Words Strategize for the World

At this moment, Qu Zheng was reading Sun Tzu's Art of War written by Fang Wei.

The more he read, the more impressive he became of this military treatise. This book was truly extraordinary; it broke through the limitations of previous military treatises, incorporating all the major national affairs into its contents.

Just as he was engrossed in reading, Fang Wei knocked on the door.

Hearing a knock at the door, Qu Zheng frowned and said, "Come in."

As soon as Fang Wei entered, he said, "Teacher, I have taken care of my business and can leave for the Prince's Mansion at any time."

Upon hearing Fang Wei's voice, Qu Zheng looked up and said, "Oh, it's all done so quickly."

"Yes, teacher."

"Alright. Lord Wang should be back from court by now. Let's go to the Prince's residence."

As he spoke, Qu Zheng got up and prepared to go to the Prince's Mansion.

Because he needed to arrange for Lai Fengwu, Fang Wei told Qu Zheng about Lai Fengwu when Qu Zheng got up.

When they spoke, they simply said that a distant relative was coming and wanted to stay for a few days. Qu Zheng didn't think much of it and said he would make the arrangements later.

As they exited the gate, Qu Zheng instructed his servants and then left the Qu residence with Fang Wei.

When Qu Zheng and Fang Wei went to the Prince's Mansion, Wang Yunzhi had just returned to the mansion.

At this moment, Wang Yunzhi's face was frosty, and she was furious. No one in the Wang residence dared to approach Wang Yunzhi's study.

"What a good-for-nothing, a coward, a coward!" For some reason, Wang Yunzhi started cursing as soon as he returned to his study.

No one dared to approach the study, except for one person: Wang Yunzhi's wife.

Madam Wang came from a prestigious family, was well-educated and virtuous, and was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She never required Wang Yunzhi to worry about managing household affairs, and in some aspects, she could even offer Wang Yunzhi advice.

When the servants reported that the master was in a great fire in his study, Madam Wang immediately realized something was wrong.

To be so angry right after returning from the morning court session must mean something has changed in the country.

Madam Wang quickly came to the study and gently knocked on the door.

Wang Yunzhi and his wife treated each other with utmost respect, and he knew that at this moment, only his own wife would dare to knock on the door.

"Husband, why are you so angry after returning from the morning court?" Although Madam Wang had a general idea, she didn't know what had happened, so she asked.

"Alas, the calamity of the Chi Kingdom, the loss to the nation!" Wang Yunzhi lamented upon hearing his wife's question.

"What happened? Why is it so serious?"

"It's not Zhang Zhihuan. He said he met the Emperor of Yan a couple of days ago. But this morning at court, he replied that he didn't meet the King of Yan, nor did he manage to get any reinforcements."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang's face turned pale instantly, and she exclaimed, "How could this be?"

"I don't know the specifics either. We're weak internally and have no reinforcements from outside. What should we do if the Hegemon Kingdom attacks now?" Wang Yunzhi was getting anxious.

Although he was a Celestial-level scholar, his individual strength was ultimately limited. Even a Celestial-level scholar was not invincible in the face of hundreds of thousands of troops.

Thinking that Zhang Zhihuan, as one of the Three Dukes and a scholar of the highest rank, could not even bring reinforcements, it was a waste of his status as one of the Three Dukes.

"Coward, what a coward!" Wang Yunzhi grew angrier the more he thought about it, and he even cursed out loud in front of his wife.

Seeing Wang Yunzhi's actions, Madam Wang felt a pang of heartache. "Husband, you mustn't do this. Since reinforcements haven't arrived, it's a fait accompli. No matter how angry you are, it's useless."

Just as Madam Wang finished speaking, someone outside announced that Master Qu of the Qu family had come to request an audience.

Upon hearing that it was Qu Zheng who had arrived, Wang Yunzhi immediately said, "Please come in quickly, please come in quickly."

Now that Qu Zheng had arrived, Wang Yunzhi had someone to discuss things with, and her initial anger subsided a bit.

Before Qu Zheng arrived, Madam Wang said to Wang Yunzhi, "Husband, you and Qu Zheng should talk about the lack of reinforcements. I, a mere woman, will take my leave now."

Hearing his wife's words, Wang Yunzhi nodded.

Not long after Madam Wang left, Qu Zheng brought Fang Wei to Wang Yunzhi's study.

As soon as the two entered the study, Wang Yunzhi saw Fang Wei behind Qu Zheng.

"Indeed, he's quite handsome," Wang Yunzhi thought to herself, making this comment about Fang Wei.

"Come on, Qu Zheng, you've come at the right time. I've been looking for you."

Before Qu Zheng could even sit down, Wang Yunzhi spoke loudly.

Qu Zheng was still unaware of the situation, so he asked, "Yunzhi, what brings you here?"

"Ugh, what a good-for-nothing. In our family of three high-ranking officials, we've produced a good-for-nothing," Wang Yunzhi said with a look of hatred.

Upon hearing this, Qu Zheng immediately realized something was wrong. For Wang Yunzhi to say something like that, something serious must have happened.

"Yunzhi, what do you mean by that?" Qu Zheng realized it, but didn't know the reason, so he could only ask.

Wang Yunzhi's next words dispelled all of Qu Zheng's doubts, but they also ignited Qu Zheng's anger.

It turned out that after Zhang Zhihuan arrived in Yan Kingdom, he was ambushed, reportedly by those sent by His Highness the Crown Prince. However, Qin Yu's men appeared and rescued him during the ambush.

Later, while conducting his investigation, Zhang Zhihuan prepared to enter the palace.

Of course, all of this was arranged by Qin Yu. Once Qin Yu confirmed that he could bring Zhang Zhihuan to meet the Emperor, Zhang Zhihuan reported back to the Chi Kingdom. Therefore, the intelligence report returned to the capital two days earlier than Zhang Zhihuan's.

Under Qin Yu's arrangement, Zhang Zhihuan waited for several days but did not get to meet the Yan Emperor. Meanwhile, the Ba Kingdom's attack had already begun, so he rushed back day and night.

Zhang Zhihuan could have continued to wait to meet the Emperor of Yan, but he said he had a reason to return.

Therefore, Zhang Zhihuan returned to Chi Kingdom only two days after the intelligence report.

This was only Zhang Zhihuan's side of the story; Wang Yunzhi was unaware of the details. Now, with no reinforcements, this was what pained Wang Yunzhi the most.

Qu Zheng was also taken aback by the result. Such a dramatic turn of events showed that Zhang Zhihuan was indeed a good-for-nothing, utterly useless.

And why did they return so quickly instead of waiting? Is there some kind of conspiracy involved?

"Yunzhi, Zhang Zhihuan has returned so quickly. Did His Majesty not issue an edict to punish him? Furthermore, as one of the Three Dukes, he returned home without seeing the emperor of the allied country or bringing reinforcements. There must be something fishy about this."

Qu Zheng was also furious, wishing he could tear Zhang Zhihuan to pieces.

"Alas, how could there be no imperial decree? His Majesty is furious and has already demoted Zhang Zhihuan to a commoner and imprisoned him. But what's the use? The Hegemon Kingdom has already attacked, and we must find a way to win this war. Also, there's something strange about this matter, and I will definitely investigate it thoroughly."

Wang Yunzhi said with a gritted teeth look on her face.

Fang Wei, who was standing to the side, was also shocked to hear such a dramatic scene unfold. Thinking about it, he also felt that there must be a conspiracy involved, otherwise such a situation wouldn't have occurred.

What should I do? Fang Wei kept racking his brains.

What he needs most is to continuously improve himself in a safe environment. Of course, this improvement must be in his status and abilities.

The hegemonic nation's offensive has begun, which means war has begun.

The army of the Hegemon Kingdom is the most powerful, but it's unknown just how powerful it is, whether it might even be more powerful than the famous ancient armies of another world.

For example, the Imperial Guards, the Qin Army, the Northern Army, and so on.

Furthermore, in this world, with the participation of scholars, how do armies fight?

These are all issues that need to be understood, so perhaps...

"Yunzhi, you're right. We must find a way. Chi Kingdom must continue to stand among the five kingdoms."