Chu Chen, seated in the carriage, lowered the curtain and looked at Li Mengdie opposite him with a helpless expression.
This woman had insisted on accompanying him on this campaign, and now that they were out, she was becoming rather brazen.
"Chu Chen, why the long face? Aren't you happy I'm here?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Chen couldn't help but roll his eyes at Li Mengdie. "I'm just thinking about the upcoming battle. We don't know how many brave souls will perish in this fight."
Li Mengdie sneered, "You've got quite a bit of blood on your hands, haven't you? And now you're getting sentimental?"
Chu Chen shook his head. "I won't show any mercy when fighting. Neither Zhao nor Wei are easy enemies to deal with."
"Each of them is a tough opponent for me."
"It's just that I can foresee their moves and see through their strategies, which makes the fighting easier. Otherwise, it would be our people dying."
Li Mengdie, lost in thought, scrutinized Chu Chen from head to toe, then burst into laughter. "Who are you trying to fool? Seeing through Zhao and Wei's strategies? Do you have spies in their camps?"
Chu Chen shook his head.
Li Mengdie blinked. "Then have you bribed officials in both countries to relay information to you quickly?"
Speaking of which, Li Mengdie examined Chu Chen again, her expression growing more perplexed. "That doesn't make sense either. Even if you have people in both countries, they couldn't possibly relay accurate information to you so efficiently, quickly, and promptly."
Li Mengdie stared at Chu Chen. "Tell me, what method do you use to determine the movements of these two countries?"
Chu Chen shook his head. "I can't tell you that right now. Even Princess Xin Yue and those ministers are still in the dark. Do you think I can tell you now?"
Li Mengdie's expression shifted slightly, and she then sneered, "Fine, you won't tell me, will you? Then I'll just blurt out everything about us, and see if you talk."
Hearing this, Chu Chen's gaze turned icy. "What did you say? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Chu Chen's gaze sent a shiver down Li Mengdie's spine, and she froze. "You, what do you want? I warn you, this is Yun Yue country's territory. Do you dare lay a hand on me?"
Chu Chen let out a scoff. "You ask if I dare lay a hand on you? That's ridiculous."
"Why wouldn't I dare? We've already been intimate. What's so daring about this?"
As he spoke, Chu Chen leaned towards Li Mengdie. With each step he took forward, she retreated half a step, until finally, she was pressed against the carriage wall, with nowhere left to go, cornered by Chu Chen.
Chu Chen pressed down on her from above at an angle, pinning Li Mengdie so she couldn't move.
"If our affair gets out, neither of us will fare well. Before that happens, I might as well collect some interest from you. That way, I won't be at a loss. What do you say?"
Li Mengdie's face flushed crimson. She understood perfectly what Chu Chen meant by collecting interest.
Ever since she had forcibly become involved with Chu Chen in order to secure the throne, she had known that her entanglement with him would be messy.
But she never expected that so soon after, Chu Chen would become the aggressor. His audacity was truly astounding.
"What do you want? I warn you, do you think my initiative last time was because I genuinely liked you? Don't be delusional. I just wanted to survive. As for now, if you dare make any move, I can make you regret it at any time. Do you believe me?"
Chu Chen, however, couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, then I'd like to see what you'll do to make me regret it."
Originally, he hadn't intended to do anything, merely to threaten her. But now, Chu Chen was intrigued. He reached out to undo Li Mengdie's clothing.
Li Mengdie was startled and desperately tried to resist, but Chu Chen easily grabbed her wrists.
Inside the carriage, Li Mengdie was like a lamb facing a wolf when confronted by Chu Chen; she had no power to resist.
Chu Chen, with a cold smirk, stopped talking nonsense and stuffed a handkerchief into Li Mengdie's mouth.
Li Mengdie struggled to spit out the handkerchief, but Chu Chen gave her no chance, pressing her acupoints and rendering her immobile.
Inside the carriage, Chu Chen's actions were so violent that the carriage began to shake violently.
Outside the carriage, the army continued its march towards Zhao.
However, the army's pace was moderate. They were still at least two days away from reaching the border between Yun Yue and Zhao.
The Yun Yue soldiers, marching at a brisk pace, had stern and murderous expressions. The commoners and travelers they encountered along the way quickly made way.
"Where are these soldiers going? They all look so capable. Who's leading them?"
"Of course, it's Prime Minister Chu leading them. I heard Prime Minister Chu is going to attack Zhao. After this battle, Prime Minister Chu's prestige will surely increase."
"Why do I hear that other officials and even His Majesty want to attack Wei?"
"Yes, but Prime Minister Chu, with his silver tongue, managed to persuade His Majesty to choose to attack Zhao. You can imagine how outstanding Prime Minister Chu's abilities are."
"That's true, but if they lose this time, won't Prime Minister Chu bear all the responsibility?"
"That's hard to say. But how could Prime Minister Chu possibly lose?"
"With Prime Minister Chu's combat prowess, only the enemy will lose."
"Regardless, Prime Minister Chu has plenty of combat experience. Attacking Zhao should be a piece of cake, shouldn't it?"
The army gradually moved away, but the discussions about them among the commoners had not stopped.
Among the crowd, two young men with peculiar expressions and dressed in simple clothes immediately left after hearing the people's words.
They went to a place where horses were tethered. One of them untied the reins of a horse and mounted it.
"Report back immediately that the Yun Yue army is advancing towards our country."
"They will reach the border in two days at most."
"The faster, the better. Do not be discovered by the Yun Yue army. Make sure this message reaches Handan City."
"Understood."
The man on horseback gave a strange military salute to the man standing on the ground, then spurred his horse forward, galloping away.
The news quickly reached Zhao. Upon hearing the report, the Zhao emperor's face grew increasingly grim.
"They are getting closer. Prime Minister, has the Wei reinforcements arrived?"
"Your Majesty, the Wei emperor says they also need to defend against Yun Yue's attack and cannot come for now."
The Zhao emperor angrily threw the glazed lamp in his hand to the ground.
"He's lying."