Today, the world is divided into north and south by the Yangtze River.
In the north, Dali dominated 90% of the 13 provinces, while Korea occupied only a small corner of the land and defended itself.
The area south of the Yangtze River was divided among the four states of Zhao, Zhou, Qin, and Wei.
The states of Zhao and Zhou were allies because they were neighbors of Dali.
Since the four southern kingdoms were roughly equal in strength, they had been able to live in relative peace for the past few years.
This is why the whole world is in a delicate balance.
However, with the Zhao and Zhou states now declaring war on Dali, this delicate balance has been directly broken.
If Dali were to move south, the four states of Zhao, Zhou, Qin, and Wei would inevitably unite to resist in order to avoid mutual destruction.
However, now it is the states of Zhao and Zhou that have started the war.
Since the states of Qin and Wei do not border Dali, they will inevitably choose to stand aside to avoid being dragged into the quagmire of war.
Although Dali dominated the north, it was surrounded by the Western Qiang, the Xiongnu, and the Han state, which forced Dali to divide its troops to defend the region.
The State of Zhao Zhou did not have such troubles.
Therefore, they could leave only a small force to monitor the Qin and Wei states, and then commit the rest of their forces to the battlefield against Dali.
With the orders issued by the Zhao and Zhou emperors, the two allied nations immediately began to operate.
Since it is a war between nations, it is impossible for the two sides to be limited to just one city or one place.
First, there is the battlefield of Li Zhao. The border of Zhao is adjacent to the two states of Jing and Ling of Da Li. These two states are separated by the natural barrier of the Yangtze River and have a dense network of waterways.
Secondly, there is the battlefield of Lizhou. The border of Zhou is adjacent to the two states of Dali, Xiang, and Ji. The terrain here is flat and mostly plains. Xiangzhou is inland, and Jizhou is by the sea. It is a typical place that is easy to attack but difficult to defend.
Military intelligence from the four prefectures poured into the capital of Dali like snowflakes.
The sudden attack by the two countries caught Dali completely off guard.
Within just three days, Su'an and Changling in Jingzhou, which were on the battlefield of Zhao, were captured by Zhao.
The Zhao state's continued northward advance was aimed at once again approaching the capital region of Dali.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield away from Zhou, the 300,000-strong army of the Great Zhou successively defeated Liu An of Xiangzhou, attacked Liang County, and advanced on the rice-producing land of Zhezhou.
The situation deteriorated far more severely than Xiao Yu had imagined in just a few days.
Although Dali controls the north, its available military force is very limited.
Although the Xiongnu were crippled in the battle by Mu Zi'an, we still have to be on guard. We also need to station troops in Luzhou, which borders the Western Qiang, and Bingzhou, which borders the State of Han, to prevent them from taking advantage of our misfortune.
When news of the national war arrived, the entire capital of Dali was once again filled with fear and unease.
Liu Rushi had no choice but to temporarily suspend her work recording sweet potatoes and turn her attention to the operation of the Dali Newspaper.
He tried his best to use words to calm the people's fears.
At this point, it is no longer important who intercepted and killed the Great Zhao delegation.
The immediate problem is how to deal with the combined forces of Zhao and Zhou.
This battle is also not going well for Dali.
It is extremely difficult for one country to fight against two countries, after all, two fists cannot fight four hands.
However, Xiao Yu is not faced with a choice right now.
Faced with the overwhelming Zhao-Zhou allied forces, Xiao Yu had no choice but to fight.
Moreover, the war against the Xiongnu last year gave Xiao Yu a lot of confidence.
Although the Zhao-Zhou allied forces claimed to have 600,000 troops, in reality, it would be good if half of them were combat soldiers.
Moreover, most of them were infantrymen, who were insignificant compared to the 100,000 iron cavalry of the Xiongnu.
As for who to send to fight right now, that requires some consideration.
Just as Xiao Yu was troubled by this matter, the Second Prince, Prince Qi, Xiao Mei, entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty the Emperor."
No need for formalities.
"Thank you, Father Emperor."
Xiao Yu didn't actually have very deep feelings for his princes, or rather, he treated them all equally.
Prince Qi, Xiao Mei, bowed and said.
"Your subject is deeply angered to hear that the states of Zhao and Zhou have raised troops to attack."
"Although I have lived in the deep palace for a long time, I have a heart full of patriotism!"
"Therefore, in this battle between Zhao and Zhou, your son is willing to lead the troops into battle, and I swear not to turn back until the enemy is defeated!"
Xiao Yu's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing this.
Although Xiao Mei's behavior was not good on a daily basis, he was still her son after all.
This battle is also a good opportunity for him to hone his skills.
"The battlefield is no place for child's play. Have you thought this through?"
Xiao Mei lowered her head, Chu Fu's voice echoing in her mind.
"If you want to compete for the position of Crown Prince, you must let your father see your abilities."
With this thought in mind, Xiao Mei gritted her teeth and said.
"Your subject has made up his mind! It is my duty to risk my life for my Great Li!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu was inevitably moved. After thinking for a moment, he nodded in agreement.
"As the King of Dali Qi, you should protect the people of the world. Since you have made your decision, I will not say anything more."
"Now, you and my Great Li will be on the battlefield against Zhao. You shall set off together with Mu Junxian."
"In all matters, we must prioritize General Mu's opinion, and we must not underestimate the enemy or act rashly, let alone lose our composure."
"Your subject thanks Your Majesty!"
Xiao Mei bowed to Xiao Yu on the dragon throne, then turned and left, but she couldn't hide the joy on her face.
However, just as Xiao Mei reached the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, she bumped into the Fifth Prince, Prince Jin, Xiao Qing.
The two brothers stood facing each other at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, both seeing astonishment in each other's eyes.
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