Chapter 61 Lin Shize (Please collect! Please vote! Please invest!)
At this moment, by the pond, an old man wearing coarse linen clothes and with a hunched back was sitting on a stone bench, fishing leisurely.

Looking at the old man who looked full of energy and interest, Lin Yi stopped and a hint of humiliation flashed in his eyes.

This old man is his father, the Prime Minister of the Great Zhou before Shangguan Hongyuan, and the head of the Lin family - Lin Shize!

His father, Lin Shize, was a prime minister in his life, commanding all officials and holding the highest position in the country. He had no other hobbies in his life but loved fishing to relax in his spare time. When he was young, he traveled all over the beautiful land of the Great Zhou for fishing.

But I never expected that now that I am already sixty years old and idle at home, for the sake of the overall situation and not to upset that person, I cannot go out and show my face in public, and can only enjoy myself in this small pond at home...
It is such a shame for a son to see his father being so compromising. Thinking of this, Lin Yi clenched his hands into fists, and the pale knuckles were clearly visible.

Although Lin Yi stopped and stood far away, not wanting to disturb his father's rare good mood, Lin Shize seemed to have sensed his arrival. Without turning back, he said calmly, "Yier is back? But to no avail?"

"Father, you already know everything?" Seeing that his father had discovered him, Lin Yi had no choice but to come over and said in surprise:

"Since he was able to let the news spread from the Ministry of War, he must have made all the necessary preparations!" Lin Shize said calmly:
Lin Yi was stunned by his father's words. Then he seemed to have thought of something and said sadly, "So, father, you asked me to contact Zhao Yuanan and Yang Chunchen just to perform a show for Song Wenhui!"

"This is only one aspect. On the other hand, I also want to use this matter to test him and Zhao Yuanan. Now it seems that Zhao Yuanan and him have indeed reached some kind of compromise..." Lin Shize said calmly. As he spoke, he gently lifted the fishing rod in his hand and pulled the small fish that had taken the bait out of the water.

However, surprisingly, Lin Shize did not put the little fish into the fish basket beside him, but threw this lively and dishonest little fish back into the pond.

"Father, do you mean...Xu Zhaojie?" Lin Yi seemed to understand something and whispered:
Seeing his only son realize the key to the matter, Lin Shize's old face showed a look of relief. He continued, "This time in the palace, Xu Zhaojie was so hypocritical in obeying his orders. Do you think he can forgive Xu Zhaojie with his character?"

"Although this matter cannot be made public, the Imperial Guards are generally under his control. As long as he wants, it won't be difficult to take down Xu Zhaojie's position as the commander of the Xuanwu Army."

"So in order to protect Xu Zhaojie, Zhao Yuanan reached an exchange of interests with Shangguan Hongyuan on the matter of Zhenwu Army? No wonder Zhao Yuanan was so abnormal today!" Lin Yi, who understood everything, sighed in a deep voice:

"Xu Zhaojie is not only Zhao Yuanan's brother-in-law, but also the only one among the nobles who holds military power. Zhao Yuanan should do everything he can to protect his position as the commander of the Xuanwu Army and Xu Zhaojie, which is also to protect the last bit of dignity of the nobles!
"So today he just put on a good show with Shangguan Hongyuan in front of you!" Lin Shize explained with a smile:
Lin Yi nodded and asked, "Today's events have finally been explained to Song Wenhui. Father, since the establishment of the Zhenwu Army is a foregone conclusion, what should we do next?" "What do you think he will do next?" Lin Shize asked back:

In response to this question, Lin Yi stood there and thought for a full cup of tea before he slowly said, "He deliberately wanted to deploy the Zhenwu Army in Liaoyang, and arranged so many trusted military officers. Only a fool would believe that he was going to fight the Luo people. He should want to break the deadlock from Liaoyang... But..."

At the end, Lin Yi seemed to be hesitant to speak, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know where to start.

"But this intention is too obvious, and the possibility of success is very low. It doesn't fit his usual style, right?" Lin Shize continued, taking over his son's words:
Lin Yi was not surprised that his father had revealed his thoughts. He nodded and said, "It is like this. Song Wenhui's actual military strength is not as high as the 100,000 he claimed, but he definitely has 60,000!"

"And the most important point is that he also has a cavalry of 10,000 people. In terms of strength, among the vassal states of the Great Zhou, Song Wenhui's strength is second only to the King of Qin who controls Yongliang. He is much stronger than the others. Even if the Zhenwu Army is successfully established and has a size of 30,000 people, I don't think it can do anything to Song Wenhui!"

Hearing his son's analysis, Lin Shize, who was holding the fishing rod, lowered his eyes, as if he had fallen asleep. Just as Lin Yi was hesitating whether to wake him up, Lin Shize suddenly said:
"I worked with him to defeat Jiang Song and helped Jiang Rui, the little wolf cub, to the throne. Then we kept fighting overtly and covertly for so many years. I know his methods too well..."

"He thought that since he was ten years younger than me, he could successfully outlast me. So for all these years, he kept silent and promoted poor disciples, accumulating strength, waiting for the day when an old man like me would die. But unfortunately, he was disappointed..."

"It's true that he wants to break out of the impasse in Liaoyang. As long as he controls Liaoyang, Youyan's Zhao Fuqu will be attacked from both sides. He won't be able to hold out for a month if he is attacked from both sides. By then, except for the Yongliang border, the entire north will be in his hands. He can then truly pacify the world, establish an unprecedented achievement, and proclaim himself emperor!"

"He is so confident that he has only deployed 30,000 men in Liaoyang. Either someone under Song Wenhui has defected to him, or it is Song Wenhui who has defected to him!"

Lin Shize was a little excited and said so many words in one breath. He was a little out of breath after he finished speaking. His already hunched body became even more hunched. Seeing this, Lin Yi immediately stepped forward, gently stroking his father's back to help Lin Shize breathe, while scolding the servants and maids who were waiting on the side.

"What are you looking at? Hurry up and bring the old man's medicine and ginseng soup."

(End of this chapter)