Chapter 1453: Moat

Only he himself knew the root cause: Yangshan's influence, extended into the Blazing Gold Plains, was becoming increasingly formidable.

He Lingchuan personally oversaw the Black Armored Army, but Qiu Hu and others never ceased refining the Yangshan Army.

The Yangshan Army, arriving from the archipelago, set foot in Julu Port and transformed into the guards of Changlong Martial Arts Hall. Their task was to travel throughout this dangerous land, combating bandits and fending off brigands. On the Blazing Gold Plains, not only were bandits rampant, but defeated armies and vagrant marauders often caused trouble, and local warlords held sway. For Changlong Martial Arts Hall, clearing and maintaining trade routes was extremely difficult initially, which diverted much of He Lingchuan's energy.

Fortunately, an old friend from the Yangshan Archipelago, whom He Lingchuan had been awaiting for a long time, finally arrived. Upon his arrival, this person was assigned as the second manager of Changlong Martial Arts Hall. He implemented strategies to divide, win over, suppress, and sow discord among external factions. As expected, the progress of Changlong Martial Arts Hall greatly accelerated.

However, even with their strategic planning, Changlong Martial Arts Hall paid a heavy price to maintain its trade routes.

This was also a form of training, and Qiu Hu likewise implemented a system of staggered rotations for the Yangshan Army. Because the branches of Changlong Martial Arts Hall were flourishing throughout the central and western parts of the plains, outsiders had no idea how many personnel were actually hidden within the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce and the Martial Arts Hall.

Only a few people, including He Lingchuan, knew the exact numbers:

They numbered eight thousand eight hundred, on the verge of breaking nine thousand.

This number already exceeded the total number of guards on the Yangshan Archipelago.

This was because, in addition to people from Yangshan, Changlong Martial Arts Hall also extensively selected and recruited local young adults. Currently, the Blazing Gold locals accounted for about forty percent of the Yangshan Army, and this proportion was rapidly expanding.

This was something He Lingchuan could not achieve in the Yangshan Archipelago:

Expanding the reserve military force.

The prosperity of Changlong Martial Arts Hall actually mirrored the expansion of the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce.

While He Lingchuan traveled the Blazing Gold Plains, the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce flourished everywhere, transporting large quantities of rare minerals, raw materials, local specialties, and luxury goods from here to the outside world.

As the saying goes, "the greater the waves, the more valuable the fish." When Xiang Le Powder was sold in Mou State, its price quadrupled, reaching one tael of silver per jin. The Yangshan Chamber of Commerce's transportation costs were lower than others, and they even enjoyed tax exemptions along the way, leading to astonishing profit margins.

How much money could be made from farming? How much from small businesses? In just a few months since He Lingchuan arrived in the Blazing Gold Plains, commercial profits had already exceeded three times the earnings from agricultural logistics and port services in the Yangshan Archipelago over the past two and a half years.

This did not even include the treasures he acquired from the Ghost King's Cavern.

The desolate lands that others spoke of with fear were a gold mine to him.

However, it was exceedingly difficult for others to emulate him. Even if they could establish an armed force like Changlong Martial Arts Hall, would the countless large and small states and forces along the trade routes be willing to cooperate?

If the local powers did not agree, trade activities would inevitably face significant obstacles.

How much effort did the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce expend to secure relationships along the routes? This was also built upon He Lingchuan's stable relationships with major powers like Peng State and the Allied Army.

What if it were someone else? They would be exploited until nothing was left!

Military might and connections—these were the two moats that allowed Yangshan to thrive in the Blazing Gold Plains, and others could not replicate them.

However, Yao State was relatively unfamiliar with it.

As Gu Lin said, due to natural barriers, people in Yao State had hardly heard of the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce, but it was well-known in the central and western Blazing Gold Plains. How could a freight business like Tonglin Records not know about the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce?

Gu Lin's change in attitude was an unexpected pleasant surprise for He Lingchuan. As for his next plans, he no longer needed to prove his strength to Gu Lin.

Gu Lin also enthusiastically said, "Three thousand jin of Xiang Le Powder can be shipped within two days. Since I have formed a bond with Island Lord He, you won't need to pay for shipping."

"How can I accept this?" He Lingchuan said, though there was no hint of embarrassment on his face. "I greatly admire President Tu's life. If Tonglin Records' prowess remains, we will have many more opportunities for cooperation in the future."

He paused, "I recently bought a large piece of land on the outskirts of Tianshui City, and I'll be undertaking extensive construction soon."

"No problem!" Gu Lin readily agreed.

Tianshui City had been prosperous for over a hundred years and was known for its extremely valuable land. Outside merchants could at most buy a residence here and boast about it for months, yet Island Lord He of Yangshan bought land and built on it himself.

Was land in Tianshui City easily obtainable, even in the suburbs?

"Just tell me what you need."

After Tu Yuanhong's death, Tonglin Records declined, certainly due to the Qi family's suppression, but also because it lost its golden reputation. Tu Yuanhong was the soul of Tonglin Records and key to establishing business connections in Tianshui City. With his death, Tonglin Records' connections significantly weakened.

However, for Gu Lin, who had been deeply rooted in Tianshui City for over a decade, acquiring building materials, contacting artisans, and finding suitable antique collections were still effortless tasks.

"Excellent," He Lingchuan said, standing up. "By the way, has my old friend Li Yuanhao recently sent anyone to visit or express condolences?"

Gu Lin thought carefully: "At least I don't recall."

"Did President Tu ever mention him before he passed?"

"Where is this person from?"

"West of Bailie."

West of Bailie was Mou State.

Gu Lin shook his head more decisively: "President Tu never mentioned him in front of me."

"No matter, I was just asking." With the probing complete for the day, He Lingchuan stood up to take his leave.

Before leaving, He Lingchuan first went to the latrine.

Seeing that no one was around, the Soul-Snatching Mirror eagerly asked him:

"It seems Gu Lin doesn't know Tu Yuanhong was from Ling Mountain."

"Normal," He Lingchuan said softly. "Ding Zuodong doesn't even know about my connection with 'Li Yuanhao.'"

As Yangshan's Chief Steward, Ding Zuodong managed both the archipelago and the chamber of commerce, but he had no idea about He Lingchuan's connection to Ling Mountain.

Such a secret, if He Lingchuan didn't disclose it to Ding Zuodong, Tu Yuanhong likely wouldn't have mentioned it to Gu Lin either.

Having been with him for a long time, the mirror could vaguely guess his thoughts: "You want to acquire Tonglin Records?"

He Lingchuan pondered, "Yangshan is short-staffed in Tianshui City, and I do need more informants. Tonglin Records has been deeply rooted in Yaodu for a long time, so it would be best if it could serve my purposes. However—"

He also had concerns: "I'm new here, and I'll be making enemies later; it's best not to extend my reach so far publicly."

He would soon offend Qingyang. If he acquired Tonglin Records now... Qingyang might not be able to retaliate against him directly, but couldn't they retaliate against his assets?

"Let's make contact first."

After relieving himself, Gu Lin escorted him and Commander Zhao all the way to the main gate before turning back.

He Lingchuan wanted to wander around and was not in a hurry to get a carriage.

However, he had only strolled to the second old street when the Soul-Snatching Mirror suddenly cried out:

"Hey, hey, hey! To your front right, that He Rulin store! Quick, look who's coming out!"