Chapter Fifty-Four: Mysterious White Clothes

  The capital of the Asman Empire is Azure City.

  It was already late at night, but the queen's bedroom still had lights on.

  The Queen, Lin Mei, was intently studying a piece of intelligence under the lamp, while Chancellor Adolf stood far away. The mysterious woman in white sat at a table not far from the queen, picking up the letters on the table and carefully examining them one by one, occasionally burying her head in deep thought.

  "These useless beastmen, can't they even lift their knives due to hunger? Fifty thousand people attacking a city with only twenty thousand defenders, and yet they suffered a crushing defeat!" The Empress Lin Mei slammed the intelligence report in her hand onto the ground, her voice full of hatred.

  Chancellor Adolf hurried forward, bent down and picked it up: "Your Majesty the Empress, please calm your anger, this matter is indeed justified."

  "Adolf, you'd better tell me, where did this mysterious power come from? Why did it appear within the Fire Cloud Empire and we knew nothing about it?" Lin Mei glared at Adolf, her anger bursting forth as she asked.

  After making good preparations for the attack on Huoyun Empire, Lin Mei offered very favorable conditions to the beastmen, enticing them to send a large army to attack Hanshui City every year at the autumn wind border. According to her plan, once the beastmen broke into the western part of Huoyun Empire and attracted the military strength of Huoyun, she would lead her army northward, forming a pincer movement. Unfortunately, the beastmen failed to open the west gate of Huoyun, but instead suffered a crushing defeat in Hanshui City.

  "Your Majesty, I have already sent someone to investigate this matter. The defeat of the Beastmen in the Battle of Cold Castle was caused by the sudden appearance of a mercenary group called Black Eagle. This mercenary group has only over 200 people, and its leader is named War Eagle, who has dozens of magicians, including even a few magic conductors. The Beastmen army lacked magicians, and with the unexpected death of Lieutenant General Lie Hu of the Third Legion, they retreated in disarray." Adolf reported respectfully.

  "The Black Eagle Mercenary Group has never appeared in the Huoyun Empire, nor have they ever landed, so we are temporarily unclear about their specific situation. I have arranged for personnel to investigate their origins with all due haste."

  "Dozens of magicians? This sounds a bit like a myth. In the Blue Moon Continent, I've never heard of any organization that can have so many magicians. Is this Black Eagle really a hidden force of the Huoyun Empire?" Lin Mei frowned and asked.

  "According to the beastman's feedback, except for the magician, all members of the Black Eagle have super strong defense and attack power, making them extremely difficult to deal with. If this is the hidden power of the Huoyun Empire, then we can only temporarily hold back our troops and first investigate the bottom line of the Black Eagle Mercenary Group."

  Adolf made a detailed report to Linmei about what he knew.

  "Alright, everything needs to be planned before taking action. Temporarily cancel the military operation against the Huoyun Empire, but continue with the operation against Yantian. Arrange for people to fully investigate the details of Heiying, especially that Zhan Ying, and report back to me as soon as there is any news." Lin Mei's anger gradually dissipated, and her tone also returned to calmness.

  "Yes." Adolf replied.

  "The beastmen did not fulfill their promise and agreed to their terms, so it was invalidated."

  "Sister, this matter still needs to be carefully considered." Upon hearing Lin Mei's words, the woman in white lifted her head. Although her face was veiled and her features were unclear, a pair of beautiful eyes shone with wisdom, giving off an otherworldly aura.

  "What does your sister think?" Lin Mei seemed to be extra gentle with this sister, and asked softly.

  "Let them have the grain as agreed. The beastmen are only seeking survival, their lives are indeed bitter. Moreover, this time they have done their best, if you do so, it may chill the hearts of the beastmen and lose their assistance for nothing."

  The woman in white said slowly.

  "Sister, you always sympathize with others, but your words are reasonable. This matter will be settled according to your wishes."

  After finishing speaking, Lin Mei turned around and instructed Adolf: "Give them food, but make them promise to cooperate with us in the future. You can go now."

  After Adolf left, Linmei also walked over and sat down at the table.

  "Sister, what did you make out from these letters?"

  "Sister, are you testing me?" The woman in white asked with a smile.

  "No, I just think that with your wisdom, and as an outsider, you might be able to see things more clearly."

  "This letter mentions that Xisi is unwilling to cooperate with you in attacking Huoyun. The reason why the King of Xisi does this is twofold: one is fear of being affected by the misfortune of others, and two is to sit back and watch the fight between tigers, waiting for the opportunity to reap the benefits. However, the letter also mentions that Xisi's military minister Xi Le's power has expanded rapidly, dominating the court. These two points are contradictory, so there must be some hidden truth behind them." The woman in white waved the letter in her hand and analyzed it carefully.

  "Oh?" Lin Mei was somewhat surprised. As for Xisi's idea, she could guess it, but the other point mentioned by the woman in white made her very unexpected.

  "What's going on behind the scenes?"

  "Sister, think carefully, a military minister dominating the court is abnormal in itself, at least it shows he's extremely eager for power. If you were in his position, would you allow such a minister to exist? This shows that the Kingdom of Xis has already fallen into a situation where the slaves are bullying their masters, and the royal power has been greatly weakened. As for going to war with other countries, it's a great opportunity for the military minister to seize power, how could he miss it? Unless he has other plans."

  After finishing speaking, the woman in white took out another letter.

  "Sister's analysis is very insightful!" Lin Mei sighed, "Your wisdom, sister can't compare to."

  "Let's take another look at this. The Minister of Military Affairs of the Huoyun Empire, Yan Tian, personally led a team to escort the prince back from Fengyu Plain. I dare to make an educated guess that the prince must have encountered danger during his trip and barely escaped, which is why Yan Tian went to welcome him in person. In this hypothesis, who would be likely to harm the prince? It's probably only those who want to become the Emperor of Huoyun Empire."

  "Yes, this matter is definitely the beginning of a fierce struggle for imperial power." Lin Mei nodded.

  "It seems that the Emperor of Huoyun Empire also has a premonition about this, and he sent a large team to personally welcome the prince, with the intention of intimidating others. However, by doing so, although it may have an effect, it may also cause the other side to become desperate. Therefore, if my hypothesis is correct, then the future situation of Huoyun Empire is worrying. So, sister, if you can wait patiently, opportunities may arise soon."

  After listening to the white-clothed woman's analysis, Lin Mei silently nodded her head.

  "Sister, I hope that your sword will protect the innocent people. After all, what you should be doing is eliminating the nobles, not mindless slaughter." The white-clothed woman said to Lin Mei.

  "Sister, do you think I'm a bad woman?"

  "No, you and I are just women abandoned by fate." The woman in white shook her head sorrowfully.

  "Perhaps you knew what kind of person I was, so you would occasionally help me out with some ideas?" Lin Mei smiled and said, "If you were my military advisor, I think the Asman army's spearhead would surely win a decisive victory."

  "Sister, you're overpraising me. Actually, looking at the lives of ordinary people in Asman and listening to their voices, I know that deep down, you still have sympathy for the poor. As for being a military strategist, little sister doesn't dare, these are just empty words on paper, which can mislead the country and its people." The woman in white said with a calm smile.

  "How's your situation going?" Lin Mei asked softly, glancing at the woman in white with a hint of helplessness.

  "It's going well so far, thanks for your support, sister. You treat me like a sister and help me with all your might, I'm afraid I won't be able to repay this kindness."

  "Alas, why must you be so persistent? This matter is inherently elusive, and even if you exert your utmost effort, the hope may still come to nothing. How will you cope with that?" Lin Mei sighed.

  "At least I've done my best. If fate has it this way, there won't be any regrets left in my heart." The woman in white said gloomily.