"Oh!"
Li Anlan let out a cold laugh, then gave Li Ruyu a deep look and said in a deep voice, "Uncle, the Grand Commandant has sent a message that there is indeed recruitment in Shuzhong. What do you think we should do?"
"Why!"
Li Ruyu sighed. It seemed the Emperor had summoned her with ill intentions; it was all about this matter, to force her to choose her side.
However, as the head of the Imperial Clan, he must consider the interests of the royal family, so the actions of the Prince of Shu were completely wrong.
He said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the stability of Great Ning Mount Tai. Now that Northern Liang is powerful, the Prince of Shu's actions have truly overstepped his bounds. I will advise him against it!"
"What if he doesn't listen to advice?" Li Anlan didn't back down at all. Instead, she looked at her Uncle Wang with a serious expression and asked solemnly.
Li Ruyu sighed, a murderous glint flashing in her eyes, and said in a deep voice, "If he's unwilling, then kill him!"
Hahahaha!
Upon hearing this, Li Anlan burst into laughter, feeling as if he were bathed in a spring breeze. He smiled and said, "With Uncle Wang's help, the safety of the Li family of Great Ning can certainly be guaranteed!"
If anyone else said this, they would definitely be bragging, but when Li Ruyu, the head of the Imperial Clan, said it, he believed it without a doubt.
Because the founding emperor of the Li Clan family created a super guard to ensure the existence of the Li Imperial Clan. Normally, they might not intervene even if you fought to the death, but if the safety of the Li family is threatened, they will definitely take action.
These people include military generals, famous wealthy businessmen, and even people close to you; even Li Anlan himself cannot control them all.
If the Imperial Clan Head were to kill Prince of Shu Li Zhengdao of Shu, it would be a sure thing, and perfectly legitimate.
Li Ruyu glanced at the emperor and sighed, "Your Majesty, the real danger lies in Northern Liang. The Prince of Shu is merely a mischievous child and poses no threat to the Li family's rule. But the Lin Clan is a different story; they have already acquired the ability to fight against Great Ning!"
He looked at the memorial on the dragon's desk, which was none other than Wei Tong's top-secret report.
The report stated that the Prince of Xiliang had amassed 100,000 troops in Ningchuan Commandery and had begun military exercises around the Great Ning River; his intentions were self-evident.
Lin Yi is the most dangerous.
Li Anlan's face instantly darkened, and he said in a deep voice, "That brat Lin Yi clearly wants to sit back and watch the tigers fight, and wants to use Tuoba Wanli's lack of food to make him fight to the death with my Great Ning. His ambition is already obvious!"
His intentions were so obvious that he couldn't possibly miss them; he simply didn't want to admit defeat easily.
It's likely that Tuoba Wanli realized this as well, but he chose to turn a blind eye because he had no other choice. Without enough food, the Northern Barbarians would suffer heavy casualties, so this battle had to be fought whether or not.
The only possibility was for his side to back down and hand over enough food to avoid this battle, but this left him somewhat unwilling.
If they were to fight, they would definitely suffer significant losses, which would also align with Lin Yi's wishes.
If they don't fight, they'll have to give away some food, because Tuoba Wanli won't back down without food.
Neither of these two options was what Li Anlan wanted; he needed a third option.
That means we can defend Mountain and River Pass and prevent the Northern Barbarians from entering Great Ning.
This way, Great Ning wouldn't suffer too many losses. After all, with the advantage of Ning Kun and Mountain and River Pass's city walls, Great Ning's losses would be greatly reduced, which is definitely a possibility.
"Your Majesty, this was Lin Yi's open scheme. He knew that the best option for Great Ning was to hold off the Northern Barbarians, which is why he let Tuoba Yu's people go."
"His scheme has now succeeded. Tuoba Yu's army has entered Great Wasteland Commandery, and Great Wasteland Commandery has adopted a scorched-earth policy. We cannot turn a blind eye to this, otherwise Youning Commandery may be next!"
"Once they've cleared out these two prefectures, they can cross the Fishtail Mountain Range and directly attack the Prince Consort's rear!" Li Ruyu sighed and said in a deep voice.
The reason Dayu Pass is called Dayu Pass is actually based on a legend.
Legend has it that a giant flying fish flew across the Great Ning River but became stranded on the bank. Then, its body sliced through a huge mountain like a blade, causing the Great Ning River to overflow.
The river water washed over his body, and just as it was about to leave, a bolt of lightning struck and killed him, thus forming a huge mountain peak here.
The fish is located at Dayu Pass, and its tail is like a fan, which is exactly between Great Wasteland Commandery and Youning Commandery, but it also separates Mountain and River Commandery from Great Wasteland Commandery and Youning Commandery.
This is why Tuoba Yu did not take the initiative to attack these two prefectures, because taking them would not yield much, and they would then face the second barrier, the Fishtail Mountain Range.
However, now that Tuoba Yu's small force has invaded, although it may seem small, it could be deadly because they will harass the rear, which is the most serious problem.
In this situation, Great Ning must take action.
Li Anlan glanced at him and sneered, "Just a greenhorn. He dares to scheme against the King of the Northern Barbarians and the Emperor of Great Ning. Lin Yi is quite a ruthless person."
"Uncle, I need your help. I will write a personal letter; please send someone to deliver it to Prince of Min!"
Both Great Wasteland Commandery and Youning Commandery were notoriously poor, so he didn't take them to heart.
However, as Li Ruyu said, although they are poor, they cannot be allowed to act recklessly, otherwise the rear of Mountain and River Pass will fall and the consequences will be unimaginable.
Li Ruyu's heart skipped a beat. He knew that the Emperor had made a choice. This time, he didn't want to waste his own troops, but rather wanted to get Prince of Min Li Sanjiang, to take action. This was an attempt to deplete Li Sanjiang's forces.
He recalled a recent piece of news: the emperor intended to reduce the power of the regional military governors, and now it seemed that this was probably true.
However, for the sake of the stability of the Li family of Great Ning, this was the only way at the moment. Otherwise, they would have to admit defeat and hand over the grain, which would put Great Ning in a huge trouble.
After the Northern Barbarians easily gained their advantage, they will surely make a comeback next year, and the surrounding forces will inevitably follow suit. Then, things will not be easy for Great Ning.
He nodded and sighed, "Your Majesty, I obey your decree. However, the Prince of Shu and the Prince of Min are both members of the Li family, and are our own people. Your Majesty should not push them too hard."
"Hahaha!"
Upon hearing Li Ruyu's words, Li Anlan was overjoyed, and a smile appeared on his face.
As the Minister of the Imperial Clan, Li Ruyu held immense prestige within the royal family. With him taking charge, the Prince of Min would certainly not be able to remain uninvolved, which would effectively weaken the Prince of Prince of Min's power.
It would also allow them to repel Tuoba Wanli, making it a win-win situation.
Li Ruyu glanced at him and reminded him, "Your Majesty, Lin Yi is a man skilled at forbearance. His sudden loss of patience is definitely no small matter and must be guarded against."
"Don't worry, Uncle Wang, I'll have someone keep an eye on him," Li Anlan laughed heartily.