The Empire will continue to win

Octagon Pavilion.

The young emperor stood there for a long time, his fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly.

"Your Majesty, Master Weng has arrived."

Not long after.

Imperial tutor Weng Tonghe strode over and, seeing the young emperor's overflowing resentment, gestured for the eunuchs and palace maids to leave.

"Your Majesty~"

"Master, there's something I can't understand at all. Could you please enlighten me?"

"Your Majesty, please speak."

"Master, you may not know this, but the so-called great victory in Goryeo was a lie. It was a conspiracy between the two empress dowagers and Prince Gong to deceive everyone."

"What?"

Weng Tonghe was so frightened that his hair stood on end.

The imperial court actually told such a colossal lie?

Empress Dowager, you're so confused!

The world is changing rapidly; it's no longer the era when travel was slow.

5 years ago.

The telegraph was born!

Upon its invention, it astonished the world with its high-efficiency transmission speed, and countries rushed to buy telegraph machines to lay lines.

The empire also allocated huge sums of money to build four telegraph lines: the capital city of Fengtian, the capital city of Chengdu, the capital city of Nanjing, and the capital city of Wuchang.

"I don't understand. If we lose, we should keep fighting. With our great nation, we can always win against those tiny little countries. But Mother..." Emperor Xuanwu deliberately lowered his voice.

Weng Tonghe, after all, came from a top-tier official family and had a keen sense of smell. After calming himself down a bit, he said, "Your Majesty, I think the Empress Dowager may have some unspeakable difficulties."

"What's the unspeakable secret?"

"The Empress Dowager was probably afraid that the treacherous officials would use the defeat in Goryeo to threaten the Emperor's throne. She probably thought it wouldn't be too late to send troops to deal with the Eastern barbarians after the Emperor's position was consolidated."

Emperor Xuanwu's anger subsided somewhat.

My mother still loves me, but she loves me very strictly.

"Your Majesty, now that the two empress dowagers are ruling from behind the curtain, the court is full of upright officials, and everything will be fine. Please do not be impatient. You must continue to show respect to your stepmother, the Empress Dowager, and pay your respects to her morning and evening without any slackening."

"I understand."

"Your Majesty, today's lesson is—how telegraph technology will affect a unified dynasty."

"Okay, let's go back to class."

"Yes."

In his thirties, Weng Tonghe silently followed behind the young emperor, sighing inwardly:

Your Majesty, I know perfectly well what's going on, but I cannot say it. I absolutely cannot encourage you to openly oppose the Empress Dowager.

On the contrary, I must speak up for the Empress Dowager at all times.

Although Empress Dowager Cixi was your birth mother, she harbored ambitions similar to those of Empress Wu Zetian.

Take it one step at a time.

Everything will be alright.

.........

The Hall of Mental Cultivation.

An Dehai stole a glance at his master. Huh? Why is his master's charming face distorted? Why are his master's jade hands trembling?

Looking at Prince Gong, he also had a solemn expression.

Letter to Empress Dowager Cixi

Chapter One – Beware! The Next Palace Coup is Brewing

Chapter Two – To Secure Internal Order, One Must First Resist External Enemies

Chapter Three – On the Necessity of the Great Victory in Goryeo

Chapter Four – The Empire Faces Five Internal Troubles and Three External Threats

Chapter Five – The Empress Dowager is the Empire, and the Empire is the Empress Dowager

Chapter Six - Solutions

Flipping to any one of the pages reveals horrifying content; every word screams out.

Southeast Mutual Protection.

The Northwest is plotting a rebellion.

Foreign invasion.

A disconnect between ideas.

The factional struggle is in full swing.

Foreign trade is out of control.

Tax revenue is depleted.

The central government is declining.

The empire is like a sheet of iron under immense stress; if struck by an external force, cracks will immediately appear.

~

Upon seeing this, a fine layer of sweat appeared on the Empress Dowager's smooth forehead.

You were absolutely right!

Continue browsing.

~

Queen Dowager decisively declared a great victory for Goryeo, trading space for time and a small victory for a big one. This strategy stabilized the court, appeased the people, and deterred political enemies. It was a brilliant move rarely seen in three thousand years.

The empire cannot lose; the empire must win.

If we win, the whole world will be at peace, and the Empress Dowager will be wise.

If we lose, we will be surrounded by enemies on all sides, and the world will collapse.

However, although Dong Sang's provocation is like a minor scabies, if it is not cured for a long time, it will cause physical discomfort and insomnia. Given time, the scabies will eventually become a serious disease.

The current situation is extremely difficult.

No matter what the Empress Dowager does, the outcome is always the same—she loses sight of one thing while trying to do another.

If the Empress Dowager deploys troops outside the country, internal troubles will arise.

If the Empress Dowager were to rectify internal affairs, foreign invaders would be able to invade.

I humbly declare that collusion between internal and external forces, and the alliance of political enemies, will inevitably occur. At that time, the Empress Dowager will be in grave danger! The Imperial Court will be in grave danger! The United Empire will be in grave danger!

~

To secure internal stability, one must first quell external threats.

Rather than sit idly by and watch as internal and external enemies unite, the Empress Dowager should seize the momentum of victory and, in the name of righteousness, decisively declare war on the Eastern barbarians! Once the external war begins, it can both repel external threats and pacify the internal situation.

Upon seeing this, Empress Dowager Cixi was filled with murderous intent, but as she continued reading, she was filled with amazement.

~

War against the Eastern Barbarians!

The intensity of the war is key.

I believe that we can remain inactive on land and conduct guerrilla warfare at sea, waging a normalized, low-intensity, high-level war.

War is a continuation of politics.

By raising the banner of righteousness, the Empress Dowager could openly mobilize the manpower of the Northwest and the financial resources of the Southeast. Anyone who dared to disobey would be labeled a traitor.

Traitors are infamous and will be remembered for eternity.

This is a calculated, open strategy.

Three to five years later, it can reshape the power of the central government, establish the authority of the Empress Dowager, suppress enemy countries, and weaken local areas. It can be said to kill four birds with one stone and leave a mark on history.

This memorial has truly struck a chord with me.

The Empress Dowager Cixi felt a chill run down her spine!

It's both sour and refreshing.

~

Keep watching!

I believe that all actions in court politics are essentially in service of the struggle.

The so-called once-in-three-thousand-years situation, stripped bare, is essentially nothing more than one sentence—a new struggle has begun!

~

That's it.

She had turned to the last sheet of scrap paper, but the content was clearly not finished. How could this be? The Empress Dowager was eager to see more, and she raised the scrap paper in her hand.

"An Dehai, what about the next one?"

That's all.

slap~

A slap in the face.

"This servant deserves to die! This servant deserves to die!"

An Dehai then realized what crazy things he had just said. He was so ashamed that he immediately knelt down and slapped himself.

Empress Dowager Cixi's almond-shaped eyes widened as she turned to stare at Prince Gong.

"Sixth Master, who wrote this petition?"

"Shen Moqing, a death row inmate."

"Shen what?"

"Shen Moqing".

Who is Shen Moqing?

"This man is a deserter who ran away from Korea. He comes from a poor and noble family and is currently imprisoned in an army prison. He has been sentenced to death and will be executed at noon the day after tomorrow."

"Sixth Master, why is this petition in your possession?"

"Your Majesty, I have learned that while in prison, Shen ordered his wife to incite the young lads of the Naval Academy to cause a disturbance at Prince Gong's Mansion. I was also tricked by him and became his pawn."

"Is that so?" The Empress Dowager took a deep breath and said calmly, "Sixth Prince, do you think what's said in this memorial makes sense?"

"Your Majesty, I didn't even look at it."

"Oh?"

"This matter involves the royal family; I dare not look at it."

"We're all family, so it's fine if we see it."

"There is a distinction between ruler and subject; the subject dares not overstep this distinction."

Empress Dowager Cixi then smiled.

Prince Gong thought to himself, "Damn it, luckily I was alert, otherwise I would never be able to clear this suspicion for the rest of my life. My sister-in-law is really bad."

"Your Majesty, Shen Fan's wife is outside the palace."

"Bring them in."

An Dehai scrambled to the outside of the hall and saw a woman in a red silk wedding dress standing solemnly under the eaves, her expression anxious, twisting her fingers.

It is said that eunuchs are the most perceptive, and Xiao Anzi immediately forced a bright smile and bowed.

"Madam, the Empress Dowager has summoned you."

"Yes."

"Don't be nervous after you enter the palace, Madam. Just answer whatever the Empress Dowager asks, but don't say too much."

.........

She was extremely nervous, her whole body stiff like a kitten, as she cautiously walked into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Kneel~"

"An Dehai said in a low voice."

"Stand up and let me take a good look at you."

Empress Dowager Cixi sized her up. She was a girl from a modest family, with a decent appearance and a slender figure. She seemed to have never seen much of the world, but she appeared to have read some books.

However, this bright red wedding dress?

Prince Gong stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, last night, the criminal Shen and this woman consummated their marriage in the prison cell."

.........

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