This was the kind of open scheme Beijia favored: those who couldn't afford to play along were best off surrendering early.
Yu Zecheng made no attempt to conceal it, and He Lingchuan understood it with complete clarity.
The mirror tucked in his robes chuckled mockingly. "These Beijia folk aren't all that clever either. Knowing full well we've raised our guard, they still insist on making their move tonight."
A sneak attack was only a sneak attack if the other party didn't see it coming.
Now, with the time and place of their strike laid bare, their hand was effectively face-up on the table, cutting their odds of success in half right off the bat.
He Lingchuan shook his head. "You see how Yu Zecheng drove Zhu Erniang into a corner, and how he struts around our island looking utterly relaxed and composed—in truth, he doesn't have a choice either."
"Huh?" The mirror didn't get it.
"Yu Zecheng is a military officer, an imperial bureaucrat. Once assigned a mission, what he fears most is failing to show results." In He Lingchuan's old world, high officials and corporate executives also had a curse hanging over their heads called KPIs. "If you wander around outside for too long and your superiors see you aren't doing real work while having miserable performance numbers to show for it, won't they replace you without a second thought? Superiors have their own superiors to answer to and their own quotas to meet. Besides, Beijia has no shortage of talent; plenty of people are likely eyeing Yu Zecheng's post. If he can't get the job done, they'll find someone who can.
"Yu Zecheng has been hunting Zhu Erniang for the better part of a year; it's about time to haul in the net. If he misses these two days and loses the chance to coordinate with the Bailong people, who knows how long he'll have to wait for another opportunity? If his superiors press him on what his next plan is and when he intends to strike, do you think he'd have an answer?" He Lingchuan added, "Capturing Zhu Erniang was a direct directive handed down by the Heavenly Palace. How could they let him stall indefinitely? Above him is National Preceptor Shuangye, and above Shuangye is the Heavenly Palace. Every one of them has duties to report."
So it had to be tonight. The Beijia operatives had no choice.
If Yu Zecheng wanted to wait for an opening, then He Lingchuan would simply lure the snake from its hole.
Tonight, he could test the mettle of Beijia's opening offensive.
Fortunately, Zhu Erniang was not the only open card in He Lingchuan's hand.
He chuckled softly. "An established empire like Beijia is quite fascinating. Its hierarchy and system of promotions, rewards, and punishments—call it flexible, and it is exceptionally so; call it rigid, and it is equally absolute."
Lingxu City was a pilgrimage site for promising youths and scholars from all corners of the world.
Some were dazzled by its splendor;
Some were awed by its might;
Some took its systems as gospel, venerating them even as they studied them.
Yet He Lingchuan had ventured into Lingxu City amidst fierce friction and conflict. What he saw was a colossal elephant trudging across a swamp.
The elephant could brush off challenges from any other creature, but its sheer weight was a burden.
The swamp seemed vast and level on the surface, yet it was full of pits and bogs. Once the elephant sank into the mire, pulling itself free would be no easy feat.
The elephant was Beijia.
And the swamp?
The swamp was Beijia itself.
Others looked at Beijia and saw an imposing, untouchable titan; He Lingchuan looked at Beijia and saw nothing but opportunity.
The mire lying before the elephant was his opportunity. As long as he used it effectively, he had no reason to fear the northern demon kingdom striking across the distance.
From just a single journey to Beijia, he had gained profound insight.
Sometimes he would wonder: what about Zhong Shengguang?
When Zhong Shengguang traveled to study in Lingxu City more than a hundred and seventy years ago, what did he see through to make him stand resolute and unyielding for the next several decades?
"Master! Master!" Ding Zuodong and Guan Ke hurried over at that moment, quickly reporting on the conditions across the islands.
As the island master, He Lingchuan had countless affairs to oversee. Whatever pressure Yu Zecheng sought to pile onto him had long since been cast into the sea.
The manors, docks, farmlands, and harvesting groves across all fourteen islands were mobilized. Water and rations were being stockpiled, and residents near the hillsides and lakes had been temporarily evacuated.
Facing this sudden hurricane, the preparations across the Yangshan Archipelago were frantic and chaotic, with more than a few mishaps along the way.
He Lingchuan was not surprised in the least. He even told his trusted aides, "A sudden hurricane is actually a good thing."
Dong Rui, who had remained stranded on Suoding Island after vomiting his guts out due to the violent waves preventing him from returning to his own island, snapped irritably upon hearing He Lingchuan's words, "A good thing? Keep this kind of good thing for yourself!"
"Dealing with natural disasters is no different from fighting a war," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "The heavens handed me a free drill to train our troops. How is that not a good thing?"
Emergency disaster relief, like marching and waging war, was a serious test of large-scale mobilization and organizational capability.
He Lingchuan's men were a motley crew cobbled together from all sorts of origins. They precisely needed an opportunity like this to break in and learn to work together.
Before his subordinates could react, someone behind them clapped twice. "Well said! Splendidly reasoned!"
Guan Ke could not help rolling his eyes. Who was that now? Flattering the boss even faster than he could!
He Lingchuan looked back and saw the old captain leading a massive entourage toward them.
A sweeping glance revealed at least a hundred people.
Striding briskly right at the forefront was none other than Fang Canran!
At the sight of that familiar face, an involuntary "what the hell" sprang straight to He Lingchuan's mind.
Out of three hundred and sixty-five days in a year, of all times, why did he have to show up on this exact night, at this exact moment?
Did his good brother think he wasn't busy and chaotic enough?
On the surface, however, he had to feign pleasant surprise, immediately stepping forward to greet him. "Brother Songyuan! What brings you here?"
Fang Canran had taken an alias to conceal his identity, so in public He Lingchuan called him Shao Songyuan.
"I came to deliver your goods, but I never expected to run straight into a storm." Fang Canran had not lived by the sea before and was largely unfamiliar with maritime weather. He turned and introduced the man beside him to He Lingchuan. "Brother He, this is my martial uncle, Wang Xingyi. He is the National Preceptor of the Mou Kingdom."
The man beside him looked only in his early thirties, with neat brows and whiskers and an aura of dignified elegance. It was he who had clapped for He Lingchuan just now.
Those who heard were visibly moved; even passing porters looked on in shock. The title "National Preceptor of the Mou Kingdom" was genuinely intimidating.
He Lingchuan immediately cupped his fists in salute. "Greetings, Senior Wang!"
No wonder so many elite guards had disembarked from the ship. The National Preceptor of the Mou Kingdom certainly traveled in style.
Observing his entourage, He Lingchuan saw that they either wore pristine armor or had bright, piercing gazes indicative of martial or spiritual cultivation.
National Preceptor Wang's guard detail was clearly handpicked and formidable in martial strength.
He Lingchuan groaned inwardly.
The forces he had stationed on Suoding Island had been carefully calculated. Outwardly, they seemed neither too numerous nor too sparse, neither overpoweringly strong nor noticeably weak—just right to tempt potential enemies into taking a shot. (Well, to be fair, he genuinely didn't have spare hands either; the archipelago was vast, and many locations needed guarding.) Yet here was National Preceptor Wang bringing along so many elite guards and striding openly down the pier. What if they spooked the enemy into backing down?
Wang Xingyi stroked his beard, casually accepting the salute. "You spoke well. Disaster relief is like drilling troops. Young people these days flinch at hardship; not many possess such an attitude."
He Lingchuan smiled. "Senior flatters me. You must be weary from the voyage. Please, come rest at the guest lodge."
It was still about an hour before sunset, yet fiery clouds already burned across half the sky. The sea wind grew fiercer, and waves over ten feet high crashed violently against the shore.
Any experienced fisherman knew at a glance that the storm was coming, at latest by tonight.
All of He Lingchuan's subordinates were busy at their posts, but with distinguished guests arriving, he, as the island master, naturally had to lead the way personally.
Before leading them on, however, he whispered to the eyeball spider clinging to his lapel, "Change of plans. I can't serve as bait."
A National Preceptor had arrived; he had to keep him company.
He had originally planned to use himself as bait to lure out the enemy, but that was no longer viable.
Plans never kept pace with changing circumstances.
The Spider Queen asked immediately, "What do you plan to do?"
"We need a different bait," He Lingchuan said hurriedly. "Which of you will step up?"
A voice answered without hesitation: "Me!"
"All right, you it is." He Lingchuan wrapped up instructions in a few quick words, then turned back to attend to his guests.
Back on Platinum Island, Fang Canran had promised to introduce him to a big shot from the Mou Kingdom.
And sure enough, here he was, delivering on his promise.
A man of his word, as expected.
The National Preceptor of the Mou Kingdom was also a disciple of the Taihang Sect, which showed just how prominent the sect was in that kingdom.
Fang Canran also said to He Lingchuan, "Fifteen hundred sets of weapons and armor arrived across two ships. Find some men to unload them. Also, the spirit ore you wanted—I brought that as well."
These were all goods He Lingchuan had ordered from him back on Platinum Island, but he hadn't expected Fang Canran to procure everything in just a few days.
He Lingchuan clapped his hands in praise. "Brother Songyuan, you truly are a godsend!"
These were things he urgently needed right now.
Armoring the Yangshan Guard was manageable and could even be custom-tailored, but over a thousand sets of weapons? Nowhere openly sold that kind of quantity.
Both Qing Kingdom and Bailie strictly forbade arms exports, let alone wholesale quantities.
Even with money, they were impossible to buy.
Otherwise, why would Min Tianxi and his crew have smuggled weapons in the past? It was because the profit margins were enormous.
Only Platinum Island, renowned for buying and selling anything and everything, could procure so much contraband for He Lingchuan in such a short time.
Fang Canran chuckled. "You're lucky. Just after you left, several parties showed up on Platinum Island looking to sell batches of weapons. They gave me face and handed over the goods directly. The price was slightly steeper, though, so you'll have to make up the difference."
"Naturally, naturally." He Lingchuan had paid an advance of ten thousand taels of silver to Fang Canran. With the actual purchase price calculated, he would need to cover a shortfall of at least several thousand taels.
Military expenditures were never modest sums.
As they walked, Wang Xingyi asked He Lingchuan, "How long have you been developing these islands?"
"From the purchase until now, less than forty days, I suppose."
Passing by clusters of buildings, Wang Xingyi pointed. "These are all newly built by you, aren't they?"
"Indeed."
Fang Canran asked curiously, "How did you know, Martial Uncle?"
"Two years ago, when returning from the Ya Kingdom to the Mou Kingdom, I took a merchant ship along the sea route. That vessel made a stop in the Yangshan Archipelago to replenish its freshwater. The place back then was run-down and squalid... hardly worth mentioning."
He Lingchuan gave a light cough. "That was the Heiye Island supply post. It was already torn down before I took over."
"To have it so orderly after taking over for just over a month is impressive."
Next to the docks were repair sheds, while warehouses, taverns, eateries, and guest lodges lined the shore, catering to all the essential needs of travelers and merchants upon landing.
The greenery around the guest lodge had been trimmed, and several spots were landscaped using white sand gathered from the beach, soft moss, and maple or fruit wood. Though arranged in haste, the cost was low and the visual effect quite pleasing.
Fang Canran smiled. "My martial uncle rarely praises anyone, yet tonight he's praised you twice in a row. Brother He, you've earned some bragging rights."
Chapter 977