92: Chapter 2 The Scheme to Loyal to the King

Early the next morning, Li Ling went to the princess's courtyard.

The princess lived in a small two-story building in the back of the mansion. In front of the building, a few wintersweet trees were in full bloom, their pale yellow flowers appearing exceptionally elegant against the backdrop of white snow.

Li Ling passed through the moon gate and walked along the bluestone path to the building. Looking up, he saw the second-floor window was half-open, with the curtains fluttering gently in the morning breeze.

"Is Her Highness up?" he asked the maid at the door.

"Answering the Prince, Her Highness woke up before dawn and has been waiting for you," the maid said softly, bowing.

Li Ling nodded and walked up the stairs.

The princess sat by the window, wearing a moon-white cotton robe. Her hair was not styled in a bun but simply draped over her shoulders. She held a handkerchief, which was already soaked with tears. Hearing footsteps, she looked up, her eyes red and swollen, clearly having cried for a long time.

"Husband." She stood up, her voice slightly hoarse.

Li Ling walked over and pulled her into his arms. The princess leaned against his chest without speaking, just holding him tightly, her shoulders trembling slightly.

"Don't worry." Li Ling patted her back gently, "I am already figuring out a solution."

"Husband, Father Emperor, he..." The princess looked up at him with teary eyes, "The rebel Army has reached the gates of the capital. Father Emperor and Mother Empress are both trapped inside. I... I am so afraid."

"What are you afraid of?" Li Ling wiped the tears from her face, "With me here, nothing will happen."

The princess bit her lip and nodded.

Li Ling led her to sit down and explained the contents of the urgent report in detail. Although the rebel Army was numerous, they were poorly equipped, poorly trained, and had chaotic command; there were only about twenty or thirty thousand who could actually fight. While the capital's garrison only had twenty thousand or so, they were defending from behind city walls and should be able to hold out for a while. As long as he sent troops in time, he could arrive before the rebels breached the capital.

"Husband, are you going to send troops?" the princess asked, her eyes full of anticipation.

"I will." Li Ling nodded, "But it requires time to prepare. Mobilizing an Army of 150,000 is no child's play. Provisions, ammunition, logistics, and communications—every single thing must be arranged properly."

"How long?"

"Half a month."

A flash of disappointment crossed the princess's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. She knew Li Ling was telling the truth; mobilizing 150,000 troops did indeed take time. Moreover, Li Ling's willingness to send troops was already the greatest support to the royal family.

"Your Highness, you need to do one thing for me." Li Ling suddenly said.

"What is it?"

"Write a letter to the imperial court in your capacity as a royal princess. In the letter, state clearly that it was the royal family who asked me for help, and I agreed. I want to announce this letter to the world."

The princess froze for a moment, then understood the intention of Li Ling. He was seeking a justification—it wasn't him taking the initiative to send troops, but the royal family pleading for his help, and he "reluctantly" agreed. In this way, he gained both the moral high ground and a legitimate cause; no one could accuse him of taking advantage of the crisis later.

"Alright." The princess agreed without hesitation, "I will write it now."

She walked to the desk, spread out the rice paper, picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write stroke by stroke. Her handwriting was delicate and neat, and the words were sincere and moving. The letter stated that the rebel Army had committed treason and besieged the capital, putting the royal family in imminent danger. It earnestly requested the Regent, Li Ling, to send troops to save the king, rescuing the royal family from deep water and scorching fire. The royal family would forever remember his great kindness and would reward him generously, and so on.

Li Ling stood behind her, watched her finish, and nodded: "Good. I will have this letter copied a hundred times and sent to the governors of every province and all the feudal lords, so that everyone in the world can see that it was the royal family who asked me to send troops, not me taking the initiative to fight."

"Husband, you are doing this because..." the princess hesitated.

"Your Highness, I know what you want to say." Li Ling sighed, "You think I am using the royal family. But you must understand, this world cannot always be supported by emotions alone. I have 500,000 troops and the strongest fleet in the world. If I wanted to rebel, I would have done it long ago. But I do not want to rebel, because the cost of rebellion is too high, and those who die are the common people of our Qingxia Kingdom. Therefore, I need a righteous cause. With this righteous cause, I can legitimately send troops to suppress those disobedient warlords and unify the country step by step."

The princess was silent for a long time, then nodded: "I understand. Husband is a man who does great things; I will not hold you back."

Li Ling felt a warmth in his heart and reached out to ruffle her hair: "Don't worry, I will not treat the royal family unfairly. When the world is at peace, your Father Emperor will still be the Emperor, and your Mother Empress will still be the Empress Dowager. I only want a title, not their lives."

The princess's tears fell again, but this time not because of fear, but because of being moved.

That morning, Li Ling gathered all the core generals and held an emergency military meeting.

In the conference room, smoke swirled, and the generals sat around a long table, all with serious expressions. On the large map on the wall, the rebel Army's troop deployments and attack routes were marked, with red and blue markers densely packed.

Li Ling stood in front of the map and got straight to the point: "Gentlemen, you all know about the capital being besieged. I have decided to send troops to save the king."

The generals nodded one after another; no one objected. They were all veterans who had fought with Li Ling for a long time and knew which battles should be fought and which should not. Saving the royal family was a righteous cause; it had to be done.

"The troop deployment is as follows." Li Ling picked up a wooden stick and pointed to the map, "Three corps of the First Army Group, totaling 150,000 men, will head north in two routes. The first route, commanded by Chen Haisheng, will land from Jinhai and strike directly at the east side of the capital, cutting off the rebels' retreat. The second route, commanded by Chief of Staff Zhang Wanshan, will advance by land and coordinate with the capital's garrison to attack from both inside and outside."

"What about the Navy?" the Navy Commander asked.

"The main fleet of the Navy will be fully deployed to blockade Bohai Bay and cut off the rebels' maritime supply lines. At the same time, the fleet's naval guns must provide fire support for the landing troops."

"What about the Air Force?" the Air Force commander asked.

"All Reconnaissance Balloon units will ascend, and twelve biplanes will be deployed, responsible for reconnaissance and ground attacks. Prioritize bombing the rebels' command headquarters and supply lines."

Li Ling finished in one breath and picked up his teacup to take a sip.

"Sir, I have a question." an old general stood up, "Although the rebels are poorly equipped, they are numerous and occupy the geographical advantage. While our chances of winning with 150,000 against their 100,000+ are high, will there be losses?"

"Yes." Li Ling said without hesitation, "How can there be no deaths in war? But our goal is to minimize losses as much as possible. Therefore, we must use the Special Forces to take out the rebels' command system first, use the Air Force to bomb their supply lines, and use the Navy's naval guns to destroy their fortifications. Once their command is paralyzed, supplies are cut off, and morale collapses, we will then use the Army to advance head-on. With this three-pronged approach, we will make them collapse before they even see our main force."

The generals nodded one after another, their eyes full of admiration.

"It's settled." Li Ling concluded, "All units will immediately enter combat readiness status and depart in ten days. Meeting adjourned!"

The generals took their orders and left, leaving Li Ling alone in the conference room.

He leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. Mobilizing 150,000 troops was no small matter. Provisions, ammunition, logistics, and communications—every single thing had to be arranged properly. Although he had the support of the system's Production Base, some things still had to be done by people.

Just then, the system's lazy voice rang in his mind.

[Host, are you sure you want to fight this battle?]

"Yes." Li Ling said, "What's wrong?"

[The system is just wondering, have you considered what the consequences will be if this battle goes badly?]

"Go badly?" Li Ling laughed, "When have I ever fought a battle that went badly?"

[Host, self-confidence is a good thing, but overconfidence is arrogance," the system's tone was uncharacteristically serious, "Although the rebels are poorly equipped, they are numerous and occupy the geographical advantage. While your 150,000 men are elite, you are fighting on away ground and may not necessarily sweep through like a hot knife through butter.]

"I know." Li Ling nodded, "So I will not underestimate the enemy. Every step must be calculated before taking it; I will never act rashly."

[It's good that the host has this realization," the system said, "Also, the system reminds you that the consumption for this troop deployment is not small, and your resource reserves may not be enough. Do you want to take out a loan?]

"A loan?" Li Ling's eyes lit up, "Are you willing to lend me resources?"

[The system is only considering it "at its discretion," the system said, "However, the old rules: Rock, Paper, Scissors.]

Li Ling chuckled and rubbed his hands: "Bring it on, who's afraid of whom?"

[Rock, Paper, Scissors!]

Li Ling played Rock, the system played Scissors.

"I won!" Li Ling cheered.

[...Host, are you sure you won?" the system's tone carried a hint of suspicion.]

"Of course I'm sure!" Li Ling said righteously, "Rock smashes Scissors, if that's not winning, what is?"

[The system played Paper," the system said.]

"You clearly played Scissors!"

[If the system says it's Paper, then it's Paper," the system acted shamelessly.]

"You're cheating!" Li Ling jumped up.

[The system is not cheating; the system is just reasonably adjusting the results," the system's tone was righteous, "Host, do you still want the loan or not?]

Li Ling gritted his teeth for a long time, but finally compromised: "Fine, fine, whatever you say. Come on, let's play another round."

[Rock, Paper, Scissors!]

In this round, Li Ling played Paper, the system played Rock.

"I won!" Li Ling cheered again.

[...Host, you played Scissors," the system said.]

"I clearly played Paper!"

[You remembered wrong," the system said, "You played Scissors, the system played Rock, you lost.]

Li Ling took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He finally saw it: the system never intended for him to win. No matter what he played, the system would say he lost. This wasn't Rock, Paper, Scissors; the system was just messing with him.

"Alright, alright, I concede," he waved his hand, "Just tell me directly, what will it take for you to lend me the resources?"

[Hmm..." the system mused, "The host's troop deployment to save the king this time is a righteous act, so the system has decided to make an exception and grant you a loan. Loan contents: three months' worth of supplies for 50,000 troops, including provisions, ammunition, medicine, fuel, etc. Additionally, the system will provide a batch of night-fighting equipment and communication devices to help the host win this battle.]

Li Ling's eyes lit up: "Really?"

[Really," the system said, "However, the loan must be repaid.]

"How do I repay it?"

[Repay it with your future tax revenue," the system said, "After unifying the country, 5% will be deducted from your tax revenue annually until it is paid off.]

Li Ling quickly calculated it. Although it pained him, it was better than nothing. He gritted his teeth: "Fine, deal!"

[Loan received, please check your account," the system said, then lazily added, "Host, the system is going to play now. Call the system if you need anything.]

"Where are you going?"

[To find other systems to play with," the system said, and then went silent.]

Li Ling shook his head. This crappy system was becoming more and more like an old slickster.

However, with the loan in hand, he felt a bit more confident.

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the sky outside that was gradually clearing up.

Ten days later, the Army would set out.

Capital, wait for him.