In recent days, news has been coming in incessantly.
The dark web, spread throughout Linyuan, has been continuously transmitting messages into the capital.
Three days ago, a torrential rain struck Yuzhou. Someone attempted to destroy the downstream river channels but was apprehended by the dark guards. Before interrogation, the culprit committed suicide by poison.
On the same day, in Xiling Prefecture, the Prefect of Xiling was murdered. However, the one placed on the wanted notice was a Dali Temple constable – Luan Wencheng.
Two days ago, riots suddenly broke out in Yuzhou Prefecture, resulting in two deaths and several injuries.
One day ago, the Eastling Mountain Range suddenly collapsed, causing earth-shattering tremors. The surviving citizens knelt in fear, crying out, "The nation has evil spirits; the grand edifice is collapsing!"
As soon as these words were spoken, they spread throughout the entire Eastling Prefecture and are now rapidly circulating to every corner of Linyuan.
"Xiliang, Dali, Miaojiang, Liaoyuan..."
Nan Shiying tapped her fingers on the table, her brow furrowed. While the current situation was not as perilous as the path to the throne during the succession struggle, the myriad of trivial matters and the entangled, unclear relationships, interests, and powers made Nan Shiying's head throb.
...
In Dali, within the Imperial Study.
Yuwen Yi gazed at the painting before him, which depicted the six cities Dali had lost in the past.
"Does Your Majesty harbor resentment?"
A person clad in plain clothes, with a shaved head bearing a monastic scar, resembling a monk, appeared behind Yuwen Yi. Upon hearing the voice from behind, Yuwen Yi finally shifted his gaze from the painting to the person behind him.
"Cheng Ji, if I cannot reclaim these cities in my lifetime, how can I face the ancestors in the netherworld!" Yuwen Yi's expression was ferocious. The mere thought of the six cities, centered around Mocheng, being lost under his reign was like a burning fire in his heart, making sleep impossible. Now, with the sudden unrest on the border, their Dali border troops not only blocked the Linyuan border army outside Changping Slope but also slaughtered hundreds of them. Such a battle record gave him a glimmer of hope. He couldn't help but wonder if he had followed his instincts then and complied with the wishes of the generals, dispatching a large army to Weicheng, perhaps he could have captured Huaicheng before Linyuan could react, and subsequently retaken Mocheng by way of Huaicheng.
"But Your Majesty has already issued a decree, has he not?"
At the court session that day, His Majesty had indeed issued a decree, dispatching only tens of thousands of soldiers to Weicheng, not directly sending the main army. Now, it was merely a matter of unfulfilled thoughts.
Dali's military strength had absolutely no possibility of competing with Linyuan.
Yu Wuan Xuan sighed heavily, the congestion in his heart still unalleviated.
He pointed to his chest and said to Cheng Ji, "I know, I understand everything, but this heart of mine, whenever I think of the six cities lost to Linyuan, it feels like being thrown into a pot of boiling oil, or being placed in an ice cave."
The pain of the past defeat had not healed. For years, whenever he recalled it, Yuwen Yi felt as if his heart were being carved with a knife, yet these thoughts could not be shared with anyone other than Cheng Ji.
"Your Majesty!"
Cheng Ji felt empathy, as if a ball of fire was burning within his own heart.
He knew what His Majesty wanted to do, what he desired. Cheng Ji also knew that what he was about to say might bring Dali the possibility of reclaiming its cities, or perhaps, it would make Dali's situation even more difficult.
After much deliberation, he decided to speak: "Your Majesty, Linyuan is not only adjacent to our Dali, but it is also adjacent to Liaoyuan."
"I have heard that Linyuan has lost the border defense map that connects to Liaoyuan!"
"What?"
Yuwen Yi suddenly stood up. He looked at Cheng Ji for several seconds, then suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter!
"Heaven aids me, heaven aids me!"