The strength of the Xiliang troops—that's the key!
Li Anlan is not afraid of Lin Yi's rebellion. As long as Lin Yi's strength is insufficient, his rebellion would only lead to his own destruction and give him a reason to eliminate Northern Liang and Xiliang.
Tan Cheng a deep breath and said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, the 150,000-strong army is probably true, but their specific combat strength is still unknown. Commander Wei has already infiltrated to investigate, and we should have results soon."
"Waste!"
Upon hearing this, Li Anlan was furious. How could they not even figure out the other party's strength? What kind of useless person was that?
Fortunately, Wei Tong is still in Ningchuan Commandery, so news should be coming soon.
Seeing this, Lu Yafu couldn't help but feel a pang of surprise. The Emperor was only curious about Lin Yi's military strength, yet he showed no surprise at Ran Zijin's death. Perhaps he had already anticipated this.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh. Ran Zijin had been scheming for most of his life, but he probably never expected to be defeated by Lin Yi like this.
Ultimately, it was just a pawn, dying in the power struggle between Northern Liang and Great Ning.
"Your Majesty, urgent intelligence from Commander Wei."
Just then, a eunuch trotted in from outside. He had received the intelligence at the city gate and had brought it in without stopping.
This is urgent intelligence and cannot be delayed in the slightest.
"Bring it here quickly!"
Li Anlan's eyes lit up. He was surprised that Wei Tong had received the news so quickly; Wei Tong had done a great service this time.
However, upon seeing the intelligence report, his face immediately darkened, and he exclaimed, "What?! Lin Yi actually commands five major legions: Gao Shun's Formation-Breaking Camp, Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers, Ma Chao's Xiliang Iron Cavalry, Qu Yi's Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors, and Zhang Liao's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry!"
Hiss!
Upon hearing this, not only did Lu Yafu's pupils shrink, but even the Empress and the Crown Prince couldn't help but gasp.
Lu Yafu was even more incredulous, thinking to himself, "These five legions don't sound like easy targets. They wouldn't dare to use such names without considerable strength. If that's the case, Lin Yi's strength probably really is an army of 150,000."
This is a huge problem!
With 150,000 troops from Xiliang and over 300,000 troops from Northern Liang, the Lin Clan father and son together commanded approximately 500,000 troops, equivalent to half the size of the Great Ning army. This was an earth-shattering event.
As expected, Li Anlan's face turned extremely ugly. He gritted his teeth and said, "I've spent my whole life hunting, and yet I've had my eye pecked out by an eagle! Lin Yi is truly a wolf in sheep's clothing!"
I underestimated Lin Yi before. I didn't expect him to build five legions in such a short time, with a force of 150,000. This is definitely the worst news of the year.
It's even worse than the invasion of the Northern Barbarians!
The Northern Barbarians at most just robbed some things, but Lin Yi did more than just steal things; he even took away their territory.
He looked at Tan Cheng and asked in a deep voice, "Did you find any useful clues while you were in Xiliang?"
" Lin Yi said that the White Horse Volunteers troops he borrowed, and he only needed to pay some gold. Moreover, we received information that Lin Yi had placed Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers at Little Pine Mountain, while Gongsun Zan himself was left in Ningchuan Commandery. And Zhang Liao and Gao Shun, those two..."
Tan Cheng revealed the information he had obtained without any concealment.
He even revealed Zhou Cang Cang's boasting, but whether the emperor believed him or not was none of his concern.
As expected, everyone was dumbfounded after hearing his words. What kind of nonsense was this guy talking to? This was just too outrageous.
Li Anlan glared at Tan Cheng and said in a deep voice, "Of these five legions, the Formation-Breaking Camp and the White Horse Volunteers already appeared. They defeated the allied forces of Tuoba Yu and Tuoba Qingsong, so their strength must be extraordinary. Although the other three legions have never appeared before, they are on par with them and must not be easy to deal with! However, we have too little intelligence. If we want to truly understand Lin Yi's territory, we still need to infiltrate his ranks."
His mood was somewhat heavy. If Lin Yi really had such strength, it would be the worst news for Great Ning. Not only would he not be able to easily take back Ningchuan Commandery, but he would also have to be wary of Lin Yi heading straight for Wuning Commandery.
This is far too passive a situation; we still need to put a nail in there.
His gaze swept over Tan Cheng.
Tan Cheng couldn't help but shudder, his face turning green. Could the Emperor really be going to make him the prime minister?
Holy crap, Your Majesty, you might as well just kill me.
Lin Yi is a real killer; he's terrifying, practically a god of death.
"Waste!"
Li Anlan glanced at Tan Cheng and looked at Lu Yafu. This was indeed a good candidate. The old man had a good relationship with Lin Rusong, and Lin Yi would not make a move against the old man out of respect for his father.
However, Lu Yafu has already retired, so it will probably be difficult to persuade him to come out of retirement.
Even the Crown Prince's tutor refused, so a mere prince's prime minister probably wouldn't sway him. After all, after Ran Zijin killed, even a fool would know this was a trap, and he probably didn't want to ruin his reputation in his later years.
"Your Majesty, I do have someone in mind!" At this moment, the Empress suddenly thought of someone, and her eyes lit up. This person was absolutely perfect.
oh?
Li Anlan looked surprised; there was actually someone to be chosen as Empress? She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Zitong, who do you think is the most suitable?"
"Your Majesty, do you remember that you previously betrothed Lin Yi to you, but he refused?" The Empress asked with a hint of a smile in her eyes and a confident expression.
Princess Shenle!
Li Anlan instantly understood and burst into laughter. The Empress's choice was brilliant.
He praised, "Zitong is truly my wise and capable wife. With my Grand Princess Shenle on the case, Lin Yi wouldn't dare to lay a finger on her!"
Others might be killed by Lin Yi, but Princess Shenle was someone he had previously betrothed to Lin Yi, and although he hadn't accepted it, that fact remained.
No matter how arrogant you are, Lin Yi, you can't possibly kill a weak woman, especially your former fiancée. If Lin Yi really did kill her, he would be condemned by the All Under Heaven.
"Hehe, Shenle is the eldest princess, and she's reached marriageable age now. As long as we marry her to Lin Yi, Lin Yi will be the emperor's son-in-law, and naturally he won't dare to act recklessly, otherwise he'll be ridiculed by the All Under Heaven." A hint of a smile flashed in the empress's eyes; this was a well-intentioned scheme.
If we treat you as family, and you, Lin Yi, were to lay a hand on your father-in-law, the All Under Heaven wouldn't stand for it. While it's not an absolute constraint, it at least provides an extra layer of protection.
With Shenle by Lin Yi's side, many things cannot be hidden from Great Ning or the Emperor, and that is enough.
Forehead!
Lu Yafu, standing to the side, couldn't help but feel a jolt in his heart. You two are really going too far! Lin Yi is still just a child, and the Emperor is actually using a honey trap. It's really going too far.