Saving System: Calm Down, My Fleeing Host!-Chapter 216: Seizing the Weakness

Now his primary goal is to eliminate Gu Ming, as he belongs to the Loyal Emperor Faction and cannot be used by him, leaving him no choice but to be part of the rebel army.

Heh~

The shame of the past will finally be washed away.

On this day, Prince Rong’s meticulously planned decade-long rebellion falls short.

On this day, Prince Yong, thought to be dead and gone, appears out of nowhere to quash the rebellion, becoming the sole heir to the Imperial Family, poised to ascend the throne.

On this day, all the Vassal Kings send spies to investigate the real situation in the Capital City, attempting another power shift in the monarchy.

Power has never belonged to just one person; it depends on who is more skilled. Whoever can rise can also be brought down; the only question is who will have the last laugh.

King Yu scanned the urgent report with an unhurried pace, remarking, "Damn it, who could be more impatient than me? I haven’t even made it to the Capital City, and someone else has already beaten me to it."

His strategist was equally incredulous; who would have thought a supposedly dead prince would not only come back to life but also seize the throne, making everyone feel like they’ve been played.

"If it weren’t for that blasted plague, I would have captured the Capital City long ago. How could it have come to that brat’s turn?"

The strategist ignored his prince’s complaints and walked slowly to the center of the tent, looking into the sandbox with deep eyes and leisurely shaking the feather fan in his hand.

"If Prince wants to seize this opportunity while Prince Yong hasn’t yet ascended the throne and his foundation is unstable, he could try to strike. Many in the court are opposed to a prince who was only posthumously recognized; this could be skillfully exploited."

"Mr. Lin, I can’t wait to enter the capital, but those refugees are blocking our way. We can’t just force our way through; if we get infected by the plague, wouldn’t that mean sending our soldiers to their deaths in vain?"

"Prince, the mountain tunnel is already halfway through; it will take another month to be completed. We can use this time to send a thousand elite soldiers to cross the Qiu Mountain Range, first infiltrating the Capital City to disrupt the situation, preventing them from quickly rallying support and resources. Then, when we cooperate from both inside and outside, it’ll achieve twice the effect with half the effort."

Lin Xian stroked his mustache and continued, "There’s no need for our people to take action personally; whatever we can think of, Prince Yong and Prince Yan can think of too. We just need to fan the flames from behind."

King Yu thought this was a good idea. "Mr. Lin is indeed extraordinarily strategic."

"You flatter me, Prince!" Lin Xian bowed humbly.

"I heard that grain supplies are quite tight these days. What are you planning, Prince?"

"I was just about to ask for your advice on this matter, Mr. Lin. I was so upset by this unexpected news that I completely forgot about it."

King Yu spoke excitedly, taking a sip of tea as he did, like he was fuming. One hand was on his hip while the other pointed angrily outside the tent. "Those damned freeloaders, I’ve supported them for so many years, asking them to provide a bit more grain, and they act as if I’m asking for their lives, hemming and hawing, and still haven’t delivered it."

Lin Xian knew King Yu was referring to the wealthy families in his fiefdom, each richer than the last, yet he couldn’t squeeze out even a few pounds of grain from them.

Who would willingly give up the money in their pockets, especially when quite a lot is being asked? Only the simple-minded man before him would think that offering someone a minor official post would prompt them to obediently hand over vast amounts of grain.

King Yu was oblivious to the mockery beneath Lin Xian’s calm exterior and continued, "Moreover, the soldiers sent out to purchase grain are facing many issues. The situation in Yanzhou County is basically finished.

Though the Great Xia has retreated, the people in that large County City are nearly all dead, and the farms have no harvest. Even surrounding state mansions have poor yields, causing grain prices to skyrocket. There’s no new grain to buy, not even much old grain."

King Yu paced restlessly, "Without grain supplies, we’re at a deadlock. Mr. Lin, what’s your advice?"

Lin Xian, fanning himself leisurely, pointed to a location on the map for King Yu to inspect.

Curious, King Yu walked over and squinted, "Hmm, isn’t this Dingzhou?"

Dingzhou was to their northwest; sending people there to buy grain might not last long.

Lin Xian shook his head, "I’m not suggesting you buy grain, Prince, but to take Dingzhou directly and seize all its wealth and grain."

King Yu’s eyes lit up. This could relieve the army’s grain pressure for half a year.

"The army will take another month plus to advance, so during this time, we can pull off a major coup. Then think about the grain, beauties, and treasures galore for you to enjoy."

The gleam in King Yu’s eyes grew brighter. Why hadn’t he thought of this?

This is a big deal. If they take Dingzhou, it’s a great way to reward the brothers who’ve toiled so long.

"However, that Ke fellow is not easy to deal with. Back then, the Emperor gave command of the 50,000 Dingzhou garrison to Ke Zhendong to intimidate the West Di Navy. Among them, 10,000 are adept marine soldiers, likely trained into underwater experts by him. Even if we catch him unawares, it won’t be easy to capture it."

"Prince, Ke Zhendong is indeed formidable, but he has a treasured daughter he cherishes. As long as we have her firmly in hand, success is assured."

King Yu came to a realization, "Mr. Lin is as thorough as ever. Tsk, tsk! With Old Ke’s Achilles’ heel in our grip, what’s to fear?"

In an exceedingly pleased mood, King Yu laughed heartily, incessantly praising Lin Xian, "Worthy of being my most capable strategist, quick to think."

Lin Xian lowered his gaze, adding, "The army can march quickly to Congshang County and take the waterways to Dingzhou in just about ten days."

"Alright, let’s do it. Someone come..."

King Yu felt his morning irritation vanish, excitedly arranging preparations for their departure.

Next to him, Lin Xian once more hid his disdain beneath his eyes, quietly minimizing his presence.

Before long, seven or eight commanders, having received the news, entered the tent one after another to discuss the plan to attack Dingzhou.

What follows requires no further prompting from Lin Xian. Although the brute’s brain isn’t the sharpest, he still has combat abilities.

He needs only to watch the fire from across the river.

Cheng Xiaoxiao, waiting for Qi Fei’s return, stared tirelessly at the river’s surface, unsure when they would return—five days had passed with no news.

She didn’t know how their mission went, whether they needed reinforcements. The longer it took, the more anxious she became, fearing something had happened to them.

Just as her eyes lowered in thought, a surprised voice echoed in her mind, "Host, host, Qi Fei and his team have a ship, and it doesn’t look small."

Suddenly invigorated, she looked into the distance. At the furthest edge of the dark blue water, there was a tiny black dot, bobbing along with the water’s ripples, seemingly real yet elusive, briefly like an illusion.

If not for the system verifying it, she would’ve thought she was seeing things. If one didn’t look closely, it was almost negligible; is that their ship?

So exciting! 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Cheng Xiaoxiao kept watching that black dot until it grew larger before her eyes, forming a shape, gaining outlines, and revealing colors.

Only then did her heart set at ease.