Yu Zecheng smiled. "As long as official vessels come through, civilian merchant ships will follow close behind. The prosperity of the Yangshan Archipelago will be just around the corner."
To say He Lingchuan was unmoved would be a lie. Beijia was immense and formidable; scattering a mere handful of grain in this direction would be enough to fatten the entire Yangshan Archipelago beyond measure.
It depended entirely on whether Beijia was willing, not whether it was capable.
Yet this was national investment, a matter of grand strategic deployment. Could Yu Zecheng, a mere Captain of the Black Tiger Army, really paint such an enormous pie in the sky for him?
He did not seem like a man whose head was filled only with muscle.
He Lingchuan asked him bluntly, "That sounds like a wonderful thing, but who can make the final call?"
Yu Zecheng smiled faintly. "A great empire never lacks men of talent who can."
He Lingchuan smiled as well.
Though the passage relied upon by Blade Harbor and the Yangshan Archipelago was hailed as the "Golden Route," at present only a small number of Beijia merchant vessels actually chose to use it. Most seafaring ships traveled to and fro from elsewhere, merely docking at a few Beijia ports to load and unload cargo, rather than operating on dedicated routes dispatched directly by Beijia.
Was it that the Qing Kingdom was unwilling to engage in friendly exchanges with Beijia?
Clearly not.
At the end of the day, both Blade Harbor and the Yangshan Archipelago lay within the Mou Kingdom's sphere of influence. If the Mou Kingdom was displeased, the Qing Kingdom would still have to walk on eggshells around it.
In times like this, the strategic value of the Yangshan Archipelago's location became apparent.
If Beijia's official vessels could travel unimpeded along the Golden Route, then let alone trading goods, Beijia and the Ya Kingdom could reinforce each other militarily without the slightest trouble.
Put simply, once He Lingchuan nodded in agreement, it would be equivalent to opening a stronghold right in the Mou Kingdom's rear, granting Beijia free passage in and out of the Yangshan Archipelago to use as a springboard for operations with the Ya Kingdom.
When that happened, how would the Mou Kingdom react?
Looking at it from the other side, since the Yangshan Archipelago would have to bear the pressure from the Mou Kingdom, what terms would Beijia have to offer to secure He Lingchuan's assent?
Just thinking about it was fascinating. But for the moment, He Lingchuan's attention was not on the pie Yu Zecheng was painting, but on Moqi Feng, standing ten feet away!
The fellow had clearly come to negotiate, but now that He Lingchuan was leaving him hanging while chatting with a guest, he could not easily make a scene.
Yet He Lingchuan noticed that despite his heavy heart, Moqi Feng, standing on the sidelines, kept his eyes fixed on the shuanglu board, his gaze flickering as he repeatedly hesitated to speak.
He Lingchuan had made Moqi Feng wait in order to blunt the sharp edge the young man had carried through the door.
A first drumroll rouses the spirit, the second flags it. Negotiations were no different; momentum and presence mattered immensely.
Moqi Feng had not realized this at all.
Yet He Lingchuan had observed something far more intriguing. He picked up his white horse piece and moved it two steps forward.
At that move, Moqi Feng's brow furrowed once more, his eyes flashing with disapproval.
He Lingchuan looked up and asked him, "Do you know how to play shuanglu?"
Moqi Feng froze, not expecting him to be genuinely unhurried. "I do."
"How well do you play? Speak honestly."
With one hand tucked behind his back, Moqi Feng replied bluntly, "Better than you."
Then he immediately followed up, "Island Master He, I came to..."
"I know, I know." He Lingchuan gave a couple of pressing motions with his hand. "No need to rush. How about you take over this game for me?"
"Me?" Moqi Feng had not anticipated He Lingchuan handing the board over to him. Only after a stunned pause did he manage, "But I need to speak with you about..."
"I know what you want." He Lingchuan pointed at the board. "You've caused me a great deal of trouble! But as long as you win this game, everything will be open for discussion."
*Everything open for discussion?* Could this be considered Island Master He's promise? Moqi Feng fell silent for a few breaths before finally conceding, "All right."
After all, he was on someone else's territory. Even if they fought to the bitter end—a fight where either the fish died or the net tore—the worst that could happen to the Yangshan Archipelago was a torn net, whereas the Bailong people would end up as the dead fish.
Yu Zecheng had been studying him for quite some time, and now chimed in, "And this is...?"
His cooperation with Moqi Song and his nephew had all been brokered through subordinates; with Moqi Feng standing right before him in person, he did not recognize him.
Yet Moqi Feng had heard how He Lingchuan addressed the man, and knew perfectly well who was sitting across the board. "My surname is Moqi."
Yu Zecheng's brow twitched, and understanding dawned at once.
*This is Moqi Feng?*
Moqi Feng had not put out to sea with his uncle Moqi Song, but had instead vanished with four hundred Bailong people. Judging by the current situation, had Moqi Feng already surrendered to He Lingchuan?
No, something felt off.
"Mr. Yu, this is a subordinate of mine," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "He claimed he could handle it, so I'm giving him a chance to redeem himself through merit. What do you think?"
He called Moqi Feng his subordinate.
Hearing the words "giving him a chance" and "redeem himself through merit," Moqi Feng felt his heart skip a beat.
"Oh?" Yu Zecheng asked, feigning ignorance. "What offense has he committed?"
"Just a minor labor dispute, nothing of consequence." He Lingchuan cast an amused glance at Moqi Feng. "It is a great virtue to correct one's mistakes."
"Better to rely on oneself than on others," Yu Zecheng remarked with a frown. "Still, you are the host, He Xiao. If you wish to swap players, so be it."
His comment about relying on oneself was an involuntary complaint.
That useless pair of uncle and nephew, and those useless Bailong people—they truly could not be counted on in the slightest!
At the same time, of course, he was warning Moqi Feng not to place all his hopes in He Lingchuan's hands.
Moqi Feng remained silent. Stepping forward, he took hold of the white pieces and began to make his moves.
It was precisely because his uncle had believed the words of this Yu fellow and the Bailie envoys that they had fallen into today's dire straits. He would not repeat the same mistake!
As they played, He Lingchuan waved over a guard and whispered a few words into his ear.
After listening, the guard answered with a crisp "Yes," turned on his heel, and strode outside.
Soon, the sound of galloping hooves drifted in from outside Nuanxiang Chamber, fading into the distance.
Only then did He Lingchuan stand to the side to watch the match. He observed that Moqi Feng's style was sweeping, expansive, and methodically structured; he was indeed vastly superior to He Lingchuan himself.
The rules of shuanglu were flexible and the gameplay dynamic, allowing a brisk match to finish in just half an hour, making it exceptionally popular in the military. In the past, Moqi Feng had rarely met an equal when playing shuanglu in the Bailong army, frequently walking away with full purses.
Yet Yu Zecheng had remarkable luck. Several rolls of the dice dragged what should have been a swift conclusion into extra rounds.
Moqi Feng played ruthlessly, harboring not the slightest fondness for his opponent.
Had this group of people not egged on his uncle, how could his side have ended up in such a wretched state?
Watching from the sidelines, He Lingchuan found the sight amusing. The Bailong people and the Beijia operatives—a pair of makeshift allies—were now going at each other's throats across the game board.
He understood Moqi Feng's plea very well, but he was unwilling to let these Bailong people leave so easily.
Now, what should he do?
Just then, the eyeball spider inside his lapel delivered the good news he had been yearning to hear most:
"It's settled!"
Zhu Erniang's voice carried a hint of fatigue, but a distinct note of satisfaction was unmistakable. "Out of eleven Beijia operatives, we captured eight, killed two, and one got away."
He Lingchuan exhaled softly, feeling a heavy stone finally lift from his chest.
Yu Zecheng had played all his hidden cards, yet the Beijia operatives' surprise raid had still ended in failure.
The greatest reason for their defeat was lagging intelligence—because the greater demon and supreme combat power of the Yangshan Archipelago they were up against was not just Zhu Erniang alone!
Aside from the day he formally welcomed Zhu Erniang's arrival, whenever He Lingchuan appeared in public, at most only a single spider demon accompanied him. Mortals could never tell the difference between Zhu Daniang and Zhu Erniang, and naturally never imagined that the Yangshan Archipelago actually harbored two such terrifying Spider Queens.
As for Dong Rui's ghost ape, only the Mount Rong people knew its true identity. Furthermore, Dong Rui was a technical hermit who spent his days holed up on Alfalfa Island, usually keeping the ghost ape there to guard his home.
Thus, in the eyes of outsiders, the only formidable greater demon the Yangshan Archipelago could field was Zhu Erniang herself.
He Lingchuan had taken virtually no part in the battle on the eastern side of Suoding Island.
It was not that he had been unwilling to stay and assist the spider demon sisters, but rather that he was needed far more here—
He had rushed over to Nuanxiang Chamber precisely to keep Yu Zecheng pinned down, preventing him from slipping away to wreak havoc.
Under normal circumstances, Yu Zecheng would not have taken the field personally. Just as an envoy stationed abroad by Beijia would not carry out assassinations and ambushes with his own hands, He Lingchuan would not simply storm into Nuanxiang Chamber and capture Yu Zecheng outright.
Such tasks had to be left to subordinates, for appearances in foreign relations had to be preserved.
Yet when He Lingchuan faked his death, Yu Zecheng had assumed the Yangshan Archipelago was leaderless and might well have ventured out of his hole.
After all, he was a military man by background rather than a true official envoy; in a matter of such magnitude, taking charge personally would have seemed the safest course.
The moment he personally joined the fray, however, all pretense with He Lingchuan would be shattered, leaving neither side any room to maneuver. If they met on a narrow path, should He Lingchuan beat him, beat him, or beat him?
If he beat Yu Zecheng black and blue, it would strike a blow to Beijia's face.
And this time, without a mask, Beijia would know exactly who had refused to show them respect. If it flew into a rage then—
That was the scenario He Lingchuan least wished to see.
Therefore, to prevent Yu Zecheng from bringing trouble upon himself, He Lingchuan had rushed here the moment he captured Moqi Song on Qingyun Road. His purpose was twofold: to disrupt Yu Zecheng's command over the operation against the Spider Queen, and to keep an eye on him so he could not run around.
Even so, He Lingchuan had remained deeply concerned about the battle with the spider sisters.
The lineup of the spider demon sisters and the ghost ape was already formidable enough that even He Lingchuan would have been thoroughly thrashed on the ground had he faced them, not to mention that he had arranged a few additional safeguards, though he did not know whether they had been used.
Even with all that, He Lingchuan had not been entirely at ease.
Yu Zecheng had spent over half a year preparing; it was impossible for him to lack a trump card.
Alas, his own high-end combat forces were still insufficient. If he had had one or two more greater demons in the fight, victory would have been truly guaranteed.
Thus, the good news Zhu Erniang just delivered allowed He Lingchuan to breathe a profound sigh of relief.
Of the series of grueling hurdles tonight, a fair portion had finally been cleared.
After hearing Zhu Erniang's report on the captives, He Lingchuan casually beckoned Wang Fubao over and whispered a few instructions.
Wang Fubao's eyes went wide as he listened, and he scurried off at a dead run.
This exchange naturally did not escape Yu Zecheng's notice. Even as he played shuanglu against Moqi Feng, a few threads of foreboding sprouted in his heart.
By all logic, even if He Xiao had anticipated his squad's movements, with their lineup and magical artifacts, it should not have been too difficult to protect themselves and retreat, even if they could not capture Zhu Erniang.
Tonight's target shifting from He Lingchuan back to Zhu Erniang was not a bad thing in itself.
Yet this sudden intuition of his felt extremely ill-omened.
He Lingchuan had pinned him down here, leaving him with no way to establish direct contact with his subordinates on the eastern side of Suoding Island.
Distracted for an instant, he made a false move on the board. Moqi Feng seized the opportunity to leap two pieces in succession, cementing his advantage.
He Lingchuan strolled over with his hands clasped behind his back, leaning down to murmur a few words into Moqi Feng's ear that only the two of them could hear:
"Drag this out as long as you can!"
Chapter 997