Inside the sealed room, the air seemed to freeze.
Meng Wei, knife in hand, stared intently at Xiao Che with his single, bloodshot eye. His heavy breathing sounded like a broken bellows. Xiao Che's question, "How should I 'pull' it out?" weighed heavily on his heart like a boulder.
How do I pull it out?
He didn't know!
Meng Wei is a fierce general who charges into battle. If you ask him to lead troops into battle, he will do it without hesitation! But if you ask him to play mind games with a civil official like Qian Ming, who hides behind the scenes and plays tricks, that's harder than asking him to do embroidery!
"This humble general..."
Meng Wei held back for a long time, his face flushed red, but finally, he collapsed like a deflated balloon, and said helplessly:
"This humble general...does not know."
He really didn't know.
If he knew how to completely dismantle Qian Ming's network, why would he have swallowed his anger until today and even alarmed the Emperor?
Xiao Che seemed to have anticipated his answer and did not blame him. Instead, he turned his gaze entirely to Lin Wanwan.
Those eyes were filled with trust and expectation.
Lin Wanwan met their gazes and slowly walked to the huge border defense map.
Her expression was so calm, as if she weren't the one who had seen that bag of blood-stained letters in the warehouse.
But only she knew that in her heart, a raging fire was burning, a fire powerful enough to consume all evil!
“Your Majesty,” she spoke, her voice clear and cold, yet full of power, “you are right. What we want is not just Qian Ming’s life, but the entire cannibalistic network behind him!”
She stretched out her slender finger and gently tapped on the huge map.
“Qian Canjun is just the center of this web, a spider responsible for ‘keeping accounts’.”
"But this network, which can cover the entire logistics of Zhenbei-Guan, must require countless 'spider webs' to carry out his orders."
Her finger began to move slowly across the map.
"For example, those cooks who were responsible for replacing polished rice with old rice and then mixing sand into the old rice."
"For example, those quartermasters who were responsible for replacing the new cotton with cattail fluff and then distributing the cattail fluff cotton clothes to the soldiers."
"For example, there are those squad leaders who cut back on new recruits' food rations, embezzle medical supplies, or even deliberately make things difficult for them and force them to give them gifts..."
With each word Lin Wanwan spoke, Meng Wei's expression grew increasingly grim.
Because he knew all the people and things she mentioned!
In fact, many of his loyal soldiers reported him to the authorities!
But what could he do?
Those cooks, quartermasters, and squad leaders were like countless cunning little mice surrounding Qian Ming, the big rat. Although their official positions were small, they were the most basic and stable link in Qian Ming's vast network.
He can use his authority as a general to arrest or kill anyone.
But he can't catch them all, nor can he kill them all!
Moreover, these people don't have any real evidence at all! They are merely executors! The real evidence, the true ledger that records everything, is firmly in Qian Ming's hands!
"We want more than just Qian Canjun's life!" Lin Wanwan's voice suddenly rose, like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, its edge fully revealed!
"We must obtain evidence of wrongdoing from everyone in his entire chain of interests!"
"We must make all those involved in this evil pay the price they deserve!"
"This..." Meng Wei was thrilled, yet felt a sense of helplessness. "But... but how are we supposed to obtain this evidence?"
Xiao Che frowned and asked, "Yes, Wanwan, how do we get it?"
Lin Wanwan slowly turned around.
A mysterious smile appeared on her face.
"General Meng." She looked at Meng Wei and slowly proposed a bold plan that left both men present speechless!
"Tomorrow, you can use the excuse of 'new recruits enlisting' to select a group of new recruits from the entire army."
"Then, arrange for a trusted confidant to enter the lowest level of the military camp as a new recruit."
"only……"
Her voice carried a hint of cold laughter.
"Only by truly becoming a 'victim' can one see the most authentic dark secrets."
Only then will we know how the food was skimped on; how the winter clothes were switched; and how the medicine for wounds turned into ashes.
"Only in this way can we follow the clues and catch all the small fry responsible for 'execution' in one fell swoop! And get the most direct evidence of their collusion with Qian Ming!"
Once this plan was devised, the entire secret room fell silent.
Meng Wei and Xiao Che stared blankly at Lin Wanwan, their eyes filled with shock!
What a brilliant move... cutting off the enemy's supply lines!
What a brilliant... undercover operation!
Send men directly infiltrate the enemy ranks! Break down their defenses from the very bottom!
This...this is simply a stroke of genius!
Xiao Che's eyes gleamed with wonder!
He knew his empress was intelligent, but he never expected her to possess such extraordinary strategies and tactics!
Even those cunning old foxes in the court, known for their wisdom, probably couldn't have come up with such a plan!
However, after the initial excitement, a new problem arose before them.
Meng Wei's face, which had just brightened, fell into a bitter expression again.
He scratched his head, looking troubled, and said:
"Your Majesty, your plan is excellent!"
"But...but..."
He stammered, unable to get a coherent answer for a long time.
"But what?" Xiao Che asked impatiently.
Meng Wei, with a bitter face, said in a mournful tone:
"But... my men are all roughnecks who have fought on the battlefield! They're incredibly fierce when it comes to charging into battle! But to send them as 'undercover agents' to gather evidence... that... that requires meticulous attention to detail, boldness and carefulness, and... absolute loyalty!"
"My men... truly, truly do not have such a suitable candidate!"
This is indeed a problem.
Being an undercover agent isn't something anyone can do.
Once exposed, there will be no hope of redemption!
Xiao Che's brows furrowed tightly once again.
Silence fell once again within the sealed room.
Just as the atmosphere became heavy again, Lin Wanwan suddenly burst out laughing.
Her smile left Xiao Che and Meng Wei somewhat puzzled.
Lin Wanwan slowly walked to Xiao Che's side.
She reached out and gently straightened his slightly disheveled cloth clothes.
Then, she raised her head, and her bright eyes sparkled with a light as dazzling as stars.
She looked at Xiao Che and said slowly, in a tone that was half-joking and half-serious:
"Who says there aren't suitable candidates?"
"Isn't there one right in front of us?"
“Look at him, he comes from a noble family, yet he can condescend to sleep in a dormitory and eat roasted rabbit.”
“Look at him, he’s incredibly brave. He didn’t flinch when facing more than a dozen steel knives.”
"Look at him, his acting skills are superb. He portrays the wealthy tycoon of Jiangnan so vividly that even an old fox like Qian Ming was completely fooled by him."
"Most importantly..."
Her voice carried a hint of sly laughter.
"He is absolutely loyal to His Majesty."
With each sentence Lin Wanwan spoke, Meng Wei's eyes widened a little more.
Xiao Che's expression gradually changed from initial confusion to astonishment, and finally settled on a look of shock that was both funny and exasperating!
When Lin Wanwan finished speaking her last sentence, the entire secret room fell completely silent.
Meng Wei's mouth was so wide open that it could almost fit an egg!
He... he finally understood who the Empress meant by "the most suitable candidate" was!
He trembled as he turned his gaze to his... Emperor!
To send...to send His Majesty to the military camp as an undercover agent?!
This...this is simply...
This is insane!
This is simply an unprecedented and unparalleled crazy plan!
Xiao Che was completely dumbfounded.
He pointed to his nose and asked in an incredulous tone, "Me?"
“Yes.” Lin Wanwan smiled like a cat that had just stolen some cream. “It’s you.”
"No! Absolutely not!" Meng Wei was the first to react. He knelt down again with a thud. "Your Majesty! Your life is precious! How can you... how can you become a recruit! This humble general... even if it means death, I will never agree!"
However, Xiao Che remained silent.
He simply gazed at Lin Wanwan quietly, a strange light, unlike anything he had ever seen before, flickering in his deep eyes.
After the initial shock, an overwhelming surge of excitement and anticipation welled up within him!
Becoming a new recruit?
Go undercover?
This... sounds like it's much more interesting than being an emperor!
Xiao Che and Lin Wanwan exchanged a smile, everything understood without a word.
He slowly stood up from the chair.
Then, under Meng Wei's horrified gaze, he reached out and unfastened the priceless royal jade pendant with dragon patterns entwined around his waist.
He casually tossed the jade pendant onto the table.
Then, in a calm yet authoritative tone, he gave Meng Wei the most outrageous order he had ever heard in his life.
"Meng Wei".
"Go, give it to me..."
"Bring me a set of the worst, most worn-out recruit armor."
Meng Wei: "Your Majesty...Your Majesty! You...you're going in person?!"
His voice was completely distorted by extreme shock!
Xiao Che did not answer him.
He simply smiled slightly, a smile filled with boundless anticipation for the unknown challenges to come!
Above his head, a brand new, extremely flamboyant, and meme-filled with adolescent angst was shining brightly—
It was a pixelated figure wearing sunglasses, with a wicked smile playing on its lips.
Beside it, a line of small print, crystal clear—
[I'm going to use my alternate account to stomp on newbies.gif]
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