On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Daqian's thunderous counterattack was like a huge rock thrown into the stagnant water of Nanchu, instantly stirring up a thousand waves.

The mouth of the Yangtze River was completely blocked, and the Jiangnan Navy's ironclad warships were like steel barriers, with their gun muzzles pointed fiercely.

The once prosperous golden waterway has lost all merchant ships and seagulls, leaving only the cold wind blowing up icy waves, lapping against the silent river bank.

On the front lines of Jingzhou and Xiangyang, the Daqian black armors were like a forest, the war drums were roaring, and the test firing of the "Burning Sky Thunder" was like a death knell, ringing day and night, shaking the defenders of the Southern Chu along the river to their core, and they were on guard at all times, unable to rest in peace.

In the imperial capital, the Embroidered Uniform Guards and Imperial Guards were everywhere, the Nanchu merchant houses and guilds were closed down one after another, the former wealthy businessmen were imprisoned, and the intelligence network was uprooted.

Driven by the pursuit of profit, the Miao King of Southern Xinjiang and his tribes frequently harassed the food supply routes in the rear of Southern Chu, looted supplies, and burned granaries, causing smoke and fire in the heartland of Southern Chu and making people exhausted.

The sternly worded letter from Empress Murong Yan was like an ultimatum, hitting the hearts of the rulers and ministers of Southern Chu.

The capital of Southern Chu, Jinling.

royal palace.

The atmosphere was oppressive, like the silence before a storm.

Chu Batian was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and sitting high on the throne. His face was ashen, and his eyes were burning with rage and undisguised panic.

He held the letter from the Empress of Daqian tightly in his hand, and his knuckles turned white from the force.

"How unreasonable! How unreasonable!" Chu Batian slammed the imperial letter onto the imperial desk with a loud bang, shocking the ministers in the hall. "Murong Yan, Lin Zhen, this is too much! This is too much!"

"Your Majesty, calm down!" Prime Minister Chen Yuan hurriedly stepped forward, his voice trembling. "Daqian's blockade of the Yangtze River, severing our maritime trade, is a tactic that will cut off the source of our trouble! The deployment of troops along the river is a blatant threat! The Miao barbarians in southern Xinjiang are harassing our rear, leaving us vulnerable from all sides! This crisis requires a calm response."

"Calm down? How can I calm down!" Chu Batian roared, his voice shrill with anger. "My Nanchu merchant ships have been detained, their cargo robbed, and merchants imprisoned. The losses are in the tens of millions. The troops defending along the river are in panic day and night, and their morale is low. The food supply to the rear has been cut off, and the military supplies are in urgent need. Murong Yan also wants me to hand over the mastermind of the Black Water Platform and pay him five million taels of silver in compensation. This is an attempt on my life!"

"Your Majesty," said Li Meng, the Minister of War, stepping out of the group. "Daqian's move is a declaration of war. Blocking the Yangtze River is tantamount to cutting off our lifeline. Deploying troops along the river and conducting drills treats us like nothing. If we don't strike back, what will become of the prestige of Southern Chu?"

"Fight back?" Minister of Revenue Qian Youcai retorted immediately, his voice tinged with tears. "How can we fight back? The treasury is empty! Food and fodder are scarce! How can our naval fleet, with its old ships, stand a chance against the mighty Daqian ironclad warships? Our elite land forces are all stationed in the northern border to defend against the Rouran and Tubo. How can we withdraw them? The Miao and Man tribes in the southern border are still rebellious. How can we fight against internal and external troubles?"

"Are you just going to sit there and wait to be slaughtered?" Li Meng glared at Qian Youcai.

"Fighting is a dead end!" Qian Youcai showed no sign of weakness.

"Enough!" Chu Batian interrupted harshly, feeling a splitting headache.

The ministers in the hall were divided into two factions, one for war and the other for peace, and they argued endlessly, but no one could come up with a practical solution.

The economic collapse brought on by the lockdown spread like a plague.

In the city of Jinling, rice prices soared, salt and iron were in short supply, and panic spread like wildfire.

The families of the detained merchants gathered outside the palace gate, crying and shouting, demanding that the court rescue them.

The once prosperous Qinhuai River is now deserted with withered pleasure boats and no more music and singing, leaving it desolate.

A dark cloud of national destruction hung heavily over the city of Jinling and on the hearts of every citizen of Southern Chu.

The royal palace, "Qihuang Garden".

The candlelight is still on in the warm room.

Princess Yuhua was dressed in white and stood by the window.

Outside the window, a few flowers of the old plum tree quietly bloomed in the cold wind. The elegant petals looked even more cold and lonely against the backdrop of the snow.

The air is filled with the subtle fragrance of cold plum blossoms, which is refreshing.

A trusted maid hurried in, her face pale, her voice filled with uncontrollable excitement and fear: "Princess, Jinling is in chaos!"

Princess Yuhua did not move, but her fingertips curled slightly.

"The Yangtze River has been completely blocked by the Daqian Navy. Not a single merchant ship from Nanchu can leave or enter!" the maid's voice trembled. "In Jinling City, the price of rice has skyrocketed and salt is unavailable. Many businesses have closed, and the streets are filled with people crying."

"The Miao people from southern Xinjiang are also attacking and have burned down several granaries. The Southern Chu army is too late to mobilize troops to suppress them!"

"The palace heard that His Majesty was so upset that he threw things, and the ministers were arguing with each other, but no one could come up with a solution."

The maid finished speaking in one breath, her chest heaving violently, her eyes filled with worry and fear about the fate of her homeland.

Princess Yuhua remained silent. Beneath her mask, her left eye, uncovered, reflected the swaying plum blossoms outside the window, calm and unruffled.

However, as she clenched her sleeves tightly, her nails had already dug deep into her palms, causing a sharp sting.

Blocking the Yangtze River, cutting off their trade lifeline, deploying troops along the river, exerting military pressure, harassing the rear, creating civil unrest, and diplomatically condemning them to occupy the moral high ground.

Lin Zhen's methods are precise and ruthless.

Without moving a single soldier, he penetrated deep into the heart of Southern Chu, yet he had already plunged this former rival into unprecedented chaos and panic.

She empathized with Nan Chu's predicament.

That was her homeland with which she was connected by blood, and the country with which her father had once formed an alliance.

Now, in Lin Zhen's chess game, he is in a precarious situation.

A complex emotion surged in her heart.

There is worry about the fate of the homeland, chill in the face of Lin Zhen's ruthless methods, and even more of a suffocating feeling of being in the center of the storm but powerless to do anything.

As a chess piece, she affects the nerves of both Qin and Chu, but she cannot even control her own destiny.

"I understand." Princess Yuhua's voice remained cold and clear, without a trace of emotion. "Go down."

The maid looked at her lonely and straight back, wanting to say something but stopping herself, and finally retreated in tears.

Silence returned to the warm room.

The subtle fragrance of the cold plum blossoms seems to be even stronger.

Princess Yuhua slowly raised her hand and gently brushed her fingertips across the cold fire phoenix mask on her face.

The metal edge of the mask felt icy cold. She walked to the desk, spread out a piece of plain white rice paper, and picked up her brush, but didn't put it down for a long time.

A drop of ink dripped from the tip of the full pen, spreading a thick black on the white rice paper.

Just like the heavy, unbreakable haze hanging over Jinling City at this moment.

Zichen Palace.

Murong Yan was dressed in bright yellow casual clothes and sat upright behind the imperial desk.

In front of her were several secret reports from Jiangnan, Jingzhou, Southern Xinjiang and Jinling.

"Your Majesty." A hint of bloodthirsty excitement lingered on the gaunt face of Minister of War Zhao Wu. "Southern Chu is in chaos. The Yangtze River has been blocked for ten days, and the price of rice in Nanjing has tripled. Salt and iron are in short supply, and the people are seething with resentment. Small groups of riverside defenders have mutinied due to food and pay shortages. The Miao King of Southern Xinjiang has successfully attacked and burned down three large warehouses in Southern Chu. Chu Batian is in a state of panic, and the court is arguing endlessly, with no solution!"

"Good." Murong Yan raised her eyes slightly, a sharp light flashing in them, "My husband's plan is working very quickly."

"Your Majesty," said Zhang Heng, the Minister of Revenue, with a worried look on his face, "however, the blockade has been prolonged and our Jiangnan merchants have also suffered considerable losses."

"This is just labor pain." Murong Yan's voice was clear and clear, with unquestionable determination. "Compared with the destruction of Southern Chu, it's nothing. Order the Ministry of Revenue to compensate the affected merchants as appropriate to reassure the people."

"Yes." Zhang Heng bowed.

"The one-month period is almost over." Murong Yan glanced at the ministers in the hall, "Has Chu Batian responded?"

"Your Majesty," said Minister of Rites Zhou Zheng, stepping out of the group, "the envoy from Southern Chu arrived in Beijing yesterday and presented his credentials. He was evasive and shirked responsibility, promising only to thoroughly investigate the Blackwater Terrace without mentioning compensation or handing over the prisoners."

"Humph!" Murong Yan snorted coldly, "You're still trying to argue when death is imminent!"

She turned her gaze to Lin Zhen: "What do you think, my husband?"

Lin Zhen sat upright below him, his dark uniform making him stand tall and straight, his expression as calm as water. "Southern Chu is a trapped beast, yet it fights on. Its delaying strategy is intended to buy time to contact external aid or rectify internal affairs."

"But his fate has run out." Lin Zhen's voice was low and firm. "The blockade is like a yoke around his neck. The internal strife is like a carbuncle eating away at his internal organs. If he still refuses to surrender within a month's time,

He paused for a moment, a cold glint flashing in his deep eyes. "Then the crime of disobeying the imperial order, colluding with foreign enemies, and attempting to assassinate the prince will be announced to the world, and troops will be sent to attack Chu!"

"Good!" Murong Yanfeng's eyes flashed with brilliance, and she slammed the table and stood up, "Pass the order!"

"Order all Jiangnan Navy units on the Jingzhou and Xiangyang fronts to enter Level One combat readiness effective immediately! Food, fodder, and weapons must be fully stocked! Iron Dragon special trains must be on standby to transport troops at any time!"

"Order the Ministry of Works' Burning Thunder Division and the Institute of Gewu to rush to produce new-style Burning Thunder firearms and siege equipment! Ensure sufficient quantities!"

"Order the Ministry of War to formulate a strategy for attacking Chu and submit it within three days!"

"Order the Ministry of Rites to draft a manifesto to attack Chu, listing the crimes of Southern Chu and making them known to the world!"

"If Nanchu still shows no sincerity by the end of the month, I will send out my army wherever this proclamation reaches! I will destroy Jinling!"

"We obey your order!" The ministers shouted in unison, shaking the palace, with a murderous aura and the belief that they would win.