Qiuyan slowly lifted her head, piercing through the darkness mixed with a hint of light, staring at the person in front of her, his eyes seemingly emitting a faint glow at that moment.

"Do you know about the hierarchy of the dragon race, master? At the bottom are the common dragons, followed by the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and Golden Dragon, but at the top is..."

"The White Dragon?"

"The legend known throughout the Eastern Continent, associated with the most powerful dragon; nowadays, it's often referred to as the 'White Dragon Legend'!"

Not from his own mouth, but upon hearing the two words "White Dragon" from someone else, Wang Xiaole suddenly felt a strange sensation.

A feeling from his heart area?

No, not that kind of feeling;

He had just sensed discomfort in a different part of his body, actually in his head.

As if two words had emerged from the depths of his brain, vigorously pulsating in his mind with a strong presence.

Night;

Little;

Like drifting leaves in the wind, these two words spun endlessly in his mind, appearing suddenly and then disappearing just as abruptly.

As the wind that was about to sweep away those words from the depths of memory, an invisible hand silently reached out.

Thud!

Those two words were seized by that hand, immediately ceasing to flutter and settling down, resembling a living creature now quietly still.

Then, the invisible hand retracted;

Though unseen, it gave the impression that it wasn't just one person's hand, but rather the hands of a man and a woman, jointly grasping the two words.

It seemed as if the hand belonging to the man gently placed down the word "little," positioning it towards the left;

Then, the hand of the woman pieced together the word "night," placing it towards the right;

Reading from left to right, both voices together;

In a trance, a phantom voice slowly emerged:

Xiaoye...

"Xiaoye..."

Qiuyan watched as her master placed his hand on his face, confirming whether he had revealed that expression that only appeared in dreams.

"Is the master acting silly? Why do you have this expression on your face?"

"What's it to you? You're not my mother!"

Saying this, Wang Xiaole pressed his fingers on either side of his cheeks, forcefully squeezing a few times, reverting back to his previous indifferent expression in this manner.

Although the timing might not have been ideal, the public king still approached, conveying with an indescribable expression to Wang Xiaole, "The contact has been completed."

Without raising his head, Wang Xiaole replied, "If you didn't bring back any results, I will graciously give you one minute to make your final statement."

"No, no, there is progress, absolutely!"

The public king raised both hands and shook them vigorously as if by this action, he was assuring that he wasn't playing with lives.

He waited for Wang Xiaole's expression to slightly soften before starting to explain the progress he had made.

In summary:

Under his persuasion, key figures in the Inran Empire believed in the public king's so-called "sincerity";

Meanwhile, the empire's people were also interested in the "imperial husband" mentioned by the public king during the contact and had already expressed their intentions to send troops the next day.

To cooperate to the fullest extent, the public king had used magic to inform various lords across the country, instructing them not to obstruct Inran's army when they entered the cities.

The developments were unfolding just as Wang Xiaole had planned.

Once Inran's army controlled those towns, the initial wariness of the empire's people would be significantly weakened;

Then, as their army entered the capital city, soldiers previously hidden within the city would suddenly strike, delivering a memorable "gift" to the enemy.

The public king could understand Wang Xiaole's plan, but he couldn't help questioning, "Even if the plan succeeds and the invading army in the capital city is wiped out, we would still have sacrificed ninety percent of our territory, doesn't feel like a win..."

"Old fart, you think I only intend to annihilate one army?"

Seeing Wang Xiaole's mocking gaze, the public king seemed to have realized something and his voice suddenly trembled, "The invading army in the capital city is just a decoy? Your actual goal is to lure subsequent enemy troops into the battlefield by trapping that army?"

There is a strategy called "encircling the spot to strike the reinforcements," in simple terms, it means:

The attacking force surrounds a stronghold, luring the enemy's other armies to come, and then annihilates the enemy's reinforcing troops.

The key to this tactic lies not in the besieged stronghold but in thwarting the enemy's reinforcements.

Previously, on the way to the palace, Wang Xiaole had carefully observed the layout of the city.

One could think:

The capital city of the Mioran Principality wasn't just protected by outer walls;

Even if the attacking force breached the outer walls of the capital city during a war, they still had to deal with the "inner walls" safeguarding the core area.

The inner walls of the capital city were strategically positioned towards the back, indicating that the builders had intended for these walls to serve as the final barrier for the palace during times of conflict.

However, the designers could not have anticipated:

That one day, such a design would prove ineffective.

The reason why Wang Xiaole and Qiuyan easily breached the inner walls was because there were only two of them, making it relatively simple to evade the guards.

Of course, this approach to siege was not replicable.

After all, Wang Xiaole and Qiuyan were only two individuals, while Inran had a massive army. Once a battle broke out within the city, breaching the inner walls would become necessary.

Noticing this advantageous architectural layout, Wang Xiaole decided to use the capital city of Mioran as the perfect ambush location.

Although the public king had willingly ceded the outer regions according to the plan to gain Inran's trust, unless they seized the palace, they couldn't truly conquer the capital city.

Looking at it from another perspective:

The stronghold referred to in "encircle the spot to strike the reinforcements" doesn't necessarily have to be a conventional fortress.

After being ambushed and entering the capital, the Inran army would establish a temporary stronghold in the surroundings;

Unable to retreat and finding it challenging to move forward, that temporary position would feel like it was surrounded;

In Wang Xiaole's plan, preventing the enemy forces in that stronghold from escaping was the first step of the "encircle the spot to strike the reinforcements" strategy.

As the enemy advanced in a large army, Wang Xiaole had also prepared second and third steps.

Before implementing the plan, Wang Xiaole needed to clarify with the public king, "Who will lead the troops into the city tomorrow?"

"It's 'East Marshal' Yin Yangang. He's the youngest among the 'Four Marshals,' known for being impulsive; for him to rise to this position at a young age is undoubtedly related to his formidable strength."

"So, this opponent is straightforward, preferring action over strategy?"

"Something like that, but we can't afford to be careless."

The public king's reason for cautioning Wang Xiaole had nothing to do with a sudden attack of conscience or intentions of turning over a new leaf. It was simply because he understood:

They were currently tied together, and if Wang Xiaole failed, he would likely meet his end at the hands of the Inran people!

Out of self-preservation, the public king shared an intelligence nugget with Wang Xiaole, "Since Yin Yangang joined the army to date and hasn't made significant mistakes due to his personality, a crucial factor is that he has a strategist behind him; 'South Marshal' Le Song. He is heralded as a tactical genius, extremely clever; the two of them have always been a pair in battle and have never been separated."

"You're reminding me that Yin Yangang's actions this time are probably coordinated with his uncle?"

"That possibility is high! At worst, the other side has prepared countermeasures against potential betrayals from our end, so we must be cautious."

"If it comes to that, we'll have to adapt on the fly."

With the exchange concluded, Wang Xiaole dismissed the public king;

Then, he stretched his body in the midst of stepping, easing the fatigue accumulated in his muscles, his right foot tapping in rhythm with his leg's movements.

"This is the life of being my servant, few resting days, constantly encountering troublesome matters."

Wang Xiaole stared at Qiuyan, testing her response with those words.

"It indeed can be troublesome. It feels like if I follow the master, even the time to sleep will decrease in the future."

"Right? So after we're done this busy period, feel free to terminate the master-servant contract at any time, I won't mind..."

What happened next could be described using a line from a storytelling performance:

“Just as the words were spoken, a dart flew up from below, spinning towards the front and flashing past Wang Xiaole's ear, embedding itself in the wall behind him.

Click!

A slight powder fell from the wall's surface at that moment.

"Even the master can't speak such words lightly, or I'll be angry!"

A girl dressed in maid attire doesn't automatically qualify as a 'maid.'

A proper maid possesses dignity, meaning she will not leave of her own accord unless commanded by the master. Today, the maid gave the master a valuable lesson.

Wang Xiaole retrieved the dart from the wall behind him, flipping it in his hand like a toy, all the while moving his mouth:

"You've spoken well, I almost want to deduct your pay for this month."

"Whether there's a salary or not doesn't matter, as long as the necessary provisions are provided, I can continue fulfilling my duties as a maid."

Qiuyan approached, took the dart from the master's hand, and left alone, heading towards the other bedroom on the left.

"I probably encountered the boldest maid on the entire continent."

Wang Xiaole reminisced on the metallic sensation he had touched earlier, shook his head somewhat helplessly, and then headed to the bedroom on the right, where he fell asleep.

That night, he dreamt of encountering a dark-haired girl...

The next day, Inran's army marched towards the Mioran Principality, capturing all areas except the capital city, taking possession of eight cities.

In each city, Le Song dispatched five thousand soldiers from their own country with the aim to consolidate control over the occupied regions after taking over the city's defenses.