Zheng Miao was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "For someone like me who is not very knowledgeable, what is there to praise?"
But Qiu Yizhi said, "Brother San, please stop being so modest. Let's not talk about anything else. We are not only deep in the tiger's den, but also stroking the tiger's whiskers and sleeping next to the tiger. This kind of courage and bravery... The emperor always says that I am bold and daring. I think compared with brother San, I am considered cautious and careful."
Zheng Miao was quite proud of the compliment. He smiled and said, "We have penetrated deep into the heart of Lingnan Road and are working on other people's minds. Anyway, we are in the control of our opponents. Rather than looking back and forth and being controlled by our opponents, we might as well stand in front of them and make them feel uncomfortable. If they start fighting, even if we have no power to fight back, we will spit in their eyes."
"Well said!" Lin Shuhan couldn't help but praise, "Whether the Third Prince did this intentionally or not, it has given us the upper hand!"
Zheng Miao was a little confused after hearing this and asked, "What does Mr. Lin mean by this?"
Lin Shuhan knew that Zheng Miao was not a stupid person, so he said seriously: "I would like to ask your Highness the Third Prince, why have you come here from afar?"
"To convey the emperor's orders and investigate the military situation in Lingnan."
"Then what is the purpose of investigating military intelligence in the name of conveying an imperial decree?"
Being in the midst of the enemy troops, Zheng Miao subconsciously raised his head and looked around, and said, "In order to withdraw the vassal state."
"That's right. It's for the purpose of removing the feudal fiefdom!" Lin Shuhan said, "Right now, there is a brilliant plan that can make the emperor's dream come true in one fell swoop. I wonder if the Third Prince is willing to give it a try?"
Zheng Miao was shocked and wanted to ask Lin Shuhan if he was joking, but seeing the serious expression on Lin Shuhan's face reflected by the firelight, he changed his words and said, "I know that you have great talent. But we only have more than 200 people, including 27 useless guards. The King of Lingnan has 300,000 soldiers. We are like throwing a handful of dirt in the sea. What use can we have?"
"That depends on where the soil is scattered. If it's scattered into a sea eye, it might really block the circulation of rivers, lakes and seas!" said Lin Shuhan.
Zheng Miao turned the cooked meat in his hand over and over again, but he could not guess the deep meaning behind the words of this resourceful and world-famous "Mr. Bansong", so he said, "Sir, there is no need to keep me in suspense. Just say whatever you want to say."
Hearing this, Lin Shuhan got up from the mat on the ground, paced around the tent, took out his folding fan, and shooed away a few mosquitoes that were flying around his ears. Feeling comfortable, he said, "I have a plan for you, Your Highness. If it is implemented properly, the Lingnan Palace can be evacuated overnight, and the emperor's major concern will be solved."
If an ordinary person said this, Zheng Miao would undoubtedly think he was talking nonsense, but Lin Shuhan was a man of great talent. Since he said such a big talk, he must have his reasons. So Zheng Miao bowed to Lin Shuhan and said, "Sir, if you have any good ideas, please give me some advice."
"It's not really a brilliant plan. I just want to do something with Prince Lingnan." Lin Shuhan said calmly.
Although Lin Shuhan said this calmly, it sounded like a bolt from the blue to Zheng Miao, and he quickly lowered his voice, "Mr. Lin, do you mean to send someone to kidnap or assassinate the Prince of Lingnan?"
Lin Shuhan smiled and said, "Your Highness the Third Prince is indeed smart. This is exactly what I meant." But he said no more.
Zheng Miao took a deep breath and said, "Sir, this plan is too risky. We are practicing in a snail shell. If we make a mistake, there will be no chance of recovery. It's ok for us to risk our lives, but I'm afraid that it will implicate my father and the court will have to immediately mobilize troops to fight a decisive battle with the Lingnan Palace. That will disrupt the deployment of the vassal state, which is not worth the loss."
Zheng Miao saw that his words were very serious, but Lin Shuhan still looked confident and smiled at him, so he had to turn to Qiu Yizhi and ask, "What do you think, my dear brother?"
Qiu Yizi smiled and said, "What opinions can I have? But if Third Brother adopts Mr. Lin's idea, I will definitely help him."
Although this was not stated explicitly, the meaning could not be clearer.
Then I heard Lin Shuhan say: "Although my plan sounds extremely risky, it is actually as stable as a rock as long as we handle it carefully..."
The more Zheng Miao listened, the more confused he became. He interrupted Lin Shuhan and said, "We are now under the eyes of the King of Lingnan. The Lingnan army in Stone City alone is more than ten times larger than ours. I don't know how many troops are deployed outside the city. Mr. Lin, where does the phrase 'stable as a mountain' come from?"
Lin Shuhan waved his folding fan and said, "I have heard of the King of Lingnan. Although he is a famous general in the military, he has also made great achievements in running Lingnan. However, he is fierce on the outside but weak on the inside. He has many plans but lacks decisiveness. Your Highness, think about it. The King of Lingnan allowed our two hundred elite soldiers to set up camp under his nose. Isn't it brave and wise? But if he really wants to get rid of us now, I am afraid he may not be able to make up his mind."
Lin Shuhan paused, and then said, "Please forgive my rebelliousness. When Emperor Shenzong was alive, the King of Lingnan also had the ambition to seize the throne, and Emperor Shenzong seemed to favor him. But even though he had a large army, he always looked ahead and behind. He did not dare to lead troops to a distant expedition to accumulate popularity like the current emperor, nor did he dare to take advantage of the emptiness of the court to launch an uprising. Finally, the emperor gave an order and ordered him to come to this wild land of Lingnan, so he could only pack up his bags and come here to watch the gate. Even when the campaign to suppress the rebellion was in full swing last year, if he had risked everything and led his troops, although he might not have achieved great things, at least he could have created a situation where the river was divided and the north and the south confronted each other. But he stayed in Lingnan like a turtle and could not come out. Today, he can only wait for the emperor to start the process of withdrawing the fiefdom."
Zheng Miao nodded in agreement to Lin Shuhan's slow but precise reasoning. He added, "Even if the King of Lingnan hesitates a little, it can only ensure that we can escape from Lingnan. It is still a long way from withdrawing the fiefdom in one fell swoop!"
"Since there are masters who are always worried about gains and losses, there are no wise and decisive subjects." Lin Shuhan said, "Only a wise and intelligent person like the emperor can cultivate people who are both wise and brave like the Third Prince and Lord Qiu. I predict that once the King of Lingnan gets into trouble, the Lingnan Dao will be at a loss, and the court will be close to successfully withdrawing the vassal state."
Zheng Miao said: "Sir, do you mean that we should kill the King of Lingnan right here and now?" He even laughed at himself.
Unexpectedly, Lin Shuhan had a serious face and replied, "Under the current situation, it is not too bad to kill the King of Lingnan and leave a chaotic Lingnan Road for the court to deal with slowly. However, the world is just beginning to settle down and people's minds are calm. It may be against the will of heaven to use military force. Therefore, killing the King of Lingnan is not a bad idea, nor is it a foolproof plan."
Zheng Miao was shocked. He never thought that this weak scholar in front of him could actually have weapons in his heart. He was a little scared. But when he saw that Lin Shuhan stopped talking halfway, he knew that he was keeping it a secret, so he looked at him with a smile and said, "I guess Mr. Lin must have a perfect plan in mind?"
Lin Shuhan smiled and said, "Of course. If you want to give an idea, it should be a foolproof one. Otherwise, if you give a half-baked idea, wouldn't that harm your own people?"
Lin Shuhan walked around the tent again and said, "In my humble opinion, instead of killing the Prince of Lingnan, it would be better to kidnap him and escort him to the capital. Then, let the Prince of Lingnan sign and take the initiative to request the withdrawal of the feudal fiefdom. Isn't that a piece of cake?"
Zheng Miao felt relieved when he heard that Lin Shuhan's "best plan" was not to kill Zheng Gui immediately, but frowned again and said, "Mr. Lin's idea is good, but it's too difficult to execute. Mr. Lin, why don't you go out and have a look? More than 200 of us are surrounded by enemies and can't even protect ourselves, so how can we spare the energy to deal with others? Moreover, Mr. Lin just said that the Prince of Lingnan is extremely cautious and careful in doing things. Since he dared to let us stay in the city overnight, he must have been well prepared. Even if we take action, how can we succeed easily?"
Lin Shuhan smiled and said, "The King of Lingnan made all kinds of calculations, but he just missed one person."
"Who is it?" Zheng Miao asked.
"It's Yuchi Jiming." The person who answered was Qiu Yizi who was standing beside him.
Lin Shuhan also said, "That's right. It's Yuchi Jiming. Although this little girl is not very impressive, she is very skilled in martial arts, especially her Qinggong, which is unrivaled in the world and even better than her father. If she sneaks into the Lingnan King's house at night and captures him in one fell swoop, it won't be a difficult task, right?"
Zheng Miao thought for a moment and said, "Even if the King of Lingnan was easily subdued by Yuchi Jiming, even if our troops were afraid to act rashly and let us leave the city, this place is thousands of miles away from the capital Luoyang. The paths between the mountains and ridges of Lingnan Road are extremely difficult to walk on. If something goes wrong, it will be troublesome."
Lin Shuhan smiled and said, "Your Highness, please rest assured. We have an informant in Lingnan Road. As long as we can successfully capture the Prince of Lingnan, this person will help us stabilize Lingnan Road and may even send troops to escort us out of the country!"
"What!" Zheng Miao was shocked when he heard this. "Brother, you are so powerful that you have already planted spies in Lingnan Road after only a few days? It seems that this person is quite powerful and has the ability to lead the entire Lingnan Road."
"Third brother also knows this man. He is none other than the second prince Zheng Yu." Qiu Yizi said as he couldn't help laughing secretly.
Zheng Miao was even more surprised: "Zheng Yu is the second prince of the King of Lingnan. My dear brother wants to join forces with him to deal with the King of Lingnan. Isn't this courting disaster?"
"Hahaha." Lin Shuhan suddenly laughed, "I'm afraid that the Third Prince may not be able to guess what the Second Prince is thinking. Let me explain it to the Third Prince slowly."
Lin Shuhan extended the tip of his tongue and licked his dry tongue: "Third Prince, please think about it. If the Lingnan Palace is not removed, it will be passed down to the second generation. I wonder which prince of his knees will succeed to the throne now?"
Zheng Miao pondered for a moment and said, "I remember that the Prince of Lingnan had very few children. Apart from the second prince Zheng Yu, there was only the eldest son Zheng Nuo. As for who will inherit the throne of the Prince of Lingnan between these two, there is actually no suspense. Isn't it the eldest son Zheng Nuo?"
"How come there is no suspense? Please give me some advice, Your Highness." Lin Shuhan said with a smile.
Of course Zheng Miao knew that with Lin Shuhan's knowledge, how could he not know this little reason
However, after discussing this with Lin Shuhan for the past few days, Zheng Miao also knew that this "Mr. Bansong" had the habit of keeping people in suspense, so he "explained" along with what he meant: "First of all, Zheng Nuo is the eldest son and is born of a legitimate wife, and Zheng Yu is the second son and is born of a concubine. There is an order of seniority and distinction between legitimate and concubines, so it is natural that Zheng Nuo should succeed to the throne." (To be continued)