"Of course it's Baishaqu." He Lingchuan rolled his neck with an audible crack. "I have a hunch a good show is about to start there."
He needed to be sharper, more meticulous.
More composed.
"By the way, the investigation in Zhitian Township has come to a close. Send someone to pass this intelligence on to Fu Shan'yue."
*Bang, bang, bang.* A knock came at the door.
When He Lingchuan opened his eyes, what met his gaze was once again the familiar wooden beams.
High on a beam, a lone spider was spinning a web.
He sat up and rubbed his face, knowing he had returned once more to the Panlong dreamscape.
He hadn't entered in quite a few days. Appearing directly inside his wood-grade house this time meant that the army led by General Red had ultimately abandoned its eastward return and marched back to Panlong City.
Even though he had braced himself for this, He Lingchuan still let out a long sigh, filled with disappointment.
The chance to change the fate of everyone in Panlong City had slipped away just like that.
"Broken Saber!" someone shouted from outside. "Out for drinks! Coming?"
"Coming."
He Lingchuan opened the door to find eleven or twelve comrades standing outside. Hu Min, Willow, Skinny, and the others were all there.
They found a tavern nearby, ordered a few jars of aged liquor and some side dishes, and laid them out.
Only after chatting with everyone did He Lingchuan learn that after he had logged off from the dream last time, the monarch of the Xiluo Kingdom had issued four more decrees in succession, urging the Panlong Army to pull back to the wasteland, each more sternly worded than the last.
This was mainly because following the annihilation of Xiji, the next two countries along the Panlong Army's eastward path grew terrified. Even as they drilled their troops and prepared for war, they pressured the Xiluo Kingdom while pledging to aid Xiluo in crushing the rebel forces in the southwest.
They bordered the territory of the southwestern rebels; as long as they stirred up trouble along the border, the southwestern rebels would be forced to hold back.
Even more ridiculously, after word spread back home that the Panlong Army was preparing to return east, the various rebel forces actually quieted down considerably!
He Lingchuan popped a salted peanut into his mouth. "Why's that?"
"Why else!" Willow said bitterly. "They're afraid that once we return to the country, we'll swoop in and reap the spoils of their hard work! None of those rebels are good either—not a single faction gives a damn about the common folk!"
Hu Min chimed in, "Whoever takes the royal capital becomes the target of all. Seeing that the Panlong Army was about to return, no one wanted to put in serious effort anymore."
The royal capital was no easy target; Xiluo's final ounce of strength would be gathered there, not to mention the great demon Golden Bull guarding it. If they suffered heavy losses taking it, how could they compete against the other rebel factions afterward?
Now that even the Panlong Army was returning, faced with the pressure of such a ferocious force, all factions began preserving their own strength.
With them holding back, the pressure on the Xiluo capital eased dramatically, and the court instantly felt confident again, deeming its decision to forbid the Panlong Army's eastward return exceedingly brilliant.
It was best to leave this blade hanging over every enemy's head.
Deterrence was far more useful than actual action.
He Lingchuan swirled his wine cup. "Is that why Commander Zhong withdrew the army?"
"There were more twists to it," Skinny said. "We stayed on the front lines for too long, and as a result, Baling launched joint attacks on the Panlong Wasteland, both repelled by Commander Zhong. Later, Xianyou and Baling joined forces to steadily reinforce their troops at the edge of the wasteland, setting up camps until their numbers reached roughly a hundred thousand, preparing for a full-scale invasion. Commander Zhong weighed his options over and over and had no choice but to summon us back."
"The northern demon kingdom and Baling Kingdom have always backed these small states. In particular, Xiji made tributes across great distances to the northern demon kingdom every year; otherwise, where would they get the gall to clamor against Panlong City? Now that Xiji was suddenly wiped out, they couldn't just sit by and do nothing."
The resistance to advancing east was formidable—the small states were resolved to fight to the death, and the motherland Xiluo strictly forbade it; to the west, old nemeses were invading. Facing enemies on both fronts, the Panlong Army truly could not abandon Panlong City to press on with the eastern expedition.
Willow fumed, "Looking at it this way, Baling opening the Jinxi Corridor to us in the first place was hypocritical pretense. They were just waiting for our main army to leave so they could launch a sneak attack right behind us! Otherwise, how could a hundred thousand troops be mobilized so easily—and an allied army at that!"
As the saying went, provisions must move before troops march. For an army of a hundred thousand to mobilize, the sheer scale of logistical preparations was staggering—all of it money flowing like water.
Besides, Xianyou and Baling had always been on poor terms. For them to hit it off immediately and deploy an allied army this time, what was that if not premeditated?
The reactions of those small states along the eastern path, the reaction of Xiluo, and the reactions of Baling and Xianyou—General Red Mitian and Zhong Shengguang had foreseen all of them.
He Lingchuan glanced at her. "Did you figure all this out yourself?"
Willow started, looking slightly bashful. "Can't I? Is that not allowed?"
A candid girl at heart, she pressed her lips together and admitted, "Fine, fine, I didn't come up with it. The masters at the Hall of Immortal Inquiries analyzed it. Around these topics, the Hall has been lively lately! Generals from all sides have come to give lectures on military matters. Everyone has to show up an hour early just to snatch a seat. Oh, last time General Ling even had an open confrontation with someone right in the hall."
The Panlong Army had made a loop to the east only to return to headquarters. And the restless morale of the people, after weathering such turbulence, settled down once again.
By now, the commoners understood that it wasn't that Panlong City's leadership refused to return home, but that the circumstances simply made it impossible.
Willow fished out several silver ingots and pushed them in front of He Lingchuan.
"What's this?"
"A bet's a bet. This is Door Plank's share and mine." Back in Yuheng City, they had wagered that the Panlong Army would continue advancing east, whereas A'luo and Skinny had sided with He Lingchuan, betting on a westward return. "You guys split this money amongst yourselves."
He Lingchuan shook his head and pushed the silver back. "There's no joy in taking this money."
It had only been for fun, but the outcome was disheartening. What meaning was there in taking winnings from that?
He Lingchuan casually changed the subject. "You said earlier—where did Door Plank go?"
"To see a townsman of his." Willow didn't make a fuss either, stowing the silver away. "Haven't you heard? That fellow from his hometown is stubborn as a mule. He actually knelt in public in Yuheng City to petition General Red to press on with the eastern expedition and fight their way back to their homeland."
He Lingchuan was startled. "In public? Not assembling a crowd, was it?"
"No, just him alone. Otherwise, he would've been beheaded as a mutiny ringleader!" Insubordination from below was an absolute taboo in the military. Skinny gave a bitter smile. "I was standing right behind the guy. When General Red swept her gaze over us, my entire back went stiff."
"What happened after?" The Panlong Army maintained strict discipline; wartime demanded unconditional obedience from soldiers. For that man to openly challenge and pressure General Red, losing his head wouldn't have been surprising.
"General Red sentenced him to sixty strikes with the military staff, to be carried out after returning to the city. He hasn't joined the Gale Army yet, or the punishment would've been even harsher." Willow shrugged. "He took the beating two days ago—his flesh was torn to shreds, and he'll be bedridden for quite a while. Door Plank went to bring him some rice, flour, and medicinal decoctions."
He Lingchuan fell silent. The military staff was no joke to endure; some patrol guards hadn't even survived twenty strikes before kicking the bucket.
Sixty strikes—General Red's temper had been fierce indeed.
Everyone was feeling sullen, drinking until they were thoroughly wasted before heading back.
...
He Lingchuan returned to his quarters. Just as he stepped through the door, he heard a voice from behind him:
"Such a heavy stench of alcohol."
He turned around and saw Sun Fuling leaning over the courtyard wall, head tilted as she looked at him.
A radiant, charming smile graced her face, dimples visible on her cheeks, so lovely without any pretense that she belonged in a painting.
At once, He Lingchuan recalled the bone flute in that portrait.
The fair maiden remains. Good.
Finding him staring straight at her, Sun Fuling looked to her left and right, then down at herself. "What is it?"
"Nothing. Sorry for offending your nose." He Lingchuan scratched his head and walked toward the kitchen. "I'll go wash up."
By the time he came out, Sun Fuling had set a basket of fruit on the courtyard table and plucked out two pears from it.
"Have a taste? Supposedly a new variety from the eastern Chipa Plateau."
The pears were plump, each weighing about a jin, with brownish skins that looked quite unremarkable. Parched from all the drinking, He Lingchuan took one and bit in, greeted by a mouthful of sweet juice, tender and free of grit.
"Delicious."
"Were you out drinking with Hu Min and the others?" Sun Fuling drew a dagger to peel a pear, eating a slice as she shaved one off. "These past few days, resentment has been running high in the city."
"Returning empty-handed after all that effort—no one would be happy about it."
"Taking the opportunity to conquer Xiji also diminished the threat from the east," Sun Fuling said leisurely. "It might not be all bad."
"True, but I still feel it's a pity."
Sun Fuling asked him, "If you were General Red, would you have continued the eastern expedition or turned west?"
"The eastern expedition."
"Why?" Sun Fuling arched an eyebrow. "Then would you ignore Panlong City at your back? The expeditionary army was only the vanguard; behind it were millions of women and children."
Because no matter what price the eastern expedition demanded, it was still better than the city's ultimate ruin and the death of all within. Of course, that was hindsight talking; from the standpoint of that moment, General Red's decision to lead the troops back west was the product of deliberate consideration, and it carried its own validity.
He could only keep those thoughts to himself. On the surface, He Lingchuan replied, "Commander Zhong was holding the rear. Besides, warfare is nothing more than an art of precise calculation. Whether to fight or not, whether to turn back or not, depends on how high a price you're willing to pay to achieve your objective."
Sun Fuling blinked. "Precise calculation? Who said that?"
He Lingchuan said nothing.
During the Battle of the Han River, he had been swept away by the surging floodwaters. Only months later did he learn the outcome of the battle from Li Qingge, leaving him deeply shaken.
Both the Yuan army and the Xunzhou army had suffered catastrophic losses, with casualties beyond count, yet commanders on both sides submitted memorials claiming victory and stating they had achieved their "operational objectives."
Wasn't this the result of "precise calculation"?
Sun Fuling sneered coldly again. "The price? Would you be willing to be that price? Would the elderly, the weak, the women, and the children be willing to be that price?"
He Lingchuan took another bite of pear. "If people's hearts yearn to return home, perhaps they would?"
"No. People's hearts yearn to return home, but they want others to pay the price while they enjoy the fruits," Sun Fuling said indifferently. "Such is human nature, even for the people of Panlong City."
He Lingchuan shook his head. "I just feel it's a terrible shame to have lost this opportunity to return east."
"Forget it. When you lack the power to change things, you can only accept them." Sun Fuling carved off another slice of pear and savored it slowly. "Who knows, maybe there will be another chance later?"
He Lingchuan's heart gave a stir, yet seeing her act completely nonchalant, it seemed as if she had spoken only in passing.
"I heard that Baling and Xianyou have allied again. That truly is an ominous sign," Sun Fuling said softly. "There's bad blood between the two countries, too; they fought a battle just last spring, both suffering casualties. Yet this time, they managed to unite."
Chapter 472