"Your Highness, please remain calm."
Feng Xi Wu held Lu Qing Wan's hand to comfort her. "My grandfather doesn't mean for us to do nothing, but rather to let King Ji Zhou stir up trouble so that our actions will be justified."
King You Zhou stroked his beard with a smile. "Precisely. While striking first can indeed seize the initiative, struggles in the imperial court are different from other matters. Especially for you, as the orphaned heirs of the late Crown Prince, everything must be done with legitimacy. Otherwise, just like the current Emperor, even while occupying the highest seat, he will be constantly plotted against and will never truly secure his position."
Lu Qing Wan certainly understood that impatience could ruin a great plan. However, "Letting King Ji Zhou stir up trouble and catch him red-handed is good, but won't the situation spiral out of control?" She felt uneasy, thinking of the chaotic state of the imperial city. "As far as I know, King Ji Zhou commands two hundred and fifty thousand troops. In the current imperial city, all factions combined cannot muster two hundred thousand, and there are also those with ulterior motives like the Tiger Leopard Camp. If a war were to break out, it might not be up to us to decide when to stop." Once the arrow is loosed from the bow, there is no turning back, and battlefield situations are constantly changing; it's not something that can be stopped at will. Lu Qing Wan worried that with King Ji Zhou's vast army, once he entered Dong Huang Pass, it would be easier to invite a god than to send one away.
King You Zhou smiled without speaking. Feng Xi Wu patiently and thoroughly explained. "Do you still remember what I told you before about Da Qin's over two million troops, with Zhong Zhou alone having eight hundred thousand, and the remaining one million plus spread across the other states?"
Lu Qing Wan nodded. "Of course, I remember. How could I forget such an important matter?" The military deployment across Da Qin was something she and Feng Xi Wu had understood as soon as they entered Da Qin. Lu Qing Wan remembered it even more clearly than where she hid her silver.
Feng Xi Wu smiled. "Since you haven't forgotten, have you ever wondered why, despite Zhong Zhou having eight hundred thousand troops, Lan An revolted, and Lan Hua Xiao occupied Zi Yang Pass, only three to five thousand Imperial Forest Guards and Jin Wu Guards could be mobilized from the imperial city for defense?"
"Eight hundred thousand troops sound like a lot, but Zhong Zhou is so vast..." Before she could finish, Feng Xi Wu's eyes were filled with smiles. Lu Qing Wan instantly understood. "Are you implying that although King Ji Zhou commands two hundred and fifty thousand troops, he cannot bring all of them to Zhong Zhou?"
The Nine Provinces of Da Qin, though bearing the name 'Zhou', held a significance far beyond the cities with similar names in Da Qian. In a true confrontation, Zhong Zhou of Da Qin could be equivalent to the entire territory of Da Qian. Naturally, the manpower and material resources required for governance would also multiply. The eight hundred thousand royal troops of Zhong Zhou, while sounding numerous, were spread across the vastness of Zhong Zhou, responsible for local security and city defense, as well as the safety of Zhong Zhou itself. Only the Tiger Leopard Camp, the Imperial Forest Guards, the Jin Wu Guards, and the five thousand elite cavalry transferred to Zhen Bei Pass by the misguided Emperor Geng Shi could be truly mobilized for war. Similarly, King Ji Zhou's twenty-five thousand troops sound formidable, but to manage the security and defense required by Ji Zhou, the actual number of troops he could bring out was not many.
Feng Xi Wu saw her dawning comprehension and knew Lu Qing Wan had figured it all out. He then chuckled, "I've inquired. King Ji Zhou brought a total of sixty thousand Wei Wu soldiers. He knows that this force is insufficient to decisively defeat the various defense forces in Zhong Zhou, and there's also the possibility of being trapped in the Zhong Zhou city by the reinforcements from various vassal kings. That's why he chose to take a risky gamble and enter the city through Dong Huang Pass. As long as he can reach the palace and ascend the throne, there will be plenty of people who will shift their allegiance with the wind. While this plan is risky, it's not entirely without hope."
Lu Qing Wan felt like laughing. "Zhong Zhou has been too chaotic these past few days. Let me sort this out. First, King Qing Zhou, after being denied a request to enter the capital, acted first and reported later. The court judged him to be attempting rebellion, but because King Xu Zhou and King Yan Zhou besieged Qing Zhou, King Qing Zhou was forced to abandon his rebellion. However, Lan An, unaware of this, believed he could reap the benefits and hastily raised an army. Fearing he couldn't succeed alone, he also colluded with King Ji Zhou. King Ji Zhou, as Emperor Geng Shi's own brother, naturally played along with the plan, and at the critical moment, he betrayed Lan An, causing Lan An to lose troops and suffer defeat. This led to the current situation, right?"
Feng Xi Wu nodded in agreement. "Yes, it sounds a bit messy, but that's indeed the case."
Lu Qing Wan then became confused. "Since it was a planned betrayal, what is King Ji Zhou doing now? Leading the Wei Wu soldiers straight into Dong Huang Pass... even if it's part of the plan, isn't this play a bit too much? Would Emperor Geng Shi allow him to play like this?" Dong Huang Pass, holding special significance for the emperors of Da Qin, was like another dragon throne placed in Zhong Zhou. Lu Qing Wan didn't believe Emperor Geng Shi had such a generous disposition.
"That's probably not the case." Feng Xi Wu's expression was amused. The three of them looked at each other, a little puzzled about what King Ji Zhou was trying to achieve with this maneuver. A hawk's cry echoed from above. Lu Qing Wan skillfully extended her arm. A white eagle landed steadily on her arm. "Huh, what's Shadow Mist up to?" Tied to the eagle's claw was not the usual bamboo tube for transmitting information, but a thick envelope. Feng Xi Wu expertly untied it and patted the eagle's head. "Your master has had a long day. Go eat something with Li Yang, don't tire yourself out." Li Yang cooperatively jiggled a small bottle in his hand. The golden eagle hopped down and followed them unsteadily.
Lu Qing Wan shook her head with a smile and turned to Feng Xi Wu. "Why is he sending such a letter at this time? What does it say?" The intelligence from Bu Ye Zhou was sealed very securely. Feng Xi Wu was still struggling with the envelope and was also bewildered. "Letters sent to the front lines at this time are mostly about the movements of various vassal kings. Judging by this, I'm worried if another vassal king will revolt..." The word 'revolt' had reached his lips but he swallowed it back. Feng Xi Wu looked at the bold, enlarged font on the fine stationery and exchanged a shocked glance with Lu Qing Wan. Lu Qing Wan had moved her face so close to Feng Xi Wu's to read the intelligence, and coupled with her already excellent eyesight, she naturally heard the contents.
"Holy shit!" An expletive escaped her lips, and then she excitedly tugged at Feng Xi Wu's arm. "Is it true? Quickly, see what else it says!" In fact, Feng Xi Wu had already started reading without her prompting. Even with the principle of 'not letting me be the only one startled', he handed the first page of intelligence, which he had already read and found to be astonishing, directly to King You Zhou. Upon seeing it, King You Zhou's face, which always looked ready for battle, showed the same shocked expression as Lu Qing Wan and Feng Xi Wu. However, he quickly forced himself to calm down and stroked his beard. "We needn't be overly surprised by this matter."