Chapter 2084: Turning Hostile Freeport

"What happened next? Well, I got lucky," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "This nobleman, for some reason, acted foolishly. He actually left Jiao and came to our grasslands to steal horses. I caught him red-handed! He confessed to the theft of the horses, gave a statement, and pressed his handprint. Now, both the man and his confession have been handed over to the authorities for judgment."

Sun Fuling stared at him for a long time, then laughed and scolded, "What trick did you use?"

He Lingchuan blinked. "What does his foolishness have to do with me?"

Sun Fuling wasn't about to be misled. "Just tell me, how did you make him act so foolishly?"

Having been with him for years, she knew this fellow was far from upright and understood how to exploit situations.

"You're a scholar, so you must know about a method of abducting children called 'flower-tapping'?" He Lingchuan scooped some fish soup and drank it. "I just used that little trick to 'tap' him away."

"General He has quite a diverse range of skills," Sun Fuling mused, surprised he knew such a disreputable trick. She knew the process must have been interesting, but he spoke so casually. "Go on, demonstrate it for me right now."

"Still need a demonstration?" He Lingchuan asked, feigning surprise. "If I just reach out and grab you, wouldn't you follow me?"

Sun Fuling was annoyed. She picked up an osmanthus cake nearby and threw it directly at his face. "What did you say?"

She wouldn't have been so direct in the past.

He Lingchuan, however, was used to it. With a "plop," he lifted his hand and caught it cleanly, taking a bite of the cake as he did so.

"Calm down, calm down, I was just making a comparison!" He Lingchuan quickly tried to defuse the situation. "Back to the trade routes, back to the trade routes – that's a big deal for national stability and public welfare! Why the rush to open a second trade route?"

The sea outlet south of Crouching Dragon City was at White Sands Bay. Merchant caravans from afar had to disembark at White Sands Bay, pass through the Mao River Plain, and only then could they reach the Crouching Dragon Wilderness. In real life, He Lingchuan had also departed from White Sands Bay when traveling from the former Kite Kingdom to the Yangshan Archipelago.

From ancient times to the present, it had been a very important free port.

Sun Fuling sighed. "White Sands Bay alone isn't enough; it's easy for someone to cut off our access."

He Lingchuan nodded. When Beijia and Crouching Dragon City were at loggerheads, Beijia had pressured White Sands Bay to sever Crouching Dragon City's trade routes, forbidding foreign merchants from trading with Crouching Dragon City.

White Sands Bay refused.

For one, it was a port with highly free and flexible policies.

Secondly, it had few vested interests with Beijia; on the contrary, they were competitors, as Beijia also had several strategically located, high-capacity seaports.

Thirdly, White Sands Bay had a very good relationship with Crouching Dragon City, earning countless sums annually from the Crouching Dragon-Mao River trade route.

Fourth, He Lingchuan also knew that White Sands Bay was actually a seaport under the control of Spirit Mountain! During Crouching Dragon City's conflict with Beijia, White Sands Bay naturally sided more with Crouching Dragon City.

However, regardless of the number of reasons above, Crouching Dragon City's heavy reliance on White Sands Bay for its overseas trade remained a hidden danger.

"So, is someone trying to cut off our access now?"

Had the hidden danger been exposed so quickly?

"Yes," Sun Fuling replied. She was now the Deputy Headmaster of Shumin Academy. Shumin Academy had significant political responsibilities and was no longer just a simple scholarly institution, which was why she often had access to a lot of inside information.

"Less than two days after you departed for the southern wilderness, White Sands Bay's old town master retired due to illness, and his second son took over. He immediately declared that our agreement had expired and needed to be renegotiated, otherwise our goods would not be allowed into White Sands Bay."

Not being able to enter White Sands Bay meant not being able to go to sea or conduct business with distant countries and merchant guilds.

He Lingchuan frowned. "But when I returned to the city this evening, the roads were completely jammed with merchants, making it impossible to move."

"That's because the embargo on Crouching Dragon City's goods won't take effect until next month," Sun Fuling said with a wry smile. "All these merchants want to ship their goods out before the deadline. Once the embargo is in place, and the specialty products from Crouching Dragon Wilderness and Mao River Plain can't leave, the value of the goods they're holding will skyrocket."

Therefore, the overflowing merchant convoys at this time were not a good sign; everyone was just trying to complete their last few deals.

"What are White Sands Bay's demands?"

"Previously, the commission on Crouching Dragon City's goods passing through White Sands Bay was very low. The new town master claims that at the time, the Mao River trade route was not bustling, which was why such a preferential rate was given. Now, Crouching Dragon City has grown strong, and its cargo volume is nearly 40% of White Sands Bay's total throughput, making such a low commission inappropriate," Sun Fuling said, shaking her head. She mentioned a figure: "The new commission proposed by White Sands Bay is very difficult for us to accept; it's more than a twofold increase."

"And the commission is just the main item; there are four or five other charges. For instance, White Sands Bay claims that our trade volume is too large, causing severe wear and tear to port facilities and the official roads leading out of the port. Maintenance costs a lot, so they also want to collect an annual port and road fee," she continued. "Such back-and-forth negotiations would take at least two or three months to reach an agreement."

"Negotiations can be long or short." White Sands Bay hadn't explicitly stated that it would permanently deny Crouching Dragon City's goods access; they merely said the current agreement had expired and needed to be re-signed. As for when it could be signed and when trade could resume, that was "up for discussion."

"But the trade route can't wait that long. Forget two or three months; even if goods can't move for just one month, all the business will disappear." He Lingchuan, having previously managed the Yangshan Archipelago, understood these dynamics perfectly. A trade route was no different from a small business owner: it needed to be open every day, with goods moving daily. If it closed down for even a single day, others would assume it had gone bankrupt and ceased operations.

If the Mao River trade route saw no traffic, it would be a fatal blow to Crouching Dragon City's foreign trade.

"This is just stirring up trouble," He Lingchuan said, smiling rather than getting angry. "For White Sands Bay to reject a major client like Crouching Dragon City is like throwing out the God of Wealth. Furthermore, Crouching Dragon City recently defeated Xianyou and repelled Beijia, gaining renown far and wide. White Sands Bay has no reason to incur Crouching Dragon City's displeasure at this time."

Which neighboring power wasn't aware of Crouching Dragon City's overwhelming military might now?

The influx of foreign envoys to Crouching Dragon City was precisely because various powers were seeking to curry favor, establish diplomatic ties, and maintain relationships, wasn't it?

For White Sands Bay to choose this moment to offend Crouching Dragon City—could the new town master possibly be out of his mind?

Of course, He Lingchuan also knew that even if Crouching Dragon City was famous for its military strength, it wasn't advisable to show its fists and punish White Sands Bay now. White Sands Bay had recently stood firm against Beijia's pressure, continuing to support your trade shipments and supply you. Would you now turn hostile simply because a contract couldn't be agreed upon?

Neighboring powers were watching closely to see if Crouching Dragon City would bully others just because it was powerful.

Furthermore, White Sands Bay was also part of the Spirit Mountain faction; it wouldn't look good for members of the same faction to overtly undermine each other in such a direct manner.

Sun Fuling picked up a slice of sashimi, eating it elegantly once more. "What's your take on it?"