The Prodigal Son

The Northern Qi Imperial Palace.

Empress Murong briefly informed the two prime ministers and several high-ranking officials of the top-secret intelligence she had just received.

Upon learning that Da Ning had decided to wage a war of attrition against Bei Qi, everyone frowned.

"We definitely can't afford to fight a war of attrition with Ningguo."

Military Minister Xiao Yanguang was the first to stand up and express his opinion, "Fighting is fine, but dragging things out with Ningguo indefinitely is too disadvantageous for us..."

If Ningguo wants to fight, Beiqi is ready to oblige.

However, once the war turns into a war of attrition, Bei Qi will definitely not be able to outlast Ning Guo.

The advantage of Beiqi lies in its powerful cavalry raids and command capabilities.

The cavalry came and went like the wind, making Ningfang's defenses impossible to defend against.

Once the two sides engage in a war of attrition, Beiqi's greatest advantage will be rendered ineffective.

Moreover, their national strength does not allow them to wage an endless war of attrition.

Empress Murong gestured for Xiao Yanguang to sit down and smiled, "I wouldn't be foolish enough to wage a war of attrition with Ning! The main reason I've invited you all here today is to discuss how to exploit Ning's desire for a war of attrition to achieve a greater victory on the battlefield..."

Simply thwarting Zhao Luan's intention to wage a war of attrition is far from enough for her!

She also wants to beat Zhao Luan and Ning Guo badly!

Many ministers in Da Ning opposed Zhao Luan's war of attrition, but Zhao Luan listened to Qin Yu's advice and insisted on fighting.

As long as their plot is thwarted and they are severely punished, Zhao Luan's prestige will be greatly diminished.

In order to protect her own reputation, Zhao Luan might even pin all the blame on Qin Yu!

This is a great opportunity for Bei Qi.

Hearing Empress Murong's words, the group nodded in agreement.

Minister Han Cizhang chuckled as he stared at the map in the room. "Ning Kingdom wants to wage a war of attrition against us, but they refuse to draw troops from the north. We'll just have to squeeze out troops from other places!"

"Once they concentrate their forces in Zhenzhou, their rear will inevitably be left extremely vulnerable!"

"Ningguo is convinced we won't dare fight a war of attrition with them, so let's go with the flow, seize their desire to retake Shuozhou, feign a withdrawal, and lure them deep into our territory!"

"When they advance into Shuozhou, we will wipe out their army in one fell swoop, and then take advantage of the situation to attack Zhenzhou..."

If they achieve a great victory on the Shuozhou battlefield, they can not only capture Zhenzhou, but also have the opportunity to break through the Iron Wall City, a forward fortress of Weizhou.

With the fall of Iron Wall City, the northwest gate of Da Ning was completely opened to them.

With Ningguo's rear forces weakened, they could advance unimpeded after capturing Tiebi City.

Ningguo simply didn't have time to mobilize troops for rescue!

Under these circumstances, it's not impossible for them to take down the capital of Ningguo in one fell swoop!

Of course, all of this is predicated on the ability to devise a strategy to defeat the large army that Ningguo had mobilized to Zhenzhou in preparation for a war of attrition!

If this goal cannot be achieved, then everything is just wishful thinking.

Hearing Han Cizhang's words, Empress Murong nodded slightly.

Han Cizhang's thoughts coincided with hers.

However, Han Cizhang was even more greedy than her.

After a moment's thought, Empress Murong spoke again: "To reach the capital of Ning Kingdom is far too far! Right now, we should focus on wiping out Ning Kingdom's army in Zhenzhou!"

"Your Majesty is right!"

Xiao Yanguang nodded slightly, "The strategy of feigning a retreat and luring the enemy deeper into our territory is definitely sound! But we shouldn't underestimate the Ning people!"

"To lure the enemy in, we'll inevitably have to pay a price! To fish, you have to first lay out the bait..."

Soon, the group began discussing how to bait Ningguo.

As they continued to discuss, the plan, which was originally just a rough draft, was quickly improved.

Once the plan was finalized, Empress Murong immediately ordered everyone to begin preparations according to it.

While Beiqi was making intensive preparations, Daning was also preparing for the upcoming war.

In the palace, Zhao Luan once again draped her long, beautiful legs over Qin Yu's legs.

After a while, Zhao Luan had come to like her current state of being.

Don't try to be pretentious, just do whatever makes you comfortable.

Although she had to endure Qin Yu's lewdness, she seemed to enjoy the process quite a bit.

For example, right now, Qin Yu's hands were gently caressing her beautiful legs, but she didn't feel any aversion; on the contrary, she felt quite comfortable and lazily asked, "What are your thoughts on the war against Yan?"

"How else can I think? Of course, I'll use my brain!" Qin Yu said casually with a smile.

Zhao Luan's face stiffened. She lightly kicked Qin Yu in the chest, slightly annoyed, and said, "Don't try to fool me. You know what I mean!"

Qin Yu did indeed know what Zhao Luan meant.

Zhao Luan simply wanted to ask him if he wanted to participate in the war against Yan.

To be honest, he didn't really want to go.

This is fighting the enemy on the battlefield, not fighting a woman in bed!

Who the hell wants to fight all the time?

If possible, he would prefer to stay in the capital and enjoy the pleasures of life.

The war against Yan was unlike any other.

The Yan state has survived for so many years sandwiched between Beiqi and Daning, so its military strength is beyond doubt.

They always talk about subduing the enemy without fighting, but they all know that the possibility of that is zero.

It can only be said that his strategies could significantly weaken the Yan state, allowing them to win the war against Yan at a lower cost.

This battle is extremely important!

If this battle is not fought well, or if the Yan state is not destroyed, once the Yan state recovers, it will inevitably join forces with the Northern Qi to attack Da Ning.

He had no reason to back down on such a matter of national importance.

Even if there are ten stunningly beautiful women waiting for him to pamper, he still has to do his job when it's time to get down to business!

He can enjoy himself, but when it's his turn to step up, he absolutely cannot be sloppy.

Qin Yu remained silent for a long while, then answered with a firm gaze: "I must fight this battle!"

"To be honest, I don't want you to go!"

Zhao Luan said solemnly, "But as the Empress of Da Ning, I cannot let you stay in the capital to watch the spectacle because of personal feelings! I also know the importance of this battle; I will feel more at ease if you participate!"

"I understand!"

Qin Yu's hands were busy, but his face was solemn: "The economic bubble in Yan has not yet burst. No one knows this better than me. Only if I go can Yan suffer the greatest losses! Moreover, I was the one who proposed the plan to destroy Yan, so I certainly can't just stand behind and watch!"

From the very beginning, he knew he would definitely participate in the war against Yan, and he had been preparing for it.

Now it's time for us to step up!

"There's one more thing!"

Zhao Luan stood up and sat on Qin Yu's lap as if no one else was there. "You've had the most contact with Yan Li. Before the war starts, we need you to lull Yan into a false sense of security! To prevent Yan from becoming suspicious!"

"You make it sound like Yan Li trusts me a lot," Qin Yu rolled his eyes at Zhao Luan.

Whether he trusts you or not is unimportant; what matters is that you're incredibly shameless!

Zhao Luan chuckled and teased him, then turned to Shangguan Youyi beside her, "Shangguan, don't you think so?"

Shangguan Youyi smiled, "Lord Qin is extremely intelligent; he surely has plenty of ways to avert Yan Li's suspicion!"

It has only been about ten days since I learned about the relationship between Qin Yu and Zhao Luan.

In just ten days, Shangguan Youyi completed several evolutions.

At first, she was afraid of disturbing the two of them, and also afraid of seeing things she shouldn't see, so she would deliberately avoid it most of the time.

Later, seeing the two of them being so affectionate, she couldn't bear to watch anymore.

The main problem is that the two of them are too lovey-dovey; it's always either me kissing you or you kissing me.

Now, she is completely numb.

"You certainly know how to talk."

Zhao Luan glanced at Shangguan Youyi with a smile, then turned to Qin Yu and said, "Zhu Songlan, whom you recommended, has arrived in the capital. I originally intended to hand him over to the Ministry of Personnel for arrangement, but after much consideration, I have decided to entrust him to you!"