What does that mean?
Upon hearing the emperor's words, everyone's pupils constricted; these words revealed a major problem.
Something terrible has happened!
This is an even bigger issue than the incident during the suppression of the rebellion in the north. What is this all about?
Li Anlan noticed the unease among the officials and handed the memorial to Zhang Zhiwei, saying in a deep voice, "My dear minister, please take a look. This matter is of utmost importance!"
"I obey your decree!"
Zhang Zhiwei accepted the memorial with trembling hands, as if he were receiving a tremendous burden.
Upon opening it, his face turned Bai Qi, and he exclaimed, "This..."
The others couldn't resist crowding around to take a look, and what they saw made them gasp in shock; they were completely dumbfounded.
"What?! Lin Yi actually defeated Tuoba Wanli and annihilated the Northern Barbarians army of 500,000!"
"How is that possible? Five hundred thousand troops!"
"This is simply unbelievable! Is the Prince Consort joking? How many people would Lin Yi need to wipe out an army of 500,000?"
What if it's true?
"That would be a huge problem. This would be an unprecedented Prince of Xiliang, a Prince of Xiliang who would unify the north!"
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines. No wonder the Emperor was so frightened that he slumped onto his dragon throne. This news was truly shocking, and more importantly, it was fatal for Great Ning.
The unification of the entire north signifies a significant increase in the strength of the Lin family, making them capable of contending with the Great Ning.
It's no wonder the Emperor was so shocked.
" Lin Yi, you're something else! I underestimated him!"
Lu Yafu's expression changed drastically. He had long sensed that Lin Yi was extraordinary, but he never expected him to be so terrifying.
Even Great Ning couldn't do anything to the Northern Barbarians, but Lin Yi wiped out 500,000 Northern Barbarians troops in one fell swoop, completely crushing the Northern Barbarians.
Lin Yi might just accomplish something earth-shattering, something no emperor in history had ever done: wipe out the North!
However, if this happens, the Emperor will probably have to fight Lin Yi to the death!
Tan Cheng, standing to the side, was also feeling uneasy, as he had a past conflict with Lin Yi.
"That's it, they've really fallen for him now!"
Before, things were fine; Lin Yi could only act arrogantly in the north. But now that he has unified the north, he'll have to go and cause trouble in the south.
Damn it, this kid's defying the heavens!
This is even more ferocious than the Prince of Northern Liang!
He glanced at the several powerful officials beside him, noticing their shifty eyes. They clearly harbored ulterior motives; it seemed he needed to prepare himself.
It's absolutely forbidden to mention the Emperor, or he'll kill you.
The officials exchanged glances, none daring to speak out of turn. Didn't they see the Emperor was in a bad mood? This was clearly because he was wary of Lin Yi.
But at that very moment, someone stepped forward and loudly praised it.
"How magnificent is the Prince of Xiliang!"
An old general stepped forward from the crowd and cheered, "He single-handedly conquered the Northern Barbarians Northern Barbarians killed half a million of their soldiers! If this is true, I, Zhang Cong, am willing to personally lead his horse!"
"Such a magnificent achievement is unprecedented and will likely never be repeated. His Majesty should reward him handsomely!"
Holy crap!
Upon hearing this, everyone felt a chill run down their spines. This guy was too audacious! He actually wanted the Emperor to reward Lin Yi handsomely? Didn't he see the Emperor's eyes were practically blazing with anger?
However, if it's Zhang Cong, I don't think there's a problem.
This man was one of the veteran generals who was stationed in the north. However, he suffered extremely heavy losses under the attack of the Northern Barbarians. Not only was his entire army almost wiped out, but even his own brothers died on the battlefield.
It's understandable that he's happy to hear about Lin Yi's heroic deeds.
But here's the problem!
This guy's praise of Lin Yi is utterly reckless. Praising Lin Yi like this in front of the Emperor is practically asking for trouble.
However, it's not a big problem. This guy is already a veteran and rarely participates in military affairs. To put it bluntly, he's been sidelined.
But here's the problem: he also wants the Emperor to reward Lin Yi, but the Emperor is capable of killing people.
Everyone cautiously looked over, and sure enough, the Emperor's face had turned ashen.
Cough cough!
Seeing that things were not going well, Zhang Zhiwei knew that he, as the prime minister, needed to take action, so he immediately changed the subject.
"Your Majesty, it is still unknown whether Lin Yi has annihilated the Northern Barbarians, so there is no rush to bestow rewards."
"However, he suffered heavy losses in his campaign against the Northern Barbarians! As a result, the Prince of Xiliang will definitely be unable to quell the rebellion, and His Majesty will still need to personally step in to remove the obstacles for him. This is the greatest reward!"
Huh!
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up; there was some truth to it.
An army of 500,000 is no joke. Even if they are wiped out, Lin Yi's own losses will likely be substantial. This is truly an opportunity.
Holy crap!
This might not be a bad thing!
Li Anlan's eyes lit up, and he felt a surge of energy. That statement really made sense.
On second thought, if Lin Yi suffered heavy losses, wouldn't that mean he could take the opportunity to wipe out Xiliang and then conveniently take over Northern Barbarians and Northern Liang?
Huh!
Li Anlan felt as if he had discovered a new world; this was an opportunity, a tremendous opportunity!
He said in a deep voice, "Minister Zhang is right. The Prince of Xiliang has suffered heavy losses, and as his elder, I must lend a helping hand. Otherwise, what will the All Under Heaven think of me?"
Forehead!
Everyone's lips twitched. That made so much sense, but whether it could be put into practice was a big question.
If he could conquer the north, he would naturally be a great emperor for all time, incredibly awesome.
However, if they fail, the emperor will be left with nothing but chaos, worse off than a dog. This is a great test for his ministers.
Holy crap, I have to choose sides again.
"Your Majesty, the Northern Expedition is progressing slowly, and we have no troops left to mobilize!" Li Ruyu said with a worried expression and a wry smile.
This is indeed an opportunity, but it also comes with considerable risks.
Li Anlan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "The people of Xiliang are still suffering, and the Prince of Xiliang has also suffered heavy losses in the bloody battle against the Northern Barbarians. I must step forward."
I have decided to conscript 300,000 soldiers at once to support the Northern Expedition!
He decided to send more troops!
Now that Lin Yi has wiped out the Northern Barbarians and unified the entire North, it's basically time for a decisive battle between the North and the South. I can no longer hesitate.
If he hesitated any longer, he would become the next Tuoba Wanli, which was definitely not something he wanted to see.
Three hundred thousand!
Upon hearing this, the ministers' pupils constricted. Conscripting 300,000 soldiers at once was a huge undertaking, but the question was, where would the money come from?
Everyone shook their heads; they hadn't found it themselves.
Li Anlan glanced at them and said in a deep voice, "My dear ministers, rest assured, this expense will be covered by the Privy Treasury. I only hope for your full cooperation!"
call!
Hearing that they wouldn't have to pay for it themselves, but rather that the Emperor's Imperial Privy Treasury would cover the costs, everyone breathed a sigh of relief; this was great news.
"Your Majesty, we obey!"
Let them recruit soldiers then; let's see who's the best.