Several months had passed since the upheaval in Lingxu City, and all the news that was bound to spread had already done so. The generals under Nian Zanli were well aware that Senior General Nian had been convicted by the supreme Heavenly Palace, meaning there was a ninety-percent chance he would never walk free again.
A commanding general like him had always kept a tight grip on military authority. But the moment he fell, Xunzhou was left leaderless, and his subordinates immediately split into factions and scrambled for power!
Because their forces were evenly matched, this power struggle had not yet drawn to a close.
Going by the traditions of the Beijia Kingdom, the empire typically chose not to intervene. It would simply wait for these surrendered generals to slaughter one another until the ultimate victor bowed before Lingxu City to report their triumph and petition to succeed as provincial governor.
Thus, both the Yuan royal court and the outside world judged that the Xunzhou army would not attack Xiazhou again for the time being.
Nian Zanli was finished, and even if a successor arose, they likely would not harbor such a profound obsession with conquering Xiazhou.
Seizing the opportunity presented by the infighting among Xunzhou's forces, He Chunhua, Chief Administrator of Xiazhou, decisively deployed troops and reclaimed Haozhou, which Nian Zanli had previously captured!
The Yuan Kingdom bordered Beijia. Originally, Xunzhou was the frontier, but after Nian Zanli defected to Beijia, the front line had abruptly shifted south to Haozhou.
Haozhou had hardly held out for long before being swallowed up by Nian Zanli, and only then did the flames of war spread into Xiazhou.
He Chunhua's recovery of Haozhou allowed the Yuan court to finally vent its pent-up frustration. It was a feat on par with his earlier rout of Nian Zanli's army along the banks of the Han River.
It was only now that He Lingchuan learned of a piece of news that left him astonished:
"Huh? You're saying the Chief Administrator of Xiazhou was just recalled to the Yuan capital?"
Elder Qian nodded. "The news only arrived two days ago, but I don't believe there is any mistake."
Mount Rong Sect directly bordered the Yuan Kingdom and had disciples serving as officials in the Yuan court, making it easy to obtain firsthand information.
He Lingchuan naturally could not help pressing, "Why?"
He Chunhua had only been promoted to Chief Administrator of Xiazhou for about a year. Why would the Yuan court reassign him back to the capital?
Elder Dao's eyes flickered slightly.
This Young Master He seemed to share a surname with the Chief Administrator of Xiazhou?
Was it a coincidence?
"In recognition of his meritorious service, this Chief Administrator was commended by the royal court, enfeoffed as the Marquis of Wuwei, and appointed General Changning. Calculating the timing, he should be returning to the capital to receive his investiture," Elder Dao stroked his beard and said. "This promotion seems a bit rushed. From our sect's perspective, the King of Yuan may intend to send him south to suppress the rebellions."
From his reassignment from Prefect of Blackwater City to Chief Administrator of Xiazhou, He Chunhua had routed the rebels at Woling Pass, repelled Xunzhou skirmishers, and even traded blows back and forth with Hong Chenglüe, the renowned Beijia general.
To the present Yuan Kingdom, such talent was far too rare. Shouldn't fine steel be used on the blade's edge?
Since the northern frontier was now at peace, the Yuan Kingdom loathed letting He Chunhua idle in Xiazhou for even an extra day; they needed to pull him south immediately to rid the realm of trouble.
It was a matter of putting talent to full use.
Three days later, the entire territory of Mount Rong was declared cleared; the insect plague was eradicated from this land once and for all.
Amidst the cheering and jubilation of the Mount Rong people, Qiu Hu quietly departed and returned to the ruins of Bai Village. There, before the graves of his adoptive parents and the villagers young and old, he offered incense and burned paper money.
His village had been brutally slaughtered during the very first wave of the strange cicadas' invasion.
Qiu Hu's visit today was both to fulfill his vow and to bid farewell.
He had also brought a bucket of lacquer to carefully touch up the inscriptions on the tombstones.
"Hu is departing for distant lands and won't be able to visit often. Please forgive me, fellow villagers."
By the time he respectfully kowtowed several times and rose to his feet, He Lingchuan was already standing behind him.
He Lingchuan saw that Qiu Hu had laid out a long feast for the entire village—fish, meat, fruit, and pastries, arranged in at least forty-eight bowls.
Qiu Hu dropped to one knee before He Lingchuan, resting a fist against the ground. "A promise made is a promise kept. From this day forth, I am yours to command, My Lord."
Only after Qiu Hu finished the formalities did He Lingchuan support him by the arm and say solemnly, "Excellent. From this day forth, I entrust my back to you."
Qiu Hu nodded. "You have my word!"
With another follower at his side, He Lingchuan was genuinely pleased. Though he had not known Qiu Hu for long and the man had currently joined out of gratitude—scarcely qualifying as unwavering loyalty yet—
that did not matter. Winning people's hearts was something he had always excelled at.
The next day, He Lingchuan bid farewell to Mount Rong Sect and set off for the Yuan Kingdom with Dong Rui, Zhu Daniang, Qiu Hu, and fifteen Mount Rong disciples. Traveling with them were three "Assistant Managers" assigned by Elder Qian. Their leader was named Hu Qin, an expert in finance and actuarial calculation who was essentially Mount Rong's negotiating representative and audit commissioner.
Only after speaking with Hu Qin did He Lingchuan learn that Mount Rong Sect had long since sent people to inspect the Yuan Kingdom's pledged assets on-site and had picked apart every flaw. It was clear that Elder Dao had not spoken from the heart before; Mount Rong Sect wasn't uninterested in the Yuan Kingdom's assets, but merely dissatisfied with the terms offered.
Cunning old foxes, not a single one among them an easy mark.
Still, having completed the preliminary research, they saved He Lingchuan a great deal of effort for his subsequent actions.
Otherwise, with just the dozen or so Mount Rong disciples at his disposal, how could He Lingchuan possibly visit every pledged asset in a short time?
***
The Panlong World.
More than four months had passed since the rebel army's large-scale assault on Yuheng City. The Longchuan trade route was once again bustling with travelers, and foot traffic had recovered to around sixty percent of its peak.
Qinglang Courier Station had originally been destroyed by water bandits, but the authorities of Yuheng City later rebuilt it to twice its original size, outfitting it with more complete amenities to accommodate more guests.
This station was like a microcosm of the entire Longchuan trade route.
A few months ago, banditry was rampant along the route, and merchant caravans grew scarce. However, batch after batch of Yuheng City recruits completed their training and were deployed to patrol the trade route.
The Longchuan water bandits refused to back down either, launching repeated ambushes against government patrols. Each time, they dispatched over a hundred men, roaring in and out with brazen arrogance.
Faced with the bandits' ambushes and encirclements, the Yuheng City army refused to yield an inch. Centering on this southern trade route, guerrilla skirmishes, annihilation battles, and chance encounters erupted between the authorities and the bandits time and again.
Clashing head-on, both sides paid a bloody price.
In just over a month, the Yuheng City army lost over one hundred and sixty men, with three hundred and fifty wounded; the bandits on the opposing side suffered lighter casualties, losing only sixty-seven men, with around eighty wounded.
He Lingchuan was not the least bit surprised by these numbers.
The patrols operated out in the open along the trade route, while the water bandits lurked in the shadows for ambushes. In ambush warfare, the patrols were bound to be at a disadvantage.
Moreover, being called the Yuheng "New Army," the ranks consisted mostly of greenhorns who had undergone only three months of winter drill, their blades and spears having struck only wooden dummies. Even if some had drawn blood before, it had merely been beating a drowned dog after the bandits' failed raid on Yuheng City, not a fight between equals.
Inexperience resulted in an excessively high casualty ratio for the Yuheng New Army.
Yet this ratio remained within the limits of what He Lingchuan could accept.
The tender-hearted could not command troops; how could war be waged without casualties?
The patrol squads paired veterans with recruits, had increased their numbers compared to before, and had optimized their sentry system. Consequently, tragedies like the total wipeout of Miao Mingming's entire squad never happened again.
Chapter 761