Finally, there's Zhang Liao!
This kid followed Lin Yi the earliest, but ended up the worst off. It's said that even his troops were taken away and handed over to a Gao Shun whom no one had ever heard of.
This guy will definitely rebel if provoked even slightly!
All things considered, Lin Yi doesn't have many truly capable fighters, and his so-called 150,000-strong army is just a facade, which could be easily defeated.
With these methods alone, it's not enough to support Xiliang.
Once the Emperor deals with Tuoba Wanli, he can easily reclaim Ningchuan Commandery, and Lin Yi will surely pay the price.
"Forehead!"
Upon hearing this, Ran Zijin's face turned green. This bastard was completely blind; where did he get the idea that the other person was nothing to worry about?
That's an idiot!
Ran Zijin looked at Tan Cheng's arrogant Tan Cheng and came to this conclusion.
If Lin Yi were truly so incompetent, how could Tuoba Yu and Tuoba Qingsong have been defeated? They could have used Ningchuan Commandery as a springboard to further threaten Great Ning.
The only possibility is that in their minds, Lin Yi was a tough nut to crack, which is why they avoided him.
When it came to this Tan Cheng, they suddenly declared it nothing to worry about. What a moron!
You need to understand that what you see and what is actually true are two different things. What you see may very well be what the enemy wants you to see, and that could be the most deadly.
Tan Cheng is too confident. Is Lin Yi afraid of imperial power now?
He looked at Wei Tong, frowned, and asked, "Commander Wei, is there any news from your Great Ning Guard? Has Lin Yi made any big moves? And what has he done since entering Ningchuan Commandery?"
"Lord Ran, after Lin Yi recovered the valuables that Tuoba Yu had taken, he returned them directly to the people. He then posted notices to appease the people and also recruited workers to build the city wall." Wei Tong did not hide anything and said in a deep voice.
Upon hearing this, not only Ran Zijin frown, but even Tan Cheng couldn't help but look at Lin Yi with newfound respect.
Tan Cheng frowned and said, "This kid knows how to win people's hearts and how to use the people to work and make them forget the trauma of war. He's got some skills. Could his father have taught him that?"
Even he had to admit that this move was brilliant.
No wonder the people of Ningchuan Commandery didn't cause any trouble before; it turns out they were all bribed by Lin Yi. This has caused the Emperor quite a bit of trouble, and it probably won't be so easy to take back Ningchuan Commandery.
Ran Zijin ignored him and frowned, asking, "What about Lin Yi's 150,000 troops? How are they roughly deployed?"
As the Prime Minister of Xiliang, he needed a lot of intelligence to weigh the pros and cons in order not to cross Lin Yi's bottom line and thus avoid getting into trouble.
"He entrusted Xiliang Commandery to Gao Shun and Guan Hai's 40,000 men, to guard Xiliang Commandery and watch over Little Pine Mountain."
"To guard Little Pine Mountain?"
Hearing this, Ran Zijin frowned. Shouldn't Little Pine Mountain belong to Lin Yi now? Why does it still need to be guarded?
Wei Tong smiled wryly, "I don't know the specifics either. Our people can't get in, but there are rumors that Lin Yi handed Little Pine Mountain over to Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers. However, Lin Yi seems to be very wary of the White Horse Volunteers, not only isolating them in Little Pine Mountain but also leaving their leader, Gongsun Zan, in Ningchuan Commandery."
Upon hearing this, a smirk flashed in Tan Cheng's eyes, and he sneered, "I knew it. Lin Yi wouldn't just abandon Gongsun Zan. This army has a large number of non-Han people, and Lin Yi wouldn't feel at ease with it. Poor Gongsun Zan has become a sacrifice, and his military power has been taken away."
"What about the other troops, He Jin and Qu Yi?"
" He Jin's troops are building a large camp in Ningchuan Commandery, seemingly preparing to guard the banks of the Great Ning River, while Qu Yi is in Ping'an City, protecting Lin Yi's safety," Wei Tong explained.
It was already quite difficult for him to obtain this information; in fact, many of his men had infiltrated the city's construction team and had to help Lin Yi with his work every day—a truly humble act.
"What a Lin Yi! He's planning to completely seize Ningchuan Commandery. The Emperor will probably have to deal with this soon!" Ran Zijin's heart skipped a beat, and he said with a wry smile.
This troop deployment may seem unreasonable, but it's actually aimed at Great Ning at every turn.
He Jin stationed 50,000 troops at the Great Ning River. Even a fool would know who he was targeting. There were no enemies upstream of Ningchuan Commandery, only Great Ning, who had crossed the river. Qu Yi was even more direct; his purpose was to protect Lin Yi.
White Horse Volunteers was feared and stationed at Little Pine Mountain, they were cavalrymen who could be brought down in an instant should anything happen.
This Lin Yi is indeed extraordinary!
Tan Cheng frowned and said in a deep voice, "Could we try to sow discord and make them fall into chaos on their own? These people are already at odds."
"Get out of here!"
Upon hearing his words, Ran Zijin's face instantly darkened. He yelled at Tan Cheng and then turned and left.
As he stepped out the door, he sneered, " Tan Cheng, you better behave yourself and don't cause me any trouble, or the Ran Clan won't let you off the hook!"
You're already on someone else's turf and you're still not behaving yourself? You actually want to sow discord. Do you really think Lin Yi is so easy to fool?
Even if the intention is to sow discord, it should be done gradually when Lin Yi has lost his guard.
The more high-profile he is, the more dangerous he becomes in Xiliang.
Tan Cheng has been in the court for too long, and his mind is filled with the crushing power of authority, but he has lost his reverence for force. This is not the capital city, where the influence of imperial power is very low.
For powerful warlords who held military power, killing a few people was nothing.
Not to mention that Lin Yi and his son, working together, have nearly 400,000 troops. If they really wanted to kill people, even the emperor couldn't stop them.
This guy is going to cause trouble sooner or later.
Holy crap!
Watching Ran Zijin leave, Tan Cheng's face turned green. He looked at Wei Tong beside him and said incredulously, "Did you hear that? Ran Zijin just cursed at me?"
Forehead!
Wei Tong's face stiffened, but after glancing at it, he still nodded.
"It seems so!"
"Asshole!"
Tan Cheng kicked the stool, sending it flying. He angrily said, "A good-for-nothing who relies on his family's connections dares to insult me? Does he really think he's the Prime Minister?"
Wei Tong remained silent.
He naturally knew what Ran Zijin worried about. You could leave Xiliang after you Tan Cheng decree, but Ran Zijin wanted to stay here.
If Lin Yi is angered, then it will be truly dangerous.
Lin Yi is no ordinary local governor. This kid has Northern Liang as his backer, and now he also has his own Xiliang. He's a real killer.
On the other side, Ran Zijin and exited the room without stopping and went straight to an inn, which was the temporary residence of his Ran Clan.
"Master!"
The Ran Clan members were taken aback when they saw Ran Zijin.
It's already evening, and I didn't expect the head of the family to come directly here instead of resting at the Prince's residence. Could it be that something important has happened?
Ran Zijin nodded and said in a deep voice, "Prepare the gifts I prepared earlier. We shall set off now to visit the Prince of Xiliang!"