Chapter 2228: The Value of the Nine Nether Strategy

The world’s attention was drawn to the Mu-Bei War, with little focus remaining on the Ya Kingdom.

At this time, the Mu Kingdom had seized most of the Ya Kingdom's territory, leaving its tribes with only remote, remaining areas for survival.

The Mu Kingdom did not annex the entire Ya Kingdom for three main reasons: first, Beijia exerted immense pressure; second, the various Ya tribes resisted fiercely; and third, and most importantly:

The remaining Ya territory was not fertile, lacked significant mineral deposits, and its plains were easy to attack but difficult to defend. A glance at the balance sheet showed You Huan that it was a 'chicken rib' – tasteless to eat, but a shame to throw away. He decided to abandon it.

Even the land that the Mu Kingdom disdained would face immense survival pressure if it were to support the entire population.

In their struggle for limited resources, the various tribes soon turned on each other. Conflicts became constant, and their former glory and camaraderie vanished.

The Ke Lin tribe was no longer the royal family. The second prince was soon killed in the chaotic conflict, and the Ya Kingdom fell.

Naturally, the Ya tribes' greatest resentment was still directed at the Mu Kingdom. They frequently launched raids against the Mu-occupied territories—their former lands. Civilians in these areas also colluded with the tribes, causing significant problems for the Mu army stationed there.

Consequently, conflicts along the Mu-Ya border were incessant.

Since the Ke Lin tribe was no longer the royal family, the tribes acted independently and no longer elected a supreme leader. This made 'decapitation strikes' by the Mu Kingdom useless, and conflicts often escalated.

Border troubles and rebellions became the prominent issues in Mu Kingdom's newly acquired territory.

The generals of Cang Yan, observing the situation in the region, all lamented the Mu Kingdom's greed for territory. Indeed, occupying the Ya Kingdom's land came with very high governance costs.

This also indirectly proved the immense wisdom of Emperor Jiuyou, who had not coveted Ya Kingdom's territory, signing the agreement and departing immediately.

War is a double-edged sword: one wrong step leads to many, potentially spiraling endlessly downwards.

Although the Ya Kingdom had fallen, Cang Yan continued to honor the agreements it had previously signed with the Ya Kingdom. This meant maintaining trade in furs, wool, medicinal herbs, and livestock with the former Ya tribes. Its consistent policy demonstrated its trustworthiness.

The perceived difference between the Mu Kingdom and Cang Yan was stark for these tribes, and life on the barren plains was truly harsh.

Finally, after several blizzards in winter caused many deaths, three tribes voluntarily pledged allegiance to Cang Yan, hoping to join their new extended family.

After all, the treatment received by the Bai Long tribe under Emperor Jiuyou served as a benchmark, giving the Ya people great hope.

Emperor Jiuyou gladly accepted them.

Cang Yan did not lack land, but it always needed fierce and brave warriors.

Several months later, four more tribes pledged allegiance to Cang Yan.

While Cang Yan gained more warriors, this was actually something the Mu Kingdom welcomed. Once these tribes sided with Cang Yan, they effectively came under its jurisdiction, either directly relocating from Ya territory or ceasing their reckless incursions into Mu Kingdom's borders.

Emperor Jiuyou's strategy regarding Ya had stood the test of time, proving its increasing value.

Returning to the Mu-Bei War.

After resolving the situation with the Ya Kingdom and establishing amicable relations with Cang Yan, the Mu Kingdom had no further worries in the east and could fully engage with Beijia.

Whether it was due to adopting Emperor Jiuyou's advice or You Huan's own inclination, the Mu army changed its previous style when facing Beijia's invasion. They became steady and cautious, counter-attacking when appropriate and retreating discreetly when necessary. Their tactics were highly flexible, reducing the frequency of desperate, all-out fights. Simultaneously, the Mu army opened a new front, attacking Beijia's northeastern border—

There was no reason for them to passively endure attacks without retaliation. From then on, it became 'you fight your war, I'll fight mine.'

The Mu-Bei battlefields saw wins and losses on both sides. Overall, Beijia maintained an offensive stance, while the Mu Kingdom held its ground and counter-attacked when appropriate.

The Mu Kingdom was already vast and resource-rich. With the surge in Emperor's Dew, food and medicine supplies were largely abundant. Furthermore, by maintaining 'normal trade' with Cang Yan, it continuously acquired other military supplies. Consequently, the Mu Kingdom never showed signs of exhaustion; instead, it seemed to gain more vigor with each battle.

The war was protracted.

As He Lingchuan had originally predicted, over 300 days of fierce fighting had resulted in heavy casualties for both Mu and Beijia, but they still had reserves of strength and were far from being depleted of resources.

For two major powers to be truly exhausted, such a war would need to last at least three to five years or more.

As time progressed, the Mu Kingdom also brought out its most treasured possessions, such as various precious magic artifacts, medicinal formulas, secret treasures, and cultivation techniques, to secure continued support from Cang Yan.

You Huan understood clearly that no matter how valuable these items were, their true worth could only be realized through their use.

Cang Yan had earned a substantial amount of money in the past two years, but like many emerging nations, it had a shallow foundation and lacked these precious treasures or deep heritage. Therefore, Cang Yan's attitude was very positive.

Observers also noted frequent news of appointments, dismissals, and 'blood transfusions' (reshuffles) within the Mu Kingdom, from the royal court down to the sects. It was clear that Emperor Mu and You Huan were using the war as an opportunity to reform personnel, drastically dismissing some groups and appointing others to eliminate entrenched malpractices.

During wartime, You Huan's prestige was unprecedentedly strengthened, which enabled him to implement such reforms.

Du Shan also told his ministers that when it came to domestic reform, the Mu Kingdom still held an advantage over Beijia.

Frontline reports from the two major powers poured like snowflakes into Ju City's palace. It was important to remember that the Mu Kingdom had fought the Ya Kingdom for a year and a half, and before it could recover from the damage, it then confronted Beijia. This was akin to the Ya Kingdom and Beijia launching a 'relay race' attack on the Mu Kingdom.

Yet, surprisingly, the Mu Kingdom grew stronger with each battle, as if it had received a powerful stimulant.

Observing the enthusiastic mobilization of sect cultivators within the Mu Kingdom, who eagerly traveled west to join the national war, He Lingchuan couldn't help but exclaim, "Truly, this is the Mu Kingdom! Its war potential is astonishing, and its foundations are indeed profound."

Of course, this was also the image the Mu Kingdom wanted to project to surrounding nations, especially Beijia:

"I am still robust, and I grow stronger with each fight."

However, from another perspective, the Mu Kingdom focused solely on its domestic battlefield, providing almost no support to its smaller allies or other factions under Mount Ling.

Even as Beijia steadily clipped its allies' wings, the Mu Kingdom did not retaliate by sending troops. Instead, it adopted a strategy of full-scale contraction, essentially self-preservation.

Although this was highly controversial within the domestic court, You Huan withstood the pressure. And despite Mount Ling's strong dissatisfaction, Emperor Mu remained unmoved, resolutely refusing to open a second front in other smaller nations or territories.

Concentrating all national strength on fighting the war within their own territory—this was the core of You Huan's strategy.

Meanwhile, the Mu Kingdom's foreign trade reached new heights.

At this stage of the war, influenced by public opinion and military intelligence, Beijia no longer directly conducted business with enemy nations. In reality, however, trade between several of Beijia's vassal demon kingdoms and Cang Yan, conducted via the Yangshan Archipelago, reached its peak.

Given such a massive trade volume, how much of it genuinely originated from Cang Yan, and how much was Mu Kingdom's merchandise, routed through Cang Yan and the Yangshan Archipelago, ultimately making its way to Beijia?

Someone, of course, had meticulously calculated these covert accounts, but they would never be made public.

In this epic war, some lost their lives, some profited, some observed, and some developed.