126: Chapter 0126 Internal Strife

Taking the so-called official document, Lin Xiao's expression suddenly became somewhat subtle.

The letter rambled on with a bunch of nonsense, but in reality, it used code to convey one thing:

"Lou Suifeng, the Second Master of Yanyu Pavilion, has usurped the position. There is infighting within Yanyu Pavilion."

Infighting?

Lin Xiao was truly surprised. Could it be because he had slapped the Faceless Boy to death with a single palm strike?

He remembered Su Chang mentioning the major experts within Yanyu Pavilion to him.

The Martial Arts Grandmasters on the surface were the Pavilion Master, the Second Master, and the Third Master.

The Pavilion Master's identity was mysterious, and there wasn't much useful intelligence about them.

As for the Second Master, Lou Suifeng, he was a rare archery master on the Tianwu Continent. His black iron bow could pierce armor from over a mile away—impossible to guard against!

Besides him, there were the two soul-reaping envoys, "Chimei" and "Wangliang," whose strength was said to be close to that of a Martial Arts Grandmaster.

Further down were the thirteen Hall Masters of the thirteen halls, who reported directly to the Pavilion Master and managed over a hundred elite assassins.

This internal chaos was likely a rift between the number one and number two.

Su Chang sending him the message was to warn him to be careful of certain people in Yanyu Pavilion who might be desperate enough to jump over the wall and come cause him trouble.

General Zhao Kuan, Wei Dongxue, and the others were a bit worried and naturally asked if something major had happened.

Lin Xiao smiled. "No need to worry about it. Drink, eat meat!"

Seeing Lin Xiao's calm expression, the others didn't ask any further questions.

"By the way, Brother Zhao, does Wushan Commandery border the territory of Prince Qing?" Lin Xiao asked.

General Zhao Kuan nodded. "That's right. Niutou Town, in the westernmost part of Wushan Commandery, is actually at the intersection of Cang Province and Liang Province."

"Liang Province is also the northernmost of the four provinces controlled by Prince Qing, with over eighty thousand troops stationed there and a population of several hundred thousand."

Lin Xiao thought for a moment and asked, "Is there any trade between the two provinces?"

"As far as I know, only some local villagers go to markets to barter; there are no legitimate large merchant caravans."

"Why?"

Wei Dongxue smiled and said, "Lin Xiao, previously Wushan Commandery was controlled by the White Kings Army. With Prince Bai and Prince Qing at odds, the trade routes were naturally cut off."

General Zhao Kuan blinked and said, "Brother, are you thinking of targeting Prince Qing's territory?"

"Liang Province alone has several hundred thousand people. With such a huge market, tell me... how can I not be tempted?"

Lin Xiao grinned. "Besides, Prince Qing is an enemy of Prince Bai. Isn't the enemy of an enemy a friend?"

"If we do business with Liang Province without harming Prince Qing's interests, he shouldn't stop us."

General Zhao Kuan and Wei Dongxue thought about it carefully and felt it actually made sense.

Prince Bai and Prince Qing having a conflict had nothing to do with the Zhenbei Army!

"I think we can give it a try. Send someone to Prince Qing's side to sound him out."

Wei Dongxue analyzed, "Although Prince Qing holds the 'Azure Dragon Guard,' he only has four provinces of territory, all of which are high-altitude, bitter, cold lands."

"Although his total military strength is two hundred thousand, his equipment and provisions are not as abundant as the White Kings Army, and he has to guard against the Western Qiang to the north."

"Furthermore, Prince Qing is young, and his mother, the Consort, died early, so he was ostracized by his brothers from a young age and sent to his fief early."

"Such a feudal prince, who is far from the capital, has decent strength, but little chance of competing for the throne, is actually an object we can win over."

Lin Xiao was stunned. "Oh? Is Prince Qing so unpopular?"

Wei Dongxue smiled. "It seems the General is not very familiar with the current Great Gan royal family and the various feudal princes."

"Tell me about it!"

Lin Xiao had never really inquired about these things. Understanding the situation of the various feudal princes was crucial for formulating future strategies.

Wei Dongxue was a bit tipsy now, and his courage had grown, so he began to recount the treasonous royal gossip:

"This subordinate studied in the capital for several years and only then learned... that the current Li Sihong of Great Gan was not the late Emperor's favorite son."

"Although he was the eldest prince, his biological mother was only a Jieyu. Later, thanks to her son, she was promoted to Zhaoyi, and only after her death was she posthumously titled a Consort."

"The ones the late Emperor valued most were Prince Yan, Li Siyan, who was born to the Empress, and Prince Bai, Li Sibai, who was born to Consort Shu."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao asked curiously, "Then why... could Li Sihong become emperor?"

"It was because of General Mu Tiexin..."

General Zhao Kuan took over the conversation. "Back then, Li Sihong received the support of General Mu Tiexin. General Mu Tiexin and the Golden Scale Guard had performed immortal feats in resisting the Northern Barbarians."

"When the Mu Family was at the height of its power, they were the leaders of all the military officials in Great Gan, and their influence in the court was immense."

"In order to avoid the two factions of Prince Yan and Prince Bai from stirring up the world into a bloodbath, General Mu Tiexin supported the eldest prince, whom both sides could accept."

"Looking at the results, during the current Emperor's reign, Great Gan was indeed not in chaos. It's just... who would have thought of the 'killing the donkey after the millstone is done' scenario, with treacherous officials in power..."

General Zhao Kuan looked wistful and sorrowful.

Lin Xiao suddenly realized. So Li Sihong had "picked up the scraps"?

Although he could understand General Mu Tiexin's consideration for the overall situation, this method actually buried huge hidden dangers.

After all, deep down, Prince Bai and Prince Yan were not convinced!

No wonder the Mu Family didn't have a good ending later; this actually offended a whole bunch of people behind the scenes!

Wei Dongxue took a sip of wine and continued, "The current Emperor obtained the throne too easily; it could be said he benefited like the fisherman."

"This is also why, in this edict to weaken the feudal lords, the ones who jumped out to lead were the two feudal princes, Prince Bai and Prince Yan."

"Like Prince Qing, although he has some background relying on his maternal family, he has no foundation in the palace or the court, so his hopes of seizing the throne are slim."

"His refusal to accept the weakening of his fief is purely for self-preservation."

"As for the Prince of East Sea and the Prince of Wu of Baiyue, they are already kings of different surnames. It is even more difficult for them to seize the throne; they just want to protect their own interests."

"As for the Prince of Nanling, Li Sixun, he is the current Emperor's own brother. He already sat on five provinces in Nanling and swallowed the Western Shu Kingdom, practically becoming a kingdom within a kingdom!"

"In terms of territory, Li Sixun is the largest among the several feudal princes. With strong troops and sturdy horses, he is not afraid of the weakening of his fief, nor is he in a hurry to rebel."

"The most crucial thing is that Li Sixun is already nearly fifty years old. By the time he defeats the other feudal princes and becomes emperor, how many years can he sit on the throne?"

Wei Dongxue shook his head and sighed, "To put it bluntly, except for Prince Bai and Prince Yan, the other feudal princes just want to negotiate terms with the imperial court to protect their own thrones. They don't dare to think about the imperial throne for now."

General Zhao Kuan nodded repeatedly while listening, obviously agreeing with Wei Dongxue's analysis.

Lin Xiao heard this, and the blueprint in his mind gradually became clear.

He slapped the table. "Good! Brother Zhao, send someone to Liang Province to sound them out. If possible, sell the honeycomb coal there first!"

They say Prince Qing's four provinces are poor, but no matter how poor, there are still people and resources!

Besides, just because you, Prince Bai, can collude with the Northern Barbarians to surround me?

Hehe, why can't I join forces with Prince Qing and stab you in the back?