To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck

This matter, which didn’t have much benefit, naturally led to considerable dissatisfaction within Wei Country. Many believed that the eastern expedition against Liang was pointless.

It was purely a waste of national strength, sending one’s own soldiers to their deaths.

However, there were also many who thought that this was a critical moment for Wei’s prosperity. After several alliances, various countries had gradually recognized Wei’s dominant position in Central State.

Especially Zhao and Xu, the two countries that had benefited from following Wei, were increasingly becoming Wei’s little brothers, acting in international affairs with Wei at the forefront, seemingly only listening to their big brother.

With these two little brothers united under Wei, the trio had formed an alliance that had leapt to become the premier force of the Nine Provinces.

Even Liang, despite its strength, was at a disadvantage when facing this tripartite alliance.

Under these circumstances, as long as Wei could maintain its momentum and draw more countries into the alliance, allowing its dominance to further expand,

when enough countries joined the alliance and the underlying strength was sufficiently accumulated, they could certainly bring down Liang with sheer force and seize Central State.

At that point, as the Alliance Leader, Wei, being the leader, would naturally claim the lion’s share of the spoils of victory.

Therefore, the current hardships were for greater gains in the future.

This was a planning for a Hundred Years, and absolutely could not be abandoned.

Thus, within the Wei court, one faction advocated withdrawal while another insisted on persistence, and they stood in opposition to each other.

The current Wei Emperor saw this, which is why, upon his ascension, he hastily triggered the Great War, a joint military attack on Liang by the three aligned countries.

He aimed to defeat Liang and capture some territory.

This was to soothe the gradually fracturing hearts within the country.

So long as the war was a victory, it would not only sustain the conflict but also benefit Wei, taking care of the interests of both sides and enlarging the pie, sufficient to soothe the people’s hearts.

But a crushing defeat washed all of this away.

It also made Wei recognize its own vulnerabilities and shortcomings, gradually awakening from the sweet dream of being the Supreme Dominator of the world.

At the same time, Wei saw how quietly Chu, by simply cutting off supplies, had thrown the victorious after beating the three nations, now seemingly invincible Liang, into domestic chaos, almost causing it to collapse completely.

This perfect maneuver instantly made Wei realize the true weight of Chu as the world’s second dominator.

Leaving Chu’s other aspects aside for the moment,

Just considering this financial power alone was enough to dominate the world.

What is war about?

It’s about money and provisions.

Chu had wealth and supplies, and internally it had been peaceful for thirty years; its population was incalculable.

With money, provisions, and people, isn’t that the equivalent of a limitless supply of soldiers and horses?

Should Chu intervene, it’s difficult to say whether it could beat Liang, but holding its own against Liang or at least achieving a stalemate in the short term should be no problem.

And as long as Chu could hold off Liang’s main force, how could Liang’s rear guards and feeble troops possibly compete with the united forces of Wei, Zhao, and Xu attacking from behind?

By then, with Liang’s main force far at the Front line and Wei, Zhao, and Xu sneaking attacks from the back, it would likely be the end for small Liang!

As long as Liang could be eliminated, even though Chu, as the Alliance Leader, would take the largest share,

Wei, by contributing troops and effort, coupled with its own status, would surely be able to claim two or three regions from Liang, right?

Although it seemed modest, it had already doubled Wei’s territory in Central State.

Compared to the lack of major success from striving hard for over a decade, this was already a major success.

Therefore, the proposal to bring Chu into the alliance and to nominate Chu as the Alliance Leader became the mainstream consensus in the country after Wei’s devastating defeat at Changyan five years prior.

This invitation to Chu for a large-scale joint military operation was seen by many people of Wei as a preview for future alliance cooperation between Chu and Wei.

Thus, Wei attached great importance to this mission.

After the two countries left the fortress, upon seeing Chu making a big splash in Yong West Helong and their own setbacks on the plains with slow progress,

desiring to prove their worth and increase their bargaining chips in future invitations to Chu, Wei began to make vigorous efforts.

First, in the third month, Great General Meng Chenglin abandoned the rear guard and led his main force deep into the plains, raiding Blackwater City in Huotuluo Country.

This was undoubtedly a risky military move—just a slight mishap and hundreds of thousands of soldiers could be trapped in the plains with nowhere to bury their dead.

But likewise, it was a clever move to break the stalemate.

If successful, it could not only resolve the current predicament but possibly even annihilate Huotuluo Country in one battle, achieving the greatest result of the Western Expedition.

Indeed, he gambled and won, or rather, won half the battle.

The fifty thousand soldiers of the Wei Army, led by Meng Chenglin, indeed had successfully broken through Huotuluo Country’s blockade and had made it to the capital, Blackwater City.

However, the Wei Army’s attack on Blackwater City was anything but smooth.

The reason was simple.

Near Blackwater City, Huotuluo Country had also amassed thirty thousand forces in preparation to launch another round of counterattacks and harassment against Wei.

One side aimed to launch a surprise attack, and the other wanted to counter-strike, and both sides had gathered their main forces.

Now, as they met below Blackwater City, a fierce battle was inevitable.

Fairly speaking, as the third strongest country in the world, the quality of the army that Wei cultivated through systematic training was indeed not poor.