On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

Nangong Xiong, still basking in the thrill of his impending revenge, waved his hand impatiently.

"Speak quickly!"

Li Chengfeng said expressionlessly, "Your Majesty, I believe that an army of 200,000 has a great chance of winning the siege, but Your Majesty has overlooked the most important issue."

"What's the problem?"

"Lin Yi is an eccentric and unpredictable man. If he saw an army of 200,000 besieging the city and knew it was undefendable, would he just sit and wait to die?"

The crowd looked at each other, wondering what he meant.

Li Chengfeng said, "Your Majesty, Lin Yi commands the Divine Machine Battalion, and the palace's defenses are currently weak. If Lin Yi, in a desperate situation, leads his troops into the palace and takes Your Majesty hostage, will the 200,000 troops outside the city still dare to attack?"

"what……"

"Yeah, what if Lin Yi gets cornered and does something rash?"

"Then His Majesty's safety cannot be guaranteed!"

"Sigh, I thought we could bring Lin Yi down, what are we going to do now!"

Li Chengfeng's words hit the nail on the head, causing the courtiers to worry again.

Nangong Xiong's face turned deathly pale.

Just now, all I could think about was how to crush Lin Yi with my army, completely forgetting that I was still trapped in the capital and at risk of becoming Lin Yi's prisoner at any moment.

Liu Wentao also suddenly realized what was happening.

I thought to myself, "That's right!"

Lin Yi dared to tear up imperial edicts and depose princes; what wouldn't he dare to do? If the army really started attacking the city, Lin Yi would definitely rush into the palace immediately and capture the emperor to use as a shield.

If the emperor is in Lin Yi's hands then, how can we fight this war?

"This...this..." Nangong Xiong panicked.

In fact, he was more afraid of death than anyone else.

If Lin Yi really stormed into the palace, given his ruthless methods, he would definitely kill him without hesitation.

"Your Majesty, Lord Li is right!" Liu Wentao quickly pressed his advantage. "If Lin Yi knew that a massive army was pressing in, he would surely strike first. The palace is in grave danger! Your Majesty is in grave danger!"

Qian Deguang also shouted, "Your Majesty, you can't fight! If the Emperor's health is harmed, the Great Zhou Dynasty will be finished!"

The military officers who had just vowed to sign a pledge are now all silent.

They could lead troops to attack the city, but no one could guarantee that Lin Yi wouldn't kill the emperor before breaching the city gates.

This is a difficult situation.

Looking at these ministers, Nangong Xiong felt utterly powerless.

Is there really no way to deal with Lin Yi?

Are we really just going to stand by and watch him ride roughshod over us and ruin our sons one by one?

"Sun Fu, tell me, what should we do now?"

Sun Fuxin said, "Why are you asking me about the palace's defenses instead of the Imperial Guards?"

What does this have to do with me?

Sun Fu looked at Zhang Yong, the commander of the Imperial Guards who had been standing beside Nangong Xiong.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, the latter immediately stepped forward without hesitation.

"Your Majesty need not worry. With me here, the palace is safe and sound."

Seeing that he spoke with such certainty, Nangong Xiong felt a little more at ease, but he still had some doubts.

"Zhang Yong, Lin Yi has five thousand Divine Machine Battalion soldiers! The Imperial Guards in the palace only have three thousand men at most, and their equipment is inferior to that of the Divine Machine Battalion. Can you guarantee me that everything will go smoothly?"

"Your Majesty, the Divine Machine Battalion is indeed elite, and their eight-ox crossbows and ballistae are extremely powerful in field battles and siege warfare. However, the palace has a unique terrain, with high walls and narrow gates. The Divine Machine Battalion excels at defense and positional warfare, not offense."

Zhang Yong stood up and pointed in the direction of the palace as he analyzed the situation.

"If Lin Yi wants to attack the palace, his heavy weapons are simply useless. He can only rely on his infantry to charge in. The Imperial Guards have been stationed in the palace for years and know every corner like the back of their hand. I have already set up sentries and traps throughout the palace."

"If Lin Yi dares to set foot in the palace even half a step, I will fight to the last man to ensure he never returns!"

Zhang Yong's words resonated deeply, greatly inspiring the civil and military officials present.

Upon hearing this, Nangong Xiong felt the plan was even more feasible.

"Good! Zhang Yong, I didn't misjudge you! As long as you can defend the palace and ensure my safety, after we destroy Lin Yi, I will appoint you as the Grand General Who Conquers the West!"

Zhang Yong kowtowed expressionlessly.

"I do not need a promotion. I only ask to share Your Majesty's burdens and kill all the treacherous officials and villains."

"good!"

With Zhang Yong's assurance, Nangong Xiong regained his confidence, stood up abruptly, and swept away his previous dejection.

"Now that the palace is safe, what are we waiting for? Zhang Zenan, immediately go out of the city and mobilize 200,000 troops. Tell them to travel day and night and reach the capital as quickly as possible!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Zhang Zenan loudly accepted the order.

"Liu Wentao, you're in charge of contacting those powerful families within the city who are dissatisfied with Lin Yi. When the army attacks the city, have them create chaos within the city, coordinating an attack from the inside!"

"This old minister obeys the decree!" Liu Wentao had no choice but to agree, though he felt helpless.

Nangong Xiong's eyes swept over everyone, and he said in a sinister tone.

"This time, I will make sure Lin Yi dies a horrible death!"

"Your Majesty will surely bring blessings for ten thousand years, and may the Great Zhou Dynasty last ten thousand years!" The ministers knelt and bowed, then withdrew one by one.

After arranging everything, Nangong Xiong was completely exhausted. He leaned back in his chair, looking rather dejected, rubbing his aching temples, his heart pounding.

This time, he's betting everything.

If this fails, the Great Zhou Dynasty will be in grave danger.

However, opportunities and crises often coexist.

If successful, Nangong Xiong will become incredibly powerful, and the world will completely submit to his rule.

Thinking of this, he turned to look at Sun Fu.

"Sun Fu, do you think I can win this time?"

Sun Fu bowed slightly.

Although he was a eunuch, his ambition was greater than anyone else's.

Moreover, he never got angry and could endure anything, all for the sake of achieving his ultimate goal—the first eunuch emperor in history.

The current deadly confrontation between Nangong Xiong and Lin Yi is exactly the situation he wanted to see.

"Your Majesty, this old servant believes that although Lin Yi is powerful, he is too young and acts too arrogantly, offending everyone in the world. He has deposed the Fourth Prince and the First Prince, which has crossed the bottom line of imperial power and made the world see his wolfish ambitions."

"Although 200,000 troops are not a large force, they represent the general trend of the world. Lin Yi has been causing trouble for long enough, and it's time for it to end. As long as His Majesty stabilizes the situation and Commander Zhang defends the palace, Lin Yi will undoubtedly be defeated."

Nangong Xiong listened and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Yeah... he's been going on for a long time."

"I've tolerated him for so long, it's finally time to close the net."

Nangong Xiong got up, walked to the window, looked at the night, his back view was somewhat desolate, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

But Sun Fu, standing behind him, had a hint of mockery flash in his lowered eyes.

Two hundred thousand troops?

That was nothing more than a hastily assembled rabble.

Now that things have changed in the capital, the regional princes and governors are all showing signs of wanting to amass military power and become independent.

Even if they brought their troops to the capital for the greater good, how could they possibly work together wholeheartedly? After all, no one wanted to lose their own troops.

Lin Yi should have thought of this long ago.

Moreover, Lin Yi's decision to cripple Nangong Ao today was definitely not a spur-of-the-moment act.

Sun Futai knew him well; this young man never did anything he wasn't sure of after he woke up.

Since he dared to use such deadly force, it means he was prepared to break ties with the royal family... or rather, he had already broken ties long ago.

Just in case, he must still have some trump cards up his sleeve.

However, this is exactly what Sun Fu wanted.

Let them fight, the more brutal the better.

Once the imperial family's prestige is completely shattered and Lin Yi's military strength is nearly exhausted, it will be time for him to personally take action.

"Your Majesty, it is late. You should return to the palace to rest as soon as possible," Sun Fu said respectfully.

Nangong Xiong nodded.

"Yes, let's go. Have someone take good care of Ao'er. The Empress shouldn't cry here anymore; it's quite annoying. Have someone take her back to the palace."

"Yes."