Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 122 - 117: The Final Decision!

Chapter 122: Chapter 117: The Final Decision!

"Lord Governor, a secret letter from Elder Yan."

Just as Li Hongyun was pondering his next move, his trusted aide delivered another letter sealed with lacquer.

A letter from Yan Maoqing?

Li Hongyun couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.

Due to his previous actions, although he had not directly turned against Yan Maoqing by stabbing him in the back, by preventing Prefect Ning from destroying the dike, he had foiled Yan Maoqing’s plans to annex land and collect salt taxes. Moreover, after missing the Duanyang floods, it was no longer possible to report the matter as a natural disaster, essentially amounting to a half-betrayal.

Although Li Hongyun, playing Lin Xiangmin, had covered for Yan Maoqing in front of the Emperor, such cover-ups were actually of little significance.

So, what would this letter from Yan Maoqing contain at this time?

Was it to call him out on his crimes? To curse him roundly? To denounce him as an ungrateful traitor?

Or was it to pretend that nothing had happened, even speak kindly and hope to gain the favor of Lin Xiangmin, who seemed to be a wavering centrist?

According to the plot’s progression, with the Emperor’s involvement, the military supplies for suppressing rebels in the southeast should already be in place.

At this critical juncture, Yan Maoqing’s secret letter was certainly not a trifling interlude, but deeply entwined with the game content that would follow.

After sending away his trusted aide, Li Hongyun calmed his emotions slightly and broke the seal on the letter.

However, to his great surprise, the letter contained only two short sentences.

"Bandits must be eradicated but not utterly.

"When the banditry is quelled, a great disaster looms."

Without clinging to past relations or resorting to curses, there were just these two simple, clear sentences.

In just two sentences, Li Hongyun saw the image of a shrewd, cold, and calculating politician in Yan Maoqing.

Only discussing pros and cons, disregarding feelings.

These two sentences were like a sharp needle, piercing through Governor Lin’s current predicament in a flash.

Li Hongyun’s eyes slightly widened: "This...

"Is it that the real moment for Governor Lin to make a decision is not when seeking two testimonies from the Magistrate, but now??"

Although it was just two short sentences, they stirred many ripples in Li Hongyun’s heart.

Many plot details, from before and after, all linked together.

At this moment, the trusted aide reported again: "Lord Governor, Mr. Xu requests an audience."

Li Hongyun was startled.

Mr. Xu?

Wasn’t that the strategist he had previously played?

But he hadn’t expected that now their roles had switched, he himself had become Governor Lin, while the strategist had reverted to a native of the Central Plains within the game.

"Let him in."

Li Hongyun knew that according to the setting, this aide was quick-witted and highly intelligent, and could be said to be the person Lin Xiangmin trusted the most. Inviting him now to help analyze the situation was a good choice.

Moments later, Mr. Xu arrived at the inner chamber and sat down after exchanging greetings.

"Lord Governor, I’ve heard that the new army trained by General Deng has now developed good combat capability, and the newly developed military equipment has been fully deployed to all troops.

"It looks like the decisive battle against the rebels and the conquest of Puning Port will happen soon."

Li Hongyun nodded: "Exactly."

Mr. Xu paused for a moment, then added, "Has there been any news from the capital?"

Li Hongyun was silent for a moment: "Elder Yan has just sent a secret letter."

Mr. Xu’s expression was not surprised, as if he had expected this: "If I’m not mistaken... Lord Governor, this secret letter probably talks about things such as ’when the birds are gone, the bow is hidden; when the rabbit is dead, the hound is cooked.’

"To be more precise, it can be summed up in four words.

’Nurture bandits, court disaster!’"

Li Hongyun sighed softly, "That’s exactly right. What are your thoughts, Mr. Xu?"

Mr. Xu spoke earnestly, "Lord Governor, what Elder Yan said is indeed true. At this point, you actually only have this choice.

"You can remain steadfast in the southeast, and Elder Yan won’t fall; conversely, only if Elder Yan remains steadfast, can you remain so.

"And the crucial point of all this hinges on suppressing the rebels.

"If it were merely a matter of fame and fortune, Lord Governor, you could naturally press forward with a clear conscience, but what if... it involves your life and possessions?"

Li Hongyun took a deep breath and fell silent.

As a player, as someone who knew the outcome, he was of course very clear about the choice Lin Xiangmin ultimately made, and that it was the correct one.

But now, as he truly took on the role of Lin Xiangmin, putting himself in this predicament, he found the decision to be extraordinarily difficult.

Previously, in order to break the deadlock and find a breakthrough among the tripartite struggle of the court, in order to obtain a chance to enter the capital and appear before His Majesty, he made a risky move.

That was to prepare two sets of testimonies, using one to deceive Sun Fanghua and also Gu Qingzhang.

Gu Qingzhang believed that Lin Xiangmin would present the testimony of "Yan’s party instructing the destruction of dykes and flooding the fields" to the emperor, so he thought the time was ripe to launch a fierce attack on Yan Maoqing.

But what he didn’t expect was that the testimony Lin Xiangmin finally presented was another one!

The Yan party let out a sigh of relief, and the emperor was also pleased to see that the conflicts had not escalated, but Gu Qingzhang would undoubtedly be very dissatisfied.

Because such a shrewd and calculating man had been played, and Lin Xiangmin’s methods could be said to be very despicable.

In this way, Lin Xiangmin had completely offended Mr. Gu, obliterating any slight chance of cooperation that had previously existed.

At the same time, by spoiling the Yan’s party’s scheme of destroying dykes and flooding fields, Lin Xiangmin had also become a marginal figure always to be guarded against by the Yan’s party; setting aside what Yan Maoqing thought for the moment, everyone in the Yan’s party wished to have him dead.

As for the emperor...

Perhaps the emperor had developed some fondness for Lin Xiangmin because of this, but the emperor would never protect a subject to the death. Once the Yan party were utterly defeated, and everyone involved was uprooted, the emperor would not break the unwritten rules of political struggle to forcibly keep him.

After all, there were plenty of people who could be used; Lin Xiangmin was by no means irreplaceable.

Only one thing mattered, and that was suppressing the rebellion.

If the bandits remained, hastily replacing Lin Xiangmin might lead to the collapse of the grand campaign against the bandits in the southeast, something the emperor was especially loath to see.

But once the bandits were completely eradicated, the position of Governor Lin would become dispensable.

Therefore, Yan Maoqing and Mr. Xu both keenly recognized the situation at hand: if the bandits persisted, Governor Lin’s position would not be touched, and although the Yan’s party was suppressed, because of Lin Xiangmin’s influence, it certainly wouldn’t be eradicated completely;

"If the bandits were gone, then Governor Lin’s position would become expendable, and the emperor had long harbored thoughts of replacing the Yan’s party, which was the perfect opportunity to elevate Gu Qingzhang. Once Gu Qingzhang became the Grand Secretary, he would certainly carry out a purge of the entire Yan’s party, and naturally, Lin Xiangmin will not be spared.

By then, even being dismissed from office might already be a luxury to hope for.

So, in the end, it all came down to four words: "nurturing the bandits for self-preservation."

Yan Maoqing’s saying "The bandits must be suppressed but not completely eradicated" meant allowing Lin Xiangmin to constantly fight against the bandits, beheading them and reporting victories, appearing indispensable to the southeast daily, yet at the same time, not completely destroying the bandits, so the court would always have no reason to replace him.

Only this would ensure his safety.

At first glance, this seems like just a temporary measure, but in fact, procrastination might also be a valid approach, because dragging it out might introduce a turn of events, whereas not doing so would lead to immediate doom.

Dragging it out indefinitely, even outlasting Gu Qingzhang, from a regional official to an important member of the Cabinet, was not impossible.

It only meant paying the price with the lives of countless civilians along the coast and endless state funds and provisions.

The ultimate choice lay before Li Hongyun.

After a long silence, Li Hongyun said, "Mr. Xu.

"People of learning act without shame before heaven or earth, and without betraying their own conscience. For my own fame and fortune, I cannot bear to see the people of the southeast suffer the torments of families torn apart and homes destroyed.

"Let future generations curse me as a corrupt official, or call me a fool, that doesn’t matter—I have never been too concerned about my reputation, in life or after death.

"The glorious history books will surely give me a proper evaluation."

A look of regret appeared on Mr. Xu’s face, but he said no more.

"Lord Governor, please take care!"

After Mr. Xu had spoken, he got up to take his leave.

Li Hongyun then called for his confidant again: "Order General Deng to advance his troops immediately, take down Puning Port, and ensure that these bandits will have no chance of escaping!"

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