Chapter 331: Sharing Half of the Meat, We Must Win This Battle!
Under Lin Beifan’s persistent insistence, the Empress and the officials relented. Meanwhile, news of Lin Beifan taking charge of the resistance against the Northern Hebei Army’s commander spread rapidly throughout the realm.
The court and the citizens of the capital were excited!
“We finally have Lin Beifan leading us. The court has finally made a wise decision!”
“I’ve been saying this all along. Matters of war should be entrusted to Lin Beifan! He’s exceptional in warfare, achieving comprehensive victories with minimal cost every time he acts. He’s even greater than a war god!”
“That Zhao Kuo isn’t even worthy to shine Lin Beifan’s shoes!”
“The Prince of Northern Hebei is in trouble this time! Neither of the two brothers was capable, let alone him? Haha!”
“With Sir Lin in command of the entire army, we can finally sleep soundly!”
…
With this anticipation, the common people kept a close eye on Lin Beifan, observing how he prepared the troops and strategized against the Prince of Northern Hebei, anticipating his triumphant return.
However, it was puzzling that Lin Beifan seemed to be doing nothing at all.
There were no troop movements, no mobilization of supplies.
After attending the morning court session, he either went to the Imperial Academy or the government office, business as usual.
On this day, Yao Zheng, the assistant reporting to Lin Beifan, couldn’t help but remind, “Lord Prefect, delegate these minor matters to me. You should focus on official duties!”
Lin Beifan chuckled, “As a Prefect, isn’t this my official duty?”
“That’s not what I mean. I mean, the Prince of Northern Hebei is about to attack!” Yao Zheng urged anxiously, “The Prince of Northern Hebei harbors ill intentions, eyeing the capital. He’ll be at our doorstep in a few days. The court needs you urgently! Your top priority should be preparing for war against the Prince of Northern Hebei, not dealing with these trivial matters here!”
“Even better if he attacks. I wouldn’t even bother making the trip!” Lin Beifan confidently smiled, “Don’t be deceived by his current excitement. He’s just a grasshopper in my hand, ready to be squashed anytime!”
Yao Zheng grew more anxious, “Lord Prefect, don’t underestimate the Prince of Northern Hebei. I heard…”
Lin Beifan waved his hand dismissively, “Yao, you go attend to other matters! You don’t understand military affairs, but you’ll come to know in due time!”
“Yes, Lord Prefect!” Reluctantly, Yao Zheng left.
Back at the Lin Residence, the Little Princess rushed over in a flurry.
Grabbing Lin Beifan’s arm, she anxiously asked, “Lin Beifan, the Prince of Northern Hebei is about to attack. I heard you haven’t taken any action. What if the city falls?”
Lin Beifan retorted, “Who said I haven’t done anything? I’ve done a lot!”
“Then what have you done?” the Little Princess asked.
Lin Beifan replied, “I handled official business at the Imperial Academy and the Dedian Government Office, and dismissed many people who came to advise me like you! During that time, I had lunch, and the chicken soup was quite good, so I had an extra bowl! After lunch, I felt a bit drowsy, took a half-hour nap, then wasted an hour idly. Since there wasn’t much to do, I came back for dinner!”
The Little Princess: “…”
“So, you really haven’t done anything?” The Little Princess became even more anxious, pulling Lin Beifan’s hand to urge him outside, “Hurry up and prepare for war. There’s still time!”
Lin Beifan shook his head and whispered, “It’s really not necessary. I’ve secretly made preparations behind the scenes, but I can’t reveal them! If word gets out, it will be useless!”
“Really?” The Little Princess was highly skeptical.
“Pearls aren’t even that genuine! You’re so clever, could I fool you?” Lin Beifan retorted.
“True!” The Little Princess agreed.
During dinner, the Little Princess reluctantly divided half of the meat in her bowl into Lin Beifan’s bowl, saying, “Sharing half of the meat with you. We must win this battle. We’re relying on you!”
Lin Beifan was deeply moved; snatching meat from the Little Princess’s bowl wasn’t an easy feat!
It was no different from grabbing food from a tiger’s mouth!
Lin Beifan’s eyes gleamed, “Little Princess…”
The Little Princess looked up, “What is it?”
“I want the other half too!”
The Little Princess: “…”
In the end, for the greater cause, the Little Princess sacrificed her own portion and piled all the meat into Lin Beifan’s bowl.
In the evening, Lin Beifan was in his study handling official matters.
Mo Rushuang entered worriedly and said, “Young Master, are you sure everything is alright?”
Lin Beifan sighed, stood up, and said with a bitter smile, “Rushuang, how could there be no problems? Based on the situation at the front, the Prince of Northern Hebei not only has over ten thousand peak-level post-natal warriors but also more than sixty Innate experts, along with two mysterious grandmasters! This level of power is enough to overthrow any dynasty!”
“Young Master…” Mo Rushuang’s expression grew even more worried.
“However, even though it’s difficult, I will do my utmost to stop it!”
Lin Beifan looked resolutely ahead, “The Prince of Northern Hebei appears righteous but has sinister intentions. Once he ascends the supreme throne, chaos will reign, and the people will suffer! A true man knows when to act and when not to. For the sake of the people, even if it means sacrificing my life, my body, and my bones turning to dust, I will fight him to the death!”
Mo Rushuang was deeply moved, “Young Master, I’ll assist you! Though my strength is insignificant, I’ll ensure I’m by your side, bound by life and death! If you die, I won’t live alone; I’ll follow you even to the underworld!”
“Rushuang, thank you!” Lin Beifan turned and embraced Mo Rushuang’s delicate body, “In the eve of this great battle, with life hanging by a thread, having you steadfastly by my side, I feel blessed by the heavens!”
Mo Rushuang nestled her head on Lin Beifan’s chest, her voice tender with happiness, “Young Master, in truth, it’s I who am fortunate!”
They leaned against each other, comforting and consoling one another, a warmth flowing between them.
Just then, Guo Shaoshuai suddenly burst into the room, his expression turning blank at the sight before him.
He retracted his foot, slowly closed the door, and sheepishly chuckled, “Sorry, it seems I came at the wrong time. I’ll leave now; you can continue!”
Lin Beifan released the shy Mo Rushuang and asked, “Come back! What’s the matter?”
“It’s like this, Young Master. Minister of War Li Kaiguang is here to see you. It seems like there’s an urgent matter!”
“Alright, I’ll see him right away!”
Lin Beifan met Minister of War Li Kaiguang in the hall.
With a cupped fist, Lin Beifan smiled, “Why has Minister Li come so late in the night?”
Li Kaiguang bowed with a cupped fist, “I greet the loyal and brave Lord Lin!”
“Minister Li, no need to stand on ceremony. If you’ve come to me at this late hour, there must be an urgent matter. Let’s get straight to the point!”
“Sure, I won’t be polite then!”
After both had taken their seats, Li Kaiguang took a sip of tea and, still uneasy, asked, “But before we discuss business, I must ask, can you really win this battle?”
Lin Beifan smiled faintly, “Absolutely foolproof! After all, I wouldn’t joke about my own future, would I?”
“Alright, then I can rest assured! It’s like this, Lord Lin…”
Li Kaiguang spoke hesitantly, “After the Prince of Northern Hebei defeated the imperial army, he captured some commanders, including my nephew, Li Tianxing. Can Lord Lin rescue him? I would be immensely grateful!”
Lin Beifan was a bit puzzled, “Li Tianxing? That dandy, when did he end up in the military?”
Seeing Li Kaiguang’s embarrassed expression, Lin Beifan suddenly understood, “Minister Li, did you arrange for him to be there?”
Li Kaiguang grew even more embarrassed, chuckling ruefully, “Lord Lin, at this point, I won’t hide it from you. It was indeed arranged by me! I recommended Zhao Kuo to lead the troops, and Zhao Kuo favored my nephew, aiming to earn some merits and facilitate future official appointments!”
“But, who knew Zhao Kuo would be so useless, he fell apart as soon as he confronted the Northern Hebei Army. Not only did the imperial troops suffer defeat, but my nephew also got captured by the Prince of Northern Hebei. I’m so regretful!” Li Kaiguang covered his face, filled with remorse and annoyance.
“But, my nephew is still my elder brother’s firstborn and the legitimate heir of the Li family. I can’t just sit by! So I had no choice but to come to Lord Lin for help, hoping you could rescue him. I would be incredibly grateful!”
Lin Beifan looked pained, “Minister Li, your request is a tough one. I can defeat the Northern Hebei Army without a problem! But rescuing your nephew from his grasp is a different matter, with a much higher level of difficulty…”
“I understand that it might be difficult, but isn’t there a solution?” Li Kaiguang’s face was bitter, “I’ve begged and pleaded, and I can only turn to Lord Lin for help. This is a token of my appreciation, please accept it! If successful, a great reward will follow. Please, Lord Lin, do not decline!”
With that, he pushed a small box over.
Lin Beifan opened it to find a collection of precious jewelry, worth 100,000 taels of silver.
Li Kaiguang really knew how to handle things; I like that!
Lin Beifan spoke, “If successful, I want 500,000 taels!”
Li Kaiguang: “What the heck!”
This official is as greedy as ever!
After thinking for a while, Lin Beifan said with sympathy, “Alright, alright, as long as the person is rescued, 500,000 taels it is!”
“That’s more like it!” Lin Beifan happily accepted the gold and silver jewels, saying, “Back then, if you had just given me money directly and asked me to take your nephew to fight for merits, would it really have come to this?”
“Lord Lin, please don’t mention it. I’m deeply regretful now!” Li Kaiguang covered his chest, looking distressed.
Next, Lin Beifan received several other imperial court officials.
They all came with the same request: to rescue their captured kin.
Lin Beifan treated them all the same, rescue with money, no rescue without!
Finally, even the Zhao family came.
They came boldly, offering everything they owned except their ancestral home.
“Lord Lin, as long as you rescue our son and the Zhao family youngsters captured, everything except our ancestral home will belong to you!”
Lin Beifan was grinning from ear to ear, “No problem, everything’s negotiable!”
At this moment, the Prince of Northern Hebei was leading his mighty army southward.
To his surprise, the journey went smoothly, encountering no resistance whatsoever.
The Prince of Northern Hebei furrowed his brow, “What’s going on? Did the court give up resistance?”
Advisor Zhuge laughed and cupped his hands, “Reporting to Your Highness, we just received a letter from Miss Rushuang! She mentioned that the court has handed over the commander’s position to Lord Lin. Lord Lin has been acting mysteriously, fooling everyone. He didn’t prepare for war; he’s simply been waiting for Your Highness! As soon as Your Highness arrives in the capital, the gates will surely be wide open, allowing Your Highness to take control of the capital!”
The Prince of Northern Hebei was overjoyed, “Excellent! Lord Lin has done well. Let’s advance at full speed!”
Two days later, the capital was right in front of them!
