The Empire will continue to win

Chapter 81 This humble servant joins the regency!

Enter Yanxi Hall.

There are windows inside the room.

There is a kang (heated brick bed) under the window.

There is a table on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Beside the table sat the Empress Dowager Cixi, resting her chin on one hand and leaning against the embroidered gold cotton cushion behind her.

Her hair was piled high, adorned with a jade dragon and phoenix hairpin, and her makeup was extremely elaborate, exuding both charm and heroic spirit. However, she was not wearing formal court attire, but only a bright yellow silk skirt that covered her body, revealing a pair of exquisite golden lotus feet tightly closed.

The bright yellow hue is a reminder to herself that she is the Empress Dowager!

The tight-fitting silk skirt is a reminder to herself that she is also a woman in the prime of her youth, outwardly cold but inwardly warm.

This scene...

Shen Moqing's back was slightly sweaty, partly because the temperature inside the room was indeed hot, and partly because he was unsure of the best strategy to defend against the enemy.

Courtesy first, then force?

Undeclared war?

Or is it better to use words rather than fists?

"Today's imperial meeting was a complete uproar. Sheng Bao beat Yan Fu, Prince Gong scolded Shen Zhaolin, Shen Zhaolin shouted that he wanted to resign, Gui Liang jumped up and down demanding an audit, Wen Xiang cried and wanted to go to the front line, and the prince actually wanted to personally lead the army!"

The Crown Prince remained silent, but when he did speak, it was always in a sarcastic and unpleasant tone.

"The meeting lasted six hours, and these cowards argued for five of them. It's 4 p.m. now, and in two hours, the ministers of various countries will be entering the palace."

"Shen Moqing! Are you even listening to me???"

She suddenly raised her voice in anger.

"I've been listening the whole time."

"Are you just going to listen? The affairs of the nation are in such a state of disarray, the country is teetering on the brink of collapse, don't you have anything to say? I don't understand, how did our country become like this?"

Looking at the Empress Dowager who had lost control of her emotions, Shen Moqing thought to himself, "She is so agitated that she obviously cannot tolerate me."

We can't just force them, can we?

He then stood up, his tone firm yet gentle: "Empress Dowager, I'm here."

moment.

Most of the anxiety in the air was drawn away.

The two remained silent, gazing at each other in quiet contemplation, like strangers meeting for the first time under a cherry blossom tree at a summer festival.

"Your Majesty, you should be in the limelight while I am behind the scenes. Let me take the lead in commanding this war. We will surely win."

"How do we win?"

"Winter is very advantageous to us. As long as we can hold the Liaodong Corridor, as long as the enemy's supply lines are long enough, and as long as we can keep sinking enemy transport ships in the Yellow Sea. Your Majesty, please believe me, I am actually a genius strategist."

To persuade others, you must first be confident in yourself.

Strong self-confidence is an extremely rare and charismatic quality in leaders.

Sure enough, for the Empress Dowager Cixi, who was panicking after falling into the water and desperately trying to grab any straw to save her life, the confident and handsome Lao Shen was like a Noah's Ark.

"Shen Moqing, you wouldn't be lying to me, would you?"

"Your Majesty, is there a map here?"

"I think so."

After calming down a bit, the Empress Dowager began searching around, wondering, "Where is my picture?"

Shen Moqing took the military map, swept it with his right arm, and cleared the kang table, causing all sorts of odds and ends to fall to the ground with a clattering sound.

Empress Dowager Cixi witnessed this action and felt a surge of joy. It was as if she had returned from the Temple of Heaven, removed her heavy ceremonial robes, and changed into a loose, fragrant gauze skirt.

The brilliant strategist unfolded the map and laid it on the kang table, smoothed out the creases, and then took a paperweight to weigh down the four corners.

look up.

His gaze was sharp as a sword.

"Your Majesty, the army and navy have a long-standing feud, and joint operations would be more beneficial than harmful. Let them fight their own battles. Let the army defend the Liaoxi Corridor to the death, and let the navy attack the Yellow Sea. Whoever wins, the court will give them an additional 3000 million taels of military funding after the war."

"Where will the money come from?"

It's common knowledge that the Ministry of Revenue is short of money and runs a deficit every year.

"Your Majesty, the first priority is to win. As long as we win, someone will provide the funds."

"continue."

Shen Moqing pointed to the specific area on the map.

"Based in Lushun and Weihaiwei, each will deploy three to four fast cruiser squadrons to conduct continuous patrols of the Yellow Sea, targeting enemy transport ships. Before long, the enemy will only be able to maintain one supply line—the Korean Strait. You see, a ship of logistical supplies is first transported from Dongsang to Busan. After unloading, the land distance from Busan to Fengtian is nearly 2000 li. Korea is mountainous, and road transportation is extremely poor, making logistical costs ridiculously high. I am certain that the poor imperialists cannot afford it."

What if the enemy resupplyes on the spot?

"The Korean Peninsula was so poor that even if the enemy army searched the entire country thoroughly, they could only find enough food for a few months. The Ming army that entered Korea to fight against the Japanese pirates during the Wanli era experienced this firsthand; they had silver, but they couldn't buy food."

It has both theory and historical facts.

You have no choice but to believe it!

"Furthermore, since the Korean Peninsula became our colony, the colonial government's strategy for ruling the peninsula has been one of laissez-faire. As a result, the peninsula has no industrial base and no railways. It is impossible for the East Korean army to requisition artillery shells and bullets from the farmland."

"Why is it that you have so many strategies, but the officials in the court can't come up with any ideas?"

"Because they are not of one mind with the Empress Dowager."

"

A hit!

It touched the Empress Dowager's heart.

Yes, every official in the court has their own agenda, which makes the affairs of the state difficult. The Empress Dowager thought to herself, "Such confidants need to be cultivated."

The two of them were looking at the same map, separated by a kang table, and could hear each other's breath.

One is heroic, the other is musky.

What kind of fabric is the bright yellow silk skirt made of? At first glance, it looks thin and flowing with a smooth surface, but it also has a good drape and is not see-through.

As she spoke, Shen Moqing's gaze shifted from the sea area of ​​Dadonggou to her slender, fair wrist, and then, following her instincts, finally settled on the towering mountains.

My gaze shifted upwards again.

An oval face covered by thick makeup, with well-proportioned bones and flesh, red lips and white teeth, radiant and bright, almond eyes that seemed to be smiling but not smiling, looking at her so gently, without any disgust in her eyes.

"Empress Dowager~"

The brilliant strategist grasped her soft hand; it was smooth and silky to the touch, her skin like solidified cream, delicate and boneless, yet slightly cool.

As the saying goes:

Tsinghua and Peking University graduates are not as good as those with great courage, and even the greatest courage is not as great as a professor from Dan University.

Not surprisingly.

Faced with this abrupt change of heart, the Empress Dowager did not struggle, letting her delicate hand be enveloped by the bear's paw, and simply said quietly, "You are becoming more and more presumptuous."

presumptuous?

Shen Moqing thought to himself, "This is nothing. It's just that I've been influenced by higher education for many years and am an elegant and honest person at heart. I'm not like the likes of Ximen Qing."

"The thought of the Empress Dowager facing those wolves and tigers alone in the Golden Palace makes my heart ache."

As it spoke, under the influence of gravity, the bear's paw slowly slid upwards.

"It's rare to find someone with such loyalty."

Empress Dowager Cixi displayed the demeanor of an imperial statesman. Her phoenix eyes sparkled, her breath was fragrant, and her heart rate was steady. After estimating that half a minute had passed and that she had given him enough of the sweetness, she slowly withdrew her hand.

He got off the kang (a heated brick bed).

Her hair was styled in a high bun, revealing her temples, and she moved with graceful, slender steps.

Her dignified demeanor was tinged with an indescribable allure.

Shen Moqing gazed at the Empress's retreating figure, rubbed the powder off his fingers, and then smelled it under his nose. He felt a sense of loss, but he wasn't in a hurry.

There is ample time.

A good first step is the guarantee of success.

The first rule of picking up girls: "He who travels a hundred miles takes only one step." This means that if you take the first step, you've already covered half the distance.

Chu Nan failed because he didn't take the first step.