Chapter 354: Chapter 196: Cauldron Assistance_3

Translator: 549690339

The reason is quite simple.

Under his command are 100,000 soldiers, apart from the initial 10,000 veterans, the remaining 90,000 people were all recruited within the past year.

It is not difficult to feed an additional 90,000 soldiers, but equipping them with armor and weapons is a challenge.

Lu Yuan’s six prefectures have basically all been devastated by war, local production destroyed, treasury reserves drained, unable to supply enough weapons and armor.

So among the 90,000 new soldiers, apart from a few tens of thousands who have some captured leather and iron armors, the rest don’t even have a single set of armor.

And as is well known.

On the battlefield, whether one has armor protection or not makes a world of difference.

A soldier clad in armor can under the same conditions, take on three to five unarmored opponents.

As for the strong bows and crossbows, it goes without saying.

Creating a good bow or crossbow takes at least one to two years of time.

It is impossible for Lu Yuan to supply so many bows and crossbows to his army in such a short time.

This has also led to many of his subordinates, who are hunters and mountain people, still only able to use weak hunting bows, making them quite pitiful.

If they had 10,000 strong crossbows and 30,000 strong bows, they could be issued to his troops.

By enabling his skilled shooters in the army to exchange their bird guns for cannons, their long-range striking power would instantly increase several times over.

As for the other 50,000 spears and swords, although they are not as good as armor and strong bows, they could substantially alleviate the shortage of ordinary weapons for Lu Yuan and equip his army with new gear.

In short, if all of the above military aid is in place, it would at least enhance the combat effectiveness of 100,000 soldiers under Lu Yuan by 50%, or even double it.

And this is just the aid to the army.

The 50 Divine Blood Elixirs and three top-grade martial arts techniques that followed were equally impressive.

These top-grade martial arts techniques need not be mentioned, as Lu Yuan has no shortage of them and isn’t particularly interested.

However, if used correctly, the 50 Divine Blood Elixirs could directly cultivate nearly ten top-notch experts for Lu Yuan.

If they could be assisted by so many top-notch experts, the top-level combat power he originally lacked would instantly become abundant.

Not to mention securing the existing territories, controlling a whole region would be more than enough.

In conclusion, the assistance provided by Dan Ding Dao this time is so extensive and generous, that it is no wonder it left Lu Yuan speechless.

“Gulp…”

Lu Yuan swallowed difficultly and, after returning to his senses, looked at Anqiu True Person’s smiling face and couldn’t help verifying, “Is what that True Person just said true?”

He could hardly believe that Dan Ding Dao could offer so many good things in such an assistance deal.

Really.

Originally, Lu Yuan thought just 1,000 silver tales of assistance from Dan Ding Dao would be enough.

But now it seems that this is not just 1,000 silver tales at all.

All the assistance added together, 1,000 silver tales ten times over would hardly be enough to compare.

The benefits were so great that Lu Yuan became a little uneasy in his heart.

‘I was originally thinking of cheating Dan Ding Dao and going back on my word after getting the benefits, so that they would suffer a loss.

But now that their investment is so huge, if I went back on my word,

Wouldn’t the Dao Master of Dan Ding Dao, upon hearing the news, be unable to resist coming down from the mountain to take my life?’

As Lu Yuan pondered this possibility, his head began to ache.

The more importance Dan Ding Dao attaches to this matter, the greater the risk and backlash he would face when turning against them in the future.

At this point, he was somewhat deterred.

After all, even without the assistance of Dan Ding Dao, he would be able to destroy the Iron Sword Sect given enough time.

Although the gains would not be as great as this time’s aid, it would still be about one-quarter or one-fifth.

Although these gains are not significant, they would still be enough to support his army and last for several months or half a year.

Later on, if they could win over the Miao people smoothly, they could also obtain their wealth from their previous plundering of the Dongting Prefecture, which would be a considerable income.

If it was still not enough, they could even ask Yan Wangqiu and Su Xuange to lend some money and grain for support.

With multiple sources of funds and grains, it would be enough for Lu Yuan to wage war for a year or so.

There really was no need to provoke Dan Ding Dao and offend such a powerful sect.

But just as he thought so,

“Of course, all these promises are true,”

Only to see Anqiu True Person affirming Lu Yuan’s doubts and then explaining, “The reason why my Dao has been slow to respond to the Fellow Daoist’s request is that we have been gathering this aid for you.

Now, ten million silver tales have been transported from Liang country to Dongting Prefecture.

Two million stones of grain have also been purchased through our Dan Ding Dao channels from various regions of Yue Country and can be transported to your location at any time.

As for the weapons and armors, due to suspicion of smuggling, transportation is a little difficult. But within two to three months, they can arrive.”

As Anqiu True Person spoke, he drew out a jade box and three booklets from his bosom, waving them in front of Lu Yuan, “As for the fifty Divine Blood Elixirs and three top-grade techniques, Elder Daoist has already brought them for Fellow Daoist, and you may take them.”

After speaking, Anqiu True Person handed over the items.

As Lu Yuan watched this scene, the words that originally came to his lips were swallowed back down.

With Dan Ding Dao’s preparations already in place, it was unlikely they would agree to his withdrawal now.

After all, the amount of material aid in this instance was so vast. To gather and transport them would consume a lot of resources, presumably not a small amount.

Lu Yuan even believed that they might amount to half of the aid supplies.

When someone has paid such a high price, you can’t just say no and expect them to concede, do you think they are easy to bully?

Most likely, as soon as the words left his mouth, the Anqiu Elder Daoist in front of him would instantly turn hostile and attack him.

Considering the other’s identity as a senior cultivator, Lu Yuan couldn’t help but swallow his saliva.

Although he too has cultivated and is also a Xiantian martial artist,

However, if he really had to face Elder Daoist Anqiu, to be honest, he wouldn’t be confident in defeating him or even surviving in his hands.

With this in mind, he could only reveal a faint smile and reach out to accept the jade box and secret book, saying, “Then thank you, Fellow Daoist.”