Ji Province, Ye City.
The twelfth month had arrived, and the year's end was drawing near. All of Ye City was still steeped in festive cheer, with lanterns and decorations everywhere and bustle all around.
Everyone was looking forward to the New Year.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Court's preparations for the campaign against Bing Province were proceeding at a frantic pace, with troops expected to march before the year ended.
As the Son of Heaven, Liu Xie only needed to order an attack on Bing Province, but those under him had far more to consider.
He had given them so little time that everyone in the Imperial Court was frantic with work for this war. After all, no war could be launched on a whim.
Behind it lay the movement of grain, fodder, and supplies, the training of troops, the upgrading and preparation of weapons and armor, prewar mobilization, the replenishment of manpower...
It was an enormous and complicated undertaking.
As it happened, Liu Xie had plenty of generals who wielded swords and spears, and plenty of advisers skilled in stratagems, but he lacked precisely those talents who excelled at domestic administration and managing logistics.
The Imperial Palace, Qingli Palace.
The snow had stopped over the past few days, and the sky outside had cleared for once. But because the snow was melting, it was even colder than when it had been falling.
Inside Qingli Palace, however, the underfloor heating burned fiercely, forming a stark contrast with the cold outside, as though they were two different worlds.
Liu Xie was playing Go with Zhen Mi inside the palace.
The matter of the displaced people had been settled, and his ministers were busy handling military affairs, so he had enjoyed a rare spell of leisure over the past few days.
"Your Majesty,