The Second World in Ancient Times

The next day, I was in the palace, discussing with Jinshu how to further boost morale on the front lines, when suddenly, I heard hurried footsteps. Wanqing rushed into the palace, her face brimming with excitement.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, great news! There's good news from the front line, a turning point has appeared!" Wanqing's voice trembled with excitement.

I stood up suddenly: "Quick, bring the battle report!"

Wanqing hurriedly handed me the battle report. I hastily unfolded it, revealing the following: "Your Majesty, during days of bitter fighting, our army, a valiant general, General Li, with keen insight, discovered that while the enemy fought fiercely, their supply lines were overly long, and their rear defenses were relatively weak. General Li reported this to Your Majesty, who, after careful planning and deployment, decided to launch a desperate counterattack. Your Majesty personally led the main force to contain the enemy's main force, while General Li led an elite division to bypass the enemy's rear and directly attack their supply camp. Upon hearing this plan, our soldiers were filled with fighting spirit like tigers. During the battle, General Li's troops successfully broke through the enemy's rear defenses, burning a large amount of their food and supplies, causing the enemy to fall into disarray. Our main force seized the opportunity to launch a general offensive, successfully breaking through the enemy's defenses. The enemy has begun to collapse, and our army is pursuing them."

After reading the battle report, tears welled up in my eyes. "Great! Your Majesty is safe! Our army has finally turned a corner. General Li is truly a hero of our dynasty."

I immediately summoned the ministers to the palace. When they heard the good news, they were all delighted.

I said, "My Lords, the situation on the front lines has improved, but we cannot afford to let our guard down. What we must do now is to fully support our army in pursuing this victory and expanding our gains. Minister of War, please advise us on how we can provide the greatest possible military support to the front lines from the rear."

The Minister of War stepped forward and said excitedly, "Your Majesty, I will immediately arrange for the subsequent reinforcements. Select more elite soldiers and send them quickly to the front lines to ensure that our army has sufficient manpower during the pursuit. At the same time, allocate more military supplies, especially arrows, catapults, and other siege equipment, so that our army can use them when attacking the enemy city."

I nodded and said, "Very good. But when it comes to replenishing the troops, we must focus on training and integrating the soldiers. We can mix the new recruits with experienced veterans from the front lines, allowing the veterans to lead the new recruits and improve overall combat effectiveness. This is like modern team building, where the combination of new and experienced makes the work less tiring."

At this time, the Minister of Revenue said, "Your Majesty, as the war situation changes, the allocation of food and fodder must also be adjusted accordingly. I will increase the collection and transportation of food and fodder to ensure that the soldiers on the front lines have sufficient food supplies during the pursuit. In addition, more temporary granaries can be set up along the way to facilitate the storage and transportation of supplies."

I said, "Your Excellency has been very thoughtful. Security measures should be strengthened during the transportation of food and fodder. More soldiers can be deployed to escort them, and concealed transportation routes can be used to prevent attacks by remnant enemy forces. This is like modern logistics security, ensuring the safe delivery of goods."

I thought about medical treatment again and said to the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital, "My dear physicians, the fighting on the front lines is intense, and the number of wounded is bound to increase. You must organize more female doctors and apprentices to go to the front lines. In the rear, you must also prepare sufficient medicines and medical equipment to receive the seriously injured who are transferred back from the front lines. I have learned some modern battlefield medical knowledge, such as setting up temporary medical stations and triaging the wounded, treating the seriously injured first and then the less seriously injured. You can learn from this method to improve treatment efficiency."

The imperial doctors took the order and left: "Your Majesty, we will do our best."

After discussing this, I said to my ministers, "My Lords, in addition to military and logistical support, we must also mobilize public opinion. Wanqing, arrange for scholars to write articles to publicize the heroic deeds of our army's desperate counterattack, especially the achievements of General Li. Let the people of the country know about our victory, boost their morale, and completely destroy the enemy's fighting spirit. This is like a modern propaganda campaign, psychologically attacking the enemy."

Wanqing responded, "Yes, your Majesty."

I thought about diplomacy again and said to the minister in charge of foreign affairs, "Sir, our army is in a very good position now. We can take this opportunity to conduct diplomatic activities with neighboring countries. We should demonstrate our strength to those countries that have been on the sidelines and win more support or allies. We should also warn those countries suspected of colluding with the enemy so that they will not act rashly."

The Foreign Minister said, "Your Majesty, I understand. I will immediately send envoys to various countries and use this victory as an opportunity to seek greater benefits for our country."

Throughout this series of arrangements and deployments, I fully utilized the advantages of modern thinking. I said to Jinshu, "Jinshu, check to see if all the relief supplies we arranged earlier have been delivered to the front lines. The soldiers need this care and encouragement from the rear right now."

Jinshu replied, "Your Majesty, most of the relief supplies have been sent to the front, but some are on the way."

I said, "Hurry up and get them to the soldiers as soon as possible. At the same time, prepare some new gifts, such as celebratory banners and medals, to reward those soldiers who have made meritorious contributions in battle. This is like a modern honor incentive system, inspiring the soldiers' sense of honor and fighting spirit."

As our army continued to pursue its victory, good news continued to arrive from the front. Messengers, delivered by carrier pigeon, informed me that our army had captured several enemy cities in succession, and the remaining enemy troops were fleeing.

I said to my ministers, "My Lords, although the enemy has been defeated, we cannot allow them the opportunity to resurge. We must formulate a plan to completely annihilate the enemy. This can be done from multiple perspectives: military, political, and economic. Militarily, we must continue to pursue the enemy until the main force is completely destroyed. Politically, we must pacify and govern the areas they have occupied, restoring order. Economically, we must help these areas resume production, while simultaneously striking at their economic resources to prevent them from causing further trouble."

The ministers all expressed their agreement and each took orders to prepare for related matters.

I wasn't idle in the palace either. I said to the harem, "Sisters, our army is on the verge of victory. We must prepare a grand celebration banquet for the soldiers. This will not only reward them, but also showcase the majesty and glory of our dynasty to the entire nation."

The concubines responded one after another: "Your Majesty, we are willing to help with the preparations."

I said, "Okay. When planning the celebration banquet, we must pay attention to detail. Prepare sumptuous food and wonderful singing and dancing performances. The food must be nutritious and suit the tastes of the soldiers; the singing and dancing performances must showcase the culture and morale of our dynasty. This is like planning a modern celebration event, creating a festive and solemn atmosphere from every aspect."

While preparing for the celebration banquet, I received a letter from General Li at the front. The letter read, "Empress, I owe my success today to your support and guidance from behind the scenes. Your modern thinking has deeply inspired me. When exploring the enemy's weaknesses, I applied some of the strategic analysis methods you mentioned, which enabled me to discover the problems with their supply lines. I will continue to serve our country until the enemy is completely defeated."

After reading the letter, I was overwhelmed with emotion: "General Li is too modest. This is a testament to your Majesty's wise leadership and the bravery of our soldiers. I am only doing my bit."

I immediately wrote back to General Li: "General, your bravery is a blessing to the country. I hope you take good care of yourself during the pursuit. I look forward to your triumphant return. I will definitely host a celebration for you and the soldiers in the palace."

As our army continued to triumph, the national situation gradually stabilized. However, I knew that post-war reconstruction and development were equally important. I told my ministers, "My Lords, we must begin preparations for post-war reconstruction. Regarding urban development, we must plan the repair and reconstruction of cities destroyed by the enemy, focusing on infrastructure development such as roads, bridges, and water conservancy projects. Regarding agricultural production, we must implement policies to encourage farmers to reclaim wasteland and increase grain production. Regarding commerce and trade, we must reestablish trade relations with neighboring countries and promote economic prosperity. This is like a modern post-war reconstruction plan, restoring the vitality and vigor of the nation in all aspects."

The ministers all expressed their willingness to do their best.

At this critical moment, relying on my modern thinking, knowledge and experience, I actively coordinated the operations between the harem and the court. From supporting the war to post-war planning, I tried my best to participate in it and contribute my own strength to the victory and rejuvenation of the country. I only hope that the war can end completely, the country can usher in long-term peace and prosperity, and let the people live a stable and prosperous life.

While preparing for postwar reconstruction, I once again considered the importance of education. I addressed the Minister in charge of education, "Your Excellency, after the war, we must prioritize the restoration and development of education. In areas occupied by the enemy, we should rebuild schools so that children can learn to read and write. We should also develop new textbooks that not only incorporate traditional knowledge but also modern concepts like science and democracy, fostering innovative thinking and a patriotic spirit in children. This, like modern educational reform, will cultivate talent for the nation's future."

The minister said, "Your Majesty, this is a very good idea. However, the compilation of these new textbooks requires the participation of some knowledgeable people, and it will take time to promote them."

I said, "We can gather scholars from all over the country to co-author it, and I can also provide some ideas. In terms of promotion, we can first pilot it in some key areas and then gradually promote it nationwide."

During this process, I also focused on the role of women. I told the concubines, "Sisters, women can also play an important role in post-war reconstruction. We can organize women to participate in handicrafts, such as weaving and embroidery, to increase family income and contribute to the country's economic recovery. At the same time, we should encourage women to learn, participate in social affairs, and improve their status. This is like the modern feminist movement, allowing women to become a vital force in national development."

After hearing what I said, the concubines nodded in agreement.

I continue to toil in the palace, plotting every step towards ultimate victory in the war and the reconstruction and development of the nation. I know full well that this is my responsibility, my mission to bring change and hope to this ancient nation through modern thinking. I will persevere in this endeavor until we achieve lasting peace and prosperity for our nation.

While focusing on the role of women, I also considered cultural inheritance and innovation. I told a culture minister, "Your Excellency, while war traumatizes our nation, we must not allow our culture to be damaged. After the war, we must strengthen cultural inheritance and innovation. We can organize scholars to compile ancient texts and documents to preserve cultural heritage. At the same time, we can encourage writers to create new literary and artistic works that reflect the heroic deeds of the war and the nation's recovery. This is similar to modern cultural preservation and the development of the cultural industry, making culture the soul and soft power of a nation."

The minister said, "Your Majesty, I will certainly follow your instructions and make every effort to promote the development of cultural undertakings. However, organizing ancient books and documents will require a great deal of manpower and material resources."

I said, "We could recruit some educated volunteers from the public and offer them some compensation or incentives. The court could also allocate special funds for cultural inheritance and innovation. Regarding the creation of new works, we could hold cultural creation competitions to stimulate the creative enthusiasm of scholars."

As our army continues to achieve victory on the front lines, I, in my harem, am also making comprehensive plans for the future of our nation. I believe that through the efforts of all and the guidance of modern thinking, this country will surely emerge from the shadow of war and enter a new era of glory.