Worldwide Awakening: My Soul Kinds Are Lost-Chapter 449: I will help you against the whole world_1
At the Northern Royal Court, a large circle of people knelt around the Khan’s tent.
Wang Linchi, on the other hand, was engrossed in books, etching every detail about Shamans and Demon Gods into his mind.
The airship charged, undeterred by the threat of the Steam Air Cannon, and upon reaching their doorstep, the Khan promptly surrendered.
"My lord," Li Zheng approached and said, "we have finished the count."
"Parcel up the Khan and his family and send them to the Capital. Leave everyone else here to begin dealing with the other tribes. Within a month, all the Hu Lu tribes should be under our control."
"As for me, I’ll sit and hold the Imperial Court for now." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
At this moment, Wang Linchi, who had obtained a wealth of books, naturally had no intention of leaving. The rest mattered little to him. It made more sense for him to stop for now. He wasn’t intending to chase after victories; what he needed was knowledge, not wealth. Gold and jewels were meaningless to him.
"Yes, my lord," Li Zheng did not oppose Wang Linchi’s thoughts.
In just three days, they had taken the Barbarian Palace and captured the Barbarian Khan and the entire royal family. Such accomplishments were simply beyond any doubt.
"But my lord," Li Zheng said, "if this accomplishment is sent back, won’t it overshadow the ruler, leading to criticism from the ministers?" Of course, Li Zheng understood what would happen next.
Wang Linchi disregarded the interests of the Great Families and dared to claim all the credit, which was bound to be met with resistance.
"Oh, let them criticize." Wang Linchi simply didn’t care.
If they push me too hard, I might even rebel, he thought. He now had people and land, and more importantly, advanced technology. He could hang these Great Families on the city walls and kill them one by one.
"This will put you at a disadvantage in the court," Li Zheng hurried to say.
"You’re talking about in court, but where are we now?" Wang Linchi stood up, looking at the endless prairie. "I’m not going back. What can they do to me?"
"What if the Emperor orders it?" Li Zheng felt that Wang Linchi was still too young.
"Ha! Do you think these Hu Lu tribes will surrender as soon as I leave?"
"Is it more likely for them to kneel and be obedient dogs, or to rebel again?"
Wang Linchi showed disdain. Does Emperor Jing really think I’m a fool? They had pushed all the way into the enemy’s royal court. All that was left was to incorporate it into Dajing’s territories, and he would be recognized as a conqueror. If they retreated now, not only would it enlarge the hidden danger, but in the future, it would also give the Great Families more power.
Change commanders in the midst of battle? That depended on whether his Iron Wing Army was willing to obey. By this point, Wang Linchi’s reputation was sky-high. If they dared to replace him as commander, the soldiers below might revolt.
Most importantly, Wang Linchi was generous and gave a lot.
"The likelihood of a rebellion is high," Li Zheng honestly said.
Wang Linchi had a huge reputation amongst the Northern Barbarians, so great that it could even calm crying children.
As the main commander, he would surely get all the credit. If someone else were to replace him, butcher people into mincemeat, and kill wherever they went, leaving few survivors, it would be hard *not* to make a big name.
"After sending the Khan back to the Capital," Wang Linchi changed the topic, "deal with the remaining tribes mainly through peaceful surrender. If any stubbornly resist, just exterminate them."
Any more killing now would be inappropriate, he thought. He planned to research Shamans and Demon Gods and needed relevant samples, so he couldn’t afford unnecessary slaughter.
The most worshiped Demon God among the Northern Barbarians is the Sky Wolf.
A colossal Wolf God.
There were other animal-like Demon Gods, but none were as revered as the Sky Wolf.
This Sky Wolf Demon God was rather unique. It represented a threefold worship of nature, totem, and ancestors. It possessed supernatural power and was, according to legend, the ancestor of the Hu Lu, which explained its enduring worship.
Wang Linchi’s target was naturally this Sky Wolf.
"Yes, my lord." Li Zheng didn’t attempt to persuade him further. After all, Wang Linchi was his superior, and he had no power to oppose him.
"There are also many confiscated items. Do you think..." Li Zheng implied that since there was so much, perhaps they should keep some.
"Have you tallied everything?" Wang Linchi asked.
"Here is the ledger." Li Zheng had it ready.
Wang Linchi flipped through the ledger and then said, "Take a portion from the gold, silver, and jewels and distribute it to the soldiers. Send the rest to the Capital."
This can be considered repayment for Emperor Jing’s investment, he thought. And it’s not a small sum.
"There are also records of the Kong Clan’s annual trades and letters," Li Zheng added.
"Bring them to me." Wang Linchi, hearing this, couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.
This was like someone sending a pillow just when he was sleepy! He hadn’t expected to find these items.
Li Zheng was also startled by Wang Linchi, not expecting such an intense reaction.
He hurriedly had the items brought in. Wang Linchi then spent almost an hour reviewing them.
Soon after, he procured pen and paper and began to make alterations.
He first altered the ledger, increasing the quantities of iron armor, Crossbows, grain, and so on. Seeing this, Li Zheng was at a loss for words.
Even this might not be enough to completely crush the Kong Clan, Li Zheng thought. Given their considerable influence as part of the ’South Zhang North Kong’ configuration, at most, it would cause them to fall from the ranks of the Big Aristocratic Families.
Since other Great Families are also doing it, they will surely try to protect the Kong Clan.
However, Wang Linchi was petty; he clearly remembered how the Kong Clan had targeted him before.
Next, he proceeded to falsify correspondence.
Colluding with the enemy and betraying the country? No, no, no. Wang Linchi changed it to say that the Kong Clan had long ago secretly surrendered to the Barbarian Palace. They were looking for an opportunity to let the Hu Lu invade past the borders and allow the Hu Lu to rule the Central Plains.
The letters even included them pointing at Emperor Jing’s nose and cursing him, all to express their loyalty to the Hu Lu.
As for the trade with the Hu Lu, Wang Linchi altered it to show they hadn’t earned a single coin. Any money the Hu Lu gave them was a reward for their loyalty and was to be used as funds to sabotage Dajing from within.
Watching this, Li Zheng’s heart pounded with fear. This framing is too blatant! The logic is fine, and the chain of evidence is complete, but couldn’t you at least avoid doing it right in front of me?
"All done," Wang Linchi said with a smile. "When these are sent to His Majesty, the Northern Kong Clan will definitely become history."
These documents didn’t just involve Dajing’s affairs. They also stated that the Kong Clan wanted to eliminate all other Great Families so their Kong family could reign supreme. It repeatedly reminded and even urged the Barbarian Palace to invade and slaughter the other Great Families, especially the Southern Zhang Clan and the Five Surnames and Seven Hopes.
"Oh, right, go get some more things. I need to fabricate..." Wang Linchi then listed a series of names.
This was to prevent anyone from helping them. He was fabricating more evidence that the Northern Kong Clan wanted to destroy the other Great Families. This way, if any Great Family dared to help the Northern Kong Clan, other Great Families, when kicking them while they were down, would be sure to drag that helper down too.
Li Zheng didn’t dare say anything and could only obediently follow Wang Linchi’s orders.
Here, even Emperor Jing’s words probably don’t carry as much weight as Wang Linchi’s, he thought.
The items were collected quickly, and Wang Linchi’s actions were even faster. In about half an hour, he had produced a large pile of evidence.
If the Kong Clan doesn’t fall this time, I’ll just rebel directly, Wang Linchi thought. After all, if they can’t be brought down even with so much concrete evidence, it just means the Great Families have already overshadowed imperial power. In that case, it would be better to establish myself independently.
"That’ll do. Send it back," said Wang Linchi.
"My lord, there’s still a flaw. The Khan and the others..." Li Zheng said, hesitating. If the Khan doesn’t cooperate, the impact of this evidence will likely be greatly reduced.
"The Khan is irrelevant," Wang Linchi said calmly.
He’s just a prisoner. If his words could decide the outcome, it would still mean the Great Families are suppressing imperial power. If they’ve already rebelled and the Emperor still doesn’t dare to kill them, then I might as well rebel too.
Li Zheng couldn’t help but shiver. Still not important? He quickly realized and didn’t dare to object. "Indeed, the Khan is not important."
"Go now," Wang Linchi instructed. "This task is crucial. Personally escort it back. If anything goes wrong, don’t bother returning."
"Yes, my lord," Li Zheng replied hastily.
Just as Wang Linchi said, the Khan truly didn’t matter. As long as Emperor Jing dared to make a move, the Northern Kong Clan was destined for extermination.
However, if Emperor Jing couldn’t handle the Northern Kong Clan even with such a huge advantage, then this Barbarian Palace in the north would become a breakaway territory. Otherwise, if Wang Linchi were to truly return to Dajing, he would likely be killed on trumped-up charges.
The Great Families regarded him as a thorn in their side, a nail in their eye, naturally wanting to get rid of him as soon as possible.
If you can’t even deal with one Great Family, how can you deal with all the Great Families? This then became a question of trust.
As Li Zheng reached the tent entrance, Wang Linchi’s voice came from behind him: "When you go back this time, I trust you won’t say anything you shouldn’t."
"Rest assured, my lord. I know what should be said and what shouldn’t," Li Zheng said without hesitation.
He was very clear on this point. Following Emperor Jing indeed offered no future; he would only be a messenger boy. But following Wang Linchi meant good food and drink, plus lots of Silver to spend. The choice was obvious.
