Press-Ganging

"Passable." Zhang Lianhai offered a reserved smile, the corners of his lips barely curling halfway. "Outside, artillery fire roars without cease, and Governor-General He is a busy man. What brings you to sit in my hall?" "The Andongese want to fight their way in, but it won't be that easy." He Chunhua's confidence showed plainly on his face. "Now that everything needing arrangements has been settled, I realized it has been far too long since I was last in Blackwater City, and I've grown unfamiliar with its notable figures. Shouldn't I pay visits door to door?" Zhang Lianhai gave an unconcerned "Oh." He Chunhua's gaze swept over the men before him one by one. "I observe that you and your companions carry yourselves with an extraordinary bearing, hardly resembling an ordinary merchant guild. May I ask—" Zhang Lianhai did not reply. A youthful attendant behind him stepped forward and announced in a clear, ringing voice: "My master keeps the lamps for the Heavenly Palace!" The guards behind them might not have grasped the meaning of those words, but He Chunhua and his companions stiffened. He ventured tentatively: "Mount Xu?" The youth raised his chin high. "Precisely." *This man surnamed Zhang is actually a lamp warden of the Mount Xu Heavenly Palace?* He Chunhua showed a look of stunned disbelief. Nailuotian had called it right after all! Although Beijia bordered the Yuan Kingdom, the Heavenly Palace never had dealings with Yuan, let alone with a remote western backwater like Blackwater City. For envoys of the Heavenly Palace to suddenly appear here, they could only have come for the Dafang Pot. He Lingchuan voiced reasonable suspicion at just the right moment: "Is that real or fake? What is a lamp warden from the Heavenly Palace doing running off to our Blackwater City?" He had staked out the residence a few days earlier and confirmed that Zhang Lianhai and his subordinates had never seen him in Lingxu City. Only then had he dared to accompany He Chunhua. The lamp wardens of the Heavenly Palace were divided into several tiers, the highest of which was held by Bai Ziqi. He Lingchuan had entered Mount Xu multiple times and seen many divine attendants and lamp wardens, but Zhang Lianhai had never been among them. Presumably, Zhang Lianhai had already been dispatched to western Yuan back then. Zhang Lianhai said indifferently, "Official business." There was no need to explain his mission to these country bumpkins. He Lingchuan folded his arms and looked at him. "You claim to be lamp wardens, but what proof do you have?" Zhang Lianhai frowned. The youthful attendant retorted, "Why should we have to prove anything to you?" "Because—" He Lingchuan jerked his thumb toward the outer wall, "if you can't produce proof, you have to go out and fight to defend the city. You can't just hole up here. Understand?" With the fighting at Blackwater City growing dire, what they needed most was able-bodied men who could brawl. The dozens of men gathered here were all robust and stalwart, making them ideal fodder for the battlefield. Commonly known as press-ganging conscripts. The He father and son played distinct roles; whatever was inconvenient for the Grand Governor-General to utter fell to his eldest son. The attendant fumed, "You lot..." Just then, the gatekeeper whispered a few words to Zhang Lianhai. The latter raised a hand to cut his attendant off, then snapped his fingers. With a crisp crack, the white-and-gold candle on the table lit itself. The candle was pure white speckled with pale gold. At first glance, there was nothing unusual about it, and standing in the hall, it did not seem out of place. But at a single look, He Lingchuan knew it was standard Heavenly Palace equipment—Bai Ziqi had one just like it. Zhang Lianhai waved a hand, and the candlelight transformed into a streak of red light that flew to his fingertip. "This is my lamp spirit." He pointed toward He Lingchuan next. "Who is this boy, speaking such presumptuous drivel?" With a sudden whoosh, the lamp spirit assumed the shape of a ferocious tiger and leaped straight at his face. He Lingchuan appeared startled and sprang backward in a flash. He Chunhua hurriedly stepped in. "My son is unruly! I hope Master Zhang will not take offense!" Only then did the lamp spirit return, hovering beside Zhang Lianhai like a bodyguard. Everyone set aside any lingering dismissiveness. So they truly were envoys of the Heavenly Palace—no wonder they had their noses in the air! Zhang Lianhai laid his cards on the table. "We dislike disturbances. Governor-General He might as well state your real purpose." He Chunhua gave a hearty chuckle. "Blackwater City is about to launch a counteroffensive, but we lack a few sharp daggers. We came precisely to ask the esteemed figures of the Heavenly Palace to lend us a hand." The visitors from the Heavenly Palace exchanged looks, and once again the attendant spoke up: "We have come from afar as guests. How can hosts expect their guests to fight their battles?" They had no involvement with the Yuan Kingdom; they were merely here on orders to execute an assignment and had zero interest in either side of the conflict. Seeing that these Heavenly Palace visitors wouldn't even bother talking in circles, He Chunhua did not take offense and remained smiling. "You gentlemen came for the Panlong Desert, didn't you?" When he suddenly said this, several people across the room showed subtle reactions. Zhang Lianhai, however, remained expressionless. "What do you mean by that?" He Chunhua knew pleasantries were useless, so he laid everything bare: "I know all of you came for the anomaly in the Panlong Desert. Three days ago, a beam of red light shot into the sky from the center of the desert; presumably, some change occurred in the Panlong City ruins. Had the Andongese not laid siege to the city, you would probably already be out in the desert right now." Zhang Lianhai remained silent, letting it serve as tacit admission. "I just received intelligence that while the Andongese are besieging the city, they have also dispatched men rushing toward the Panlong Ruins. Presumably, their purpose is identical to yours." He Chunhua smiled. "Trapped here in Blackwater City, what will you do if the Andongese beat you to the prize?" Although Zhang Lianhai and his followers were envoys of the Heavenly Palace, they were few in number. There were over a thousand troops inside Blackwater City and more than three thousand Andongese outside; they held no advantage against either force. While Blackwater City remained besieged, slipping out was indeed troublesome. Just as He Chunhua had said, after that flash of red light the other night, they should have set out to inspect the anomaly at the Panlong Ruins. Zhang Lianhai had originally planned to depart first thing the next morning, as that was the mission assigned to them by the Heavenly Palace. Now it had already been delayed by two days. If the fighting between the Andongese and Blackwater City dragged on, when would they ever be able to leave the city? If another faction snatched the prize first, the Heavenly Palace would certainly hold them accountable! Zhang Lianhai lifted his eyelids and looked at He Chunhua. "Instead of leading troops in Yazhou to suppress the rebellion, Governor-General He ran all the way to Blackwater City. Could it be that you came for the Panlong Desert as well?" He Chunhua waved his hand. "The rebellion in the south has already been quelled. I was ordered by the royal court to carry out official duties along Red Cliff Road, never expecting an Andongese raid. I cannot tell whether my luck is extraordinarily good or extraordinarily foul." Zhang Lianhai gave a soft chuckle, naturally not believing for a second that he had no designs on the Panlong Desert. Still, getting out of the city was their top priority right now. From that perspective, there was no harm in cooperating with Blackwater City. Mutual exploitation—or rather, mutual need. Right then, the lamp spirit beside him suddenly sputtered with a soft pfft, popping a bright spark. Zhang Lianhai glanced at it, paused for several breaths, and only then said, "Very well, we'll join. The thirteen men I have here all possess some combat capability. Dealing with forty or fifty Andongese won't be an issue." *Thirteen men?* Hearing that number, He Lingchuan's eyes shifted slightly. Didn't Situ Han say that over thirty people came and went from this residence? He Chunhua was overjoyed. "Master Zhang is truly farsighted!" Having only arrived recently, he was no longer the Prefect who knew every detail of Blackwater City inside and out; otherwise, he wouldn't have failed to notice the discrepancy in the number of occupants living in the old manor. He stood up. "Then in three hours, please join us at the Hongyan Restaurant beside the government offices so we can coordinate our plans together. I shall take my leave for now." Zhang Lianhai nodded and had the gatekeeper see the He father and son out the front gate. Once they had walked more than a hundred zhang away, He Lingchuan glanced back at the gate of the old manor and scoffed softly. "Noses in the air. Are all those Heavenly Palace types this arrogant?"