Requisition

Raising money was not actually difficult for Xu Yuan, but amassing such a massive sum of silver in a short time was still an uphill battle—a steep one at that. Looking around the antique hall, Xu Yuan rubbed his temples and ventured tentatively to Hua Hong, "Old Master Hua... if I want to make the purchase, can payment for this silver be deferred?" "It cannot," Hua Hong replied with a faint chuckle, countering with a question of his own. "Didn't you just say a moment ago that you had a little money on hand?" After a beat of silence, Xu Yuan put on a thick face and smiled sheepishly. "Precisely because it's only a little, I wanted to discuss terms with you, elder." "This is a modest business—strictly no credit." Hua Hong could see right through him; the kid likely didn't even have enough pocket change to cover the fraction of the bill. "The matter regarding Huizhou County, this old man will see settled for you. But as for these armaments... come back to me once you've scraped together the silver." With that, Hua Hong stood up crisply. Seeing this, Xu Yuan darted forward two paces and grabbed the old man's sleeve, whispering urgently, "Old Master Hua, you should know that my deployment is a matter of great importance. Can't you cut me some slack?" "A matter of great importance? Heh... Kid, must you force this old man to spell it out?" Hua Hong glanced at Xu Yuan barring his path, his tone half-smiling. "The Chancellor's Manor currently has no intention of deploying troops to intervene in Dongying. Why should the Prime Minister's Manor foot the bill for your personal decision? If you insist on having the Chancellor's Manor contribute, fine—go find Xu Yinhe. If your father gives the word, this old man will immediately coordinate with those below to muster the armaments for you." "..." After a brief silence, Xu Yuan cleared his throat and pressed on, "Old Master Hua, it's not as if I won't pay you. Can't the credit of my status even secure armaments for two battalions? Besides, we've already settled on a location for the crypt remnants. Could they possibly run away?" Hua Hong looked Xu Yuan up and down, gave a soft grunt, and spat out two words: "No chance." Xu Yuan smacked his lips and asked, "Then in your capacity as president of the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce, you can certainly do me this favor, right?" Hua Hong did not deny it, replying in a strictly businesslike manner, "I could, but this old man is unwilling. On the matter of Dongying Island, I hold the same stance as your father. From the perspective of the Manor's interests, there is no need to follow the imperial family's moves on the board." With that, Hua Hong gave Xu Yuan a profound look. "You should be able to figure out the reason behind this yourself." "..." Xu Yuan remained silent. Di'an City had nearly been reduced to ashes. Although the Prime Minister's Manor had set the causes in motion, it was the imperial Li clan whose face had been slapped. Li Yaoxuan was backed into a corner. If he did nothing at all or merely dispatched troops symbolically, such a show of weakness would stir restless ambitions across the realm. Thus, to uphold the imperial clan's majesty, he had to take a hardline stance and deploy troops to teach them a lesson. And that was precisely what the Prime Minister's Manor was glad to see. Although the imperial clan and the Chancellor's Manor still maintained a united front for now, blades were already drawn beneath the surface of their cooperation. Li Yaoxuan could never leave behind a colossus like the Chancellor's Manor to trouble his successor. Once the imperial clan dispatched troops to Dongying, its military might within Great Yan would inevitably be weakened to a certain degree. Waging war was a contest of national strength, let alone an overseas expedition. Patting Xu Yuan lightly on the shoulder, Hua Hong glanced at Bai Muxi, who had kept her head bowed in quiet listening, and said softly, "Changtian, what you choose to do with your private troops is none of this old man's business, nor can I meddle in it. But so long as the Manor's interests are involved, I will adhere strictly to your father's orders. "Of course, "if you can go through standard procurement channels, this old man can also offer you some support." "..." Xu Yuan lowered his gaze slightly and said quietly, "Fine... I understand." Hua Hong exhaled a gentle breath. "In that case, let us proceed according to this old man's earlier suggestion. The armaments for six battalions will be delivered to you by next year's summer solstice—" "Hold on. I never said I lack the silver to pay for the armaments." "..." Hua Hong went still. Xu Yuan chuckled softly. "Old Man Hua, muster the armaments for these two battalions without delay. I can settle the bill with you within half a year." Raising money was not hard for Xu Yuan; the difficulty lay in raising such a massive sum in a short time. However, on the first of the month, his grandfather had just disclosed the information about the Feng family cache to him. Adding the other secret caches along the way, arming two battalions was more than within his means. Seeing Xu Yuan's brimful confidence, Hua Hong suppressed his impatience and spoke briskly, "If you wish to assemble military gear, runed armor and spirit blades alone are far from sufficient. Demon steeds, chariots, and war birds are all indispensable, not to mention further auxiliary armaments like the Sun-Blotter and the Sky-Illuminator." "I know all of that. Procure the armaments according to the standards of a Fengtian Battalion in the Black Qilin Army." "A Fengtian Battalion?" Hua Hong narrowed his eyes. "Are you certain you can afford it?" "I am certain." Xu Yuan did not hesitate in the slightest. Every battalion in the Black Qilin Army possessed its own designation, such as Array-Breaker, Edge-Temperer, or Vanguard. But the word 'Fengtian' was not the fixed title of any single battalion; rather, it was a military standard. The proportion of heavy cavalry and war birds allocated to it far exceeded that of ordinary battalions, making it the elite among elites. Hua Hong knitted his brows and paced back and forth across the spacious hall twice before looking back to say, "According to the Fengtian military standard, each battalion must be equipped with three companies of heavy cavalry, two companies of crossbowmen, and one company of heavy ordnance. For the heavy cavalry, each man has two mounts, which amounts to three thousand demon steeds and heavy beast armor; for the crossbowmen, each man has two crossbows and a hundred spirit arrows—" "Enough, I know all this." Xu Yuan cut Hua Hong short, getting straight to the point. "Just see to the preparations. You won't be shorted a single coin." *Creak—* Hua Hong sat right back down on the wooden chair before the tea table. Massaging his temples, he spoke no further, though his gaze still darted between Xu Yuan and Bai Muxi from time to time. For a moment, the grand reception hall fell into dead silence. Hua Hong was deliberating. He was weighing the credibility of Xu Yuan's words. Even by the scale of the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce, armaments for two Fengtian Battalions constituted a substantial deal, encompassing virtually every category of military supply. Due to the war on the Northern Border, the armament workshops built up over decades of operation by the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce had already begun ramping up production. Yet even so, supplying two Fengtian Battalions would occupy a full third of the chamber's armament capacity for six months. If Xu Yuan truly could deliver payment on time, all would be fine. After all, with the chamber's current surge in arms production, there was still plenty of surplus to support the war on the Northern Border. Existing stockpiles could fill the gap without disrupting supplies to the soldiers on the northern front. However, if Xu Yuan failed to pay, the capital chains of many small affiliate chambers under the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce would snap outright, triggering a disastrous chain reaction. As the damage spread, even if it could be contained, these old bones of his wouldn't be able to shield Xu Yuan. And if it incited the upper echelons' wrath against the boy... After a long period of contemplation, Hua Hong slowly raised his eyelids and let out a soft sigh, his weathered voice devoid of emotion. "I can agree to this matter, but there is something this old man must make clear to you first." Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow and gave a slight nod. "Speak." Hua Hong tapped lightly on the back of his chair, his expression grave beyond precedent. "Although the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce belongs to the Manor, many of the small and medium-sized chambers beneath it belong to local aristocratic clans. "Armament production relies on them in countless ways. We need them to supply raw materials, we need their smelting foundries to refine metal, and we even need their formation script masters to engrave array patterns onto the gear. "That is why over these past decades, even though our relationship has been one of master and subordinate, we have always ensured they get their share of the spoils. Only then will they serve us with loyalty." At this point, Hua Hong paused, then said, "Do you understand this, Changtian?" After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan suddenly let out a soft laugh and asked, "Are you afraid I'm pulling a con and will end up infuriating those people?" Hua Hong stared at him for several breaths, his voice very quiet. "This old man merely wants to tell you that over the past few decades, they have constantly tried to band together into a faction capable of swaying high-level decisions. Now that the war has just broken out, do not hand them any pretext. Until all of this is over, we cannot afford to carry out another large-scale purge against them. "If you understand, then this old man can put your procurement requisition into motion today."