He waved his hand. "No matter. His Highness did his best. I know how difficult it is to borrow troops, and I truly appreciate that His Highness went out of his way to let me know."
He had pulled strings all over Lingxu City, only for every inquiry to sink like a stone into the sea; most hadn't even bothered to send a reply.
For Fu Shanyue to actually have someone convey an apology was extraordinarily courteous.
"It's just such a pity."
How hard it was to borrow troops was something Nian Zanli knew intimately.
Over the past two months, he had spent money and networked across Lingxu City, hoping someone would lobby the Emperor to lend him several tens of thousands of elite troops.
The Battle of the Han River had inflicted mutual devastation.
He knew very well that both Xiazhou and the Yuan Kingdom had suffered grievous blows to their vitality; neither could endure another proper war!
If only he could borrow troops, a victory in his next campaign would be practically guaranteed.
Alas, he simply couldn't get them!
To say the Emperor was indifferent to his plan to launch a counteroffensive against the Yuan Kingdom would be an understatement; the sovereign had no interest whatsoever.
Even though Nian Zanli had described it as ripe for the taking.
As the Emperor of Beijia, he had seen and heard more than enough grand promises and empty pies in the sky. And Nian Zanli had finally realized by now that Beijia really didn't harbor much desire to conquer the Yuan Kingdom.
This empire was already absurdly vast, and its borders had not expanded for many years.
He had thrown himself at their feet with single-minded devotion, but back then they had merely gone along with the flow. When it actually came time to expend real effort, they just gave him a cold look and left him to figure it out for himself.
He Lingchuan stroked his chin. "I've heard about the war with the Yuan Kingdom too. Last time, it seems you were fighting in that Xia... Xia..."
"Xiazhou."
"Right, right, you were fighting in Xiazhou." He Lingchuan asked, puzzled, "Why does General Nian feel it's such a pity not to strike now?"
Nian Zanli said decisively, "The opportunity is rare. There has been a development on the Yuan Kingdom's western front. The monarch of Yuan shifted Xiazhou's defensive assignments, dispatching Zhao Pan, who excels at defensive warfare, to the west to counter the Grand Marshal's army."
He Lingchuan was startled inwardly. Even Zhao Pan had been reassigned?
Wasn't this just robbing the east wall to patch the west wall?
With only one lid for two pots, one opening would always be left uncovered.
Thinking of the country his He clan hailed from, he could only sigh deeply in secret.
"If I borrow troops and march back now, I can coordinate perfectly with the Grand Marshal."
He Lingchuan gave an understanding "Oh." "Things are favorable on his end, then?"
"Indeed. I just received word from the west: the Grand Marshal set a trap and wiped out the Yuan Kingdom's great general, Wu Di! That leaves only Ke Jihai on the western front, a lone pillar unable to prop up the whole house." Nian Zanli couldn't help smacking his palm down. "If I take troops back and attack from the north while the Grand Marshal attacks from the west, two prongs converging, the fall of the Yuan Kingdom is right before our eyes!"
He Lingchuan was profoundly shaken.
Wu Di was dead!
The ones who had led the imperial forces to successfully suppress the rebellion at Woling Pass and forced "Holy Master" Hong Xiangqian to commit suicide were none other than these two great Yuan generals: Wu Di and Ke Jihai. He Lingchuan had already met Ke Jihai in Shihuan City; the man was a rare, outstanding talent of the Yuan Kingdom, so his partner Wu Di could hardly have been far behind.
Who would have thought he would meet his downfall in Wuzhou?
Though the Grand Marshal was a veteran of countless battles and far beyond those rebels at Woling Pass, this still laid bare just how rapidly the Yuan Kingdom's fortunes were declining.
He Lingchuan had long heard He Chunhua's analysis: Grand Marshal Dong Haoming had plotted rebellion for ages, and Wuzhou possessed elite troops and abundant grain, standing in stark contrast to the Yuan army stretching itself thin on the front lines.
With Wu Di dead, the scales of war would tip at once.
No wonder Nian Zanli was so eager to borrow troops and return; his long-cherished dream was practically within reach.
At this thought, He Lingchuan took an unhurried sip of wine.
After exchanging a few words, he realized this great General Nian was completely locked in a vendetta against the Yuan Kingdom—a fight to the death. Even if his attempt to borrow troops failed this time, he would find every possible way to launch an invasion in the future.
Deep, stubborn obsession.
An opponent willing to pay any price was precisely what the fragile Yuan Kingdom feared most.
Before today, what He Lingchuan had been thinking about was how to stop Nian Zanli from actually getting his hands on borrowed troops.
Now, however, he wanted this General Nian's life.
Father and son might as well both die by his hand!
If Nian Songyu walked a little slower on the road to the Yellow Springs, he might even be able to wait for his old man to keep him company.
Yet He Lingchuan had long mastered concealing his emotions. Even as murderous intent sprouted within him, he lightly patted the low table with an expression full of righteous fervor: "Good, wonderful! Then on His Highness's behalf, I wish you swift success and another miraculous triumph for our Beijia!"
Nian Zanli said in a low voice, "May it be so."
The two drank and chatted for a bit longer.
He Lingchuan thought for a moment, unable to suppress a long-held question any longer.
"Pardon my asking."
Nian Zanli poured wine. "Go ahead."
"General Nian hails from the Yuan Kingdom, so why are you so ardently bent on conquering it?" He Lingchuan closely observed his expression. "Is there some deep-seated enmity?"
"The Yuan Kingdom?" Nian Zanli chuckled dryly twice. "The old monarch was stubborn and arrogant; the new monarch is mediocre and incompetent. In the barely sixty-odd years since its founding, corruption runs rampant throughout the court, where you couldn't find two good officials. Decrees are issued at dawn and rescinded by dusk, with no state credibility left to speak of. They know only how to ride roughshod over the common folk and throw their weight around. Right outside the auxiliary capital, Shihuan City, commoners sell their sons and daughters; the people can barely survive, and every few days another rebellion breaks out."
Having spoken in one breath up to here, he sighed mournfully. "Tell me, what reason does such a dynasty have to exist?"
He Lingchuan clapped his hands. "So the general's heart is entirely for the people, hoping the folk of Yuan might still have the fortune to eventually welcome a good ruler."
Nian Zanli liked hearing this, and his smile grew a fraction more genuine.
Just then, someone was waving repeatedly on the shore. He Lingchuan caught sight of it and said, "Time to head back."
After docking, He Lingchuan saw Nian Zanli off in person.
Li Qingge had originally hoped he would interact more with Nian Zanli to find an opportunity to retrieve the bamboo canister. But He Lingchuan refused to follow her script; he now had a better approach.
On the path, they passed Fu Shanyue, who was conversing with other nobles. The moment he spotted He Lingchuan, he said, "Your trouble has arrived."
"??"
Nian Zanli said to Fu Shanyue, "Your Highness, I will come pay a visit again in a few days."
Fu Shanyue smiled elegantly at him. "Splendid. I shall eagerly await your presence." Then he shot He Lingchuan a glance.
Nian Zanli knew when to take his leave and said to He Lingchuan, "Stay your steps, Young Master He. I'll stroll around a bit more."
"Very well. Please excuse me, General Nian."
Though he said he would stroll around a bit more, Nian Zanli actually strode off down the mountain.
He Lingchuan knew the man had no heart to stay here socializing either.
Fu Shanyue also watched Nian Zanli's retreating figure, asking He Lingchuan, "What were you just talking about with him, even going out for a boat ride on the lake together?"
"He was still inquiring about borrowing troops, so I declined on your behalf."
Fu Shanyue gave an "oh," not caring much about Nian Zanli.
He looked past He Lingchuan's back. "See? Trouble is walking toward you."
Trouble?
He Lingchuan turned around, and sure enough, several figures were parting the crowd and heading over, their aura distinctly different.
While the other guests were all smiles and cordiality, these few were aggressive and imposing, looking as though they had come to pick a fight.
Oh, and a bear.
Indeed, trouble had arrived, because at first glance he recognized Fan Sheng, deputy commander of the Tongxin Guard, as well as the giant bear Fan Bao.
If even Fan Sheng was walking behind, then the man strolling languidly at the very front with hands clasped behind his back must be—
He Lingchuan sighed in his heart. What was meant to come could not be avoided.
Fu Shanyue smiled and said, "Come, come, let me introduce you. This is Commander Fan Long of the Tongxin Guard. As for Fan Sheng and Fan Bao, you've already met them."
He then pointed at He Lingchuan and said to the newcomers, "And this is Chiyan's special investigative envoy, He Xiao."
Fan Long was very tall, with a lean, towering physique and a slender face, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to the square-faced Fan Sheng.
Did they really come out of the same mother? He Lingchuan muttered inwardly, yet on the surface he clasped his fists and said with a smile, "Commander Fan, I have long heard of your great name!"
"So you are He Xiao?" Fan Long smiled as well, but the amusement never reached his eyes, leaving his gaze sharp and icy. "We finally meet."
Was this the person who had turned his two younger brothers and the entire Tongxin Guard into the laughingstock of Lingxu City?
He Lingchuan, however, felt that the look the giant bear Fan Bao gave him wasn't as fierce and savage as expected; rather, the beast averted its gaze, reluctant to make eye contact.
Demons really were the more honest ones.
"Everyone was merely conducting official business, and we'll be collaborating going forward," Fu Shanyue said, doing his duty as host and mediator. "How about we let by-gones be by-gones with a smile upon meeting?"
He had no direct conflict with the Fan brothers himself; he had simply been overjoyed to death upon hearing that Fan Sheng had lost to He Lingchuan.
The Fan brothers were arrogant and had previously treated him—an out-of-favor Eldest Young Master of Chiyan—with chilly indifference.
"Of course." Fan Long's eyes never left He Lingchuan. "It's rare to encounter such an outstanding young talent. We must get much closer in the days to come."
His gaze was like that of a tiger; an ordinary person would likely have been terrified out of their wits, their legs trembling beneath them. But He Lingchuan possessed an iron will, and having spent his days alongside a real tiger like Jiao Yu, he was thoroughly immune to tigerish glares. Meeting his gaze, he clasped his fists and laughed, "Then I shall have to ask Commander Fan for much guidance in the future!"
This little fellow had plenty of guts. Fan Long scoffed faintly. "Don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities."
Fan Sheng's gaze toward He Lingchuan was even more complicated, fraught with fury, indignation, and doubt.
After all, he had lost to He Lingchuan, and lost so humiliatingly!
Ever since returning to Lingxu City, he had barely been able to hold his head high amid the sneers and finger-pointing of others.
Yet He Lingchuan deliberately waved over a maid, poured three cups of fine wine onto her tray, and picked up one for himself:
"Second Brother Fan, I caused much offense in Baishaqu. I was risking my life on official business and had no choice but to go all out. I ask Second Brother's forgiveness."
In truth, the moment the Fan brothers appeared and approached He Lingchuan and Fu Shanyue, the nearby guests had immediately crowded round to watch the excitement.
Enemies truly were bound to cross paths. Who wouldn't widen their eyes to see what sparks would fly between them?
If things got spicy enough, it might just become the headline gossip and table talk across the Floating Isle tomorrow!
Fan Sheng's face darkened. He didn't take the cup, merely staring at He Lingchuan without a word.
"Then allow me to drink first as a token of respect." He Lingchuan didn't mind in the least, throwing his head back and draining the cup in one gulp.
Who could fault him when he was the victor? No matter how humbly he lowered his posture, others would only praise him for being modest, magnanimous, and refusing to hold a grudge against Fan Sheng.
Now the pressure was pushed entirely onto Fan Sheng's shoulders, and the burly man's face turned red.
Flushed purely from sheer fury.
With hundreds of pairs of eyes watching, waiting to see how he would react, Fan Long turned his head, glanced at him, and said in a heavy voice:
"Second Brother!"
The admonition was heavy. Before coming, he had strictly warned his two younger brothers not to make a scene.
Chapter 602