnly, "I have summoned you to discuss a strategy, not to argue incessantly!... Li Yu, as the Minister of War, you speak first!"

"Yes." The Minister of War, Li Yu, knelt and bowed to the emperor, then said solemnly, "I believe that our Great Wei does not have the national strength to engage in a full-scale war with Chu..."

The Deputy Chancellor of the Secretariat, Yu Ziqi, could not help but sneer, "Minister Li, are you suggesting we seek peace?"

Interrupted, the Minister of War, Li Yu, frowned but, considering Yu Ziqi's high status as a member of the inner court, did not react. Instead, he asked patiently, "Deputy Chancellor Yu, what do you think our chances are if we declare war on Chu?"

"..." Yu Ziqi frowned and remained silent.

Although he did not want to admit it, he had to acknowledge that Wei's national strength was not sufficient to deal with the entire State of Chu.

"What if Han joins the conflict?" the Minister of War, Li Yu, pressed.

"..." Yu Ziqi's frown deepened.

After all, the only state capable of facing two enemies simultaneously was probably Chu, the most extensive state. Even Qi, Chu's strongest enemy, needed the support of its vassal, Lu, to defeat Chu.

Seeing Yu Ziqi's silence, the Minister of War, Li Yu, sighed, "It's not that we are afraid to fight, but that we cannot afford to. Unless we achieve a great victory and deter Han, even if we drive out the Chu army, we will face the Han army. Rather than being attacked by both Han and Chu, which would shake the foundations of our Great Wei, it would be better to seek peace with Chu now."

"Seek peace without fighting?" the Left Deputy Chancellor of the Secretariat, Lin Yuyang, asked with a frown.

"We must fight, but we cannot provoke the Chu army. We need to show our determination to defend our territory..." The Minister of War, Li Yu, turned to the emperor and suggested, "The Lord of Yangcheng, Xiong Tuo, seeks only the Song Commandery. As Your Majesty knows, the people of Song still harbor resentment over the fall of their state, and there are frequent plots to restore it. The former Song general, Nan Gong, uses self-preservation as an excuse to amass troops, and although there is no clear evidence, I do not trust him... I suggest ceding some cities in the Song Commandery that are far from our control to Chu, shifting the Song people's dissatisfaction from us to Chu."

"Song territory..." The Wei Emperor's eyes showed hesitation. After all, the conquest of Song was one of his proudest achievements as emperor, and he was reluctant to give it up easily.

Seeing the emperor's hesitation, the Minister of War, Li Yu, whispered, "The Song territory is almost entirely exposed to Chu and borders Lu. Although Lu and Song were once at odds, they had a tripartite alliance with Qi. Your Majesty, by joining forces with the Lord of Yangcheng, Xiong Tuo, to destroy Lu, has earned the enmity of the King of Qi. Over the years, Qi has incited the people of Lu to cause trouble in Song, stirring up dissatisfaction with our Great Wei. I suggest ceding the cities in Song that border Lu to Chu. This would shift the Song people's dissatisfaction to Chu and, by having Chu as a buffer, reduce the influence of Qi and Lu on Song."

"This is a good point," the Minister of Justice, Zhou Yan, added. "The former Song general, Nan Gong, has been operating independently, relying on his control of Song to reduce the people's dissatisfaction with us. He has been demanding military pay and equipment from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, but refuses to relinquish his military power, making him a potential threat. It would be better to use Chu to eliminate him... According to Chu's system, they do not allow non-Xiong clan members to hold high office, especially military power... Nan Gong would never defect to Chu."

"But he might defect to Qi," the Left Deputy Minister of War, Xu Guan, interjected.

"He probably won't," the Minister of Rites, She You, shook his head. "Nan Gong surrendered to our Great Wei, forcing the Song King to abdicate, and has been despised by the Song people. Your Majesty appointed him to govern Song to use his Song identity to reduce the people's resistance to us, but also knowing that he could not win the people's hearts. If he betrays us again and joins Qi, Qi would not trust him."

The ministers nodded in agreement.

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