Chapter 346 Sincerity
Lin Changning felt that they should rest for two days before continuing their journey. The weather was too hot, and if they rushed on their way and were not in good condition, they might suffer a crushing defeat if they encountered the imperial army.
Thinking of this, Lin Changning nodded. "Naturally, we also need to rest here for two days."
After speaking, he looked at Old Ma sitting next to him. Old Ma seemed to dislike Li Mingde very much. He ate in silence throughout the meal and even rolled his eyes at Commander Sun.
"Old Ma? Let our people rest tomorrow. Many of them have suffered from heatstroke after days of traveling."
Old Ma lowered his head and ate his food, grunting in a muffled "hmm." He genuinely disliked Li Mingde.
At this point, Lin Changning looked at Li Mingde again: "Please ask the young master to have the cook brew some cooling and refreshing tea these days, as many people in our team have suffered from heatstroke."
Li Mingde paused for a moment and then nodded. The weather was hot and he had been busy lately, so he hadn't thought to ask the cook to brew some refreshing tea.
Thinking of this, Li Mingde felt a little annoyed, but then nodded: "Okay, I'll have the cook brew some tea tonight to cool you down."
He then looked at one of his personal guards beside him, gave him a wink, and the guard nodded and quickly left the tent.
Seeing that the man was efficient, Lin Changning hesitated for a moment before asking, "I wonder how the young master plans to arrange the command in the future?"
If we're leading a large army, these people will inevitably have to clear the way, so we need to find out as soon as possible who is in charge.
Commander Sun is definitely not suitable. They showed strong dissatisfaction with them as soon as they arrived, so they probably won't be very obedient.
Li Mingde is the heir apparent, and most of these soldiers are his father's personal guards. It would be best to clarify these matters before leaving.
If they were to encounter the imperial army en route and a disagreement arose within the ranks, Lin Changning and his men would be easily betrayed or attacked from both sides.
They only brought a little over 1,000 people, while the imperial court had over 40,000 and Li Mingde and his group had over 10,000. If they wanted to bring their people back to Taiyuan quietly, they would have to divide them into multiple groups.
Then they slowly headed to Taiyuan. With so many people, not only would they be easily caught on the way, but they would also easily alert the imperial court's entourage, putting them at a disadvantage on the road.
Li Mingde hesitated. He hadn't expected Lin Changning to ask him for command right away. Although these troops would eventually fall under the control of the King of Chu, handing them over too early would mean losing leverage, which was not a good thing for him.
Commander Sun stared intently at Li Mingde. If he handed over command, it would be tantamount to entrusting his life and fortune entirely to the two people in front of him who were his enemies.
If the two of them develop bad intentions along the way...
What Commander Sun thought of, Li Mingde naturally thought of as well. Seeing Lin Changning's unyielding gaze, Li Mingde went back to meet him.
His gaze also carried a hint of aggressiveness: "The command authority that the Vice Commander wants, is it command authority over the army or something else?"
Lin Changning picked up a piece of meat from the table, tasted it, swallowed it, and said indifferently, "Naturally, it's the command of the army."
The atmosphere at the table instantly became tense. Commander Sun slowly reached for the knife at his waist, while Li Mingde silently watched Lin Changning.
Old Ma was extremely vigilant, staring intently at Commander Sun, while Wan Jin, standing behind Lin Changning, also gripped the hilt of his knife.
Lu Shan slowly moved closer to Lin Changning to prevent a sudden attack from the other side.
Li Mingde did not expect that Lin Changning would seize power as soon as he arrived.
For a moment, I hesitated.
During the meal, only Lin Changning slowly picked up food and put it in his mouth. After chewing the food, he looked at Li Mingde, who was still hesitating, and suddenly chuckled softly.
"It takes nearly eight days to travel from here to Taiyuan, passing through 14 cities. With 10,000 men, it would be like being sitting ducks."
My point is, if the Crown Prince wishes to safely lead 10,000 men into Taiyuan, he should first hand over command to us, divide the men into four groups, and have them travel along different routes towards Taiyuan. This is the best way to preserve our forces.”
Commander Sun angrily slammed the wine glass on the table to the ground: "Even if we're going to leave in batches, you don't have to take away our young master's command, do you? What are you up to?"
"Commander Sun! Shut up!!"
Upon hearing Commander Sun's reprimand, Li Mingde immediately began to scold him.
Lin Changning was also a little surprised at this moment. He had already made his point very clear, so why did Commander Sun seem to be making a big deal out of nothing?
Lin Changning squinted at Commander Sun, propped his chin on his hand on the table, and said with interest, "I didn't know that a general from the Prince Sheng's mansion could speak over his master. Interesting."
Li Mingde slammed the plate down in front of Commander Sun, staring at him with an unfriendly tone: "Commander Sun! Get out of here!!"
Commander Sun was about to say something more when Li Mingde glared at him, clasped his hands in a fist salute, snorted coldly, and turned to leave.
Seeing the people leave, Lin Changning looked up at Li Mingde: "It's normal for the young master to be suspicious, but my request for command is not to seize power. I have a total of a thousand people here, and three hundred will be given to the young master's team in each team. They will be divided into small teams and travel to Taiyuan by different routes. If it is your people, they will not be able to enter Taiyuan smoothly, so we need our people to lead the way."
Li Mingde nodded in agreement to Lin Changning's request.
At this point, Lin Changning looked at Li Mingde and asked, "Your Highness, may I ask about this Commander Sun's background?"
Li Mingde was somewhat surprised by Lin Changning's question, but then his expression darkened instantly. Looking at Lin Changning, he asked uncertainly, "Assistant Commander? You suspect Commander Sun?"
Lin Changning raised an eyebrow, but smiled without saying a word. From the moment he and his men entered, this Commander Sun had been stirring up trouble.
During the banquet, they continued to stir up trouble, as their lives and fortunes were now in the hands of the King of Chu.
But this Commander Sun was quite strange. His master didn't say anything, yet he repeatedly stirred up trouble, which made Lin Changning feel a little strange.
Li Mingde pursed his lips and remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Commander Sun has been with me for many years, so it shouldn't be him."
Lin Changning shrugged: "We'll know tomorrow or the day after."
Li Mingde asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"
Lin Changning looked at Li Mingde and said, "We'll rest tonight, reorganize during the day tomorrow, and leave the city tonight, a day earlier than planned."
Li Mingde retorted, "Are you doubting Commander Sun?"
Lin Changning nodded: "It's only a day earlier, so they should have enough time to rest. I do suspect him, so Your Highness, you can set aside a team and let Commander Sun lead it. I don't want to go with him; I value my life."
After saying that, he stood up and said, "I won't disturb you any longer, Your Highness. I will take my men back to rest tonight. Your Highness, please consider it. We will leave the city tomorrow night. Commander Sun, it would be better to close the gates for now. Don't risk your own and your soldiers' lives..."
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