Soon, Xuanming Fairy followed Shi Qi into the imperial study. She bowed solemnly to Ling Shumo before slowly speaking, "In a grassland battle, the soldiers of the Chisha Empire are not good at riding horses, so when the two armies clash, they are inherently at a disadvantage."
Ling Shumo frowned and interrupted her, "If you came here to plead for He Huiyuan, then there's no need to say anything more. This time, because of her mistake, at least 100,000 soldiers of my Chisha Empire have lost their lives. If I let her go easily, how can I be worthy of the souls of the soldiers who died under the iron hoof of the Qilan Empire? I didn't kill her, which is already a mercy for her past merits."
Xuanming Fairy bowed and said, "I am not here to plead for General He. What I truly wish to say is that General He's military prowess is evident to all, but this time, against the Qilan Empire, she employed the wrong tactics. The Chisha Empire is mostly plains, yet the battlefield between our two armies lies on the vast grasslands. This unfamiliarity with the environment was the primary reason for their failure. However, I have a method that can utilize the unique terrain of this grassland, turning this disadvantage into an advantage and decisively defeating the Qilan Empire's arrogance."
Ling Shumo suddenly perked up, and she unconsciously sat up straight, "My dear, what do you mean? Please elaborate."
Xuanming Fairy slowly uttered three words, "Use fire attack."
Ling Shumo shook her head in disappointment. "I've already thought of this plan. Setting fire to the grassland isn't something you can do casually. It depends on the right time and location. We have to take advantage of the autumn when large tracts of vegetation on the grassland are dry and withered. And now it's spring. First of all, it's the wrong season."
Seeing Ling Shumo's reaction, Xuanming Fairy wasn't discouraged. Instead, she smiled. "What Your Majesty can think of, the people of the Qilan Empire naturally know. To prevent fire attacks from their enemies, they divide the continuous vegetation on the grassland into sections of isolation belts. That way, even if a fire successfully starts, it will only burn a small area of grassland and will not cause much damage to the overall situation."
Seeing Ling Shumo's expression gradually becoming serious, Xuanming Fairy no longer kept her in suspense, "Everyone knows that autumn is the best time to burn the grasslands. The generals of the Qilan Empire naturally think so. Therefore, their defenses are quite lax at this time of year, which gives our army the opportunity to take advantage of the situation and invade."
Ever since learning of the defeat on the front lines, I've spent days tirelessly calculating the celestial phenomena. I've calculated that within the next month, the sun will be blazing high in the pastures bordering the Qilan Empire and our country, completely evaporating the remaining winter snow and ice. By then, the hay buried beneath the ice and snow will be exposed."
Xuan Ming Fairy paused briefly at this point, then knelt before Ling Shumo and saluted. "I beg Your Majesty to immediately have General He assemble the troops and have them rush to Rock Town in the northeasternmost part of the Chisha Empire. I will accompany the troops to the front lines and calculate when a strong wind will strike from the northeast. I will then immediately set fire to the pastures, leaving the Qilan Empire's war horses with no fodder to eat, catching them unawares."
Ling Shumo pondered for a moment and asked, "How confident are you, my dear?"
Xuanming Fairy replied, "I dare not deceive Your Majesty. I am only 70% sure."
Ling Shumo said, "Man proposes, God disposes. The biggest variable in the success of this matter lies in the wind direction on that day. You are 70% sure, which is already very high. I approve of this matter."
Ling Shumo turned her head to look at Shi Qi who was standing aside, "Summon General He into the palace."
He Huiyuan walked in almost immediately after the order was given. Xuanming Fairy had already informed her in advance that no matter whether the emperor summoned her or not, she would always wait respectfully outside the palace.
He Huiyuan knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Ling Shumo. Compared to the high-spirited figure she had been leading the troops into battle a few months ago, she now looked much more worn down. This defeat had clearly dealt a heavy blow to her.
Ling Shumo didn't speak immediately. She deliberately left He Huiyuan alone for a while before saying in a cold voice, "My patience is limited. This is the only chance to atone for your sins. I hope you can seize it."
He Huiyuan slammed his forehead against the ground. "If I cannot avenge myself and the Chisha Empire this time, I will bring my head before Your Majesty."
He Huiyuan's declaration of loyalty made Ling Shumo look at her with a higher regard. "I'm very pleased that you haven't been completely discouraged by this defeat. You're still the courageous young general I remember. I don't want to give you any more instructions. I hope you can win this time."
Xuanming Fairy and He Huiyuan left the imperial study one after another. Ling Shumo, however, was not idle, buried in a mountain of memorials, and because of handling government affairs, even lunch was delayed.
Shi Qi pushed the door open for the third time and advised, "Your Majesty, you have been overworked these past few days. There's no end to the government affairs you have to worry about. You should prioritize your health. You've been resting in the Yangxin Palace for many days, and the ladies in the harem are all looking forward to your favor. Why don't you go to the harem and rest today?"
Ling Shumo put down the memorial she had just reviewed. She rubbed her temples tiredly and sighed, "Let's go to Chenyou Palace. I haven't seen Xihe for several days. I wonder if her condition has improved a bit."
The war between the Qilan Empire and the Chisha Empire was a matter of national importance. Ling Shumo had been living and eating in the imperial study for most of these days, but whenever she could spare a moment, she would visit Lu Jinshu and the ailing Crown Princess at Chenyou Palace. The other men in the harem, eager to see the emperor, hadn't even seen a scrap of Ling Shumo's clothing.
The weight of Lu Jinshu, the Queen of the Western Palace, in the emperor's heart is quite important.
Ling Shumo's carriage arrived at Chenyou Palace very quickly. Normally, if Lu Jinshu had known Ling Shumo was coming, he would have been waiting at the palace gates long beforehand. But right now, his mind was completely focused on his eldest daughter, and he had no intention of coming out to greet Ling Shumo.
Ling Shumo didn't care about these empty formalities. She raised her hand to signal the servants standing on both sides that they didn't need to perform formalities, and walked quickly towards the inner room.
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