"In my view, why not concoct an excuse and find a way to lure him out of the dong, then finish him in the outskirts?" Lu Feiyan suggested, pointing toward the coastline. "Once the Qinglong chieftain arrives with his men, you can take a hostage to demand the silver. As soon as you have the money, you can board your ships and leave."
He Lingchuan turned to several of his subordinates. "What do you think of this plan?"
Huang Zhao spoke first. "Feasible, with just a bit of polishing."
His old trade had been leading pirates; kidnapping and extortion were things he had done plenty of times.
Qiu Hu countered, "Extortion alone might recoup the debt, but it won't establish our dominance."
He knew very well that their lord had not brought so many men along just for a joyride. The Qinglong tribe not only had to spit out the silver, they had to spit up their bile as well before their lord would be satisfied.
They had to make it clear to all surrounding powers that the Yangshan Archipelago was not to be trifled with, and debts owed to Yangshan had to be paid.
Anyone wishing to do business with the Yangshan Archipelago had to behave properly and show respect.
Over the past few months, the trade, agriculture, and commerce of the Yangshan Archipelago had developed rapidly, plain for all their neighbors to see. Yet Yangshan had never flexed its muscles to the outside world, quietly keeping its army tucked away deep within the islands.
It was time to draw their weapons.
Moqi Feng chimed in, "Those six thousand taels were our money to begin with. If we merely extort them, it makes it look as though we're in the wrong. Lady Lu's idea is good, but why don't we lay an ambush along both sides of this coastal path..."
In short, this expedition demanded cold steel; someone had to be beaten into submission.
After everyone finished conferring, Lu Feiyan understood completely: these fellows simply wanted a fight!
Still, their plan was a bit rough, a bit improvised.
By the time the operational plan was settled, it was time for dinner.
On the way to pick a fight, He Lingchuan had not deprived himself or his guest, bringing along a cook to prepare food over an open fire. Yet to his surprise, Lu Feiyan showed little interest in the chef's specialty—freshly baked grouper—and instead devoured three whole salt-and-pepper pig trotters in a row.
Beside her, Moqi Feng gnawed through two, failing to match her count.
Lu Feiyan asked He Lingchuan, "Moqi Feng told me you frequently hold combat drills for the guard?"
"Yes. Smaller ones every forty or fifty days."
The Yangshan Guard had now expanded to over four thousand one hundred men, and that was after strict screening during recruitment. But the exact troop count and the locations of barracks and outposts were known only to a select few in the inner circle.
The layout of the Yangshan Archipelago was unusually intricate. Furthermore, He Lingchuan frequently rotated the deployments of each battalion and unit; a post like Jiandao Peak might be held by the Second Battalion today, only to be turned over to Min Tianxi's troops next month.
This made reconnaissance on He Lingchuan's forces extraordinarily difficult for outsiders, even if they dispatched avian demons.
To this day, almost no one knew how large an army he kept hidden in the depths of the archipelago.
With the guard expanding, He Lingchuan could try out all kinds of new ideas, drawing upon insights gained in Panlong City and Yuheng City to torture—no, temper—his soldiers.
One of the regular staples was mock combat drills.
Naturally, these drills were conducted in groups rather than deploying the entire army at once, preventing any potential high-altitude scouts from figuring out their total strength.
Lu Feiyan was curious. "Why do that?"
Bailie's army had also conducted combat training, but nowhere near as frequently; holding one every dozen months or so was already remarkable. After all, every movement of an army carried a cost and devoured money.
When dug down to the root, most problems in the world came down to a single word: money.
From what she knew, other countries were not so fond of such games either. Island Master He was truly flush with wealth.
"A drill is simply a rehearsal for real battle. Without drills, how can you know the results of your training?"
Lu Feiyan popped a green grape into her mouth. "Does a mere guard force need such high-intensity drills?"
He Lingchuan took a sip of hot tea. "In times like these, Lady Lu should know very well what happens to those who lack the means to defend themselves."
The smile faded from Lu Feiyan's face.
Wasn't Bailie's current predicament caused precisely by its own weakness?
He Lingchuan continued, "Besides, drills offer another great benefit."
"Oh?"
"They teach officers and soldiers how to face defeat, admit defeat... and handle defeat." Every drill produced only one victor; the rest were losers who had to accept punishment. "Victory and defeat are common in war, but I find that most people cannot grasp that truth. They cannot afford to lose and cannot accept it at all. Never mind suffering an actual defeat—even if both sides remain locked in a prolonged stalemate, they grow impatient and despondent, thinking the sky is about to collapse."
Fighting on despite repeated defeats, remaining unyielding through countless setbacks—these were by no means qualities that people were born with.
"A clay jar is inevitably broken at the well. Even the fiercest army will taste defeat sooner or later. When that time comes, I hope they remain undaunted by loss, their will to rise again still burning strong."
Visibly moved, Lu Feiyan pondered his words for a long time before saying:
"Island Master He, curling up in a corner of the sea is truly a waste of your talents."
He Lingchuan demurred modestly, "Talented men in this world are as numerous as carp crossing a river. What do I count for?"
After dinner, Lu Feiyan took her leave and returned to her cabin to rest.
The soul-snatching mirror remarked, "That girl coming out with you to fight isn't just playing around, is she?"
"You noticed?" Sitting at the bow, He Lingchuan gazed up at the star-studded sky. "From the moment she arrived on the island, she's been sounding me out. Testing our strength, probing our military power, and testing my tone and ambition."
"Oh-ho?" the mirror asked. "Does Sixth Lu really dare to usurp power?"
"The one making the decision might not be Sixth Lu. He's primarily a merchant and knows nothing about war," He Lingchuan said slowly. "It might be Lu Qingbang, or perhaps his maternal grandfather, Miao An."
"They dare?" The mirror was astonished.
"If Lu Qingbang has the prestige and elite troops, he might give it a try," He Lingchuan analyzed. "It wasn't uncommon in the past for a cadet branch of the Lu family to seize power and become the main line. Lu Zhensheng's greatest reliance is his second son, Lu Qinglin, steadily rising through the ranks in the Mou Kingdom. But if Sixth Lu and his son make a bid for power, that's an internal affair of Bailie, and the Mou Kingdom cannot easily intervene directly."
The mirror asked in surprise, "Does the Mou Kingdom truly have no way to step in?"
Lu Qinglin's father-in-law, General Yutian, surely wasn't just a figurehead, was he?
"On the surface they won't interfere, but in the dark they'll have plenty of moves. Why else would Lu Zhensheng be throwing himself so wholeheartedly at their coattails?" He Lingchuan understood these inner workings thoroughly. "It will come down to how Sixth Lu and his son counter it."
"By trying to win you over, aren't they afraid of inviting a wolf into the house?" In the mirror's eyes, its master was ten times harder to deal with than Lu Zhensheng and his sons. Did Sixth Lu not fear that He Lingchuan might turn the tables and seize Bailie's territory for himself?
"No," He Lingchuan answered, clear on the matter. "No matter how much they fight among themselves, it remains an internal affair of the Lu family. But if I covet Bailie, it would be tantamount to an invasion, and the Mou Kingdom could not sit idly by. Otherwise, weak as Bailie has been for so many years, why hasn't it vanished from the map already?"
Neither the Lu family nor the Mou Kingdom knew his true identity; they only thought of him as an outsider with a different surname.
"Right now, Lu Qingbang is likely working hard to build up prestige, popularity, and military strength. That is why Lu Zhensheng is all the more eager to appease the Ya Kingdom—hoping that handing over silver and grain will keep the peace," He Lingchuan said leisurely. "For a long time now, the Ya Kingdom hasn't had any intention of swallowing Bailie outright; they merely come around every year to shake them down for silver and grain. Lu Zhensheng must believe that going to war against them simply isn't worth the cost—battle losses would be several times higher than the tribute, not to mention the loss of life and bereavement payouts."
"His ledger might balance out, but the Bailie people are left humiliated and bitter. They are clearly the victims, yet year after year they have to pay out silver and grain," He Lingchuan continued. "In that regard, Sixth Lu might find it easier to win the support of the Bailie people."
Sometimes, pros and cons could not be weighed by money alone.
What the mirror cared about was: "Does any of this benefit us?"
"Sixth Lu knows I have wealth and men, so he wants to bring me to his side and share intelligence. Isn't that a benefit already?" He Lingchuan smiled. "Yangshan's business has reached every corner of Bailie. How many shops have we opened over the past half year, and how many impoverished people have we aided? The Bailie people all know that Island Master He in the south is kind and charitable. They often eat and shop in my establishments, and Yangshan's reputation has long taken deep root in their hearts."
Shops belonging to the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce frequently engaged in charity and relief work.
Unlike other wealthy merchants and gentry who merely handed out porridge and silver coins, the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce had established more than a dozen free charity schools across Bailie, teaching commoners' children how to read and write, as well as instructing them in arithmetic and medicine.
This was teaching a man to fish rather than simply giving him fish.
Children from destitute households could even enjoy a free lunch at school.
The good reputation of He Lingchuan and the Yangshan Archipelago fermented rapidly among the populace.
For poor families, learning a practical craft meant acquiring the tools to make a living, which was no different from being granted a new life.
Running schools—especially more than a dozen at once—was no small financial burden. Yet He Lingchuan did not care in the slightest.
Sooner or later, he would take Bailie; sooner or later, these children and their parents would become his subjects.
What was wrong with providing a few benefits to his future subjects?
Seeing the hardships of ordinary people, compassion often stirred in his heart.
Two mornings later, He Lingchuan's fleet made a smooth landfall.
The coastline was bleak, the mudflats covered in dense patches of reeds.
This spot was only forty-odd li from Platinum Island and was a route He Lingchuan traveled frequently.
"Listen up, everyone! We not only have to win this battle, we must win it cleanly and decisively!" He Lingchuan clapped his hands before his subordinates. "If we fail to defeat the enemy within the designated time, or if our casualties exceed our estimates, it will be counted as a failed drill with double the punishment! But if we win an outright victory, the rewards will also be doubled. Do you all understand?"
Double punishments and double rewards! A jolt ran through the men, their spirits instantly soaring as they answered in unison, "Yes, sir!"
He Lingchuan looked up at the sky. Tonight would be dark and windy—truly fine weather for killing!
Just as He Lingchuan led the Yangshan Guard to relentlessly collect their debt from the Qinglong tribe, in the mountain forests a hundred and twenty li west of Wulan Dong, another ambush and encounter battle suddenly broke out.
The chaos of close combat and the screams of the elderly, women, and children were swallowed beneath heavy, dark clouds.
Lu Qingbang fought shoulder to shoulder with the Bailong chieftain, Moqi Tong, flanked before and behind by Bailie soldiers and Bailong warriors.
He ran his blade through the chest of a Ya Kingdom soldier, wiping away a drop of blood that had splashed into his eye, only to see torches flickering densely across the surrounding mountains and forests—too many enemies to count.
All around them, battle cries shook the heavens.
Lu Qingbang barked decisively, "Order the entire army to withdraw south—head for Storm Bay!"
He had known all along that this rendezvous mission would not be simple!
Chapter 1060