Shennong Dao Master-Chapter 1369 - 19: The Campaign Against the Barbarians Begins, the Army Marches Forth, Purple Bone Heavenly Venerate Is Actually Your Man?

"The Great Zhou established divine temples to spread myriad teachings, set up the three departments of fortune, prosperity, and longevity, providing rest and nurturing for the people, dispelling disaster and enhancing longevity, benefiting millions of subjects."

"The power of the Great Zhou should not be so limited, for it has been hindered by the Wu Yue God..."

Zhao Xing, sitting among the ministers, nearly laughed upon hearing Ji Che's proclamation.

Ji Che branded the Wu Yue God as an Evil God, and meticulously enumerated the transgressions of the Wu Yue God from various angles.

He made people from all strata feel that the Wu Yue God was utterly wicked.

Those who wanted to protect their home and country believed the Wu Yue God had invaded their homeland.

Those aspiring for immortality felt the Wu Yue God had blocked their ascension.

Even the natural order of birth, aging, illness, and death was blamed on the Wu Yue God!

Ji Che emphasized this point, and articulated it plainly:

"People shouldn't fall ill, grow old, or die. This has been proven by the Ancient Divine Dynasty!"

"As long as you ascend, these things will be resolved. You won't fall ill, age, or even die!"

"My established divine temple and the three departments of fortune, prosperity, and longevity have already proven this point."

"Originally, things could have been much better, but the Wu Yue God, this villain, obstructs them. Otherwise, I would have already led you all to ascend!"

"Subjects of the Great Zhou, don't you agree that the Wu Yue God and his Southern Barbarian Royal Court accomplices are utterly wicked?"

...

"I, following the mandate of heaven, issue an edict to heaven, and announce it to earth."

"For the sake of all people, from today onwards, I lead the ministers to campaign externally, determined to eradicate the monstrosities and annihilate the Evil God!" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"The battle against the barbarians will not cease until death!"

Emperor Wu's voice echoed between heaven and earth, as if making a grand vow.

Indeed, it was his grand vow of establishing the way. In a past life, Emperor Wu fought from the onset of the Ping Man War until the end of his life, the war nearly never ceased.

"This time, Emperor Wu launched an early campaign against the barbarians, and the situation is entirely different."

"With my assistance, the Great Zhou acquired the Dragon Court Ancient Land, unified the Ministers of Agriculture from the Three Sects, obtained the legacies of Qing Yu Zi and others, saw the early emergence of Cloud Sky Dao, gained the unwavering Liu Tianning, welcomed the allegiance of Xuantian Divine Sect, acquired more vassal states and tribes, and a Purple Dragon God perished in the Southern Barbarians..."

Zhao Xing gazed towards the distant south, seemingly seeing that holy mountain connecting heaven and earth, and spotting that white robe.

"Wu Yue God, eat shit!"

...

After the Spring Festival of the 98th year of Yuan Shuo, Emperor Wu changed the era name to 'Yuan Ding', symbolizing the stabilization of all under heaven.

In the same year's spring, the army set out from Pinghai State, mobilizing a total military force of five million.

The campaigns against the barbarians during Emperor Wu's period surpassed the peak of the Ping Man War during Emperor Jing's period right from the start!

Alongside the Canglan River coastline, countless tower ships, battle formations, and flying boats crossed the Canglan River together.

The Ping Man War officially commenced.

Early in the Ping Man War, Emperor Wu nearly replicated his father's tactics, and the situation closely resembled the era of the Jingxin Calendar.

Both saw triumphant progress and frequent reports of victories.

The only difference was that the construction speed of cities, monuments, and temples during Emperor Jing's period was slower and less efficient compared to Emperor Wu's period.

The operation of military supplies was entirely different.

During Emperor Jing's period, the army was swift, but the lands captured were unfamiliar, and the conversion efficiency of familiar land was relatively slow.

Zhao Xing once saw during his time as the Jun Shu Order that many cities and temples hadn't been completed before they were used as strongholds.

Consequently, splitting forces to guard cities became necessary, yet the defense was not guaranteed.

However, after Zhao Xing became the Grand Minister of Agriculture, the strength of the Great Zhou was entirely different.

The Minister of Agriculture cultivated more precious materials, while planting materials brought from the Dragon Court increased, and the number of derivative species greatly expanded.

Material shortages typical during Emperor Jing's period required temporary concentration of the Minister of Agriculture's planting capabilities to urgently cultivate certain materials.

But now, such a need no longer exists.

The Minister of Agriculture's production of materials increased, martial artists were better fed, and the manufacturing capability of Mechanical Masters correspondingly surged, boosting productivity in leaps and bounds.

In terms of logistics, absolutely no Grand Minister of Agriculture did better than Zhao Xing.

...

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was the eighth year of Yuan Ding.

The Ping Man War had already been ongoing for eight years.

As Luo Hou King planned, he completed the first phase of the strategy.

The Great Zhou army had advanced to the forefront of Yin You Mountain.

Luo Hou King began to intentionally lose battles, aiming to lure the Four Great Barbarian Kingdoms into a decisive battle outside Yin You Mountain, but such a plan did not succeed, merely probing slightly, Luo Hou King then decided to proceed to the second phase.

Forty-six legions began crossing Yin You Mountain, using it as a base point to initiate encirclements from the east, west, and north, thereby creating opportunities for the ten mighty Forbidden Armies to flank from the south.

In the second phase, the resistance from the Southern Barbarians significantly increased, pushing the war comprehensively into a high-quality tier, with casualties intensifying.

The Southern Barbarians Four Great Barbarian Kingdoms possessed formidable combat strength, enjoying immense benefits from the Primordial Qi Tide, coupled with the assistance from the sect alliance's top experts, making it challenging for the Great Zhou to complete the encirclement strategy without significant casualties and within a shortened timeframe.

Ultimately, it was the Purple Bone Heavenly Venerate, the traitor, who provided the Southern Barbarians with numerous divine weapons, mechanical arrays, armor puppets, and large warships.

Due to acquiring Putta's legacy, the Southern Barbarians and the sect alliance army were able to maintain an even stance against the Great Zhou during the second phase.

Thus, in the third year of the second phase of war, Luo Hou King approached Zhao Xing.

"Zhao Xing, the time has come." Luo Hou King held a battle report as he entered the Minister of Agriculture Palace. "You must prevent the Purple Bone Heavenly Venerate from continuing his pretenses. Over the years, he's crafted many powerful divine weapon mechanisms and defensive arrays for the Southern Barbarians."