"Could it be that you want to seek refuge with the Prince of Lingnan?" Lin Shuhan asked.
Qiu Yizhi heard this and immediately denied it, saying, "Sir, you are overthinking. Even if I have to fight to the last man, I will not surrender to the King of Lingnan. Mr. Lin, please do not mention this matter again. If Mr. Lin does not want to go through the national crisis with me, please do as you please. I have another gift for you, and I will not mind."
Lin Shuhan laughed again and said, "My Lord, you are underestimating me. I am not here to persuade you to surrender. On the contrary, if you want to surrender to the Prince of Lingnan, I will persuade you!"
Lin Shuhan looked at Qiu Yi's eyes that were wide open in confusion, and smiled again: "Whether it's a rebellion or a rebellion, it depends on the right time, right place, and right people. Although the Prince of Lingnan is now arrogant, he doesn't have any of these three conditions. How can he succeed in his rebellion? This is what I want to advise you, sir."
Qiu Yizi's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he quickly stood up to fill the empty teacup in front of Lin Shuhan with water, and asked respectfully: "Sir, what do you mean by this? Please enlighten me."
Lin Shuhan took a sip of lukewarm tea and said, "The success of the current emperor's suppression of the rebellion is due to the three factors of time, place and people. Let me explain them one by one to you:
"First of all, it was the right time. The emperor was fighting against the false emperor Zheng Yao, who came to power illegally. Not to mention that he was not blessed by heaven, even his close ministers and guards were not convinced. I remember that the adults once told me that when they finally attacked the imperial city, only a few eunuchs resisted stubbornly. This is a clear proof. However, the emperor has already secured his throne, and everyone praises the emperor as the reincarnation of Yao and Shun. How can the King of Lingnan succeed by going against heaven
"Let's talk about geographical advantages. Since ancient times, Jiangnan has been difficult to conquer because of the Yangtze River. However, no matter how rich Jiangnan is, as long as the Central Plains is determined to unify China, the Yangtze River has never prevented the army from marching south. On the contrary, since ancient times, there has never been an example of unification from the south. What's more, the King of Lingnan has not occupied the entire Jiangnan area. The advantage of the Yangtze River is half for the imperial court and half for the Lingnan Palace. It is hard to say which is better. Moreover, this time, you have gone deep into Lingnan and know the strengths and weaknesses of Lingnan. If the King of Lingnan loses power for a while, I am afraid he will not even be able to be a turtle!
"As for the harmony of the people, the King of Lingnan has no chance of it. When the Emperor was fighting against the rebellion, the court was unjust, the people were living in poverty, without food and clothing, and even the good people attached themselves to the evil cult and raised the flag of rebellion. With the reputation and prestige of the current Emperor, it is natural that he can win the battle with an unstoppable force. However, now the people are in a stable mood and want to recuperate and live a peaceful life for a few years. The reason why the Emperor is unwilling to implement the new policy immediately is also because he does not want to torment the people. Under such circumstances, how can the Prince of Lingnan rashly raise an army and act against the will of the people? "
After Lin Shuhan finished speaking, Qiu Yizi jumped up happily and said with a smile: "Mr. Lin, what you said is very good! If it is polished and organized, it will be an excellent rebellion declaration! It's a pity that this is a remote temple without the four treasures of the study. It's a pity for your talent. When we return to Shanyin County, please start writing, and you and I will sign our names together and send it to the emperor. Then he will issue an imperial decree to the world. Maybe our army will have succeeded for the most part."
After hearing Qiu Yizhi's praise, Lin Shuhan also smiled proudly, then returned to normal and said, "Your Excellency is too kind. Literary skills are not important, military strategy is the most important. After all, the Lingnan Army is now powerful. I wonder what countermeasures your Excellency has?"
After hearing this, Qiu Yizhi sighed deeply and said, "I am so confused now, what other ideas can I have? I can only go back to Shanyin County now and let my brothers recuperate. I hope that Shanyin County is remote and unknown, and the King of Lingnan has not noticed it. When the emperor's army comes to quell the rebellion, we can cooperate in the battle."
Lin Shuhan shook his head and said, "Your Excellency's ability is far from this. I'm afraid that the emperor's hope for you is that you will take charge of the overall situation when the King of Lingnan rebels, right?"
Qiu Yizhi was afraid that Emperor Zheng Rong had too high hopes for him. Hearing Lin Shuhan's words, he was terrified and said half humbly and half truthfully: "How can I have such ability? I just hope to save the people of Shanyin County and the lives of my brothers, and I will be satisfied."
Lin Shuhan suddenly smiled slyly: "Then the golden medal arrow beside you will probably be wasted, right?"
Qiu Yizhi shuddered when he heard this and asked, "Mr. Lin, you... you... how did you know that I have a gold medal?"
This golden order was given to Qiu Yizhi by Emperor Zheng Rongqin before he came to Shanyin County to serve as an official. The golden order was a symbol of the emperor himself, and he could mobilize the army of the world with it. Zheng Rong gave this extremely important item to Qiu Yizhi in the first place, so that once the King of Lingnan launched a rebellion, Qiu Yizhi could use it to organize the army on the spot, resist the first wave of attacks for the court, and then let the court calmly send troops to quell the rebellion.
Qiu Yizhi originally wanted to retire to the countryside and was unwilling to accept this item, but the emperor had made up his mind and Qiu Yizhi did not dare to disobey the order. However, since he came to Jiangnan, he had been in danger several times and was even besieged by government troops that were dozens of times larger than his own. His life was in danger. Even under such circumstances, Qiu Yizhi had never used such a treasure, let alone shown it to anyone.
Therefore, when Qiu Yizi heard Lin Shuhan say that he had this thing, he was of course very surprised.
Lin Shuhan smiled and said, "Ms. Yang Ying'er is in charge of packing the master's clothes. She and Ruofei are like sisters. She occasionally mentioned that the master always carries a large piece of gold with him. Ruofei told me this as a joke, saying that the master is very cautious and always keeps money with him in case of an emergency."
Lin Shuhan paused, and then continued, "But I know that you are not a miser. I have heard it and laughed at it. But I know in my heart that a piece of gold with the size and shape described by Yang Ying'er, and a piece of gold that you cherish so much, must be the gold medal."
Qiu Yizhi smiled to himself: "Mr. Lin is really a living god! I do have something like this with me." As he spoke, Qiu Yizhi took out an object wrapped in yellow silk from his arms, held it in his hands very respectfully, and said, "This is it."
Lin Shuhan also took it in his hand respectfully and carefully uncovered the yellow silk wrapping it. He saw that the command arrow was made of pure red gold, and engraved with four extremely ancient seal characters "As if I were here in person".
This golden medal was already very heavy, and Lin Shuhan felt it weighed a thousand pounds in his hand. He looked at it for a few more times, then covered it with yellow silk again and returned it to Qiu Yizhi, saying, "I have really opened my eyes today. I have really opened my eyes!"
Qiu Yizhi put the golden medal back into his arms, shook his head and said, "To others, this is a treasure, but to me, it is an extremely heavy burden."
Lin Shuhan immediately responded, "It is so precious that it is heavy. Please forgive me for my boastful remarks, but this thing is the lever that can move the world!"
At this point, Lin Shuhan suddenly stood up, paced and said: "I want you to use this treasure to gather the soldiers defeated by the King of Lingnan from all over the country, regroup and fight the King of Lingnan again on the battlefield. Please don't be discouraged, I believe that with your talent, you will definitely be able to show your skills and establish this unprecedented achievement."
After hearing this, Qiu Yizi couldn't help but smile bitterly: he had accomplished the so-called "unprecedented achievement" in the previous campaign against the rebellion, but it was this "unprecedented achievement" that became his biggest concern.
Seeing Qiu Yi's expression was a little depressed, Lin Shuhan felt strange and asked, "Why? Your Excellency doesn't care about the meritorious service?"
Qiu Yizi said, "Don't be afraid that Mr. Lin will say that I am hypocritical and noble. I don't care much about fame, wealth and power. Let's discuss the method Mr. Lin taught me just now before we do it... It's not for promotion, but I hate that the King of Lingnan is stirring up trouble out of nothing and harming the people. He wants to be the emperor, but I can't let him do it!"
Qiu Yizhi and Lin Shuhan discussed the matter in detail for the entire night, and did not go to bed until dawn the next day. However, they were not out of danger yet, and they did not dare to stay where they were, so they did not catch up on their sleep, but instead, they gathered their energy and headed all the way to Shanyin County.
Because Qiu Yizhi was the first to fight against the King of Lingnan in Hangzhou, the southernmost city of Jiangnan Road, and was the only one to escape unscathed after his defeat, and his retreat was extremely fast, so the journey was quite peaceful. Not only did he not encounter any Lingnan troops, but he also did not see any defeated troops from various places.
However, a battle-hardened man like Qiu Yizi had a very keen sense of smell. He had already smelled the tension and uneasiness in the air, so he urged his brothers to hurry to Shanyin County.
Shanyin County is located in the hinterland of Jiangnan Road, and its terrain is somewhat similar to that of Lingnan Road, and is also surrounded by mountains. However, since Qiu Yi took office, he spent money to repair the official road, making it very wide and flat, so Qiu Yi's journey was quite smooth, and in just five or six days, he had arrived at the foot of Shanyin County.
When the people in the county heard that the county magistrate, Lord Qiu, had returned from the expedition, they rushed out of the city to welcome him. However, they saw that although all the soldiers were still there, they were all wounded and bruised, and they looked much more dejected than in the previous times when they returned triumphantly.
Seeing this, a few influential old country gentlemen in the crowd could not restrain their curiosity. They leaned over to Qiu Yizhi, held his reins, and asked, "Sir, what happened? Didn't you say you were going to Lingnan Road for a walk and then come back? Why are you so embarrassed now?"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Yizi simply dismounted, bowed to everyone and said, "The Prince of Lingnan has rebelled, we have failed to suppress the rebellion and suffered a defeat, and we have let down the kindness of all the elders and fellow villagers." After saying this, he bowed again.
Several elders were shocked when they heard this: "Isn't the Prince of Lingnan the emperor's brother? He is a king in Lingnan, why would he rebel?"
Qiu Yizi smiled bitterly and said to himself: "It's just that I want to be the emperor..."
He suddenly raised his voice again and said in a clear voice: "This time, the Lingnan prince is rebelling and is determined to conquer. I am afraid that even a small county like Shanyin will be affected. In the war, only the people suffer the most, so I ask you elders to make preparations early to avoid unexpected events."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a rustling sound among the people around him. Many people were extremely shocked to hear such news.
But Qiu Yizhi added: "But in my humble opinion, rather than relying on relatives and friends, I think it is slightly safer in Shanyin County. If you have the trust of the elders, I, Qiu Yizhi, pat my chest and guarantee the safety of your lives and property!"
Another round of whispers broke out among the crowd.
After a long while, the crowd finally quieted down. A gentleman stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Sir, of course we can trust you. It's just... it's just..." He suddenly stuttered in the middle of his words.
Qiu Yizhi knew that this person must have something to hide, so he smiled and said, "Please tell me what you want to say. If you have any difficulties, I will make arrangements."