Chapter 583: Making Plans

Dingzhou City.

Inside the Prince’s Mansion.

Wu Ming and Wu Zhi were not the kind of people who indulged in luxury and pleasure, and the Prince Ding’s Mansion was not as extravagant and lavish as the rumors claimed; instead, it appeared rather plain.

Of course, there were guards stationed every few steps and sentries every few meters, but this was merely to display the majesty of the ruler. Apart from that, the entire layout of the mansion conveyed a sense of grandeur, magnificence, and tranquility.

In the past, many geomancers had secretly observed the mansion’s aura, but they could only retreat in frustration, having gained nothing. They felt that this place exuded magnificence and grandeur, subtly revealing the vigor and ambition of a founder of a dynasty.

Inside the council hall.

Wu Zhi, dressed in a dragon robe, sat beside Wu Ming at the main seat. Zeng Yu, Chen Jingzong, Qi Lin, and Wu Tiehu slightly bowed before standing solemnly on either side.

Those who could attend this military council were naturally the most trusted confidants. Wu Zhi, without much pretense, spoke directly: “Now that the royal enterprise is established, the Three Departments and Six Ministries, as well as the official system, must be clarified one by one. Zeng Yu, you have rendered great service and shall be my Minister of Revenue!”

“Your command shall be obeyed!”

Zeng Yu stepped forward, solemnly kneeling in homage.

Wu Ming silently observed from the side. As the ceremony concluded, a red chi coiled above Wu Zhi’s head, and a massive amount of fortune descended.

Zeng Yu’s fate was extraordinary, and his talent was outstanding. He had followed Wu Zhi quite early. Although he had missed the chance to be one of the original followers, he had contributed strategies during the uprising, thus possessing seniority. Therefore, he immediately received this fortune, which he swiftly absorbed, revealing his exceptional potential.

“Although the Six Ministries system is good, the most critical aspect in these times of chaos across the land is military affairs! Where does the army come from? From food, supplies, and weapons! Therefore, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War are the most crucial!”

Wu Zhi spoke eloquently.

In fact, although the Great Zhou had some existing systems, the Three Departments and Six Ministries were largely inspired by Wu Ming’s guidance and partially inherited from the original systems, making them significantly different.

Wu Zhi scanned the room and called out: “Chen Jingzong!”

“At your service!”

Chen Jingzong also stepped forward, his expression filled with excitement.

“You shall resign from your military post and return to serve as Minister of War!”

“Your command shall be obeyed!”

With each word exchanged, another massive amount of fortune was bestowed. However, although Chen Jingzong was a martial cultivator, he struggled to absorb this fortune fully, revealing deficiencies in his foundation, causing the fortune to scatter somewhat.

“This man has ability. He stepped down for the advancement of his nephews and must transition to a civilian role… Otherwise, even E Xu would not feel at ease. Besides, in the Ministry of War, he can still work for the benefit of his descendants. It’s a decent choice, and undoubtedly he has made significant efforts behind the scenes…”

Wu Ming smiled slightly but did not object.

Although this person might not be fully capable, he could still barely manage the role for now.

Moreover, one’s fate is not fixed. If Chen Jingzong could gain such great fortune and advance further, becoming a martial sage, he would be sufficient to hold his position firmly.

The following appointments might have been seismic for the entire Dingzhou and beyond, but Wu Ming merely listened quietly. Finally, Wu Zhi got to the main point: “I intend to pacify the entire land and unify the Eight Regions. Will you all assist me in accomplishing this great feat?”

“We are willing to lay down our lives for Your Majesty!”

At such a moment of pledging loyalty, no one dared hesitate, immediately kneeling and declaring loudly.

“Excellent! Zeng Yu!”

Wu Zhi touched the jade ring on her finger: “Our army must leave Dingzhou, and there are only three directions to choose from: Qing, Tai, and Ling. Which province do you think is most suitable?”

Upon hearing this, everyone perked up their ears.

Matters of grand military strategy—if one step is taken incorrectly, it could lead to irreversible disaster. At best, one might lose the chance to become a true dragon; at worst, it could result in defeat and death. They could not afford to take this lightly.

Qi Lin’s eyes flickered as he quickly pondered:

“Lingzhou is plagued by rebel armies of refugees. Rumors say many self-proclaimed kings have emerged, warring against each other, leaving the people in misery and half the province in ruins—a veritable quagmire!”

“Qingzhou has heard of the rise of a feudal lord from the aristocratic Lü family, a man named Lü Xiang who has already occupied three commanderies, with a considerable military force.”

“As for Taizhou, various feudal warlords are clashing, with many generals like Tong Ying, Xu Yusheng, and Lin Chong engaged in back-and-forth battles, and no one knows who will ultimately prevail.”

He furrowed his brow: “All three routes are viable for attack, but none can be swiftly conquered in one fell swoop. Once bogged down in a quagmire, we must be cautious of being targeted and attacked collectively. Difficult… difficult! Difficult!”

Qi Lin sighed silently before hearing Zeng Yu’s voice, clear as jade, resound:

“We should take Lingzhou!”

His expression was resolute, without the slightest hesitation.

“Engage the rebel armies of Lingzhou?”

Chen Jingzong could not help but say: “Although those self-proclaimed kings may be easy targets, Lingzhou is in ruins. Even if the entire province falls into our hands, in the short term, we will not be able to obtain grain and provisions, but instead will have to spend money and resources to support it. A wise choice this is not!”

In the orthodox martial arts path, naturally one should target the rich and avoid the poor, attack the weak and avoid the strong.

For any feudal lord at this time, Lingzhou is not a delicacy but rather has the flavor of a quagmire.

A place that cannot provide provisions and troops is no different from weeds to those kings.

“What about attacking Taizhou instead? Although this province is plagued by feudal warlords, most of them control only one commandery each, making it easy to defeat them one by one. In contrast, Qingzhou already has the rise of Lü Xiang, making it quite difficult to attack.”

Chen Jingzong presented his opinion.

“No!”

Zeng Yu shook his head: “Minister Chen knows only one side of the story but not the other. In both Taizhou and Qingzhou, the power of the aristocratic families is strong. Our king has risen to prominence relying on the power of these aristocratic families!”

At this point, Chen Jingzong’s expression changed somewhat.

“Hmph… Do you mean we cannot defeat our enemies without the aristocratic families?”

Qi Lin sneered coldly: “Our lord has declared himself king, and the world has many enemies. Why should we hesitate and delay the opportunity for battle?”

“Even if we are victorious in a hundred battles, fighting against the entire world will inevitably lead to our downfall. Although the scholarly world is filled with criticism now, it has not yet harmed our king’s foundation… Qingzhou and Taizhou are culturally prosperous. If we cannot win the hearts of the people and scholars, even if we succeed, it will be of no benefit and will instead provoke the entire world against us!”

Zeng Yu said: “But Lingzhou is different! This province is in ruins, with many county and city officials having fled. Our king can send an army under the banner of rescue to sweep away the bandits and protect the people. The people have long suffered from the chaos of war; upon hearing of the arrival of heavenly troops, how could they not bring food and wine to welcome the royal army?”

“Moreover, although the rebel armies of those self-proclaimed kings are chaotic, they still have many able-bodied young men. Once integrated, they would form a powerful force!”

Zeng Yu smiled: “After Lingzhou comes Xuzhou, the current location of the secondary capital. Once Lingzhou is taken, we can directly advance and raise our banners, capturing the emperor and the court officials. Then, with the power to command the entire land, carving up the mountains and rivers, would that not be exhilarating?”

“Kidnapping the emperor?”

Chen Jingzong, Qi Lin, and others all sucked in a cold breath.

Even though they had experienced countless battles and emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, they had never considered such an idea.

“Excellent!”

Surprisingly, both Wu Ming and Wu Zhi exclaimed in approval, clearly favoring Zeng Yu’s words.

“Bravo to Zeng Yu! Indeed, a statesman who can stir the world with a single word…”

Wu Ming looked at Zeng Yu at this moment, his eyes flashing with sharp light. The current state of the Great Zhou was indeed somewhat similar to the late Han dynasty, with warlords rising across the land, the Han dynasty in peril, and the imperial rule teetering on collapse.

But even so, the imperial court was still the imperial court! For three hundred years, the Great Zhou had maintained its rule, and it still held some legitimacy. If they could seize control, there would naturally be many benefits.

Although this world did not have the saying of holding the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords, the idea was essentially the same.

“Just…”

Wu Ming secretly shook his head in his heart, knowing that Zeng Yu still lacked experience.

Now that the Zhou dynasty was declining, half of the blame could be attributed to Wu Zhi.

After all, her declaration of kingship had already challenged the authority of the imperial court. Now she wanted to reclaim the legitimacy of the imperial court, and who knew how the officials in the court would react.

Although with the might of the army, it would be simple to control those officials, if they were determined to use the imperial court’s legitimacy, they naturally had to leave some face.

“Of course, there are also benefits to establishing a new regime. At the very least, the officials and generals under our command will work diligently, knowing who the true ruler is, and they won’t be confused after merging with the imperial court, mistakenly believing themselves to be loyal subjects of the Great Zhou…”

Wu Ming pondered deeply, feeling that the pros and cons were indeed hard to articulate, the complexities were intertwined, and the ramifications were extensive, probably not something that could be clearly seen in the short term.

Looking at Wu Zhi’s expression, it was clear that she was visibly moved.

“You all may withdraw for now. Zeng Yu, write your strategy into a memorial and submit it!”

Wu Zhi coughed slightly and waved her hand.

“We respectfully take our leave!”

The several people successively bowed and exited, leaving Wu Ming and his wife alone.

“What do you think?”

Wu Zhi’s eyes shone as she gazed at Wu Ming.

“It’s a clever and aggressive idea, almost defying the conventions of the world… Of course, for you, having done the first, there’s no harm in doing the fifteenth!”

Wu Ming smiled slightly: “However, the key to this plan lies in those refugee soldiers!”

“Refugee soldiers?”

Wu Zhi appeared somewhat puzzled.

“Indeed. The Great Zhou has ruled for three hundred years. Although it is now in decline, its authority is still deeply rooted in the people’s hearts. These Dingzhou soldiers can follow you in your northern and southern campaigns, but to launch a sudden attack on the secondary capital, they still lack the strength and the psychological readiness! Unless you lead them for several more years, conquering several major provinces to build their confidence.”

When it came to military strategy, Wu Ming was in no way inferior to Wu Zhi. Moreover, due to his travels across many worlds, he had a deeper understanding of human nature than Wu Zhi.

“These refugee soldiers are just the opposite. They rebelled for survival, willing to risk everything to bring down the emperor. If you can gain their allegiance, they will truly become your most reliable support.”

These rogue soldiers had already cast aside all taboos. If they could be subdued, they would naturally follow orders without hesitation, even if ordered to slaughter the entire secondary capital, trample the bones of the nobility, and reduce the imperial city’s splendor to ashes, they would not flinch in the slightest.

“Exactly!”

Wu Zhi’s expression suddenly turned serious.

She had indeed not considered this earlier, and it would have been easy to stumble in a minor issue.

“Therefore, Lingzhou must be attacked. Not only must we attack it, but we must also subdue those fierce bandits. It will take considerable effort, of course, and Zeng Yu likely already has a comprehensive plan, step by step.”

“Must we take Lingzhou to capture the secondary capital?”

Wu Zhi looked at Wu Ming and suddenly smiled: “It’s a pity… He prides himself on his clever plan, yet he doesn’t know it has already been seen through by my husband.”