On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

"Yes. Xia Pi City is as strong as our capital. It can't be taken down by human power alone, so Your Highness is relying on rain. If my prediction is correct, the water upstream of Xia Pi City has already been blocked by Your Highness. He is just waiting for the water level to rise sharply after the autumn rain. He will then dig up the river bank and allow the river water to flow back into Xia Pi City. Then, Your Highness can take Xia Pi City without a single soldier."

"Oh~"

Murong Yan and Sima Chunlei both exclaimed in surprise.

As expected of a military god, he could even think of such a method. What made them even more delighted was that Lin Zhen could also think of it.

It seems that the capture of Xia Pi is just around the corner.

Murong Yan felt much better, as if she had put down a heavy burden.

"Then according to my husband, how long can this war last?"

“It will be almost the same by the end of the year.”

"So soon? Why?"

"Because Chu Batian is old, he won't mobilize the entire nation to fight this battle. As soon as Xia Pi City is captured, he will definitely surrender and then send people to negotiate with us."

"Humph." Sima Chunlei snorted coldly upon hearing this. "How many of our people did they kill back then? I don't want to negotiate with them."

"The interests between countries are not calculated in this way. If peace talks are possible, I am willing to accept it." Lin Zhen did not show the intention of fighting to the end. In fact, he really did not want to fight to the end.

Because that wouldn't make much sense.

The entire Daqian is now in a rapid development stage. Roads are being built in various cities and regions, and various workshops and industrial zones are being prepared in full swing. The most important thing during this period is stable development, rather than desperately trying to gain territory.

There is too much territory to manage and develop, so it is better to focus on developing the country first.

Wait until the country has developed to a certain level, or has reached a bottleneck, before acquiring new territories.

This is the best policy.

But if we fight Nan Chu to the end now.

Even if they can win in the end, it will be a pyrrhic victory. By then, Daqian's national strength will decline, the population will plummet, and the country will go from a period of rapid development to a period of decline. If other countries take advantage of this time, Daqian will be the next Nanchu.

So Lin Zhen was unwilling to take the risk, and there was no need to do so.

It would be better to take this opportunity to make Nanchu sign some unequal treaties, such as ceding land, paying compensation, opening trading ports, etc.

Look at the Eight-Nation Alliance in the Gengzi Year.

How many good things did they steal from the land of China? Later, almost all of them became developed countries.

While Lin Zhen was speaking, Sima Chunlei's eyes were always on him, sometimes chuckling, sometimes with a lustful look.

Lin Zhen felt that she was similar to Qingwen.

At this time, there was a knock on the door.

"Dong dong dong."

"Come in."

Butler Lin An walked in, lowered his head, walked in front of Murong Yan, and knelt down with a thud.

"Your Majesty, dinner is ready."

"Well, let's eat."

"According to the order."

Lin An quickly retreated again without even looking at Lin Zhen.

Soon, everyone arrived at the restaurant. Lin Zhen naturally sat in the main seat in the middle, and then Murong Yan, Sima Chunlei, and Gu Zhen took their seats one after another.

Murong Yan said before she even started eating.

"Husband, why don't you invite the other sisters out? They are all family, and we should meet each other."

"That's true." Lin Zhen turned to Huanbi and said, "Bi'er, go get everyone here."

"Yes."

Huanbi walked away gracefully, and a few minutes later, Zhang Li, Yue Wu, Qingwen, Liu Miaoyan and Qingxia all came in.

Well, except for Shangguan Wan'er, Lin Zhen's harem is now complete.

Murong Yan knew that Lin Zhen might have other concubines, but she didn't expect there were so many. She even had seen one of them before, Liu Miaoyan.

The women came to the restaurant and knelt on their knees.

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

"Everyone, get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Liu Miaoyan stared with her big, round eyes.

She never dreamed that Lin Zhen was having an affair with the emperor!

Oh my God, are all the women in your Murong family shameless?

He is the emperor after all, how could he be involved with the prince's grandson!

Even Qingxia had not expected this. Seeing Lin Zhen and Murong Yan standing so close to each other, she had a dull expression on her face, not knowing how to digest this fact.

"Everyone, please sit down."

Murong Yan generously invited everyone to take a seat, and even the shy Huanbi was forced to sit on the chair by Lin Zhen.

But no one dared to eat before Murong Yan started eating, as they always felt they needed to maintain their etiquette in front of the emperor.

Lin Zhen didn't have many thoughts on this. He had been hungry for a long time, and now seeing the table full of delicious food, there was no reason not to eat.

Seeing that no one was eating, Murong Yan took the lead and picked up the chopsticks, picked up a peanut and put it in her mouth.

After finishing the meal, she said, "My husband, your academy is almost finished with its decoration. I have already sent teachers from the Hanlin Academy to take up residence there, and we are just waiting to recruit students."

"Hanlin Academy? No, no." Lin Zhen immediately shook his head when he heard that.

Those old pedants only know how to talk about various things and nothing else.

"The Hanlin Academy isn't enough? Then what kind of teacher do we need?"

Sima Chunlei also said, "Yes, my husband, is there any more powerful teacher in this world than the Hanlin Academy?"

"Of course there are! Those old men in the Hanlin Academy are all about the idioms and the sayings like, 'Confucius advocated for self-sacrifice, Mencius advocated for righteousness.' Bullshit! This kind of Confucian and Mencian teachings don't teach us anything except how to be a gentleman and how to govern the people. In my opinion, it's more accurate to call them the doctrine of the mean."

"Puff!" Murong Yan laughed so hard her body shook. "My husband is talking nonsense again. Although I am not well-educated, I have read a few books and know a few words. The teachings of Confucius and Mencius are unchanging philosophies that every country and every monarch must learn. How can my husband say that it is the doctrine of the mean?"

This novel rhetoric attracted everyone's attention.

Lin Zhen put down his chopsticks and asked Murong Yan with a serious expression: "Yan'er, let me ask you, do you know what the teachings of Confucius and Mencius are?"

Murong Yan thought about it and nodded, "I know. Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness; loyalty, filial piety, integrity, shame, and courage."

"Wrong! To understand the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, we must start with the kingly way and the hegemonic way."

"The kingly way?"

"overbearing?"

The women looked at each other, not knowing what the teachings of Confucius and Mencius had to do with these two.

Lin Zhen explained: "What is the kingly way? The kingly way is that if you don't obey, I will kill you."

"What about Tyranny?"

"I'm a tyrant. Whether you obey me or not, I'll kill you."

The more the women listened, the more confused they became.

Finally, Lin Zhen said, "And the so-called Confucian and Mencian way is to inform you before killing you."

......

Let’s talk about two things separately. Let’s talk about Lin Zhenxian first.

Though nearing his seventies, the old man remained vigorous and energetic, showing no sign of fatigue after numerous battles, as if the passage of time had left no trace on him. His iron-clad frame remained as upright as it had been in the past, like a sword unsheathed, its edge undimmed.

Beihai City, the city Chu Xiling had once vowed to abandon, now fell completely into Lin Zhenxian's hands. With this, the entire Shandong region fell under the control of Daqian, and wherever the iron hoof reached, all submitted. However, Southern Chu still held out stubbornly, showing no sign of surrender.

Recently, news came that Chu Batian adopted Gu Beichen's strategy, withdrawing all the troops from the northern counties and prefectures, and stationing heavy troops to garrison the fortified city of Xia Pi, showing an attitude of fighting a decisive battle with Daqian.

In response, Lin Zhenxian just smiled indifferently, as if all this was just a child's play.

Inside the central army tent, the flickering candlelight illuminated Lin Zhenxian's weathered yet resolute face.

He put down the military newspaper in his hand, turned to look at He Mingyuan beside him, and said with a hint of ridicule: "Mingyuan, where is that kid Chen Xiao?"

Upon hearing this, He Mingyuan hurriedly bowed and replied, "Your Highness, because Xia Pi is heavily guarded, General Chen chose to take a detour and head straight for Suzhou. Now, Suzhou has probably fallen into his hands."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhenxian's lips curled up slightly, and a hint of approval flashed in his eyes: "This kid is quite courageous. If he continues like this, in less than a month, he will cross the Yangtze River and attack the capital of Southern Chu."

He Mingyuan frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, should we recall him? After all, if we go deep into the enemy's territory alone, there might be something unexpected happening."

Lin Zhenxian waved his hand and said with a smile, "Recall? Haha, there's no point in reining in a wild horse that's let loose. Let him do it freely. I want to see how far this kid can go."

With that, he continued reviewing the military documents, his head lowered, as if everything was under control. After a moment, he looked up again, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Gu Beichen does have some talent, much better than that old fellow Xiang Ying. It's a pity he couldn't predict the right time."

He Mingyuan heard this and took a sip from his teacup, a look of worry on his face. "Your Highness, this heaven is really not giving us any grace. It's been over a month now, and not a drop of rain has fallen. If this stalemate continues, we will have to attack by force. But if we do, with our current military strength, I'm afraid it will be difficult to shake it. Alas, it really is a dilemma."

Lin Zhenxian, however, was unconcerned and said calmly, "No rush. The victory has already been significant. Even if we withdraw our troops now, it's fine. But I think the rain will soon fall."

Just as the two were talking, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside the tent.

A messenger rushed in in a panic, his face as pale as paper, as if the sky had fallen.

"Report! Your Majesty, there has been a change in the capital!"

What Lin Zhenxian fears most now is news from the capital.

He focused and shouted, "Speak!"

"Yes, it has now been confirmed that Your Majesty... is indeed a woman."

"What!?"

Lin Zhenxian and He Mingyuan exchanged a glance, then asked, "Is the information accurate?"

"His Majesty personally acknowledged it in the Golden Palace, and she has already changed into a phoenix robe and women's clothing. But the officials don't seem to care about this matter."

"Nonsense! The military power is in my hands. Even if they care, what can they do? But I never expected that Your Majesty is actually a woman. Alas, late emperor, what are you playing?"

"Your Highness, there is one more thing." The messenger stammered.

Lin Zhenxian hated the soldier's behavior and was about to yell at him when he heard him say that.

"The housekeeper in the palace has sent news that the Crown Prince and His Majesty are extremely close and there may be an improper relationship."

"What!!??"