Prince of Xiliang!
The imperial court conferred the title of Prince of Xiliang Lin Yi upon Lin Yi, and this news quickly spread throughout the capital city, shocking all the people there who found it unbelievable.
It's unbelievable that Prince Lin Yi, a mere young man, has become a regional warlord.
But soon another piece of news arrived: Lin Yi's 150,000-strong army had defeated and nearly annihilated the 100,000-strong army of the Northern Barbarians King Tuoba Yu and his third prince Tuoba Qingsong.
Once this news came out, no one objected anymore.
With an army of 150,000, Lin Yi had already reached a level of mastery. This was no longer the standard a subject should have; it was the strength of a feudal lord. There was absolutely no problem in appointing him as the Prince of Xiliang.
No wonder the emperor had no choice but to compromise; Lin Yi's strength had already reached the level of a feudal lord.
The people of Great Ning City were dumbfounded, never expecting that their boasts had actually come true and that Lin Yi had indeed been made a king.
"My God, this is the Prince of Xiliang! The Heir of Northern Liang is taking off like a rocket!"
"And what do you mean by 'the Heir of Northern Liang'? He's the Prince of Xiliang himself now, a position of great prestige, not much less than his father's."
"Hahaha, this is the true spirit of a man like us! Tuoba Yu was really unlucky to dare provoke our Prince of Xiliang. He got beaten to a pulp."
"It wasn't just a matter of finding teeth on the ground; it's said that after seeing the tragic state of Ningchuan Commandery, the Prince of Xiliang was so enraged that his hair stood on end. In a fit of rage, he ordered 30,000 troops to pursue and kill Tuoba Yu."
"How laughable are Tuoba Yu and the third prince of the Northern Barbarians, Tuoba Qingsong! They thought they could do whatever they wanted with an army of 100,000, but they never expected that once the banner of the Prince of Xiliang arrived, the brave Prince of Xiliang of Northern Ning would flock to him, and in the blink of an eye, their army would grow to 150,000, almost wiping out two of the Tuoba Clan's great generals!"
"Holy crap, is this for real? It's amazing!"
"Hmph, it's just that amazing!"
Two elderly people in the crowd overheard their conversation and were dumbfounded.
How long has it been? Lin Yi has already reached this level. This is simply too shocking. Can things really develop like this?
The elderly man at the head of the group gaped in astonishment, and it took him a long time to recover before he asked the people around him, "What? In such a short time, the Heir of Northern Liang has become the Prince of Xiliang?"
"Your Excellency, this Lin Yi is truly remarkable; he's no ordinary person!" another old man exclaimed upon hearing this.
That's right, this person is Lu Yafu, the former prime minister of Great Ning.
Although he chose to live in seclusion after resigning from his official post, he couldn't help but go to the capital after hearing about the many troubles facing Great Ning, hoping to do his part.
I never expected to hear such news as soon as I entered; it's truly unbelievable.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh, "I underestimated him after all. If only I had gone to check out Xiliang Commandery last time, I might have discovered Lin Yi's ambition. But now he commands an army of 150,000, and with his father, the Prince of Northern Liang, in power, the tide has turned!"
He knew in his heart that Lin Yi was no longer as easy to deal with as before, and even Northern Liang could no longer easily attack him.
A single move can affect the whole situation. Now that the father and son are forming a pincer movement, if Great Ning tries to harm one of them, he will inevitably be attacked by the other. If it comes down to a two-on-one situation, it will be enough to drag Great Ning into the abyss.
Too bad it's too late!
" The Prince of Northern Liang is truly lucky; he has a worthy successor!" Another old man couldn't help but sigh and say quietly.
With such a successor, Northern Liang's future is undoubtedly secure, and it may even one day conquer the All Under Heaven. It's truly a winner in life.
Lu Yafu gave him a disapproving look and laughed, "Your son is already the Commandant of the Guards, one of the Nine Ministers. What more do you want?"
"Hahaha!"
The old man chuckled, quite pleased with himself. His son was none other than Zhou Zifeng, the Commandant of the Guards, a man of great power and influence.
Looking at Lu Yafu's indignant face, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Alas, I, Zhou Dayong, have never been of much use in my life. The only thing that's not great is my son. He's no match for you, the prime minister!"
"You old geezer, you still have that same annoying temper!"
When Lu Yafu saw Zhou Dayong looking smug, he surprisingly swore. "That old geezer is still so cocky."
Hahaha!
The two exchanged a glance and burst into laughter. Life is truly unpredictable, like a large intestine encasing a small intestine.
After chatting for a while, Zhou Dayong couldn't help but ask curiously, "Actually, I'm very curious. The Emperor has always been quite wary of Northern Liang, so why did he still appoint Lin Yi as the Prince of Xiliang this time? Isn't this giving Lin Rusong and his son an opportunity to become even more powerful?"
This is clearly unreasonable and makes no sense.
The Emperor has been suppressing Lin Rusong, so why did he grant Lin Yi the title of Prince this time? Isn't that just asking for trouble?
"Hmph, the Emperor has no choice but to agree; Lin Yi's power is already secured!" Lu Yafu sighed and said with a wry smile.
How so?
"Now Lin Yi commands 150,000 troops and has taken control of Ningchuan Commandery, practically controlling the gateway to Great Ning. Even if he is only a prefect now, what difference is there between him and a warlord?"
Lu Yafu sighed. The reason was actually very simple and blunt. To put it bluntly, the strength was there, and whether or not there was this title would not affect Lin Yi's occupation of Ningchuan Commandery.
Even though Lin Yi is currently a commoner, with an army of 150,000 under his command, he is like a warlord.
However, the emperor suffered a loss in silence this time. Once Tuoba Wanli is defeated, he will probably launch a counterattack, which will inevitably All Under Heaven chaos.
The current emperor is proud and arrogant; he will not tolerate such humiliation and will surely cause trouble.
"Now that you mention it, it makes sense. When strength reaches its limit, even if the emperor doesn't acknowledge it, there's nothing he can do. After all, an army of over 100,000 is no pushover."
Zhou Dayong suddenly realized why the emperor was so generous; it turned out he had no other choice.
Whether the Great Ning acknowledges it or not, Lin Yi's defeat of Tuoba Yu's 100,000-strong army demonstrates the strength of a feudal lord. This is undeniable, and the emperor naturally has no reason to be accused of neglecting a meritorious official.
After thinking it through, he couldn't help but sigh, "These young people nowadays are truly remarkable; the Emperor will probably never have peace of mind again!"
This Lin Yi kid is just too outrageous.
With such strength at such a young age, plus the support his father will give him, he has every opportunity to rebel. No wonder the emperor can't sleep soundly.
Lu Yafu sighed, recalling his earlier warning to the Prince of Northern Liang, and considering the current situation, he couldn't help but look up to the sky and lament, "All our efforts have been in vain; the Lin Clan is unstoppable!"