My chat group is full of female losers

Chapter 354 Not good
Although Chu Lu ordered a full-scale defense, and his ministers did not slack off, the results showed that it had almost no effect.

The Third Princess led the female soldiers of the desert on a triumphant march.

The garrison troops in the prefectures along the way dared not resist the Third Princess's celestial-level ice-walking magic. The so-called highest level of alert and the so-called tightly closed city gates were basically a formality.

Some people couldn't withstand the pressure and even surrendered themselves.

Even so, none of them had a good ending.

As if in order to atone for their sins, to discover their inner guilt, or to prove their awakening to the Third Princess, the Khatun and Telan became increasingly extreme in their personalities, more ruthless in their methods, and more unscrupulous in their killings.

Almost no one was spared in their wake.

These events were written down in battle reports and sent to the capital, like ink being poured into clear water, the blackness beginning to spread little by little.

As battle reports from the front lines continued to pour in, the various factions within the capital city displayed drastically different interpretations.

The chat group for female protagonists was already filled with jubilation.

"My God! Did you see the battle report? The Third Princess is simply a god! She crushed that army like an ant."

"Yes, yes! A wave of her hand creates an ice wall, a stomp of her foot creates ground spikes! That's the kind of power our leading lady should have!"

"When she criticized Changhong for only knowing how to take shortcuts, I thought she was just trying to kick them when they were down. Turns out she was telling the truth."

"Yes, she really has absolute power, unlike the others who just pretend to bully us, the graduates of the heroine academy."

"It's a pity that the Third Princess is too aloof; we can't get in touch with her. We don't even have a chance to make any contributions. Sigh."

"Come on. Don't think so much. We've come this far. We should be happy if we can just manage to catch the group leader and get our job done without being punished by Minister Fei Wu."

While the female protagonists chatted happily, the atmosphere inside the Prime Minister's residence was so oppressive that it felt as if it were being submerged by a flood.

Shen Shi'an, Jia Ruhui, Wen Yutang and other important court officials sat together, their faces filled with worry.

Minister of Revenue Jia Ruhui picked up his teacup, his hand trembling violently, spilling a few drops of tea: "Gentlemen, have you all read the battle report? Meng Xiao wasn't lying; that Third Princess is truly inhuman. His Majesty's order to keep the city gates tightly closed and to defend with all our might is utterly useless! In a few days, they will attack! Then, we will all be prisoners!"

Upon hearing this, a chorus of sighs of agreement immediately filled the hall.

"Yes, it's beyond human control, beyond human control!"

However, at this moment, Minister of Rites Wen Yutang shouted in a deep voice: "What are you all panicking about? Have you all forgotten what happened last time when the allied forces of the Great Jiang Kingdom besieged the city? Was the situation then any better than it is now? Didn't we also think the sky was falling? We all went crazy and wanted to force the emperor to abdicate! And what was the result? Wasn't it His Majesty who had the last laugh?"

He surveyed the crowd, his eyes resolute: "His Majesty is not one to sit idly by and wait for death! He must have a backup plan! Otherwise, ordering a full-scale defense would be tantamount to waiting to die, wouldn't it?"

These words caught the eye of many, but someone immediately raised a question: "Lord Wen, times have changed! Last time we were facing an enemy army, who were ultimately just mortals. But this time we are facing sorcery! What strategy could possibly withstand the Third Princess's earth-shattering magic?"

"That's right! We can't exactly say that His Majesty also knows magic, can we?"

The hall erupted into another heated debate, with one side arguing that they should trust His Majesty, while the other side was completely disheartened.

"Shut up!"

Chancellor Shen Shi'an finally spoke, slowly rising to his feet: "Empty discussions here are utterly useless. His Majesty's thoughts are beyond our comprehension. The only course of action now is for this old man to personally enter the palace and ask him directly!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was first surprised, then delighted, and they all stood up and bowed, saying, "Then we'll leave it to Your Excellency, Prime Minister!"

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Inside the imperial study, Chu Lu was flipping through urgent battle reports sent from the front lines.

Each one was shocking—a prefecture fell within three days, and the defending troops fled at the mere sight of the enemy; a pass was sealed off overnight by an ice wall, and the entire army was wiped out… The words were filled with fear of the Third Princess’s sorcery.

Even Chu Lu couldn't help but feel a little flustered when he saw the Third Princess's terrifying speed of advancement.

Hold on, just hold on a little longer... he silently prayed. As long as Huo Qi catches Tian Shu, everything will be over.

At this moment, a young eunuch tiptoed in and reported with his head bowed, "Your Majesty, someone requests an audience."

Chu Lu blurted out, "Who? Is it Huo Qi?"

"Your Majesty, it is the Prime Minister."

Chu Lu frowned slightly: "Him... let him in." The little eunuch obeyed and withdrew. A short while later, he led Shen Shi'an in.

He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister has a request."

"Speak," Chu Lu said, looking at him.

Shen Shi'an took a deep breath and poured out the panic of the entire court and his own worries: "Your Majesty, the demon woman's army is pressing in, unstoppable. The court and the people are filled with fear. We, your humble servants and officials, firmly believe that Your Majesty must have a brilliant plan to repel the enemy, but we are too foolish to fathom your secrets. We humbly request that Your Majesty reveal a little of it, so that we may be at ease and follow you through this difficult time!"

Chu Lu thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

He then pondered how to answer.

The fact that she was the female lead couldn't be told to them, and considering there might be spies nearby, even hints had to be avoided.

Although this might inevitably lead them to despair and do something foolish, at this point, success or failure depends entirely on whether they can capture Tian Shu, and their actions are no longer important.

Go ahead and do something stupid if you want to.

After considering his options, Chu Lu calmly countered, "A good strategy? What good strategy does the Prime Minister believe is possible in the face of such power?"

Shen Shi'an's heart skipped a beat, but he forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty is joking with this old minister again. You must have come up with another earth-shattering plan like last time, but it is inconvenient to say it outright..."

Chu Lu interrupted him: "I am not joking. There is no brilliant plan, no backup plan. Nothing at all."

Shen Shi'an's smile became strained: "This is impossible! Your Majesty, you must be testing us! If you have no way to defeat the enemy, why don't you escape? Why stay here to wait for death? This doesn't make sense!"

Chu Lu, however, was too lazy to continue arguing with him and said bluntly, "A monarch dies for his country, that's all. If the prime minister wants to escape, then so be it, I will not stop him."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Shi'an froze, and then the world spun before his eyes.

He never expected to receive such an answer!

It took him a long time to come to his senses.

"This old minister... takes his leave..." Shen Shi'an bowed and staggered out, each step feeling like he was walking on clouds.

When he returned to the Prime Minister's residence and relayed Chu Lu's words to the eagerly awaiting crowd, the entire hall fell silent.

That night, lights quietly lit up the back gates of several high-ranking officials' residences.

However, their escape preparations were a bit too high-profile, and they couldn't escape the notice of those who were watching.

The next day, Fang Xiaozhi, the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, stormed into the Imperial Study in a rage.

He knelt on the ground, furious: "Your Majesty! Shen Shi'an, Jia Ruhui and their ilk, as important officials of the court, who are paid by the emperor, not only do not think of serving the country at this time of crisis, but also plot to escape! Such disloyal and unjust people are no different from beasts! I beg Your Majesty to issue an edict to arrest and punish them all, so as to restore order to the court!"

Chu Lu looked slightly impatient. He had been waiting for good news from Huo Qi these past few days, but it was always these same people who came.

However, Fang Xiaozhi was loyal after all, so he politely said, "I understand. You may go back now; I have my own plans."

Fang Xiaozhi was taken aback and wanted to persuade him again, but he saw that Chu Lu had already lowered his head and started flipping through the memorials again, obviously not wanting to pay attention to him, so he could only give up.

After a long while, the sound of a young eunuch announcing something came from outside the palace.

"Your Majesty, Commander Huo Qi of the Imperial Guard requests an audience."

Chu Lu's spirits lifted instantly, and he immediately sat up straight, saying, "Let him in!"

Huo Qi strode inside, and before he could even bow, Chu Lu asked, "What brings you here this time? Are you here to report to me on the capture of Tian Shu? Surely it's not just some trivial matter about the Prime Minister and the others trying to escape?"

Huo Qi shook his head, his eyes filled with shame, and said in a strained voice, "This humble general has indeed come for the matter of Tian Shu."

"Very good. So how did it go? Did you catch him?" Chu Lu asked, leaning on the table as he stood up.

However, Huo Qi shook his head with difficulty: "Due to the chaos in the capital, Tian Shu actually abandoned the original rendezvous plan. The clues have been cut off, and I'm afraid there is no possibility of catching him in the short term."

(End of this chapter)