It's better to be an empress than a county magistrate

Lu Feng came in and saw Lu Xingchen standing under the map in deep thought. He didn't say anything, but stood under the map with Lu Xingchen, looking up at the large map in front of him.

At this moment, what they saw on this map was a vast country.

Lu Feng watched as they fought their way westward from the shores of the East China Sea to the heart of the Central Plains.

If we continue westward, we can only take Hanzhong. To the north, we will face the Wei Dynasty. To the south, we will have to cross the Yangtze River.

However, before crossing the Yangtze River, there is another important town in the north and south, Jingzhou.

Jingzhou is the vital passage leading to the south.

If we take Jingzhou, we can head all the way south.

There are now three major cities before them.

Heading north, we will cross Liangzhou and enter the land of Yanbei.

To go south, you have to skip Jingzhou and cross the Yangtze River.

If you go west into the Hanzhong Plain, you have to cross Yongzhou City.

"Brother Lu is here." Lu Xingchen turned around and looked at Lu Feng.

"What's the situation in Anzhou?"

"Anzhou is made up of officials inherited from the previous dynasty. They have experience in managing cities and are in good condition."

"If the city falls into the hands of bandits or refugees, the situation in the state capital will be worse. As long as officials are in charge, at least the people can still have food to eat." Lu Feng said.

"The governor of Anzhou did not lie. He explained the actual situation very clearly. The account books, population, and land are all in our hands."

Lu Xingchen hummed softly.

"We still have plenty of time. We can take over the small states of Shazhou, Xinzhou, and Fuzhou. Their situations should be similar to Anzhou and Renzhou, which we just took over."

Lu Feng nodded slightly. "It should be the same situation."

"Okay, in that case. Let Wei Hu and the others continue to advance westwards. We will merge them together and bring all these small prefectures in front of Yongzhou City under our control." Lu Xingchen made the decision immediately.

"What should we do if Yongzhou City sends troops to rescue us?" Lu Feng said.

Shazhou, Fuzhou and other places should be under the control of Yongzhou.

"A war is inevitable, so let's start the war..." Lu Xingchen said.

Lu Feng nodded slightly, a solemn expression on his face.

"Yongzhou City is in the hands of King Cheng, who is the emperor's younger brother..."

"In that case, let Master Yuan spread rumors that King Cheng has rebellious intentions and wants to establish himself as emperor..." Lu Xingchen said.

Lu Feng nodded. "Okay, I know what to do."

Wei Hu received Lu Xingchen's order and continued to advance southwest, and soon occupied Shazhou and Fuzhou.

Lu Xingchen did not stop his westward steps and conquered Yingzhou and Xinzhou.

They advanced westward smoothly and did not encounter any obstruction from the troops of Yongzhou City.

After taking Xinzhou, Lu Xingchen stationed in the city of Xinzhou.

Xinzhou and Yongzhou are separated only by a newly established state.

This state was also rebuilt from a very small county town.

Lu Xingchen didn't know why King Cheng didn't take care of cities like Xinzhou and Yingzhou, but let them remain as they are.

Maybe he simply didn't bother to do so, or maybe he just didn't have the time.

It is already June and the weather is gradually getting warmer.

Lu Xingchen stood in front of the map again, looking at where to go next.

This time, she thought she should stop.

She set out from Yuzhou in March and headed westward. Now it is June, and it has taken her three months to conquer nine small states.

The land, population, finances and government offices of these provinces all needed a buffer period to be integrated into his jurisdiction.

In addition, officials in many county governments of these states need to be adjusted and resettled.

Wei Hu, Zhang Fan, Lu Yun and others also rushed to Xinzhou to meet up with Lu Xingchen.

During these three months, they not only fought, but also continuously recruited soldiers and expanded their strength.

At the beginning, Lu Xingchen and Wei Hu each led 5,000 soldiers and horses and set out from Yuzhou.

Lu Xingchen's troops have expanded from 5,000 to 8,000.

"General, we are here." Zhang Fan's voice came in before his men entered the tent.

Lu Xingchen showed a bright smile on his face. In the blink of an eye, three months had passed since they last saw each other.

Then the curtain of the tent was lifted, and Wei Hu, Zhang Fan, Lu Yun, Pei Jun and others stepped into the tent one after another.

Several people had smiles on their faces, and they were full of energy and vitality.

Besides, whether it was Wei Hu, Zhang Fan or Pei Jun, they were all relatively young. Pei Jun was the oldest among them, only in his early thirties.

Lu Yun is only fifteen years old this year and is still a child.

However, over the past few months, Lu Yun's little face has lost some of its childishness and revealed some maturity.

After three months of separation, everyone was very happy to meet each other and told each other about what had happened since they last separated.

"General, where should we attack next?" Zhang Fan was the first to speak.

Zhang Fan was full of confidence and high spirits, as if he could easily take any city in front of him.

Lu Xingchen ignored Zhang Fan and looked at Wei Hu. "How is the situation over there?"

Wei Hu said, "We didn't encounter any strong opponents. We only attacked one provincial capital. The others basically surrendered as soon as they were at the gates."

Lu Xingchen nodded slightly. The situation on Wei Hu's side was similar to his own.

"None of these states have more than 2,000 soldiers, so our troops are strong. As long as we line up outside the city, everyone will be terrified." Wei Hu said.

"How many soldiers do you have now?" Lu Xingchen asked.

"I know this. I have been recruiting soldiers. The Imperial Guard has 9,000 people." Zhang Fan stood up and said.

Lu Xingchen smiled and nodded. "There are actually a thousand more troops than I have."

"So, General, where should we fight next?" Zhang Fan asked anxiously again.

"According to the original plan, we were going to attack Yongzhou City." Lu Xingchen picked up a bamboo pole and pointed to the location of Yongzhou City on the map.

"Okay, then let's attack Yongzhou City." Zhang Fan said in a loud voice.

Lu Xingchen looked at Wei Hu.

"I have sent some scouts to Yongzhou City."

"Yongzhou City has 20,000 standing troops, and there are also garrison troops, which adds up to at least 35,000 people."

"Also, the walls of Yongzhou are very high and strong. It is located in a narrow area, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Unlike the plains, we have a lot of room for expansion."

"Yongzhou City is not easy to attack."

Lu Xingchen looked at Pei Jun and Guan Yue.

"Yongzhou City is very difficult to attack. I have been there before. It can be said that one man can block the passage of ten thousand men." Pei Jun said.

"What's more, Yongzhou City is the territory of King Cheng, and King Cheng is the emperor's younger brother. If we attack King Cheng, we will really be enemies with the imperial court. We should think about the next step. If the imperial court counterattacks, can we cope with it?" Lu Feng continued.

"How can we fight this war when you have so many concerns?" Zhang Fan said a little irritably.

The recent battles had gone too smoothly, and his arrogance was rising in his heart.

This is also a bad sign.

The most taboo thing in leading troops to war is that the general is impatient, arrogant, and feels that he is the best in the world and no one can defeat him.

It's easy to turn bad times into good times.