Chapter 243: The Queen's Little Schemes

"The Seven Kingdoms Rebellion..."

In the room, an oil lamp emitted a dim, yellow light, and a map of Great Yan was spread across the table.

Luo Zijun stood before the table, looking down at the map.

Outside the window, the night had already fallen.

A bright moon rose high into the sky, cold and clear, looking down upon the Human Realm.

"It seems this Lin'an City is no longer safe either."

The map showed that the Liang Kingdom was the throat of the path to Yujing; if the armies of the Seven Kingdoms wished to successfully invade Yujing, they had to capture this place.

Otherwise, they would be attacked from both front and rear, and defeat would be certain.

The late king of Liang and the current Great Yan Emperor were brothers born of the same mother, and their relationship was close.

Liang had also always been loyal and devoted.

Therefore, when the armies of the Seven Kingdoms raised their banners, they did not waste words trying to win over Liang.

It was estimated they would attack directly.

However, the territory of Liang was vast and its soldiers were numerous, so it was estimated that the enemy army would need at least a month to reach the capital.

Third Miss said that the attack route of the Seven Kingdoms' armies was already clear: the opposing side planned to detour from Chu to Zhao, join forces in Zhao, attack Luoyang directly, and then invade Yujing...

Actually, this march route was excellent; it could bypass Liang, avoiding the waste of time and military strength here. If they attacked Yujing in one go, Liang would naturally surrender as well.

But in history, the armies of the Seven Kingdoms did not have this courage and daring.

They feared being attacked from both front and rear, and also felt that Liang was wealthy; if they could successfully take it, they would have no further worries and could push straight forward.

Therefore, Luo Zijun felt that the news Third Miss spoke of might just be false information deliberately spread by the other side to numb Liang and Yujing.

The other side's first target should be Liang.

Moreover, the current Liang court was in chaos, with no new king established and no master of the state; it was the perfect time to attack, so how could the other side give it up?

Regardless of the outcome, he had to kill Lai Da as soon as possible to avenge his sister and parents.

Otherwise, once the chaos began, if the other side escaped directly out of the Inner City, it would be troublesome.

At the third watch.

He met with the Moon Palace fairy in the back garden to continue practicing in the Diyuan.

The next day.

While he was practicing boxing in the backyard, Xiaohuan hurried over from the front and said: "Young Master, Third Miss and the Master have arrived."

The Master naturally referred to the true owner of this Bai Mansion, Bai Ming.

Upon hearing this, Luo Zijun hurriedly went to the well to wash his face, calmed himself slightly, and then went to the front.

In the front courtyard, Bai Ming was sitting before a stone table, frowning and thinking about matters.

Bai Third Miss stood to the side, standing tall and graceful in a green dress.

Luo Zijun hurriedly stepped forward and bowed: "Father-in-law."

A warm smile appeared on Bai Ming's face as he looked at him and said: "Zijun, were you reading in your room?"

Luo Zijun said solemnly: "Yes, I was reading."

Bai Ming nodded and stated his purpose directly: "I heard from Qingtong last night that you believe the main forces of the Wu and Chu armies will join together to attack our Liang?"

Seeing that it was about this matter, Luo Zijun said respectfully: "Zijun does indeed think so."

Bai Ming took the map from his sleeve, spread it out on the stone table, and pointed at it: "According to reports from scouts, the armies of Wu and Chu plan to meet in Donghai, then join with the Jinan King of Jiaodong and Jiaoxi, etc., in Handan of Zhao. The armies of the Seven Kingdoms will all gather there, preparing to attack Luoyang together... Our Liang Kingdom has sturdy city walls, many soldiers and generals, and sufficient grain. If they attack here first, they will only waste time and military strength. If their morale is dampened and they wait for the Great Yan army to finish gathering, they will have a hard time. Zijun, why do you think they will attack here first?"

Luo Zijun did not know the facts either, as the maps of the two sides were not exactly the same, and the strength of each country was even more different—after all, martial artists existed here—so he could only say: "Zijun was just speaking casually and does not dare to be certain."

Then he stated his own thoughts: "Our Liang is indeed wealthy, but in terms of many soldiers and generals, and the bravery of the soldiers, we naturally cannot compare to the two states of Wu and Chu. Moreover, the initial morale of the other side will also suppress our Liang. So if a real fight breaks out, our Liang will certainly not win. Liang is the throat of the path to Yujing; if they flatten this place and continue forward, they will be unimpeded. Furthermore, our Liang is wealthy; whether it is grain or gold and silver, it will make the enemy army covetous."

"Of course, there is the most important point: they are a rebel army. If they make a long-distance raid to attack Luoyang, they will miss the peak morale of their uprising. At the beginning of a rebellion, one must win a few battles to make the army's morale even stronger. By the time they waste time gathering troops and detour to Luoyang, the Great Yan army will surely have been waiting in battle array here long ago. If they cannot win this first battle, the enemy army will very likely collapse immediately. Therefore, compared to that, attacking Liang is the best choice."

"After all, in the eyes of the enemy army, the Liang army must be easier to attack than the Great Yan army... And if they detour to attack Luoyang, even if they win, the enemy army will not dare to rashly advance further, because they would be attacked from both front and rear..."

"Our Liang is a nail that must be pulled out first before they can be unimpeded..."

Luo Zijun spoke eloquently; the more he said, the more fluent and natural he became, losing his previous hesitation and misgivings.

Bai Ming listened silently while looking at the map and thinking.

Bai Qingtong also stood quietly to the side, listening while occasionally looking at the map route he pointed to, and occasionally looking at his eloquent appearance.

"So it turns out brother-in-law doesn't just know how to recite poetry..."

She thought to herself.

"Father-in-law, look here... If the Wu-Chu Allied Forces attack our Liang, and the armies of Jiaodong, Jiaoxi, Zhao, and others set out from here, feigning an attack on Luoyang, Great Yan will certainly panic, and the army will surely gather in Xingyang to defend, not daring to come to rescue our Liang..."

"Because once Xingyang is lost, the enemy army will drive straight in, and at that time, other countries still watching from the sidelines will also rebel immediately..."

Bai Ming stared at the map with a grave expression: "Zijun, do you mean that if the Wu-Chu Allied Forces really want to attack our Liang first, there will be no army coming to rescue us at all, and I will have to rely on myself?"

Luo Zijun nodded and looked at him: "Does Father-in-law know why the Seven Kingdoms suddenly rebelled?"

Bai Ming said: "The Emperor is constantly stripping countries of their land and punishing the monarchs of various countries with various charges, causing dissatisfaction."

Luo Zijun said: "Does Father-in-law think the Emperor's actions are correct?"

Bai Ming did not dare to answer.

Luo Zijun said: "Our Liang has not yet been stripped of land because of the Empress Dowager. But if nothing unexpected happens, the Emperor has long since made this determination. Now that the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion has suddenly occurred, it is also a good opportunity for Yujing. If they can use the enemy army to weaken our Liang, I believe Yujing will certainly do so."

As soon as these words were spoken, Bai Ming's expression changed drastically.

Luo Zijun pointed at the map again and said: "If the Wu-Chu Allied Forces attack our Liang, the Great Yan army will be deployed in Xingyang, firstly to guard Luoyang, and secondly to watch our battle between Liang and Wu-Chu. They will at most send troops to harass the enemy's grain routes, but will never truly send troops to rescue us, thereby consuming the Wu-Chu army on one hand and consuming our Liang on the other..."

Bai Ming frowned and said: "What if our Liang is captured?"

Luo Zijun said: "Then the Wu-Chu Allied Forces will also pay a significant price, and the Zhao army over there will likely be finished as well. At that time, the Great Yan army will take the initiative to attack, and the Wu-Chu Allied Forces will surely collapse..."

Bai Ming looked at the map and fell into deep thought.

After a long time, he raised his head and said: "Then how does Zijun think the Seven Kingdoms should act to be closest to success?"

Luo Zijun said, "Just like the intelligence gathered by the scouts, the armies of the Seven Kingdoms are converging in one place, starting from Zhao and heading straight for Luoyang. If they can take Luoyang, other states will immediately take sides, and then they will send people to lobby our Daliang. Even if our Daliang refuses, the Seven Kingdoms can promise benefits to other states, letting them attack Daliang to tie down Daliang's army, preventing us from being attacked from both front and rear, and then they can focus on attacking Chang'an..."

The two asked and answered, and without realizing it, the sun had already risen to the zenith.

Another half an hour or so passed.

Bai Ming then put away the map, stood up, and said, "Zijun, you study well at home; this old man needs to go to the Royal Palace."

Luo Zijun saw him to the door.

Bai Third Miss was still standing in the small courtyard and had not left. When he turned back, she suddenly said, "Brother-in-law, there are still many empty small courtyards in our backyard. Brother-in-law, why don't you bring Liu and Yingchun and the others back? I heard that brother-in-law also has a senior sister who is as beautiful as a fairy; why not bring her back too? Otherwise, it is inconvenient for brother-in-law to sneak out to visit them all day."

At the same time.

Bai Ming took a carriage into the Royal Palace.

"In this subject's view, the main forces of the Wu and Chu armies will merge into one and attack our Daliang..."

In a room in the Royal Palace, a map of Great Yan hung on the wall.

Many people stood to the side, thinking with solemn expressions. The one speaking at this moment was none other than Bai Ming, who had just entered.

On a chair in the inner room sat the most powerful Queen of Daliang today.

Someone questioned Bai Ming, "Lord Bai, according to the scouts' report..."

Bai Ming: "Our Daliang is indeed wealthy, but in terms of many troops and broad generals, and the bravery of the soldiers, we naturally cannot compare to the states of Wu and Chu..."

"Of course, there is the most important thing: they are a rebel army. If they make a long-distance raid and detour to attack Luoyang, they will miss the peak momentum of their uprising..."

"Our Daliang is a nail that must be pulled out first before they can proceed without obstruction..."

Bai Ming spoke eloquently, reciting every word of the argument his talented son-in-law had just given him without missing a single detail.

At this moment, the voices that had been arguing in the room had quieted down, and everyone was listening to him with solemn expressions.

Bai Ming pointed to the map on the wall and continued, "If the Wu Chu Allied Forces attack our Daliang, while the armies of Jiaodong, Jiaoxi, Zhao, and others start from here and feign an attack on Luoyang..."

Everyone listened while looking at the map and pondering, and some showed expressions of surprise.

Since when did this Lord Bai understand military strategy?

The Queen's gaze turned toward Bai Ming, who was speaking eloquently.

After Bai Ming finally stopped, the group had some intense arguments again; some said Bai Ming's worries were not without reason, while others said our Daliang was very safe and the opponent would not dare to come and attack...

After arguing for a while, the Queen spoke, "All you ministers, please withdraw first; this matter will be discussed again tomorrow."

The ministers immediately quieted down, bowed, and withdrew.

Just as Bai Ming was about to withdraw, the Queen looked at him and said, "Lord Bai, you stay for a moment; this Palace has more to ask you."

Bai Ming hurriedly stopped his steps and stood to the side with his head lowered.

After all the ministers in the room had left and the door was closed, the Queen's peach-blossom eyes, which looked misty and intoxicated, looked at him and asked directly, "Where did Lord Bai get those ideas from just now?"

"This subject... this subject..."

Bai Ming felt a little flustered.

The Queen said, "Lord Bai need not panic; just tell the truth. This Palace is merely a little curious."

Bai Ming hurriedly knelt and said, "I beg for Her Majesty's forgiveness. Those thoughts of this subject just now were all spoken by the talented son-in-law in my residence. This subject felt they made a lot of sense, so I came to discuss them with the ministers; I did not intend to deceive Her Majesty."

The Queen's gaze shifted and she said, "Oh? Which talented son-in-law in your residence has such military talent?"

Bai Ming lowered his head and said, "His name is Luo Zijun; he came to the palace to see Her Majesty before."

"Luo Zijun?"

In the inner room separated by bead curtains, the expression on the Queen's face could not be seen. She just softly recited this name and said, "Lord Bai, I really did not expect that a matrilocal son-in-law in your Bai Mansion is not only full of learning and overflowing with talent, but actually possesses strategy and knows military tactics. It is somewhat a grievance to him that you let him marry into your family."

Bai Ming hurriedly explained, "It was actually Zijun who took the initiative to request to marry into the family. Moreover, my residence absolutely does not treat him as an ordinary matrilocal son-in-law, let alone scold or order him about. He is a master in the residence, treated with the same status as my daughter."

The Queen pondered for a moment and said, "Lord Bai, if you have time tomorrow afternoon, bring your talented son-in-law to the palace. This Palace wants to see him again and ask him personally about his thoughts on the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion. Our Daliang is currently caught in the middle. If we prepare to mobilize troops for battle, we fear the court officials will misunderstand that we also intend to rebel, as the scouts' report says the Wu and Chu armies are already preparing to head to Zhao. If we do not mobilize and prepare quickly, we fear that when the time comes, it will be just as your talented son-in-law said, and the Wu and Chu armies will make a feint and suddenly come to attack our Daliang..."

Bai Ming hurriedly said, "This subject obeys."

The Queen's gaze pierced through the bead curtains, stared at him for a few more moments, and suddenly asked, "Lord Bai, remember to let Meixue come to the palace together tomorrow. This Palace has not seen her for a long time. Back then, we were the best of friends."

Bai Ming hesitated for a moment and said, "Yes."

The Queen chatted with him about some domestic matters for a few more sentences, then let him withdraw.

After the door closed, the Queen stood up, pushed aside the bead curtains, and came out from the inner room. A wide red dress could not conceal her towering chest and her proud, curvaceous figure. Those eyes, which looked misty, were naturally endowed with a charming and alluring quality.

She came to the map hanging on the wall, looked at the cities and marks on it, and her gaze flickered for a while. Her mouth suddenly gave a light hum, and she muttered to herself, "I didn't expect... the person I found at random is actually a genius... Sister, I am sorry..."

(End of this chapter)