"What exactly do you want to say?"
Looking at his posture, Wanyan Sheng finally narrowed his eyes.
"I want to say that now, with the country in crisis, the Great Jin Dynasty appears magnificent, but once His Majesty is gone, the fall of the nation and the extermination of our race could be imminent! Liu Yanzong implores you to make all preparations. If there is a change, I will fully support you!"
Seeing the playful expression in Wanyan Sheng's eyes, Liu Yanzong shamelessly knelt on one knee before him.
The world was changing too fast. Even Wanyan Sheng felt he couldn't keep up with this old man's swift opportunism.
Although he knew this old man had no good intentions, he had to admit that at this critical juncture, Liu Yanzong was indeed of great use to him.
If Liu Yanzong were to side with Wanyan Zonggan, it would be a considerable, albeit not insurmountable, problem.
"Prime Minister Liu, what are you saying? I and His Majesty have a brotherly bond. According to your Liao and Han customs, even if His Majesty were to meet with misfortune, I should support my nephews to ascend to the throne!"
Despite his constant demurrals, Wanyan Sheng's expression had clearly softened.
"My Lord, absolutely not! While their Highnesses are all excellent candidates, in times of peace, choosing one among them might be acceptable. But now, with constant warfare everywhere, without your prestige to hold things together, even if they were placed in those positions, they wouldn't be able to hold them!"
Although Liu Yanzong himself felt somewhat disgusted, compared to his own wealth and status, what was a little bit of dignity?
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore! I'll go ahead and see if the medicine for His Majesty has been brewed."
After a perfunctory show of refusal, Wanyan Sheng strode out again, feeling refreshed, entirely disregarding Liu Yanzong kneeling behind him.
"My Lord, please wait!"
Seeing Wanyan Sheng about to leave, Liu Yanzong quickly called out to him again.
"Is there anything else, Prime Minister Liu?"
Although Wanyan Sheng showed no outward change, his tone had become noticeably milder.
"His Majesty's condition is so precarious, I suggest my Lord temporarily block news from the front lines. Their Highnesses are currently leading troops in battle, and if this were to disturb their minds..."
"Prime Minister Liu speaks wisely. However, if I, their uncle, were to do this, I fear they might resent me in the future!"
After hearing him out, Wanyan Sheng reached out and patted his shoulder.
While he didn't explicitly state anything, how could Liu Yanzong not understand his meaning? This old man was asking for a pledge of loyalty...
"My Lord, rest assured, I will personally handle this matter!"
Having been pushed this far, if he wanted to board this ship, Liu Yanzong had no choice but to abandon all pretense of dignity.
Compared to offending Wanyan Sheng, offending those few naive princes seemed inconsequential!
Just as internal strife began anew within the Jin Dynasty over the throne, Yue Fei and Li Bao finally began their journey home.
Although their excursion hadn't been particularly long, the supplies they carried had been largely depleted.
Other items were manageable, but the gunpowder was almost entirely used up!
Having plundered several cities consecutively, they were now returning laden with spoils. It was indeed a good time to resupply.
"His Excellency's orders have arrived!"
As their fleet approached Dengzhou, Li Bao entered from outside the cabin, holding a pigeon post with a pleased expression.
"What does His Excellency say?"
Having achieved such great merit this time, even Yue Fei was eager to hear Han Mo's response.
"His Excellency instructs us to dock at the nearest port, Dengzhou. Of the grain we carried, sixty percent is to be left in Hebei, and the remainder will be used as military provisions!"
Li Bao spoke as he handed the pigeon post to Yue Fei.
"In that case, we shall dock at Dengzhou!"
After reading the contents of the letter, Yue Fei nodded.
The region of Hebei had suffered from years of warfare, and the lives of its people were already pushed to the brink of suffering. They were also burdened with supporting such a large army. Their recent spoils were abundant, and even sixty percent of it amounted to nearly eighty thousand shi of grain.
"His Excellency truly puts his heart into supporting His Highness Prince Xin!"
After giving the order to dock, Li Bao couldn't help but sigh.
"General Li, there's something I'm not sure if I should say!"
After hearing Li Bao's words, Yue Fei hesitated for a moment before tentatively speaking.
"Brother Yue, what kind of talk is that? We've shared life and death together. Just speak your mind!"
"In that case, I shall speak directly!"
As Yue Fei spoke, he cupped his hands towards Li Bao once more.
"Please!"
Seeing his formality, Li Bao quickly returned the gesture.
"His Excellency has his own considerations. Since we serve under His Excellency, we should be cautious in all matters. It's fine if only the two of us discuss this, but if others were to overhear, it would be entirely different! You know, disaster often stems from the mouth!"
Seeing that they were alone, Yue Fei lowered his voice and said.
"Hoo—"
"It was my carelessness. I'll remember your words! Good brother, when we return to Mingzhou, I'll treat you to a drink!"
Li Bao was a perceptive man, and he quickly understood Yue Fei's meaning.
The land was in turmoil everywhere. Even though these sailors were trained by them, who could guarantee their loyalty?
If his casual remark were overheard by someone with ulterior motives, while Han Mo might not face significant trouble, Li Bao would surely be ruined!
"Alright! Then I won't be polite!"
Yue Fei, who was naturally straightforward, laughed and accepted, hearing Li Bao's words. With this understanding, their relationship clearly grew closer.
Throughout the entire process, even Yue Fei himself didn't notice that since he had begun interacting with Han Mo, his own personality had become much more seasoned and adaptable under Han Mo's subtle influence.
Although he was still far from the level of Han Shizhong, a great portion of his original arrogance and rebelliousness had already dissipated.
"Your Highness! Your Highness!"
In Yuancheng County, just as Zhao Zhen and Xu Churen were worrying about provisions, the pigeon post sent by Li Bao and his men finally arrived...