Chapter 997 The Arab Region

Chapter 997: 997 The Arab Region

On this trip, Lu Ming still brought Diao Chan along, something he hadn’t originally planned.

However, his wife, Wang Yi, insisted on bringing one, saying it would be better for her to take care of him.

Tan Chun, Wang Xifeng, Diao Chan, Xi Shi, Wang Zhaojun, and Mi Zhen were all options.

The fact that Yang Yuhuan wasn’t specifically mentioned speaks volumes about Wang Yi’s assessment of her: a mere decorative vase, completely unsuitable for hardship.

Since the four Yang sisters were all just decorative figures, the Yang family wouldn’t receive any promotions, nor would they be allowed to.

The Jia, Wang, and Yuan families, these established aristocratic families, were powerful clans, lacking only land. As long as someone in the family held an official position, they were eligible.

Behind these families, their rise to power was due to women working and helping in the palace, coupled with their own abilities.

This was a pledge of loyalty, and also the rule.

While the four Yang sisters could choose to be decorative figures, enjoying a life of luxury, they wouldn’t receive a single penny more.

Family relationships can’t be improved because of this. A pretty face might make her own life comfortable, but it won’t make the family’s life comfortable.

If the Empress didn’t have some ability, wouldn’t she be ridden around by these people?

This time, it was just a small display of her power, letting others know that she was the Empress and deserved some respect.

Because Lu Ming was with Diao Chan, he had no interest in the Arab girls.

After dismissing them, he began to inquire about the local situation. The Arab tribes were mainly composed of five major tribes.

The Arab Empire was once glorious, but it disintegrated in less than a century, due to internal power struggles and the granting of kingships.

Now, the Arab tribes can’t even muster a decent army; otherwise, they wouldn’t have allowed the armies of the Roman Empire and the Russian Empire to pass through without interference.

It’s not that they’re indifferent; they genuinely lack the ability.

"Now only the Northern King Tribe and the Central King Tribe remain, observing."

Mi Fang finished speaking and looked around, seemingly to confirm safety, before continuing, "It’s said that the vanguard of the Roman Republic is already five hundred li away.

This vanguard numbers a full thirty thousand, including many heavy infantry. They’re not here with good intentions!"

Lu Ming, however, didn’t care.

Because he had already gathered a group of fierce generals under his command.

These generals were divided into factions. Some were from the same hometown or were classmates, so they spontaneously banded together; others were friends, and they would also form groups.

The Bingzhou Legion and the Xiliang Legion were typical examples.

They were quite powerful, but they didn’t interact much with others.

This was a bit of a headache for Lu Ming.

While things wouldn’t necessarily escalate into a major conflict, in a large-scale empire war like this, if a renowned general seized an opportunity to attack between legions, they could indeed be defeated.

But after thinking about it, he stopped worrying.

This time, he brought 30,000 Imperial Guards, all composed of high-ranking level four troops.

The archers alone were all master archers, capable of piercing an enemy’s head from 300 paces away.

With specially equipped crossbows, their range was further increased.

Moreover, both cavalry and infantry were at their peak combat strength, equipped with advanced combat tools like catapults and siege engines—a perfect force.

"Don’t worry about that," Lu Ming said. "I’ll invite their chieftain out and treat them to a good show. After they’ve seen it,

they’ll agree."

Lu Ming had already seen the map, a disdainful smile playing on his lips.

That smile had a mischievous quality, and Diao Chan was overjoyed. A roguish man was most charming; she felt a sudden warmth spread across her face!

On the map, Lu Ming had already spotted the Roman Republic’s advance party, a total of 10,000 men, just 300 miles away. Not a single person from the Rakshasa Kingdom was seen.

He hadn’t killed anyone in a long time, and now he was filled with excitement. Having such martial arts skills but not using them was a waste.

After chatting for a while, Lu Ming got to the point, urging them to seize control of the Arab region.

He then recounted a story from the Warring States period: "The Destruction of a State Due to the Use of White Cloth."

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, in the 33rd year of Duke Xi of Qi, the prime minister Guan Zhong launched a financial war against the neighboring state of Lu.

Prime Minister Guan Zhong of Qi demanded that all officials change their clothing from Qi’s fine silk to Lu’s white cloth, causing the price of white cloth to rise. At the same time, he prohibited the people of Qi from weaving white cloth, opening the trade only to Lu.

On the surface, Lu profited greatly from Qi’s white cloth, but Lu thus abandoned agricultural production, with the entire nation weaving white cloth.

The price of Lu’s white cloth skyrocketed, and it became extremely scarce.

At that time, the entire production of the State of Lu was devoted to the production of white silk cloth.

Meanwhile, the State of Qi secretly purchased Lu’s grain and siege equipment at low prices.

In the 34th year of Duke Xi of Qi’s reign, around the time of the Autumn Equinox,

Qi suddenly stopped importing white silk cloth.

What followed was a terrible phenomenon: Lu’s economy collapsed, and its grain reserves vanished.

The people suffered greatly; the populace was starving, and corpses littered the land.

Internal turmoil ensued, with various factions attacking each other, leading to the collapse of the state.

This is historically known as the "Destruction of the State Through White Silk Cloth."

Lu was defeated in a financial war, and Guan Zhong’s strategy was recorded in the "Strategies of Hengshan."

This is quite interesting.

Because Lu Ming used the same tactic when vying for supremacy in the Central Plains and dealing with the other states.

He sold large quantities of handicrafts, earning their money and grain, then bought their grain and secretly sabotaged their farming.

Cao Cao was forced to retreat because he lacked reinforcements; he couldn’t even hold his cities, for no other reason than the lack of food.

Once besieged, the only options were mutiny or starvation.

Using this tactic in the Arab region now reveals Lu Ming’s extremely sinister intentions.

The Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods were times of rapid cultural development and flourishing of diverse schools of thought.

The wisdom of our ancestors is truly effective.

Conquering the Arab region is actually quite simple.

Use force to intimidate, then bribe with benefits, then divide and win them over, and finally assimilate them. That way, there won’t be any major problems.

Step by step, one link after another, until they are all assimilated into his own side.

Won’t there be any trouble?

That takes time; he’ll leave the rest to his daughter.

Right now, he only wants to eliminate the Roman vanguard and then march on Rome.

He wanted to see just how magical Rome really was, whether it was as magical as the legends said.

He too was a legend, an invincible legend!

That evening, Lü Bu and Niu Fu returned with their troops.

They began preparations for battle. Today, Lu Ming was in command, so whether they obeyed or not, they had to follow orders; there was no room for negotiation.

The army belonged to the imperial court, not to them!