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墨書 Inktalez
This room was originally Princess Zhulan's boudoir. It is likely that apart from her and a few servants, no one else has entered here, making Lu Chen the first.
Upon hearing this, Princess Zhulan's face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head in embarrassment. Now that she held the title of Queen, who would have known she had such a side to her?
"Lu Chen, what are your plans moving forward?" The Zhulian Queen's tone was earnest, with a hint of expectation.
Lu Chen understood her meaning and paused before replying, "I bear heavy responsibilities; my duties are greater than mountains. How could I easily abandon them? If I were truly given a chance to live a simple life, that would be fine. Or perhaps in your kingdom, to live peacefully as a consort and enjoy wealth and honor—what could be wrong with that?"
At this point, Lu Chen sighed and shook his head. "You should understand my thoughts. A man should strive to achieve great things and travel far; I appreciate your kindness."
Lu Chen felt somewhat insincere, unsure how to refuse the Queen's goodwill. If he were to truly let go of everything, it would echo the saying: holding a knife makes it impossible to embrace you; putting down the knife makes it impossible to protect you.
If Lu Chen were to fall, many would be affected; the relationships involved were complex and difficult to gauge.
"You're right, Lu Chen. I understand your thoughts. In my life, I've never encountered someone like you. Yet having met you but being unable to hold on is truly a great regret. I hope that after you fulfill your ambitions, you can return to my side, and I will do everything in my power to help you," the Queen said, blinking her eyes with deep emotion.
"Thank you for your kindness. In the future, when we attack the Central Plains, there will be many opportunities where I will need your assistance," Lu Chen replied. Even if he didn't say it outright, the Queen understood.
"What is the current situation?" Lu Chen asked the Queen, referring to the internal affairs of Yushan Kingdom.
The Queen smiled lightly and said, "It's going perfectly. The Four Ministers have all been controlled; the War Minister has been demoted one rank and reduced to a deputy position for now. The other three—those in charge of border defense, commerce, and the cabinet—have already been dismissed and will be replaced over time. After all, we cannot change the high-ranking officials of the Six Ministries too frequently for fear of causing civil unrest," she explained.
Lu Chen nodded upon hearing this; it seemed things were going quite smoothly and were not as troublesome as he had imagined. Controlling the Six Ministries was crucial; once that was achieved, other matters would be less concerning.
Princess Zhulan continued, "The situation is basically under our control. We will gradually manage some grassroots forces as well. Regarding Kalan Prince, I do not plan to arrest him; this incident has already severely weakened the Yushan Royal Family's vitality. The last issue is also the most serious: personnel changes are occurring across the country. We urgently need talent to replace Kalan Prince's subordinates at an unprecedented scale."
Moreover, Yushan Kingdom's educational system was not well-developed; apart from noble offspring, there were not many scholars among the common people. Some even traveled great distances to study in the Central Plains.
Thus, recruiting talent from among the populace seemed impossible.
Lu Chen understood the seriousness of the situation; talent was the lifeblood of development. Mastering talent meant mastering everything. However, the issue facing Zhulian Queen was a lack of talent, which Lu Chen was very attentive to.
"I have already understood the situation. I will write a letter to Fishing Sun shortly to consult with Zi Zhao. He should be able to come up with a solution for this matter."
In an instant, Lu Chen thought of Sun Zizhao. He surely had many followers and connections in this area, so it would be best for him to handle such matters.
Additionally, if Sun Zizhao sent someone over, they could engage in practical learning here while bringing people along. Once they brought people out, they would also have learned a lot of elite skills themselves.
After two years, when they launched an attack on the Central Plains, they would undoubtedly need talents from this area. By then, Yushan Kingdom would also be ripe for picking, allowing them to extract those talents.
Having a group of well-educated students who had undergone practical training to manage affairs for Sun Zizhao in various regions would be ideal.
There was also Lian Shuang, one of Lu Chen's absolute confidants, who had not been by his side in recent years.
Lian Shuang was studious, intelligent, and quiet—perfect for some training. Therefore, Lu Chen decided to send Old Mu and Lian Dashuang to Five Element Sect to bring Lian Shuang back; he should now be a teenager.
To discuss state affairs, Lu Chen and Queen talked late into the night, and that evening was spent there.
Of course, regarding the whereabouts of Lu Chen and Queen, this was state secret; no one even knew they had spent the night there or what they had done.
The next morning, Lu Chen got dressed and left the palace amidst Zhulian Queen's disappointed gaze.
There were many matters that required his personal attention, such as Princess Zhulan using her forces to replace the subordinates of Kalan Prince. Some friction was inevitable in this process, especially with high-ranking officials; without showing them some severity, it would be difficult to subdue them.
Moreover, there was another crucial point: the preparations by the King of Qi to wage war against the Central Plains. This signaled the arrival of chaotic times.
As a neighbor to Qi Kingdom, it was wise for Yushan Kingdom not to participate in the war initially and preserve its strength. They must resolutely avoid being affected or drawn into the conflict before it began.
For this reason, under the directive of the newly appointed Queen of Yushan Kingdom, troop movements towards Heishuiguan commenced. Both naval and land forces, along with heavy and light equipment, would gradually arrive at the border over the next month or two to ensure stability and security at the border.
The purpose of this action has another layer of reasoning, which is to facilitate immediate support for the Central Plains. After all, the situation is ever-changing and cannot be fully grasped by human capability; one must respond to change with consistency.
The Yushan Kingdom is mobilizing troops to the border and manufacturing equipment, aiming to be ready to assist the Central Plains at any moment. Externally, they are conducting military drills and ensuring border security.
At this point, Lu Chen's deployment in the Central Plains can be considered one-third complete. In the northeast, the Yushan Kingdom is eyeing the situation closely, while the Zhulian Queen will manage everything.
In the northern grasslands of the Central Plains, Princess Yuanzheng's cavalry maintains order, ensuring that no matter how arrogant Qi Kingdom and Han Kingdom, as well as Regional Governors and Provincial Governors may be, they must take these two aspects into account.
Furthermore, the eastern, southern, and western defenses of the Central Plains remain relatively weak and require further arrangements without haste.
Especially concerning the southwest, the Demon King Dynasty is a formidable presence that Lu Chen must regard with caution. It has been a significant threat for centuries, having sought to encroach upon the Central Plains since long ago. Although it failed in the past, Lu Chen will not allow it to succeed now; this is a given.
Once matters here are arranged, Lu Chen will leave reliable informants behind and establish a solid intelligence network to ensure rapid and stable information exchange between Wasteland Continent and the Central Plains. After completing this, Lu Chen plans to return to Wasteland Continent.
After all, he has been away for over two months, and there is an important matter that needs his attention back home.
Thus, on a dark and windy night, Lu Chen's Thousand-Step Ship quietly set sail from the southern Naval Base of Yushan Kingdom, heading eastward across the sea.
Of course, this time he brought fewer people. The foremost among them was Zhulian Queen; she would remain stationed in Underground City for a long time and could no longer wander alongside Lu Chen.
Lu Chen left Jiang Jie and his brothers in the palace. The three brothers have shown considerable skill; with recent training and Lu Chen's guidance, their Qigong cultivation has nearly reached Divine Power Body level, making them formidable experts.
Keeping them in the palace serves to ensure the Queen's safety as a form of shadow protection.
Additionally, Lu Chen did not take the Dragon Slayer Legion with him. These sixty elite individuals remain in Yushan Kingdom to protect the Queen from potential backlash from Miao Sheng Maiyi and Kalan Prince.
Of course, Miao Sheng Maiyi and Kalan Prince are unlikely to appear again in the near future. The Dragon Slayer Legion will also be available for Sun Zizhao's commands to assist with various protective or assassination tasks, proving quite useful.
This time, Lu Chen set out to sea with very few people. Besides the Treasure Guardian Beast and Yuanmo Laozu, there were Old Mu, Lian Dashuang, and a confidant named Yue Shaoting. He only had three to five trusted aides, while the rest were craftsmen and Youth.
To reduce trouble, Lu Chen deliberately took a detour, spending an extra seven to eight hours to avoid the waters under the jurisdiction of Yuanrong Immortal Island.
He was not afraid of Yuanrong Immortal Island; rather, he was pressed for time. The three-month deadline was approaching, and the date to head to God's Tomb was drawing near. Lu Chen did not want any unnecessary complications.
He held a deep grudge against King Jun and Feng Poyi from Yuanrong Immortal Island. If they met, at the very least, it would lead to a life-and-death struggle.
Lu Chen was not afraid of being unable to defeat them; he was just worried about attracting trouble that would delay his plans.
After all, Yuanrong Immortal Island had more than just King Jun and Feng Poyi. There were many powerful experts. At least nine others were on the same level as King Jun, along with Divine Dragon's Hideout and Dragon Clone, all of whom were Void Immortal level two or three experts—extremely formidable.
There were also countless disciples who were quite troublesome.
This time, it took over twenty days to reach Wasteland Continent. Fortunately, there were no unforeseen events along the way; everything went smoothly.
As soon as the large ship entered the city port, Lu Chen summoned Chen Qilin. He learned that during these days, there had been a group of beasts that came to launch surprise attacks.
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