A Giant Trap

He Lingchuan frowned. "Of the Bailong tribe driven out of Ya Kingdom, only six hundred people are left?" Even before Ya Kingdom was founded, it had been on bad terms with Mou Kingdom and closer to Beijia. Mou Kingdom had therefore propped up several friendly factions in the region as a counterweight. But once Ya Kingdom was established, those pro-Mou factions were doomed—among them, the Bailong people. "Supposedly, to evade Ya Kingdom's pursuit, the tribe split into several bands and fled in different directions. The one that came to our islands is one of those groups. Their leader is named Moqi Song, a brother of their late tribal chief. From what I’ve seen, he’s fierce in battle and hot-tempered. During the courage trial, he didn't even blink—a truly ruthless fellow who lived with his neck on the line." Qiu Hu had clearly done his background homework on the new recruits. "Since coming ashore, they've actually kept their noses clean. They don't mingle much with others, they don't cause trouble, and while waiting for team assignments, they've even taken odd jobs harvesting palm." Lei Ni added, "The other laborers are terrified of them and dare not go near." Guan Ke said in a sinister tone, "Keeping to the rules is just so they don't attract attention." "Since they are on the run, they must have brought their families along," He Lingchuan mused. "Yet they didn't dare bring their families onto the islands. Their motives are dubious." Were they afraid of being tied down when they took action? Wang Fubao fumed, "Ha! They’ve got their eyes set on our prime real estate!" "Moqi Song's branch alone, counting families, must number at least a thousand," He Lingchuan noted. "As their leader, he has to find food, drink, and shelter for more than a thousand mouths. How could that be easy for a band of exiles?" No one understood how heavy such a burden was better than He Lingchuan did right now. Qiu Hu nodded as well. "Ya Kingdom put out word that no one is permitted to harbor the Bailong tribe, or their armies will come knocking." Ya Kingdom could afford to be so overbearing because it was surrounded by minor states, none of which could match it in battle. "So there is nowhere nearby for them to take refuge, and all the deserted coastal islands already belong to someone—unless they turn to piracy at sea. And with so many archipelagos to our east and west, pirates are indeed plentiful." All things considered, the Yangshan Archipelago truly was the best fit for the Bailong. It had abundant produce, arable land, and was close to the mainland—its natural conditions were simply too advantageous. Moreover, the Yangshan Archipelago was vast and surrounded by the open sea. Even if Ya Kingdom learned they were here, sending an army across the waters was out of the question. Islands were natural bastions; there was good reason refugees fleeing disaster loved taking to the sea. Once the facts were sorted out, cold sweat broke out across the backs of Qiu Hu and the others. Had they been so muddled by their recent busywork that they failed to see the danger right before their eyes, needing a young woman like Lei Ni to point it out? He Lingchuan turned to Min Tianxi. "Send your men to feel them out, and keep a close eye on their leaders. Also, find out where their families are hiding. Out of more than six hundred Bailong, someone is bound to slip up!" Min Tianxi's martial prowess fell short of Qiu Hu's, but he possessed an approachable charisma. He liked sitting down for heart-to-hearts to persuade people, and he handled affairs with far more tact. The Second Channel pirates had originally enjoyed greater cohesion than their two rival crews, largely thanks to him. He Lingchuan believed Min Tianxi could put those strengths to good use here as well. Min Tianxi accepted the task at once. "With our aggressive recruitment drive, outside spies are bound to slip in. Be more cautious in your daily words and actions, and do not let any secrets leak," He Lingchuan instructed all his subordinates. "When the right moment comes, we will crack down hard and make an example of them!" The group chorused their assent. He Lingchuan then turned to Ding Zuodong. "When will the inner armor for the Yangshan Guard arrive?" "We placed a custom order for fifteen hundred sets the day before yesterday. It will take at least a month and a half at the earliest." "Too slow. Pay extra to rush them." They would need them during training. "Understood." He Lingchuan retrieved a cloth parcel from his storage ring and opened it, revealing several dozen banknotes inside. The denominations on the top few banknotes were so staggering that Lei Ni felt breathless just looking at them. In all her life, she had never seen so much money. Ding Zuodong could not conceal his astonishment either. When He Lingchuan left with Min Tianxi and Dong Rui earlier, he hadn't disclosed their destination, only to return with such a grand display! "The total face value of these banknotes is two hundred and twenty thousand taels," He Lingchuan said, his voice flat as still water. He then counted out one hundred and fifty thousand taels and handed them to Ding Zuodong. "Record these in the accounts first. If you run short, come to me for more." Steeling himself, Ding Zuodong put the banknotes away, delighted. "Master is truly extraordinary! This money will last us a very long time!" Two hundred and twenty thousand taels! The master had produced over two hundred thousand taels in just a few days! Didn't the Lu family want to bleed them dry, waiting for them to go bankrupt so they could take over the Yangshan Archipelago? Let them wait, then—they could wait until the end of time and still get nothing! These two hundred and twenty thousand taels were rain after a long drought; Ding Zuodong and the others instantly felt their hearts settle. He Lingchuan chuckled and scolded, "Don't just spend money—you need to earn me some, too. Otherwise, no amount will ever be enough." "We will, we will!" Ding Zuodong smiled so broadly that crow's feet creased around his eyes. "While you were away these past few days, we negotiated several more major orders totaling over forty thousand barrels of oil. We plan to dispatch the cargo ships on the grand opening of our shops to bring good fortune!" "Very good." Forty thousand barrels of oil was not a massive amount, but getting off to a flying start on opening day was crucial. Seeing that everyone else had finished speaking, Guan Ke cleared his throat and stepped forward. "My Lord, I have some news as well." "Speak." "Do you remember the twenty-seven cargo ships the Yashan Merchant Guild sold off? There's trouble." Only now did He Lingchuan show some interest. "What happened?" A few days ago, the teetering Yashan Merchant Guild had dumped twenty-seven cargo vessels at rock-bottom prices. He Lingchuan had pondered the deal at length and, heavily swayed by Guan Ke's strong advice against it, had decided not to buy. "The three merchant guilds that paid for them sent men to claim the ships, but couldn't take possession—and they even got beaten up," Guan Ke coughed lightly. "Only later did it come to light that the Yashan Merchant Guild had already mortgaged all those ships to Platinum Island to the east two years ago. Selling them this time was double-dipping. But the transaction had been handled in secret, so almost no locals knew about it." Lei Ni asked curiously, "Then who do the ships actually belong to?" "Those three guilds will likely seek arbitration from the Blade Harbor Maritime Trade Office. But the Yashan Merchant Guild mortgaged them on Platinum Island, and under local jurisdiction, Platinum Island might not care about any ruling from the Maritime Trade Office. Besides, the Maritime Trade Office might not even take up the case, leaving the three guilds with no choice but to negotiate with Platinum Island themselves." "This truly was a giant trap," Guan Ke said to He Lingchuan. "If we had bought those cargo ships, we would be the ones tangled up in disputes with Platinum Island right now." Not only would they have thrown away over twenty thousand taels of silver, but it would have drained an immense amount of time and effort. Unexpected trouble was the last thing He Lingchuan needed right now. "Also, I tracked down the fixer who tipped off Steward Ding back then," Guan Ke added. "That fellow has never been the most well-informed man in Blade Harbor, yet this time he caught wind of the Yashan Merchant Guild selling ships before anyone else. Finding it suspicious, I questioned him and learned that someone had fed him the news, and he promptly reported it to Steward Ding. Now, even he cannot trace the source of that information."