"Han Song pays his respects to the heir!"
Facing the heir, Lin Yi, Han Song dared not show the slightest disrespect. He bowed in greeting to show his respect.
Lin Yi nodded slightly and wasted no words, going straight to the point.
"Han Song, how is the investigation into the assassins going?"
"Your Highness, well..."
Han Song's expression stiffened with embarrassment.
Seeing his heir's sneer, he felt humiliated, yet he had nothing to say.
He had already done his best and had killed quite a few people just now for this very purpose. But these assassins seemed to have appeared out of thin air, leaving him utterly baffled.
"So you're saying you haven't found a single lead?"
Lin Yi's gaze darkened. It had been over a day already, hadn't it? With the Northern Liang Guard's strength, they could have turned Northern Liang City upside down, yet they still hadn't found the culprits.
Interesting!
Did he not want to investigate, or could he truly find nothing? There was something fishy about this commander.
Seeing Lin Yi's suspicious gaze, Han Song could not help lowering his head. With a bitter smile, he said, "Your Highness, Northern Liang has been in chaos lately. Forces from everywhere have infiltrated it. And the assassins' weapons were all completely ordinary, without any markings, so there was simply nowhere to start."
Northern Liang was in chaos!
Lin Yi understood this perfectly well. It was also unavoidable.
Northern Liang's geographical position doomed it to chaos. Sandwiched between the barbarians of the Northern Region and the kingdoms of the Western Regions, and also connected to the Great Ning Dynasty, it was a place where dragons and snakes mingled. It would have been strange if it weren't chaotic.
There was no telling how many spies and assassins were among them. Getting to the bottom of it all really might not be so easy.
Lin Yi frowned. "You've been investigating for two days. Surely you have some suspects?"
"Yes, and quite a few!"
Han Song nodded firmly. He truly felt wronged in this matter. It wasn't that he was ineffective at catching assassins, but that far too many people had gone into hiding in Northern Liang City.
Now that the prince had left, they had all come out to stir up trouble.
Over the years, the prince had relaxed his control over Northern Liang City considerably, allowing forces from all sides to infiltrate it. The forces within this one city were intricately intertwined. Every kind of scoundrel could be found here.
The Western Regions barbarians' Heavenly Eagle Guard!
Spies from the Shachi Kingdom in the west were also stirring.
The various forces within Northern Liang had also entrenched themselves in Northern Liang City for their own interests.
And among them was an even more terrifying enemy: the Great Ning Dynasty.
"Well, well. The demons really are running wild!"
Hearing his words, Lin Yi's pupils contracted.
His memories also contained information about these forces. They were all major enemies, yet they had actually entered Northern Liang City. This was rather strange.
Given his father's capabilities, he should have discovered them long ago. Why hadn't he dealt with them?
Especially the Heavenly Eagle Guard!
They were Northern Liang's mortal enemies, foes with whom there could be no peace until one side was dead.
The Northern Region barbarians' totem was the eagle. The Heavenly Eagle Guard was precisely the intelligence organization of the barbarian emperor, Tuoba Wanli, and its members all had eagle-shaped tattoos.
If it was them, then once they were captured, checking for the markings would identify them.
Then there was the Shachi Kingdom, which lay in the Western Regions. Because it bordered the Great Ning Dynasty, it frequently clashed with Northern Liang.
However, its troops numbered fewer than a hundred thousand. The Shachi Kingdom probably wouldn't have the courage to assassinate him.
Compared with these forces, what worried Lin Yi most was still the Great Ning Dynasty.
If they really were behind this, it would be a very frightening signal. Had only a few years passed before the Great Ning Dynasty was already moving against the Prince of Northern Liang?
Once the birds were gone, the fine bow was put away!
Now that the Great Ning Dynasty was becoming stable, an existence like Northern Liang, which was akin to a feudal domain, was something the emperor could not tolerate.
At this thought, Lin Yi could not help sneering. He said disdainfully, "They really have the nerve. Aren't they afraid that Northern Liang will simply let the barbarians from both regions through the passes? He might not even be able to hold on to his throne as emperor of the Great Ning Dynasty then!"
"Well..."
Han Song sighed and said with a bitter smile, "There is something you don't know, Your Highness. The Great Ning Dynasty actually moved against Northern Liang long ago. The emperor has been cutting the prince's military pay and provisions all along. Northern Liang has an army of three hundred thousand, but they only provide enough supplies for two hundred thousand. The prince has to cover the rest himself."
Lin Yi kept sneering.
With a shortfall in provisions for a hundred thousand men, his father really did have an extraordinarily difficult time.
Yet he had never mentioned it to him. It seemed he had silently shouldered it all himself. He truly was a good father.
Now that Lin Yi had a system, he could lend him a hand and fulfill some filial duty on behalf of the original owner of this body.
He could not help calculating how he could help. There was no solution to the provisions problem for the moment, but once he produced refined salt, he should more or less be able to buy grain.
The most pressing matter was still to eliminate the threats within Northern Liang City and maintain its stability. That was what mattered most.
So many forces were entrenched within this little Northern Liang City. It was far too dangerous. One careless move could spark unrest.
Besides, unless these monsters and fiends were eliminated, he, the heir, could not feel at ease or even sleep soundly.
He would never leave such potential threats unchecked.
When his father had been here, these people had cowered like turtles. Now, as soon as the Prince of Northern Liang left, they came straight for him. They clearly saw him, the heir, as a soft persimmon.
They'd gone too far!
I wasn't reborn here to put up with this!
Things were different now. He now had Ma Chao and a thousand Xiliang Iron Cavalry. Even against three thousand regular soldiers, he would have the strength to fight, let alone here on his own turf in Northern Liang City.
No matter how many more assassins there were, he had no fear of them.
At this thought, Lin Yi turned to Han Song and said gravely, "Han Song, I intend to wipe out these demons and monsters. What do you think?"
Gulp!
Upon hearing this, Haitang, Han Song, and the others all paled. They keenly felt the killing intent emanating from the heir. He was preparing to unleash a massacre!
Zhang Long and Zhao Hu had followed him for years. Seeing him like this, they knew he was fully prepared to unleash a massacre. How could they dare hesitate?
"Your Highness, I, Zhao Hu, firmly support your decision, no matter where these assassins come from. Even if it's a prince of Great Ning, I'll slaughter him for you. If I break this oath, I..."
Zhao Hu immediately began swearing an oath.
Zhang Long nodded emphatically and echoed, "Same here!"
Fuck!
Seeing the two declare their positions, Han Song wanted to curse.
What the hell did these two lackeys know? Although he also wanted to eliminate these forces, he lacked the strength. He had five hundred Northern Liang Guards under his command, but the enemy's strength was unfathomable.
If they alerted the enemy, those people might very well lash out in desperation.
Seeing Lin Yi brimming with killing intent, he could only steel himself and say, "Your Highness, these people are nothing to worry about. What happened earlier was only an accident. A traitor appeared in the prince's residence..."
"Hmph!"
Lin Yi snorted coldly and said disdainfully, "Hmph, I don't care about any traitor. I only want to know whether you, Han Song, are still loyal to Northern Liang and my father, or whether you will now be loyal to me!"