Chapter 348 Predicament

Lin Changning sat opposite Li Mingde, and after watching Li Mingde tidy up the chess game, she gestured for her to go first.

Lin Changning was really not good at chess. After making a move, he saw Li Mingde give him a surprised look.

He shrugged helplessly and repeated, "Your Highness, you don't need to look at me. I'm really not very good at chess, and I'm not being modest."

Li Mingde didn't speak, but nodded slightly.

Judging from his posture while playing chess, it's clear he's not very skilled.

The two went their separate ways. While playing chess, Li Mingde casually asked, "Did Vice Commissioner Lin previously work under Commander Qi?"

Lin Changning hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth. After all, there was nothing particularly sensitive that was asked, so he simply nodded: "Yes, I have been following Commander Qi since I joined the army."

Last night, Li Mingde saw Lin Changning cleave Commander Sun's sword in two with a single stroke, and he couldn't help but feel a little envious of Qi Rong.

"Qi Lao Er is truly blessed to have found such a brave general as you."

Lin Changning gently shook his head: "If it weren't for the commander's appreciation, I'm afraid I would have died on my first battlefield. It's not that the commander is lucky, it's that I'm lucky."

Lin Changning's words made Li Mingde's throat tighten. "Comparing goods is like throwing them away, comparing people is like dying."

He had been following Commander Sun ever since he entered the garrison, and until last night he still trusted Commander Sun completely. But he never expected that it was actually Commander Sun who secretly sent a message to the court.

Thinking of this, Li Mingde sighed again, and his chess game became even more aggressive.

It seems he was trying to save face.

"Judging from his appearance, Lin Qianshi doesn't seem to be very old this year."

Lin Changning frowned slightly, his expression darkening. Li Mingde's words carried a hint of disdain for him.

"Yes, I'm seventeen years old (by Chinese reckoning)."

Li Mingde scrutinized Lin Changning, who seemed somewhat displeased, with a probing gaze.

"Does anyone in your family serve in the military? Is Commander Lin Zhi related to you?"

Lin Changning interrupted impatiently: "No one in my family holds a position in the military. I don't know any of the commanders you're talking about. It just so happens that we both have the surname Lin. I was born into a farming family and rose through the ranks based on my military achievements."

As he spoke, he placed a piece on one of Li Mingde's weaknesses, instantly turning the game around. Lin Changning's moves suddenly became extremely aggressive.

Li Mingde no longer dared to ask any nonsense and focused solely on playing chess. After about half an hour, Li Mingde sighed and threw down the chess piece in his hand.

"I have lost. Vice Minister Lin is a young and talented man."

Lin Changning snorted inwardly, but didn't show it on her face. Her chess skills were taught by Qi Rong, and she had been honed by her teacher at home for a long time. Naturally, she wasn't as proficient as a chess master, but she could definitely beat many ordinary people.

At first, he said that because he couldn't figure out Li Mingde's chess skills and didn't want to offend the prince. Who would have thought that while they were playing chess, he would start to investigate Li Mingde's abilities and imply that he was young and had only risen to his position through family connections.

"The game of chess is over. Please forgive me for leaving, Your Highness. We need to march at night tonight. I'm going to get something to eat and catch up on some sleep."

After saying that, he stood up from the stool and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Li Mingde.

Li Mingde knew he had just said the wrong thing and offended this person. He guessed that age was a big taboo in this person's mind. He had initially thought that this person was a member of some noble family in Yun County, which was why he asked the question in an attempt to build a relationship.

Unexpectedly, he turned out to be a self-made young prodigy, which immediately angered people. But then again, if he had climbed up from the bottom on his own merits, and people said he did it through connections, he would naturally be unhappy.

Thinking of this, Li Mingde stood up: "I'll see the Assistant Commissioner off."

With that, he got up and saw Lin Changning out of the tent. As soon as the two of them left the tent, Lin Changning saw his scouts rushing toward them in a hurry.

He frowned involuntarily: "What happened? Why are you in such a panic?"

Wan Jin, accompanied by his skilled scouts, walked straight over, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lin Changning, and glanced subtly at Li Mingde beside him.

Lin Changning immediately understood, cupped his hands in greeting to the young master, and then walked to the side with Wan Jin.

Wan Jin stood beside Lin Changning: "Commander, the scouts we sent out this morning said they encountered government officials dozens of kilometers away, and they seemed to be heading towards the new city."

Lin Changning's expression changed: "What did you say?"

Wan Jin's expression was also somewhat unpleasant: "The camp we're stationed in to our north should have just arrived this morning. Our scouts rushed back to report after spotting them."

Lin Changning frowned and asked, "How many people?"

Wan Jin watched as the scout waited for a report. The scout clasped his hands in a fist salute to the two men and said, "Reporting to the Vice Commander, we were in a hurry when we ran, afraid of being discovered. We only had a rough look and there should be more than 4,000 people."

Lin Changning nodded: "Okay, I understand. Now send two teams of scouts to search along the neighborhoods surrounding the new city for any signs of the imperial army."

After saying that, he waved to Wan Jinhe and then turned to go find Li Mingde.

Li Mingde was still waiting in the same spot when two of his men arrived and started talking to him.

After Lin Changning stood beside Li Mingde, the two exchanged a glance, presumably because their scouts had returned with the same report.

Li Mingde sighed: "There are people to the north, west, and south..."

Lin Changning nodded to indicate that he understood: "Are you sure you had him detained last night? And that the news didn't get out?"

Li Mingde shook his head: "After you said that, I sent people to detain Commander Sun. We only found letters in his hands, but we can't be sure if the message has been sent out."

Because he doesn't know if there are other traitors within his team.

Commander Sun was just one of those who happened to be singled out by Lin Changning. If there was one Commander Sun, there could be a second, a third, or even a fourth. So, he wasn't sure whether the news had actually gotten out.

Lin Changning's expression darkened. Li Mingde was right; no one knew if there were other traitors within the team.

Judging from the way the court officials surrounded them from all sides, it seemed that someone had already sent out the message.

This move put them in a difficult position. There were people in several directions, and according to his men, there were at least 4,000 of them. Their forces seemed large, but they couldn't hold out for long.

There were tens of thousands of imperial troops waiting for reinforcements nearby.

The only option now is to retreat immediately.

Thinking of this, Lin Changning looked up at Li Mingde and said, "Divide the men into two teams and go now. We can't wait until tonight. We'll abandon the city and head straight to Taiyuan."