Chapter 1044: What Exactly For

Chapter 1033: What is it really for?

Five baskets yielded a total catch of over two hundred fish.

"Want to try again?"

If they wanted another round, then another round it was.

The success of the first batch of baskets made the children even more enthusiastic and focused, and they eagerly joined the bait-spreading brigade. Oblivious to the danger, the fish in the stream, seeing them retreat to the shore, foolishly swam back to feed on the noodle scraps, completely ignoring the lesson their kin had just learned.

This round of fishing yielded another two hundred-plus fish. It even included two crabs, each about the size of a child's palm. One of them, oblivious to its impending doom, even stretched its large claw to snatch small fish from the basket, relentlessly stuffing them into its mouth.

He Lingchuan left this lively scene to the other teachers and children, discreetly slipping away to join Master Sun in picking snails further downstream. These kids were terrifying; over thirty of them yelling at once, especially when the decibels rose, it truly felt like the ground was shaking, enough to make his ears ring.

He Lingchuan couldn't help but rub his ears. "How do you tolerate this all day?" he asked Sun Fuling. He'd rather lead troops into Longchuan to suppress bandits than play with children.

Sun Fuling smiled. "We each have our roles," she said.

He Lingchuan chose another shallow area. He squatted down to search for hollows among the rocks, then seized an opportunity to flip over a large one. As soon as the rock was lifted, several gray shadows darted out from underneath, too quick for the eye to follow. But Sun Fuling's fingers moved like the wind, swiftly catching them one by one, light as a dragonfly skimming the water.

They were three small river shrimp, each with a long barb-like rostrum that could easily prick an unwary catcher. Surprisingly, there was also a fish the length of a palm—a stream grouper. He Lingchuan gave a thumbs-up. "Master Sun’s touch is truly something else," he praised.

Sun Fuling shot him a look, then reached into the riverbed, pulled out a large mussel, and tossed it into the basket. "I haven't seen you smile much lately. Isn't the situation in Yuheng City quite good?"

"It's good, but we can't say the threat is completely gone." He Lingchuan flipped over a few more rocks. This time his luck was out; there were no fish or shrimp hidden underneath, only a few snails. "Three months ago, I chopped off one of Fu Shanlie's arms, and he made some serious threats." Several months had passed since the last Imperial Dewfall, and Lu Xun had long since departed for the south.

"Are you worried he'll try to get even?"

"That fellow isn't one to make idle threats. Besides, what exactly is he stubbornly sticking around Longchuan for?"

After several months of effort, all of Longchuan's river bandits, with the exception of the Xiji puppet army, had pledged allegiance to Yuheng City. This meant He Lingchuan had almost fully recaptured Longchuan, apart from the Xiji puppet army's water strongholds. Yuheng City and the former Longchuan river bandits had already formed a pincer movement, encircling the Xiji puppet army led by Fu Shanlie.

"We've confirmed that the Xiji puppet army can no longer resupply through looting; all their provisions are now supplied by the Jintao Kingdom." He Lingchuan seemed to touch something slimy underwater and abruptly pulled his hand back.

Sun Fuling was startled by his reaction, but then she watched as he simply flipped the rock over, revealing a long, yellow-and-black creature that swiftly darted away. With two fingers, the master deftly pinched the creature and lifted it. The creature squirmed on her fingers; it looked like a snake.

"Oh, what a fat swamp eel!" He Lingchuan chuckled. "It would be best roasted."

The eel thrashed wildly in Sun Fuling's hand, flicking several specks of mud onto her face.

"Don't move," He Lingchuan said softly, gently wiping them off her face. "Fu Shanlie had over a hundred subordinates secretly defect and surrender. He had to execute seven or eight deserters to reassert his authority and stop the trend, but the puppet army's morale is still quite low." The Xiji puppet army was trapped in Longchuan. Even with the Jintao Kingdom providing their every need, the situation of being surrounded by enemies and seeing no end in sight made many of the river bandits uneasy. What was the point of continuing to follow Fu Shanlie, only to eventually be wiped out by the Yuheng army? When Fu Shanlie eventually packed up and left, what would happen to them, the local recruits?

Consequently, the combat effectiveness of the Xiji puppet army plummeted. Their territory had been further compressed, making it difficult for them to even go out on raids. Under such circumstances, what was the meaning of Fu Shanlie's continued stand? With the Yuheng army growing stronger, he had no chance left. He Lingchuan had originally hoped to force him out of Longchuan, thereby expelling Beijia's influence.

Sun Fuling pondered. "Perhaps he's plotting something else?"

"I've received intelligence that Beijia is actually quite displeased with him, believing he's been stuck in Longchuan for too long with no significant achievements. They've summoned him back repeatedly, unwilling to let him remain idle here." Beijia, being such a vast empire, had countless places where his skills could be utilized. Beijia would not approve of Fu Shanlie simply wasting time here.

Sun Fuling looked surprised. "You know all this?" she asked.

He Lingchuan sighed, "We have a new source of intelligence." Panlong City is far from Beijia, and it used to be difficult to get information about what was happening in that large empire, leaving them strategically quite passive. However, after securing the Longchuan trade route, Panlong City could finally communicate with the outside world through the southern Baisha Port. Merchants traveling back and forth frequently brought new information from beyond their borders. Especially after Lu Xun's visit to Yuheng City, Mount Ling and Panlong City established initial contact, with intelligence sharing being their first step of cooperation. Panlong City couldn't hope to match Mount Ling's understanding and control over Beijia's true situation. As the Heavenly God's adversary for thousands of years, Mount Ling had long since infiltrated the Beijia royal court, so it was no surprise that they could gather intelligence on Fu Shanlie. With this new ally providing valuable intelligence, Panlong City could finally undertake more multi-dimensional strategic planning and considerations.

"So, Fu Shanlie is probably facing a major headache now. By forcibly remaining in Longchuan, he not only has to contend with our encirclement and suppression, but he's likely under even greater pressure from Beijia."

Sun Fuling tilted her head. "Isn't there a saying: a general in the field is not bound by his lord's command?"

He Lingchuan chuckled. "That refers to urgent combat situations, not stubbornly staying put and doing nothing when you're ordered to return." He explained to Sun Fuling, "We might not feel it as much in Panlong City, but Beijia actually has a very rigid bureaucratic system with severe internal power struggles. A rising star like Fu Shanlie, while trying to prove himself, also needs to minimize mistakes, otherwise his military achievements will quickly be eroded. He's been operating in Longchuan for an entire year, not only failing to capture Yuheng City but also being cornered within Longchuan, with hardly any foothold left. There must be many people in Lingxu City criticizing him." After dealing with Yu Zecheng, a visitor from Beijia, he gained a deeper understanding of the official circles and political landscape within the northern demon nation. As the saying goes, everyone has their position and their duties, each with their own set of unavoidable circumstances.

Fu Shanlie had originally volunteered to lead the Longchuan campaign, finding a suitable position for himself in Lingxu's operations against Panlong City. However, after a year, that position had become incredibly awkward. He needed to account for his actions to his superiors.

"Fu Shanlie has other places to go if he leaves Longchuan, but if he were to be ostracized in Beijia's imperial court, his future prospects would certainly dim. Therefore, his decision to remain here must be driven by some goal, one that at least justifies this political risk."