If Liu Bei had felt he was about to reach the pinnacle of his life just moments ago, then, after Emperor Ling's words fell, Liu Bei felt as if he had been cast into hell. He was deathly cold! Guangyang Commandery? What kind of place was that? It was just a stone's throw away from Zhuo Commandery! To be the prefect there? Was this really meant to be my reward? They truly wanted me dead!
Although Liu Bei was shocked and angry in his heart, under Emperor Ling's gaze, she dared not utter a word. A royal decree was not just a casual remark. Before the Emperor spoke, any discussion still had room for negotiation. But once the Emperor's golden words were uttered? Aside from rebels like Qin Feng and powerful ministers who dominated the court, no one dared to openly contradict him. Even those influential ministers, when their own interests were not at stake, would generally not openly oppose the Emperor. The might of a dragon was irresistible! To disrespect the Emperor was to risk losing one's head.
Seeing this, Emperor Ling breathed a slight sigh of relief, her gaze towards Liu Bei growing even more benevolent. Family members were indeed the most reliable! Emperor Ling did not truly intend to trap Liu Bei; she primarily wanted to place a spy in You Province. They knew virtually nothing about Qin Feng at the moment and needed a trusted confidant to report information in a timely manner. And the one who knew Qin Feng best, and was least likely to collude with him, was undoubtedly this “cheap cousin” who had delivered news twice.
As for Emperor Ling's decision, the court officials naturally had no objections. They were also wary of Qin Feng! His recruitment was accepted, but once they were free, he would still be dealt with. Having someone fearless go to keep an eye on him was a good choice. As for the leap from commoner to prefect being a bit too large? Don't be absurd! They had already accepted a Provincial Governor; why would they care about a mere prefect?
And so, amidst Liu Bei's complex emotions, the matter was happily decided.
…
Meanwhile, Qin Feng, who was unaware that Emperor Ling had sent Liu Bei to him, was listening to the prompt sounds in his ear.
"Congratulations to the host, your Han Iron Cavalry *** has killed one Wuhuan cavalry, you have obtained: 100 Random Ordinary Cavalry Summoning Cards."
"Congratulations to the host, your Han Iron Cavalry *** has killed one Wuhuan cavalry, you have obtained: 10 Random Elite Cavalry Summoning Cards."
"Congratulations to the host..."
"..."
"It seems they have already started. If that's the case, I can't fall behind!" After a moment of thought, Qin Feng beckoned to the guards beside him. "Go and summon Xiuning, tell her this general has something to discuss with her." "Yes!" Watching the departing backs of the guards, Qin Feng stopped before the map.
Zhuo Commandery, as a not-so-small commandery in You Province, had seven subordinate counties. Besides the already occupied Zhuo County, there were six more counties to conquer. According to Qin Feng's previous plan, he intended to send troops after the Wuhuan people had plundered. But this would be too obvious. Moreover, if there was no direct conflict, the pretext for war with the Wuhuan would be somewhat weak.
But if he sent troops in advance? This brought up a problem. How many were appropriate? If too many troops were sent and then plundered, it would be illogical. But sending too few was also not good. Similar to the previous problem, the purpose would be too obvious. With so many troops under your command, why only send so few people? Were you just waiting for us to be robbed? Therefore, Qin Feng was somewhat conflicted about the number of troops to dispatch.
"Master~!"
Just as Qin Feng was lost in thought, Li Xiuning, with her long strides, walked over.
"You're here?" Qin Feng turned to look at her, gesturing for her to come closer. "The prisoners have already been selected. We need to decide on our next move."
"Oh?" Li Xiuning raised her eyebrows upon hearing this and asked instead of replying, "How many prisoners are there?"
"About five hundred?"
"That's a bit few!"
"No help for it!" Qin Feng shrugged, his tone full of helplessness. "After all, it's the first time doing this kind of thing. Too many people would be hard to control."
"Why control them?"
Meeting Qin Feng's somewhat puzzled gaze, Li Xiuning asked with a smile, "Master, tell me honestly, how much troop strength can we actually mobilize?"
"This..." Although Qin Feng found it a bit surprising, he did not conceal it. After glancing at his system's warehouse, he said calmly, "We have about a hundred thousand infantry, and perhaps thirty to fifty thousand cavalry we can deploy?"
"Of course!"
"If needed, finding more is not impossible!"
"This..." Li Xiuning gasped, looking at Qin Feng with a strange expression. "Master, since we have so many combat-ready troops, why didn't you consider marching directly on Luoyang?"
"There aren't enough people to manage it!" Qin Feng sighed deeply, his eyes profound. "If we only intended to replace the Han Dynasty, we could indeed do it now. But what about after the replacement? Maintain the status quo? Or reform? Reforms would inevitably infringe upon the interests of those with vested interests, leading to widespread rebellion everywhere, wouldn't it? The Han Dynasty is too vast! From Luoyang to the border regions, even with an express courier, it would take three to five days to travel. Not to mention the journey of an army! Therefore..."
"I would rather start from a single county or commandery, establish a solid foundation, and then expand slowly. It's never too late."
"Master is wise~!" Li Xiuning looked at Qin Feng deeply, then bowed to him with admiration.
"Alright!" Qin Feng waved his hand, signaling Li Xiuning to rise, and then asked with a smile, "You haven't told me your plan yet!"
"My plan is very simple!" Knowing that there was no shortage of manpower, Li Xiuning solemnly suggested, "Master, we don't need to worry about whether the prisoners will escape. As long as the people we infiltrate among them successfully complete their mission, it will be fine."
"But..." Qin Feng frowned upon hearing this, somewhat puzzled. "This way, our plan is very likely to be exposed, and it will inevitably offend the aristocratic families."
"So what?" Li Xiuning did not care about Qin Feng's worries and asked with a smile, "Master, have you forgotten that the imperial court might very well agree to your proposal?"
"En?" Qin Feng raised his eyebrows and looked at Li Xiuning with some curiosity.
"Legitimacy!" Li Xiuning did not look at Qin Feng but gazed at the map, extending her fair jade-like hand to point at it. "Without the legitimacy of the imperial court, we naturally must be cautious and hidden to avoid provoking the resentment of the aristocratic families. Because we are rebels, we need them to help us manage the cities! But once we have legitimacy, we are a regular army! Both existing officials and impoverished scholars who cannot find opportunities are administrators we can recruit. As for the aristocratic families? Whoever dares to defy us, we will destroy them! After all..."
"Illegally selling salt and iron to foreigners is a crime akin to rebellion. Moreover..."
"Through this matter, we can also let those aristocratic families witness Master's methods!"
"So as not to make a mistake!"