Chapter 1436: Not That Much of a Coincidence, Right?

This action served two purposes.

First, it was to make Xiluo and Beijia understand that Yuhang City, across the river, was no longer clinging to the past. Any future attacks from Xiluo would be met with ruthless and decisive retaliation. The sooner they understood this, the fewer losses they would incur. Of course, He Lingchuan believed that the King of Xiluo and the Xiluo army had no other choice.

Second, he sent a clear signal to the other side: "He Lingchuan is back!" During his more than two years as the Grand Commander of Yuhang City, he not only dealt with Fu Shanlie but also killed many generals from Jintao. The Battle of Yuhang City, in particular, resulted in heavy casualties for the Jintao army. Afterwards, Panlong City's negotiations with Jintao left them severely distressed. The name "Butcher He" was not only used by the Longchuan Water Bandits; Jintao also turned pale at the mention of him. He Lingchuan's return to Yuhang City would, in itself, put immense pressure on Jintao. Didn't Jintao stand idly by this time, absolutely refusing to send troops? Providing land to the Xiluo army was already the limit, given Beijia's demands.

Facing the Beijia army lurking in Jintao, the Ximo army also sent a strong signal: "Panlong City is ready!" Warfare is also an art of psychological deterrence. Faced with the well-prepared and battle-ready Ximo army, the Beijia forces would have to think twice before acting.

As expected, within five days of He Lingchuan's skull display, no more raids were launched from across the river. The red falcons He Lingchuan dispatched to observe the Xiluo main camp reported that the Xiluo army's drills were less enthusiastic, their morale was significantly lower, and desertions were occurring continuously. The phenomenon of desertion, if not firmly suppressed, would spread unchecked. Therefore, the Beijia inspector, without hesitation, also had dozens of heads chopped off and ordered five Xiluo squads to move downriver and attack the water strongholds deep within Longchuan.

After the "disappearance" of the Longchuan Water Bandits, a large number of civilians migrated there to cultivate the land, transforming Longchuan into a land of fish and rice. In the Beijia inspector's view, causing widespread destruction there before the end of summer would boost their own morale. Jintao strongly opposed this, having suffered greatly from such tactics previously. How could the Beijia inspector listen to them? The poor Xiluo army, though unwilling, had no choice but to organize an attack, as the weaker side could not defy the stronger.

This was exactly what He Lingchuan wanted. He was tired of minor skirmishes; what he desired was a decisive victory, a crushing blow. The battle lasted for three hours, resulting in over nine hundred enemy casualties and the deaths of two enemy generals. Even the Beijia inspector himself was pierced through the throat by a willow arrow on the battlefield! With even the Beijia inspector dead, the Xiluo army collapsed like a crumbling mountain. This battle caused a sensation on both sides of the border.

There was little controversy in Yuhang City regarding He Lingchuan's actions, but Xin Yi was very curious: "General He, you used such thunderous tactics against Beijia's people. Do you have no concerns at all?"

As He Lingchuan had expected, upon arriving in Yuhang City, he indeed moved between the city and its outskirts, observing local customs, administrative decrees, and how the Ximo and Winged Tiger armies engaged and contained the enemy, asking questions whenever he didn't understand. He had good rapport and an active, positive attitude, quickly blending in with the Winged Tiger army soldiers. Sincerity truly was the best ultimate move. He Lingchuan genuinely felt no malice from him, and were it not for the underlying questions he carried from reality, he might even have considered Xin Yi a half-confidant. Unfortunately, he vividly remembered the Red General's sidearm that appeared at the auction, maintaining constant vigilance toward Xin Yi—although outwardly, they got along very well.

Facing Xin Yi's question, he smiled and replied, "If I hadn't killed the inspector, would Beijia have spared Yuhang City later?"

"No, but aren't you afraid it will become enraged and unleash cruel tactics against Yuhang City?" Even if they lost, the outcome might have been different. After all, extreme measures like massacring a city rarely occurred. But Beijia had indeed massacred cities; He Lingchuan knew of at least two instances—the destruction of Yuan State and Panlong City in reality. This was what Xin Yi referred to as "cruel tactics."

"Once they attack, Beijia will be determined to conquer Yuhang City," He Lingchuan said, his smile fading. "From the moment Fu Shanlie was defeated and fled Yuhang City, this has been a life-or-death war." He knew very well the ultimate fate of Panlong City and was fully aware that no matter what he did, Beijia would never spare Yuhang City. "In fact, perhaps we can stop war with war," He Lingchuan said calmly. "Let's wait and see."

Having suffered such a significant defeat, how could Beijia generals in the Xiluo army tolerate it? They launched probing attacks on Yuhang City. Years ago, Fu Shanlie suffered a major defeat here, and the news caused a great stir back in Lingxu City. After all, Fu Shanlie was a renowned rising general star of Beijia, yet he had been defeated in an obscure little place. They learned their lesson and changed their tactics. However, Yuhang City's financial resources, defenses, material reserves, and the quality of He Lingchuan's army were vastly different from two years ago. Most importantly, He Lingchuan's vision had broadened significantly compared to two years prior, and his troop deployments often showed ingenious creativity. After two battles, the Xiluo army gained no advantage, instead suffering heavy casualties.

Warfare is a back-and-forth exchange; once Beijia had made its moves, it was He Lingchuan's turn. Next, Yuhang City began to pick quarrels with Jintao: one day claiming Jintao unreasonably detained Panlong City merchants, the next day alleging Jintao persecuted Yuhang City citizens. Jintao was in an unspeakable predicament. Beijia wanted to use its territory to station the Xiluo army; how could Jintao dare to say "no"? But on the other side, the Yuhang City army and "Butcher He" were equally formidable!

The last time Fu Shanlie attacked Yuhang City, he brought few Longchuan Water Bandits, instead heavily conscripting Jintao's army. After Fu Shanlie's defeat, Panlong City gave Jintao several strong "lessons," leading their monarch to personally write to Zhong Shengguang to apologize and seek peace, even offering a large sum of compensation as a sign of sincerity. Now, Yuhang City was again deeply displeased with it, ready to slap it. Jintao felt like a mouse in a bellows, caught between two strong forces, unable to offend either.

What to do? Just then, the Xiluo army came to demand provisions, and Jintao spread its hands: "We have none." Xiluo's twenty thousand troops were stationed on the border of Maohe Plain. Regardless of their combat effectiveness, they faced daily issues of feeding both men and horses. The provisions and weapons for these tens of thousands of people represented a substantial and heavy expenditure. Xiluo itself was too weak to bear such a burden, especially with the front lines of battle being within Jintao's territory, making the supply lines too long. In reality, Zhao Pan, leading thirty thousand troops in northern Yuan State, had to constantly plead with the royal court for food supplies, pushing them daily to transport grain. If He Chunhua hadn't truly possessed some capability, the northern front would have run out of supplies long ago. The Xiluo army's cross-border operational distance was even longer than Zhao Pan's forces, naturally leading to more inconveniences and deficiencies. A large part of the Xiluo army's supplies had to be provided by Jintao.

Now, Jintao informed the Xiluo army, citing continuous heavy rains and food shortages this summer, that they could only provide five more days of provisions! What good were five days of provisions? Anyone could interpret Jintao's meaning: "You'd better withdraw quickly; don't fight on my territory, or I'll be the one getting beaten again!" Of course, the Xiluo army wouldn't agree. "Wasn't this agreed upon? How dare Jintao renege midway? Besides, are you blind? Can't you see whose patronage I'm under and for whom I'm fighting to the death? I'm on a western campaign, risking lives. What's wrong with you providing some provisions?"

As conflict erupted between the two sides, the Xiluo army's rear became unstable. Having witnessed He Lingchuan's ferocity, their morale began to waver. Several guerrilla raids they organized were repelled by the Ximo army, and they could not re-organize afterwards. The Xiluo people were already reluctant to undertake the western campaign against Panlong City. With Beijia's inspector coincidentally dead and the oversight position vacant, rumors spread throughout the army, and desertions and unrest became commonplace, beyond the control even of Beijia's generals.

On the tenth day after He Lingchuan led the Winged Tiger army to Yuhang City, the border between Jintao and Yuhang City experienced a brief period of peace. But both sides knew this tranquility would not last. Xiluo's offensive was merely a farce; the real show would only officially begin when Beijia made its move. He Lingchuan was well aware of this. Given his character, he wouldn't be content merely waiting, training troops, and gathering intelligence. He specifically reorganized small units of his elite Winged Tiger army and sent them into Jintao territory to harass and eliminate Xiluo troops through guerrilla tactics. Across the river, there was widespread apprehension. Imperceptibly, the situation between the two sides reversed, and He Lingchuan became the one launching offensive attacks.

This approach had two benefits: First, the autumn winds had already turned the fields of Maohe Plain a golden hue, signifying a bountiful harvest. If their side didn't strike enough fear and confusion into the enemy, the enemy forces would surely invade the plain to seize the harvest. An endless plain was not easy to defend. Now, the Xiluo army was utterly bewildered and in no condition to raid for grain. Second, after communicating with Zhong Shengguang, He Lingchuan decided to disrupt Beijia's strategy and preemptively ignite the pressure points here.

Two days later, Beijia's army within Xiluo began to mobilize, moving west into Jintao. When Wen Daolun and He Lingchuan received this intelligence, their hearts tightened: "It's finally here." Although Panlong City was preparing for war, negotiations with Beijia had never ceased, and Zhong Shengguang had made many deceptive feints. Nevertheless, the Beijia army was still advancing towards Maohe Plain. This meant Beijia had assessed that war was imminent on Panlong City's northwestern front and no longer intended to stand idly by. He Lingchuan's relentless assault on the Xiluo army had forced Beijia to reveal its intentions prematurely. The clouds of war grew thicker. Under the command of Wen Daolun and He Lingchuan, Yuhang City was also rushing to harvest grain, stockpile supplies, and construct defensive fortifications.

Xin Yi asked He Lingchuan, "Will the battle on the northwestern front begin after the autumn harvest?" He Lingchuan did not answer directly, only giving him four words: "Wait and see."

The next day, Wen Daolun received another piece of intelligence from across the river: The Xiluo army's new inspector had arrived. Her name was Lu Wushuang, she was only in her twenties, and she held the position of Qing Palace Adjutant. The role of Adjutant was to assist the Palace Master in managing affairs, a position already very high in Lingxu City. As soon as she arrived, she disciplined the military, making the Xiluo soldiers miserable. With her arrival, Jintao resumed continuous provision of grain to the Xiluo army.

He Lingchuan took the report, read it, and couldn't help but curse. "Damn!" Qingyang Guoshi—no, now it should be Qingyang Regent—her real name was Lu Wushuang! Could it really be such a coincidence?