Loyalty mattered most!
Not all loyalty was useful, but anyone who lacked even that basic loyalty was not worth a second glance from him.
"What will you choose?"
Lin Yi's gaze remained fixed on Han Song, his eyes filled with coldness. If Han Song stubbornly clung to his rigid principles, he would have practically no value left to exploit.
Even if Lin Yi did not kill him, he would never use him again.
No matter how capable a helper was, if he could not be put to use, he was worth less than Zhang Long and Zhao Hu. At least those two could get things done.
Han Song fell silent for a moment!
He knew that Lin Yi had probably asked because he was planning a major move. After all, the heir rarely suffered a loss. Now that someone had actually tried to assassinate him, it would be utterly unlike him not to retaliate.
Under these circumstances, if he refused, not only would the heir refuse to let him off, but the prince would probably punish him upon his return as well. He had to make a choice.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Rest assured, Your Highness. I am loyal to Northern Liang, loyal to the prince, and even more loyal to you. Whatever you require, you need only give the word."
The heir was the prince's only son and would one day become the Prince of Northern Liang. Obeying him was no betrayal of the prince. What harm was there in overstepping just this once?
"Good. I'll trust you this once!"
Lin Yi was quite satisfied with his attitude, though whether Han Song was truly loyal was of no concern to him for now. He needed him to handle certain things.
He said gravely, "I have never suffered a loss like this-an assassination attempt in my own royal city. This time, I intend to retaliate!"
"Since we can't find the assassin, we'll stop looking. Every assassin in Northern Liang City will be a target of this purge. None of them are any good anyway, so kill them all."
"And every suspicious faction will be investigated. Anyone who dares resist is to be killed without mercy!"
They had already walked all over him, so naturally, he was no longer going to fuss over evidence.
Whatever side they belonged to, if they harbored ulterior motives, he might as well sweep them all away. He could do it under the banner of apprehending the assassin, giving him a legitimate and sufficiently convincing pretext.
Holy shit!
Zhang Long and Zhao Hu's legs went weak, and they nearly collapsed.
The heir was far too reckless! Even the prince did not dare move so directly against these factions, yet His Highness actually intended to launch an outright slaughter. Was he trying to defy the heavens?
He meant to catch every assassin in one fell swoop, without sparing the other factions either.
"Please calm your anger, Your Highness."
Han Song's pupils contracted involuntarily, and he sucked in a breath of cold air.
The heir intended to purge Northern Liang Royal City. Wasn't this far too ambitious? How could his handful of men possibly manage it?
He could not help reminding him quietly, "Your Highness, the prince took many of our elite troops with him when he left. We still don't know whether the men in the city are loyal. Be careful they don't turn against you!"
Once their heir's temper flared, he would listen to no one. Even the prince had to yield to him.
Although Han Song wanted to do this too, and it would be the simplest approach, it was somewhat unrealistic. If they confronted those factions head-on now, they would most likely suffer a major loss.
"No matter!"
Lin Yi waved a hand. Naturally, he understood this, but with a thousand Xiliang Iron Cavalry under his command, he was not worried about any problems. A thousand regular soldiers were not something these assassins could handle.
Lin Yi also wanted to use this opportunity to see clearly who was truly on his side. If they would not even obey his orders, there would be no need to keep them around.
Now that he had the system, he naturally no longer needed to be so cautious. He could make full use of it to secure the greatest possible gains.
The Winning People Over with Virtue System required him to win people over.
Clearly, the usual approach of winning people over through morality was too limited. At crucial moments, winning them over through force was better.
He said gravely, "Rest assured. I've already made arrangements for this. As commander of the Prince of Northern Liang's palace guard, you should know the backgrounds of these factions. Just make sure you know who should be killed and who shouldn't."
"Understood!"
Han Song understood immediately. These factions included both enemies and allies. Naturally, they should strike the enemy.
There were also certain people they should not touch, and those people naturally had to be left alone.
It seemed the heir had not lost his reason. Han Song had been overthinking things and underestimated him.
A thought struck Lin Yi, and he smiled. "Also, notify Governor Huang Yuntao. Have his men join forces with us to eliminate these assassins and bandits."
Northern Liang governed three commanderies: Yongzhou Commandery, Baiyuan Commandery, and Beichuan Commandery.
The royal city stood in Yongzhou Commandery, the heart of Northern Liang. Then there was Baiyuan Commandery, home to Hundred-Zhang Mountain, the mightiest mountain under heaven, and Beichuan Commandery to the north, the capital of the grasslands.
Although Northern Liang City was the royal city of Northern Liang, it also lay within Yongzhou Commandery.
As part of his responsibility for day-to-day security, the governor of Yongzhou was obliged to assist in eliminating assassins. Naturally, Lin Yi could not leave him out.
Huang Yuntao, the governor of Yongzhou, had roughly five hundred men. Together with Han Song's five hundred Northern Liang Army soldiers, that made a thousand. Adding Lin Yi's own thousand brought their strength to two thousand.
Even in the worst case, without those thousand men, Ma Chao's thousand Xiliang Iron Cavalry alone would be enough to sweep through these factions.
Powerful as these factions were, they were simply no match for a regular army.
He could take this opportunity to seize actual control of Northern Liang City and farm system rewards.
He could imagine how generous those rewards would be.
A single beginner's gift pack had given him Ma Chao and the Xiliang Iron Cavalry. If he took Northern Liang City and won over the entire royal city, his strength would surely increase tremendously.
"Your Highness, this..."
The corners of Zhang Long's and Zhao Hu's mouths twitched, and their hearts sank.
Others might not know what arrangements the heir had made, but how could they not know? What trump cards did he have? Surely he was not sending the two of them to their deaths this time?
Your Highness, please don't!
Lin Yi looked at the pair with a meaningful expression. "What, do you two have objections?"
Gulp!
"A wise decision, Your Highness. I've long been sick of those bastards, turning our Northern Liang City into such a foul mess."
"This time, I, Zhang Long, will lead the charge!"
Their faces instantly turned pale, and they shook their heads like rattle drums. Neither dared argue.
The heir had never been a kindhearted soul.
They were already in his clutches. If they contradicted him now, they probably would not even know how they had died.
"This..."
Han Song also frowned slightly, looking at his heir in confusion. What did he mean, he had made arrangements? What was going on?
If these factions joined forces, they would probably number several thousand at least. If he wanted to wipe them all out in one fell swoop, Han Song's five hundred men would probably not even be enough for the enemy to slaughter.
But seeing the certainty on the heir's face, he could not voice any of the countless words in his heart.
The heir would inevitably inherit the title of Prince of Northern Liang. Han Song could not afford to offend him.