The next morning, the court session began.
Jiang Yu, dressed in robes made for the Empress Dowager, entered the hall amidst the homage of civil and military officials.
"The Great Wei has invaded the borders of our Great Qing. What do you, my lords, think we should do?"
Jiang Yu's voice was extremely calm, instantly soothing the anxious hearts of the ministers.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor personally led the expedition, taking away six or seven tenths of Daqing's troops. Now that Dawei is invading, they have accurately grasped our current situation."
A civil official spoke first, "It would be extremely difficult to start a war with the Great Wei at this time."
As soon as these words were spoken, many court officials echoed them. Once war broke out, Daqing's food and military strength would be in short supply, and if something went wrong south of the Ruomi River, it would be a problem.
They are in a dangerous situation, attacked from both inside and outside.
"But if we don't fight, won't we just lose the city for nothing?"
A woman's voice rang out, and Bai Qian stared expressionlessly at the official who had just spoken, "If the Great Wei sees that we are not resisting, can we still hold onto the cities that are near the Great Wei?"
"In my opinion, we should fight!"
Bai Qian's voice was exceptionally loud, "If we really dare to fight them, the Great Wei might not dare to continue fighting us."
In the following time, the pro-war and pro-peace factions argued fiercely, each saying their own thing, their faces flushed with urgency.
Only Bai Qian stood still, as if she was certain that Jiang Yu would choose to fight.
"I think—"
As soon as Jiang Yu’s voice rang out, the court immediately fell silent.
"He deserves to be hit!"
“They’ve come to bully us so openly. Should we not fight back and just offer our other cheek to the Great Wei?” Jiang Yu exhaled heavily. “Right now, the Great Wei has only killed our border people. If we don’t resist, their next step will be to gradually devour our cities.”
"When the emperor returns, the cities east of Daqing will have been lost."
"You are all ministers whom the Emperor relies on. If that is truly the case, how can you face the Emperor again?"
Jiang Yu glanced around, her tone gradually softening, "However, some of the adults have a point. We must fight, but how we fight needs to be carefully discussed."
After the morning court session, Jiang Yu kept several important officials behind.
"I have a solution."
Jiang Yu smiled and began to speak. Then, he chatted with several important officials until sunset before returning to Zhaoning Palace.
"Wanji, deliver this jade ruyi to the Bai residence for me."
As Granny Ling was removing Jiang Yu's hairpins and jewelry, Wanji, upon hearing this, quickly took the jade ruyi from Jiang Yu's hand.
She wanted to leave this battle to Ah-Qi.
......
The news of Da Wei's actions also reached the ears of Gu Qingyan and Gu Lin.
At that time, Gu Lin was once again disguised as Huo Xiang, acting as Gu Qingyan's close bodyguard.
“Father…” Seizing the opportunity, Gu Qingyan quickly waved to Gu Lin, “The Great Wei killed the border people of Daqing at this time, intending to provoke a conflict between the two countries.”
Gu Qingyan looked anxious. He had brought most of his troops to fight Gu Qingling, which would inevitably weaken the security of other areas. If they were to truly clash with the Great Wei...
Gu Qingyan looked to Gu Lin for help.
"Do you think your mother received this news?"
Gu Lin's words made Gu Qingyan's expression freeze, and he nodded stiffly, "The Empress Dowager will definitely receive this news as well, and even before me."
Did she write to you for help?
It took Gu Qingyan a while to realize the meaning behind Gu Lin's words.
"Father, are you saying that Mother already has a solution?"
Gu Lin reached out and ruffled Gu Qingyan's hair. "Let your mother fight a battle to her heart's content."
But when Gu Lin walked out of Gu Qingyan's room, the calm look on his face completely disappeared, replaced by a fierce look that even Ling Hai dared not look directly at.
"My lord."
"Tell everyone in Lingxiao Pavilion in the capital to obey Madam's orders."
With Jiang Yu in the capital, Gu Lin would never transfer all the people from Lingxiao Pavilion to protect him and Gu Qingyan.
In the first match between Gu Qingyan and Gu Qingling, Gu Qingyan won a resounding victory.
They captured several thousand of Gu Qingling's soldiers and successfully recaptured a city south of the Mi River.
This severely damaged the morale of the troops in other cities.
Taking advantage of Gu Qingyan's great victory, Jiang Yu quickly dispatched Bai Qian to lead a group of elite troops to set off first.
"Empress Dowager, who are these people...?"
Bai Qian stared at the military tally in her hand, her face showing extreme shock.
Jiang Yu smiled and pointed to the map hanging up, "Take these men and take this place down first."
Bai Qian mechanically turned her neck, wondering when the Empress Dowager would actually utter the word "take down," a phrase she had only heard in the army.
“The Wei army will certainly not expect us to cut off their food supply first.” Jiang Yu, not yet noticing Bai Qian’s expression, continued, “After you take this place, you will go there.”
Jiang Yu spoke for a while before realizing Bai Qian wasn't responding. "Qian?"
"Your Majesty, I feel as if I have seen the late Lady Dingyuan."
Bai Qian's words startled Jiang Yu for a moment, then she smiled brightly.
"Do I look like my mother?" She didn't even care about the way she addressed her mother. She didn't know how many years it had been since anyone had said that she looked like her mother.
"Very similar."
Bai Qian smiled as well, "If Lady Dingyuan were alive today, she would be overjoyed to see Your Highness like this."
"Someone will impersonate you and lead the troops into battle. You should lead these people ahead of time and catch them off guard."
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will certainly not fail in my mission."
Jiang Yu stared at Bai Qian's back for a long time, and then her eyes became a little moist.
When she actually faced the battlefield, the things her parents had taught her automatically popped into her mind.
——
"My daughter is a brilliant strategist, a true genius!"
Marquis Dingyuan picked up little Jiang Yu and lifted him high above his head, saying, "You have completely inherited your father's and mother's talent for military strategy."
Meanwhile, Lady Dingyuan laughed spiritedly from the side, "When Ayu grows up, Mother will take you to the battlefield."
Little Jiang Yu, with her hair in a bun and her head tilted to the side, looked so mischievous that Marquis Dingyuan and his wife couldn't stop laughing.
"Mother, is the battlefield fun?"
But when those words were spoken, the smiles on the faces of Marquis Dingyuan and his wife suddenly froze, and little Jiang Yu also seemed to be frightened, her eyes turning red.
"Father, Mother, did I say something wrong?"
“Ayu.”
Marquis Dingyuan gently put Xiao Jiangyu down. “Ayu, when we were simulating this, the people who died were represented by chess pieces. But on the real battlefield, the people who die are real people with flesh and blood.”
"Don't give the enemy any chance to harm you."
"Father, will the enemy harm you and Mother?"
Xiao Jiangyu reacted quickly and hugged Dingyuan Hou tightly.
"With Ayu here, Father and Mother wouldn't dare to get hurt!"
——
The scene appeared before Jiang Yu, and her eyes began to harden.
She is determined to win this battle.
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