On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

Apart from Zhang Zenan, no one present was willing to give up their good life to fight Lin Yi to the death, and they all knelt on the ground to agree with Liu Wentao's words.

Nangong Xiong looked at Zhang Zenan and raised an eyebrow.

"Minister Zhang, don't you second this proposal?"

Zhang Zenan's youngest son, Zhang Chuang, was deposed. Later, he planned to join forces with the eldest prince to bring down Lin Yi, but who knew that the eldest prince would also be deposed now.

If this continues, who knows if he, the Duke of Xun, will also be deposed?

Therefore, he most desperately wanted Lin Yi to die.

He clasped his hands in a military salute: "Your Majesty is wise! Eliminate Lin Yi! I am willing to be the vanguard, leading troops to attack the Regent's Palace, capture Lin Yi alive, and avenge the two princes and my son!"

"Good! This is the kind of subject I have!"

After praising Zhang Zenan, Nangong Xiong pointed at Liu Wentao's nose and cursed, "You bunch of civil officials, you're always full of talk about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, but when it comes to crucial moments, you cower and are afraid of death! Lin Yi has already defecated on my neck, and you still expect me to tolerate it? I'm telling you, today's battle, we have to fight it whether we want to or not!"

Liu Wentao was scolded until his face turned red, but he still forced himself to speak.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This old minister is not afraid of death, but only thinking of the fate of the Great Zhou Dynasty. A direct assault on the capital is absolutely impossible without overwhelming military superiority!"

"Hmph, fine, then I'll show you how many troops I have!" Nangong Xiong sneered. "Sun Fu!"

Sun Fu, who had been standing in the corner like a ghost, immediately stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"Ahem, my lords, I have been in contact with the various vassal kings and local garrisons through secret channels these past few days. They have all replied, indicating that they are ready to come to the aid of the emperor."

Liu Wentao's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "How many troops can you mobilize to the capital?"

Sun Fu lowered his head, his tone somewhat helpless.

"Although all regions have expressed their loyalty, the blockade of the capital by Lin Yi has hampered communication, and the allocation of supplies to various regions takes time, so the troops are still insufficient. At present, the maximum number of troops that can be mobilized immediately and quickly arrive around the capital is only about 200,000."

Two hundred thousand?

Liu Wentao and Qian Deguang both felt a chill run down their spines.

The Great Zhou Dynasty was vast, and originally, the local army and the troops of the vassal kings numbered at least a million, but now they could only muster two hundred thousand.

It should be noted that Lin Yi not only has 5,000 Shenji Battalion soldiers under his command, but more importantly, he has 300,000 troops in the Northern Territory!

Those were fierce and powerful troops who had fought against barbarians for many years!

If these 200,000 men cannot capture the capital in a short time, they will be surrounded and annihilated once the northern army arrives.

When the time comes, whether they are royalty or officials, every single one of them will have to face Lin Yi's revenge!

"Your Majesty, it is far too risky for 200,000 troops to attack the heavily defended capital!" Liu Wentao pleaded desperately.

Nangong Xiong, however, wouldn't listen to a word.

"Can't an army of 200,000 take down the capital?" Nangong Xiong glared at Liu Wentao. "The Divine Machine Battalion only numbers 5,000 at most! 200,000 men, even if we use human lives to fill the walls, we can flatten the capital for me!"

Nangong Xiong turned to look at the several military officers standing to the side.

These were all bought from the Lin family later when the feudal lords were weakened. They weren't great generals, but they could still lead troops.

"Do you think we can take it?"

Several military officers immediately knelt on one knee and roared, "We are willing to pledge our military strength! With an army of 200,000, we will surely raze the Regent's Palace to the ground and capture Lin Yi alive!"

In truth, they weren't sure either.

They knew all too well the strength of the Divine Machine Battalion. Even if they could take the capital, 150,000 of the 200,000 men would die.

But the emperor was clearly furious, and no one dared to utter a single word of dissent.

Hope ignited in Nangong Xiong's eyes.

"Good! This is truly a good subject of mine! Liu Wentao, did you hear that? Even military generals charging into battle are not afraid to die, so what are you, a civil official, afraid of?"

Liu Wentao cursed inwardly that these military officers were brainless.

Although I am a civil servant, I have never seen a pig run, but I have eaten pork, right?

Even a fool would know that a siege isn't won simply by having more people.

Moreover, the Shenji Battalion's favorite pastime is siege warfare. With hundreds of crossbows and ballistae, a single volley can kill an entire column of soldiers.

"well……"

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Sun Fu stepped in to smooth things over.

"Your Excellency need not worry too much. These 200,000 troops are not a rabble. Among them are 50,000 elite troops from the Prince of Huainan and 30,000 amphibious troops from the Jiangnan Camp. They have been suppressing bandits for many years and their fighting strength is not weak."

Sun Fu paused for a moment, then continued his analysis: "Although the Divine Machine Battalion is formidable, they are tasked with defending all twelve gates of the capital, resulting in a dispersed force. If we concentrate our forces and launch a fierce attack on one point, we will surely be able to breach their defenses. Once the army enters the city, even if Lin Yi possesses extraordinary abilities, he will have no chance of escape."

Sun Fu's words were well-organized and clear, which Nangong Xiong found very helpful.

"Listen to this! Listen to this!" Nangong Xiong pointed at Sun Fu and said to Liu Wentao, "Even a eunuch sees things more clearly than you ministers who have studied the classics! Lin Yi only caught us off guard with a surprise attack. Now that I have mobilized the entire army, what can he use to fight me?"

Liu Wentao sighed inwardly again.

Sun Fu, that old fox, usually keeps a low profile, but at crucial moments he always manages to speak in accordance with the emperor's wishes and push the emperor into a pit of fire.

At this moment, Qian Deguang cautiously spoke up.

"Your Majesty, Chief Steward Sun's words are indeed reasonable. But what if this army of 200,000 becomes a protracted war? How will we manage to supply them with provisions?"

This is indeed a fatal problem.

Nangong Xiong frowned, recalling the days he had spent drinking millet porridge in the palace, and knew all too well the pain of not having enough food.

Sun Fu spoke again.

"Lord Qian, you are overthinking it. This old servant has already made arrangements. When the army marches out, we will requisition local provisions along the way. Moreover, as long as our offensive is fierce enough and we win quickly, provisions will not be a problem at all. Besides, the four great families of Jiangnan have secretly agreed to provide some military supplies."

Upon hearing that the Jiangnan conglomerate was willing to provide the funds, Nangong Xiong's brows relaxed.

"Good! Sun Fu, you've handled this matter well. I will reward you handsomely after we eliminate Lin Yi!"

Seeing that everything was planned, Zhang Zenan could no longer contain himself: "Your Majesty, I request permission to leave the city immediately to personally meet the various armies and lead the troops to attack the capital!"

Nangong Xiong glanced at him and nodded.

"Very well, Zhang Aiqing, I hereby appoint you as the Grand Marshal for Suppressing the Rebellion. Immediately take my secret decree and leave the city. Remember, I do not want Lin Yi alive, I want him dead!! And Wang Pangzi, Lu Hei Pangzi! I will execute all these traitors!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Zhang Zenan said, his face flushed with excitement.

Damn it, I finally have the chance to avenge my son myself.

Seeing this, Liu Wentao knew that the situation was beyond repair.

A civil war is about to break out in the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The trigger for all of this was Lin Yi's decision to depose the eldest prince.

But it's strange... Judging from what happened before, Lin Yi is a very smart and shrewd person.

Didn't he know that deposing the eldest prince would drive the emperor to desperation?

If he knew, why did he still do it?

Liu Wentao shook his head inwardly.

He didn't believe Lin Yi was acting out of a fit of rage for a woman; that was pure nonsense.

For politicians and playboys alike, beautiful women are like clothes—they wear one and throw it away, and they never lack them.

If neither of these apply, then it proves that Lin Yi still has some trump cards up his sleeve.

Oh no, the emperor may have been tricked!

"Alright! Issue the decree..."

Just as Nangong Xiong was about to give the final order, a civil official who had been silent until now suddenly stood up.

This is Li Chengfeng, an imperial censor from the Censorate, who is known for his outspokenness.

To put it bluntly, it refers to someone who frequently criticizes the emperor.

But Nangong Xiong invited him here today because the emperor considers him a loyal minister.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should."