Zi'an heard him speak calmly and knew that he had something in mind. "What are you going to do?"
"Zi'an," Murong Jie held her hand, "you have to enter the palace too."
"I?"
"Yes, you and Concubine Mei should stand on the same side." Murong Jie said.
"Okay, I'll follow your arrangements." Zi'an nodded.
Since the noble concubine entered the palace, she naturally had to enter the palace as well. In fact, she was now living in the palace and only returned home occasionally.
"My little aunt will also return to the palace to live for a while. By then, you three will have a chance of winning against the two of them. But, be careful of Sun Fang'er." Murong Jie said.
"Don't worry, I will." Zi'an said. She knew in her heart that once she entered the palace, it would mean a fierce battle among the five women.
Concubine Yi has the Noble Concubine, Sun Fang'er, but fortunately she also has a Grand Princess who is as powerful as her.
"How is the military rations collection going?" Zi'an asked.
"The New Year has just passed, and there has not been much success in collecting grain. However, we have mobilized grain reserves from the prefectures and counties near Ji County. However, considering the distance, there may be a gap of one or two days. What we are most afraid of is that the enemy will attack in these two days." Murong Jie said worriedly.
Zi'an knew that he was always careful in his work, and he considered and planned everything to the utmost. Even he said this, which meant that there was a great chance that this situation would happen.
Yes, the granary and cotton clothes were burned for no reason, which clearly disrupted the formation of the soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty. This was the best time to invade.
"Do you think Beimo intends to break the alliance?" Zi'an asked fearfully.
"Yes, I have spies in Beimo, but they haven't reported any news in the past two months. I guess they have been discovered. I have sent people to spy on Beimo several times, but no useful news has come back. I infer that the Emperor of Beimo is planning a large-scale invasion."
"If there is an invasion, which general in the court can go to fight?"
"I have discussed with Lady Chen and Lord Xiao today. Once the war begins, Lord Xiao is willing to lead the army. The two generals of the Chen family will serve as the vanguard, and four generals will be sent to lead the troops to encircle the enemy from the north and south."
Seeing that although he spoke strategically, he still had a worried look on his face, Zi'an knew that the situation was very bad.
"You think that the Marquis cannot take command?"
"No," Murong Jie shook his head. "Your Majesty can lead the army. He still has appeal and can inspire the soldiers. However, the Xianbei are also ready to make a move. I suspect that the Xianbei are colluding with the Northern Desert to invade our Great Zhou territory. Once I use a large army to fight the Northern Desert, the rear defense will be empty and the Xianbei will march straight in. It will be difficult for us to resist. Moreover, once the war starts, the country will be in chaos. Will Old Eight miss this great opportunity?"
This is really an attack from both sides.
"Do you have any solution?" Zi'an asked worriedly.
"Not yet. If we only fight against the Northern Desert, I have a good chance of winning, but the Xianbei are strong and brave, and they are all fearless bandits. Although the Xianbei are not big, they have nearly 300,000 soldiers ready to fight."
"Where's Beimo?"
"Last year's estimated troop strength was 800,000."
"Where is my Great Zhou?" Zi'an was terrified when he heard this.
"It is also 800,000. However, there has been no war in recent years and the troops are relatively dispersed. The emperor did this in order to prevent the generals from becoming too successful and rebelling to seize power, so he spent three years dispersing the troops. Unexpectedly, it has now harmed himself." Murong Jie frowned.
“Isn’t military power centralized?”
"The military power is centralized, but the forces are dispersed. When the enemy attacks, it will be difficult for our army to join forces. If we don't join forces, we won't be able to resist the main force of the Northern Desert."
"You estimate that Beimo will attack in a large scale rather than in a dispersed manner?"
"The marching strategy of Beimo has always been like this, attacking in large numbers and not dispersing easily. Now the general of Beimo is a woman named Qin Zhou. She is a ruthless person who is good at using troops. Large-scale attacks are also her specialty. She does not use strategies, but only the word bravery, so the soldiers under her are all extremely brave."
Zi'an frowned, "If the Northern Desert and Xianbei join forces and a fight really breaks out, we won't have much of a chance of winning, right?"
"Yes." Murong Jie hesitated for a moment and said nothing.
Zi'an could see that he had some plans in mind, but since he didn't say anything, she didn't ask. She couldn't help him with the affairs of the country and the family, but she hoped to help him a little with the civil unrest.
After Zi'an entered the palace, he lived in Changsheng Palace.
When he entered the palace to treat Prince Liang, he lived in Changsheng Palace for a few days. This place is close to the water and surrounded by banyan trees. In fact, it is not suitable for Zi'an to live in, because it is very hidden, and if someone lurks and eavesdrops, it is difficult to be discovered.
However, although there are many palaces in the palace, this place is closest to Concubine Yi's palace, so Zi'an chose to live here.
Murong Jie naturally also lived in Changsheng Palace, but he almost only came back to sleep at night and didn't even have time to breathe during the day.
The noble concubine lived in the Xiaoning Palace, next to which was the Ci'an Palace where the empress dowager used to live.
Ci'an Palace was the palace of the Empress Dowager, and only the Empress Dowager could live there, so she lived next to it, looking at it day and night, knowing that it would always be her palace.
Xiaoning Palace is some distance away from Changsheng Palace, but if Zi'an wants to go to Xiwei Palace, he has to pass through Xiaoning Palace. Of course, he can also skip this route, but the journey will be a little longer.
That day, Tian Zi'an went to Xiwei Palace to give acupuncture early in the morning. When he passed the gate of Xiaoning Palace, he heard voices of scolding coming from inside.
Zi'an did not stop to listen, but he could hear a few words. It was King Nan Huai scolding Sun Fang'er. Looking through the palace door, Sun Fang'er lowered her head and said nothing, allowing King Nan Huai to scold her.
After walking over, Nanny Yang sighed softly, "This Sun Fang'er... I really don't know what to say about her."
Zi'an said: "One is willing to fight, the other is willing to be beaten."
"The one who is willing to hit is arrogant, but the one who is willing to be hit may not be willing."
"Madam, what did you find out?" Zi'an asked.
"I didn't see anything, but I heard that Sun Fang'er was ambitious and yearned for the prince, so she resorted to evil schemes and was eventually driven out of the house and went to Nan Huai Wang. She might not have no other ideas. Could it be that she is willing to be used by Nan Huai Wang for the rest of her life?"
"Yeah." Zi'an actually felt sympathetic. He did hate Sun Fang'er before, but the more he knew about her, the more he felt sorry for her.
She is pitiful, hateful and helpless.
After returning from Xiwei Palace, Zi'an saw Sun Fang'er sitting by the lake, hugging her knees, staring blankly at the ice on the lake.
It was cold and she was wearing very thin clothes, so her nose and cheeks were red from the cold.
Zi'an wanted to walk straight past, but when she remembered the medicine she gave to Hu Huanxi, she walked over.
Sun Fanger heard the footsteps, stretched her legs, and said lightly: "I don't want to be disturbed."
"Sun Fang'er, is the medicine you gave me the poison you put in the Empress Dowager?" Zi'an asked, standing behind her.
"Yes!" Sun Fang'er admitted it directly.
"She is your aunt!" Zi'an remembered that he had felt sorry for her today and felt ridiculous and stupid.
"Yes!" Sun Fang'er's voice was cold, but her eyes drooped slightly.
(End of this chapter)