"Your Highness, Zhu Wuyuan's governance and military strategy are unparalleled. He has never been defeated in simulated national warfare. This Formation also simulates reality, blending the real and the illusory. You..."
Murong Bai's brows furrowed deeply, and he swallowed back the words he was about to say, letting out only a heavy sigh.
Standing beside Zhang Yu, Zhang Lingyun whispered, "National warfare is not like individual Cultivation. You have neither experience in governing a country nor military affairs. The complexities of battle are numerous; I'm afraid..."
She didn't say "the worst is yet to come" aloud, but the worry in her eyes was unmistakable.
It's alright.
Zhang Yu curled the corners of his lips, a hint of eager anticipation surfacing in his eyes.
In his past life, when he was in school, he was a master of the Total War and Civilization series. He could play games with his eyes closed, strategizing and developing the economy with ease.
"In that case, let's begin."
Zhu Wuyuan stepped aside and had someone help Wu Lingyue down to treat her injuries, then took out a bronze Formation Disk from his sleeve.
As the Formation Disk landed, a dark blue pattern appeared on the ground, spreading outwards like a spider web.
He retreated to the edge of the formation, cupped his hands in greeting to Zhang Yu, and said, "Please."
Zhang Yu was not to be outdone and stepped onto the Formation Disk.
The next moment, the world spun around.
When his vision cleared again, he was standing in a magnificent golden Great Hall.
Civil and military officials stood on either side, the civil officials holding account books and the military officers with their hands on their sword hilts, their eyes all fixed on him.
A strange memory flooded my mind at the same time—the end of the Great Sheng Dynasty.
The Great Sheng Dynasty had a population of ten million, an army of two hundred thousand, and annual tax revenue of ten million taels of silver.
But by this time, the people's livelihood was in ruins and chaotic politics were rampant.
This is his base of operations, exactly the same as the initial conditions Zhu Wuyuan received.
But he soon realized something was wrong; these data weren't just cold numbers, but living, breathing people.
The Minister of Revenue would secretly replace disaster relief grain with stale rice, border generals would embezzle soldiers' pay, and even the palace eunuchs were scheming to skim off the top.
Two enormous orbs of light floated in the sky, the one on the left being "Dasheng" and the one on the right being "Great Zhou," with images flashing continuously within them.
Farmland is cracked, soldiers are sharpening their swords, and caravans are being ripped off at the city gates, crying out in despair...
Even more bizarrely, the Formation accelerated the flow of time in the outside world by a hundred times. The changes inside the light sphere appeared normal to Zhang Yu and Zhu Wuyuan, but to the crowd in the square, it was like watching a shadow play that had been fast-forwarded.
"The Prime Minister has already begun to handle civil affairs. He has dealt with corrupt officials and rewarded farming, which has greatly boosted morale across the country."
Look, the public opinion score has increased by three points!
"Sheng Yu is still in a daze. He probably hasn't even figured out how to use this Formation yet."
"A country bumpkin is a country bumpkin; he's never seen the world."
Murong Bai and Sima Sheng were so anxious they were wringing their hands, but they could only watch from the sidelines, unable to get a word in edgewise.
Zhang Yu finally came to his senses and tried to give the order, "Ministry of Revenue, open the granaries and distribute grain to relieve the disaster victims."
But the accountant stammered, "Your Majesty, this year's tax revenue hasn't been deposited into the treasury yet, and the Minister of Revenue is on sick leave."
He then turned to the Ministry of War: "Order all battalions to intensify drills and conduct a small test every three days."
The Minister of War bowed his head and coughed, "Your Majesty, the soldiers haven't received their pay for three months. They're not even getting enough to eat, how can they have the strength to train?"
Next, drawing on his experience reading novels in his previous life, he introduced some measures to combat corruption.
But he had no political experience and overlooked the greed in people's hearts; even the best policies can be turned into opportunities for corrupt officials to make money.
As a result, morale among the troops and the people declined instead of rising, and there were even red alerts of soldiers mutiny and officials being corrupt.
"Damn it, all those novels are lies."
Zhang Yu cursed inwardly, "This isn't a game!"
This is clearly like opening a blind box; each NPC has their own little scheme.
Haha! Look!
"Zhang Yu's soldiers' pay was embezzled by corrupt officials by 50%, how can they fight this battle?"
"The Sheng Family is indeed not destined to govern a country; it's only been a few days and it's already in such chaos."
Laughter erupted in the square, and Sima Sheng closed his eyes in despair.
Zhang Lingyun rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "What's with the show-off?"
Just then, Zhu Wuyuan's Great Hall was already in perfect order.
He held power for many years, was adept at winning people's hearts, and knew how to bind interests and form alliances.
He understood that the internal affairs of the dynasty were beyond saving at the end of its reign, so he directly sought a different path, using expansion and military achievements to divert domestic conflicts.
He managed to bind the interests of local powerful families who were annexing land, forcing them to serve the country.
As a result, public morale, military morale, and fighting spirit soared.
Zhang Yu used methods for punishing corruption from novel plots, only to be slapped in the face by reality.
Meanwhile, Zhu Wuyuan had already mustered an army of 100,000, their banners obscuring the sun, and marched north in a mighty procession.
While Zhang Yu was still frantically dealing with the soldiers' wage protest, he suddenly received an urgent report from the border, "The Pseudo-Zhou Army has invaded the border!"
He reluctantly donned his armor and went into battle, but was routed by Zhu Wuyuan's cavalry as soon as they clashed.
"Oh my god..."
Zhang Yu, clinging desperately to the reins, watched as his soldiers fell one after another around him, finally understanding the meaning of "theory without practice is ultimately superficial."
"This is something games can't compare to!"
He could only order his troops to hold the pass at all costs and refuse to fight.
In a war of attack and defense, as long as the defending side holds firm, it would be virtually Ascension to Heaven for the enemy to capture the cities one by one.
Zhang Yu leaned back on the Dragon Throne, one hand supporting his chin, the other tapping a rhythm on the armrest, as if he were looking for an opportunity to break the deadlock, or perhaps he was lost in thought.
Inside the Formation, time flows a hundred times faster than outside, but to him, it seems to stretch out infinitely long.
Zhu Wuyuan, as expected of an old fox, didn't just crash into the pass and die.
He left a detachment to continue sharpening his teeth on the Great Zhou border, while he led the main force back to rest and reorganize, much like Genghis Khan had done when he fought against the Jin Kingdom.
I'll take my time, be steady and methodical, and wear you down every day for ten years until I finally defeat you.
Meanwhile, for Zhang Yu, the border was constantly Zhu Wuyuan's encroachment.
The city is rife with corrupt officials, the threat of mutiny, and those damned red warnings of "declining public morale" and "unstable military morale."
"You coward, all you do is hide! Let's see how long you can keep this up!"
"A prolonged defense will inevitably lead to defeat; at best, we'll prolong our lives for a few more years before facing certain death!"
In the square, waves of mockery rose higher and higher, and even many who had initially been optimistic about Zhang Yu began to shake their heads.
Murong Bai sighed and whispered to Sima Sheng, "It seems His Your Highness can't hold on any longer."
Sima Sheng smiled wryly, "The Prime Minister's style of play is extremely patience-testing; most people can't withstand it."
Zhang Yu listened to the discussions outside, but did not rush to refute them.
He knew very well that he was no match for Zhu Wuyuan in a direct field battle;
He was incapable of winning a decisive battle over national strength; he lacked political acumen and was completely unable to navigate the corrupt atmosphere of the late dynasty.
"Looks like we can't win in a head-on fight..."
He muttered to himself, a cold glint slowly flashing in his eyes.
"We'll have to resort to some Evil Cultivator methods."
Next, he dispatched all the remaining Royal Secret Agents who were still capable of carrying out orders, intending to give Zhu Wuyuan a shock from the pyramid scheme.