Finest Servant

Chapter 495 The Big Fish Appears

"Planting explosives? Excellent, that will surely liven things up." Gao Qiu clapped his hands in delight and quickly dispatched a few nimble underlings to spread rumors and prepare the explosives.

Lin Wanrong nodded, then abruptly asked, "Brother Gao, how is the perimeter defense outside the city?"

"Don't you worry," Gao Qiu grinned. "Lord Xu is personally overseeing it. Following your instructions, we've scattered our formation. We're just waiting for the big fish to take the bait."

"Good!" Lord Lin chuckled and patted Gao Qiu on the shoulder. "Brother Gao, the glorious task of blowing up the Dragon Palace is entirely yours. Please give it your full attention."

"You're entrusting it to me?" Gao Qiu looked at him in confusion. "Brother Lin, are you saying you won't be staying here? That won't do. What if that Lord Chen tries to stop me? I wouldn't be able to outwit him. I'd feel more secure if you stayed."

Gao Qiu's concerns were not unfounded. Although Lord Lin didn't take Lord Chen seriously, Chen Biqing was not someone easily dealt with. Even if Gao Qiu wasn't afraid of him, he was certainly no match for him in a battle of wits.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Wanrong called for Xian'er to bring paper and brush. With flamboyant strokes, he quickly wrote down a few large characters and handed them to Gao Qiu.

Gao Qiu glanced at the document. Lord Lin's calligraphy was awkward but the message was strikingly clear: "All affairs of the mansion shall be handled by Gao Qiu. Anyone who dares to obstruct or disobey shall be arrested first and questioned later. Lin San, effective immediately."

"Brother Gao, you don't have to worry anymore. If anyone dares to obstruct you, proceed as I've instructed. I will take full responsibility for any consequences. Damn it, I refuse to believe there's anyone bolder than me in this world," Lord Lin confidently declared.

Gao Qiu thought about it and realized it was true. Better to offend the King of Hell than to cross Lin San. Those who had opposed Lord Lin never met good ends. Reassured, he tucked the document into his robe.

As they left the mansion, Lin Wanrong appeared lost in thought. Noticing his silence, Qin Xian'er stopped the palanquin and softly asked, "Husband, where are we going now?"

After contemplating for a moment, Lin Wanrong grinned, "Xian'er, take a guess. What do you think your uncle Prince Cheng is doing right now?"

Xian'er gave him a look. "How would I know? If you ask me, meeting you was his downfall. You've destroyed his base; what else can he do? His only option is to leave the city."

"Smart, truly worthy of being my wife," Lin Wanrong gave her a thumbs-up and chuckled. "Now let me ask you, he has two choices. One is to flee north and join the nomads; the other is to go south to Fujian and collude with the Dongyin. If you were Prince Cheng, which would you choose?"

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Qin Xian'er furrowed her beautiful brows, deep in thought. As Lin Wanrong had said, Prince Cheng had lost his troops and was now utterly alone. If he fled, his only chance of survival would be to rely on a powerful faction. The nomads and the Dongyin were indeed his last options in desperation.

After contemplating for a long time, Miss Qin finally spoke, "In my opinion, he will choose the nomads!"

"Oh? And why is that?" Lin Wanrong asked, intrigued.

"The reasons can be summed up in two points," Miss Qin began, her mind as sharp as a blade. "Firstly, the nomads possess a strong military and sturdy horses, making them formidable in battle. They've long coveted our Great Hua, and now as both sides are in a standoff at the border, war is imminent. Should Prince Cheng flee to the nomad camp, he could potentially employ their military might to conquer the Central Plains—a path to fulfill his dreams most swiftly. On the other hand, the land of the Dongyin is narrow and their military strength is a hundred times weaker than that of the nomads. There's no reason for him to abandon strength for weakness."

Lin Wanrong nodded, his face wearing a smile. "Well reasoned. And the second point?"

"The second point is that he has already revealed his intentions," Miss Qin continued. "Husband, do you remember what Xu Wei told you? The sudden attack on the southern camp the other night involving hundreds of his devoted followers? If Prince Cheng truly intended to join the Dongyin, given his cunning nature, he wouldn't have rashly exposed his intentions. If we consider this sudden attack as a test of the defenses to the south, isn't he telling us that he intends to go south? This is inconsistent with his character. Therefore, I boldly speculate that this is a diversionary tactic—his real target must be the nomads in the north. Our focus should probably be on fortifying the northern part of the city."

"North? So your view aligns with Xu Wei's?" Lin Wanrong murmured, as if asking her and also pondering to himself.

Xu Wei was personally overseeing the defense of the north to cut off Prince Cheng's path that way. It seemed that his thoughts were closely aligned with those of Miss Qin.

Lin Wanrong paused to think, then slowly shook his head. "Xian'er, if we go by your reasoning—that he'll join whoever is strongest and sacrifice hundreds of followers as a diversion—then Prince Cheng's thinking seems a bit too simplistic."

"Then where do you think he's headed?" Hearing her husband question her judgment, Qin Xian'er pouted and pinched his arm in annoyance.

"My thinking is actually the opposite of yours," Lin Wanrong chuckled, a glint of enlightenment flashing in his eyes. "If I'm not mistaken, I believe your royal uncle intends to flee southeast."

"Southeast?" Miss Qin blinked, grasping his arm, her lips forming a pout. "Husband, you can't just bluff me. Give me a reason! If you can't convince me, I'll pinch you ten times!"

"Pinch my bottom? Oh my, what a severe punishment—I'm really looking forward to it," Lin Wanrong said, his tone facetious. This prompted a flurry of bashful annoyance from Qin Xian'er. The couple exchanged jests in the carriage for a moment before Lin Wanrong finally stopped laughing. "The reason is actually simple, Xian'er. You only see the nomads as strong and the Dongyin as weak, but in reality, who is strong or weak is irrelevant to Prince Cheng. No matter where he is, he's just a guest. Even if the nomads or the Dongyin were to seize the land of our Great Hua, they would never bestow it upon Prince Cheng. Don't you agree?"

Miss Qin considered his words and slightly nodded, conceding that he had a point.

"Therefore, for Prince Cheng, once he fled, his primary concern was not how to return to Great Hua, but rather how to secure his footing in the enemy camp. This was the crux of the matter. Just as you said, the nomads are confident in their military and consider themselves strong; they have a powerful nation and have never taken Great Hua seriously. A fleeing Prince Cheng would be of little use to them, merely a gilding on the lily. The Dongyin, however, see things differently. They have long coveted the vast territories and abundant resources of our Great Hua but have been unable to act due to their weaker national power. Now that war between Great Hua and the nomad is imminent, this is a golden opportunity for the Dongyin. Their risky military campaign in Goryeo reflects their ambitions toward Great Hua. Prince Cheng defecting to their side would greatly boost their morale and public sentiment. It's like sending charcoal in snowy weather, exactly to their taste."

"Moreover, the nomads look very different from us, making it hard to feel a sense of belonging. The Dongyin, however, resemble us in appearance, and psychologically speaking, it may give one the illusion that controlling them would be easier than controlling the nomads. On one side, you feel like an outsider, on the other, you're treated as an honored guest—even capable of wielding control. If it were you, Xian'er, what would you do?"

Hearing these words, Miss Qin felt that there was some truth to it, but her pride prevented her from admitting that she had been shortsighted. She snorted, "If he truly plans to seek refuge with the Dongyin in the southeast, then why send people to attack the southern gate? Isn't that intentionally exposing his target? How do you explain that?"

"Do I even need to explain?" Lin Wanrong laughed with open palms. "That old fox is doing it precisely to trick the clever ones. As the art of war states: when we are weak, we must make the enemy believe we are strong; when we are strong, make them believe we are weak. Misdirection and deception are separated by a paper-thin margin, easily pierced by a little finger."

Lin Wanrong spoke as if he were reading Prince Cheng's mind. The more he talked, the more convincing he sounded. Miss Qin began to doubt her own thoughts. However, having finally arrived at her own conclusions, she couldn't easily abandon them. She grabbed the sleeve of Lin Wanrong's robe and pouted, "Husband, you're just guessing, too! I don't believe you can always guess right!"

"Why don't we make a bet then?" Lin Wanrong winked, smiling. "Old Xu is guarding the northern city, so we can go to the south gate. Ah, what should we wager, let me think..."

Miss Qin giggled flirtatiously, looking enchantingly at him. Warmth filled Lin Wanrong's heart, and he grinned, "How about this—keep it simple. Xian'er, if I win, I get to kiss you ten times, alright?"

"Um," Miss Qin blushed and lowered her gaze. "What if I win?"

"You winning? That's basically impossible—" Seeing Miss Qin raise her hand as if to strike him, he quickly changed his tone, "—If you win, I'll take the loss and let you kiss me a hundred times. Ah, I'm not an easy man, you know!"

"You're asking for it!" With rosy cheeks, Miss Qin pinched his arm and pouted, "You're too self-serving—win or lose, you still come out ahead!"

"A grave injustice throughout the ages!" Lord Lin raised his fists high, seething with indignation. "When a man kisses a woman, he's accused of taking advantage! When a woman kisses a man, the man still gets blamed. Is there no justice? Where are human rights?"

Qin Xian'er's face softened as she leaned gently into his embrace. Blushing, she whispered, "You're always so dramatic—husband, win or lose, Xian'er is happy."

"My sweetheart," Lord Lin said with a roguish grin, his hands wandering over her soft, fragrant chest.

Xian'er let out a soft moan, her body warm as burning coals. "Husband, if I lose, I'll bear you a child—"

His heart melting at her words, Lord Lin lightly touched her delicate, translucent skin. "My sweetheart, and what if I lose?"

"Then we'll have ten—"

Now that posed a dilemma for Lord Lin. Win or lose?

As their palanquin left the south gate of the city, Miss Qin was limp as mud, leaning weakly against him. Her half-exposed chest faintly revealed her voluptuous form. With each sway of the palanquin, her delicate features seemed to captivate one's soul. Now she understood why the talented lady Luo had so easily given in; married to such a libertine, sainthood was impossible. Fortunately, Lord Lin heeded the advice of Qingxuan and took only minor liberties; the line had not yet been crossed. The couple continued their affectionate interactions in the palanquin, savoring the endless tender moments.

They traveled another dozen or so miles to the south, encountering soldiers grouped in threes and fives, sporadically searching the area. Their formation was notably disorganized. Lin Wanrong recognized it as General Xu's trap, but paid it no mind.

Further south, they came upon a makeshift large camp situated next to the main road. Several miles ahead was a lush, dense forest that, even in daylight, seemed dark and impenetrable.

In the camp were only about a thousand soldiers. Xu Zhen had been waiting. Seeing Lin Wanrong's bandaged leg, Xu Zhen was both elated and concerned. "General Lin, why have you come personally?"

"To catch a big fish, how could I miss it?" Lin Wanrong gave a slight smile and continued, "Xu Zhen, where are the men in your camp? Why are there so few left?"

Xu Zhen looked around slyly, chuckling. "Lord Xu has taken some of our men, claiming to give 'that person' some room to operate—there are five or six thousand scattered around. Don't underestimate them; these are the elite of our army. General Lin, where do you think 'that person' will flee?"

"It doesn't matter where he flees. Just keep a tight guard." Lin Wanrong nodded, glancing toward the distant forest. Suddenly, he grinned, "You're crafty. Tell me, how many men are ambushed up ahead?"

Astonished, Xu Zhen's mouth fell open. "General, how did you know?"

Lin Wanrong shook his head and laughed, "The sun hasn't even set, yet the forest is this quiet—If you haven't hidden men there, have ghosts occupied it?"

Xu Zhen shook his head and gave a wry smile. What he had initially considered a masterstroke was effortlessly seen through by General Lin with just a single glance.

As the sun dipped below the western horizon and twilight began to envelop the sky, there was still no movement from Gao Qiu within the city. Qin Xian'er grew anxious. Just as she was about to speak with her husband, a loud explosion suddenly echoed from within the city walls. Lin Wanrong chuckled, "Old Gao, that youngster, has finally set off the explosion for me."

Before his words had even settled, a series of additional explosions followed, each more intense than the first. Lin Wanrong leaned forward for a closer look and saw multiple columns of thick smoke rising from the northern part of the city. Faint sounds of battle cries could also be heard.

Suddenly, in the dim light, two signal arrows shot up into the sky, slicing through the clouds. "General, look, to the north of the city—a big fish has appeared!" Xu Zhen pointed at the signal arrows, shouting excitedly.

"Bad news!" General Lin was so startled that he almost leaped out of his wheelchair. "Xu Zhen, quick, tell our brothers hiding in the woods to pull out! Withdraw immediately!"

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