Chapter 1046: Public Opinion Is Like a Mountain

**Chapter 1035: The Will of the People is Unstoppable**

Indeed, the messenger dismounted and spoke solemnly:

“Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief—”

He Lingchuan beckoned to him, then gestured with his chin toward the students and teachers. Military intelligence shouldn't be relayed in front of commoners. Was this fellow new to the job?

The messenger understood, leaned in, and whispered: “Three hours ago, the Xiji rebels just attacked Baicheng Post Station. Everyone, from the post station staff and stable hands to the merchants resting there, regardless of gender or age, was killed. The total number of dead is—the total is one hundred and seventeen people!”

Sun Fuling, sitting nearby, noticed He Lingchuan's jaw clench as soon as she turned her head. Xiji rebels massacred a post station? This hasn't happened in a long time—not since the power dynamic between Yuheng City and the Xiji rebels shifted.

Neither river bandits nor mountain brigands usually kill all their victims. That's like draining the pond to catch all the fish; their usual goal is wealth, and such brutality would deter all future traders on the route.

He Lingchuan asked in a deep voice, “Were there no witnesses?”

“A merchant caravan was about to enter the post station when they heard shouts of killing and fled. More than half were slaughtered, leaving only about a dozen alive,” the messenger reported. “Lord Chao analyzed that these survivors might have been deliberately left behind by the enemy.”

Fu Shanlie not only carried out an indiscriminate massacre but also wanted He Lingchuan to know immediately that he was responsible. Is this fellow insane?

Furthermore, Baicheng Post Station was the closest station to Longchuan Lake. It had been abandoned for many years until He Lingchuan reclaimed most of the Longchuan region and had it renovated and reopened. It was also the negotiation site where he pacified two major river bandit groups, including the Ball Gang. It could be said that it was a turning point for a series of subsequent events in Longchuan and the beginning of Yuheng City gaining the upper hand. Fu Shanlie choosing this place to cause trouble and kill people was a blatant provocation, no different from throwing a gauntlet in He Lingchuan's face.

He Lingchuan stood up abruptly and said to Sun Fuling and the other teachers, “I’ll head back to the camp. You all take your time with dinner.”

Teacher Liu, unable to hear his conversation with the messenger, called out to stop him, “You haven’t even had a bite of food.” Dining with the Commander-in-Chief would be a great honor to mention.

He Lingchuan smiled, took the fish soup from Sun Fuling’s hand, and guzzled it down. Then, wiping his mouth, he handed the bowl back to her: “Delicious!”

Under everyone's gaze, Sun Fuling’s face flushed again. She squeezed his arm hard before saying, “Be careful. When things are out of the ordinary, there's usually a sinister reason.”

“I understand,” He Lingchuan said, patting her hand. Then he strode out of the pebble beach, mounted the horse the messenger had led over, and rode away without looking back.

Over the next two days, four more bloody attacks occurred on the Longchuan trade route. The Yuheng City army naturally intensified its patrols. To ensure success, Fu Shanlie personally led an elite squad of over twenty men, playing hide-and-seek with the Yuheng City army on the Longchuan trade route. He changed tactics: kill if possible, flee if not. His primary strategy was to be swift and elusive, never allowing the Yuheng City army to pin them down. Twice, this squad was encountered by the Yuheng army while carrying out killings, but Fu Shanlie neither engaged nor fought, simply turning and running. The Yuheng army easily captured four or five prisoners, but he didn't turn back to rescue them, simply disappearing without a trace.

This fighting style was very strange. The Longchuan trade route was so long and the terrain so complex that if he truly intended to wage guerrilla warfare, He Lingchuan would have no effective way to deal with such a small group. His side was in the open, while Fu Shanlie was in the shadows. The latter only needed to find ways to cause destruction. Destruction is always easier than construction or maintenance.

Fu Shanlie's frantic attacks caused a huge uproar in both Yuheng City and Baisha Port. Is the Longchuan trade route no longer safe? Will this route be usable in the future? What's going on with Yuheng City, the local power? Can it still ensure the safety of merchants and travelers? Soon, all public opinion transformed into pressure, which was then directed at He Lingchuan. As Commander-in-Chief, he was responsible for the safety of the Longchuan trade route.

The original 'boiling the frog slowly' strategy was no longer viable. Yuheng City residents had also perished in these five attacks, and the city's military and civilians were enraged, collectively imploring the Commander-in-Chief to eliminate the Xiji rebels and avenge the innocent. Civilians submitted petitions, and soldiers requested to be sent into battle. Since Yuheng City had already surrounded Longchuan, and the situation was highly favorable, why not directly remove this festering wound? They were unaware of He Lingchuan's concerns, unaware that Fu Shanlie, Yuheng City's adversary, was not to be underestimated. Even if they knew, they wouldn't care. Even Adjutant Chao Qian couldn't help but bring up the attack plan in front of him. The entire city was in an uproar.

When the families of the deceased also came to the City Guard Office, crying loudly and filing petitions, begging Yuheng City for justice, He Lingchuan knew that this final bandit-suppression operation could no longer be delayed. This was what the people desired, and it was hard for him to defy.

So he was swept along after all. He Lingchuan sighed, looking up at the sky. Wasn't this exactly what Fu Shanlie wanted?

Sun Fuling had just walked into the courtyard and couldn't help but smile upon hearing his sigh: “You’ve been swamped these past few days, haven't you?”

He Lingchuan used to complain that she was always out of sight, but now he was far busier than her, often staying overnight at the City Guard Office, sometimes not returning home for half a month at a time. He Lingchuan had finally come to realize how much work and trouble awaited him in a rapidly expanding city. In reality, he had to manage Yangshan Archipelago, enter the Coiling Dragon world at night, and also oversee Yuheng City. He worked diligently day and night, effectively on call 24/7. Workers toiling 996 (9 AM to 9 PM, 6 days a week) would shed tears of sympathy for him.

When they first moved to Yuheng City, Sun Fuling had set up a trellis in his courtyard and planted clematis. Perhaps the soil here was exceptionally fertile, because in just over a year, the clematis had covered the wall, its lush green leaves completely hiding the gray background, and its abundant blue-purple flowers swayed in the breeze, attracting bees and butterflies. Today, the teacher wore light orange. With her fair skin and beautiful appearance, standing in the courtyard, she imbued the somewhat stark wall with a gentle warmth. The gentle sunlight shone on her, making her seem so perfectly serene as to be almost otherworldly.

Seeing her, He Lingchuan's mind immediately calmed, and seven-tenths of his worries vanished. “Yes. Today, a woman rushed into the City Guard Office and, without a word, prostrated herself on the stone steps, knocking her head until the steps were stained with blood. The guards even thought she was trying to commit suicide by striking her head against the stone,” He Lingchuan said, scratching the back of his head. “Her husband died at Baicheng Post Station a few days ago, and she came to beg me to eradicate the Xiji rebels.”

Sun Fuling nodded: “So, when will you attack?”

“Soon,” He Lingchuan said with a serious expression. “This matter cannot be delayed.” As the head of the city, maintaining peace in the region and avenging the wronged was his duty.

Sun Fuling, holding a bunch of gardenias, went inside to change the water in a vase, then arranged the flowers in it and placed it by the window. This way, when a gentle breeze came, the entire room would be filled with fragrance.

(End of Chapter)