316: Chapter 316 The Wise King of the East Sea

Upon returning to the Generals Mansion, Lin Xiao explained the matter of the spy, and Su Wansha turned pale with fright.

"Husband, I... I..."

Seeing the woman's self-reproachful and uneasy appearance, Lin Xiao smiled, stepped forward, and pulled her into his embrace.

"Don't panic. No one is perfect, and everyone has moments of negligence. I certainly don't mean to blame you."

"I was the one who entrusted the affairs of the Northern Trade Alliance to you. If we really want to assign blame, I am also responsible."

"And then there's Old Yu. That old man was swayed by beauty; he clearly saw some issues but held onto a hopeful wish. Shouldn't he also be punished?"

Upon hearing these words, Su Wansha felt a little relieved, but she still dared not lower her guard.

"Husband, since there is one spy, there might be others. I will send people to investigate immediately!"

Lin Xiao thought for a moment and agreed: "Alright, go ahead and handle it. Take advantage of this incident to make the people below more vigilant."

Su Wansha nodded and immediately turned to leave.

Lin Xiao actually understood that now that Xuezhi had been caught, even if there were other spies, they would have been alerted.

Moreover, relying on ordinary people, it would be difficult to find these well-trained spies.

However, Su Wansha wanted to make up for her negligence, so he needed to give her a chance to prove herself.

In this way, Su Wansha's inner pain could also be alleviated.

At the same time, relying on such an investigation action, it could also make the people below tense their nerves and be cautious.

"Husband, this Prince of East Sea, Prince of Donghai, is not easy to deal with. You must be careful."

Xiao Qingxuan frowned slightly at his side, looking somewhat worried.

"Why do you say that, my wife? Could it be that this Prince of Donghai is even more formidable than Prince Bai?"

Lin Xiao smiled and said: "If I remember correctly, the naval forces of the Eastern Territory are strong, but for us, they are of no use."

Xiao Qingxuan shook her head: "In terms of strong troops and sturdy horses, that Prince of Donghai naturally cannot compare to Prince Bai."

"But a hundred years ago, the ancestor of the Zhao family brought their land and submitted to the Gan Dynasty, preserving the millions of people in the Eastern Territory and saving those four prefectures from the scourge of war."

"Because of this, for over a hundred years, the Zhao family, as a prince of a different surname, has always possessed extremely high prestige among the common people of the Eastern Territory."

"By the generation of this Prince of Donghai, he is handsome, skilled in both civil and military arts, has a unique style of calligraphy, and enjoys mingling with the people, widely befriending famous scholars across the world..."

"The Great Gan Dynasty values martial arts over literature, but scholars in the Eastern Territory receive high respect, which is why it is a place yearned for by scholars across the world."

"As far as I know, even the libationer of the Imperial Academy, Great Scholar Meng, is his honored guest and a close friend despite their age difference."

"Furthermore, ever since the Wa Kingdom began harassing the East Sea, the 'Sea Dragon Army' established by this Prince of Donghai has become the greatest reliance for the people of the East Sea."

"I don't know when it started, but this Prince of Donghai gained the reputation of a 'Virtuous Prince,' and among the many feudal princes, his reputation is the best."

Xiao Qingxuan said sternly: "If you intend to send troops to the Eastern Territory, the hardest part is not winning on the battlefield, but the fact that the local people might strongly resist."

"Husband, you should also understand that the reason we were able to quickly take the Six Prefectures of the Northern Territory was largely because Prince Bai had no popular support at all."

"But the four prefectures of the Eastern Territory are not only densely populated, but they also strongly support this Prince of Donghai, so the situation is completely different."

Lin Xiao was stunned for a moment. Other things were easy to handle, but if it caused public outrage, he would indeed need to be careful.

After all, those millions of subjects in the Eastern Territory were all his future Enlightenment Points!

"That's because the people of the Eastern Territory have been deceived!"

Mu Wanying said indignantly: "That Sea Dragon Army of this Prince of Donghai consumes so much military pay every year, yet the Wa pirates have never stopped harassing the people, and it has even intensified!"

"He is clearly colluding with the Wa pirates, eating the imperial court's military pay while taking benefits from the pirates, and he can still make the people grateful to him!"

"When my father was alive, he actually told the dog emperor about the evil deeds of this Prince of Donghai, but the dog emperor was worried about instability in the southeast and simply dared not touch him!"

Leng Bingyan said in surprise: "There is such a thing? Don't the people of the Eastern Territory know? Don't they find it strange that these Wa pirates can never be killed off?"

"Of course, there were those who discovered the problem and even went to the capital to report it, but the problem is... all these people died."

Mu Wanying sneered: "The Qinhuai Pavilion, where the spy that you, husband, caught was located, is secretly supported by this Prince of Donghai."

"Qinhuai Pavilion specifically selects those orphaned girls from the common people and trains them from a young age."

"Those with good aptitude are sent to the mansions of high officials and nobles, and the ordinary ones are sent to various brothels."

"The gentry, officials, and merchants in the Eastern Territory are all monitored by Qinhuai Pavilion. If anyone dares to oppose this Prince of Donghai, he would know about it immediately!"

"Otherwise, with all those dirty deeds he does, how could he maintain the image of a 'Virtuous Prince'?"

Xie Juner suddenly remembered something and said: "Now that you sisters mention it, I remember that two years ago, a batch of goods from our Xie Family was about to pass through Haizhou when it was hijacked by Wa pirates."

"But later, one of our shopkeepers said he saw a batch of our goods on the black market in the Eastern Territory."

"At that time, I thought it was just a coincidence or that he had misidentified them, but now that I think about it... could it be that the Prince of East Sea and the Wa pirates were working together, staging a theft?"

Lin Xiao couldn't help but laugh: "No wonder they sent a spy to our military factory. It seems they are insatiably greedy and want to steal our technology."

"This guy surnamed Zhao must be killed, but my wife is right; we cannot act immediately."

"That would create too much resistance. Even if we win on the battlefield, if the public sentiment is unsettled, it will backfire."

Xiao Qingxuan's bright eyes flickered: "Listening to your tone, husband... you must already have a brilliant plan?"

Lin Xiao said playfully: "No rush. We are still very unfamiliar with the Eastern Territory and need to master more intelligence."

"A single small spy is not enough to raise an army. We must have a legitimate reason to act so that everyone is united!"

Xiao Qingxuan nodded: "That's true. Then, husband, what reason do you intend to use?"

Lin Xiao smiled and said: "Is there any reason... better than suppressing rebels?"

"Rebels?"

Xie Juner asked doubtfully: "But ever since Prince Bai was killed, all the feudal princes have already submitted, and they have paid the taxes that should be paid."

Xiao Qingxuan's beautiful eyes turned, and she smiled: "Husband, do you mean... if he doesn't rebel, we will rebel for him?"

Lin Xiao laughed: "Those who know me are my wives, but this matter still needs planning; there is no rush!"

Right now, the Prince of East Sea cannot really attack him; it is nothing more than coveting the technology of the Zhenbei Army and wanting to seek profit.

He himself has to govern the Northern Territory, develop the Northern Trade Alliance, and go to the Tianwu Grand Tournament; he really doesn't have time to send troops.

The women were naturally not stupid, and once they heard this, they slowly realized what he meant.

"Then, is this matter just going to be let go?"

Xie Juner frowned and said: "That Prince of Donghai is so insidious. He wants our things, but instead of coming to do business, he only knows how to steal. I am really furious!"

Lin Xiao said: "Naturally, it cannot be let go. Since he likes to play dirty, I will play along with him... It is impolite not to return the favor!"

"Gathering intelligence? How about I go to Donghai City?"

Leng Bingyan got excited: "We can also set up some intelligence networks and dig out some of the ugly deeds of this Prince of Donghai!"

Xiao Qingxuan smiled: "Yaner, the Eastern Territory is full of Qinhuai Pavilion's people. You are an outsider; how easy would it be to build an intelligence network from scratch?"

"Then what should we do? Surely not you guys," Leng Bingyan pouted.

Xiao Qingxuan looked at Lin Xiao, who was smiling without saying a word: "Husband, you... already have someone in mind, right?"