"Foreign wars?"
She Fu paused for a moment, then a hint of interest appeared on her face.
Li Ru was indeed right; foreign wars were undoubtedly the best way to increase prestige.
"But who should we attack?"
She Fu hesitated for a moment before looking at Li Ru and asking.
The Han Dynasty is definitely not an option. After last year's defeat, the remaining members of their forces were terrified of being killed. The Xianbei are not to be trifled with either. As for the Fuyu and the Southern Wuhuan, they are under the protection of the Han Dynasty and cannot be provoked for the time being.
Thinking of all this, Shefu couldn't help but feel frustrated. He thought of the Wuhuan, who had once roamed freely across the land and even made the Han Dynasty feel like it was no place for them. How could they have suddenly fallen into such a predicament?
"Goguryeo...!"
Seeing Shefu's depressed look, Li Ru smiled and slowly uttered the three words "Goguryeo".
Goguryeo?
Shefu's expression shifted, and she looked at Li Ru with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
Li Ru nodded. "That's right. Goguryeo is located about 300 li southeast of our territory, which isn't too far. Its total population is about 600,000, but it has only about 30,000 soldiers who can fight, and most of them are infantry. Their combat effectiveness is low, and they are no match for us at all."
Moreover, last year they obtained a considerable amount of supplies from the Han Dynasty through trade; we could use them to replenish our supplies!
"Yes, yes, Mr. Li is right. Goguryeo did not surrender to the Han Dynasty. Even if we attack them, it shouldn't anger the Han Dynasty!"
Moreover, those traitors in the south have also suffered heavy losses, so we don't need to worry about them causing trouble for us!
Shefu's eyes lit up, and he readily agreed with Li Ru's suggestion.
"Report!!"
Just then, a scout suddenly walked in looking hurried.
"What is it? Have the Han attacked again?"
Upon seeing the scout suddenly rush in, Shefu jumped up and immediately stood up, looking at the scout and asking urgently.
"Uh... no!!"
The scout paused for a moment, then quickly shook his head.
"Phew, that's good!!"
Shefu breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the scout with some displeasure.
"What exactly happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"
The scout hurriedly reported, "Reporting to my lord, I have learned that Goguryeo suddenly attacked Hanye and Okjeo ten days ago, and has also conscripted a large number of soldiers, totaling 70,000, who are heading towards the Three Hans!"
"Seventy thousand troops? Why would Goguryeo suddenly make such a large-scale move?"
Shefu was also taken aback. Seventy thousand troops? Had Goguryeo gone mad? They only had about two hundred thousand able-bodied men in the entire country, and now they had drawn a third of them. Were they preparing to destroy the country?
"What about the Han side? Is there no movement from them?"
Shefu immediately thought of the Han Dynasty's attitude. He didn't believe that the Han Dynasty would not intervene after Goguryeo had made such a big commotion.
The scout shook his head. "No, and what I've learned is that it seems that merchants from the Han Dynasty went to Goguryeo to buy slaves, which led to Goguryeo's large-scale attack on Hanye, Okjeo, and the Three Hans!"
"So that's how it is!! No wonder Goguryeo dared to make such a big fuss...!"
Shefu quickly figured out the key point: Goguryeo's target had not surrendered to the Han Dynasty, so it did not offend the Han Dynasty. Moreover, the Han Dynasty needed slaves, so it naturally did not care about them.
Li Ru, standing to the side, suddenly realized what Jia Xu had told him.
"This guy is truly wicked; he's probably outmaneuvered all these barbarians around us..."
After clarifying the cause and effect of the whole incident, Li Ru became more wary of Jia Xu, the mastermind behind it all.
Li Ru then stood up and bowed to She Fu.
"Lord Shefu, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! The entire Goguryeo army is advancing eastward with no defense whatsoever; they are simply lambs to the slaughter!"
Furthermore, we can send people to disguise themselves as merchant caravans and sell the captured slaves to the Han Dynasty in exchange for grain, salt, and other supplies.
The spoils we've captured, plus the supplies we've acquired in exchange, will be enough to ensure we're well-fed and clothed for the next few years. Our strength will also increase dramatically, at which point unifying all the tribes will be a piece of cake.
Li Ru's words truly resonated with She Fu.
Shefu stood up, his face flushed, and said loudly:
"Mr. Li is right. This is a golden opportunity. If we do not seize it, we will be punished by heaven. We should immediately send troops to attack Goguryeo!"
Shefu immediately sent people to gather troops. In addition to the original 10,000 men, he also drew 20,000 able-bodied men from his various units, bringing the total to 30,000 men. They marched in a mighty force towards the rear of Goguryeo.
The movements of the Northern Wuhuan naturally did not escape the notice of Qiuliju and Nanlou, but because they had also suffered heavy casualties last year, they did not take any rash action.
Meanwhile, several spies from Jia Xu's intelligence agency disguised themselves as merchants and arrived at the tribes of Qiuliju and Nanlou of the Southern Wuhuan.
The Southern Wuhuan were under the jurisdiction of Qiuliju.
Upon learning of the arrival of the Han merchant, Qiu Liju did not neglect him and had him brought to the main tent for a personal reception.
After all, the Han merchants who can come here openly and honestly to trade with them must have extraordinary status and ability in the Han Dynasty.
"My name is Chen Hu, and I greet Lord Qiu Liju!"
Chen Hu, disguised as a businessman, also bowed politely to Qiu Liju.
"Mr. Chen, you are too kind. However... I'm afraid you'll have to leave empty-handed. At the moment, our department has nothing to offer you in exchange!"
Qiuliju sat in his seat and sighed dejectedly. Although they had defeated the Northern Wuhuan with the help of the Great Han last year, they had to return empty-handed because Shefu had followed Li Ru's scorched earth strategy.
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