AWB Chapter 209 The Intent to Kill
Chapter 209 The Intent to Kill
Li Xin nodded after listening, then turned and strode out of the secret room, loudly ordering the soldiers waiting outside: "Quickly send some men in and carry everything out of here!"
After receiving their orders, the soldiers quickly got to work. Before long, they were seen panting as they carried box after box of heavy gold and silver jewelry out of the secret room.
When these dazzling treasures were revealed to the crowd, the Japanese soldiers present were all dumbfounded, speechless with astonishment. They never dreamed that His Majesty the Emperor, who usually appeared so dignified and solemn, possessed such enormous wealth; it was truly unbelievable.
The Emperor had once solemnly declared that he would generously give everything he possessed to his people without reservation. However, at this moment, when people discovered that the entire room full of rare treasures was hidden deep within a secret chamber, the hearts of all the Japanese were instantly overwhelmed by a strong sense of betrayal.
Li Xin did not linger there. He quickly ordered his men to take control of the situation and then began questioning them about the details of the situation in Japan. Inoue Shoko was extremely cooperative, answering all her questions without reservation. Seeing how cooperative Inoue Shoko was, Li Xin felt quite satisfied.
After some in-depth questioning, Li Xin learned that although Japan now possessed valuable items such as gold, silver, and iron, these items were all actually bestowed by the Emperor himself. As for the exact locations of those precious mineral deposits, no one knew them at all. This situation greatly surprised and disbelieved Li Xin, who keenly sensed that there must be a significant, unknown problem hidden within.
Furthermore, Inoue Shoko revealed a shocking piece of information to Li Xin: although Japan claimed a total population of 50,000, they were constantly expanding their territory, yet strangely, the population remained consistently around 50,000. Based on this anomaly, Inoue Shoko even suspected that a large number of people had mysteriously disappeared. Li Xin, however, deduced from various clues that these missing people were highly likely to be connected to the pirates.
The sudden appearance of so many natives presented a significant challenge: how to properly settle them? This question gave Li Xin a major headache. Although a seasoned warrior, he wasn't afraid of any fierce battle, he felt overwhelmed by the complexities of post-war affairs. Fortunately, Li You was there to assist him, as Li You was highly experienced in this area. Li You calmly directed the Japanese, methodically carrying out various tasks.
First, Li You carefully selected a group of young and strong men from the crowd. Some of them were assigned to the mines to do the arduous work of mining ore; while others were to undergo rigorous training to form a powerful guard force responsible for protecting the city's security. As for the original residents of the city, regardless of age or gender, they were all driven out of the city and assigned corresponding tasks according to their abilities and characteristics.
After all the matters were arranged, Li You finally breathed a long sigh of relief, muttering to himself, "Actually, it would have been more appropriate for these matters to be handled by Lord Changping!"
Upon hearing this, Li Xin, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but ask curiously, "Have you ever had the thought of replacing me and taking the position of Lord Changping?"
Faced with Li Xin's question, Li You shook his head without hesitation and replied, "To be honest, all I want is to return to our homeland of Great Qin."
Upon hearing Li You's words, Li Xin couldn't help but scold him: "You're such a spineless fellow! You must know that if Lord Changping were to harbor any rebellious intentions, and if the two of us were to return to Qin now, this little Baga Island would surely fall completely into Lord Changping's territory. Although it's not vast in area, it could still be considered a vassal state!"
Seeing Li You nod slightly, indicating his agreement, Li Xin continued, "In that case, if Lord Changping colludes with the natives on the island and develops together for several years, it will most likely pose a huge threat to our Great Qin!" After hearing Li Xin's words, Li You couldn't help but fall into deep thought. As his thinking deepened, he felt that Li Xin's analysis was not without reason.
After a moment's thought, Li You said, "In my opinion, the most urgent matter at present is that you should return to Xianyang as soon as possible and report the current situation of Baga Island to the King. Otherwise, the various problems will only snowball and become increasingly difficult to manage."
Upon hearing this, Li Xin looked troubled and replied, "This trip will take at least half a year, and during that long period, who knows how many unpredictable changes might occur. Moreover, there are still pirates roaming this island. If you stay on the island alone, you will not only have to deal with those vicious pirates, but also be wary of the schemes and tricks that Lord Changping and Lady Hu might secretly plot. Can you really handle it all by yourself?"
As soon as Li Xin finished speaking, Li You fell silent, clearly stumped by the question. After a long pause, he slowly asked, "Lord Changping is relatively easy to deal with; at most, we can just keep him imprisoned. But what exactly is going on with these pirates?"
Seeing that Li You knew nothing about the matter, Li Xin recounted to him the relevant information he had heard from Inoue Shoko. After Li Xin finished speaking, Li You frowned and said in a deep voice, "If that's the case, these pirates are probably not easy to deal with."
Li Xin sighed heavily, his face full of worry, and said, "Alas, I think so too! The current situation is urgent, and the most pressing matter is to eliminate these two 'malignant tumors'—Lord Changping and Lady Hu. Otherwise, our rear will never be stable, and even when I am out on campaign, I am always worried about whether there will be trouble in the rear, so I cannot devote myself to the battle wholeheartedly!"
After listening, Li You nodded in deep agreement and replied, "Yes, General Li is absolutely right. However, Lord Changping and Lady Hu are not easy to deal with. I wonder how you plan to handle them, brother?"
Li Xin's eyes were firm, and he answered without hesitation, "In my opinion, we should just kill them both! If the king blames us for this, I will take full responsibility. Rather than living in fear every day, it's better to cut the Gordian knot quickly, which will at least bring temporary peace to the rear."