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

Weiyang Palace, Imperial Study.

"Empress Jiang, did you call me?"

Wu Li accepted Jiang Mengxuan's invitation and went to the Imperial Study.

Jiang Mengxuan gestured for her to sit down, then handed the frontline battle report to Wu Li.

"Look, this is a battle report sent from Jianjia Pass. Our Chu soldiers have captured the gateway to your Wu Kingdom without losing a single soldier."

Upon hearing Jiang Mengxuan's words, Wu Li couldn't help but show a hint of surprise on her face.

She quickly opened the battle report and glanced at it, muttering to herself, "Jianjia Pass, was it really conquered so easily?"

Jiang Mengxuan asked Qingwen to fill her and Wu Li's cups with the finest tea: "This is a battle report personally delivered by my husband."

There's no room for pretense; the fate of your Wu Kingdom is now completely in the hands of my Chu Kingdom. I wonder what the Wu Empress thinks about this.

Wu Li closed her eyes and pondered for a moment, then chuckled softly.

"The rise and fall of dynasties is the law of dynasties. The Great Wu has been established for 1,200 years, and it is time for it to die. There is nothing to complain about in order to perish at the hands of the Chu Kingdom."

"What are Empress Wu's plans?"

"I have only one request, and I hope Empress Jiang will grant it."

Wu Li stood up and said, "I hope that I can return to the Kingdom of Wu one last time and take one last look at that place of sorrow."

Jiang Mengxuan scrutinized her gaze, pondered for a while, and then silently nodded.

"Thank you, Empress Jiang, for your kindness."

Wu Li took the initiative to bow to Jiang Mengxuan.

Jiang Mengxuan then took out another letter, which was a letter Wu Ji had written to her.

"Take a look at this again. This is a letter Wu Ji wrote to me, trying to sow discord between the Emperor and me. What are your thoughts on this?"

After reading it, Wu Li couldn't help but scoff: "At a time like this, they're still playing these ridiculous power games. However, what Wu Ji wrote isn't entirely unreasonable either."

"The Emperor is far too outstanding, overshadowing Empress Jiang's brilliance. If he continues to remain by your side, what if he harbors rebellious intentions? How will Empress Jiang deal with that?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mengxuan laughed: "So, this is why your Great Wu will perish at my hands."

Wu Li looked puzzled.

Jiang Mengxuan said, "If I had received such provocative letters before I met my husband,

Perhaps, just as you wish, they will find a way to eliminate those whose merits overshadow their own and secure their own throne.

Unfortunately, monarchs who focus too much on imperial strategy are destined to fail to advance their countries further and ultimately cannot avoid the cycle of dynastic change.

Jiang Mengxuan returned to her desk, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and a tender look flashed across her face.

"However, my husband told me to step outside the realm of magic and pointed me to a path of strengthening the country through power, which is far superior to magic that relies too much on scheming."

Only with momentum can a dynasty truly endure and break free from its original trajectory.

"Position?"

Wu Li didn't quite understand what he meant.

"The people are the most important, followed by the state, and the ruler is the least important; this is the foundation of power."

"A just legal system, shared benefits for all four levels of government, national wealth and prosperity for the people—this is the backbone of our power."

"Great revenge, great unification, the advancement of the ruler and the people, and orderly hierarchy—this is the soul of power."

“Our Great Chu has now begun to move forward on this path, which is why we have the signs of revival today. And all of this is the way of governing the country that my husband has taught me.”

Wu Li remained silent, her hands unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes.

Jiang Mengxuan continued, "Therefore, I only regard Wu Ji's provocative letter as a joke from a madman who thinks he knows everything."

I admit that my abilities are inferior to my husband's, and without him, the Great Chu would not be in its current state. However, I am willing to trust my husband.

If a husband and wife don't even have this much trust, how can they govern such a large empire?

Empress Wu, even emperors are human, why must they force themselves to control their emotions and desires?

The strength of a dynasty is never changed by an individual, so why not make things easier for yourself?

"The art of imperial rule is nothing more than a despicable tactic of manipulating people's hearts. It may be used occasionally, but to govern a country... heh heh..."

Jiang Mengxuan smiled dismissively, clearly looking down on this whole thing.

Wu Li took a deep breath: "I really envy you, Empress Jiang. You have such a good mindset. Now, after hearing what you said..."

I understand why the Chu Kingdom was able to be revived under your rule, but all of that is in the past for me. I am currently in the Tianxiang Pavilion, awaiting the Empress's summons.

After speaking, he stood up, bowed to Jiang Mengxuan, and turned to leave the Imperial Study.

Watching Wu Li leave, Jiang Mengxuan burned the provocative letter from Wu Ji to ashes.

"Trying to drive a wedge between my husband and me, Wu Ji, you've miscalculated. You'd better pray you don't fall into my hands, or else..."

Jiang Mengxuan's expression was cold; this time, she was truly enraged.

……

Jianjia Pass, the garrison commander's hall.

"Commander, something terrible has happened!"

Meng Gong stumbled into the hall.

"Commander, the Great Wu court has sent a letter stating that you have angered the Emperor because you refused to serve Great Wu."

Therefore, the Emperor decreed that all the Chu merchants imprisoned in the dungeon beheaded and their heads displayed to the public; these heads are still hanging at the gate of Wu County!

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang's expression remained unchanged.

"It seems this tyrant is truly incompetent. In that case, I'll send him a return gift and invite Qu Yi in."

Before long, Qu Yi came to Shen Lang: "Commander, you wanted to see me?"

Shen Lang smirked: "There's no need to keep the garrison at Jianjia Pass any longer. You, Zhang Dingbian, Peng Yun, and Wu Jie, should work together to figure out a way to deal with them."

Qu Yi's eyes flashed with a fierce light: "What does the Commander mean?"

"It's just killing a bunch of bandits, what more could you want to say?"

"Understood, sir. I guarantee the mission will be completed successfully!"

Qu Yi quickly realized what was happening, gave Shen Lang a military salute, and turned to leave.

……

It was the fifteenth of May, at dusk.

A total of seven thousand Wu soldiers were taken to the Nanshan quarry.

Li Sheng cautiously looked around in the crowd, and a strong sense of unease instantly overwhelmed him.

At this moment, voices of doubt arose from the crowd.

"Why did you bring us here?"

"It's almost dark, what do you mean by this?"

"Speak up! What exactly do you want to do to us?!"

When questioned by Wu soldiers, Qu Yi remained expressionless and cold throughout.

However, his deputy general Zhang Ji said, "Gentlemen, do not panic. I brought you here because you need to quarry a batch of stones overnight to repair the pass and city walls."

The commander said that everyone who works tonight will receive two taels of silver and one jin of flour.

Upon hearing this, many people's eyes lit up and they stopped arguing.

Only Li Sheng felt a chill run down his spine when he saw Qu Yi's cold and piercing eyes.

The moment the group entered the quarry, the Chu soldiers escorting them quietly retreated several dozen meters.

After confirming that everyone had entered the mine, Qu Yi's lips curled into a cold smile. He took out his communication jade tablet and said something chillingly.

"kill!"

As soon as he finished speaking, twenty Maxim machine guns fired in unison.

Da da da da——

The crisp sound of bullets leaving the barrel transformed into the scythe of death, striking the unprepared Wu soldiers.

"No! It's dangerous!"

puff--

The instant the gun fired, Li Sheng was the first to shout and immediately duck to the ground.

Unfortunately, a 7.62mm bullet pierced his forehead, drawing out a patch of hot brain matter and taking his life.

In the blink of an eye, blood gushed out from Wu Jun's body in the quarry, and he was easily harvested like leeks.

The same scene is playing out elsewhere.

That night, as many as 20,000 lives were mercilessly shot and slaughtered by the Chu army.

This incident later spread to other countries overseas, thoroughly deterring many petty criminals.

Emperor Huizong of Song, in particular, was so frightened that he fell seriously ill.

Of course, this is a follow-up.