"Huh? What?"
"Nothing." He Lingchuan patted his shoulder. "Meeting again thousands of miles from home is fate. If there's anything you need, just ask. As long as it's within my power, I will do whatever I can to help."
The Lu family suffered from a dearth of talent; it was rare fortune that two young commanders had emerged, both of whom were his cousins-once-removed by generation. Lu Qingbang was currently defending Bailie against foreign aggression, and He Lingchuan naturally wanted him to hold out.
"Thank you, Brother He!" Lu Qingbang felt puzzled as well. He was not usually one to make friends easily, yet from the moment he met this "Brother He," an innate sense of familiarity had welled up within him.
"Is the situation on the eastern front bad?" Lu Qingbang was at an age where sorrow should have been a stranger to him, yet his brow was furrowed with gloom. He Lingchuan surmised it was mostly due to the fighting at the front. Ever since the veteran Bailie general Miao An was wounded, the outcome of the conflict with the Ya Kingdom had grown uncertain.
"Quite the opposite. Two months ago, my sister and I won several victories in a row, driving the Ya army back beyond our borders. Since then, they haven't invaded again."
"Oh?" He Lingchuan feigned surprise and gave a thumbs-up. "That's impressive. You won your battles, so why are you vexed?"
In truth, this news had reached him long ago. After nine months of meticulous management, the Yangshan Archipelago's intelligence network was far more developed than when he had first arrived.
Lu Qingbang sighed. "In the past, I watched my maternal grandfather fight battles. Even when he won, his brow stayed knit in worry. Back then, I didn't understand why. Only now, having led troops myself, do I realize that Bailie has its own share of troubles."
He Lingchuan smiled. "Are provisions and pay falling short at the front?"
Lu Qingbang stared in surprise. "How did you know, Brother He?"
"Seven or eight out of ten armies at the front face this very issue." When the northern front of the Yuan Kingdom resisted the Grand Marshal, they had fretted daily over grain and pay, the soldiers howling like hungry wolves, and General Ke Jihai had even rushed back to the Yuan capital from the front line just to demand funds. After He Lingchuan helped borrow several million taels of silver for the Yuan Kingdom, the Yuan court instantly treated him like the Boy of Good Fortune, exceptionally gracious from top to bottom.
"Besides, I heard Third Master Lu mention that last winter, he paid out of his own pocket to donate over eight hundred sets of winter coats to the front," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "Third Master was drunk at the time and spent the entire evening berating your eldest uncle, complaining that he wouldn't resolve the shortages of food and pay at the front, caring only about funneling money west."
Lu Qingbang's eldest uncle was Clan Patriarch Lu Zhensheng, and "the west" naturally referred to the Mou Kingdom.
He Lingchuan had long maintained trade partnerships with Third Lu and Sixth Lu. Initially, the two Lus were wary, but over time, as transactions multiplied, they could not resist the sugar-coated bullets He Lingchuan precisely fed them.
While Lu Zhensheng and his sons harbored hostility toward He Lingchuan, Third Lu and Sixth Lu were on friendly terms with him, frequently sharing meals and drinks.
Sixth Master Lu was somewhat more reserved, but Third Master Lu had a big mouth when drunk, spilling all of the Lu family's business once he had a few cups too many.
Berated him the entire evening? Lu Qingbang blushed with embarrassment. It seemed his third uncle had let slip everything, both what should and shouldn't be said.
Since the other man already knew, he saw no point in hiding it:
"When Grandfather led the army, every payout of wages came up short, causing grumbling among the soldiers. The additional winter coats ordered for the army last autumn hadn't arrived even by mid-December. In the end, Third Uncle paid out of his own pocket, or those eight hundred soldiers would have frozen."
He gazed at the bonfire on the beach and sighed. "As for grain, there actually isn't enough either. It's just that my father subsidizes the front every now and then. The supply lines are short, so transit losses are minimal, which is why things seem fine for now."
A father's heart ached for his son at war. With food and clothing scarce at the front, Sixth Master Lu naturally did whatever he could to help.
It was fortunate that he had earned a fair sum over the past year or so, enabling him to afford these subsidies.
Where had that money come from? Most of it from He Lingchuan, of course.
This was intentional on He Lingchuan's part. Before revealing his true identity, no alliance was more solid than one forged of mutual interest. Moreover, he had no desire to sit idly by while Bailie's soldiers starved and froze, nor did he want to see Bailie thoroughly battered by the Ya Kingdom.
He Lingchuan put on a look of sudden realization. "No wonder Sixth Master Lu, a major grain merchant himself, broke precedent by preordering over a thousand dan of grain from me. So it was to support the eastern front. In that case, I will offer a further discount on the price."
Lu Qingbang said gratefully, "Thank you, Brother He."
"Don't mention it. I don't care much for the Ya Kingdom either," He Lingchuan said dismissively. "Some of the tribes under my command were hunted by them."
Lu Qingbang shook his head. "The Ya people tried to burn our granaries twice. They completely ignored the empty ones, which shows they are quite familiar with our logistics."
In a nearby tidal pool, another crab poked its head out, trying to emerge. He Lingchuan flicked a small pebble, instantly startling it back into hiding. "You won your battles. Reasonably speaking, none of this should be an issue."
There was nothing a victory couldn't resolve; if one wasn't enough, just win a few more.
"It is an issue. In Bailie, it is an issue." Lu Qingbang scratched his head. "My father ranks sixth in the clan and isn't from the main branch. I returned from my study tour only a year ago and have nothing beyond a bit of battlefield experience."
At this point, his words trailed off.
He Lingchuan finished his thought for him: "Is your dilemma that you can't secure support for the front from the main branch?"
Lu Qingbang scratched his head again. Talking to a clever man was truly effortless. Those clan affairs were awkward for him to voice.
"First, you must understand what the main branch is thinking," He Lingchuan analyzed for him. "As the Lu clan patriarch and lord of Bailie, Lu Zhensheng ought to put the welfare of the Bailie people and the security of the borders first. Yet he chose to prioritize the Mou Kingdom. In terms of a clan head's duty, that is negligence."
Lu Qingbang remained silent.
He Lingchuan knew it was improper for him to voice agreement; silence was tacit assent.
This was not Lu Qingbang's sentiment alone. From what He Lingchuan knew, the Lu clansmen were also deeply discontented. Closer to home, Lu Zhensheng's eldest son, Lu Qing'an, had argued with his father over this very issue multiple times.
"However, from Lu Zhensheng's perspective, his second son Lu Qinglin is just one step away from success, so of course he wants to do everything in his power to help. As Lu Qinglin's standing in the Mou Kingdom rises, Bailie's importance rises with it. So long as the Mou Emperor allows Lu Qinglin to return to his homeland to command troops—and as far as I know, there are many precedents for this—Bailie will be secure from then on. Whether it's the Qing Kingdom or other neighboring states, they would all have to treat Bailie with greater respect."
Lu Qingbang opened his mouth as if to speak, then stopped.
"Yet there is a flaw in this: before he achieves his goal—meaning during this current window—Bailie is isolated and helpless. The Mou Kingdom is at war with Beijia; as long as it doesn't believe the Ya Kingdom can swallow Bailie whole in one bite, it won't send troops to help. Meanwhile, Lu Qinglin is away in Mou, and distant water cannot quench a nearby fire."
He Lingchuan patted Lu Qingbang's shoulder. "The root cause of why your fighting is so difficult is that Bailie has run out of money. Bailie was wealthy to begin with, but sending grain and pay to the Mou Kingdom on one hand while dealing with the Ya Kingdom's insatiable extortions on the other will hollow out even mountains of gold and silver."
Chapter 1053