Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

After the Central Army entered Jianjia Pass, they immediately began selecting a site to garrison there, thus taking complete control of the Wu Kingdom's border.

The news quickly reached the Wu County Imperial Palace...

"The State of Chu! You have betrayed our trust! You have broken our alliance with our friendly nation and taken advantage of the internal strife within the State of Wu to betray me!"

"The bandits are closing in, determined to kill me!"

"The people don't understand my good intentions, and they all want to abandon me!"

"The State of Song, by sitting idly by, is also a country that has arbitrarily broken its alliance."

"I, as a sage, have been betrayed time and again, which is truly heartbreaking!"

At this moment, Wu Ji was disheveled, and upon learning that Jianjia Pass had fallen into the hands of the Chu army, his eyes gleamed with rage.

"Who is the commander-in-chief of the Chu army?"

Gao Zhan replied, "Your Majesty, the commander-in-chief of the Chu army is Shen Lang, the Duke of Zhenguo, the husband of the Empress of Great Chu!"

"Shen Lang? A son-in-law of the emperor, how dare he attack my Chu Kingdom? Where did he get the guts! How did the Empress of Great Chu discipline him!"

"Why are you making things difficult for me? What have I done to wrong them? All I asked for was three million bushels of grain. I only took one million, and she wants to annex my empire?"

"This is absurd! This is utterly absurd!"

Wu Ji roared and threw the copy of the Supreme Dao Scripture that he had just copied on the table, sending it flying everywhere.

Upon seeing this, Gao Zhan immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, this Shen Lang is no ordinary person."

Last year, it was he who, in one fell swoop, recaptured Chang'an, the former capital of Chu, and even caused the Western Xia to disintegrate!

"Why would the State of Chu choose such a person as its emperor's son-in-law?! Doesn't the Empress of Chu fear for her throne?"

"The kingdom of Chu is about to change hands! Jiang Mengxuan is someone Chu has offended. How will she face the ancestors of Chu after her death?!"

"Proclaim to the world that Empress Jiang Mengxuan of Chu is incompetent and foolish, who has ruined the eight-hundred-year foundation of Chu. She deserves to be infamous for ten thousand years!"

Clearly, Wu Ji was furious and his words were incoherent.

Gao Zhan knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a single word, fearing that a single ill-chosen word might cause this great sage to suddenly decide to kill him.

Since the southern border was captured by bandits and Hu Ruzhen died on the battlefield, Wu Ji's temper became increasingly volatile, and he completely lost the composure that an emperor should have.

After a brief moment of calm, Wu Ji suddenly asked, "Where is Xu Qian? Why hasn't he come to the palace to see me these past few days?"

Gao Zhan respectfully replied, "Old Master Xu is advanced in years and has fallen ill from overwork. He is currently raising troops in his residence."

"Why did she have to get sick now of all times? Ha..."

Wu Ji sneered, naturally knowing Xu Qian's purpose in wanting to extricate himself from the situation.

"You, write me two letters."

"Send a letter to Shen Lang, telling him that as long as he is willing to serve me, I will grant him the title of a king of a different surname, and the thirteen southern states will be my fiefdom for him!"

Gao Zhan was stunned, somewhat incredulous.

It's not that Wu Ji gave Shen Lang a particularly high title or a vast fiefdom.

Instead, they couldn't believe that at this point, they would still have to resort to imperial tactics and use Shen Lang to clean up the mess left by the bandits in the southern border.

"There's also a letter to be delivered to the Empress of Great Chu, telling her that she has found a wonderful husband, one whose performance is truly outstanding."

"It frightens me, but I am also very pleased that our friendly nation has produced such a peerless talent. It is truly an eye-opener for me!"

Gao Zhan broke out in a cold sweat.

The meaning of these words couldn't be clearer.

The intention was to sow discord between the Empress and Shen Lang, while subtly reminding her that Shen Lang's presence threatened the Empress's position.

No emperor would allow someone whose achievements overshadow his own to exist.

Wu Ji intends to use the Empress to force Shen Lang to withdraw his troops.

Both letters were part of a scheme set up against Shen Lang. If the Empress became wary of Shen Lang, or if Shen Lang was willing to accept the title of King, then the "external threat" of the Wu Kingdom could be resolved.

"Have you remembered everything I told you?"

"Your Majesty, I have noted it down."

After receiving the reply, Wu Ji sat back down on the futon with peace of mind, feeling that everything was still under his control.

……

Five days have passed since the Chu army entered Jianjia Pass, but there is no sign of them breaking camp.

The generals, who had expected a swift and decisive victory over the Wu capital, all looked puzzled.

At noon, Shen Lang was having lunch in the garrison commander's hall.

The meal was simple: a plate of boiled beef in salt water, a dish of bean paste, and a plate of raw vegetables.

Shen Lang remained silent, slowly picking up the rice from his bowl and eating it bite by bite.

Just then, Meng Gong entered the garrison hall.

"Commander, a letter has been sent from the Wu County Palace. The messenger personally said that you need to open and read it yourself."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang simply picked up a leaf of vegetable, dipped it in the bean paste, and put it directly into his mouth.

Soon, the crisp sound of chewing echoed in the hall.

Meng Gong remained silent, waiting quietly for Shen Lang's reply.

After finally finishing his vegetables, Shen Lang picked at the rice in his bowl with his chopsticks and calmly said, "Let me guess what this letter says. It's probably a promise to recruit me. Let's open it and take a look."

Upon hearing this, Meng Gong immediately opened the letter and began to read it.

After reading it, he couldn't help but be delighted: "General, you are indeed a prophet. The foolish king of Wu said that he would grant you the three towns and thirteen prefectures in the south as your fiefdom and also bestow upon you the title of king of a different surname."

Shen Lang sneered, picked up a piece of beef, and put it in his mouth.

"Even at a time like this, Wu Ji is still making wishful thinking. With the entire southern territory in the hands of bandits, this fiefdom is practically meaningless."

This kind of freeloading stunt is so outrageous; it shows this incompetent ruler is utterly unworthy of sympathy. If only he could admit his mistakes and release the arrested merchants...

I could have respected him more, but he chose the most foolish path.

Meng Gong agreed, and then raised his own question.

"Commander, why don't we send troops to directly attack the capital of Wu? With the speed of our army's advance and the strength of our firepower, we can take Wu County in half a month."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang said, "There's no rush. If we send troops to Wu County now, it will likely cause controversy both domestically and internationally, which wouldn't be good for the reputation of Chu and His Majesty."

The state of Wu can be annexed, but the first to invade Wu Commandery cannot be our Chu army.

Meng Gong asked curiously, "Please enlighten me, Commander."

Shen Lang smiled without saying a word. He would never tell Meng Gong that he intended to use the bandits to purge the gentry of Wu.

"Go back first. You'll understand later. By the way..."

Please write a reply for me and have that person send it back. Tell him that I, Shen Lang, am paid by the Great Chu and should therefore serve the Great Chu.

We can only appreciate your country's kindness; that's all.

"Subordinates retire."

No sooner had Meng Gong left than Lü Meng came to report.

"Commander, I've made some progress on the matter you asked me to investigate."

Shen Lang put down his chopsticks and said, "Tell me about it."

Lü Meng: "The registered garrison inside Jianjia Pass numbers 103,000, but in reality, there are only about 65,000. Furthermore, investigations have revealed that..."

Many soldiers in the garrison are undisciplined, killing innocent civilians to claim credit, and committing rape and looting are commonplace. Such black sheep must be guarded against.”

"Ah."

Shen Lang nodded.

"Therefore you must keep a close watch on these soldiers and bandits, and make sure they don't cause any trouble."

Lü Meng: "Please rest assured, Commander, I have already settled these Wu troops at the West Gate and ordered them to be well guarded. There will be no opportunity for them to cause trouble."

However, the garrison troops reported that their food supplies were running low and they hoped we could provide them with some. What do you think?

"People still need to be fed." Shen Lang picked up his bowl again. "Even death row inmates deserve a good meal before they leave."

Inform the logistics department that, effective immediately, their meal allowance will be one meal a day, consisting of two steamed buns and a bowl of soup. Let them have a good meal.

After saying that, Shen Lang smiled meaningfully and then quickly shoveled the rice out of his bowl.