After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

"Rakshasa..."

Zhu Cuiwei frowned.

The connection between Daliang and Luosha probably began about ten years ago.

At that time, the Northern Dynasties and the Rakshasa were locked in a fierce battle.

Some officials in the court suggested that our dynasty should join forces with the Rakshasa to attack the Northern Dynasty from both the north and south.

The Emperor Emeritus... to be precise, it should be the Prime Minister Qin who sent an envoy north by sea, detouring through Japan and Korea, and finally found Rakshasa after many hardships.

Although the two sides did not reach an agreement, they maintained contact and exchanged envoys every year. With the Rakshasa keeping the Northern Dynasty in check, the young Liang dynasty was much more relaxed.

Last year, before I ascended the throne and while I was still in the Prince Xin's residence, I held a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, and the Rakshasa people came.

I remember that a Roshka man named Rostov was sent as an envoy to Daliang to present congratulatory gifts. Later, this man even participated in his own coronation ceremony.

I never imagined that it would only be half a year...

The Northern Dynasty and the Rakshasa, who are mortal enemies, have actually formed an alliance.

"Or at that time,"

Her Majesty the Empress on the dragon throne thought to herself:

"The two dynasties had already formed an alliance."

More than five months pregnant, the Empress's belly was already showing, so her clothes became a bit looser.

These days, while dealing with war and state affairs, she also carefully protected the child in her womb. Occasionally, when she felt exhausted, she would go to the courtyard to look at the plum blossoms. She endured it all, and more than a month passed just like that.

However, he was not in good spirits, and there were still a few blood vessels in his phoenix eyes.

The slightly weary empress held a memorial from the Ministry of War, detailing the ministry's various arrangements for city defense.

Luan Zongyuan did a good job. He remained calm in the face of danger and suppressed the unrest in the city in a short time. His methods can be described as iron-fisted. No wonder the Emperor said that this man is capable of great things.

Below him stood Fan Shiwei, the commander of the Yongwei Battalion, who was in his early forties and at the prime of his life. Although he was a military officer, Fan Shiwei had a scholarly air about him.

The adopted son of the Marquis of Jingbei, who had previously been illiterate but had read many books in the past decade, bowed to the Empress and said:

"Your Majesty, rest assured, although we have not yet found any trace of the Rakshasa ships, the Zhenjiang Navy has made thorough preparations."

"The number of cannons alone in Zhenjiang has increased to more than two hundred, and with the warships that came from Nanjing, there are a total of three hundred warships of various sizes."

"Although the Zhenjiang Navy only has 5,000 men, the Ministry of War has issued a transfer order to reinforce the garrisons in various places. Within seven days, Zhenjiang will be expanded to 10,000 men, which will be enough to guard the river mouth."

Zhu Cuiwei nodded and gave instructions:

"The Brave Guard Battalion will send a captain to assist in the defense."

The garrison soldiers might not be able to withstand the attack. With a thousand-man squad from the Yongwei Battalion leading the charge, the garrison soldiers would have more courage and wouldn't flee at the first sign of trouble.

The Ministry of War has already sent a civil official to Zhenjiang to supervise the army, and the Imperial Household Department has also sent a eunuch there. With the addition of a thousand elite troops from the Brave Guard Battalion, and with Nanjing City ready to provide support at any time, Zhenjiang should be able to be defended.

Fan Shiwei bowed and agreed.

After the commander of the Brave Guards left, Zhang Qi, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, organized the memorials on His Majesty's desk.

However, in just one day, many memorials had already been submitted from the counties surrounding the capital. Some incompetent officials were still asking questions, finding it hard to believe, and asking His Majesty if someone had lied about the military situation.

Some capable officials had already organized the surrounding people to build fortified villages in the mountains for self-protection, and relocated some people into the county town.

Zhu Cuiwei reviewed these memorials one by one.

There are too few capable people in the imperial court. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War have already used the candidates who passed the imperial examination last year.

They were given honorary titles such as Director of the Ministry of Revenue or Director of the Ministry of War, and were tasked with supervising various counties and villages to organize laborers to transport grain and weapons and to fortify cities.

As for the second-place scholar Tang Lianbin, the third-place scholar Li Yanting, and several other probationary scholars who were admitted to the Hanlin Academy, they were given important positions by the imperial court.

Since Grand Tutor Gu in Huguang was short of capable officials, Zhu Cuiwei ordered Xu Longdao, an imperial censor who was already inspecting the front lines in Huguang, to be transferred back to Grand Tutor Gu.

He also sent Tang Lianbin and Li Yanting to Huguang. Both of them were compilers in the Hanlin Academy, noble civil officials, and did not need to be given honorary titles. Grand Secretary Liu said that these two sons were not mediocre talents, but were truly capable.

At this critical juncture, when manpower was in short supply, even though Li Yanting and Qinghuan had originally planned to marry in August, Zhu Cuiwei ordered Imperial Censor Liu Zhi to take both her brother-in-law, Li Yanting, and Tang Lianbin to Huguang to help Grand Tutor Gu guard Wuchang Prefecture.

As long as Huguang can be held and the Jiangnan region can hold out against the Northern Dynasty for half a year, the Northern Dynasty will inevitably run out of food and supplies and will have to retreat... This is the strategy tentatively decided by the cabinet and the six ministries.

But in the meantime...

Thinking of Huguang, Her Majesty the Empress suddenly felt a pang of fear, her body went cold, and her heart felt slightly heavy.

Five days ago, on a drizzly day, with raindrops pattering on the glazed tiles of the eaves, a small court assembly was held in the Qianqing Palace.

Marquis Jingbei Ning Changling, Marquis Jinxi Li Chunge, Marquis Zhongzhen Feng Yu, the four Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, along with Minister of War Luan Zongyuan, Vice Minister of War Yang Zhiyu, and Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard Yan Yuqing, all reached a conclusion together.

Li Chunge, who had guarded Sichuan and Huguang, told her firmly:

"Your Majesty, in this war between the North and South, the Northern Emperor will certainly not let Nian Gengyao off the hook!"

Uncle Ning Changling, who had been out of the game for a long time, leaned back in his chair and sneered:

"When the Northern Emperor ascended the throne, there were rebellions everywhere in Qinghai. He sent Nian Gengyao to suppress them, but the court had no money. So the Northern Emperor allowed Nian Gengyao to raise grain for a period of time. After the court was stabilized, he took it back and started transporting grain to Nian's troops again."

"But now the Nian Department has become too powerful to control. They want to take action against Nian Gengyao, but they are afraid that they cannot suppress Qinghai."

"Nian Gengyao also became arrogant and complacent, constantly recommending officials to the Northern Emperor and impeaching the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel."

"It was only after the Northern Emperor ordered him to refer to himself as a 'slave' that he came to his senses somewhat, but he didn't restrain himself much."

Lord Ning said with certainty, "Among the southward-bound armies, there must be one led by Nian Gengyao."

Feng Yu said, "The Northern Emperor once entrusted his ninth brother, Yun Tang, to Nian Gengyao, who then took him to Xining Guard in Qinghai. The meaning is self-evident."

The marquis smiled and told some interesting stories he had heard.

"But Yun Tang lived a good life for those few years. Later, the Northern Emperor couldn't hold back anymore, stripped Yun Tang of his imperial lineage, and took him to Baoding. That's when Yun Tang died mysteriously. It's probably here that Nian Gengyao developed a grudge against the Northern Emperor."

As they talked, everyone fell silent again.

Luan Zongyuan sighed and agreed with Marquis Jingbei:

"The various tribes in Qinghai had long been under Nian Gengyao's complete control, and the Northern Emperor also arranged for a Qinghai administration minister to be sent to Xining to check and balance Nian Gengyao."

"Qinghai is basically stable. The Northern Emperor will definitely send Nian Gengyao with a large army south this time. Whether it is to make Nian Gengyao fight our dynasty to the death, or to find fault with him, he has no choice but to go south."

The Minister of War, who hadn't had a good night's sleep in days, said with deep concern:

"I just don't know whether the Nianbu (a military unit) will go through Sichuan or Huguang (another military region in Hubei and Hunan).

"There's Jianmen Pass when you go through Sichuan," Ning Changling said, shaking his head, but then paused.

He originally intended to say that Jianmen Pass was a formidable pass, extremely difficult to breach, and that simply guarding the Yinping Ancient Road would suffice.

After pausing for a moment, he shook his head again and said softly:

"But now that the artillery is powerful, if Nian Gengyao really goes to Sichuan, whether Jianmen Pass can be defended really depends on Zhang Mingzhong's ability."

Zhang Mingzhong, also known as Marquis Zhang Yanzang, is currently the Governor of Sichuan. If Nian Gengyao were to attack Sichuan, Zhang Yanzang would be the one in charge of Sichuan.