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Two people were chatting while drinking tea. After about an hour, they heard a voice from outside the door: "Your Majesty has arrived."
Just as Liu Guanfeng was about to stand up to greet him, he was pulled back by Shangguan Junhong, who said, "Brother, wait here for a moment. My father will come in naturally."
Not long after, a deep voice echoed from the entrance: "You all may leave. I want to be alone in my study today. No outsiders are to disturb me; I will not see anyone before I come out."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Immediately after, Liu Guanfeng heard the sound of hurried footsteps, which gradually faded away until they were no longer audible.
At this moment, Liu Guanfeng could sense two people's breathing outside the room. Soon after, the door was pushed open. Shangguan Junhong tugged at Liu Guanfeng's clothing, prompting him to stand up.
Shangguan Junhong led Liu Guanfeng to the door, where a man resembling a eunuch had just closed it. Shangguan Junhong knelt on both knees while Liu Guanfeng only knelt on one: "My son pays respects to Father," and "Commoner pays respects to Your Majesty."
"Mm, you both may rise."
Liu Guanfeng and Shangguan Junhong stood up. At this point, Liu Guanfeng took a serious look at the emperor. Shangguan Ji was already over sixty years old but still appeared vigorous and healthy. He was about the same height as Shangguan Junhong but half a head shorter than Liu Guanfeng.
Shangguan Ji sat down in his position and gestured for Liu Guanfeng and Shangguan Junhong to sit as well: "So you are Liu Guanfeng from Starfall Kingdom?"
Liu Guanfeng cupped his fist towards Shangguan Ji: "Indeed, Commoner."
"I heard from Hong'er that you have uncovered some matters regarding General Qin Hongguan?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Can you tell me more details?"
Liu Guanfeng then recounted the letters found in Yelü Chuxing's secret chamber, continuing all the way to the discovery of the first Hidden Military Location in Qianlong City, and the Underground Palace of Qin Hongguan in Crimson Dragon City, finally discussing the rescue of Shangguan Jinglei.
At first, Shangguan Ji was leisurely sipping tea, but when he heard that the Poppy was used to control soldiers, he tightened his grip on the teacup. Upon hearing that Qin Hongguan had built his own palace, Shangguan Ji exerted force with his right hand, and with a crack, the teacup was crushed in his grasp.
After Liu Guanfeng finished recounting everything and returned to his seat, Shangguan Ji slammed the table: "What a Qin Hongguan! Not only does he rebel, but he also uses such things to poison my people. This is truly unforgivable. Liu Guanfeng, this matter is of great importance. Do you have any solid evidence?"
Liu Guanfeng shook his head: "I have no evidence, but these are all things I witnessed with my own eyes. Your Majesty, has General Qin not been suppressing Mountain Bandits year after year?"
"Indeed, but those Mountain Bandits are very stubborn. They cannot be completely eradicated."
"Your Majesty, this is not General Qin suppressing bandits; rather, he is taking advantage of the situation to raise his own private army. He uses the soldiers he recruits to attack his own Hidden Military Locations, pretending to be unable to defeat them so that the soldiers inside capture his own men to bolster his private forces. Then he will tell the state that he has had no success in suppressing them, thus continuing to recruit soldiers for further campaigns."
"Do you know how many private soldiers Qin Hongguan has now?"
"According to common estimates, it should be around one hundred fifty thousand."
"Already one hundred fifty thousand?" Shangguan Ji was very surprised. The soldiers from the three cities under Qin Hongguan combined would amount to one hundred fifty thousand; adding his own one hundred fifty thousand private soldiers would make a total of three hundred thousand troops. If Qin Hongguan really rebelled, even if he were eliminated, the Eastern Dragon Empire would suffer heavy losses. After all, the toll of civil war is doubled.
At this moment, Liu Guanfeng silently looked at Shangguan Ji. After a moment of contemplation, Shangguan Ji asked: "Since you can locate their Hidden Armory, it shows you are quite capable. Would you be willing to serve as an official under me?"
Liu Guanfeng quickly stood up and cupped his hands towards Shangguan Ji: "Your Majesty, I am just a leisurely person who does not wish to serve in court. I hope Your Majesty can allow me to continue being an ordinary commoner."
Shangguan Junhong also stood up: "Father, when I met Liu Brother, I also tried to persuade him on your behalf but was rejected by him. At that time, I thought that forcing someone into something they do not want is not our royal style. So I promised Liu Brother that he could report here without being compelled to do anything he dislikes."
After listening, Shangguan Ji nodded: "In that case, let it be. However, I still want to thank you for bringing me that information. A reward will naturally be sent to you later. Hong'er, please take this young brother to your place for some rest. Once I send over the reward later, have someone return him."
"Yes, Father, I take my leave."
"Commoner, take your leave."
Shangguan Junhong left the study of Shangguan Ji with Liu Guanfeng.
As soon as the two departed, Shangguan Ji said to the eunuch beside him, "Xiao Shanzi, immediately send someone to investigate the origins of the king of the Original Hua Star Kingdom and see if it matches what that young man said. Also, instruct the Underworld to look into whether there are indeed people hiding as he mentioned. Once we have clarity on this matter, we can plan our next steps."
"Yes, I will handle it right away."
"And according to palace regulations, give that young man a reward, at the third tier level."
"Understood." The eunuch named Shanzi then left Shangguan Ji's study.
At this moment, only Shangguan Ji remained in the study. He paced back and forth in the room, hoping that Liu Guanfeng had provided him with false information. However, he knew deep down that it was likely true. Ever since there were rumors about Qin Hongguan plotting a rebellion, Shangguan Ji had dispatched numerous investigators. Despite both open and covert inquiries, they had found no evidence of any wrongdoing by Qin Hongguan.
As time passed, Shangguan Ji gradually abandoned his investigation; after all, Qin Hongguan had consistently performed well during normal times. He diligently executed his orders and ensured they were completed excellently. He also showed great respect towards Shangguan Ji, leading him to believe that the rumors of rebellion were mere fabrications.
However, today brought shocking news that forced him to reconsider Qin Hongguan's recent behavior. One notable point was the sudden emergence of a large number of Mountain Bandits around the three cities under his jurisdiction in recent years. It seemed as if these Mountain Bandits had coordinated their appearances.
During the first campaign against the Mountain Bandits, each city suffered losses of nearly ten thousand people. This was followed by several years of aimless campaigns against them, resulting in more losses without any significant achievements.
Reflecting on this situation made Shangguan Ji gradually understand some of Qin Hongguan's tactics. Since he could ascertain this, he needed to devise a foolproof strategy. This matter could not be too public; otherwise, it might alert Qin Hongguan and provoke him into rashly raising an army—something Shangguan Ji wanted to avoid at all costs.
Shangguan Ji continuously thought of one plan after another and considered various candidates.
Shangguan Junhong returned to his residence with Liu Guanfeng, while Shangguan Jinglei lived next door. He had been waiting for both of them in anticipation. Liu Guanfeng greeted Shangguan Jinglei politely upon seeing him.
Shangguan Junhong brought Liu Guanfeng and Shangguan Jinglei to his study and instructed the servants not to allow anyone near the room.
After the three of them sat down in the study, Shangguan Junhong asked, "Elder Brother, you spoke with Father today. Do you have any good ideas? We need to think of something for His Majesty."
"Yes, Liu Brother, I spent all night thinking about it after returning home yesterday, but I couldn't come up with anything. Have you thought of something?"
"I do have an idea."
The two of them immediately brightened up: "Quick, tell us."
"In a few months, Qin Hongguan will lead troops to eliminate the Mountain Bandits, and this time he will be able to wipe out all the Mountain Bandits within the borders of Qianlong City."
"But didn't you say those people are his private soldiers? How could they all be eliminated?" Shangguan Jinglei asked in confusion.
"The reason is simple. Recently, rumors about Qin Hongguan's ineffective bandit suppression have been growing stronger. He doesn't want others to know he has rebellious intentions before he's fully prepared, so he must achieve some results in front of others. Therefore, he has decided to eliminate a Mountain Bandit group, but it won't be a real elimination. He still needs to capture some private soldiers from it.
At that time, he will have his private soldiers capture some of those soldiers. When he feels the number is sufficient, he will have those private soldiers relocate their camp and leave behind an empty stronghold to create the illusion of being conquered. This way, he can silence those who want to harm him while also gaining His Majesty's trust."
"This strategy is indeed quite good; it seems Qin Hongguan is not an easy person to deal with. So what should we do?"
"Then we can use his victory as an excuse for His Majesty to summon Qin Hongguan to the capital for commendation. At that time, he definitely won't suspect anything, and the number of people he brings will surely be small. Then we can transfer him into the palace. Even if he brings many bodyguards, in the end, it will just be him alone. Seizing this opportunity to capture Qin Hongguan will become exceptionally easy."
Shangguan Jinglei slapped his thigh: "Liu Brother, what a great plan!"
Meanwhile, Shangguan Junhong continued to ask, "Elder Brother, what about the troops under Qin Hongguan? What if they rebel?"
"Don't worry, brother. The ones who would rebel are Qin Hongguan and his close associates. As long as we capture Qin Hongguan in the palace and arrange for someone to control his close associates in the military camp beforehand, then the 150,000 troops from three cities will be stabilized."
"These are stable now, but what about his private soldiers?"
"After Qin Hongguan was captured, the news won't reach his private soldiers immediately. At that time, we just need to arrange some personnel to guard the exits of their Hidden Military Locations, and we can easily capture all of his private soldiers. This way, we won't need too many soldiers."
"Liu Brother, how many people do you think we need to eliminate his remaining followers?"
"I think if we have elite troops with good equipment, twenty thousand should be enough. However, we will need to increase the number of skilled fighters a bit. I know that at every location of their Hidden Armory, there will be a powerful Divine Knight, but those strong individuals are slightly weaker."
Shangguan Jinglei thought for a moment: "So if we want to deal with those private soldiers, we at least need two Divine-Level Experts, right?"
Liu Guanfeng shook his head and said, "We actually need at least five Divine-Level Experts."
"Doesn't he have four powerful Divine Knights?"
"Four Hidden Military Locations means four. Qin Hongguan himself is also a powerful Divine Knight, and in his home, there is also a leader from his Underworld who is a Divine-Level Expert. That's six people. If we want to capture a Divine-Level Expert, we need at least two or more people to help. How many do you think we need?"
Shangguan Jinglei shook his head and said, "We don't need to worry about those. If his Underworld leader comes, he will definitely follow Qin Hongguan to the capital. At that time, just leave it to Shangguan Ji. He can find a Divine Knight who can handle this matter. You just need to tell us how many Divine Knights we need for attacking the Hidden Military Locations."
"If that's the case, then we only need one more Divine Knight who is slightly weaker than Elder Brother."
"With four on their side and three on ours, isn't that a bit lacking?"
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