Even emperors have it tough, so don't be too picky about the entries.

Shen Qingci stood there watching the show, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction as she watched Yu Qi'an, this tough nut to crack, get beaten up.

But suddenly his expression changed drastically.

She slapped her forehead, realizing she'd forgotten there was an even tougher man.

"Quick! Save Lord Hai!"

Shen Qingci knew the details but was just putting on an act; the civil and military officials were mostly being morally coerced, which was also just putting on an act.

There might be a few who are sincere, but definitely not many.

But Lord Hai truly died trying to persuade us to the death.

The way he kowtowed made Shen Qingci, who was listening nearby, grimace the whole time.

She looked down and, sure enough, Lord Hai had fainted sometime earlier.

Only then did the crowd stop beating Yu Qi'an and hurriedly help Hai Rui up.

After all, Han Cao was the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and if he didn't speak, he was the boss.

At this point, Hai Rui was in a semi-comatose state, his forehead was covered in blood and flesh, his lips were cracked, and his face was ashen.

My throat is still churning mechanically and numbly, and I can faintly hear sounds:

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty..."

"Quickly! Summon the imperial physician!"

...

After a period of commotion, Han Cao straightened his official robes, which he had been kneeling for three days, and stood facing the east bank of the river.

He stood solemnly, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed deeply.

"His Majesty's divine might extends, and in the blink of an eye, he has captured two cities in Hedong."

"This old minister was overjoyed to hear of this victory while in the capital."

"Your Majesty's military strategy is divine; you are truly a great emperor for all time!"

Holy crap... Everyone was shocked.

They say old ginger is spicier; how come I didn't think of that?

Look at Prime Minister Han. When His Majesty returns and inquires about this scene... everyone else is complaining of backaches, leg cramps, and pains, but the Prime Minister alone is praising the Emperor's might... What will His Majesty think?

With this, everyone forgot about their leg pain and bowed towards the east bank of the river, their congratulations echoing throughout the palace!

......

The autumn wind howled, and the river surface stretched far and wide, appearing desolate and boundless.

Thousands of warships, their banners obscuring the sky and reaching to the earth, weighed down the river, making it lose its color.

The scene was grand and lively, but Chen Yue, who was standing with his hands behind his back enjoying the river breeze, was in a terrible mood.

Damn it, I got set up.

He hurriedly mobilized and repaired ships, eventually assembling a thousand large vessels.

The purpose was to launch a decisive attack on the river when Chen Shao personally led his army south.

But now, standing here, he feels like a fool.

Chen Shao didn't come at all; he was just spreading misinformation.

What "Jiangnan Trip"? It's all just a show for the world.

"A feint to the east while attacking in the west—what a brilliant feint to the east while attacking in the west!"

Chen Yue cursed under his breath.

Thinking back on the grand dreams of the past few days, a bitter expression gradually appeared on his face.

It's no exaggeration to say that he even had a plan for how to undress the beautiful Empress Dowager.

And then...

"Why!"

No matter how long the sigh, it cannot soothe the disappointment in one's heart.

Behind him stood Liu Zizhen, his chief strategist, a middle-aged scholar.

After listening to Chen Yue's complaints, he suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter.

Chen Yue frowned.

Liu Zhizhen quickly stopped laughing and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Chen Yue.

"My lord, Chen Shao's feint was not meant to deceive you, but to fool Wang Yuanji."

Only after hearing this did Chen Yue's expression soften somewhat.

Yes, he was just feinted; the one who really suffered was Wang Yuanji.

"In this matter, my lord has not suffered any loss whatsoever; on the contrary, this has become an opportunity for my lord."

"What opportunity?" Chen Yue asked in a deep voice.

"My lord, think carefully. If Chen Shao really manages to take Hedong, what will he do next?"

"Naturally, we should march south and take over Jiangnan."

"Indeed, Chen Shao's intention to weaken the power of the princes is known throughout the land. However, in such a short time, Wei Bo and Lu Long have been completely captured, and Hedong is also on the verge of falling."

"I would like to ask you something, my lord."

"you say."

"If Chen Shao were to reduce the power of the regional military governors, would our lord be willing to hand over Jingzhou and Xiangyang with open arms?"

Chen Yue asked in surprise, "Why do you say that, sir? Jingxiang is what our Chen family has managed for generations, risking our lives to make it what it is today. How can we just hand it over to others?"

"Moreover, if we hand it over, Chen Shao will naturally not leave any descendants for my Chen family, and we won't even be able to live as commoners."

Liu Zizhen smiled faintly.

"Since our lord is unwilling to relinquish power and Chen Shao is bound to march south of the Yangtze River, the two sides will inevitably clash sooner or later. Rather than waiting for his army to press on our borders, we should take advantage of his predicament in Hedong and use his own methods against him."

"What do you mean?"

"A lightning strike on the capital!"

Chen Yue was struck dumb.

He had always been thinking about passive defense; the concept of proactive attack was too foreign to him.

"Sir, our Jingxiang navy is the best in the world. We are invincible on the water, but land warfare... is not our forte. The capital is the most important city in the north, with strong defenses. I'm afraid..."

"My lord, you are overthinking it."

Liu Zizhen walked to the riverbank, dipped her finger in the river water, and drew a winding waterway on the sand and gravel of the river beach.

"Of course, we will set off by naval forces, exit the Yangtze River estuary, head north along the Yellow Sea, round Chengshantou, enter the Bohai Sea, and go straight to Zhigu."

"Landing at Zhigu, the capital city is right before our eyes."

"Chen Shao's main force is engaged in fighting Wang Yuanji in Hedong. Yu Qi'an is stationed in the capital, but his troops are limited. We can have someone disguise as a Northern Mang soldier to lure him out of the city."

"If we move quickly enough, we can reach the capital in half a month."

By sea?

Chen Yue said with concern:

"Although this plan is ingenious, it relies on secrecy. This route is frequently used by merchant ships to transport grain, making it impossible to keep secret."

"My lord, it is precisely because this sea route is the lifeline for transporting grain from the south to the north, and there are many ships passing by, that we can disguise ourselves as grain transport ships and sneak into Zhigu without anyone noticing."

"Sea transport depends entirely on the weather. In summer, when there are prevailing southeasterly winds, we can sail with the current. But now it's late autumn and early winter, and northwesterly winds are more common. We have to sail against the current, so we can't launch a surprise attack. The most important thing for a surprise attack is speed!"

"Rest assured, my lord. Before I surrendered, I followed a master to cultivate for a period of time. Summoning wind and rain is nothing more than a minor skill."

Chen Yue was overjoyed: "Sir, you have such skills?"

"If one does not possess such abilities, how could one dare to assist a man of destiny like our lord?"

This is the highest level of flattery.

In short, Chen Yue was completely won over.

"If we are to send troops, should we join forces with Pinghai and Huainan?"

Liu Zizhen shook her head. "My lord, the pastries are only so big. If we share them among three people, each person can only have a taste."

"Only by eating it all by yourself can you eat your fill."

"Liu Shouyi was no pushover, and Qian Guiren was an ungrateful wretch."

"It would be better to launch a surprise attack on our own, take the capital city secretly, and wait for Chen Shao to return from Hedong. We can then ambush him on his way and trap him."

"At that time, with the capital and Jingzhou armies in your hands, half of the fate of the world will be decided."

He looked up at Chen Yue, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"What has our lord been doing for these past two months—building ships and training troops? Isn't it all for this day?"

Chen Yue turned around and faced the boundless Yangtze River.

He watched the jagged rocks pierce the sky and the waves crash against the shore, and as the river breeze blew, his ambition gradually surged.

"The great river is like a painting, and countless heroes have emerged throughout the land..."

"Let's do it!"

The burning passion in his eyes grew stronger and stronger until it could no longer be suppressed.

"Pass down the order: all warships shall begin loading food and water tonight, and set sail at dawn tomorrow."

"The entire army is on high alert. I'm going to give Chen Shao a surprise!"