Chapter 243: Playing Big

The Zhan family also stopped in Buxian, which further fueled the rumors.

Many people began to regret their decision.

Waiting always felt exceptionally long.

Four hours later, as the sun began to set in the west, the scout Zhan Song had sent to Dunyu galloped back. The news he brought was ambiguous for the Zhan family; it was hard to tell if it was good or bad:

“A notice was posted in Dunyu last midnight. Today, lanterns and festive decorations are everywhere, and all the restaurants were full by noon. The Song family troupe set up a stage at Xiaojiaotian Square by the South Gate to perform an opera; it’s said to be arranged by the prefecture and will last most of the day.”

The scout continued, “Dozens of heads are hanging on the city gate. They are said to be the generals of the Xunzhou cavalry, and also the leaders responsible for most of the looting and killings. Lime has been sprinkled on them, and many people are gathered around to look.”

“Oh, and Dunyu City has reopened; it’s no longer sealed.”

Enemy heads hanging on the city wall?

Dunyu open again?

Zhan Song slowly sat down, leaning on the back of his chair, his heart sinking. “We’ve been tricked, we’ve been tricked,” he muttered.

His clansmen looked at him eagerly. What should they do now?

Someone asked, “Could it be fake again?”

“How could a city sealed yesterday be unsealed today?”

“We just arrived in Buxian, and news of a great victory also arrived. What a coincidence!”

“Exactly,” Zhan Song suddenly interjected. “There is no such coincidence.”

Everyone was stunned. “Are you saying Chief Steward He didn’t win?”

“He won,” Zhan Song said with a bitter smile. “But I’m afraid he kept it quiet and used this news to set a trap for us! After all, he controls when the victory report is sent back.”

The atmosphere became heavy.

When Dunyu City was in crisis, they felt uneasy.

But Chief Steward He’s great victory over the enemy and the beheading of enemy generals made them feel even worse.

Over two hundred people from their clan had left. What should they do next?

Go back to Dunyu City?

Over the past few days, they had sold everything they could and divested all their assets. What would they do if they went back?

Besides, they were the only one of the four great families to leave. If they went back now, the other three families would mock them endlessly.

Zhan Song’s heart was twisted in a painful knot.

They had truly suffered a significant and uncomplaining loss.

But who could blame him for his lack of resolve? Seeing the Li family still out buying property yesterday, had they perhaps gotten wind of the news beforehand?

After a long period of dejection, he exhaled deeply. “We’re not going back. We’ll continue south. We still have properties in the south, and the clansmen who moved earlier are all in Canglin County. The houses there are enough for us to stay.”

He had more to say, unspoken:

Not only were there Zhan family properties there, but it was also closer to the border. If Dunyu showed signs of defeat, they could easily flee from Xiazhou.

The clansmen looked at each other, heads bowed, offering no objection.

However, Fourth Master Zhan slammed the table and rose in a rage. “If you’re not going back, I have to! I still have an unsettled score with the Li family!”

His wife and children had died at the hands of the Li family’s private soldiers, and he was still waiting for justice. “I told you repeatedly not to leave, but none of you believed me. Now look, we’ve made a colossal mistake. Who among you has the face to go back?”

Second Master Zhan glanced at Zhan Song’s expression and cleared his throat. “You shouldn’t say that, Fourth Brother; you’re being impulsive. We were originally planning to move south anyway and never intended to go back.”

Zhan Song nodded. “Fourth Brother, go back. We can’t let the Li family have it too easy.” He raised a hand and beckoned a steward closer. “Take two men with Fourth Master Zhan and ensure he is well cared for.”

Fourth Master Zhan returning to oversee things would be good; he could urge the prefecture to handle the case fairly and quickly. Even if the Zhan family left, they couldn’t let the Li family off easy. Not a single cent less than the compensation the Li family owed!

Dunyu City.

Just one day prior, this city had been gripped by cold winds and desolate nights; businesses were struggling, and not even a dog barked. A day later, lanterns and festive decorations adorned every corner, and the streets bustled with crowds.

It was like day and night, a stark contrast attributed solely to a resounding victory.

He Chunhua specifically hosted a banquet at Hesu Tower to "welcome and honor" the victorious generals, led by Zhao Qinghe and Wu Shaoyi. In truth, this contingent had returned triumphantly the morning before, but had remained hidden in the countryside, only making their grand re-entry into the city today, where they were greeted by cheering crowds lining the streets.

At the banquet, they spoke animatedly about the battles on the front lines. He Chunhua deliberately chose not to reserve private rooms, instead booking the entire second floor. This way, the conversations from upstairs would carry down, allowing other guests to hear everything clearly.

As the generals recounted exciting details, guests repeatedly came upstairs, insisting on toasting them. This happened so often that He Lingchuan simply opened a continuous buffet on the first floor, inviting everyone to eat and enjoy themselves.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the various rumors and details of the victory were sure to spread throughout the city, embellished and exaggerated, just as He Chunhua and his son had hoped.

The meal lasted from noon until evening, and everyone finally left content.

He Lingchuan grabbed He Chunhua, saying, “Father, you can’t trick your son! Settle the banquet bill right away!”

He Chunhua was in high spirits that day, a little tipsy, and waved his hand dismissively. “Charge it to the account, the prefecture’s account!”

He Lingchuan already knew that the contingent He Chunhua had sent out had indeed won, but the victory was somewhat exaggerated. The Xunzhou army they captured and defeated was nowhere near nine thousand strong.

In fact, there were only twelve hundred enemy soldiers.

After Nian Zanli tore a gap in Zhao Pan’s defense line, he redeployed his main army south, hoping to seize the opportunity to capture more cities and expand his gains, which would help him secure a foothold. Otherwise, advancing deep with an isolated force would only lead to disaster.

However, at the same time, he also dispatched several cavalry units to continue small-scale guerrilla warfare southward, harassing towns and looting civilians, while also searching for official grain transport routes to plan ambushes.

These cavalry units were highly mobile but numbered only a few hundred each.

He Chunhua knew that the Xiazhou army was poorly trained and lacked combat effectiveness, likely to scatter at the first engagement in a direct battle. However, fighting outnumbered enemies on home ground offered some chance of success.

Before their departure, he had repeatedly rehearsed strategies with several generals. Wu Shaoyi and Zhao Qinghe were also very fortunate this time, successfully ambushing two enemy forces with the cooperation of local residents in Xinhuang, Hetao, and Lu’an. The last enemy force, in fact, retreated without a fight, never truly engaging them.

The Xunzhou army’s disadvantage stemmed from their ignorance that He Chunhua had already arrived in Dunyu. They believed Xiazhou’s defenses were weak, and having encountered little resistance in previous raids on towns and counties, with garrisons collapsing at the first blow, they inevitably became careless and overconfident.

He Chunhua caught them off guard, which yielded such good results. Even so, their own casualties still amounted to over four hundred men.

When He Lingchuan learned the true figures, he couldn't help but give He Chunhua a thumbs-up. “As expected of Father, when you play, you play big! Such an exaggeration!” Falsifying by five times!

“How else do you think morale and military discipline can be boosted?” He Chunhua said with a bitter smile. “Half of it relies on exaggeration!”

“With this victory as a foundation, they will be bolder when facing the Xunzhou army next time.” There was a mix of joy and worry in Chief Steward He’s eyes.

The joy stemmed from the fact that this great victory had laid a solid foundation for his prestige in Dunyu, subtly shifting the balance of power and status between him and the powerful aristocratic families, led by the four great clans.

The heavy burden on He Chunhua’s mind had been partially lifted. With this victory, many of his subsequent policies could be smoothly implemented.

The worries were also clear: the Xiazhou army’s lack of combat readiness had been fully exposed, and his conscription and training plans had to be implemented as quickly as possible.

Regardless, their most difficult time since arriving in Dunyu was now over.

That night, He Lingchuan entered the dream world again. Meng Shan, who had just dealt with several opponents, had put up a “no-challenge” sign, claiming he was tired from fighting and needed a few days to rest.

Last time, He Lingchuan had almost crushed his larynx.

Although He Lingchuan was ultimately forced to disconnect from the dream by Meng Shan grabbing his neck, Meng Shan didn’t have the special dream-world healing that He Lingchuan received. His injuries wouldn't heal overnight; he needed several days to recover.

Now, He Lingchuan could last for over fifteen minutes against him.

Logically, the rules of the Martial Arts Hall should favor Meng Shan because sharp weapons were ineffective there, while blunt force and immense strength had a clear advantage. Meng Shan had thick skin, bulky muscles, and immense power; any damage He Lingchuan inflicted with swords, spears, staffs, or daggers was limited.

Furthermore, this was a direct confrontation, so surprise attacks and ambushes were largely unusable.

But even so, He Lingchuan was lasting longer and longer.

Although military merit was insufficient to exchange for new divine abilities, his prolonged time in the Martial Arts Hall allowed him to learn from others’ strengths and implement another highly useful piece of military equipment: a sleeve arrow.

As the name suggests, this device was hidden inside the sleeve and could attack enemies within thirty to forty paces with a flick of the wrist. The sleeve arrows provided by the Martial Arts Hall were made entirely of wood, including the arrows and casing, making their durability and quality quite poor. Even so, He Lingchuan used one to ambush Meng Shan and nearly poked out his eye.

Upon returning to reality, he immediately asked Li Fubo to custom-make sleeve arrows. The casing was to be made of purple copper, the arrowheads mixed with a bit of refined gold, and designed for two rapid shots.

Additionally, the arrow shafts were to be inscribed with two talismans, effectively adding two magic formations: one for “wind control” to prevent being blown off course, and another for “precision” to increase the arrowhead’s penetration. After all, sleeve arrows inherently lacked the power of a longbow and required extra enchantment.

A set included a casing and six short arrows, which could also be poisoned.

He also asked Li Fubo to combine a grappling hook with the sleeve arrow, meaning the arrow could be attached to a rope for emergencies.

Creating just this one item cost another three hundred silver taels.

That was equivalent to half the price of a storefront. Custom work from experts in Songyang Prefecture was indeed that expensive, even at a discounted friendly price.

Li Fubo repeatedly gave him thumbs-ups, attempting to soothe the customer’s emotional pain: “This item is practical, Young Master, you have good foresight. Many regular customers in Songyang Prefecture consider it essential and come back to us to replenish their arrows.”

He Lingchuan couldn’t even be bothered to roll his eyes. If it was so useful, why hadn’t Li Fubo recommended it to him sooner?

He had considered another famous hidden weapon he’d read about, the renowned “Stormy Pear Blossom Needles,” but after Li Fubo told him the cost, especially the fact that dozens of special large-headed needles fired at once couldn’t all be recovered, he instantly abandoned the idea.

“Who came up with such a wasteful contraption?!”