Jin Shu frowned and picked at her ear.
Then he summoned Zhou Yinghuai.
"How far has Huangfu Rong's side progressed?"
"Your Majesty, according to our scouts, Huangfu Rong is currently gathering forces from the surrounding small countries. It seems he intends to surround us and use numbers to bully us."
These small countries were all vassal states of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Their ancestors established diplomatic relations through marriage alliances. For example, Huangfu Rong's birth mother was once a princess sent by a neighboring small country.
Unfortunately, her status was too low. Even when she arrived in the powerful Great Zhou Dynasty, she couldn't even become a concubine. She could only serve as a palace maid in the imperial palace.
Later, after climbing into the emperor's bed and having Huangfu Rong, she finally gained a small place in the harem.
The relationships between all countries are intricate and inseparable; as long as the Great Zhou issues a command, almost all countries will respond.
A major battle is imminent.
Before Jin Shu could even make a move, Huangfu Rong was already eager to strike first.
The situation in the northern city is tense, and the people are feeling uneasy.
At this time, the Great Zhou issued a summons to the whole country, stating that as long as the people voluntarily surrendered before the start of the war, they could stay in the Great Zhou directly, be allocated land and houses, have all taxes reduced or exempted, and be guaranteed to have enough to eat and wear.
As soon as this announcement was released, many people in dozens of cities in the north were already eager to make their move.
"The current situation is that many people are worried that the Northern Kingdom will be defeated and they will be homeless as prisoners. In addition, the surrounding countries have sent people to instigate them. At this time, the population loss in the city is serious, and some cities have already lost more than half of their population."
The Right Prime Minister's voice was hoarse, and his tone was full of worry.
Being the target of everyone's criticism is not a good feeling, especially being surrounded by more than a dozen countries, which makes people restless. Many ministers in the court couldn't sit still and jumped out to advise Jin Shu to take the initiative to seek peace. However, some people also said that if she sought peace and showed weakness at this time, the Northern Kingdom would always have to submit to the rule of the Great Zhou.
Moreover, the conflict between the Great Zhou and the Northern Kingdom has deepened to the point of no return. If the Northern Kingdom were to surrender at this time, given the temperament of the Great Zhou emperor, he would certainly not allow the Northern Kingdom to continue to exist in this world.
"In short, this battle must be fought."
Liu Lingzun resolutely blocked the railway.
Those who were once founding partners in the northern border region also nodded in support.
They had endured such difficult times, and no one knew Huangfu Rong's character better than them. Even if they surrendered and sought peace for the sake of the people, Huangfu Rong would never keep his promise and spare the people of the Northern Kingdom.
These people had all come from his vassal states, and in his eyes they were nothing short of traitors. If the Northern Kingdom did not protect them now, the Great Zhou would never accept them again.
At this moment, everyone looked at Jin Shu, as the final decision still rested with her.
"What's there to argue about? Will Huangfu Rong let us go if we surrender?"
Besides, it's still uncertain who will hit whom.
General Liu, you've been training for so long, are you confident now that ten nations are coming to fight?
Liu Lingzun clasped his hands and knelt down.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will make sure that brat Huangfu Rong never returns!"
"Okay, that's fine. We have soldiers, horses, and good generals. We lack nothing, so what are we afraid of?"
General Liu, go ahead and fight. Just tell me what you need; everything in the national treasury is yours.
With such a monarch who fully supports him, Liu Lingzun's face flushed red as if he had been injected with chicken blood, and he said heavily.
"This battle must be fought well!"
At first, Da Zhou's strategy was unpredictable, haphazard and lacking any discernible pattern.
Liu Lingzun was a bit impatient, but Zhou Yinghuai, acting as his advisor, only told him one word.
"wait."
"Waiting for what? What are we waiting for? With so much firepower, we could easily send those people to meet their ancestors with a single shot. Why are we being so humiliated?"
Zhou Yinghuai remained calm and composed, holding the health-preserving walnuts that Jin Shu had given him.
"A good knife should be used on good meat. Send cavalry to suppress those who are causing trouble. The main force should guard the northern border city gates. Do not make any moves before the Great Zhou army arrives."
The cavalry of the Northern Kingdom were also exceptional; a force of only about a hundred men was enough to hold off thousands of enemy troops outside the city gates.
Today, in the thirteen cities of the northern kingdom, each city is guarded by cavalry, and the people inside continue to live a peaceful and prosperous life, completely unaffected by the turbulent waves outside.
Meanwhile, in the Great Zhou Dynasty, after Huangfu Rong ordered the various states to send troops to harass the enemy, he soon received news from the front lines.
"The Northern Kingdom has now dispatched cavalry to garrison all thirteen cities. This means that more than half of the Northern Kingdom's forces have been dispersed! The number of troops remaining in the main city is definitely less than 50,000!"
Seeing that the time was right, Huangfu Rong slammed his fist on the table and stood up.
"Alright, all troops, assemble and await orders! We shall now march to attack the main city of the Northern Kingdom and capture the Northern Empress alive!"
The Great Zhou has now amassed an army of 90,000 across the various states, and is now fully prepared to set out.
This time, he planned to strike decisively and without hesitation, taking down Jin Shu in the shortest possible time!
With 90,000 troops against less than 50,000, this huge numerical disparity made the battle seem like a foregone conclusion to the entire world.
At this moment, beneath the main gate of the northern capital, on the vast northern grasslands beyond the moat, a massive, dark army was sweeping in with unstoppable momentum.
The city of Beiguo was now completely deserted, with every household staying indoors, making it as silent as a dead city.
Someone came to report from inside a tent outside the city.
"Your Majesty, there shouldn't be many people left in the main city. Once the announcement was issued, almost everyone in the thirteen northern cities fled, not to mention the main city, which was the first to be affected, so naturally, the people inside ran faster than anyone else."
Now only the troops remain to defend the city. Once we capture the city gates, we can take over the main city of the Northern Kingdom in one fell swoop, with unstoppable momentum!
Upon hearing this, Huangfu Rong smiled confidently.
"Alright, don't give them any time to react. Now, just storm the door and break in!"
"Charge them first; if they can't get in, just throw gunpowder into the city gate!"
By this time, the ladders to cross the river had been erected, and the Zhou army came up aggressively and began to attack the gate.
The whole process went even more smoothly than Huangfu Rong had expected. Looking at the magnificent city gate, he broke through it without expending any effort at all.
Once the city gate was breached, all the guards fled.
By the time Huangfu Rong received news of the breach at the city gate, less than an hour had passed.
The Great Zhou army suffered some casualties, but the journey was much smoother than expected!
At this moment, Huangfu Rong, who was eager to conquer the main city as soon as possible, immediately ordered an attack on the main city and captured the Northern Empress in the main city's palace.
And so, the 50,000 soldiers who led the way entered the city in unison, while the remaining 40,000 soldiers stayed outside the city to block the gates, determined not to give any of the people in the main city of the Northern Kingdom a chance to escape.
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