The Empress nodded and said, "So, you plan to deceive the court officials, pretend to attack Zhao, and actually launch a lightning strike on Wei?"
Chu Chen nodded, "Your Majesty, besides striking Wei, we also need to mislead both countries and divert their troops. This will maximize our chances of winning this battle."
"Our goal is expansion, not a head-on confrontation."
The Empress nodded, "But what if the allied forces of Zhao and Wei attack? Can we withstand them working together?"
Chu Chen smiled and shook his head, "Your Majesty, do you really believe those two countries will join forces?"
"Alright, even if they do join hands against us, remember, they are not gods. They are just ordinary people."
"If I attack Wei and draw their allied forces, I can then make a swift raid into the heartland of Zhao, fight another battle, and deal with the so-called allied army upon their return."
"If we're lucky, we might even capture the royal families of Zhao or Wei and control their countries, achieving twice the result with half the effort."
Hearing this, the Empress couldn't help but laugh, "How can it be that easy to capture them? They will surely have heavy guards. Capturing royalty would be as difficult as ascending to heaven."
Chu Chen shook his head, "Your Majesty, nothing is as difficult as ascending to heaven. If you don't try, how will you know if you can succeed?"
"Very well, since you have such grand ambitions, I will naturally support you. How many troops do you need? Who do you need to help you? I will agree to all of it."
Chu Chen smiled, "Your Majesty, as I've said, I need a hundred thousand troops and two hundred thousand logistical personnel."
"My army will be fighting on the front lines, so logistics must be well-maintained."
"Of course, once I capture a few cities in Wei, we can use those cities as a base, and the situation will be much better."
The Empress nodded, "In that case, when will you depart?"
Chu Chen thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I have already sent people to train the troops. I estimate we can depart within three days at the earliest."
The Empress nodded, "Then it's settled. I will spread the news now, telling everyone that you are going to attack Zhao."
"And I will also send a group of people to Zhao to gather intelligence, and at the same time, let them expose themselves as much as possible."
"It's best to be blatant about it, so they believe it's true."
Chu Chen heard this and shook his head, smiling wryly, "Your Majesty, this won't work. We can't treat them like fools."
The Empress was taken aback, then said, "Then what do you suggest? Should we not let them know?"
"Just sending people to spread rumors might not be very credible, right?"
"Perhaps the people of Zhao and Wei will realize we are deliberately spreading false information, which would be counterproductive."
Chu Chen shook his head with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, the news must be released, but when we send people, they shouldn't be too obvious."
"They should maintain a certain degree of subtlety, not too conspicuous, but enough for those with keen eyes to notice."
"This way, Zhao's intelligence personnel will believe they have obtained genuine information."
"This will lend it more credibility."
"The most important thing in this battle is to ensure that the enemy's intelligence is flawed."
"Only then can we make the enemy make wrong decisions."
The Empress nodded, completely at a loss.
"Alright, since you've put it this way, what else can I do but agree with you?"
"Go ahead with confidence. When you win and the victory report arrives, it will naturally silence those who were deceived before."
Chu Chen nodded and said respectfully, "In that case, Your Majesty, I will go and prepare now. I cannot stay here any longer."
He paused and added, "Otherwise, I fear it might cause the Princess to worry."
The Empress was surprised, "The Princess? You mean Xin Yue?"
Chu Chen nodded, and was about to speak when suddenly, the door to the room was pushed open.
Li Xin Yue, seeing no one in the court, had stormed towards the warm chamber in anger.
When she saw that the warm chamber door was still tightly shut, Li Xin Yue couldn't hold back any longer.
This time, the tightly shut door of the warm chamber reminded her of the last time, and a fire of anger ignited in Li Xin Yue's heart.
Were her mother and Chu Chen, just like yesterday, doing unspeakable things in this warm chamber?
Couldn't they just endure it for a while?
Li Xin Yue had lost all reason at this moment. She only wanted to rush into the warm chamber and question her mother and Chu Chen.
She wanted to see what they were doing and why they were hurting her like this.
Fueled by her hot blood, Li Xin Yue directly kicked open the door of the warm chamber and rushed in.
Li Xin Yue, who had been furious, was stunned when she saw the scene inside the warm chamber.
The Empress and Chu Chen, looking at Li Xin Yue who had barged in, were also wide-eyed, not knowing what to do.
Li Xin Yue looked at the two of them, dressed and in normal condition, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.
It was the Empress who reacted first, "Xin Yue, what is wrong with you? Rushing in like this, what kind of behavior is this?"
Following that, Chu Chen also regained his senses, "Your Highness, is there something urgent?"
Li Xin Yue was embarrassed and paused for another two seconds before coming to her senses and smiling.
"Mother, Chu Chen, what are you discussing?"
Chu Chen was taken aback and said, "Your Highness, originally, you were not supposed to know about this matter."
As he spoke, Chu Chen looked towards the door and said, "Your Highness, please close the door first."
Li Xin Yue was surprised and quickly closed the door, "What about now?"
Chu Chen smiled wryly, "Your Highness, this is all top secret. It's best if no one knows except us, which is why we chose to have everyone withdraw, leaving no guards behind."
Li Xin Yue thought about it and realized there was indeed no one outside. She nodded.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. My lips are sealed."
The Empress glanced at Chu Chen and said, "Since she's here, let's tell her. However, after we tell her, Xin Yue must stay by my side or Chu Chen's side for the next few days to prevent any leaks, understand?"
Li Xin Yue immediately nodded, "Mother, don't worry. I promise I won't tell anyone about this. I'll go with Chu Chen later."
Chu Chen then cleared his throat and said, "Your Highness, we are discussing matters of state and military affairs. The decision has been made to attack Zhao, not Wei."
As he spoke, Chu Chen glanced at the Empress. Seeing the smile in her eyes, Chu Chen understood that the Empress's thoughts were the same as his, and he felt reassured.