Ashina Tiandu!
Upon seeing the name, a sharp glint flashed in Lin Yi's eyes.
This is the future first heir of the Frostwest Empire. How could he not know this name? Strictly speaking, he is also his brother-in-law.
However, this brother-in-law is quite capable; he actually wants to leverage the greed of Western countries to form an alliance of interests with the entire Western world, thus turning defense into offense.
Turning Great Liang into a target of public criticism and seizing the initiative is definitely a big move.
He couldn't help but sneer, "The idea is not bad, but unfortunately you miscalculated the strength of Great Liang and underestimated Great Liang speed. By the time you go to unite the western countries, you'll probably be left with only a few commanders in your own ranks!"
The plan seemed promising, but he underestimated the strength of Great Liang.
The strength of Great Liang is now vastly different from what it used to be. Even if the entire West were to unite, it would only be a 70/30 split, and that 70/30 would naturally be on Great Liang's side.
The Western alliance appears to be united in interests and acting in unison against Great Liang, but in reality, their actions are riddled with flaws.
Putting aside other issues, the division of profits alone is a major problem, since everyone wants more. Then there's the issue of casualties; nobody wants to be cannon fodder, which is an even bigger problem.
In comparison, the Great Liang is different.
The entire nation was unified, with all power in the hands of the emperor. With a single word, he could send over three million troops to the battlefield—something the West could never do.
This is true integration; the West can't compare.
Besides, their so-called alliance is a joke. They had just thrown Xue Rengui into the West, and with his speed, he could have easily overthrown those small countries.
By the time Ashina Tiandu succeeds, dozens of small countries will probably have been destroyed, leaving only the two great empires of Great West and Frostwest.
In this situation, the so-called Western interest groups are nothing but a joke.
However, Abaddon's joint assassination attempt on Bill III with Ashina Tiandu would inevitably trigger a series of chain reactions, and might even reshape the entire West, where there are significant interests at stake.
How can one maximize their benefits when Great Liang in such a predicament?
"Da da da!"
Lin Yi's fingers tapped on the table as his mind raced, weighing the interests at stake and how Great Liang could gain anything from the situation.
However, the final conclusion was far from ideal; these so-called benefits were nothing more than a burden for Great Liang.
What's the point of resources? These things will all be yours in the future, so why bother?
To put it bluntly, aside from the Frostwest Empire surrendering, there really wasn't anything that could tempt them, since it would save Great Liang some effort.
However, expecting the entire nation to surrender was somewhat unrealistic, given that Bill III did not yet possess that level of prestige.
Although Bill III was the emperor of the Frostwest Empire, he had many vested interests at stake. If he were to surrender, he would inevitably touch upon these interests, so even if Bill III wanted to surrender, it would be impossible.
As for the rest, they're a waste to throw away, but tasteless to eat!
"Emperor!"
Seeing Lin Yi's silent expression after seeing the intelligence report, Cai Yan and the others couldn't help but worry. Had something serious happened?
Although the women were worried, they tacitly refrained from asking. After all, this was a military secret, and it was best for the women in the inner palace to avoid inquiring about it; it was a taboo subject.
Violating these taboos will inevitably displease the emperor, something no one wants to see.
"It's alright!"
Seeing the worried looks on the women's faces, Lin Yi smiled and shook his head, indicating that they should relax.
No matter how strong the winds and waves are in the west, they won't reach this side of Great Liang.
Since the benefits are not enough to sway me, I'll just sit back and watch the situation change; there's no need to get involved. All I need to do is, once I'm fully prepared, find a pretext to send troops.
However, even though we don't need to take action, doing nothing would be a waste of the value of this intelligence.
Abaddon and Ashina Tiandu both had designs on Great Liang that day, so it would be really inexcusable if I didn't give them a little surprise.
He muttered to himself, "If the enemy is comfortable, then I'm not. These two are up to something; we have to make things a little more difficult for them, otherwise they'll just succeed!"
Suddenly, an idea struck him: Princess Anne!
Although I can't do it myself, it wouldn't be bad to let Princess Anne intervene, at least so that Anne won't have any regrets.
No matter how incompetent Bill III was, he would never be careless when faced with life and death. If he had known the news in advance, he would have made preparations. That would make things quite interesting.
Faced with a death threat, will the timid father-in-law finally snap?
It sounds so exciting!
Thinking of this, he looked at Princess Anne and said with a heavy expression, " Anne, I have received bad news. It seems someone is plotting to assassinate your father. This time, your father-in-law is likely in grave danger!"
"What? Assassinate my father?"
Upon hearing this, Princess Anne instantly turned pale; how could such a thing happen?
His father was the emperor; how could anyone dare to assassinate him?
However, seeing how serious her man was, she already believed him. After all, although Lin Yi was a bit unreliable, he had never lied.
Moreover, he would never joke about something like this.
"Assassinate the Emperor of the Frostwest Empire!"
Cai Yan and Shenle frowned. This was a momentous matter, potentially affecting the development of the situation in the West and even impacting trade in Great Liang.
Assassinating the ruler of a country is no joke; it's something an ordinary person would never do. One wrong move and it could lead to widespread bloodshed.
And there's something fishy about this!
With the West now facing dual threats from the Great Liang and the Land of the Far West, how could an assassination attempt on the emperor of a great power possibly occur at this time? There must be a conspiracy involved.
"Someone's trying to pull chestnuts out of the fire!" Cai Yan frowned.
"The West is about to descend into chaos; a great upheaval is about to begin!" Shenle sighed.
Neither of them were naive or innocent. This assassination attempt was undoubtedly a signal, a sign that a storm was brewing, and the winds were already blowing in the West.
To assassinate his own father!
Princess Anne, forgetting all about her meal, grabbed Lin Yi's hand anxiously and asked, "Your Majesty, who is so audacious as to commit such a heinous act?"
Although she was determined to return to Great Liang, she could not ignore the fact that her father was about to be assassinated.
This concerns his father's life; he cannot give up as long as there is a glimmer of hope. The Emperor has promised not to kill his father, which is already a guarantee of immunity from death. It would be too unjust for him to die at the hands of his own people.