My System Is Three Thousand Years Early

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"I wonder if there are other princes from Great Yuan besides Wu Mengde."

"If most of the princes from Great Yuan have come to Great Zhou, maybe there's a notion of treating Great Zhou as a training ground for troops. Whoever can achieve the most merits might have the chance to become the future emperor of Great Yuan..."

Cheng Guang muttered to himself.

It was getting late.

Cheng Guang went back to his bedroom.

He got into bed and went to sleep.

......

Five days passed in the blink of an eye, and the weather cooled down significantly.

The news of Great Yuan's invasion of Great Zhou swept through the Great Zhou Capital, and indeed the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, like a storm.

The usually bustling capital suddenly became eerily silent, as if shrouded by an invisible fear.

Emperor Zhou was nowhere to be found.

In Great Zhou, except for Duke Zhen Guo, Cheng Shiyuan, there were no other Sky-Men visible in the public eye.

Most people were panicking.

On the streets and alleyways, people hurried along.

Some were packing up their belongings, ready to flee at any moment.

Others were gathering supplies to send to the front lines.

Inside the Great Zhou Imperial Palace.

In the Council Hall, ministers were busy discussing strategies, their faces grim and their eyes filled with worry.

Empress Wang sat silent by the Dragon Chair, occasionally casting a cold glance at Qiu Hao.

Wu Ling sat next to Empress Wang, dressed in the authoritative dark silken attire of the Crown Prince, looking dignified and majestic, with his hands properly placed on his knees. His exceedingly beautiful face was as calm as the surface of an ancient well, with hardly a ripple to be seen.

The atmosphere in the Council Hall was even tenser and colder than before.

It was as if a storm was imminent, the complexions of the many ministers were extremely dark, their eyes shining with unease and fear.

At this time.

The Council Hall was silent, the air almost felt like it had frozen.

In the midst of this silence.

Zhuge Wansheng's face had no trace of a smile as he watched Qiu Hao intently, his gaze sharp and piercing.

It wasn't just Empress Wang and Zhuge Wansheng; other court ministers were also watching Qiu Hao with icy stares.

Under the scrutiny of the ministers, the face of Minister of War Qiu Hao, although showing little change, bore the intensity of their gazes.

Even with Qiu Hao's composed nature, he could sense the immense pressure he was under at this moment.

But right then, his forehead couldn't help but break out in cold sweat.

Not daring to meet Empress Wang's eyes, he could only bow his head and silently endure the stares coming from all directions.

"Sir Qiu, how do you explain the situation on the border?"

Zhuge Wansheng suddenly asked.

Qiu Hao pursed his lips, slightly raised his head, first looked at Empress Wang, then turned to Zhuge Wansheng, and after bowing to both,

he slowly spoke out:

"Your Majesty, Left Chancellor, there is a reason for this."

Qiu Hao paused slightly in his speech.

He had thought someone would interrupt him at this point, but there was silence.

Qiu Hao then continued to speak.

"The decision to move the border army was made based on the current situation, and was the best judgment I could make."

"Great Yuan is coming on strong, and they even have the help of Sky-Men; only by pulling together the entire nation's strength do we stand a chance to hold them off."

Qiu Hao said up to this point.

Empress Wang looked at Qiu Hao with a slight headache, "So because there are Sky-Men aiding Great Yuan, you moved the border army?"

"Aren't you afraid of the neighboring kingdoms seizing the chance to invade Great Zhou?"

"Or do you think, the Duke does not exist?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Hao responded very forthrightly, "I am afraid!"

"It's indeed possible that a few neighboring kingdoms could take this opportunity to invade Great Zhou. But now, we are at a point where we have to take a gamble."

"Ever since Great Yuan crossed the border, there has been no news from the Duke's side."

"The people sent there have disappeared, and it's very likely that something went wrong upon reaching North City and they could not return, or perhaps they were killed before they even reached North City."

"In this case, I can only prepare for the worst and make decisions accordingly."

Qiu Hao explained. Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire

The surrounding people's stares at Qiu Hao softened a bit, and then, most of the ministers turned their gazes to Wu Ling who was seated beside Empress Wang.

They knew.

That the words said by Qiu Hao and the actions he had taken could very likely be related to Wu Ling.

If Wu Ling hadn't spoken, or perhaps had given his consent,

how could Qiu Hao, the Minister of War, have so easily mobilized so many border troops and even kept them unaware until recently when the news finally came.

Empress Wang's gaze also landed on Wu Ling. After a moment of silence, she barely began to speak:

"Wu Ling, are these actions directed by you?"

Wu Ling neither shook his head nor nodded, simply stating, "Yes, in a way."

Upon hearing this, a flicker of anger flashed in the depths of Empress Wang's eyes, but was quickly suppressed.

"You..."

Empress Wang slightly raised her hand, pointing at Wu Ling, wanting to say something, but no words came out, and she let her hand fall somewhat dejectedly.

"Never mind."

"Since things have come to this point, I won't say more."

"Wu Ling, you are to go to the front lines; depart today."

Wu Ling nodded slightly in acknowledgment, and Empress Wang did not pay him any further attention.

To Empress Wang, Wu Ling was but an ornament.

Merely there to balance the various forces in the court vying for the throne.

To play a role in easing the conflict.

But Empress Wang truly did not expect.

That Wu Ling would dare to take certain actions, and that the Minister of War Qiu Hao would actually heed Wu Ling's words.

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