It's no wonder Li Anlan is angry; the situation was going so well before, how come it's suddenly in such a chaotic state now?
This made him feel an unprecedented sense of crisis. If things went wrong, the Great Ning Dynasty might collapse, which was a terrifying thing and could lead to the destruction of the country.
"How did the once Great Ning Dynasty end up like this?" he muttered to himself.
Tan Cheng dared not conceal the truth and bowed his head, saying, "Your Majesty, according to them, the Prince of Shu has privately increased their taxes, even levying taxes on passersby, so they..."
He didn't say anything more, but Li Anlan couldn't help but shudder.
He was familiar with this tactic. Prince of Shu Li Zhengdao of Shu was his uncle; he was certainly not short of money. Why was he now unilaterally raising taxes for financial gain? What was he trying to do?
Could it be...?
Li Anlan's face immediately darkened, to the point that he looked like he wanted to kill someone.
Even some ministers were alarmed. Would the Prince of Shu rebel at this time? Otherwise, why would he be accumulating wealth? He controls the majority of the salt industry; he's certainly not short of money.
Even Grand Commandant Qin Li couldn't sit still any longer. He said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the situation in the south is no small matter. I am willing to go there personally to see if I can secure a pacification for Jiang Li!"
"My dear minister!"
Upon hearing this, Li Anlan's heart skipped a beat. He knew that Qin Li wasn't going to persuade Jiang Li, but rather to test the Prince of Shu.
If he hadn't been careful, he might have been killed and never returned, but Qin Li still stepped forward. He truly lived up to his reputation as Grand Commandant.
He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I am giving you an army of 100,000 and allowing you to mobilize the southern garrison. My dear minister, you must not disappoint me!"
"Emperor!"
Upon hearing his words, Qin Li's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable!"
Previously, 100,000 imperial guards were mobilized to the north. If another 100,000 troops were sent now, the capital would likely be left undefended. If someone were to rebel and seize the imperial city, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"My mind is made up!"
Li Anlan waved his hand. Qin Li was his loyal subject, and he didn't want to lose even this loyal subject. Besides, he already had a solution for the empty capital.
The Emperor personally leads the expedition!
Since it's difficult to defend, then let's not defend it. I will directly march north to attack Tuoba Yu. In this way, the righteous cause of the All Under Heaven will be in my own hands. Even if someone dares to All Under Heaven, I can suppress them with a swift and decisive move.
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!" Everyone felt a chill run down their spines; the danger of the Emperor personally leading the expedition was too great.
Even the slightest loss could have unimaginable consequences, which is absolutely unacceptable.
Li Anlan glanced at everyone and said in a deep voice, " Tuoba Wanli can lead an expedition in person, so can I. I also defeated all the talents in the All Under Heaven to ascend the throne. Why would I care about such a trivial matter!"
The crowd was speechless. Just as they were about to speak, someone shouted the good news, which immediately excited them.
"What great victory?"
"Your Majesty, Lin Yi, the Heir of Northern Liang, has borrowed 50,000 troops and is heading straight for Little Pine Mountain, cutting off Tuoba Yu's retreat. Tuoba Yu is now surrounded in Ningchuan Commandery with nowhere to escape!"
What?
The news shocked the entire hall; everyone was stunned.
Unexpectedly, things took a dramatic turn, and Lin Yi managed to corner Tuoba Yu.
Lin Yi is incredibly skilled in combat!
Li Sansi's entire army was wiped out, but Tuoba Yu miraculously won the battle and even recaptured Little Pine Mountain. Now, Tuoba Yu had nowhere to retreat.
That's really powerful; this time, it's highly likely that they'll annihilate Tuoba Yu.
But here's the problem!
Qin Li couldn't help but frown and asked, " Lin Yi borrowed troops? From which army? From the Prince of Northern Liang?" Something was wrong. His men had been watching closely, but Lin Rusong's troops hadn't moved yet.
"It is said that it is a tribe in Xiliang Commandery. Knowing that Ningchuan Commandery has been captured, the chief of this tribe decided to help Lin Yi," the visitor explained.
What tribe?
" White Horse Tribe!"
What?
Everyone was stunned. When did such a tribe appear? How come they had no news of it at all?
They couldn't help but look at Tan Cheng; he was in charge of this, he should have some information.
Tan Cheng shook his head and said with a wry smile, "To be honest, I've really never heard of any White Horse Tribe, and I don't think there is one in Xiliang Commandery either."
" The White Horse Tribe, renowned for its white horses, lives deep within Great Yu Mountain. Their leader is named Gongsun Zan, and this time they have sent 30,000 cavalry to reinforce Ningchuan Commandery!"
" Gongsun Zan! All white horses?"
Everyone was both amused and bewildered. Was there really a tribe that only produced white horses? This was truly fascinating, utterly astonishing.
However, at the same time, they were also happy, because this meant that the battle of Ningchuan Commandery would have a turning point, and the emperor would no longer need to personally lead the expedition.
"That's great! The imperial court doesn't need to send troops; the Heir of Northern Liang is enough to deal with the enemy."
"This seems a bit unreliable. Why didn't Lin Yi send troops earlier, and why is he only sending them now?"
"Nonsense, didn't they say they were crippled by Tuoba Yu and had to stay indoors? That makes sense. Tuoba Yu wiped out the entire army of the Prince of Beining Commandery, how could Lin Yi have suffered no losses at all?"
"That's right. I found it unbelievable at first, but now it seems Lin Yi just didn't report the casualties to save face."
"However, he has now borrowed troops, which should be able to save Ningchuan Commandery. This is a good thing, and the Emperor won't have to personally lead the expedition."
Only Li Anlan's face was ashen. In his hand was a copy of Bai Zizai's previous report, which he hadn't reviewed yet. That fellow had made outrageous demands, not only asking for official positions but also for weapons and equipment, which was the last thing he could tolerate.
Every time Xiliang Commandery grows stronger, it could become a weapon against him in the future. How could he agree so easily?
But seeing Lin Yi's current methods, he hesitated.
In the memorial, Lin Yi's army was arrayed on the outskirts of Ningchuan Commandery, but did not immediately attack, which was probably because they were waiting for his approval.
He shook his head; this precedent could not be set, or the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Report! Urgent dispatch from the Great General Who Pacifies the North, traveling 800 li..."
What?
Li Anlan's pupils contracted. Had something happened to Ning Kun as well?
Upon receiving the memorial, his expression changed drastically. It was news that Tuoba Wanli's 50,000-strong army was heading straight for Youning Commandery. The enemy was faster than him; by the time he arrived, it would be too late.
Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth and said, "Draft an imperial edict: Great General Divine Might Lin Yi, loyal to the emperor and devoted to the country, shares the nation's burdens, and is hereby promoted to a Xiliang Commandery, above all other prefectures."
" Lin Yi has been promoted to Xiliang Province, overseeing all administrative affairs of the Xiliang Province. Now that Ningchuan Commandery is in crisis, Governor Lin Yi is ordered to send troops to Ningchuan Commandery to defeat Tuoba Yu's forces and save the people from their suffering!"
"On the day of success, there will be additional rewards!"
He also agreed to Bai Zizai's other requests, planning to take advantage of him later.
Everyone's pupils contracted; a state-level unit had actually appeared because of Lin Yi.
Previously, this was a prefecture-county system, and at a slightly larger scale, it was a feudal lord system. Now, for Lin Yi's sake, an extra province has been created out of thin air. This clearly shows that they don't want Lin Yi to become yet another feudal lord!