My chat group is full of female losers

Chapter 323 Insider
Changhong was startled and almost jumped out of bed. She immediately asked, "What do you mean?!"

Shen Yanchen's message arrived quickly, without any unnecessary words: "The emperor's plan to spread rumors is a trap. His real purpose is to pinpoint your location! He first spread a new rumor throughout the city, and then sent spies to lie in wait in various places to observe your reaction."

"As soon as you start to retaliate, they will immediately record the area where the counter-rumor first appeared, thus determining your approximate area of ​​activity."

"He keeps repeating this method, narrowing down the search area with different rumors time and time again. Now, they've locked you down to Le'an Ward in the south of the city!"

Changhong's pupils suddenly contracted, and all color drained from her face. She stared blankly at the screen, her mind reeling, completely unable to believe her eyes.

Changhong: "Are you kidding me? How could he possibly come up with such a terrifying scheme?"

The brilliance of the scheme was completely beyond her comprehension. The progressive logic and the ruthless use of a counter-strategy sent a chill down her spine.

She was so frightened that white foam came out of her mouth, and she said in a panic and fear, "How could Nan... Nan be so smart!"

Shen Yanchen: "I swear to God, it's absolutely true!"

"Impossible... Absolutely impossible!" Changhong paced back and forth in the room, muttering to herself, "How could he possibly have thought of this? Could it be that he has a woman behind him plotting against him? Tsk, these damned bastards, always going against our leading lady!"

Shen Yanchen: "Senior, isn't this the right time to think about this?"

A single sentence jolted Changhong awake. She abruptly stopped, took a deep breath, and the panic in her eyes quickly subsided.

“That’s right. Now is not the time to dwell on who came up with this plan. Besides, even if Ma Bao really makes a move, so what? She can’t possibly be a match for me.” As he spoke, the confidence in Chang Hong’s eyes returned.

“Although this trap is indeed very clever, even the most clever trap is useless once it is exposed,” she said leisurely. “As long as I adjust my strategy slightly and stop going out myself, but instead have Yun Que travel around and spread the word randomly in various places, I can naturally break this trap.”

Shen Yanchen: "Senior Changhong is indeed brilliant!"

"It's not that I'm clever, it's you," Changhong praised without reservation. "This time, we owe you a lot. Don't worry, I'll remember your contribution after it's all done. But how did you know it was a trap?"

Shen Yanchen: "I have been lurking by the emperor's side all along, so I have many opportunities to uncover some secrets."

Changhong understood: "I see. Then continue your investigation and let me know as soon as you have any new information."

Shen Yanchen: "Yes."

Several days later, the situation in the capital began to subtly become strange.

Huo Qi's intelligence personnel quickly discovered that Le'anfang, which they had painstakingly located, had suddenly become quiet, while a large number of new rumors, which had been suppressing their rumors, were emerging in a wider area.

These new rumors spread from extremely scattered points with no discernible pattern, like a shower of flowers, rendering all their previous efforts futile.

This disheartening news was immediately relayed to Chu Lu's desk.

Chu Lu sat in the imperial study, his face solemn.

"Has he been seen through?" he thought to himself.

Qin Su's voice remained calm as always: "That's right. The other side has obviously switched to using their lackeys to spread rumors and confuse the public, making it impossible for us to confirm her true location."

"Damn it!" Chu Lu exclaimed in frustration, "How could we have been discovered at this crucial moment? We were just one step away from success!"

"Your Majesty, besides this, there is one more matter." Huo Qi took out a sealed military report and presented it with both hands. "This is a military report that the military headquarters just received. The situation is not good. Please take a look."

Chu Lu frowned, took the document, and realized that things were indeed not good.

This is yet another piece of bad news for the border defense.

The strategically important Pingyang Commandery in central China fell. According to military reports, the Pingyang governor's troops, having widely believed rumors of the emperor's death and the chaos in the capital, were completely demoralized and lacked fighting spirit even before engaging in battle. In despair, the governor had no choice but to surrender.

With this, the allied forces of the Great River Kingdom had no more strategic points to defend, and the land was flat as far as the eye could see. They then divided into several groups and marched rapidly toward the imperial city.

Chu Lu's expression grew increasingly serious; he knew this was not something that could be put aside for the time being.

"Guards!" he shouted in a deep voice, "Summon all ministers to the Imperial Study immediately for a meeting!"

Soon, a group of ministers led by Shen Shi'an arrived.

Their expressions were all rather dejected and gloomy, clearly indicating that they already knew about the disastrous defeat at the front. Toil day and night only to be rewarded with this result would be disheartening for anyone.

"My esteemed ministers," Chu Lu said bluntly, "the nation is currently facing a crisis. Do you have any solutions?"

The ministers looked at each other, clearly having no idea what to do.

Chu Lu remained silent, watching them and waiting patiently.

After a while, someone finally spoke up.

Fang Xiaozhi, who was now the most loyal to Chu Lu, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the only solution now is to mobilize troops! Quickly summon General Meng from the Northwest Desert back to reinforce us! His troops are the most elite cavalry in our dynasty!"

The other ministers were invigorated and unanimously agreed.

"Yes! Lord Fang is right!" Minister of Revenue Jia Ruhui echoed, "General Meng is renowned and will surely crush the enemy's morale!"

“That’s right! General Meng’s Northwest Iron Cavalry is worth ten men each. As long as they arrive, the enemy will be nothing to fear!” a military officer shouted excitedly.

However, the Minister of War shook his head and retorted, "Distant water cannot quench a nearby fire! By the time his army arrives, it will be too late!"

"What can we do then? Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?!"

The newly ignited hope was instantly extinguished, and the ministers once again fell into anxious discussions.

"How about... we adopt a scorched-earth policy?" an old minister suggested. "We should move all the grain, supplies, and people from the counties and prefectures along the way into fortified cities, so that the enemy has no way to resupply. Once their army is exhausted, we can launch a counterattack!"

Minister of Rites Wen Yutang immediately shook his head: "It's too late! The enemy's advance has already reached Pingyang. How can we have time to organize such a large-scale migration? Moreover, this move will turn large swathes of our territory into scorched earth and cause us to lose the hearts of the people!"

"Then why not immediately conscript able-bodied men from the vicinity of the capital and form a new army to defend the capital!" another person shouted.

The Minister of War's old face scrunched up in a bitter expression: "This is utter nonsense! Those newly recruited greenhorns can't even hold a sword properly, how can they fight against their fierce and powerful army? Sending them onto the battlefield is just a waste of time and energy, what good will it do?"

Then the hall erupted in noise again. The ministers argued back and forth, coming up with all sorts of ideas, but none of them were useful. Finally, the hall fell silent. No one argued anymore; only sighs rose and fell.

In the midst of this deathly silence, the ever-silent Prime Minister Shen Shi'an suddenly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I do have a method that might allow us to weather this calamity."

In a flash, everyone turned to him.

“Go ahead and speak,” Chu Lu said.

Shen Shi'an said slowly, "We can't hold out with our troops in the current situation. The only way left is to protect the country and save the nation!"

Upon hearing the words "Guardian of the Nation and Compassionate Voyage," the ministers were initially taken aback, but then suddenly became excited.

"That's right! And there's also the Compassionate Guardian of the Nation!"

"That's right! As long as those fairy maidens are willing to take action, those savages from the Great River Kingdom will be wiped out in the blink of an eye!"

This Guardian of the Nation is no small sect, but a hidden sect with a history of thousands of years and unfathomable strength. Because of some connection with the founding emperor, although it lives in seclusion, it has helped the dynasty on several occasions.

As Chu Lu listened to the increasingly fantastical talk from this group of people, he couldn't help but think to himself: What is all this nonsense? How did they even come up with a post-wuxia era setting?

At this moment, all the ministers looked at Chu Lu with expectant faces, waiting for him to make a decision.

Chu Lu remained calm. He tapped the table casually, paused for a while, and then slowly uttered, "Since everyone thinks so, let's give it a try. Prime Minister, immediately write an edict to bring them out to me!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Shen Shi'an replied immediately.

Once the ministers had left like a tide and the imperial study was empty, Chu Lu finally breathed a sigh of relief and stopped pretending, asking directly, "Qin Su, that 'Guardian of the Nation Compassionate Voyage' thing, it's probably useless, isn't it?"

Qin Su nodded and said, "Yes, it can only delay things for a while at most."

"As expected." Chu Lu sighed. "It seems we still need to come up with a new plan as soon as possible to capture that powerful female lead!"

(End of this chapter)