Chapter 545: The Situation
Chapter 545: The Situation
September 25, 2017
Jiuzhou, Ye City, Huangfu Song's Camp.
In the blink of an eye, it is now early October, and Lu HaiKong and Huangfu Song have been at odds for some time.
During this period, Huangfu Song has completed his preparations for the attack on Julu and plans to launch the offensive soon.
At this point, Lu HaiKong's force is something Huangfu Song had given up on long ago, but he remains vigilant about Lu HaiKong.
Huangfu Song is no fool; he isn't skilled in conspiracies, but he is an expert in military affairs. Moreover, from the start, he had considered Lu HaiKong, a former mountain bandit with eunuch connections, as his imaginary enemy.
Combined with the intelligence from He Jin, Huangfu Song believes that Lu HaiKong's existence is a hidden danger to the Han Dynasty, and this recent rift with Lu HaiKong has made him even more cautious.
In Huangfu Song's eyes, Lu HaiKong is a former mountain bandit with no sense of righteousness or loyalty towards the Han Dynasty.
Such a person, let alone a Governor of Bingzhou, should have been eliminated from the Han Dynasty long ago, to prevent a potential threat from within. This is the reason behind Huangfu Song's tough stance towards Lu HaiKong.
It must be said that Huangfu Song is quite accurate in his assessment of people, and he is right about Lu HaiKong.
However, Huangfu Song underestimated Lu HaiKong. He, as a military man and a court official, thought that with military power in his hands, he could control Lu HaiKong.
But he never expected that the authority of the Han Dynasty meant nothing to Lu HaiKong. Lu HaiKong directly confronted Huangfu Song, making the situation extremely uncomfortable for Huangfu Song.
Dealing with Lu HaiKong is not within Huangfu Song's authority, and he is also concerned that doing so might give the Yellow Turban Army an opportunity. Yet, if he does nothing about Lu HaiKong, he worries that Lu HaiKong might cause trouble for him.
What makes it even more difficult for Huangfu Song is that the court has repeatedly issued orders, demanding that he conclude the battle within two months!
The reason for these orders from the court is twofold. Firstly, during this period, rumors have been spreading within Luoyang, suggesting that Huangfu Song is seizing military power and planning a rebellion. These rumors are detailed and focus on Huangfu Song's army being stationed in Ye City, doing nothing.
While this isn't a fatal issue, Huangfu Song's reputation in the court is still good. For Lu HaiKong, Huangfu Song is just a stubborn old man, tyrannical and overbearing. But for the court, Huangfu Song is a loyal and virtuous minister with generations of service.
However, once such rumors start, they can be manipulated by those with ulterior motives. Zhang Ran, a close associate of Lu HaiKong, is by the Emperor's side.
During this time, the court has become aware of the conflict between Lu HaiKong and Huangfu Song. Naturally, they are concerned that Zhang Ran might whisper in the Emperor's ear, and no one would be able to bear the consequences.
Apart from this, there is another reason: the court is running out of money. After continuous campaigns for over half a year, the expenses for hundreds of thousands of troops have almost emptied the court's treasury. Therefore, the court officials are eager to end the battle as soon as possible.
Don't be fooled by Lu HaiKong's millions in revenue, thinking that the Han Dynasty is wealthy and powerful. Don't forget the timeline; this is the end of the Han Dynasty, the weakest period.
In the original history and legends, Emperor Ling of Han sold off official positions to fund palace construction, and the Yellow Turban Rebellion erupted because the common people were suffering and could no longer endure their hardships, so they followed Zhang Jiao in rebellion.
Even though it is not the same world, the Han Dynasty in this one is also in a dire state, and such a dynasty is not truly powerful.
The weakness of the dynasty is most evident in two aspects: finance and the military.
In this world, a country's strength lies in its martial generals and soldiers, and even more so in its finances!
Why is Lu Hai Kong's Bloodbath Legion so powerful? On one hand, it's because of Lu Hai Kong's innate talent and halo, allowing them to grow faster than ordinary soldiers. But more importantly, it's the money! A massive amount of money is spent on them!
Over two million elite horse bandits were trained, resulting in 9,000 excellent horse bandits, and from these, less than 2,000 Bloodsoaked Knights were cultivated. How much money did Lu Hai Kong pour into this endeavor?
Not counting other expenses, if not for Lu Hai Kong's backing by the grasslands, two million warhorses at a minimum market price of 500 gold each would cost 100 million gold. Each elite horse bandit costs 50 gold, so two million of them would be one million gold.
This is the minimum amount of money Lu Hai Kong had to spend, and the subsequent costs of maintaining the troops, equipment, training, and logistics would be several times this amount.
After spending tens of millions of gold, in the end, there are less than 2,000 Bloodbath Legion soldiers left, and they are even without proper equipment. If they were to be equipped with 2,000 sets of elite-level gear, it would cost over 100 million gold at market price, which is the least it would take. The court could afford this enormous sum, but would they be willing?
In the OneSixOneNineBookBarOneLookNoErrorVersion, they definitely would not be willing. No matter how wealthy the aristocratic families are, they wouldn't invest much in the military. They would rather spend it on themselves.
In this situation, how strong could Huangfu Song's army be? It's uncertain if they even have advanced units.
Currently, if we solely discuss military capabilities, Lu Hai Kong is undoubtedly one of the strongest. He has no real rivals at the moment. It's only after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, when various warlords rise, that true powerhouses will emerge.
Of course, it's not to say that Lu Hai Kong's current strength is enough to sweep across the land. The Han Dynasty is weak, but the aristocratic families are powerful. If Lu Hai Kong truly angers them, even without mentioning others, the families in Bingzhou are enough to give him a hard time.
Lu Hai Kong's control over three prefectures is also due to his utilization of Xi Zhi Cai's intelligence network and Phantom Guards, intervening in the internal conflicts of the aristocratic families.
Moreover, Lu Hai Kong currently lacks the foundation to contend for dominance. While his military strength is undeniable, his political talent pool is still insufficient.
If the aristocratic families were to withdraw from the three prefectures, even if Lu Hai Kong were to assign all his administrative talents, it would still be challenging to maintain stability.
(End of Chapter)
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