"From what I know of the Lu father and son, they must be scheming to reclaim the Yangshan Archipelago. It's just that the eastern front is precarious right now, so they temporarily have no time to look south."
With swift strokes, he finished the letter, pulled out his personal seal to stamp the end, placed it in an envelope, and handed it to the two men.
"I imagine you two would rather not reveal your true identities. Once you arrive in Qucheng, simply present this letter of introduction to Lu Zhensheng and his son. They will naturally believe you have come in pursuit of fugitives. I haven't mentioned your status as Beijia soldiers in the letter, only stating that your cultivations are extraordinary and that you excel at hunting demons. The Lus will surely offer their assistance."
Bailie was, after all, a tributary to the Mou Kingdom. Mou and Beijia were currently at war, yet two Beijia soldiers were appearing in Mou's rear territory. If they marched into Bailie and declared their identities openly, it was hard to say how the Lu father and son would react—at the very least, they might not help.
With Superintendent Wu's letter of introduction, however, the Lus would believe these two were He Lingchuan's rivals, heading to the Yangshan Archipelago to cause trouble, and would most likely be glad to cooperate.
Ye Qing and his companion exchanged a look and took the letter. "It had better be as you say."
Superintendent Wu's gesture seemed enthusiastic on the surface, but the unspoken implication was clear: *I can only help you this far. Go find the Lu family for the rest; my hands are tied.*
*Hah, the old fox just kicked the ball right over to the Lus with a flick of his foot.*
Therefore, without offering thanks, they turned and left the Maritime Trade Office.
Assistant Commissioner Zhao escorted them to the entrance in person. When he returned, he saw Superintendent Wu already back to holding a brush and attending to official documents. Zhao shook his sleeves.
"Even if they didn't show their official tokens, we'd still know they're Beijians."
When he had walked them out of the yamen and bowed half-bent to say goodbye, the pair had merely strutted off without even looking at him properly.
Such overbearing arrogance, hah!
He had even overheard one of them mutter under his breath: "Cowardly rats."
Was that aimed at him, or at Superintendent Wu?
"They simply didn't put us in their eyes," Superintendent Wu said without looking up. "Their superior didn't even bother to come, merely dispatching two underlings to give us instructions."
Zhao was taken aback. "Their superior?"
"Look at those two; do they possess the bearing of men in high positions?" Superintendent Wu glanced at him. "To hunt down a great demon, how could just two men be enough?"
The leader of the Beijia contingent had not even deigned to visit the Maritime Trade Office himself, merely sending his subordinates to tell them to cooperate—nothing more.
This arrogance bred in their very bones was truly unique to Beijia.
Zhao had only made a casual complaint and didn't take it to heart; after all, he wasn't the only one looked down upon by Beijians. "My lord, are you really not going to cooperate with these Beijia soldiers?"
His superior had just suffered a terrible loss at He Lingchuan's hands. Three prime cargo ships had been scuttled. Although quickly towed back to port, they couldn't be repaired anytime soon. It was the peak freight season right now, yet three ships were stuck in dry dock undergoing repairs instead of earning money for the Wu family. How could Superintendent Wu feel good about this?
Now that Beijians had come knocking, why wouldn't Superintendent Wu help them "assist in investigating fugitives"?
It was clearly a golden opportunity to settle a personal score under official pretenses.
Superintendent Wu looked at him and sighed. "Old Zhao, you've been with me for so many years, why are you still so slow to grasp things? What good does helping Beijia against He Lingchuan do for me?"
"Uh..." Revenge? Venting his anger?
Was venting anger not enough? People always said one lived for their dignity.
"Besides venting a bit of anger, is there any tangible benefit?" Superintendent Wu slapped the document onto the desk. "If the Lu family helps Beijia, they might win back the Yangshan Archipelago. If I help Beijia, do I get money, or do I get land, huh?"
"Uh..." Apparently neither. "Still, Beijia's stance toward our Qing Kingdom..."
"That's for the monarch to ponder, for Noble Consort Yu to ponder." Superintendent Wu pointed at his chair. "It's not my turn."
One should not meddle in matters outside one's station. Diplomatic relations between nations were things for high-level officials to fret over; what did that have to do with a petty superintendent like him?
He cared only about his own small turf.
Thinking of those three ships, Superintendent Wu let out a breath, his chest still tight with resentment. He Lingchuan giving him grief naturally left a sour taste, but: "What if the Beijians can't handle He Lingchuan either? Have you considered that? That boy is no pushover!"
Zhao muttered in a low voice, "The other side is Beijia, after all."
Superintendent Wu gave a guttural chuckle. "If these Beijia soldiers were confident they could take down Island Master He on their own, why would they need my assistance? Wouldn't they just go do it themselves? If the archipelago were off the coast of Beijia, without question, that fellow He would be captured in the blink of an eye. But this is the deep rear of the Mou Kingdom! Beijia's power cannot reach here, which is why they must rely on outside help!"
"If the Beijians fail to deal with He even with our help—well, He Lingchuan might not dare do anything to Beijia, but to us... When that time comes, it'll be mutual destruction between him and us. Tell me, why bother?"
That kid was ruthless. Who was to say he wouldn't scuttle all twenty-odd ships of his, leaving not a single one intact!
Even if the Maritime Trade Office could impose sanctions on the Yangshan Archipelago's business, the losses suffered by the Wu family would be very real and irreversible.
A fight where both sides were wounded—and the wounded party would be his Wu family!
Helping Beijia offered no tangible benefit, but carried substantial risks. How could Superintendent Wu do something so foolish?
"Let the Lu family do it," Superintendent Wu smiled faintly. "The Lus will agree in a heartbeat. If they join forces and succeed, that'll be as good as venting my anger for me."
Zhao said at once, "My lord is wise!"
He knew the unsaid part was the key:
What if they failed?
His lordship kept himself completely clear of the mess, dumping all the trouble onto the Lu family. When the two sides fought to the death, none of it would be his business.
What an old fox!
***
Blade Harbor was very close to Bailie, and the main road between them was paved flat and straight.
Ye Qing and his companion set off on horseback from Blade Harbor in the morning and arrived in Qucheng, Bailie's capital, just after noon.
Superintendent Wu had not exaggerated; his handwritten letter of introduction was remarkably effective. Lu Zhensheng, who happened to be attending to business at the yamen, met with them immediately.
Just as Superintendent Wu had anticipated, on Bailie's territory, Ye Qing and his companion made no mention of being Beijia soldiers. Instead, they styled themselves as bounty hunters who had pursued a Heaven Ranking fugitive from Beijia all the way to the Yangshan Archipelago, only to find the target harbored by Island Master He.
Lu Zhensheng was astonished, never expecting He Lingchuan to be so audacious as to refuse to surrender even a high-profile Beijia fugitive.
This was... this was truly...
He scrutinized every single word on the wanted poster, then pondered for a long time. Only when Ye Qing grew visibly impatient did Lu Zhensheng finally say, "The Yangshan Archipelago was indeed sold to He Lingchuan by Bailie. Due to its unique geography, the agreement explicitly states that the Yangshan Archipelago owes no taxes or corvée labor to Bailie and is not subordinate to Bailie's administrative laws and decrees."
To put it simply, the Yangshan Archipelago was politically and economically independent: it took no orders from Bailie and paid no taxes to Bailie.
"As long as the Yangshan Archipelago's actions do not endanger Bailie, we have no right to dispose of it."
These were the very clauses hammered out through relentless negotiation and bargaining before the agreement was signed. On these points, neither He Lingchuan nor Ding Zuodong had allowed the other side any loopholes. Had they not been desperately strapped for cash, how could Bailie ever have agreed to sign such a treaty?
Ye Qing said with a cold face, "In other words, you in Bailie are just like Blade Harbor—incapable of dealing with the Yangshan Archipelago, right?"
These people spoke so unpleasantly that Lu Zhensheng felt a surge of anger. "Where are you gentlemen from?"
"Beijia, Baohe."
Baohe was a small military garrison in the eastern border region of Beijia and the birthplace of the Black Tiger Army, largely unknown to the outside world.
Hearing this, Lu Zhensheng was taken aback. He had no impression of the place, but anything bearing the name Beijia carried weight.
Besides, this was assistance delivered right to his doorstep; only a fool would turn it down.
He asked Ye Qing and his companion, "How many men did your side bring?"
"Six. A few more may arrive later."
So few? Disappointment washed over Lu Zhensheng. "With just that handful of men, you want to capture a great demon of the Heaven Ranking?"
*Good grief, even these Bailie folk look down on us?* Ye Qing's brow twitched. "Without a diamond drill, one doesn't take on porcelain work. Dealing with a great demon doesn't depend on numbers. Every single one of us is an expert."
"Beijia's Heaven Ranking number seven, Earth Ranking number four, and number eleven were all captured and brought to justice by our com—our leader," his companion chimed in. "Though this spider demon Zhu Erniang ranks second on the Heaven Ranking, she lost the might of an ancient demon immortal long ago. As long as we lure her out of her lair, we naturally have a way to deal with her!"
They spoke with such conviction that Lu Zhensheng could only half-believe them. He glanced at Superintendent Wu's letter of introduction again, which praised these men to high heaven.
Strange, how did Superintendent Wu get acquainted with them?
No matter. In any case, they were the ones taking action. If anything went wrong, they would bear the consequences themselves.
Thinking this, Lu Zhensheng asked casually, "Where is your leader?"
To send two petty underlings to see him—how utterly disrespectful!
"On the Yangshan Archipelago, keeping watch over that fellow He."
Lu Zhensheng nodded. "I happen to know that a Bailong tribe is also on the islands. They are very interested in He Lingchuan's position as island master."
"The Bailong?" Ye Qing asked. "A tribe from the Ya Kingdom?"
Many tribes in the Ya Kingdom were brave and fierce in battle, something Beijia had heard of.
"Originally, yes. But not long ago, they were driven out of Ya Kingdom and wandered here. They set their sights on the Yangshan Archipelago, wanting to establish an independent domain," Lu Zhensheng said with a smile. "From what I know, they have five to six hundred people and are preparing to make their move in a few days. Why don't you two sides join forces? I can make the introduction for you."
Ye Qing's gaze narrowed slightly. "Making a move in a few days? What support will Bailie provide?"
"After all, we have an agreement with Yangshan. How could we fall out with them openly? We can only provide you with some ships and weapons."
Ye Qing and his companion exchanged a look, disdain clear in both their eyes.
Whether it was Superintendent Wu of Blade Harbor or the Lu family of Bailie, both had grievances with Island Master He and wished for his downfall, yet neither dared to make a move personally. Even brokering connections and offering help had to be done behind closed doors.
Truly cowardly as mice!
Lu Zhensheng also noticed the curl of their lips and felt irritated.
If not for Bailie's attention being fixed on the east, on border skirmishes with the Ya Kingdom, and if not for his eldest son Lu Qing'an repeatedly urging him to leave the Yangshan Archipelago alone for now, would he have ever allowed that brat He to hop back and forth between Blade Harbor and the Yangshan Archipelago all day long?
Chapter 969