He Lingchuan tapped his finger twice against the edge of the sand table. "Has Jintao finally sent men in?"
Just as he had expected.
"Roughly five hundred men. On the surface, they are exiles and mercenaries from the western mountains of Jintao, but in truth they are regular troops, and they're even helping Fu Shanlie drill the river bandits in Longchuan." Jintao still feared Panlong City and didn't dare send regular troops out in the open, so it could only funnel reinforcements under the guise of mercenaries.
"Food and supplies for nearly three thousand men are no small expense. The villagers of Longchuan have already swung toward us, so who on earth is feeding Fu Shanlie's forces?"
The fundamental reason why Panlong City and the Gale Army were so strong was a sufficient, guaranteed supply of grain. Longchuan covered roughly half the area of the Chipa Plateau, but its soil and water were less fertile, and it held vast wetlands and uncultivated wilderness.
The composition of the Xiji puppet troops was complex, with the majority being outsiders; local Longchuan river bandits made up less than thirty percent of their ranks. Moreover, plundering merchants had become difficult now, so where were they getting their supplies?
As the commander of a city, few understood the importance of military rations better than He Lingchuan.
Even as they brought the Longchuan river bandits into submission, goodwill toward Yuheng City among the villages and towns of Longchuan had also been rising; at the very least, they no longer met with blades drawn as they had before. For Fu Shanlie's army, acquiring grain from Longchuan was growing increasingly difficult.
Hu Min replied immediately, "Part of it is taken from the villages, another part is purchased from the Baisha Bay free port, and there's another part that Skinny confirmed: Jintao is secretly shipping grain to him as well."
The upper reaches of Longchuan's waters lay within Jintao.
"However, their forced grain purchases from Longchuan's villages and towns have already stirred up local discontent."
A force of Xiji puppet troops of this size holed up in Longchuan—neither local nor engaged in production—was bound to bleed and exploit the region dry.
He Lingchuan nodded. "When the Emperor's Flowing Dew fell, how did they handle it?"
The Emperor's Flowing Dew amplified human greed, serving as the perfect touchstone for the caliber of the Xiji puppet troops.
At least during the past first night of the Emperor's Flowing Dew, Yuheng City's performance had left both He Lingchuan and Wen Daolun reasonably satisfied—after months of relentless, high-intensity tempering, the newly assembled Yuheng Army had been thoroughly transformed. Whether in morale or organizational discipline, they were far better than before.
"We only know there were casualties, but the exact numbers are unclear," Hu Min said. "After you brought Qianjin Stronghold to terms, the Xiji puppet troops engaged in multiple bloody clashes with various bandit gangs, rapidly souring relations with the people of Longchuan. Consequently, Fu Shanlie enclosed his stronghold with demon vines, leaving only two passages open. That wall of demon vines is airtight, and no one is permitted near. As a result, they're cut off from the outside, making intelligence hard to send in or out."
"Did you dispatch avian demons for aerial reconnaissance?"
Hu Min shook his head. "They have birds of prey circling overhead as well. Outside avian demons can't get close."
"It seems Fu Shanlie has changed his strategy from offense to defense, intending to occupy Longchuan for the long haul." He Lingchuan walked over to the sand table. "After absorbing several bandit gangs, Fu Shanlie's territory expanded to eastern Longchuan, securing the route between the Longchuan wetlands and the outside world, which makes dealings with Jintao much easier."
If this cancer was not excised, spies and even armies from Jintao could enter through Longchuan and run rampant across former Xiji lands.
"Strange. Why hasn't he pulled out yet?" He Lingchuan muttered. "If he can't kill me, it's only a matter of time before Yuheng City takes total control of Longchuan. He can't stir up any real trouble there. This is the prevailing trend; remaining in Longchuan is meaningless for him."
To be fair, Fu Shanlie had originally done quite well in Longchuan, pulling together a motley rabble and repelling Yuheng City's assaults multiple times.
However, his position put him at a massive disadvantage.
In Longchuan, he was a "bandit." No matter how well he did, at best he was merely a big bandit chief. The river bandits who followed him still had to sweat and bleed, risking their lives against government troops to make money.
He Lingchuan, on the other hand, was the "authorities." With the trump card of granting amnesty and official positions in hand, he could break the bandits' resolve without shedding a single drop of blood. Once the river bandits transformed into route supervisors and collected tolls without lifting a finger, who would still want to follow Fu Shanlie?
He Lingchuan had turned this inherent disparity in power into an immense advantage.
Prior to this, neither Wen Daolun, Commander Xiao, nor Panlong City had realized that.
Having failed to ambush He Lingchuan, Fu Shanlie ought to know the momentum was irreversible. This was a strategic defeat. Why dig in and cling to Longchuan?
The cost of staying would only grow steeper; cutting his losses in time was the sensible move.
Unless he had other considerations.
Hu Min added, "Also, Master Zhang, whom you invited from Panlong City, entered Longchuan the day before yesterday."
He Lingchuan rubbed his neck, producing a pair of clicks. "Reconnaissance by land and air has been cut off. Fortunately, Longchuan is full of waterways. Scouting by water should work, shouldn't it?"
The stronghold of the Xiji puppet troops was built right over the water. It was said Fu Shanlie's sleeping couch was less than thirty feet from the water.
"In Master Zhang's first report, it seemed there was an uproar within the puppet troops over the unequal distribution of the Emperor's Flowing Dew. The river bandits were dissatisfied."
The river bandits had always prioritized fairness and profit, whereas an army operated on top-down hierarchical command, demanding forced obedience. Transforming Longchuan river bandits into an effective military force required an adjustment period.
He Lingchuan did not intend to give them ample time.
"When the Emperor's Flowing Dew first descended, it was actually a great opportunity; missing it was truly a pity. The second descent of the Emperor's Flowing Dew should arrive in the next day or two." He mused, "Where has Fu Shanlie been these past few days?"
"The night before last, he sat by the water palisade in the stronghold drinking pot after pot of wine; Master Zhang saw it all. He also seemed to have received a letter, and after reading it, he became furious and started cursing."
"Cursing about what?"
"His senses are sharp, so Master Zhang didn't dare get too close. He only caught snatches of words—something about scheming and infighting, something about dragging down the front lines."
Who was Fu Shanlie raging at? Was the letter from Beijia? He Lingchuan gave an affirmative hum. "Tell Master Zhang to keep a tight watch on Fu Shanlie. Also, keep an eye on the number of boats in the puppet troops' water stronghold."
Boats were an essential mode of transit in Longchuan, especially after the Xiji puppet troops severed the overland routes and relied primarily on vessels to move in and out.
"Understood."
"Have our forces set out?"
"The third detachment is already on its way."
"Good, very good." He Lingchuan planted a small banner into the Longchuan section of the sand table. "It's time to bring this to an end."
...
Tonight, rare as it was, there were no military duties, and He Lingchuan walked home on foot.
Standing halfway up the mountainside, he could see half the city brilliantly illuminated, even more bustling and bright than when he had first arrived in Yuheng City.
Lights twinkled like stars. Behind every lamp lay the simple joy of a family.
Under his and Wen Daolun's diligent stewardship, Yuheng City was thriving and advancing with every passing day.
Yet the celestial gods and Beijia constantly cast malicious gazes this way. If they did not eliminate the menace of the Longchuan bandit army soon, how long could Yuheng City's good days last?
He was only halfway up the mountain path when the fluttering of wings sounded in the night sky.
He Lingchuan looked up to see two birds collide above, thrashing in a flurry of feathers, their shrill shrieks echoing through the air.
Before long, the victor was decided.
Tangled together, both birds tumbled to the ground. The kestrel was on top, pressing a laughingthrush down firmly beneath its talons, blood staining its claws and beak.
However, it also had a cut above its own eye, causing it to blink repeatedly.
This laughingthrush was extraordinarily large, nearly matching the kestrel in size.
The kestrel spoke before He Lingchuan could, its voice panting. "You were being followed. It's been watching you for the past two days, from the city guard post to your home—wherever you went, it went."
"Oh? Well done." No wonder he had felt faintly watched over the past couple of days.
Tracking by demons was the most discreet of all. Fortunately, he had sent the kestrel out on patrol.
He Lingchuan stroked the kestrel's head, fed it a medicinal pill, and looked down at the laughingthrush. "Who sent you?"
"Longchuan!" Battered with injuries, the laughingthrush was in too much pain to talk back. "The leader of the Xiji army!"
"Besides watching me, what else did he send you to do?"
"T-To check on Yuheng City's South Garrison along the way."
He Lingchuan nodded. "How many scouts like you did he send into Yuheng City?"
What a coincidence: he had sent aerial scouts to keep an eye on Fu Shanlie, and the other side had similarly dispatched birds to watch him.
Mutual surveillance.
"I've seen two others—a blackbird and a red-billed starling."
Both were common small birds in the city, difficult to detect.
"Where has Fu Shanlie been operating lately?"
"I don't know!"
He Lingchuan frowned. "When and where did you last report to him?"
"Yesterday, in Longchuan!" said the laughingthrush. "I reported to his subordinate."
"You didn't see him in person?"
"No."
He Lingchuan gave an "Mm" and told the kestrel, "I'm done asking. Do as you see fit."
The laughingthrush shrieked in terror, crying over and over for mercy.
Yet the kestrel was determined to make it into supper.
He Lingchuan paid it no heed. When Yuheng City had deployed forces into Longchuan, they had declared across the entire waterway that any demon aiding the Xiji puppet troops would be regarded as an enemy of Yuheng City.
If these demons heard the warning and chose to ignore it, they had only themselves to blame.
Soon, the noises behind him fell silent.
Upon returning home, He Lingchuan first ingested a God-Slaying Pill before heading to the rear mountain to practice his blade.
Of the God-Slaying Pills that A'luo had concocted using the Emperor's Flowing Dew, He Lingchuan had already taken two. Naturally, A'luo was not as reckless as he had been by the shores of Three Hearts Lake; instead, he had refined the dew into three pills and instructed him to take only one every twelve hours.
The one he had just swallowed was the last.
He Lingchuan had already discovered that in the Panlong World, the best way for him to refine the spiritual dew and advance his cultivation was not by meditating and regulating his breath, but by tempering his body and training his martial skills.
Between the illusory and real worlds, there were differences after all.
The wilderness was silent, the woods devoid of people. Gradually, he lost himself in the practice. At some point, a faint, elusive wisp of white qi wrapped around Fusheng.
The saber gang had taken shape.
With his essence, energy, and spirit reaching their zenith, he suddenly unleashed a Wave Slash.
The strike was silent, yet its radiance flowed like water. Fifty feet away, the woods crashed violently, as if hit by a hurricane.
Two breaths later, branches and leaves drifted down.
A few breaths more, and over twenty trees as thick as bowls toppled over.
He Lingchuan's slash had swept horizontally, cleanly decapitating all vegetation—from bushes to trees—within a fifty-foot fan-shaped arc in front of him!
Neat and level, as if measured with a ruler.
Derived from the Wave Slash, this move had never been taught in Panlong City; it was an epiphany He Lingchuan had attained on his own, seamlessly natural.
Just as he prepared to raise his blade again, an insight struck him, and blood and vital energy surged straight to his head.
He Lingchuan froze abruptly, thinking to himself, *It's finally here.*
Chapter 913