Chapter 422: All Nations Unite to Invade Xia, Lin Beifan is the Alliance Commander!
Apart from this, the surrounding countries of Great Xia all cast greedy eyes.
After all, Great Xia is a juicy piece of meat!
They occupy fertile lands and possess various resources; every nation wants a piece of it.
Previously, Great Xia was strong with no opportunity, but now it’s different. Present-day Great Xia is full of discontent, with the people rising up. In the court, the various imperial sons and grandsons vie for the throne, seeking power and profit, clashing with each other. In the martial world, some sects are also restless.
War has engulfed the entire nation, causing unprecedented chaos.
This is a rare opportunity!
If we don’t seize cities and territories now, when will we? The reason for the delay is waiting for the stance of a major power – the Great Wu Dynasty.
The Great Wu Dynasty is the most powerful nation bordering Great Xia and poses the greatest threat to Great Xia. As soon as the Great Wu Dynasty acts, they will act immediately to divide Great Xia’s territory.
The Great Wu feasts while they drink the soup.
The Great Wu will certainly not miss such a good opportunity and boldly declares to the world, “The eastern territory, extending 400 leagues east from the White Tiger (Hulao) Mountain Range, totaling about 1.2 million square leagues, all belong to Great Wu. You can have other territories as you wish!”
Upon hearing this, other countries feel it’s reasonable as long as Great Wu gets the eastern territory.
So they immediately send troops and seize the territories they desire. The Great Xia court is furious.
“The eastern territory is inseparable from our nation!”
“How can the Great Wu invade during our chaos? Aren’t they just like bandits?”
“Do they have no sense of responsibility as a major power?”
“We absolutely do not agree!!!”
However, even if they vehemently disagree, it’s of no use. Because Great Xia is currently in too much turmoil – the court is in chaos, the people are restless, and the martial world is chaotic everywhere.
They can’t even manage their own country, so how can they resist the rising Great Wu?
The people in the eastern territory of Great Xia are all in distress! If Great Wu is coming to attack, they better run!
Otherwise, they’ll either die under Great Wu’s iron hooves or be captured by Great Xia and forced into servitude. They don’t even know how they’ll die!
And in other border areas of Great Xia, the common people have also fled, running to other places, hiding in deep mountains and forests, trying to escape the impending war.
In this situation, the border war has finally begun. However, it wasn’t the Great Wu Dynasty that fired the first shot; it was other smaller countries.
Their lands are relatively barren, and they have fewer resources, so they couldn’t wait to send troops into Great Xia, seizing a piece of land to strengthen their own power.
However, their campaign did not go well.
While Great Xia might be weakened, a starved camel is still larger than a horse, and a rotten ship still has three nails. These small countries couldn’t provoke Great Xia.
Just as they sent troops, they were stopped by the Great Xia border forces and couldn’t advance. So, everyone once again eagerly looked to Great Wu, hoping they would send troops soon, break through the enemy’s border, and create an opportunity for them.
At this moment, the Great Wu proposed an idea: all countries should unite their forces and form a coalition army to jointly attack Great Xia. Once they conquer Great Xia’s territory, they would divide it based on each nation’s contribution.
This way, everyone could gain greater benefits and reduce casualties. All the countries were very interested in this proposal. Forming a coalition army to attack Great Xia could indeed bring greater benefits and fewer casualties. However, the details and the distribution plan required careful consideration.
So, Great Wu extended a sincere invitation, inviting all nations to come to Great Wu for negotiations.
Various countries responded and sent representatives. Great Xia, once again, was furious and denounced Great Wu and the other countries. But no one paid attention.
In three days, representatives from various countries hurried to Great Wu’s Hulao Pass to participate in the Coalition Against Great Xia Conference.
A total of seven countries, including Great Wu, participated in this conference. It may not seem like many, but these countries were mainly the ones near Great Wu, and other distant nations couldn’t make it to the conference.
At this moment, everyone gathered together, but their thoughts were different, and there wasn’t much talking. The entire hall was very quiet.
Just at this moment, a young man entered the venue as if he belonged there.
The representatives in the room saw this young man and immediately stood up. One of them spoke, “Are you… the Prime Minister of Great Wu, the Supreme Commander of the Army, His Highness Lin Beifan?”
The young man smiled and nodded, “That’s right, it’s me!”
This young man was Lin Beifan, the one who had proposed the alliance plan. Naturally, he was representing Great Wu at this meeting.
Lin Beifan was the second most important figure in Great Wu, with a higher status than the others present.
So, all the representatives in the room stood up, saluted, and respectfully exclaimed, “Greetings to the Prime Minister of Great Wu, the Supreme Commander of the Army, His Highness Lin Beifan!”
Lin Beifan smiled warmly and extended his hand, saying, “Honorable guests, there’s no need for excessive formality. Welcome to this Coalition Against Great Xia Conference, which I will be presiding over.”
“Indeed, it should be this way!” everyone nodded.
“Please, have a seat,” Lin Beifan added.
As Lin Beifan gave the order, everyone took their seats.
“Great Xia has been unjust, causing chaos in the realm, bringing suffering to its people. The Emperor of Great Xia, in his pursuit of an elixir of immortality, has neglected his duties, disregarded the lives of the people, and, as a result, has met his end by the will of heaven,” Lin Beifan proclaimed with great righteousness. “However, the people of Great Xia have not escaped their suffering; they are even more miserable now. Her Majesty is worried and cannot sleep at night. Therefore, she specially ordered me to convene this Coalition Against Great Xia Conference, uniting the efforts of all to overthrow Great Xia, relieve the suffering of its people, and bring peace to the land. Our actions are just, carrying out the will of heaven. I hope you, honorable guests, will lend your support.”
Everyone looked at him with a newfound respect.
His words were eloquent and enlightened! Despite it being an invasion, he made it sound so grand, so righteous, so noble, and the perspective shifted as if not fighting would be their own wrongdoing! It’s no wonder he rose to such a high position at such a young age; the man had real talent!
“Prime Minister Lin, your words are absolutely correct!”
“My king has also seen the numerous hardships faced by the people of Great Xia and couldn’t bear it. That’s why we had to send troops against Great Xia!”
“Indeed, my king felt the same way. We hope to contribute to the welfare of the people!”
“For the sake of the people and the nation, we have no choice but to fight!”
Everyone’s voices resonated.
The more they talked, the more they felt like righteous warriors, carrying out the will of heaven. Their heads were held a little higher involuntarily. Lin Beifan was deeply moved and said, “It turns out that you all share the same sentiments! It is because of compassionate and virtuous individuals like you, who care for the world and the people, that we can ensure lasting peace and prosperity for the people!”
“Prime Minister, you’re too kind. We are not worthy,” they all smiled.
After the pleasantries ended, they got to the point.
“As the saying goes, ‘A snake without a head cannot move.’ Here, we have gathered representatives from seven countries, each with strong armies and resources. But if we act independently, our strength will be greatly reduced, and Great Xia might find opportunities to defeat us one by one. Therefore, I suggest creating the position of Alliance Commander to lead the entire army,” Lin Beifan proposed.
“In this way, all our forces will be united into one army, and all our strengths will be combined. Even if circumstances change, it’s not impossible to overcome them. What do you all think of my proposal?”
Everyone exchanged glances, looking very hesitant.
To be honest, the main reason they came to this conference was to hope that Great Wu would lead the charge against Great Xia’s main forces, while they followed behind to reap the benefits.
As for handing over command of the troops and letting someone else lead, they were somewhat reluctant. What if the other person used their soldiers and horses recklessly? They wouldn’t even have time to cry!
“I understand the concerns in your hearts,” Lin Beifan said, sipping his tea and smiling faintly. “Handing over control of your troops to someone else is a matter of trust, and I share your concerns. That’s why we can establish three articles of agreement.”
“How do these three articles work?” someone asked.
“Before going to war, we’ll first divide the territory. The more territory you want, the more troops you must send. Otherwise, the terms are void. After the war, we’ll assess the sacrifices of each nation. The more sacrifices you make, the more territory you’ll receive.”
“For example: if your nation sends 100,000 troops, that’s 25% of your total population under arms. My nation sends 300,000 troops, which is 75% of our total population under arms. So, my nation will receive twice as much territory as yours.”
“But after the war, if your nation sacrifices 100,000 troops and my nation also sacrifices 100,000 troops, your nation’s sacrifice accounts for 50% of the total sacrifices, which is more than the original troop ratio of two to one. In that case, when dividing the territory, your nation can receive double the land.”
Lin Beifan exclaimed, “In summary, we’ll follow one principle: the more you contribute, the more you sacrifice, and the more benefits you gain! What do you all think of this?”
Everyone was quite impressed; this distribution plan was fair. The more troops a nation contributed, the more benefits they received, and the larger their sacrifice, the greater the land they obtained. It was logical and equitable.
Therefore, everyone expressed their agreement.
“This distribution plan is excellent and fair. I support it!”
“I agree as well!”
“That settles it!”
Lin Beifan asked, “As for the position of the Alliance Commander…”
“Why even bother selecting? It should be you, Prime Minister Lin! You are the Prime Minister of Great Wu, the Supreme Commander of the Army, and titled as the Loyal and Brave King. Your status is the highest, and you are the most suitable for this role!”
“That’s right, General Lin, you are the contemporary God of War, unmatched in commanding battles, victorious in a hundred fights. I have the utmost respect for you!”
“Handing over command of the troops to you, we have no worries!”
Everyone unanimously agreed, and their decision was clear.
Lin Beifan nodded, “Thank you all for your trust! So, I humbly accept the position of Alliance Commander!”
