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In such circumstances, the military expenses Southsea Country would need each year might approach the gigantic sum of ten million silver tales, far more than the current three million.

With Southsea Country’s national strength, it wouldn’t be able to sustain this situation for long.

Isn’t the failure of Su Country just two years ago, a clear lesson for them?

Those horrifying scenes, still fresh in their minds, how could the people of Southsea Country not be apprehensive?

Therefore, those in favor of honoring the alliance actually comprise a large proportion of the population in Southsea Country.

After all, the substantial budget given by Lu Yuan every year to Honglu Temple and the Royal Palace has never been lacking. Additionally, those officials born in Southsea who are currently in Chu State have been consistently writing letters home these years, promoting Chu State.

This long-established cultivation has gathered a large number of pro-Chu faction supporters in Southsea Country.

Even in Southsea Country’s royal court, the pro-Chu faction is a significant political force that has considerable influence and can steer the policy direction of Southsea.

But where there’s a pro-Chu faction, there naturally exists a pro-Ning faction.

In recent years, with Chu State’s national power increasingly climbing, it has gradually widened the gap with Su and Southsea, resulting in the three nations no longer being on the same level.

This shift in power dynamics has been causing unrest among many intellectuals in Southsea Country.

This unease has even peaked after the fourth year of Shenwu, Chu State launched a campaign against the southwestern Yi people and quickly secured a major victory. Chu State expanded by adding Qianzhong County, intensifying the feeling of insecurity.

Because everyone can see clearly that the original tripartite alliance between Chu, Su, and Southsea was essentially three countries banding together against the military alliance of Ning Country and Zhou Country.

Whether it was Ning Country or Zhou Country, they were either supreme dominators or provincial dominators, their power far surmounted that of the three nations.

Neither Chu, Su, nor Southsea could individually confront either Ning or Zhou. Only by banding together could they have the strength to battle these two nations.

So, based on this powerful external pressure and realistic requirement, the three nations formed this alliance and reached a consensus for external cooperation.

But as Chu State continued to grow stronger, accumulating four counties with a vast territory, amassing hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and having three Inborn Grandmasters, it was becoming a giant entity.

Now, relying solely on Chu State’s power, it could independently confront Zhou, Liang, or Ning, and maintain itself under the threat of these three nations.

Under such circumstances, the value of both Southsea Country and Su Country naturally began to decline.

Since they didn’t need these two nations to help defend against external enemies, and Chu State’s strength was gradually widening the gap with them.

If you were in Chu State, how could you not have some thoughts?

Under normal thinking, anyone would choose to directly annex these two small allies, then integrate all their strengths to compete against Ning Country.

Recognizing this, even if it meant risking domestic rebellion, Su Xuange stressfully exploited the native strength for Ning Country, maintaining a large standing army.

Southsea Country equally recognized this point.

In fact, their situation was even worse than Su Country.

While Su Country still had one Inborn Grandmaster stationed, over in Southsea Country, with the death of Yan Wangqiu, they no longer had the protection of a grandmaster.

Not only did they lack the protection of a grandmaster, but even in terms of regular military force, after ten years of nation-building, Southsea Country still only had twenty thousand county soldiers and twenty thousand forbidden army soldiers, totaling a mere forty thousand standing troops.

This degree of strength, compared to surrounding nations, can simply be described as negligible.

No backing from top-level combat power, insufficient ground troops, and both allies harboring ambitious expansionist tendencies.

What else could you feel but fear if you were Southsea?

That’s why within Southsea Country there slowly emerged a second voice.

The proposal was to attract another powerful external force beyond the three-nation alliance to balance against the increasingly threatening two allies.

Looking around, the only one who fits the requirement is Ning Country.

By bringing Ning Country in, Southsea Country could have some countermeasures or say an escape route, to combat if the two allies harbored any sinister intentions in the future.

Correct, it’s an escape route.

Many high-ranking officials and ministers in Southsea Country are quite pessimistic about its future.

They fully understand that in this age of great contention, without the protection of an Inborn Grandmaster, they are essentially regarded by others as easy prey, and most likely won’t escape the fate of extinction.

Given extinction is inevitable, selling Southsea Country to Ning Country surely seems better than selling it to Chu State or Su Country, right?

After all, Ning Country, which occupies four counties in Jiangdong, is still seen by citizens of Yangzhou and the world as the legitimate ruler of Yangzhou and the successor to the Heavenly Son in Jinling.

The strength of Ning Country far surpasses Chu State and Su Country.

Being a citizen of Ning Country is definitely better than being a Chu or Su citizen.

One is a citizen of a dominating nation, the other is a citizen of a small country. Can their status and future prospects possibly be the same?

Of course, all these are choices of last resort.

If Southsea Country can continue to sustain in this chaotic world, its ministers and nobles would naturally prefer to enjoy their wealth and privilege in the Lingnan Region rather than rush to become a minor official for Ning Country.