Chapter 577: Chapter 272: Jianwu’s Confusion

In the coalition alliance, stimulated by Zhou Qing’s breakthrough to the Innate realm, Su Xuange accelerated her preparations for the conquest of the southwestern barbarians on behalf of Su Country.

On the other hand, after receiving the news, both Xichuan and Song countries also felt tremendous pressure, and they hastened their preparations as well.

At first, they were puzzled when Chu State initiated the attack on the southwestern barbarians earlier. They thought they could take advantage of the situation to let Chu State test the strength of the barbarians first, thereby consuming more of the coalition leader’s strength.

Now, however, the strength of the southwestern barbarians had been tested, and the strength of Chu State had also been put to the test.

The King of Chu remained the same fearsome commander he had always been. In just half a year since he had been in command, he had already defeated a hundred thousand enemies and occupied a thousand miles of land. He captured almost half of Da Changhe Country, proving that his reputation as a Military God was well-deserved.

However, while all these events could still be expected by the people,

Zhou Qing’s breakthrough to the Innate realm in Chu State was completely unexpected.

The King of Chu was already an incredible warrior, a single man who could deter other countries and prevent them from offending his nation.

Initially, these other countries thought that although the King of Chu was a great warrior, there were only two Innate experts within Chu State. They thought Chu would only be able to barely maintain their current territories and wouldn’t have much room for expansion.

Thus, while these countries stayed cautious, they weren’t overly afraid.

However, now that Chu State had produced another Innate expert, with Grandmasters stationed in both the north and south of Jiangnan, it effectively liberated Lu Yuan from his constraints, allowing him to wage war on foreign nations without any concerns.

Chu State’s deterrence and threat to other nations instantly increased to a whole new level.

This also led to a drastic increase in pressure on the neighboring countries of Chu State.

So, for the sake of self-preservation and the enhancement of their own strength, Xichuan Country and Song Country followed Su Country’s footsteps and accelerated their preparations for the conquest of the southwestern barbarians.

Both of these countries were determined to launch their armies ahead of schedule and hoped to deploy their forces in the Southwest by the end of the year.

A sense of urgency was spreading throughout the entire coalition alliance.

…

In fact, it wasn’t just the coalition alliance; other countries neighboring Chu State also made their moves in response.

After receiving the news, Qiao Kangquan, the Lord of Han Country, immediately ordered the training of ten thousand new soldiers, bringing the total military strength of the nation up to forty thousand.

Both Hanzhong and Xiangyang Prefectures of Zhou Country also increased their forces by twenty thousand each, with their respective garrison forces reaching eighty thousand and fifty thousand.

In Liang Country’s Jiangxia Prefecture, another thirty thousand soldiers were added, with the total garrison force reaching a massive one hundred thousand.

As for Nanhai Country… well, nothing changed there. It was rumored that the health of Yan Wangqiu, the ruler of the country, was deteriorating even further. He was bedridden all day long, unable to attend court even once a month. No one knew when he would finally die in his bed.

At this point, Nanhai Country could barely maintain its internal affairs, let alone deal with external matters.

Of course, when compared to all the other countries, Ning Country exhibited the most significant reaction, as they had always considered Chu State as a significant threat.

Ning Country, Jinling City.

After several years of governance, the city had gradually become more stable. Upon lightening the burdens of corvée labor and military service, Ning Country’s four Jiangdong Prefectures began recovering their vitality under the rule of the new Jianwu Heavenly Son.

Now, merchants and travelers from all over the world flocked to Jinling City along the trade routes, continuously bringing a steady flow of various goods to the city.

The various businesses and industries within the city had gradually resumed their prosperity, and once again, the lanterns and bustlingprest streets were no longer subdued both day and night.

Standing on the Ming Sheng Tower inside the imperial palace, Shen Qiu looked through the window at the prosperous Jinling City in the distance, his heart swelling with pride.

Under his governance, this prosperous land of Jiangnan had become even more thriving.

This phenomenon only proved that it was Heaven’s Will for Ning Country to replace the incompetent Pre-Yue Dynasty; the people’s hearts were with them as well.

‘In six years, I will make Ning Country even more prosperous, increase its strength to a higher level, and fully restore it to the grandeur of the Pre-Yue Kangning era,’ thought Shen Qiu.

The Kangning era was the last golden age of the Pre-Yue Dynasty, which had passed eighty years ago.

At that time, Shen Qiu was at the peak of his youth.

He had grown up during that flourishing era, matured into a strong man, and then watched as that golden age came to an end.

Having experienced the most beautiful time of his life during that era, Shen Qiu had nothing but deep sentiment and attachment for it.

As a result, after replacing Pre-Yue Dynasty and establishing the new Ning dynasty, his greatest aspiration was to rebuild the corruption-ridden and decaying nation back to its former golden age.

Now that he had been on the throne for four years, after continuous reforms, lightening burdens on the people, and rectifying the administration, more than half of the previous dynasty’s maladministration had been eliminated.

Some stubborn issues were also being slowly addressed and improved.

Under the assistance of wise ministers, Ning Country was striving towards progress, showing a vigorous and thriving atmosphere.

Especially this year, as local governance improved and the state’s control over local regions strengthened. A large number of unregistered households were reintegrated into the registered population. At the end of the fourth year of the Jianwu era, a census was conducted for the first time in Ning Country, counting the headcount from all over the country.

The survey results greatly surprised Shen Qiu.

In Linhai County, there were a hundred and three million households, with a population of five hundred and thirty-seven million. In Yuzhang Prefecture, there were a hundred and twelve million households, with a population of six hundred and one million. In Guangling Prefecture, there were sixty-two million households, with a population of three hundred and twenty-three million. In Jianan Prefecture, there were forty-one million households, with a population of two hundred and two million. In Xiangyang Prefecture, there were eighteen million households, with a population of ninety-one million.