Chapter 479 Betrayal and Loyalty
Li Longxing stood on the top of the castle and looked into the distance.
On the horizon, everywhere you look, there are imperial soldiers ready for battle.
Countless armored vehicles, tanks, and artillery are heading to the front line with the army.
In the sky, the roar of helicopters and planes never stopped.
In the rear, huge military equipment logistics are constantly moving back and forth.
This time, the empire dispatched a total of 34 armies, more than 200 divisions, tens of thousands of tanks and over 10,000 aircraft, accounting for half of the empire's entire regular army.
It took one and a half months just to assemble such a large military force.
Now, as long as the spring breeze blows across the earth and ends the severe cold brought by Zezhou's special terrain, they will launch an all-out attack and start this battle that will determine the fate of countless people.
"Father."
Just as Li Longxing was lost in thought, a crisp voice came from behind.
Turning around, he saw his beloved daughter, the first princess Li Linyue.
She was not wearing any makeup, and was wearing a neat military uniform with her long hair tied behind her head. The sunlight shone on her beautiful face as white as jade, making it shine brightly. The military uniform made her look like she was wearing red makeup.
"The Marshal's Office invites you over."
Li Longxing was a little impatient, "Let them discuss it first."
Li Linyue walked up gently, took her father's arm, and said with a smile: "How can the marshals discuss it when the Grand Marshal is not here?"
Li Longxing's irritability subsided a little as he looked at his daughter's fairy-like face, with her two strands of hair swaying gently on her cheeks.
Her smile was so pure and bright that it reminded him of another man.
This time when I go back, I will arrange for them to get married.
Li Longxing thought.
The triumphant emperor cannot be stopped. He will cut down all thorns and obstacles and rebuild this withered empire.
"good."
Li Longxing became excited and walked towards the command room.
Li Linyue lightly held her father's arm and was able to keep up with his long strides, looking dashing and capable.
When she arrived at the command room, she put down her hands and stood behind her father.
As the door opened, a room full of imperial generals appeared before them.
She didn't go in, but just watched her father stride towards the chair in the middle. His broad back gave Li Linyue a strange sense of security.
When she was a child, her father would carry her on his back and hide from place to place when they were in trouble.
It is a feeling that can never be forgotten.
Li Linyue took one last look at her father as the door closed before her.
That man is probably the same.
Li Linyue thought quietly.
Turning and walking into the small room on the other side, her sister, the little princess Li Qingyue, threw herself into her arms.
"Sister, sister! I found the spy!"
Li Linyue rubbed her porcelain doll-like cheeks and chuckled, "Be good, don't make trouble."
Li Qingyue puffed up her cheeks, pulled her sister to the window, pointed at an officer below, and said, "That's him! I've seen him all morning, and he's done nothing but walk around in circles downstairs! He must be a spy."
Li Linyue glanced at him and laughed, "Isn't this General Lian Yi? How could he be a spy?"
Li Qingyue put her hands on her waist and said unhappily, "Don't look down on me. This is a typical stereotyped reaction. Do you understand what a stereotyped reaction is?"
"That's an animal."
Li Linyue scolded, feeling somewhat amused and helpless: "How can you compare yourself with others?"
"Aren't humans animals?" Li Qingyue frowned, looking like a pedant. "Animal kingdom, phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Primates, family Hominidae, genus Homo."
"Well, you're right."
Li Linyue never quarreled with her sister, as it would shorten her lifespan. "Where's your brother? I have something to discuss with him."
"Brother has gone to meet Uncle Sheng's troops. Sister, hurry up and capture him! Didn't you say that few people in the empire want us to win a great victory, but many want us to suffer a crushing defeat? They will definitely send many spies to cause trouble. If we just capture him, we will win!"
Li Linyue touched her sister's head and asked softly, "Did you eavesdrop on your sister's conversation?"
"I wasn't eavesdropping. I was standing at the door and you didn't see me."
"Did anyone else hear that?"
"No."
"Don't tell anyone what my sister said."
"Yeah. Sister, go catch him quickly. He's just like my Xiaobai. When he's in an unfamiliar environment, he'll lick his fur nervously. He'll keep licking the same spot and lick his fur until it's all bald."
Li Linyue smiled and said, "Okay." But she didn't care much in her heart. How can a human be compared with a cat?
But when she went out, a flash of lightning suddenly came into her mind.
Lian Yi is from Zezhou. He has lived in Xindengburg for more than 30 years. Why would he be nervous about returning to his hometown?
wrong.
Li Linyue thought quickly.
He and the rebel governor Wu Jingtang were once classmates and had a superior-subordinate relationship in Zezhou.
When Wu Jingtang rebelled, he was one of the very few senior generals who successfully escaped from Zezhou.
For a moment, Li Linyue almost believed that he was a spy.
Fear and anxiety grow in my heart.
This war is very important to the empire, but losing it is not irreversible.
It was a sure victory for the imperial faction, but a matter of life and death for them. Before their father went to the battle, he specially brought all the family members with him to protect their safety in case of any accidents.
No, I have to catch him immediately.
Li Linyue unconsciously jogged and rushed into the residence of the members of the Princess Faction who came with the army.
"Liu You, tell Xiao Zhizhong to send the third squadron of the Imperial Guard to arrest Lian Yi."
The old housekeeper Liu You was taking a nap and woke up immediately after hearing this: "Yes!"
Ran out in a hurry.
A moment later, a large number of guards were dispatched and captured Lian Yi who was about to escape.
At the same time, a large number of suspicious letters and telegrams were found in his residence.
Li Linyue was almost 100% sure that he was a spy. When she was about to interrogate him, the noise of her arresting him alarmed the Marshal's headquarters who were in a meeting.
Imperial Marshal Fu Wenyu directly accused her of interfering in military affairs and demanded that the Grand Marshal repatriate her family.
The reason is also very legitimate. How could a leader bring his family with him when he goes into battle to kill the enemy?
Li Linyue felt a chill in her heart. Fu Wenyu's gaze at her was extremely familiar, and the naked desire was almost impossible to conceal.
He had never dared to look at her like this before.
Something must have happened that made him think that the Emperor's hope of victory had become slim.
Li Longxing naturally did not agree with his opinion.
The Grand Marshal can take whoever he wants with him, and there is no legal problem with that.
However, Li Linyue's arrest still needs to be explained.
When the war is about to begin, nothing can affect morale.
It wasn't a big deal originally. Lian Yi was just a mid-level general, and he was taken seriously because of his bitter revenge and the recovery of his hometown.
No matter how it was handled, nothing would have gone wrong.
But the worst thing is that Lian Yi committed suicide during the interrogation.
The opposition led by Fu Wenyu immediately seized on this point and held on to it, believing that the imperial faction was acting recklessly and killing generals at will.
Although it was finally suppressed forcefully, this incident had already caused very adverse consequences.
Li Linyue was ordered not to leave the castle and not to issue orders beyond his authority.
To make matters worse, that night the Imperial Eastern Front Army was ambushed by the Pope's elite mountain division.
Although only one division was lost, this incident before the war had a huge impact on morale.
Then, from this point on, everything went wrong.
First of all, there were a lot of problems with the military supplies, they were damaged or rotten, and there was almost nothing good in a whole car.
Especially mid-line logistics.
There are also problems with offline logistics to varying degrees.
Only the online logistics affiliated to the Supreme Association and the dedicated logistics affiliated to the Royal Party are still normal.
For such a large army, there were problems with one-quarter of its material supplies.
Li Longxing knew that the rear was becoming unstable again.
Something must have happened.
Some people are afraid that they will go back to settle the score.
But Li Longxing was not very anxious. He would be worried if the empire's rear remained as stable as an old dog.
"Don't worry."
Li Longxing smiled and comforted his daughters. That useless son didn't need comfort, he just needed a beating.
"If we don't do well and have no hope of winning, why would they bother to disrupt us? Wouldn't it be better for them to just sit back and watch us fail?"
"This proves that we have done a good job so far, our strategy is correct, and there is great hope. They are afraid and terrified, so they are desperately trying to interfere with us."
After the words fell, Li Linyue felt warm in her heart and calmed down a lot.
His younger brother Li Yuchen shouted, "That's right! We should send troops to crush the Papal States, and then return to wipe out those cowards hiding in the shadows!"
"Shut up!" the eldest sister said with authority, "Listen to father."
Li Yuchen pursed his lips, but did not shout again.
The little princess sat quietly by the side, listening to her father speak.
Li Longxing looked at the entire family and smiled. "So, what we need to do is to firmly follow our path. Let them talk all they want. Insults, slander, and rumors—these cowardly acts will be crushed before the indisputable victory."
The last bit of fear in Li Linyue's heart was dispelled. She smiled sweetly and said, "Father, what should we do then?"
Li Longxing smiled and said, "You all stay here and keep your men under control. Live and eat as usual, just like you're traveling."
Li Linyue was very smart and understood immediately.
"I will, Father. They will see true royal bearing. We will win!"
Li Longxing gave the children a confident smile.
But when he went out, his face darkened.
A royal guard whispered, "Your Majesty, we've already found out that Elder Lin Yabo is behind Central Line Logistics."
Li Longxing nodded and immediately convened a meeting, requiring full supervision of the central line logistics, assigning dedicated personnel to follow the entire process, and setting up inspection checkpoints in each process.
As expected, this proposal was met with strong opposition. Imperial Marshal Fu Wenyu said coldly, "Each department has clear responsibilities. If there are any problems, they can just check on their own. If they interfere in everything, won't it just lead to chaos?"
In the final vote, the central army and local army, which held the majority, overwhelmed the Royal Guards and some pro-royalist or neutral generals.
Although Li Longxing could guess the outcome, he still felt angry.
The generals of the imperial faction were also furious.
Li Yongsheng, a veteran marshal and pillar of the Three Kingdoms, who accompanied the army on the expedition, said, "For now, our only solution is to fill the gap with our own dedicated lines."
One general asked, "Is there enough transport capacity?"
Li Yongsheng smiled slightly bitterly: "Adding money will certainly be enough."
Li Longxing nodded: "This is the only solution for now."
A man with a flat nose angrily said, "What about the central line? They sent all this junk, but they still paid the Imperial General Logistics Department! I can't stand letting those bastards rip me off like this."
Li Longxing shook his head slightly. This kind of thing would be difficult to handle without the support of the Supreme Council. Making a big fuss would only result in killing a few scapegoats in the end, which would be meaningless.
"His Majesty."
At this time, a young general said, "I have a way to curb their arrogance."
Li Longxing turned around and smiled, "Guo Feng, go ahead."
The young general said, "We can refuse to accept the Central Line Freight, refuse to unload the goods, refuse to sign the bill of lading, and return the Central Line Freight's goods intact."
A horse-faced man angrily said, "Guo Feng, what's the point of this? The money was paid before the goods were shipped."
Guo Feng said: "This is a fact we created: we did not use materials from the middle line logistics. When the reckoning comes in the future, we will have a stronger basis."
"This is also a threat: our swords are drawn. Even if Elder Lin is not afraid, what about his subordinates? What about his subordinates' subordinates?"
"With every victory we win, this threat grows stronger. Sooner or later, the central logistics team will lose their morale, causing supply delays. At that point, the Imperial Political Supervisory Council will have an excuse to intervene and investigate."
Li Longxing's eyes lit up, "Yes, this is a very good idea."
The beauty of it is that with just one or two wins, it can pose a substantial threat.
However, the day after this action was carried out, the Weishanling position on the western front was attacked by the Papal States, and the two divisions were completely wiped out.
The empire lost one of its most important fang positions.
(End of this chapter)
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