Chapter 300: Chapter 178: Shangguan Seeks Help_3

Translator: 549690339

Lu Yuan just glanced at her and then withdrew his gaze.

Although he was about to break through Innate, he had already started considering getting married and getting close to women.

However, a single woman trying to make him risk his life was just wishful thinking on her part.

Seeing this scene, Shangguan Guangbai next to him sighed in his heart, Imowing that the strategy of using beauty and affection to move the other party was no longer effective.

Although in reality, there wasn’t much affection between them and Lu Yuan in the first place.

But even if this strategy did not work, the strategy set by the father had to continue.

Therefore, Shangguan Guangbai changed his attitude and said, “Brother Lu, you must know clearly, if my father retreats defeated, the whole Dongting Prefecture will fall into enemy hands.

You, Brother Lu, live in Dongting Prefecture and are isolated from the Miao People in the north and south. The Five Poisons Sect has long hated you. When they gain power, will they easily let you go?

At that time, when hundreds of thousands of troops head south, how can Brother Lu stop them?

Therefore, my father and Brother Lu are dependent on each other like lips and teeth. Neither can leave the other.”

However, Lu Yuan didn’t buy into this argument, just a faint smile, “If

Wucheng Marquis really leads his troops to retreat, I can just retreat as well. Luyang Prefecture is not far from Yuzhang Prefecture, just a few days’ journey, and I can retreat to Yuzhang Prefecture.

At that time, if I give up this place, can those Zhou people catch up?

Even if they really catch up, are they more willing to chase the court’s main forces led by Wucheng Marquis or chase my small side army?

When Shangguan Guangbai heard this, he paused for a moment.

What Lu Yuan said made sense. Zhou soldiers crossing the river southward were aiming to destroy the country.

It’s impossible for them not to chase the main court army and instead divert their energy to trouble Lu Yuan, who had always been slack in his duties as a sidearm.

By then, the Zhou people will have already crossed the river, and the court, wanting to cope with this national crisis, will have exhausted all their energy, so naturally, they won’t have the spare energy to trouble Lu Yuan.

On the contrary, they will have to appease him, the local lord holding heavy troops, so that he doesn’t lead his men to join the Zhou people directly.

After all, an Inborn Grandmaster, especially an Inborn Grandmaster with tens of thousands of soldiers, has such strength that even Zhou Country will give good treatment.

At least it won’t be worse than Li Xiong and the Five Poisons Sect.

At this point, regarding Shangguan Ming’s crisis and the court’s crisis, it may not necessarily be a matter of life and death crisis for him.

Seeing that this last resort also didn’t work, Shangguan Guangbai was completely out of options.

Looking at Lu Yuan, who didn’t care about face at all, he could only sigh bitterly, “If Brother Lu really does that, I have no choice but to accept it. However, Brother Lu is from Yue, don’t you really want to see the Southern people being destroyed by others?

I came here without any malicious intentions, only to save our country from its predicament.

As long as our Yue Country’s reign continues, I think it should be a good thing for Brother Lu, right?”

Lu Yuan looked at Shangguan Guangbai and saw that he finally stopped playing dumb with him, so he said, “As a person of Yue Country, I naturally don’t want to see Yue Country destroyed. However, just by moving his lips, Wucheng Marquis wants me to dispatch troops, which is a bit too much.

You must know that the soldiers under my command are all paid for by me. And fighting against the Miao People also involves risk.

War is dangerous and risky. An incautious move can cost one’s life.

So I can send troops, and I can understand the difficulties of the country, but some compensation and assistance should be given, right?

You can’t expect people to sacrifice their lives for the court with nothing in return, can you?”

The implication of his words was that he could send troops, but money would have to be given.

After all, Da Yue belonged to the six families and seven clans, and the court also belonged to these aristocratic families.

Lu Yuan was not a beneficiary, so why should he supply his own rations to fight for these families?

How cheap would one have to be to make such a mistake?

Seeing Lu Yuan finally relent, Shangguan Guangbai was overjoyed and immediately said, “Whatever Brother Lu wants, just say it. As long as we can manage it, the court will not shirk its responsibility.”

Lu Yuan said, “First, there is the military salary. Before the army moves, food and fodder must be provided. The court must provide some startup funds. When one million silver tales are sent to me, I can set out on the expedition.

Furthermore, when the soldiers fight for the court and give their lives, the court must also bear the burden of their military salaries in the future, right?

For my sixty thousand soldiers, 300,000 silver tales per month, the court must provide this and not delay.

Can this be done?”

Raising troops is like burning money, and Lu Yuan has a deep understanding of this.

With a monthly expenditure of 300,000 silver tales, his wallet was almost emptied.

Just when he was about to go bankrupt, Shangguan Ming came knocking at the door, so naturally Lu Yuan wanted to seize the opportunity to shift this pressure onto the court.

Originally, those sixty thousand soldiers were Lu Yuan’s private army, and he had no reason or excuse to ask the court for money.

But now, he was helping the court fight battles. The court couldn’t just not give him money, could it?

As expected, after hearing this condition, Shangguan Guangbai hesitated for a moment and still nodded his head, “Yes. The one million silver tales of military salary will be sent to you shortly. From now on, the court will also provide monthly noises for the soldiers under Brother Lu’s command.”

With the disastrous defeat of the Army of Pacifying Shu, the court lost nearly a hundred thousand troops. Without these soldiers, the court’s finances naturally had a surplus.

Taking some of this surplus and giving it to Lu Yuan to serve as military salaries is not difficult.

The only thing that’s a bit unpleasant is that the court is paying for the maintenance of his troops.

But now, with the country in danger, as long as they can repel the Zhou soldiers, they can’t care about so much.

First, deal with the immediate crisis.

Hearing his condition accepted, Lu Yuan immediately showed a smile on his face.

He had finally found a solution to the financial crisis that had been troubling him, so his mood was naturally quite good.

Taking advantage of his good mood, he proposed a second condition: “I will lead the Five Poison Sect away, and the Saintess of the Sect may follow. But there is no Inborn Grandmaster in my army, so if we encounter Lan Cai’er on the battlefield, we will inevitably suffer a big loss.

So if I am to send troops, the court must also send an Inborn Grandmaster to support me, to counter Lan Cai’er.”

Is this possible?”