I am the Holy Poisoner, the Empress advised me to calm down

"Your Majesty, it seems that South Vietnam really has evil intentions."

"It seems our previous guess was correct." Xu Feihong said coldly, "South Vietnam is trying to intimidate us."

"So how do we respond?"

"Immediately call the Minister of War and all the generals to discuss countermeasures." Xu Feihong stood up. "Lord Zhou, you should come along as well. Perhaps you can give us some good advice."

Zhou Qing was shocked. Letting him participate in the military meeting was a great trust.

"My minister obeys."

In the evening, Minister of War Li Ming, General Zhao Wu, Deputy General Qian Bao and others gathered in the Imperial Study.

"Everyone, news has come from the border that the South Vietnamese army is gathering at the border and seems to have bad intentions." Xu Feihong said straight to the point.

"Your Majesty, I have long said that the Nanyue have wicked ambitions," Zhao Wu said, bowing. "Now it seems they intend to take advantage of the disaster in Daqian to encroach on our border territories."

"Not necessarily." Li Ming shook his head. "Nanyue's national strength is limited, and they may not dare to go to war with our Daqian. Perhaps they are just bluffing, hoping to gain an advantage in the cotton trade."

"Minister Li, that's wrong," Qian Bao retorted. "Daqian is indeed suffering a disaster, but a lean camel is bigger than a horse. If Nanyue dares to invade, we will make sure they never return."

Zhou Qing listened, pondering. South Vietnam's actions were indeed unusual. First, they were causing trouble in trade, and now they were applying military pressure. There had to be a deeper meaning behind this.

"Everyone, in my opinion, there are two possibilities for Nanyue's move." Zhou Qing suddenly said.

Everyone looked at him, waiting for his analysis.

"First, South Vietnam does want to take advantage of the disaster in Daqian. But they don't necessarily want to start a war, but rather want to take the initiative in the negotiations."

"That makes sense." Li Ming nodded.

"Secondly, there's someone behind the scenes in Nanyue," Zhou Qing continued. "Nanyue is small and weak, and would never dare to stand alone against Daqian. If there really is any movement, it must be backed by a powerful nation."

"Then which country do you think it will be?" Xu Feihong asked.

"Beiyan," Zhou Qing said without hesitation, "Beiyan and Daqian have always been at odds. Now that they see our dynasty suffering a disaster, they will definitely try to weaken our strength."

"Lord Zhou, your words make sense," Zhao Wu agreed. "Northern Yan has always coveted the rich land of Daqian. Now that we see an opportunity, we will not miss it."

"Then how should we respond?" Xu Feihong asked.

"I believe we should split our forces into two groups," Zhou Qing said. "On the one hand, we should strengthen border defenses to prevent military provocations from South Vietnam. On the other hand, we should send envoys to South Vietnam to test its true intentions."

"At the same time, we should also send people to Beiyan to find out the situation," Li Ming added.

"Alright!" Xu Feihong slammed the table and made a final decision. "Let's do as Minister Zhou suggests. Minister Li, you will immediately send people to South Vietnam and North Yan to investigate the situation. General Zhao, you will be responsible for strengthening the border defense."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Everyone responded in unison.

After the meeting, everyone left one after another, leaving only Zhou Qing and Xu Feihong.

"Lord Zhou, you performed very well today," Xu Feihong said approvingly. "I didn't expect you to have insights into military affairs."

"These are all the emperor's daily teachings." Zhou Qing said modestly.

"You don't have to be modest." Xu Feihong smiled, "I can see that you do have some talent."

Zhou Qing felt warm in his heart. Being recognized by the empress was more important than anything else.

"By the way, do you think we can get through this crisis smoothly?" Xu Feihong asked.

"I believe that under the wise leadership of Your Majesty, we will be able to overcome the danger." Zhou Qing said firmly.

"I hope so." Xu Feihong sighed. "Nowadays, with disasters at home and powerful enemies outside, it is indeed a turbulent time."

Zhou Qing looked at the empress's exhausted expression, and a protective urge surged in his heart. This woman had endured too much pressure for the country and the people.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your hard work." Zhou Qing said sincerely.

Xu Feihong glanced at him, a hint of warmth flashing in his eyes: "I am very pleased to have a minister like you."

Just then, Song Jiayun walked in.

"Your Majesty, it's late, you should rest."

"I understand." Xu Feihong nodded. "Lord Zhou, you should also go to bed early."

"My minister retire."

Zhou Qing left the imperial study and returned to his own residence. He looked at the starry sky, feeling a mixture of emotions.

Since coming to this world, he has experienced many changes. From an ordinary modern man, he became a minor official in ancient times. From a weak scholar, he became a strong warrior.

But the biggest change was his understanding of the world. At first, he only cared about how to survive. But now, he began to care about the fate of the country and the suffering of the people.

Especially the empress, who had unknowingly occupied an important position in his heart.

"Zhou Qing, you must not have any thoughts that you shouldn't have." He reminded himself secretly.

But, can emotions be controlled just like that?

The next morning, Zhou Qing came to the imperial study as usual.

"Lord Zhou, you've arrived just in time." Xu Feihong smiled when she saw him. "The envoy from South Vietnam has arrived."

"The envoy from South Vietnam?" Zhou Qing was a little surprised.

"Yes, they said they came to explain yesterday's misunderstanding." Xu Feihong sneered, "It seems our analysis yesterday was correct. South Vietnam is indeed testing our bottom line."

"Then how does His Majesty plan to receive them?"

"Of course I want to see them." Xu Feihong stood up. "I want to see what kind of excuse they can come up with."

"Do you need me to accompany you?"

"Of course." Xu Feihong nodded. "Your analysis is very insightful. Perhaps it can help me see through their lies."

Half an hour later, the envoys from South Vietnam were led into the hall.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a short stature and a mean face. He was followed by several followers, none of whom looked good.

"Your humble servant pays homage to His Majesty the Great Qian." The envoy from Nanyue knelt down and saluted.

"Get up and talk." Xu Feihong said lightly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The South Vietnamese envoy stood up. "I have come here to explain yesterday's misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?" Xu Feihong sneered, "What misunderstanding?"

"Your Majesty, South Vietnam has indeed suffered a cold snap and has been forced to suspend cotton imports. This is not directed against Daqian, but out of helplessness."

"Really?" Xu Feihong raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you gathering troops at the border?"

The Nanyue envoy's face changed, obviously he didn't expect Daqian to get the news so quickly.

"That was...that was a routine exercise for our country, not targeting Daqian."

"Routine exercise?" Xu Feihong's voice was filled with sarcasm. "Routine exercise of 30,000 troops?"

"This...this..." The South Vietnamese envoy stammered and was unable to speak.