Chapter 1104: Warden

Residents at the foot of the mountain were already wearing summer clothes, but those on Tianhe Plain still needed heavy cloaks.

However, this place was originally barren, a high-mountain Gobi desert where only herders grazed a few sheep. How could it be the lush and fertile land it is today?

He Lingchuan said earnestly, "Master, times have changed!"

A year had passed since Fu Shanlie was driven from Yuheng City and Longchuan was fully reclaimed. During this time, seven "Emperor's Dew" events had occurred, averaging less than two months apart, all of them fortunate occurrences for humanity.

The sudden abundance of spiritual energy dramatically altered the landscape across the entire Panlong Wilderness. Rainfall became plentiful, causing lush growth and birdsong everywhere; even the barren land was now adorned with new, tender green.

Even high-mountain Gobi areas like Tianhe Plain had transformed into high-quality natural pastures after more than two years of deliberate cultivation by Panlong City.

At that moment, a herd of three or four hundred magnificent horses galloped past a lake, their hooves splashing water like flying pearls and jade, startling flocks of gulls and egrets that were strolling along the shore, sending them soaring into the sky.

The sky was filled with white, like a massive snowfall.

This was the fifth horse herd they had encountered on their journey.

Sun Fuling smiled and asked He Lingchuan, "Chief Supervisor He, how many horses are being raised on this grassland?"

Currently, He Lingchuan was temporarily acting as the Chief Supervisor of the Tianhe Plain Ranch.

Yes, after Zhong Shengguang transferred him from Yuheng City, he assigned him here to oversee the ranch and manage the warhorses.

"Tianhe Ranch currently has 9,716 warhorses, with another 700 on their way. Commander Zhong hopes to reach a total of 20,000 by the end of the year."

Sun Fuling looked at the beautiful scenery before them and remarked, "For such a beautiful grassland, raising only 20,000 warhorses seems too few."

"Yes, we're taking it one step at a time. What's the hurry?" He Lingchuan pointed west. "The thousands of acres of farmland there are also being converted back to pastureland. The residents are relocating to Tianhe City in the next couple of days. Ah, I've been busy with this recently."

Sun Fuling asked curiously, "Farmland is also being retired?"

"Yes. Although the Panlong Wilderness has changed, the Maohe Plain has superior soil fertility and much higher grain yields. With that large granary as a backup, vast areas of the Panlong Wilderness can be converted into pastures. For example, Tianhe Plain, being high-altitude and cold, with long mountains and large valleys, also possesses beautiful grass and sweet springs, allowing horses to gallop freely. In fact, this place was a pasture two hundred years ago; it only degenerated into Gobi later."

"Panlong City never dared to do this before because the land needed to raise one warhorse could feed at least thirty people if used for farming!" The Panlong Wilderness had insufficient soil fertility, and arable land was scarce. To support the city's population on the wilderness, it was a luxury to designate land as pasture.

Over the past century, due to population and food pressures, pastures in the wilderness were continuously converted into farmland. As humans competed with horses for land, there was no longer space to raise horses.

Why had Panlong City never dared to expand outwards? Besides the persistent inability to increase its population, an insufficient number of warhorses was also a limiting factor.

Without warhorses, how could there be cavalry?

Although Chipa Plateau was fertile, its limited area meant a limited number of horses could be raised there.

It was only in recent years that the frequent arrival of the Emperor's Dew finally changed this situation.

The world became vibrant, and the Panlong Wilderness also became vibrant.

At this rate, the Panlong Wilderness would soon be renamed the Panlong Plains.

He Lingchuan patted the warhorse's neck. "This big fellow is the Horse King of Tianyuan East Ranch. Its father was a Black Speckled Beast. It took me two days and two nights to tame it; I nearly died from exhaustion!"

Sun Fuling asked curiously, "Where do all these horses come from?"

"Some were purchased overseas and shipped from Baisha Port, a long journey. Some were given as gifts by smaller nations bullied by Baling, and others were contributed by the Kingdom of Jintao." He Lingchuan chuckled, "Last year, after we defeated the Kingdom of Jintao, their reparations to Panlong City included over three thousand warhorses. Ha, they have two good ranches, and their horse breeds are well-known. We selected only the best, rejecting any that were subpar, until we had exactly three thousand."

"Many foals were born on the grasslands in early spring." With his current experience, he could write a book: *Postnatal Care for Mares*.

Seeing his good mood, Sun Fuling couldn't help but ask, "Lord Zhong transferred you, a great commander, to manage horses. Are you really not angry?"

After defeating Fu Shanlie and the Xiji puppet army and reclaiming Longchuan, Yuheng City and Maohe Plain were secured.

Consequently, Yuheng City's future development focus was temporarily shifted from military affairs to internal governance.

He Lingchuan's mission was complete, so Zhong Shengguang recalled him to Panlong City and temporarily assigned him to supervise the horse ranch in Tianhe Plain.

"Why would I be angry?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "I'm a jack-of-all-trades; they use me wherever I'm needed. Besides, the importance of warhorses to Panlong City goes without saying."

The moment Zhong Shengguang reassigned him to manage warhorses, He Lingchuan understood Panlong City's ambitions.

Confined to the Panlong Wilderness, how could Zhong Shengguang achieve the great aspirations he had set for himself?

The annexation of Maohe Plain and the emergence of the Emperor's Dew were the foundations for Panlong City's true outward expansion.

However, He Lingchuan understood that Zhong Shengguang's vision was not yet ready to be revealed publicly.

As the saying goes, "To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools."

Raising warhorses was merely one of the preliminary preparations.

Furthermore, this experience would greatly benefit He Lingchuan's own future plans in reality.

Qiu Hu's Yangshan Guard was currently primarily an infantry force.

The archipelago's environment was not open enough and unsuitable for cavalry.

But he and his army would eventually return to the mainland. In the future, he would face the same issues as Panlong City.

Hmm, Bailei only had one horse ranch. Where would he acquire large numbers of good horses in the future?

"Hey, are you still there?" Sun Fuling waved her hand in front of his eyes. Could this man really space out in the middle of their conversation?

Were warhorses important to Panlong City? Of course, they were.

But Panlong City was full of talented people. Zhong Shengguang could have sent anyone to manage the horses, so why did he specifically send He Lingchuan?

He Lingchuan had achieved a great victory at Yuheng City, crushed Beijia's conspiracy in Xiji, and removed the blight of the Longchuan river bandits for Panlong City. With so many accomplishments, had Panlong City, known for its clear rewards and punishments, acknowledged his merits?

It had not.

Instead, Zhong Shengguang had assigned the esteemed commander to this vast, sparsely populated grassland to raise horses.

Undoubtedly, this was an exile, a punishment!

Those with discernment could see through it, and Sun Fuling worried that he might be feeling distressed.

"I'm here!" He Lingchuan snapped back, showing no resentment. "How is Yuheng City doing?"

"It's doing very well, flourishing even more. Over the past six months, its population has grown by over 20,000." Yuheng City was a bridgehead and barometer for the Maohe Plain. With improving local economy, abundant harvests, and thriving commerce, people from surrounding areas continuously moved to Yuheng City. "Yuheng Academy has seen an explosion of new students, making this spring's enrollment very busy. Master Liu went to retrieve his lesson plans during class, and his students waited a long time without him reappearing. When someone was sent to look for him, they found him dozing off in the corridor. Ah, fortunately, the newly recruited masters will also be arriving in batches over the next few days."

He Lingchuan sighed, "Mr. Wen is still truly formidable."

After the great victory at Yuheng City, the citizens and village elders jointly petitioned Panlong City, earnestly requesting Wen Daolun's return to oversee internal affairs.

During his time governing Yuheng City, Wen Daolun's policies were clear and just, and he listened to the people, earning widespread support.

Zhong Shengguang did not go against public opinion and, seizing the opportunity, sent Wen Daolun back to Yuheng City to continue governing.

The citizens' attitudes toward He Lingchuan and Wen Daolun were poles apart.

Sun Fuling looked at him for a moment longer, then patted the satchel on her shoulder. "Mr. Wen knew I was returning to Panlong City for business, so he specifically asked me to bring you a few boxes of Yunpian cakes—some with sesame, and some plain."

"Mr. Wen is very thoughtful. These are all my favorites."

Sun Fuling pouted slightly, "He's always worried you're angry with him."

He Lingchuan shook his head. "The people of Yuheng City dislike me because of my own shortcomings, not anything Mr. Wen did. Why would I be angry with him?"

After the results of the great battle at Yuheng City reached Panlong City, what he received was not praise.

According to reliable sources, within the Council Hall, Panlong City's high-ranking officials harshly condemned his battle plan.

The focus of their criticism was his risky ambush, using Yuheng City as bait.

"He was eager for glory and reckless, utterly disregarding the safety of Yuheng City's citizens!"

"If this battle had failed, Fu Shanlie would have massacred Yuheng City. How would He Lingchuan have accounted for that to Commander Zhong?"

Fu Shanlie's reason for attacking Yuheng City was clear: even if he captured it, he wouldn't hold it for long. His goal was to massacre the entire city, making all supporters of Panlong City pay a bloody price and demonstrating to the world the consequences of offending Beijia!

Therefore, if Fu Shanlie's sneak attack had succeeded, he would most likely have butchered the city's inhabitants.

Beijia had done precisely this in Yuan Country, and it was a price Yuheng City could not afford.

"He took such a dangerous gamble and even sacrificed Zhao Linyang!"

Zhao Linyang, who had replaced Wen Daolun, was meticulous and capable in governance, but he died during the Battle of Yuheng City, ambushed by a demon worm.

"Panlong City has always emphasized unity between the military and the populace. If his methods succeed, should we adopt them in the future? How he treated the people of Yuheng City, should we also treat the citizens of Panlong City in the same way?"

After the meeting, Zhong Shengguang transferred He Lingchuan to manage horses, to appease public anger.

Sun Fuling patted his cheek. "Are you really not angry?"

"For the first few days after being transferred to the ranch, I was indeed displeased." After all, he had saved Yuheng City. In the true history, Yuheng City had fallen during the first bandit raid, then suffered repeated defeats, leaving all its residents in dire straits.

But he couldn't tell everyone that he had helped them reverse their tragic fate.

Even though he had fought such a brilliant battle, the people of Yuheng City still didn't understand him or like him.

"But after half a year of raising horses here, I've slowly come to understand."

Sun Fuling looked up, listening as he spoke a sentence in a gentle, calm tone:

"I was wrong."

"A superior leader..."

He Lingchuan smiled and took her hand. "A leader cannot easily admit mistakes. I remember your words. But this was something I said to myself."

He then casually added, "The return journey is two days. Let's take a carriage instead."

He had taken Sun Fuling horseback riding merely to let her experience the vast beauty of Tianhe Plain.

Riding all the way back would be very tiring.