"Look at how Yuan suppressed rebellions in the past—it's like pushing down a gourd only to have a ladle pop up. Some lands were barely retaken before rebelling again in less than half a month," he said slowly. "Fighting battles alone won't solve anything. Zhao Pan and Ke Jihai are already among Yuan's top generals, yet they're constantly held back by friction behind the lines, leaving them unable to fulfill their ambitions."
Those two were indeed utterly loyal; when the monarch commanded them to fight, they marched straight to the front.
Yet after fighting for so long, the lost territory still had not been reclaimed.
The more they fought, the wider the fiscal deficit grew.
The worse logistics fell behind, the less possible it became to wage war on the front line.
A recurring cycle, a downward spiral.
As he voiced one complaint after another, He Lingchuan smiled. "It seems Father has already thought it through. In life and in commanding an army, one cannot just sit back, rely on others, or wait for handouts."
He Chunhua's furrowed brow smoothed out. "'Cannot sit back, rely on others, or wait for handouts'? Well said!"
"Therefore—" He Chunhua changed the subject. "I have petitioned the monarch for the post of Chief Administrator of Yazhou, along with military command over three prefectures."
He Lingchuan looked surprised. "What boldness, Father!"
He Chunhua had originally been the Chief Administrator of Xiazhou, and now he sought the position of Chief Administrator of Yazhou. They both bore the title of "Chief Administrator," but Yazhou's geographic location, material output, and strategic importance were far beyond anything Xiazhou could match.
Not to mention, he also wanted command of military affairs across three prefectures.
With military authority in his grasp, wouldn't all three prefectures fall under his control?
That would make him a de facto regional warlord.
A corner of his old man's ambition was finally exposed. No wonder the monarch of Yuan refused to agree; this was unleashing a tiger to devour a wolf.
"There was no other choice." He Chunhua casually shook an apricot branch beside him. Apricot blossoms and leaves fluttered into the water, drawing the fish into a feeding frenzy.
Even without grains of rice, they fought just as fiercely. "Without sound governance and social harmony, there can be no prosperous treasury or strong military."
"The first time the monarch heard me mention it, he gave me a severe tongue-lashing, and his anger has yet to subside these past few days. Therefore—" He looked toward He Lingchuan. "Chuan'er, you truly are my lucky star. For the sake of the Mount Rong Sect's loan, the monarch will definitely give it careful reconsideration."
He Lingchuan splashed the water lightly with his finger. "Won't the monarch send someone else to suppress the rebellion?"
"He already has," He Chunhua said nonchalantly. "Troops were mobilized from nearby. The way I see it, the outcome will be decided in a few days. It'll serve nicely to test the rebels' true mettle for me."
"What if they win?" Would his father still have any leverage then?
"No need to worry." He Chunhua seemed quite optimistic. "As long as the Grand Marshal lives, there will always be a place where I am needed."
Just then, Housekeeper Wu came running in from the south to report, "Master, Lord Wang has sent someone to invite the Eldest Young Master—er, to invite Mount Rong's Special Envoy!"
The Mount Rong delegation had originally stayed at the courier station, but He Lingchuan had moved the entire entourage straight into the He residence.
Such a matter would naturally be reported to the Director of Reception.
He Lingchuan shared the surname He, and now he had moved into the He residence; Lord Wang was bound to connect the dots.
He Chunhua immediately stood up straight. "Let's go. I'll accompany you to see Lord Wang."
Father and son first went to change their attire. He Lingchuan then summoned Qiu Hu, Hu Qin, and two Mount Rong disciples, and they headed out to board the carriage.
...
The Director of Reception was responsible for diplomatic communications, projecting messages abroad, and relaying foreign affairs inward, and its official compound was grandly built.
When the carriage arrived, Lord Wang came out to greet them in person. Seeing father and son step down together, an odd expression flitted across his face.
He hadn't noticed yesterday, but now that the two named He stood side by side, their facial features and profiles showed a distinct resemblance.
One glance was enough to tell they were blood kin.
*Good grief, what in the world is this?*
Yet he was a man accustomed to grand occasions, and in the blink of an eye, he switched to a beaming, enthusiastic demeanor. "Did Special Envoy He rest well last night? And what brings Lord He here as well?"
He Lingchuan looked at this Lord Wang. With his round face and round nose, he resembled a soft, fluffy white steamed bun—an affable, pleasant face.
"Well, I slept very well." He Lingchuan cleared his throat lightly and gestured toward He Chunhua. "Truth be told, this is my father."
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Lord Wang was still struck momentarily speechless.
He Chunhua immediately chimed in, "The Mount Rong Sect instructed him to attend to public duties before private matters upon reaching the Yuan capital, so it was only this morning that I learned Chuan'er had become Mount Rong's special envoy."
Lord Wang silently mouthed the name "He Lingchuan" before asking, "The envoy is... Lord He's eldest son who fell into the river?"
When He Chunhua returned to the capital from Xiazhou, he arrived basking in the glory of consecutive great victories. The officials of the Yuan court all knew his basic background: he had two sons, the eldest of whom had fallen into the water during the Battle of the Han River last year and tragically perished, while the second son had taken a post under the Minister of Agriculture.
However, He Chunhua's eldest son had held a very minor post. Although the Yuan court had granted posthumous compensation, no one had really remembered the name He Lingchuan.
Yesterday, when Lord Wang heard him introduce himself, it had sounded faintly familiar, but he hadn't thought much of it.
Now that the pieces had finally fallen into place, he only felt this was utterly absurd!
"Indeed," He Chunhua said with deep sentiment. "The lad has nine lives. He didn't drown, made his way to the Mount Rong Sect after all kinds of twists and turns, and in the end returned bearing the title of special envoy."
Though he sighed wistfully, the smile in his eyes could not be concealed.
Lord Wang immediately clasped his hands together, his face breaking into a wide smile. "Congratulations, Lord He!"
This General He was already renowned and dared to bargain even with the monarch. Now that his son had returned carrying a life-saving fortune, it was adding wings to a tiger—truly extraordinary.
This news had to be reported upward immediately.
He Lingchuan cleared his throat. "Lord Wang, official business comes first."
Lord Wang smiled. "Special Envoy He, please; Lord He..."
Before he could finish, He Lingchuan cut him off: "Lord He has a busy schedule today, so we can only see each other again at home around dinner."
He Chunhua had originally intended to stay and observe the negotiations between both sides. With his eldest son speaking up like this, he had no choice but to say, "Mhm, then I shall trouble Lord Wang to look after things. I will take my leave." With that, he nodded to Lord Wang, climbed into the carriage, and departed.
Only after sitting inside the carriage did a faint sneer spread across He Chunhua's lips.
The boy had dismissed him so cleanly—was he afraid his father would interfere when reviewing the collateral?
Lord Wang, on the other hand, breathed a slight sigh of relief.
If He Chunhua had stayed, he would inevitably have exerted influence over the proceedings. With such a sly veteran of officialdom present, it would have been difficult for Wang to work his angles.
Now with only a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youth left as the special envoy, the pressure on him dropped sharply.
With a little effort, perhaps they could finalize and sign the agreement within a couple of days?
He gave a meaningful glance to the attendant at his side, who understood at once and slipped quietly away to report the true identity of Mount Rong's special envoy to higher authorities.
He Lingchuan paid it no mind. Leading Qiu Hu and Hu Qin, he followed Lord Wang inside the government compound.
After taking their seats at the long table and having tea served, Lord Wang promptly stated, "According to the latest terms proposed by our country to the Mount Rong Sect, the loan totals seven million taels of silver at a monthly interest rate of two percent, calculated as simple interest. Interest is to be settled annually, and the principal cleared within five years. In default thereof, thirty-year operating and mining rights to the Yongshan Mine, the Taihe Mine, and the western pastures of Haozhou, along with thirty-year shipping rights to Wusong Port on the Xunyang River and Baixun Bay on the Han River, shall be offered as collateral!"
The pleasantries had all been exchanged yesterday; today was for down-to-business proceedings.
He Lingchuan could already recite the terms of the agreement backward. The Mount Rong Sect had been quite reasonable; when the Yuan Kingdom proposed simple interest at two percent per month, they hadn't objected. Calculated this way, the interest came to 1.68 million taels every year.
Chapter 777