He had been constantly pondering, constantly weighing his options.
He Lingchuan had originally planned to take Bailie in the near future, but looking at it now, the timing seemed wrong again.
Mou Kingdom's troops were currently deployed within Bailie's borders.
If not for those two thousand Mou soldiers, He Lingchuan would have seized Bailie with lightning speed. By the time Mou Kingdom reacted, they might be infuriated, but there would be nothing they could do.
The entire crux was speed—to present a fait accompli, turning the struggle for Bailie into an internal affair of the Lu family.
That way, external powers would find it hard to intervene openly, at most backing Lu Qinglin to return and contest him for it.
Yet if he acted now, whether through scheming or open battle, He Lingchuan could hardly bypass those ready two thousand elite Mou troops.
Clashing with Mou Kingdom's army at this juncture was not a good idea.
Furthermore, He Lingchuan could not be sure whether the Mou Emperor's sudden order for Lu Qinglin to lead troops back to defend Bailie was intended to put pressure on Yangshan Archipelago, warning him not to act rashly.
In a state of war, Mou Kingdom was exceptionally sensitive to unusual movements among neighboring nations and factions. Yangshan Archipelago's strength had swelled too drastically. Although its elite forces were kept deep within the islands, with no one privy to concrete intelligence, a territory's growing wealth and might always left traceable clues.
National Preceptor Wang and Lingshan were also well aware that He Lingchuan was no easy customer.
Generally speaking, a person's ambitions always matched their capabilities.
Without fierce ambition, how could one demonstrate and unleash such ability?
Compared to neighboring Qing Kingdom and Bailie, Yangshan Archipelago was a fast-growing, ill-intentioned neighbor. It was only natural that Mou Kingdom would cast a watchful eye in this direction.
This was precisely what He Lingchuan worried about:
If Mou Kingdom had already grown secretly vigilant, his plan could not proceed on schedule.
The road to success was fraught with setbacks—what could be done?
He exhaled a long breath.
Zhong Shengguang's words from the previous night had also prompted him to reconsider his and Yangshan Archipelago's current situation. Was his plan to swiftly seize Bailie overly aggressive and risky, just like his ambush of Fu Shanlie in Yuheng City?
From when he first took hold of Yangshan Archipelago to now, barely over a year had passed. Was he truly strong enough?
Once he took Bailie, he would have no more time to prepare. He would have to step into the spotlight and trade blows with rivals like Mou Kingdom and Ya Kingdom.
This was a consequence he would have to bear.
In reality, there was no one to back him up.
Only now did the mirror dare chime in. "Whoa, the last time you agonized like this seemed to be before returning to Yuan Kingdom?"
"Yeah." Back then, He Lingchuan had instinctively wanted to stay as far away as possible from anything connected to Nailuotian, yet reason told him he had to eliminate the hidden threat of the divine imprint mark; otherwise, even if he fled to the ends of the earth, he would never escape Nailuotian's grasp.
Looking at the situation now, he longed to expand his power and claim Bailie, but circumstances were unfavorable, and reason once again told him: don't rush!
Once an arrow left the bow, there was no turning back.
He could not afford a single misstep!
Just then, Wang Fubao knocked on the door of Shuyu Pavilion and brought him an intelligence dispatch.
"A routine report from Ya Kingdom."
Following Panlong City's convention, He Lingchuan classified external dispatches into several grades. Routine letters and reports were the most common grade, not requiring express courier service by spirit birds.
With various thoughts tumbling in his mind, He Lingchuan casually tore open the letter and skimmed through it.
Sure enough, there was nothing critical:
Ya Kingdom had once again sent troops to raid the Bailie border. This time, Lu Qinglin led the counterattack, and the two sides had clashed.
"Follow the fighting between Lu Qinglin and the Ya Kingdom army. The more detailed the intel, the better." This was a fine opportunity to observe Lu Qinglin.
Watching his combat style and troop deployments, He Lingchuan, as a fellow army commander, could assess his caliber and decipher the man's mindset and intentions.
All to prepare for the future.
Wang Fubao answered with a "Yes" and turned to leave.
Having given the instruction offhandedly, He Lingchuan suddenly froze, his eyes flashing with light.
The mirror, knowing him well, realized its master's gears were turning again.
Long after Wang Fubao had gone, He Lingchuan suddenly slammed the desk. "Of course! How could I have overlooked Ya Kingdom's ambition!"
Even the wisest make mistakes in a thousand calculations.
He had been scheming over too many things lately, completely overlooking Ya Kingdom, which posed little direct threat to him.
With this suddenly clicking, everything in his mind cleared up!
No more agonizing. There was no need to agonize anymore.
The mirror was startled. "Ya Kingdom's ambition? Don't they just like foraging and raiding everywhere?"
Other nations lost money waging war, but Ya Kingdom actually profited from it. If they dutifully stuck to farming and domestic management, they wouldn't even be able to feed so many citizens.
"Yet the number of times it has struck Bailie far exceeds the past." He Lingchuan casually uncovered the sand table and brought up the topographical map of Ya Kingdom and Bailie. "Two years ago, it was usually once a year, after the summer or autumn harvest. Last year, it was already twice. This year, it's only just summer, and there have already been three border clashes."
Ya Kingdom's incursions into Bailie were growing increasingly frequent.
Given Ya Kingdom's military strength, once they truly brought their full force to bear, Bailie would find it very difficult to cope.
The mirror asked in surprise, "Are you saying Ya Kingdom intends to swallow Bailie whole? Hey, can you really reach that conclusion just from the increased incursions over the past two years? Maybe it was simply a bad harvest year."
"It still ties back to the broader situation." Relations between nations had to be viewed against the larger backdrop.
"The last rebellion within Ya Kingdom was five years ago. Over these past few years, Ya Kingdom's internal governance has been smooth, and the Grand Chieftain has been drilling troops and feeding horses. But the awkward thing is, they've already swallowed up every piece of surrounding territory they could take."
He pointed at the sand table. "Now, to Ya Kingdom's east lies the Shanjin Plain. The states there are each poorer than the last; conquering them simply isn't worth the cost. Unless—"
His finger moved back to Bailie, tapping it twice lightly. "By swallowing this juicy piece of meat, Ya Kingdom can stay full for a very long time."
As for Bailie's richness, let alone Ya Kingdom, even he drooled over it.
"But Ya Kingdom hasn't made a real move in all these years," the mirror countered. "Besides, could Mou Kingdom just sit by and watch?"
"Mou Kingdom is bogged down in war. According to the latest gathered intelligence, the long-rumored armistice cannot be signed. Mou Kingdom has suffered setbacks on the front line, taking two major defeats in a row. The pro-war sentiment in the Mou court is running high, with calls to push the battle lines back." He Lingchuan pondered, "If earlier fighting between the two major powers was mere probing and skirmishing, now they've clearly lost their tempers and are sinking deeper and deeper.
"Ya Kingdom was founded less than eighteen years ago. For a nation, it is still young and vigorous. The Grand Chieftain of Ya Kingdom is ambitious and driven; he likely won't let such a golden opportunity slip by."
The soul-snatching mirror exclaimed, "Whoa, doesn't that mean Bailie is in danger?"
"Which is why Lu Qinglin led the Mou troops back. Perhaps he, or perhaps the Mou Emperor, also sensed a shift in Ya Kingdom's strategy," He Lingchuan asserted. "If Ya Kingdom launches a prolonged, full-scale offensive against Bailie, Mou Kingdom will be forced to make a choice."
"Would Mou Kingdom abandon Bailie?"
Chapter 1092