"Is that the Liu family's merchant ship ahead?"
Half an hour after Han Mo's boat had just set sail, not far from Tongjin Gate, a small boat sailed directly over.
"Indeed! May I ask, young sir, what is your business?"
"My master has an appointment with your young master. Is your young master on board?"
"So that's how it is. Our young master is waiting in the cabin. Please come aboard!"
Hearing this, Yue Fei, who was wearing a bamboo hat, hurried forward and placed a plank directly between the two boats.
Soon, a man with an ethereal bearing, dressed only in plain linen clothes, with his hair casually tied up in a Taoist bun, crossed the plank and came onto Han Mo's boat.
"It's been a long time, Mr. Yuan Miao. Your demeanor remains as distinguished as ever. Truly commendable!"
As Lin Ling Su's feet touched the deck, Han Mo, smiling, cupped his hands towards him.
Hearing Han Mo's words, Yue Fei, standing behind Lin Ling Su, couldn't help but tremble. Although he had had some vague suspicions, hearing Han Mo confirm Lin Ling Su's identity still made him glance over him a few more times.
"And who is this gentleman?"
Glancing at Yue Fei standing nearby from the corner of his eye, Lin Ling Su spoke again.
"You must have heard of this young sir, Mr. Lin. This is Yue Fei, Yue Peng Ju, who captured Fang La with my good brother!"
As Han Mo spoke, he reached out and poured Lin Ling Su a cup of wine.
"So that's how it is. Indeed, a man of exceptional talent!"
Hearing Han Mo's introduction, Lin Ling Su immediately understood Han Mo's intentions. It seemed this was a trusted subordinate he had recently taken in.
Since Han Mo himself didn't seem to mind this young man being present, he saw no reason to object.
"You flatter me, sir!"
Hearing Lin Ling Su's words, Yue Fei felt a little embarrassed.
"To possess such skill and destiny at such a young age, you are destined for great honors in the future! Why don't you tell me your birth date and time, and I'll cast a divination for you?"
Looking at Yue Fei's slightly bashful face, Lin Ling Su suddenly seemed to become very interested.
"Sir, we are all our own people. Let's skip these formalities, shall we?"
Seeing the old charlatan getting more and more carried away, Han Mo couldn't help but roll his eyes. Did this fellow not know his own capabilities?
If he truly wanted to divine something, surely Shao Bowen would be more suitable than him?
"Cough, cough, cough. Speaking of which, this old Taoist was indeed presumptuous!"
Being publicly debunked by Han Mo, Lin Ling Su felt a wave of embarrassment.
However, he couldn't help but curse inwardly, thinking how this brat gave him absolutely no face!
"Our time to meet today is limited. I have something I wish to entrust to you, Mr. Lin. Let's keep this brief!"
"That would be excellent!"
Lin Ling Su himself had only managed to slip away from his own large ship with some difficulty and couldn't stay here for long. Hearing Han Mo's words, he immediately nodded in agreement.
"You must already know about the situation in Hebei, correct?"
After a moment of thought, Han Mo spoke directly.
"You mean the four prefectures?"
Hearing Han Mo's question, Lin Ling Su asked with some confusion.
"Both yes and no! What I want to know is how much you understand about Guo Yaoshi and the Ever Victorious Army?"
Although in the original history, Guo Yaoshi had indeed been loyal to the Song Dynasty, fighting until the very end before surrendering due to lack of reinforcements.
However, the Ever Victorious Army under his command had brought too much convenience to the Jin invaders.
In the original history, the reason the Jin forces could advance unhindered, capturing cities one after another, all the way to the gates of Bianliang.
The greatest credit for this must go to those Han soldiers within the Ever Victorious Army.
Although on the surface they looked no different from ordinary Han people, these individuals were the very culprits who opened the city gates for the Jin.
After Guo Yaoshi surrendered, almost all of the Ever Victorious Army soldiers rebelled with him. And the major cities that had been painstakingly recovered along the way were basically garrisoned by these soldiers.
Upon learning of the Jin's unstoppable advance, when they marched south, the fighting became impossible to win...
"They are far away in Hebei. My knowledge of them naturally remains confined to official court reports. I recall that the Ever Victorious Army was known for its bravery and skill in battle. Other than that, I have little impression."
After a moment of hesitation, Lin Ling Su stated truthfully.
"You are correct, sir. They are indeed brave and skilled. However, Guo Yaoshi himself harbors rebellious intentions, and his soldiers are even more untamed. I fear they may harbor ambitions of disloyalty in the future!"
Since there were only the three of them present, Han Mo spoke without any reservation.
However, his hastily spoken words made Lin Ling Su, sitting opposite him, tremble all over.
Rebellion was no trivial matter!
"Cough—cough—cough—"
As soon as Han Mo finished speaking, Lin Ling Su, sitting opposite him, began to cough violently.
"Rebellion is a matter of losing one's head! This is not something that can be explained away by having 'rebellious bones'..."
Although he roughly understood Han Mo's meaning, faced with the gravity of the situation, Lin Ling Su couldn't help but tremble.
"Sir, since we met, have I ever set you up?"
Seeing his nervous demeanor, Han Mo couldn't help but smile again.
"That... I suppose not..."
Seeing Han Mo stand up and cup his fists towards him, Lin Ling Su quickly returned the gesture.
"If that is the case, perhaps I can rephrase. If you follow my instructions, sir, I guarantee that one day you will be enfeoffed as a Guardian of the Nation True Person! And all the people under heaven will be eternally grateful to you!"
Hearing the words "Guardian of the Nation True Person," even the well-traveled Lin Ling Su couldn't help but tremble.
These four words were not to be spoken lightly!
"Do you truly have such confidence?"
After a moment of contemplation, Lin Ling Su finally made up his mind.
"Naturally. Otherwise, why would I dare to seek you out, and at this particular time!"
As Han Mo spoke, he deliberately pointed a finger towards Bianliang city outside the cabin.
"If that is the case, tell me directly what you need me to do!"
Seeing the fleeting avarice in Lin Ling Su's eyes, Yue Fei's image of him suddenly crumbled.
Damn it, how could a divine immortal be like this?