A Grand Strategy! The Strategist's First Glimpse of Talent

Chen Rui pondered earnestly, countless experiences and knowledge from his past life flashing through his mind. He felt that much of it could be useful, but he couldn't produce a concrete plan immediately, so he could only search slowly through his settled memories.

Shea did not disturb him, simply watching Chen Rui quietly as she waited for his answer. It was undeniable that while this human man's appearance could not be called particularly handsome, his contemplative expression held a unique charm; it was no wonder Alice and Athena both enjoyed spending time with him so much.

"Since the Princess is being so open and honest with me, I will not fear making a fool of myself, despite my mediocre intellect." After thinking for a long time, Chen Rui finally had a rough framework. "The situation in Darkmoon can be described as internal trouble and external aggression. Generally speaking, to resist external threats, one must first resolve internal issues; the strength of Darkmoon itself is the fundamental condition for resisting the Imperial Capital. However, Prince Heiyao's patience is gradually wearing thin, and he has begun using various means to deal with Darkmoon. If war were to truly break out, given Darkmoon's current state, it would be utterly defenseless. Therefore, we must take two steps simultaneously: first, distract Heiyao to buy time for development; second, resolve the internal ills of the territory as quickly as possible to rapidly increase our strength."

Shea was quite satisfied with his use of the word "we" and said, "Your grasp of the big picture is excellent, but the problem is, how do we buy time? Or rather, how do we distract Heiyao?"

"Athena's father, General George, is the Princess's greatest supporter, and he is currently guarding Warlock Fortress on the northern border. I have heard from Athena that although the three empires have signed a peace treaty, the Blood Fiend Empire frequently harasses the border and sometimes even launches small-scale battles. Does Emperor Leizen of the Blood Fiend Empire turn a blind eye to this and refuse to restrain them?"

Shea nodded. "At the time, Heiyao used the excuse of Emperor White Night's sacrifice for the Demon Realm to sign peace treaties with the Blood Fiend and Shadow empires. However, in terms of power, prestige, and talent, Heiyao cannot be compared to the other two emperors. Thus, both empires have always coveted my Fallen Angel Empire, especially Emperor Leizen, and Empress Catherine of the Shadow Empire is no simple figure either; not only is her strength not much inferior to Leizen's, but she is also the greatest sage in the Demon Realm. The Fallen Angel Empire has fallen from the strongest empire to the weakest."

"So, Heiyao is most wary of the two empires? Since General George is at Warlock Fortress, why don't we make use of the Blood Fiend Empire?"

Chen Rui's suggestion made Shea frown deeply. "You don't understand. The confrontation between Heiyao and me is an internal affair of the Lucifer Royal Family and the Fallen Angel Empire. No matter how dire the situation in Darkmoon becomes, it will never sink to the level of colluding with foreign enemies. Even if we borrowed Leizen's power to wipe out Heiyao, the Fallen Angel Empire would effectively be handed over to the Blood Fiend. My Lucifer clan would inevitably decline because of it, and I, Shea, would then be the greatest sinner of the empire."

"The Princess misunderstands," Chen Rui smiled slightly. "I mean that when necessary, we use General George to create the illusion of a Blood Fiend Empire invasion to divert the Regent's attention. Of course, that is not enough. Aside from external threats, we must also create some trouble within the country to further drain Heiyao's energy, letting this Regent taste the bitterness of internal and external strife to buy precious time for Darkmoon."

Shea nodded slightly and praised, "This line of thinking is quite novel. There is no problem with General George's side, but as for the domestic front, the lords who openly support me have basically defected to Heiyao, and Darkmoon is restricted by the Chiyou territory at every turn. I fear it will be difficult to accomplish anything."

"When I speak of the domestic front, I don't mean using lords to pressure the Imperial Capital, but rather another method. I have a plan, but this plan has very high requirements for the person chosen. This person must have immense courage, outstanding eloquence, a clear head, strong adaptability, and be well-versed in business. It would be best to also create a background for them that makes them easy to trust."

"If not for the last point, I would have thought this candidate was yourself," Chen Rui's words piqued Shea's interest. "I would like to hear your plan first."

"It is currently just a preliminary concept. If there is anything inappropriate, I hope the Princess will not take offense."

Chen Rui leaned in and spoke in a low voice. Shea's eyes gradually became solemn, then shocked, and it was a long time before she returned to a state of calm.

"I have to say, your intelligence is quite terrifying," a glimmer of brilliance shone in Shea's eyes. "This is a ruthless, ingenious strategy. If it succeeds, I fear the Imperial Capital and those territories will fall into chaos, and we will obtain a terrifying amount of wealth."

"Terrifying? Ruthless? Is the Princess praising me or belittling me?" Chen Rui gave a wry smile. "However, this plan is still just a rough concept that needs further refinement. It might come in handy at a critical moment in the future. Whether before the plan or after its success, it must be kept strictly confidential."

Shea's eyes flickered as she said, "Yes, it must be kept secret. If this ingenious strategy is used well, it might deal a heavy blow to Prince Heiyao."

"Then, does this count as a little secret between us?" Chen Rui said, getting carried away, but he regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. She was an ojousama, yes, and a beauty, yes, but the problem was the "iceberg" prefix, or perhaps the "terrifying" prefix that should be added before that. If she got angry and unleashed a wave of killing intent, he would be done for.

Fortunately, Shea did not get angry; her gaze simply turned cold. "I do not wish to hear such words again. Instead of dwelling on such things, you would do better to apply your intellect to planning, just like the ingenious strategy you just proposed."

"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean anything else," Chen Rui smiled sheepishly. "I just saw that the Princess works very hard on territorial affairs and never smiles, so I wanted to make a joke to make Your Highness happy."

Shea stared at the Lucifer Royal Family emblem on the opposite wall for a moment, then said faintly, "I don't remember the last time I laughed... let's leave that kind of happiness to Alice."

Chen Rui was slightly shaken. He fell silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "What I just mentioned only addresses external threats. Darkmoon's internal problems are equally critical. If they aren't resolved quickly, even if Heiyao doesn't make a move, there will be little hope of a turnaround."

A spark of light appeared in Shea's purple eyes. "I was just about to hear your opinion on this matter."

Although the atmosphere of discussion returned, both of them felt, in their hearts, that it was somehow different from before.

Chen Rui pointed out that military and economic issues were currently the biggest internal problems for the Darkmoon territory, and both had to be firmly in Shea's own hands. Regarding the military, Shea controlled the Royal Palace Guard and still had the strength to contend with the Garrison Army. However, in terms of the economy, Darkmoon's lifeline was completely held by the Chiyou territory, which was the most fatal point. Compared to the military, which Heiyao was more sensitive to, the economic issue should be the priority for Shea to resolve.

Shea agreed with this analysis. "Chen Rui, your thoughts are the same as mine. However, more than half of Darkmoon's grain supply comes from the support of the Alvin family, and the merchant guild and half the shops in Darkmoon City are in the hands of Joseph. The situation is very passive. Two years ago, I tried to use merchant caravans to open a route to the west for trade and grain procurement, but they were intercepted and slaughtered by bandit groups several times, resulting in heavy losses. If the bandit problem isn't solved, the trade route can never be cleared."

"Why not send the army to wipe them out?" Chen Rui asked, puzzled. In his impression, those bandits usually fled when they saw regular troops.

Shea shook her head and sighed. "I have sent Allen to lead troops to clear them out several times, but they all returned in failure. I suspect the bandits are simply a trap set by the Chiyou territory, intended to further control Darkmoon, and Allen is very likely an accomplice."

Chen Rui frowned and said nothing. One was a white-eyed wolf, the other a smiling tiger; with collusion inside and out, Darkmoon's budding signs of development were strangled. If these two weren't removed, Shea would have no chance of turning the tables.

Wolf? Tiger? Right, could he use the "drive the tiger to swallow the wolf" strategy? But currently, the two were in cahoots, so there seemed to be no possibility of them killing each other.

"Princess, I need the most detailed data, including all statistics within the territory, as well as the situation of each family and important members, especially Joseph and Allen."

The battlefield is like the marketplace; planning is like market strategy. First, one must clearly analyze the market situation before a plan can be formulated.

"Do you have a way to deal with these two?" Shea felt more and more that those two decisions were absolutely correct. Even without the inheritance of a Grandmaster, the abilities this human man displayed were enough for her to value and employ him.

"The Princess overestimates me," Chen Rui shook his head. "I don't have a concrete plan yet, which is why I need more detailed data. We humans have an ancient military proverb: 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.'"

Rome wasn't built in a day. This rough framework could be kept; for both public and private reasons, these two were targets he intended to scheme against.

"'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles'?" Shea looked at him deeply. "The Demon Realm is no stranger to the human world. Although I haven't heard this saying, I am very glad now that you are not my enemy. Whether it's the ingenious strategy from just now or the overall planning, even old Gauss cannot compare to you. This kind of wisdom shouldn't have much to do with the Grandmaster's inheritance; it is entirely your own talent."

Could that have been the Demon Realm version of the "Longzhong Plan"? In that case, he did have some potential to be a military strategist... Chen Rui chuckled a few times. "Princess, actually I..."

"Alright, no need to explain. I only know that you are now the Archivist of Darkmoon, and that is enough. Once the data you requested is organized later, I will have Kagulon send it to the laboratory." Shea closed the document and said sternly, "I want to remind you that Allen is not difficult to deal with, but behind him is the Kalon Family. If you kill him and someone even harder to deal with comes to take control of the military, it will be a loss that outweighs the gain. But Joseph is a very complex person. Even though you covered your tracks well during the aerial competition, it inevitably aroused some of his suspicions. You must be cautious."

Chen Rui indicated he understood and said, "I also want to remind Your Highness: perhaps due to the Grandmaster's inheritance, I have a strange feeling when I see Joseph, as if this person's power is even above Athena's. Regardless, the Princess must be careful."

A look of surprise flashed through Shea's deep purple eyes. "Worthy of being the successor of a Grandmaster. Your intuition... should be correct."

Hearing Shea say this, Chen Rui knew she must have her own suspicions. He didn't say anything more, though he wondered who was stronger between the "iceberg" Princess and the "smiling tiger," both of whom had strength that was "impossible to judge."

He heard that as soon as the aerial competition ended yesterday, Joseph returned to the Chiyou territory with the special envoy, likely to plead guilty to his lord father.

Chen Rui pondered for a moment and confessed his partnership with Alice to open a shop. He first used the excuse of testing business strategies, then painted a blueprint, saying that he might open more shops in the future to establish a merchant guild to counter Joseph. Finally, he subtly expressed his other goal: to earn money to satisfy the magic materials consumed by the Beast Taming Technique.

Shea did not oppose this; instead, she looked apologetic. "Your considerations are indeed very far-sighted. Go ahead and do it; I will support you fully. It's just that the resources I have on hand are truly limited, and I cannot provide you with more funds or materials."

Chen Rui was overjoyed. Funds and materials were immediate needs, but the key was policy. Since Shea expressed full support, it would undoubtedly be the greatest help for his future money-making plans.

As he took his leave, Shea's faint voice came from behind: "Your first day of work was quite outstanding, Archivist."

Chen Rui smiled slightly and strode out the door.