The Empire will continue to win

Uiju is located on the south bank of the Yalu River.

Its fall meant that the flames of war were about to spread from the colony to the empire.

"Shen Qing, why aren't you panicking?"

"Your Majesty, I believe this is actually good news. This will lengthen the enemy's supply lines and double the difficulty of resupply. On the surface, it seems like the enemy has won, but in reality, it is our army that has won," Shen Moqing said calmly.

That's right.

When it comes to winning, I'm a professional.

I am not particularly talented, but I graduated from and taught at Dan University. No one understands better than me what it means to have an advantage.

The sun and the moon shine brightly, and the sun shines brightly.

The sun and moon shine brightly; even in defeat, there is victory.

Besides, from the very beginning, you, little widow, set the tone for this war as "winning." Now that I'm on the same ship as you, how could I possibly turn against you?

.........

However, the effect was minimal.

"Shen Qing, what if the Dongsang army continues its northward advance and even captures Fengtian and Liaoyang? Especially Fengtian. Once Fengtian falls, I will not be able to hide it from them. At that time, with enemy invasions from the outside and treacherous officials causing chaos from within, I will be in trouble."

The Empress Dowager's voice trembled slightly.

It seems this woman isn't stupid, just a bit wicked.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. If the war goes against you, I am willing to lead the army to protect you. Whether at sea or on land, I am willing to fight to the death against all treacherous officials and enemies, and I swear to defend Your Majesty to the death."

Shen Moqing spoke these words with great passion, and coupled with his handsome face, upright posture, and broad shoulders, his credibility increased dramatically.

Gentlemen, please know:

When a woman complains incessantly, what she wants is a man's attitude.

Having the right attitude is enough.

There's no need to provide the correct solution, much less a comprehensive analysis. The more you analyze, the worse it gets; the more you analyze, the more confused you become.

Professor Shen was once a dashing and romantic man who understood politics and women.

As expected~

The Empress Dowager's anxiety lessened considerably, and she sighed softly, "Alas~ national calamities reveal loyal ministers, and adversity reveals heroes. Minister Shen, please sit down, let's talk while seated."

"Thank you, Empress Dowager."

Shen Moqing took off his peaked hat and placed it in the crook of his arm. He sat upright, exuding a heroic aura.

.........

The dialogue between the emperor and his ministers finally returned to normal.

"Shen Qing, what happened to Yanshan Heavy Industry?"

"Wherever I went, I was shocked by what I saw. The production capacity was terrible, the quality was terrible, the management was terrible, and the inventory was even worse. What's more frightening is that they actually colluded to try to deceive the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. I believe that Yanshan Heavy Industry has become an independent kingdom."

"Do you have solid evidence?" Empress Dowager Cixi asked in return.

"have."

As he spoke, he stood up and handed over a thick set of meeting minutes. Normally, these should have been handed over by a eunuch, but An Dehai happened to be absent.

Shen Moqing was happy to be impolite, as too many formalities could easily affect the close relationship between the emperor and his subject.

The empire is on the verge of collapse. If I am to turn the tide, I must quickly seize power. To seize power, I must first seize power over the Empress Dowager Cixi and convert her power into my own.

The logic is very clear.

Empress Dowager Cixi carefully read through the book, examining each word and sentence.

People with less work experience often overlook the fact that every organization, every government department, and every position has its own set of rules.

Some are in the open, some are in the shadows.

An empire is also composed of government offices and positions; in other words, an empire is actually composed of countless rules.

The first step is to understand the rules.

The second step is to familiarize yourself with the rules.

The third step is to apply the rules.

What we need to do is, without being attacked by the rules of light and darkness, skillfully use those rules to attack others; that is what we call struggle.

Struggle is politics.

Politics is struggle.

If we compare an empire to a pasture, people to sheep, and the emperor to a shepherd, then the rules are like an electrified barbed wire fence that even the shepherd is unwilling to touch.

In the vast majority of cases, rules supersede imperial power!

In other words, everyone is a slave to the rules, including the monarch.

.........

Half an hour later~

Empress Dowager Cixi frowned and asked coldly, "Are you implying that all these new weapons reported by Yanshan Heavy Industry are fake?"

"Yes."

"Where is Woren?"

"This humble servant is unaware; from beginning to end, he feigned illness and refused to leave his residence. Empress Dowager, shall I take over Yanshan Heavy Industry? We can recruit soldiers if we lose them. But without guns and cannons, how will we suppress the traitors both inside and outside the country?"

Our words have a deeper meaning.

The Empress Dowager Cixi was about to say something.

Outside, An Dehai suddenly shouted, "The Emperor has arrived! The Empress Dowager has arrived!"

The fact that he was shouting so loudly clearly showed that Eunuch An had something to hide.

next second.

Emperor Xuanwu and Empress Dowager An entered one after the other.

"This humble servant greets Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress Dowager." Shen Moqing knelt on one knee.

"What are you doing in my mother's palace?" Emperor Xuanwu asked in confusion.

next second~

He glanced at the meeting minutes on the table.

Shen Moqing made a decisive decision: to strike first, even if it meant eating in an unseemly manner, she would squeeze onto the table and take a big bite.

"This humble servant dares to suggest to the Empress Dowagers and the Emperor that Yanshan Heavy Industry has become an independent kingdom, and is neither usable nor trustworthy."

These words were like a thunderclap in spring, striking the insects and leaving them dizzy.

"Mother, what happened?"

"Shen Moqing was ordered to inspect Yanshan Heavy Industry. He believes that if a national war breaks out, the frontline troops will have no artillery shells or bullets available. You can take a look at these meeting minutes first."

Emperor Xuanwu snatched it away and quickly flipped through it.

"Is there a problem with these meeting minutes?"

"Your Majesty, Woren refuses to come forward. All the branch factory supervisors have colluded to deceive the court. The data on existing standard weapons are inflated, and the so-called new weapons under development are even more outrageously fake."

"Is it all fake?"

"Yes."

"What do you mean?"

"I suspect that someone might be orchestrating this chaos."

"You mean, my master also colluded with the Japanese??" Emperor Xuanwu glared, his eyes clearly showing three parts anger, three parts amusement, and four parts speechlessness.

"Hard to say~"

Inside the West Warm Pavilion.

The silence was eerily sudden.

The voluptuous and beautiful Empress Dowager Cixi, sitting cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), suddenly realized that she had seriously underestimated this young military officer; beneath his handsome face lay a ruthless heart.

Instantly, it lost a lot of points.

With both feet off the ground, reason took over again.

.........

Shen Moqing also realized that he had been too hasty in his eating.

I didn't originally intend to rush things, but the situation of the United Empire is like an old house on fire; it might collapse any day now, and when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken.

For themselves, for the people, for the empire~

That's how politics is: you either leave someone a way out for future cooperation, or you kill their entire family and eliminate them completely. Each situation needs to be analyzed individually; it's not as straightforward as mathematics where you can apply formulas.

"I still can't believe it. Woren was my teacher. He was a man of high moral character and a gentleman. There is no reason for him to collude with the Japanese."

"Your Majesty, it's not necessarily collusion with the Japanese; it could be collusion with treacherous officials," Shen Moqing said earnestly.

Emperor Xuanwu's heart skipped a beat.

It's baseless.

Suspicion cannot be ruled out.

Empress Dowager An, born into nobility and raised in luxury, had little practical experience. Therefore, she raised a question: "On what grounds do you accuse someone of lying? Isn't it possible for a single warship to destroy a nation?"