I, Am a Living Yama; Empress Advises Me to Stay Calm

Zhu Biao’s expression was tense. Through the Brocade Guards’ intelligence network, he had learned how the enemy had achieved victory.
A shiver ran down his spine as he muttered, “His methods are beyond ruthless. The explosives were powerful, but they couldn’t reach the enemy on their own, so he had his own men carry them to detonate themselves.
“Even if the first to die were condemned prisoners, the next were all soldiers. Trading life for life—that’s too merciless.”
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head.
“Ruthless, perhaps, but effective. Didn’t you see how devastatingly the Qing suffered, caught completely off guard? Fortunately, it was the Qing who faced this. Had it been one of our own nations, we would have suffered greatly in this battle.”
A hint of lamentation coloured his tone.
Zhu Biao nodded, still absorbing the shock. Yang Yi’s explosives had appeared too suddenly, without warning; they were truly impossible to defend against.
Paired with his insidious strategy of using men as carriers to trade lives, it was unbelievably treacherous. If the Qing hadn’t borne the brunt of this, any one of them might have.
…
In the Great Tang, silence blanketed the Imperial Hall. Changsun Wuji and the others sat in stunned silence, while Li Shimin looked around, shock evident in his eyes.
“What a brilliant ‘lure the snake from its hole’ strategy…” he murmured.
“At first, we believed that after provoking Qianlong, Yang Yi would surely fail. Unexpectedly, he was fully prepared.
“A hidden explosive weapon, along with a group of fearless soldiers, managed to inflict over seventy percent casualties on the Qing army, which vastly outnumbered his own. Such a genius is truly a formidable enemy for our Great Tang.”
Li Jing’s expression was one of disbelief.
“The Qing army suffered such a crushing defeat, beaten by Yang Yi’s strategies from thousands of miles away.”
Changsun Wuji shook his head bitterly.
“We truly underestimated him.”
Fang Xuanling stroked his beard, shock etched on his face.
“This young man is only twenty years old, yet his cunning runs so deep.”
Du Ruhui sighed.
“Qianlong likely thought he had victory within his grasp. Yang Yi’s tactics are unspeakably ruthless, using people to carry explosives to their deaths. No one would ever think to guard against something like this.”
“And the power of the explosives is immense,” Fang Xuanling added.
“Once those explosive carriers reached the camp, it would collapse in moments. Zhangjia Agui’s defeat was inevitable.”
Li Jing continued, “Thankfully, it was the Qing who clashed with the Zhou first. Otherwise, Yang Yi’s cunning would have caught anyone off guard. If our Great Tang had faced the Zhou, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”
The officials nodded, a chill of fear spreading through them. Unwillingly, they felt a trace of gratitude toward the Qing for shouldering the first blow.
…
“How is this possible?” Li Si’s voice shook. “The Qing Empire was defeated so devastatingly?”
Feng Quji, Wang Wan, and the others sat motionless, their scalps tingling. None could believe it. With such unfavourable conditions, the entire court had thought the Qing would crush the Zhou—perhaps even decimate them.
No one had anticipated that Yang Yi’s dark tactics would decimate the Qing army, turning the tide completely.
“Is he even human?” Li Si shook his head, a chill running down his spine.
“Yang Yi’s strategy is ruthless, sending people to carry explosives to their deaths. No wonder the Qing army was defeated. Such brutal tactics go against the natural order.”
“Only he could conceive of such cruelty,” Wang Wan added, a bitter smile on his face.
“He used the survival instincts of prisoners, who then ran back to their own camp with explosives, inflicting unprecedented damage on their own army. The Qing soldiers never expected that the deadliest blow would come from their own ranks rather than the enemy.”
Feng Quji sighed. “The most insidious part is yet to come. With this strategy of prisoner bombs now known to all nations, the Zhou generals have a terrifying advantage. From now on, whenever Zhou generals release prisoners toward an enemy camp…
“The enemy camps will never dare to let them approach, even if they carry no explosives.”
A deathly silence filled the room as the officials processed this chilling consequence. “Ultimately, their own soldiers will have to shoot desperate comrades with arrows.”
Li Si and the others fell silent, unable to suppress a lingering fear.
Ying Zheng’s expression grew complex. He sighed softly.
“This person is indeed remarkable. You all underestimated him back then. Ruthless though his strategies are, history favours the victor.”
The ministers felt a wave of embarrassment as they remembered mocking Yang Yi’s sinister tactics—only to be proven wrong.
…
“With Heichi Changzhi’s report, our Great Zhou has now captured fifteen cities,” Wu Zhao said, her rosy lips curving into a smile, her phoenix eyes filled with joy.
Xu Jingzong quickly stepped forward, bowing.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty. Our Great Zhou’s territory has expanded, and we’ve secured victory after victory. Truly, it is Your Majesty’s great fortune.”
The other officials also chimed in with their congratulations. Wu Zhao’s face held a steady calm as she scanned her ministers before turning to Yang Yi. She knew well enough that her victory over the Qing was owed in great part to him.
“In this battle, the one deserving the highest honour is Minister Yang,” she declared solemnly.
Yang Yi started slightly, but quickly composed himself and bowed.
“Your servant is here.”
Wu Zhao’s tone softened. “Yang Yi, for your outstanding achievements and for rescuing our nation from great perils, I grant you the title of Chancellor, the rank of Baron of Kaiguo County, and a fief of one thousand households. This is my decree.”
Yang Yi raised an eyebrow, though he quickly bowed in gratitude. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
The ministers around him exchanged shocked glances. The Empress’s favour was indeed overwhelming.
The official system of the Zhou Kingdom was divided into three departments and six ministries, much like the structure of the Tang Dynasty.
The highest-ranking officials in these departments included the Chancellor— Zhongshuling, the Chief Minister—Shangshuling, and the Minister of the Secretariat—Menxia Shizhong. The Minister of the Secretariat, also known as the Left Chancellor, wielded considerable influence and power.
With his new title of Left Chancellor, Yang Yi now stood on equal footing with Xu Jingzong, the Chancellor, and Wei Yuanzhong, the Chief Minister.
His youth, especially in comparison to the more senior Xu Jingzong and Wei Yuanzhong, made this achievement even more astounding. He was now to be addressed as Chancellor Yang.
Under the Empress’s favour, Yang Yi had risen to become one of the most prominent figures in the Zhou court, even earning the respect of officials as seasoned as Xu Jingzong and Wei Yuanzhong.
Beyond his political standing, his noble rank had also ascended, advancing from County Earl to County Duke, along with a fief of one thousand households. While a thousand households might seem modest, such a privilege was traditionally reserved for royals. The Empress’s decision to grant this honour to Yang Yi was a clear testament to her immense favour.
Everyone watched with a mixture of awe and envy; his rise was nothing short of meteoric!