Chapter 535: Mistakenly stumbling upon it

What a joke! Fu Hao was a renowned female general, a famous war goddess. But the current Fu Hao is Pei Mianman, a young girl who was just crying out in pain and begging for mercy beneath him. How could she possibly endure the traumas of war?

Moreover, this trial is incredibly strange. He has no idea about the situation with the Qiang Fang; their forces previously wiped out the entire Shang army. For Pei Mianman, a young woman who has never led troops, wouldn't going there be akin to throwing herself into the lion's den?

Fu Shuo, standing nearby, advised, "Your Majesty, I know you and the Queen have a deep affection for each other, but this is truly not the time for sentimentality. Furthermore, the Queen has previously suppressed internal rebellions, demonstrating considerable military talent. Your Majesty need not worry so much."

Zu An felt frustrated, but he couldn't directly tell Fu Shuo the real reason for his concern.

Seeing that Zu An still disagreed, Fu Shuo continued to persuade him, "Your Majesty, this is a matter of life and death! If you allow your uncles or cousins to lead the army and return victorious, your throne will be at risk."

Zu An was startled. "Why?"

A hint of suspicion flashed across Fu Shuo's face when he heard the question. "Our Shang Dynasty generally follows a system where the throne passes from elder brother to younger brother. After a king's death, the succession usually goes to his younger brother, and so on. Only in a few rare instances is the throne passed to a biological son."

"When Pan Geng moved the capital to Yin, he passed the throne to his younger brother Xiao Xin upon his death. After Xiao Xin died, the throne went to his younger brother Xiao Yi, your father. Theoretically, he should have continued to pass it to his younger brother or the elder sons of previous kings. However, he passed the throne to you, his biological son. Naturally, other lords are dissatisfied and have constantly sought to usurp your position. If you allow them to lead the army and defeat the Qiang Fang this time, their prestige will soar. How will you then maintain your position, Your Majesty? You may feel sympathy for the Queen now, but if your throne is usurped, you will be powerless to protect her."

"Allow me to speak boldly, Your Majesty. The Queen is exceptionally beautiful. Should you fall from power, many will likely covet her. By then, it will be too late for regrets."

Hearing his explanation, Zu An finally understood the full implications. Fu Shuo truly deserved his reputation as an ancient sage, analyzing the pros and cons so clearly and persuasively. If they were the real King Wu Ding and Fu Hao, they would likely have been convinced. Unfortunately, they were imposters.

Just as he was about to find a way to refuse, Pei Mianman, who was beside him, spoke up, "Very well, I will go."

"Manman!" Zu An exclaimed in surprise, completely unprepared for her to volunteer.

Fu Shuo, standing by, was slightly puzzled by how the King addressed the Queen. However, he quickly dismissed it, thinking it must be a private nickname between the couple.

Pei Mianman pulled Zu An aside and transmitted her voice with qi, "Ah Zu, I know you're worried about me, but we are here for a trial. If we do nothing and simply hide in the palace, it might seem safe, but it's merely a temporary solution. Once the time limit is up, we will both be dead ends."

"Fu Shuo was clearly arranged by the trial to give us crucial information. His words should be trustworthy. If I don't lead the army, there are only a few possible outcomes: the Qiang Fang invade and the Shang Dynasty is destroyed; or your uncles and cousins lead the army to repel the Qiang Fang and then usurp the throne. Regardless of the outcome, our trial will certainly fail."

Zu An frowned, "But leading an army into battle is incredibly dangerous, and you have no experience in this area. It's likely to end badly."

Pei Mianman smiled sweetly, "Don't treat me like a sheltered girl from a noble family. Remember, I've cultivated my powers to this level through continuous practice. What kind of hardship haven't I faced? Besides, I've even been to a military camp..."

Zu An was surprised. "You've served in the army?"

He instinctively thought of Hua Mulan's story of disguising herself as a man to join the army. However, his gaze fell on her chest, immediately dismissing that guess; even if she wanted to, her physical attributes wouldn't allow for such a disguise.

"I haven't actually served as a soldier, but I've certainly experienced life in military camps," Pei Mianman said with a slight smile. "After all, the Pei family is a top aristocratic clan of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and we have connections and resources within the army."

She continued, "Don't worry, Ah Zu. As cultivators, we pursue our own Dao. All things in the world, in fact, share similar principles of Dao Yun. Since I could cultivate to the sixth rank at such a young age, even leading an army, I won't be foolish."

Seeing the confident glow on her face, Zu An realized that she wasn't just a beautiful ornament, but a genius cultivator. From childhood, she must have undergone unimaginable hardships and overcome countless difficulties to reach her current level. Why would he need to worry about her?

"I was being too rigid," Zu An apologized to her.

Pei Mianman, instead, became a little shy and awkward. "You just care about me too much."

Zu An laughed heartily. "Then I wish you instant success!"

Pei Mianman hummed in acknowledgment. "Don't worry, I will definitely complete the mission. Since this trial requires both a man and a woman to participate, there must be challenges specifically for each of us. You need to be careful too."

Zu An nodded, but his mind was racing. If the trial for the woman was to conquer the Qiang Fang, then what would his trial be?

Unfortunately, after pondering for a while, he still had no clue. So, he refocused his thoughts on helping Pei Mianman resolve the Qiang Fang issue first.

He had wanted to give her some insider tips, but historical records from the Shang Dynasty were scarce. There was no detailed account of how Fu Hao had specifically defeated the Qiang Fang. In desperation, he could only roughly describe the topography of the Shaanxi and Gansu regions to her, as Pei Mianman knew nothing about this world.

Zu An wasn't sure if this would be helpful, as he didn't have detailed contour military maps, only a rough idea of the mountain ranges and river courses.

Fu Shuo, standing nearby, was extremely surprised. "Your Majesty is so familiar with the Qiang Fang's terrain. How did you come to know this?"

Zu An was momentarily speechless. He had intended to say that he had sent others to gather intelligence, but Fu Shuo was a trusted high-ranking official, and such an excuse might not deceive him. So, he changed his story: "These past few nights, I dreamed of a celestial deity who imparted this knowledge to me."

Fu Shuo was overjoyed. "Hahaha, a divine dream! It seems Heaven favors Your Majesty and our great Shang Dynasty. This expedition is bound to be a triumphant return!"

Zu An's expression was odd. He had been worried that such a story wouldn't fool anyone, but it turned out that people in this superstitious era were surprisingly easy to deceive.

After his initial joy, Fu Shuo suddenly remembered something. "There's another issue now: selecting a general for the expedition requires the Grand Priest to pray to Heaven for the celestial deity's will. The Grand Priest belongs to the old nobility. If he obstructs us, the Queen might not be able to depart smoothly."

Zu An scoffed, "Since I received a divine dream, it's clear that the celestial deity is protecting me. Spread this news. Let's see if they dare to go against Heaven's will then."

Fu Shuo's eyes lit up. "This plan is brilliant! We can also disseminate the mountain and river maps Your Majesty just mentioned as evidence. Firstly, it will deter the Grand Priest from interfering. Secondly, it will boost the army's morale. This will ensure half the success of the expedition."

A thought struck Zu An. "Just drawing a map might not be intuitive enough. Let's create a sandbox model for all the soldiers to observe."

"Sandbox model?" Fu Shuo was puzzled.

Zu An then briefly explained the form and principles of a sandbox model. Fu Shuo repeatedly praised him. "Your Majesty is truly wise! After the Queen returns victorious from this expedition, you can leverage this momentum to have her appointed as the Grand Priest. This way, even the authority to interpret divine will will be reclaimed. Your Majesty's long-cherished ambitions will undoubtedly be realized very soon."

Pei Mianman gazed at him with tender, loving eyes. This man had given her so many surprises. The ingenious idea of a sandbox model was unheard of before, yet she could easily imagine its immense utility on the battlefield.

Sensing that everything was going well, Zu An mused to himself that ultimately, as a transmigrator, he was standing on the shoulders of giants. Furthermore, his familiarity with this period of history had allowed him to inadvertently resolve many crises in advance.

The previous pairs of men and women who came for the trial, no matter how brilliant, were completely ignorant of the Shang Dynasty's situation. They might not even have passed the Grand Priest's obstacle, let alone led an expedition against the formidable Qiang Fang later on.