I play the role of Jiajing in Zongwu: What crime have I committed?

She was blamed for Yan Que's death.

The fact that the emperor's appearance had returned from old age to that of a young man was also attributed to her.

Even she herself was completely baffled by the problem.

Even if our Heavenly Sect is incredibly powerful, it's not this powerful!

Not only that, she also claimed that she ordered the renovation of Chaotian Temple and Xuandu Temple last year.

Even the ridiculous "kings never meet" tactic was said to be a slanderous suggestion from her.

All their cunning was focused on her.

They took advantage of her and exploited her relentlessly!

Now, among all the high-ranking officials in the court, who doesn't curse her behind her back as a wicked Taoist priest?

She snorted coldly and said.

"Your Majesty had better keep quiet. Every time you speak, you give yourself away, wasting such a handsome face."

Zhu Houcong was still quietly showing off when Xiaomeng's sudden sarcasm made him cough several times.

"Cough cough cough, your mouth is like it's been poisoned."

"whispering sound!"

Xiaomeng scoffed lightly, took a few graceful steps, walked to Zhu Houcong's side, circled him once, and looked him up and down.

Then she suddenly stopped and asked, her beautiful eyes burning with desire.

"Does Your Majesty have any of those pills left?"

Zhu Houcong was taken aback, his gaze involuntarily falling on Xiaomeng's cold and beautiful face.

"You want to get plastic surgery too?"

Before Xiaomeng could speak, he said righteously.

"Take my advice, this industry is too treacherous; you can't handle it."

"Let your uncle handle it for you."

Xiaomeng was speechless with anger after hearing this.

Shamelessness knows no bounds.

How much fake liquor from Panzi must one have drunk to achieve this level of skill?

She lifted her skirt and sat down on the armchair without any hesitation.

Resting her chin on her hand, a hint of mockery in her eyes, she said, "Your Majesty, disguised in such a magnificent and elegant manner, what wicked scheme are you planning to undertake this time?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong shook his index finger and shook his head.

He then turned and walked into the depths of the curtain, taking out a scroll of parchment map from a hidden compartment.

Wow!

The map was slowly unfurled on the rosewood table.

"Do you still remember our discussion about the state of the world when we first met?"

Xiaomeng nodded slightly.

"Of course I remember, the initial strategic plan has now achieved its first step."

"Now that Southern Chu is pacified, Your Majesty only needs to rebuild the lives of the people and allow them to recuperate. In ten years, you will surely have the strength to contend for the Central Plains and dominate the world."

"ten years?"

Zhu Houcong suddenly let out a cold laugh, waved his long sleeves, and stood with his hands behind his back.

"I am already over sixty years old, how can I wait another ten years!"

Xiaomeng felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this.

He understood Zhu Houcong's meaning; he knew his days were numbered and wanted to establish his career and fame as soon as possible.

However, there are very few variables in the world today.

Without favorable timing, the consequences of rushing for quick results are obvious.

Moreover, the Southern Chu has only been pacified for a year, and its strength has not yet recovered, so it is difficult to provide much assistance.

In other words, the Great Liang currently lacks sufficient war potential.

In general, war is a contest of population and economy.

When there is no significant generational gap in command level and the quality of recruits, national strength is the foundation of everything.

Therefore, the struggle for supremacy can only be pursued gradually.

The Qin state, now the largest in territory and the strongest in national power, was only able to eliminate the six states east of the mountains thanks to the combined efforts of six generations.

Xiaomeng frowned slightly.

"Your Majesty, the Southern Chu has only recently been pacified and its strength has not yet recovered. To march north at this time is truly not a wise strategy."

"Who said I was going north?"

Zhu Houcong revealed a meaningful smile.

Upon hearing this, Xiaomeng's beautiful eyes widened, her whole body trembled, and her gaze immediately turned to the west side of the map.

Her voice unconsciously rose.

"Does His Majesty intend to attack and conquer Daxi?"

"This is even more difficult than the Northern Expeditions against Dayu and Dayan!"

"I dare to speak frankly, this is the worst possible strategy!"

Zhu Houcong, however, remained calm and gently patted Xiaomeng's shoulder.

"My dear minister, please calm down."

He casually drew his longsword from the sword rack and pointed it at the west side of the map.

"Please look here."

Xiaomeng stood up, walked to the map, and looked at it closely.

The sword tip was pointing directly at Jingzhou, the westernmost part of Daliang.

Beyond Jingzhou lies Yizhou of Daxi.

This place is surrounded by mountains and crisscrossed by rivers.

This created a situation where one man could hold the pass against ten thousand.

Zhu Houcong held a long sword, the tip of which slowly traced an attack route on the map.

"Daxi is strategically important, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Since the founding of the dynasty by Emperor Taizu, our Great Liang has launched seven campaigns against it, all of which ended in failure."

"Since there is only one way to take Daxi, we should send troops from Jingzhou to attack Yizhou."

"Entering the gorge via the waterway, we attacked Zigui and Wuxian along the way..."

With each word spoken, the tip of the sword would strike heavily.

"Yufu, Quren, Linjiang and other places."

Finally, the sword's edge slammed into Jiangzhou.

"Only by conquering Jiangzhou and taking control of Daxi Yizhou, a hub with well-developed waterway transportation, can we make a preliminary breakthrough."

Xiaomeng stared at the map, and only nodded slightly after Zhu Houcong finished speaking.

Then, she lightly touched the waterway between Jingzhou and Yizhou with her jade-like fingers.

He analyzed.

"That's right. Daxi has a great geographical advantage, and it can't gain any advantage in terms of water resources when attacking Yizhou from Jingzhou."

"Because Jingzhou is located downstream of Yizhou, attacking Yizhou from Jingzhou is going upstream."

"This will not only increase the difficulty of marching, but also easily cause logistical problems."

"Without favorable timing, even if the Great Liang sends troops again, it will only suffer a crushing defeat."

She raised her eyes to look directly at Zhu Houcong, and said, word by word, "Since Your Majesty knows that Daxi has a strategic advantage, why did you still attack Daxi?"

Zhu Houcong chuckled.

"Xiaomeng, as you know, Daxi has a large population and fertile land, and is known as the Land of Abundance."

"However, the Daxi court is currently weak, while martial arts are flourishing among the common people."

"If we can conquer and seize it, digest and absorb its power, then our Great Liang will truly be invincible."

Xiaomeng frowned, about to speak.

Zhu Houcong raised his hand to stop him.

continued.

"Once we capture it, we can march north from Daxi and directly threaten Xianyang, the capital of Qin."

"But if the Qin state wanted to advance south, it would have to cross natural barriers!"

"This is why Ying Zheng first destroyed the Xiongnu, and only sent Zhao Tuo with 300,000 troops to defend the southern border."

"Now the Qin state is bordered by the Xiongnu to the north, the Hu people to the west, and the Dayu to the east, and has no time to attend to the Daxi."

"Qing Kingdom is also surrounded by enemies on all sides, and it is far away from both Daliang and Daxi."

At this point, Zhu Houcong directly asked Xiaomeng a question in return.

"Tell me, if we don't take the Great Stream now, when will we?"

Chapter 210 Basic Strategies for Conquering Daxi (Part 2)

The candlelight inside the hall flickered violently, casting an indistinct glow on Zhu Houcong's face.

But the ambition in those eyes was almost tangible.

Xiaomeng stared at the map for a long time, then suddenly sighed softly.

He looked at Zhu Houcong.

"Your Majesty, from the perspective of the overall situation, it is indeed a good time to attack Daxi, but..."

She changed the subject.

"Taking Daxi from Jingzhou would be too difficult; the strength of the Great Liang is insufficient!"

"Your Majesty, I urge you to reconsider."

Zhu Houcong chuckled upon hearing this.

You must be paying attention to the political situation in Daxi, right?

"Emperor Guangqing has been on the throne for many years, but he has no sons. The court in Daxi is already in turmoil."

Xiaomeng nodded slightly.

"I have also heard about this matter. If Emperor Guangqing is unable to conceive, it would indeed be a source of cholera, but it is not fatal at this time."

"Yes, that's only one aspect. The other aspect is the power of the Jianghu in Daxi."

Zhu Houcong continued to explain the situation of the Daxi Dynasty to Xiaomeng.

These were the results he derived from analyzing the intelligence gathered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard about Daxi, combined with the "Lotus Pavilion" TV series he had watched in his previous life.

In recent years, Daxi's control over the martial arts world has weakened, and the martial spirit among the people has become increasingly popular.

Various martial arts sects established their own territories and fiefdoms, and local officials dared not interfere, fearing that these powerful figures would hold a grudge and cause trouble for themselves.

Until more than a decade ago, the young prodigy Li Xiangyi emerged out of nowhere and established the Sigu Sect together with his senior brother Shan Gudao.

They pride themselves on helping the weak and upholding justice.

Then, thirteen years ago, an agreement was made with the imperial court that disputes among ordinary people would be handled by the government, while grudges among江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) would be handled by the Sigumen (四顾门).