Passing through the grand southern gates of Panlong City, everyone drew a deep breath without realizing it.
They were finally back!
In the real world, He Lingchuan had traveled far and wide, visiting countless places, yet only Panlong City possessed an atmosphere and temperament so utterly unique that stepping inside instantly filled one with solemn awe.
This majestic city represented too much, and carried too much.
The city guards saluted He Lingchuan, and the flowing crowds called out greetings to him.
Here, he was known to virtually all—barring traveling merchants from outside.
A youth's eyes lit up as soon as he caught sight of him. "Commander He! Commander He!"
He even bragged proudly to the companions beside him, "Commander He wrote a calligraphy inscription for my family's shop!"
What had he written? He Lingchuan couldn't recall, yet he could feel the youth's admiration and warmth.
A gentle warmth spread through his chest, and he reached out to ruffle the boy's hair.
The people of Yuheng City and the high command of Panlong City might dislike him, but the soldiers and citizens of Panlong City had always revered him as a battle hero, even after he had been away for so long.
After entering the city, He Lingchuan needed to report back to Zhong Shengguang, while Sun Fuling went to handle affairs at Shumin Academy.
The two parted ways for now, and He Lingchuan headed toward the government office.
Along the way, he encountered countless familiar faces, all smiling and calling out to him, overflowing with warmth, sincerity, and goodwill.
This was how Panlong City treated him: solemn yet welcoming, strict yet never lacking in warmth.
Once inside the government office, Zhong Shengguang waved to He Lingchuan the moment he saw him.
"You've come at just the right time."
Over the past six months, Zhong Shengguang's appearance had hardly changed, though a couple more strands of white hair had appeared at his temples.
He Lingchuan had returned to report on his work. Panlong City was cultivating far more pastures than just Tianheyuan; if Tianhe Pasture proved successful, the methods developed there would be rolled out across the board.
Now that Zhong Shengguang had summoned him back after half a year, He Lingchuan knew his days of herding horses were over, so he made his report exceptionally thorough.
In truth, he had compiled and submitted monthly reports all along. Even so, Zhong Shengguang sat in the high seat listening intently, with scribes diligently taking notes beside him.
When He Lingchuan finished his report and saw Zhong Shengguang remain silent for a long moment, he could only take the initiative to speak. "I heard we won another major victory on the western front?"
Zhong Shengguang seemed to snap back to the moment and smiled faintly. "We did. Though General Red wasn't on the front lines, our troops still took Baicheng, Tongwei, and the Pu River. We drove the Xianyou army north of the Pu River, and relying on that natural moat, they won't be able to raid south again anytime soon."
He Lingchuan was moved.
Over the past year, Panlong City had not only reclaimed the wasteland territories previously seized from it, but had also launched fierce counteroffensives against Baling and Xianyou, even swallowing up large swathes of Xianyou territory in return. With the Pu River secured as well, Xianyou's lands had shrunk by half compared to four years ago!
"Furthermore, we have gained two more allies to the west. The treaties have already been signed; from now on, we will cooperate for mutual benefit and join hands to repel enemies."
He Lingchuan immediately said, "Congratulations, Commander."
To the west of the Panlong Wasteland, besides Baling, lay several smaller states. Originally intimidated and coerced by Baling, their relations with Panlong City had been strained.
Now, as the iron hooves of Panlong City's armies expanded outward—particularly after trampling through Xianyou and crushing two defiant little states—the remaining nations had rapidly shifted their stance toward Panlong City.
Some reacted aggressively, growing even more hostile and furious.
Others changed their tune entirely, eager to curry favor with Panlong City.
Panlong City had helped them see the light: distant Beijia was too far away to help, and Xiji Kingdom stood as an unmistakable warning.
In turbulent times, one had to know when to bend.
The two smaller states that had allied with them this time had made up their minds to cling to a stronger backer.
With that, the encirclement of enemies surrounding Panlong City was steadily being broken.
To the east, it had annexed Xiji Kingdom, transforming it into a fertile granary of fish and rice.
To the west, it had annexed two small states, flexed its military might, and mended relations with several neighbors.
To the north, it had seized vast swathes of Xianyou Kingdom's lands.
Once its army grew strong and its cavalry flourished, Panlong City could no longer suppress its instinct to expand its borders and assert its power. Unbeknownst to most, its territory had already grown to nearly half the size of Xiluo Kingdom.
This was no longer just a "small place."
Nor was Zhong Shengguang merely the master of a single city.
He Lingchuan could sense even grander ambition and planning radiating from him.
Zhong Shengguang, however, merely waved his hand. "This is only the beginning."
He walked over to the wall and personally poured He Lingchuan a cup of hot water. He Lingchuan accepted it with both hands and drank it down in one gulp.
"Do you understand why I sent you to Tianheyuan to herd horses?"
He Lingchuan nodded. "I understand. You wanted me to stay out of the storm and think things over."
Rather than rewarding him, Zhong Shengguang had demoted him and banished him to Tianheyuan to raise horses for six months, all to placate the anger of Panlong City's other leaders.
"And what have you realized?"
At first, He Lingchuan had felt bitter. But later, looking out over the vast and boundless plains and feeling the mountain wind rustle through leaves and blossoms, he had finally found peace of mind.
"I learned a great deal," He Lingchuan said solemnly. "My actions in Yuheng City were not only reckless, but arrogant."
"Two things," Zhong Shengguang said, returning to his seat. "Recruiting the river bandits as route guards was indeed a brilliant stroke, but the people of Yuheng City were deeply resentful, and you failed to guide and soothe them properly. You must remember: an army cannot overcome great crises if it fails to win the hearts of the people."
As the commander of the city, He Lingchuan naturally had his own strategic considerations when making plans. But what the residents of Yuheng City saw back then was that the murderous bandits of Longchuan went unpunished, and worse, were given a share of the taxes paid by the city—taking the hard-earned fruits of their toil and blood.
How could they possibly accept that with a tranquil heart?
"For your own convenience, you even pushed Deputy Emissary Wen out. If you had worked closely with him and let him defuse the people's resentment, the folk of Yuheng City would have felt far less malice toward you."
He Lingchuan smiled bitterly.
He had deliberately forced Wen Daolun away in order to save his life and reverse a fatal doom.
Yet he could not say that aloud. He could only reply, "Mr. Wen truly loved the people as his own children. Back then, I was reckless and overconfident."
Events had also proven that while he had driven Wen Daolun away, he could not drive away fate.
Over the past six months, He Lingchuan had replayed that episode countless times in his mind, wondering if there had been a better, smoother way to resolve it.
Of course there had been.
Back then, however, he hadn't given it enough thought. He had assumed that having good intentions for Yuheng City and for Wen Daolun was enough.
"And the second thing!" Zhong Shengguang's tone hardened. "You dared to use Yuheng City as bait to lure Fu Shanlie into a sneak attack! Knowing full well he would strike, you, as overall commander, actually abandoned your post and left the city unguarded!"
"What if you hadn't made it back in time? What if Fu Shanlie had held a stronger trump card and breached the gates of Yuheng City while you were away?" Zhong Shengguang challenged him. "Did you have absolute, hundred-percent certainty that you could defeat him?"
He Lingchuan shook his head.
The battlefield was rife with unforeseen twists; when was there ever absolute certainty?
"If faced with such a catastrophe, how would you have remedied it? Do you not understand that a commander does not lightly leave his post? In a situation like that, even General Red wouldn't have dared abandon hers!"
Chapter 1088