The Empress Kneels in Her Palace to Admit Her Mistakes After Slaying Her Ways in the Female-Oriented

Ren Tianye smiled, but his words poured cold water on Zhang Shi's enthusiasm.

"Zhang Shi, don't get agitated!"

"Your plan is not bad, but I think it will be quite difficult to implement."

"After all, although Ning Wanqin and Ruan Fei are somewhat unclear-headed, Zhou Mengyan, the Grand Commander of the Yangtze River Defense Line, is mostly clear-headed."

"Ning Wanqin and Ruan Fei are happy that you are willing to defect, but Zhou Mengyan will definitely have doubts and be wary of you. So even if you agree to Ning Wanqin's defection now, it probably won't have any good results."

Zhang Shi's heart sank instantly.

No, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! It's the chance he's worked so hard for and finally waited for!

How could there be such a huge loophole?

With a pained expression, he said, "My lord, then we'll just have to give up!"

Ren Tianye smiled again: "That's such a pity!"

"My lord, is there still a chance?"

"Of course!" Ren Tianye laughed. "If we were to put on a show to increase the credibility of Ning Wanqin, Ruan Fei, and especially Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan, I think it would be worth a try!"

Zhang Shi wasn't stupid, just a bit clueless when it came to matters of love and romance. He immediately understood Ren Tianye's thoughts and said, "Lord Duke, I understand!"

"Let's put on a show, pretend we don't get along!"

"You're acting like I'm talking back to you!"

"Or you can deal with me!"

"Furthermore, we need to let Ning Wanqin see this scene to increase its credibility. This way, even if Ning Wanqin returns to the Yangtze River defense line, we can clearly convey the message to Zhou Mengyan, which will greatly increase Zhou Mengyan's trust in me!"

"is that so?"

Ren Tianye nodded and smiled, "That's right, that's exactly what I think."

"Well..." Zhang Shi's brain had already started working automatically, and he said, "How about we stage a military disagreement? This humble general will contradict you in front of everyone, and then you will fly into a rage and beat me in public..."

"In order to seek the truth, I believe you should give me one hundred lashes!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Ming, who had been silent in the tent, jumped up: "General Zhang Shi, no! You absolutely mustn't!"

"One hundred strokes of the cane!"

"You have to be beaten in front of Ning Wanqin, so you can't fake it. You have to take a hundred solid hits. Do you know what a hundred hits feel like?"

"You know Pei Wugou, the Marquis of Jingyi, right?"

"That bastard was ridiculously strong, but after taking a hundred lashes, he was in so much pain that he couldn't get up, which is why we were able to take Zhenjiang City so easily."

"I don't even want to imagine what the consequences would be if you were to receive a hundred lashes!"

Wang Ming meant well in trying to dissuade Zhang Shi, but his advice struck a nerve with Zhang Shi.

Zhang Shi had been planning this for a long time. Together with Lu Chaosheng, they almost wiped out the entire Jiangbei fortress complex. The most important city, Zhenjiang, was taken by Wang Ming.

Now, Zhenjiang City is being mentioned again?

This emboldened Zhang Shi, who was already ambitious, and he immediately said coldly, "One hundred strokes. Anything less than one hundred strokes wouldn't show my sincerity!"

"I, Zhang Shi... can endure it!"

"Your Excellency, let's settle on this!"

Ren Tianye, sitting on the tiger-shaped chair, did not agree. Instead, he laughed and said, "Zhang Shi, a hundred strokes of the cane does sound painful, and it will probably hurt even more when you actually do it, but..."

"In my opinion, it's still too lenient!"

"This is still not enough to convince Zhou Mengyan!"

Zhang Shi's heart skipped a beat.

No, a hundred lashes aren't enough?

Holy crap, two hundred boards?

Then he probably really went to see his great-grandmother!

Wang Ming quickly added, "Your Excellency, you mustn't! A hundred strokes of the cane would be fatal. If you add any more, General Zhang Shi certainly won't be able to withstand it!"

All the soldiers knelt down on the ground.

"My lord, this matter still needs to be discussed, but General Zhang Shi has rendered great service and should not be subjected to this punishment, otherwise he will suffer lifelong health problems!"

"Your Excellency, you mustn't do this!"

"Lord Duke, there are other ways to subject General Zhang Shi to this punishment. We simply cannot bear to do it!"

……

The people inside the tent were all his closest confidants, and they all knelt down to beg for mercy, creating a rather grand scene. But Zhang Shi suddenly said, "Alright, that's enough."

"It's just a little more than a hundred lashes!"

"I'm willing!"

"I'm willing to be crippled if it means I can take the Yangtze River defense line!"

He knelt down with a thud and said to Ren Tianye, "Lord Duke, give the order."

"This humble general accepts it!"

At this moment, Zhang Shi exuded an intense desire, a desire for military merit and a desire to wash away the pent-up frustration of the past. On the contrary, he had little fear of being beaten!

Ren Tianye felt both sorry for him and amused.

But there was no other way; he had to rub salt into Zhang Shi's wounds!

……