New and dark light years

Chapter 357 The Threat of the Tang Family

In the front hall of the Li residence.

Li Lin sat in the main seat and, after the maid brought the tea, gestured for him to drink: "Brother Tang, please have some."

"Thank you." Tang Feng nodded, opened the teacup lid, took a sip, and said, "Good tea. This kind of tea is usually found in the capital or in the Suzhou and Hangzhou areas. It's really rare to see it here."

This tea was a gift from Huang Yan. As a prominent family, the Huang family has many fine things. When Huang Qing married Li Lin, the Huang family sent over a lot of good tea, which they still haven't finished drinking.

Li Lin laughed and said, "I don't know much about tea, I only know it tastes good. But Brother Tang can talk about the history of this tea, so he must come from a distinguished family."

"My father is Tang Qi."

Tang Feng cupped his hands in greeting, a hint of pride on his face.

Li Lin was filled with respect: "Brother Tang is truly a scion of a military family. My apologies for my disrespect."

"But my father didn't really acknowledge me."

"Why?" Li Lin asked, feigning curiosity.

"Because I was born to a maid," Tang Feng said calmly. "Therefore, I was not favored at home and was almost dispensable."

"This..." Li Lin looked like he didn't know what to say.

Tang Feng continued, "My father was a womanizer. I have twenty-seven brothers and eighteen sisters."

Li Lin hissed involuntarily; Tang Qi was too prolific.

However, Li Lin knew that the Tang family had only three sons and one daughter as legitimate children.

Because these materials were collected by the imperial court.

The imperial court kept a special register that recorded the basic information of the current high-ranking officials. Many copies were printed and distributed to various prefectures and counties for internal use.

This is to prevent important figures from coming to the local area and, if they don't bring any identification documents or other proof of identity, they might say their names but no one recognizes them or believes them.

That would be hilarious.

Seeing Li Lin's surprised expression, Tang Feng continued, "So, this time, when I came to Jin County to talk to County Commandant Li, I, an insignificant nobody, was sent here."

Li Lin narrowed his eyes slightly; the other party was 'threatening' him.

A statement that appears to be self-deprecating but is actually a threat.

Li Lin pondered for a moment and then asked, "Brother Tang, please speak frankly if you have something to say."

"I don't have much to say, I just came to see County Commandant Li and see if you are as decisive as the rumors suggest."

There seemed to be nothing wrong with what he said, but Li Lin interpreted it differently.

'Let's see if you have the guts to do something like this!'

That's roughly what I mean.

Li Lin raised an eyebrow: "It seems Brother Tang doesn't dare to speak frankly. Then I'll be blunt. Your Tang family... is it not going too far to extend your reach into the territory I govern?"

"Lieutenant Li, what do you mean by this?" Tang Feng pretended to be deaf and dumb: "I just came to see the universally praised Lieutenant Li."

Seeing the other party's appearance, Li Lin laughed and said, "Military officers speak in more roundabout ways than civil officials like me. It's no fun."

After saying that, Li Lin picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then slammed it heavily on the table.

This is what it means to serve tea and see guests off.

Tang Feng stood up and said, "A person cannot die in vain, County Commandant Li. Only by changing your surname to Tang can you live a healthy life in the future."

Li Lin waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, I'm in good health. But I heard that General Tang's health has deteriorated a lot because of excessive drinking and womanizing."

"Hmph." Tang Feng turned and left.

After Tang Feng left, Li Lin got up and returned to the backyard.

He sat down in the main seat, pondered for a long time, and then couldn't help but click his tongue.

It seems the Great Qi Dynasty is truly doomed.

First, Qin Tuo rebelled and occupied Yue County.

Now the Tang family's border troops are preparing to rebel.

In the northern frontier, most of Lu County's lands fell into the hands of the Northern Di people, while Lu King Zhu Laosan was actively expanding his army.

Once he withstands the pressure from the Northern Di and completes the accumulation of military supplies, he will likely have to take the 'Xuanwu Gate' route.

A person who dares to advise his father to 'abdicate' in the imperial court would certainly dare to take the Xuanwu Gate route.

Thinking about it this way, there's a bomb in the north, west, and south of the Great Qi. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

Then Li Lin smiled too.

Actually... he's practically a ticking time bomb now.

At this moment, Huang Qing walked over and asked, "Why are you laughing so happily, sir?"

"I've thought of something interesting," Li Lin said with a smile.

"By the way, we've already reached an agreement regarding Su Bei's marriage."

"Oh, which family's daughter did you and the Su family choose?"

Huang Qing smiled and said, "After examining several families' daughters, we finally chose the girl from the 'Hu' family. She's just over fifteen years old, quite good-looking, and also sensible."

“Then I’ll talk to him about it.”

After lunch, Li Lin sent someone to invite Su Bei over from Green Mountain Valley.

In the main hall of the front yard, Su Bei was drinking tea, looking very well-behaved.

"Your Aunt Qin and your mother have already arranged your marriage. It's estimated that the wedding will be held within three months. Are you happy?"

Su Bei's face lit up with joy: "Is it really true?"

"Of course it's true."

Su Bei immediately stood up, knelt down in front of Li Lin, and said, "Thank you, godfather and godmother."

Previously, since things hadn't gone through, Su Bei couldn't call Li Lin her godfather, but now that things are settled, she can.

"Get up," Li Lin said with a smile.

Su Bei chuckled and straightened up.

Looking at Li Lin, his eyes held a newfound familiarity and closeness. "Tomorrow, you will take a hundred men to escort the money and provisions to Bobai Military Town," Li Lin said. "Tell the town head that this money and provisions are for him to use to fortify the town. Tell him to be extremely careful lately, and if there is any disturbance, he can light a signal fire. Don't be afraid to take responsibility; I will handle anything that happens."

Su Bei's expression hardened, then he nodded.

Li Lin continued, "When you come back, help me guard Green Mountain Pass for two months. Then I will give you a month's leave to meet the Hu family girl a few times and get to know her. After that, we will discuss the marriage."

Su Bei nodded repeatedly.

Although Li Lin was less than six years older than him, the way he looked at Li Lin was almost the same as how he looked at his father.

It was already filled with filial piety.

"Alright, go to Butler Afu and get some green vegetables to take home to your mother, then get on with your business."

"Okay! Godfather."

Su Bei bowed deeply, then walked away with a happy expression.

Not long after Su Bei left, Xiao Chunzhu arrived.

At this point, Xiao Chunzhu, as the commander, already displayed a rather authoritative demeanor.

But he remained extremely humble in front of Li Lin.

"Commander Xiao, I have something I need you to do immediately."

"Please give your orders, sir."

Li Lin said, "I want you to take a hundred men and patrol along the border, centered on Bobai Military Town, to find out which county and which military town has anyone involved with the Tang family's border troops in Gui County to the west. If you don't have solid evidence, don't make a fuss. If you do have evidence, arrest them directly. I'll have someone give you the documents tomorrow. Remember... you must investigate thoroughly and not wrong anyone, understand?"

Xiao Chunzhu bowed his head and replied, "Yes, sir. This humble general will certainly not fail the General's trust."

"Go back and choose your people," Li Lin said with a smile.

After Xiao Chunzhu left, Li Lin returned to the backyard and sat down.

Huang Qing walked behind him, gently tapped his head with her jade-like hand, and asked, "My lord, have you been having a lot of troubles lately? You seem very troubled."

"A little," Li Lin said with a smile.

"I can't help you with anything... Am I really that useless?" Huang Qing asked in a low voice.

Li Lin shook his head: "Being able to manage the household in an orderly manner is already quite remarkable."

Huang Qing felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this.

She was quite worried that Li Lin would think she was incompetent.

But in reality, men don't care whether a woman is capable or rich.

As long as the woman can manage the household well and provide him with a quiet haven where he can rest, that's better than anything else.

Li Lin closed his eyes, enjoying his wife's gentle massage while pondering the problem.

It was inevitable that Tang's army would rebel; it was only a matter of time.

As the southwestern border army, the Tang family had two paths to take after their rebellion.

First, we marched west, launched a strong attack on Jin County, and occupied this major grain-producing county. With grain in hand, we were not worried.

The other option was to head directly north and capture Dian Prefecture.

Dian Prefecture was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and its grain production was not low, making it an ideal place for a dynasty to rise to power.

From a long-term strategic perspective, it is stronger than Tianjin.

Of course, we can also split our forces into two groups and take both Tianjin and Yunnan counties at the same time.

But this is quite difficult, because attacking a city is always challenging, especially when it involves fighting on two fronts simultaneously.

However, Li Lin wasn't in a hurry.

Tang Jia's border troops were preparing to rise up, and Li Lin wasn't just living idly by.

He is now desperately consolidating his power.

And some results have been achieved.

Once Xiao Chunzhu has uncovered something in several military towns, he can take that evidence to his father-in-law, Prefect Huang, and demand money and grain.

The first thing they did after receiving the grain and money was to expand their army.

As the chief military commander of Jin County, he could command up to 40,000 troops.

However, the current government army only has a little over 10,000 troops, which is far from enough.

With an army of 40,000, and by building several military towns and city walls, he could become a powerful figure with his own army.

When the time comes... even if he actually grows spirit rice, no one will dare to steal it.

They amassed an army to protect Lingmi.

Once the spiritual rice is used in medicine and elixir refining, and the foundation is established, then the world will instantly become vast.

Thinking about this, Li Lin felt much less pressure.

Time passed day by day, and soon another half month had gone by.

A rather unexpected guest came to our house.

Chu Feng of the Star-Picking Tower.

Chu Feng was handsome, but compared to Li Lin, he was still somewhat lacking.

"Brother Chu, it's been a long time." Li Lin clasped his hands in greeting.

Chu Feng was looking around at the layout of the house when he heard this and laughed, "Brother Li, this place is too small for your status."

“There’s no such thing as that.” Li Lin waved his hand. “I’m not some important figure.”

Chu Feng said seriously, "That's not how it works. As the chief military commander of Jin County, your residence is indeed too small, and... you have fewer guards."

Li Lin's expression froze for a moment, then he said, "Brother Chu, do you mean someone wants to harm me?"

"The Immortal Execution Society... will probably turn its attention to the Southern Frontier."

Li Lin asked, "Why?"

"The Immortal Execution Society also has the responsibility of slaying demons. They are dealing with Qin Tuo, and it's hard to guarantee that they won't come looking for trouble with you while they're at it."

(End of this chapter)