In the Imperial Palace Study Room of the Capital.
"Haha…" Xiang Guang, holding two letters in his hands, couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Zhen Xu truly did not disappoint. Hiding an additional two hundred thousand troops creates a significant expenditure. If Qin De weren't planning a rebellion, why would he need so many troops? Does he think he has too much money?" Xiang Guang sneered coldly.
Zhen Xu was responsible for the intelligence operations in the Eastern Domain Three Prefectures. Within merely half a year, many matters had begun to take shape.
"Emperor, now that Qin De has secretly recruited an additional two hundred thousand soldiers, but with the Black Water Mountain Bandits holding him back, he wouldn't dare deploy his entire army. Otherwise, the Black Water Mountain Bandits would surely create chaos in his home base, making them not a concern at all," said a man with a hooked nose from the dark corner behind him.
Xiang Guang set down the letter in his hand and said, "What do you know? Although the Black Water Mountain Bandits are difficult to get rid of, they are still just bandits. With a few benefits, they will cease causing trouble. Qin De could still deploy eight hundred thousand troops to battle me."
"The Emperor is wise," the man with the hooked nose bowed respectfully.
"Zhen Xu found that within the Eastern Domain Three Prefectures, there are signs of preparations in provisions and materials. Adding the secretly recruited two hundred thousand troops who have been gathered for more than five years, and have become elite soldiers, all of this indicates that Qin De is indeed planning a rebellion!" The cold light in Xiang Guang's eyes suddenly flared.
The man with a hooked nose did not dare speak.
"Very well, planning a rebellion, huh?" Xiang Guang's face instead showed a trace of triumph, "Note this down; immediately send someone to negotiate with the Black Water Mountain Bandits, offering gold, jewels, materials, and so forth. Let the Black Water Mountain Bandits cause chaos in Qin De's stronghold when the war starts!"
The hooked-nose man pondered and then said, "What if these bandits ask for too much?"
"Idiot!" Xiang Guang suddenly turned and glared at the man with the hooked nose, "At all costs, you must get them to agree, even if it means promising to give them a prefecture after victory."
"Give a prefecture?" The man with the hooked nose was taken aback, but then he understood, "Your subordinate understands. Even if we give it to them, we'll have to see if they are fortunate enough to enjoy it." Having followed Xiang Guang for so many years, he understood his temperament quite well.
Xiang Guang nodded in satisfaction, "Smart. Once Qin De is dealt with, those little Black Water Mountain Bandits are just that. At my command, wouldn't they be wiped out like chaff? Right now, we just need them."
"The Emperor is wise, your subordinate knows what to do," the hooked-nose man replied.
Xiang Guang then looked at the other letter and said, "The letter from Uncle Shangguan also confirms everything Zhen Xu has found."
The hooked-nose man's eyes whirled around, and all of a sudden, he said, "Emperor, why not capture the king first? We could secretly send someone to assassinate Qin De. Without their leader, if we then dispatch our troops, we could easily eradicate the Qin Family."
"Foolish!" Xiang Guang sneered coldly.
The man with the hooked nose trembled.
"If I were to send someone to assassinate him now, not to mention whether it would be successful, even if it were successful, the Qin Family could immediately appoint a new head. From what I know, out of his three sons, apart from the youngest not being up to much, the other two are the dragons among men. Moreover, the Qin Family would fiercely retaliate, and their eight hundred thousand strong army is no joke," Xiang Guang sneered.
"Moreover, once we assassinate him, the Qin Family would certainly guess that it was Shangguan Hong who betrayed them. This would be a loss greater than the gain. Do you understand?" Xiang Guang stared at the man with the hooked nose.
"Your subordinate is dull!" the man replied hurriedly.
Xiang Guang's face showed a trace of triumph, "We are not going to assassinate them now, let the Qin Family carry out their rebellion, and even help them through the Shangguan Family. When the Qin Family is completely unguarded, at the crucial moment of the battle, the Shangguan Family will suddenly turn their backs and fiercely stab at the Qin Family from behind. Humph, I would like to see if the Qin Family doesn't fall apart!"
The hooked nose man's eyes brightened immediately, and he hurriedly said, "The Emperor is wise. At the critical moment of the battle, with a sudden backstab and our Iron Cavalry attacking, we could easily wipe out the Qin Family."
Xiang Guang was very satisfied with his strategy, nodded, and said lightly, "Very well, you may go handle this now. Find ways to draw in the bandits from the Black Water Mountain Range with gold, jewels, beauties, materials, and so forth. Make sure they cause chaos in Qin's stronghold when the war breaks out. As for the Qin Family and Shangguan Family, we will pretend to be unaware."
"Your subordinate understands, your subordinate will take his leave," the hooked-nose man bowed and then disappeared with a flash.
A moment later, the hooked-nose man appeared in a villa.
"You're back, my lord," a beautiful woman approached.
"Daddy." A cute little boy also ran over. The man with the hooked nose picked up his son and, embracing the beautiful woman, said, "My lady, let's go back to our room. Don't catch a cold out here." All the servants in the villa were very respectful.
Upon entering the room, the beautiful woman quietly asked, "My lord, did the Emperor assign you with some task? When can you quit such duties? I always feel unsettled."
The man with the hooked nose embraced the beautiful woman affectionately and said, "My lady, do not worry. Your lord is well aware of the dangers involved in these tasks, but I know too many of the Emperor's secrets to simply walk away from them. Rest assured, with Xiang Guang's limited wisdom, I am confident in dealing with him."
Suddenly, the man with the hooked nose furrowed his brow, pondering inwardly, "Given Xiang Guang's temperament, had he known that Qin De was indeed plotting a rebellion, he probably would have sent someone to assassinate him by now. Why has he calmed down this time, pretending to be unaware, allowing the Shangguan Family to turn the tables at the last moment?"
As the spy leader for Xiang Guang, how could he be so naive?
In the Imperial Study Room, everything was but a pretense. To gain Xiang Guang's trust, he had to let Xiang Guang perceive his weaknesses, yet he could never truly allow the Emperor to notice his actual weaknesses, so it was best to feign some vulnerabilities.
The man with the hooked nose wasn't wrong to suspect that someone else was indeed backing Xiang Guang. If Xiang Guang were truly intelligent, he wouldn't have committed the foolish acts of the past.
...
In the original manor, Qin De stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the sky.
"Judging by Xiang Guang's character, he would probably strike directly at me," said Qin De with a smile, not holding Xiang Guang in high esteem. Although Xiang Guang wasn't a fool, in terms of strategy, he was certainly no master.
Xu Yuan remarked by his side, "My lord, even if Xiang Guang sends someone to assassinate you, that still doesn't prove whether the Shangguan Family is unreliable. Zhen Xu might uncover something, and Xiang Guang could use it to conclude that we are planning a rebellion and send someone to kill you."
Indeed.
Even if there were an assassination attempt, it wouldn't confirm the Shangguan Family's betrayal.
"Do we need to clarify whether the Shangguan Family has betrayed us?" Qin De said with a smile.
Xu Yuan also laughed.
Right, did they really need to clarify?
The purpose of this negotiation wasn't to win over the Shangguan Family, but merely to let loose a few Mist Pills, achieving the desired effect for the Qin Family was enough.
Xu Yuan nodded and said, "Indeed, our visit this time is just to release some Mist Pills. Regardless of whether the Shangguan Family betrays us or not, their end is already sealed. We will not allow them to stab us in the back during the war."
No matter what, the Qin Family could not afford any mistakes; they would not give the Shangguan Family any chance.
"I reckon Xiang Guang is planning to send some materials or such to the Black Water Mountain Bandits," Qin De said with a chuckle.
Xu Yuan also chuckled.
"Report, a secret letter has arrived from Prince Mansion," a man entered the courtyard, handed a secret letter over, which Xu Yuan immediately received and passed to Qin De.
"What else is there from the Prince Mansion?" asked Qin De, who, upon opening the secret letter, immediately brightened up, "Haha, heaven supports us too! Yu'er has indeed made a great contribution this time. I've been really troubled by those two Upper Immortals from the Xiang Family, but with such a treasure now, I am confident. Haha, this is truly wonderful."
The excitement of Qin De at that moment was beyond words.
"Is there great news?" Xu Yuan asked curiously by his side, and Qin De immediately passed the secret letter to him for inspection. Upon reading it, Xu Yuan instantly exclaimed with joy, "Congratulations, my lord! My best wishes to you, my lord!"
Qin De laughed heartily and said, "This time, Yu'er has made such a significant achievement. We must duly reward him upon our return. Yes, Xu Yuan, quickly send someone, we must set off for the Prince Mansion at once!"
"Yes!" Xu Yuan immediately bowed and replied, while Qin De couldn't help but burst into laughter again. He could not have expected his third son, Qin Yu, to bring him such a delightful surprise, originally thinking it was only Immortal Upper Grade Ore, but now it appeared to be a treasure fit for refining Spiritual Artifacts.
Spiritual Artifacts!
Xu Yuan fully understood the importance of the Stone Burning Iron for Qin De; it was as crucial as a two-hundred-thousand-strong army, how could it not drive Qin De to such excitement?